Proverbs 4

1Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend, that you may know prudence.

2I will give you a good gift, forsake not my law.

3For I also was my father's son, tender, and as an only son in the sight of my mother:

4And he taught me, and said: Let thy heart receive my words, keep my commandments, and thou shalt live.

5Get wisdom, get prudence: forget not, neither decline from the words of my mouth.

6Forsake her not, and she shall keep thee: love her, and she shall preserve thee.

7The beginning of wisdom, get wisdom, and with all thy possession purchase prudence.

8Take hold on her, and she shall exalt thee: thou shalt be glorified by her, when thou shalt embrace her.

9She shall give to thy head increase of graces, and protect thee with a noble crown.

10Hear, O my son, and receive my words, that years of life may be multiplied to thee.

11I will show thee the way of wisdom, I will lead thee by the paths of equity:

12Which when thou shalt have entered, thy steps shall not be straitened, and when thou runnest, thou shalt not meet a stumbling block.

13Take hold on instruction, leave it not: keep it, because it is thy life.

14Be not delighted in the paths of the wicked, neither let the way of evil men please thee.

15Flee from it, pass not by it: go aside, and forsake it.

16For they sleep not, except they have done evil: and their sleep is taken away unless they have made some to fall.

17They eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of iniquity.

18But the path of the just, as a shining light, goeth forwards, and increaseth even to perfect day.

19The way of the wicked is darksome: they know not where they fall.

20My son, hearken to my words, and incline thy ear to my sayings.

21Let them not depart from thy eyes, keep them in the midst of thy heart:

22For they are life to those that find them, and health to all flesh.

23With all watchfulness keep thy heart, because life issueth out from it.

24Remove from thee a froward mouth, and let detracting lips be far from thee.

25Let thy eyes look straight on, and let thy eyelids go before thy steps.

26Make straight the path for thy feet, and all thy ways shall be established.

27Decline not to the right hand, nor to the left: turn away thy foot from evil. For the Lord knoweth the ways that are on the right hand: but those are perverse which are on the left hand. But he will make thy courses straight, he will bring forward thy ways in peace.

1Audite, filii, disciplinam patris, et attendite ut sciatis prudentiam.

2Donum bonum tribuam vobis : legem meam ne derelinquatis.

3Nam et ego filius fui patris mei, tenellus et unigenitus coram matre mea.

4Et docebat me, atque dicebat : Suscipiat verba mea cor tuum; custodi præcepta mea, et vives.

5Posside sapientiam, posside prudentiam : ne obliviscaris, neque declines a verbis oris mei.

6Ne dimittas eam, et custodiet te : dilige eam, et conservabit te.

7Principium sapientiæ : posside sapientiam, et in omni possessione tua acquire prudentiam.

8Arripe illam, et exaltabit te; glorificaberis ab ea cum eam fueris amplexatus.

9Dabit capiti tuo augmenta gratiarum, et corona inclyta proteget te.

10Audi, fili mi, et suscipe verba mea, ut multiplicentur tibi anni vitæ.

11Viam sapientiæ monstrabo tibi; ducam te per semitas æquitatis :

12quas cum ingressus fueris, non arctabuntur gressus tui, et currens non habebis offendiculum.

13Tene disciplinam, ne dimittas eam; custodi illam, quia ipsa est vita tua.

14Ne delecteris in semitis impiorum, nec tibi placeat malorum via.

15Fuge ab ea, nec transeas per illam; declina, et desere eam.

16Non enim dormiunt nisi malefecerint, et rapitur somnus ab eis nisi supplantaverint.

17Comedunt panem impietatis, et vinum iniquitatis bibunt.

18Justorum autem semita quasi lux splendens procedit, et crescit usque ad perfectam diem.

19Via impiorum tenebrosa; nesciunt ubi corruant.

20Fili mi, ausculta sermones meos, et ad eloquia mea inclina aurem tuam.

21Ne recedant ab oculis tuis : custodi ea in medio cordis tui :

22vita enim sunt invenientibus ea, et universæ carni sanitas.

23Omni custodia serva cor tuum, quia ex ipso vita procedit.

24Remove a te os pravum, et detrahentia labia sint procul a te.

25Oculi tui recta videant, et palpebræ tuæ præcedant gressus tuos.

26Dirige semitam pedibus tuis, et omnes viæ tuæ stabilientur.

27Ne declines ad dexteram neque ad sinistram; averte pedem tuum a malo : vias enim quæ a dextris sunt novit Dominus : perversæ vero sunt quæ a sinistris sunt. Ipse autem rectos faciet cursus tuos, itinera autem tua in pace producet.

