Proverbs 1

Old Testament · Brenton Septuagint with Greek parallel

Proverbs 1

1The Proverbs of Solomon son of David, who reigned in Israel;ΠΑΡΟΙΜΙΑΙ Σαλωμῶντος υἱοῦ Δαυὶδ, ὃς ἐβασίλευσεν ἐν Ἰσραήλ·

2to know wisdom and instruction, and to perceive words of understanding;γνῶναι σοφίαν καὶ παιδείαν, νοῆσαί τε λόγους φρονήσεως,

3to receive also * hard saying, and to understand true justice, and how to direct judgment;δέξασθαί τε στροφὰς λόγων, νοῆσαί τε δικαιοσύνην ἀληθῆ, καὶ κρίμα κατευθύνειν·

4that he might give subtlety to the simple, and to the young man † discernment and understanding.Ἵνα δῷ ἀκάκοις πανουργίαν, παιδὶ δὲ νέῳ αἴσθησίν τε καὶ ἔννοιαν.

5For by the hearing of these a wise man will be wiser, and man of understanding will gain direction;Τῶν δὲ γὰρ ἀκούσας σοφὸς σοφώτερος ἔσται, ὁ δὲ νοήμων κυβέρνησιν κτήσεται·

6and will understand a parable, and a dark speech; the saying of the wise also, and riddles.Νοήσει τε παραβολὴν καὶ σκοτεινὸν λόγον, ῥήσεις τε σοφῶν καὶ αἰνίγματα.

7The fear of the Lord is the ‡ beginning of wisdom; and there is good understanding to all that practise it: and piety toward God is the beginning of discernment; but the ungodly will set at nothing wisdom and instruction.Ἀρχὴ σοφίας φόβος Κυριου, σύνεσις δὲ ἀγαθὴ πᾶσι τοῖς ποιοῦσιν αὐτήν· εὐσέβεια δὲ εἰς Θεὸν ἀρχὴ αἰσθήσεως, σοφίαν δὲ καὶ παιδείαν ἀσεβεῖς ἐξουθενήσουσιν.

8Hear, my son, the instruction of your father, and reject not the rules of your mother.Ἄκουε υἱὲ παιδείαν πατρός σου, καὶ μὴ ἀπώσῃ θεσμοὺς μητρός σου.

9For you shall receive for your head a crown of graces, and a chain of gold round your neck.Στέφανον γὰρ χαρίτων δέξῃ σῇ κορυφῇ, καὶ κλοιὸν χρύσεον περὶ σῷ τραχήλῳ.

10My son, let not ungodly men lead you astray, neither consent you to them.Υἱὲ μή σε πλανήσωσιν ἄνδρες ἀσεβεῖς, μηδὲ βουληθῇς.

11If they should exhort you, saying, Come with us, partake in blood, and let us unjustly hide the just man in the earth:Ἐὰν παρακαλέσωσί σε, λέγοντες, ἐλθὲ μεθʼ ἡμῶν, κοινώνησον αἵματος, κρύψωμεν δὲ εἰς γῆν ἄνδρα δίκαιον ἀδίκως,

12and let us swallow him alive, as Hades would, and remove the memorial of him from the earth:καταπίωμεν δὲ αὐτὸν ὥσπερ ᾅδης ζῶντα, καὶ ἄρωμεν αὐτοῦ τὴν μνήμην ἐκ γῆς,

13let us seize on his valuable property, and let us fill our houses with spoils:τὴν κτῆσιν αὐτοῦ τὴν πολυτελῆ καταλαβώμεθα, πλήσωμεν δὲ οἴκους ἡμετέρους σκύλων·

14but do you cast in your lot with us, and let us all provide a common purse, and let us have one pouch:Τὸν δὲ σὸν κλῆρον βάλε ἐν ἡμῖν, κοινὸν δὲ βαλάντιον κτησώμεθα πάντες, καὶ μαρσίππιον ἓν γενηθήτω ἡμῖν·

15go not in the way with them, but turn aside your foot from their paths:Μὴ πορευθῇς ἐν ὁδῷ μετʼ αὐτῶν, ἔκκλινον δὲ τὸν πόδα σου ἐκ τῶν τρίβων αὐτῶν.

16§ For their feet run to do evil, and are swift to shed blood.

17for nets are not without cause spread for birds.Οὐ γὰρ ἀδίκως ἐκτείνεται δίκτυα πτερωτοῖς.

18For they that are concerned in murder store up evils for themselves; and the overthrow of transgressors is evil.Αὐτοὶ γὰρ οἱ φόνου μετέχοντες, θησαυρίζουσιν ἑαυτοῖς κακά· ἡ δὲ καταστροφὴ ἀνδρῶν παρανόμων κακή.

19These are the ways of all that perform lawless deeds; for by ungodliness they destroy their own life.Αὗται αἱ ὁδοί εἰσι πάντων τῶν συντελούντων τὰ ἄνομα· τῇ γὰρ ἀσεβείᾳ τὴν ἑαυτῶν ψυχὴν ἀφαιροῦνται.

20Wisdom sings aloud in passages, and in the broad places speaks boldly.Σοφία ἐν ἐξόδοις ὑμνεῖται, ἐν δὲ πλατείαις παῤῥησίαν ἄγει.

21And she makes proclamation on the top of the walls, and sits by the gates of princes; and at the gates of the city boldly says,Ἐπʼ ἄκρων δὲ τειχέων κηρύσσεται, ἐπὶ δὲ πύλαις δυναστῶν παρεδρεύει, ἐπὶ δὲ πύλαις πόλεως θαῤῥοῦσα λέγει,

22So long as the simple cleave to justice, they shall not be ashamed: but the foolish being lovers of haughtiness, having become ungodly have hated knowledge, and are become subject to reproofs.ὅσον ἂν χρόνον ἄκακοι ἔχονται τῆς δικαιοσύνης, οὐκ αἰσχυνθήσονται· οἱ δὲ ἄφρονες τῆς ὕβρεως ὄντες ἐπιθυμηταί, ἀσεβεῖς γενόμενοι ἐμίσησαν αἴσθησιν,

23Behold, I will bring forth to you the utterance of my breath, and I will instruct you in my speech.καὶ ὑπεύθυνοι ἐγένοντο ἐλέγχοις· ἰδοὺ προήσομαι ὑμῖν ἐμῆς πνοῆς ῥῆσιν· διδάξω δὲ ὑμᾶς τὸν ἐμὸν λόγον.

24Since I called, and you did not listen; and I spoke at length, and you gave no heed;Ἐπειδὴ ἐκάλουνμ, καὶ οὐχ ὑπηκούσατε· καὶ ἐξέτεινον λόγους, καὶ οὐ προσείχετε·

25but you set at nothing my counsels, and disregarded my reproofs;ἀλλὰ ἀκύρους ἐποιεῖτε ἐμὰς βουλὰς, τοῖς δὲ ἐμοῖς ἐλέγχοις ἠπειθήσατε·

26therefore I also will laugh at your destruction; and I will rejoice against you when ruin comes upon you:Τοιγαροῦν κᾀγὼ τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ ἀπωλείᾳ ἐπιγελάσομαι, καταχαροῦμαι δὲ ἡνίκα ἔρχηται ὑμῖν ὄλεθρος·

27yes when dismay suddenly comes upon you, and your overthrow shall arrive like a tempest; and when tribulation and distress shall come upon you, or when ruin shall come upon you.Καὶ ὡς ἂν ἀφίκηται ὑμῖν ἄφνω θόρυβος, ἡ δὲ καταστροφὴ ὁμοίως καταιγίδι παρῇ, καὶ ὅταν ἔρχηται ὑμῖν θλίψις καὶ πολιορκία, ἢ ὅταν ἔρχηται ὑμῖν ὄλεθρος.

28For it shall be that when you call upon me, I will not listen to you: wicked men shall seek me, but shall not find me.Ἔσται γὰρ ὅταν ἐπικαλέσησθέ με, ἐγὼ δὲ οὐκ εἰσακούσομαι ὑμῶν· ζητήσουσί με κακοὶ, καὶ οὐχ εὑρήσουσιν.

29For they hated wisdom, and did not choose the word of the Lord:Ἐμίσησαν γὰρ σοφίαν, τὸν δὲ λόγον τοῦ Κυρίου οὐ προείλαντο,

30neither would they attend to my counsels, but derided my reproofs.οὐδὲ ἤθελον ἐμαῖς προσέχειν βουλαῖς, ἐμυκτήριζον δὲ ἐμοὺς ἐλέγχους·

31Therefore shall they eat the fruits of their own way, and shall be filled with their own ungodliness.Τοιγαροῦν ἔδονται τῆς ἑαυτῶν ὁδοῦ τοὺς καρποὺς, καὶ τῆς ἐαυτῶν ἀσεβείας πλησθήσονται.

32For because they wronged the simple, they shall be slain; and an inquisition shall ruin the ungodly.Ἀνθʼ ὧν γὰρ ἠδίκουν νηπίους, φονευθήσονται, καὶ ἐξετασμὸς ἀσεβεῖς ὀλεῖ.

33But he that hearkens to me shall dwell in ** confidence, and shall rest securely from all evil.Ὁ δὲ ἐμοῦ ἀκούων κατασκηνώσει ἐπʼ ἐλπίδι, καὶ ἡσυχάσει ἀφόβως ἀπὸ παντὸς κακοῦ.

Translator's Notes

These notes come from the printed edition of Sir Lancelot Brenton's classic English translation of the Septuagint (LXX), and record where the Greek differs from the English rendering or admits more than one reading.

• v. 3*Gr. turnings, q.d. knotty words. See Heb.
• v. 4†Or, discretion.
• v. 7‡Or, sum, or, top.
• v. 16§this verse is not in the text. The Alexandrine text is shown here
• v. 33**Gr. hope. See Ps 16.