1ἀκούσατε παῖδες παιδείαν πατρὸς καὶ προσέχετε γνῶναι ἔννοιαν

2δῶρον γὰρ ἀγαθὸν δωροῦμαι ὑμῖν τὸν ἐμὸν νόμον μὴ ἐγκαταλίπητε

3υἱὸς γὰρ ἐγενόμην κἀγὼ πατρὶ ὑπήκοος καὶ ἀγαπώμενος ἐν προσώπῳ μητρός

4οἳ ἔλεγον καὶ ἐδίδασκόν με ἐρειδέτω ὁ ἡμέτερος λόγος εἰς σὴν καρδίαν

5φύλασσε ἐντολάς μὴ ἐπιλάθῃ μηδὲ παρίδῃς ῥῆσιν ἐμοῦ στόματος

6μηδὲ ἐγκαταλίπῃς αὐτήν καὶ ἀνθέξεταί σου ἐράσθητι αὐτῆς καὶ τηρήσει σε

8περιχαράκωσον αὐτήν καὶ ὑψώσει σε τίμησον αὐτήν ἵνα σε περιλάβῃ

9ἵνα δῷ τῇ σῇ κεφαλῇ στέφανον χαρίτων στεφάνῳ δὲ τρυφῆς ὑπερασπίσῃ σου

10ἄκουε υἱέ καὶ δέξαι ἐμοὺς λόγους καὶ πληθυνθήσεται ἔτη ζωῆς σου ἵνα σοι γένωνται πολλαὶ ὁδοὶ βίου

11ὁδοὺς γὰρ σοφίας διδάσκω σε ἐμβιβάζω δέ σε τροχιαῖς ὀρθαῖς

12ἐὰν γὰρ πορεύῃ οὐ συγκλεισθήσεταί σου τὰ διαβήματα ἐὰν δὲ τρέχῃς οὐ κοπιάσεις

13ἐπιλαβοῦ ἐμῆς παιδείας μὴ ἀφῇς ἀλλὰ φύλαξον αὐτὴν σεαυτῷ εἰς ζωήν σου

14ὁδοὺς ἀσεβῶν μὴ ἐπέλθῃς μηδὲ ζηλώσῃς ὁδοὺς παρανόμων

15ἐν ᾧ ἂν τόπῳ στρατοπεδεύσωσιν μὴ ἐπέλθῃς ἐκεῖ ἔκκλινον δὲ ἀπ' αὐτῶν καὶ παράλλαξον

16οὐ γὰρ μὴ ὑπνώσωσιν ἐὰν μὴ κακοποιήσωσιν ἀφῄρηται ὁ ὕπνος αὐτῶν καὶ οὐ κοιμῶνται

17οἵδε γὰρ σιτοῦνται σῖτα ἀσεβείας οἴνῳ δὲ παρανόμῳ μεθύσκονται

18αἱ δὲ ὁδοὶ τῶν δικαίων ὁμοίως φωτὶ λάμπουσιν προπορεύονται καὶ φωτίζουσιν ἕως κατορθώσῃ ἡ ἡμέρα

19αἱ δὲ ὁδοὶ τῶν ἀσεβῶν σκοτειναί οὐκ οἴδασιν πῶς προσκόπτουσιν

20υἱέ ἐμῇ ῥήσει πρόσεχε τοῖς δὲ ἐμοῖς λόγοις παράβαλε σὸν οὖς

21ὅπως μὴ ἐκλίπωσίν σε αἱ πηγαί σου φύλασσε αὐτὰς ἐν σῇ καρδίᾳ

22ζωὴ γάρ ἐστιν τοῖς εὑρίσκουσιν αὐτὰς καὶ πάσῃ σαρκὶ ἴασις

23πάσῃ φυλακῇ τήρει σὴν καρδίαν ἐκ γὰρ τούτων ἔξοδοι ζωῆς

24περίελε σεαυτοῦ σκολιὸν στόμα καὶ ἄδικα χείλη μακρὰν ἀπὸ σοῦ ἄπωσαι

25οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου ὀρθὰ βλεπέτωσαν τὰ δὲ βλέφαρά σου νευέτω δίκαια

26ὀρθὰς τροχιὰς ποίει σοῖς ποσὶν καὶ τὰς ὁδούς σου κατεύθυνε

27μὴ ἐκκλίνῃς εἰς τὰ δεξιὰ μηδὲ εἰς τὰ ἀριστερά ἀπόστρεψον δὲ σὸν πόδα ἀπὸ ὁδοῦ κακῆς ὁδοὺς γὰρ τὰς ἐκ δεξιῶν οἶδεν ὁ θεός διεστραμμέναι δέ εἰσιν αἱ ἐξ ἀριστερῶν αὐτὸς δὲ ὀρθὰς ποιήσει τὰς τροχιάς σου τὰς δὲ πορείας σου ἐν εἰρήνῃ προάξει