Proverbs 4

Old Testament · Brenton Septuagint with Greek parallel

Proverbs 4

1Hear, you children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.Ἀκούσατε, παῖδες, παιδείαν πατρὸς, καὶ προσέχετε γνῶναι ἔννοιαν.

2For I give you a good gift; forsake you not my law.Δῶρον γὰρ ἀγαθὸν δωροῦμαι ὑμῖν, τὸν ἐμὸν νόμον μὴ ἐγκαταλίπητε.

3For I also was a son obedient to my father, and loved in the sight of my mother:Υἱὸς γὰρ ἐγενόμην κᾀγὼ πατρὶ ὑπήκοος, καὶ ἀγαπώμενος ἐν προσώπῳ μητρός.

4who spoke and instructed me, saying, Let our speech be fixed in your heart, keep our commandments, forget them not:Οἳ ἔλεγον καὶ ἐδίδασκόν με, ἐρειδέτω ὁ ἡμέτερος λόγος εἰς σὴν καρδίαν· φύλασσε ἐντολὰς,

5and do not neglect the speech of my mouth. *μὴ ἐπιλάθῃ· Μηδὲ παρίδῃς ῥῆσιν ἐμοῦ στόματος,

6And forsake it not, and it shall cleave to you: love it, and it shall keep you.μηδὲ ἐγκαταλίπῃς αὐτὴν, καὶ ἀνθέξεταί σου· ἐράσθητι αὐτῆς, καὶ τηρήσει σε.

8† Secure it, and it shall exalt you: honor it, that it may embrace you;Περιχαράκωσον αὐτὴν, καὶ ὑψώσει σε· τίμησον αὐτὴν, ἵνα σε περιλάβῃ·

9that it may give to your head a crown of graces, and may cover you with a crown of delight.Ἵνα δῷ τῇ σῇ κεφαλῇ στέφανον χαρίτων, στεφάνῳ δὲ τρυφῆς ὑπερασπίσῃ σου.

10Hear, my son, and receive my words; and the years of your life shall be increased, that the resources of your life may be many.Ἄκουε υἱὲ καὶ δέξαι ἐμοὺς λόγους, καὶ πληθυνθήσεται ἔτη ζωῆς σου, ἵνα σοι γένωνται πολλαὶ ὁδοὶ βίου.

11For I teach you the ways of wisdom; and I cause you to go in right ‡ paths.Ὁδοὺς γὰρ σοφίας διδάσκω σε, ἐμβιβάζω δέ σε τροχιαῖς ὀρθαῖς.

12For when you go, your steps shall not be straitened; and when you run, you shall not be distressed.Ἐὰν γὰρ πορεύῃ, οὐ συγκλεισθήσεταί σου τὰ διαβήματα· ἐὰν δὲ τρέχῃς, οὐ κοπιάσεις.

13Take hold of my instruction; let it not go, —but keep it for yourself for your life.Ἐπιλαβοῦ ἐμῆς παιδείας, μὴ ἀφῇς, ἀλλὰ φύλαξον αὐτὴν σεαυτῷ εἰς ζωήν σου.

14Go not in the ways of the ungodly, neither covet the ways of transgressors.Ὁδοὺς ἀσεβῶν μὴ ἐπέλθῃς, μηδὲ ζηλώσῃς ὁδοὺς παρανόμων.

15In whatever place they shall pitch their camp, go not there; but turn from them, and pass away.Ἐν ᾧ ἂν τόπῳ στρατοπεδεύσωσι, μὴ ἐπέλθῃς ἐκεὶ, ἔκκλινον δὲ ἀπʼ αὐτῶν καὶ παράλλαξον.

16For they can’t sleep, unless they have done evil: their sleep is taken away, and they rest not.Οὐ γὰρ μὴ ὑπνώσωσιν, ἐὰν μὴ κακοποιήσωσιν· ἀφῄρηται ὁ ὕπνος αὐτῶν, καὶ οὐ κοιμῶνται.

17For these live upon the bread of ungodliness, and are drunken with wine of transgression.Οἵδε γὰρ σιτοῦνται σῖτα ἀσεβείας, οἴνῳ δὲ παρανόμῳ μεθύσκονται.

18But the ways of the righteous shine like light; they go on and shine, until the day § be fully come.Αἱ δὲ ὁδοὶ τῶν δικαίων ὁμοίως φωτὶ λάμπουσι, προπορεύονται καὶ φωτίζουσιν, ἕως κατορθώσῃ ἡ ἡμέρα.

19But the ways of the ungodly are dark; they know not how they stumble.Αἱ δὲ ὁδοὶ τῶν ἀσεβῶν σκοτειναὶ, οὐκ οἴδασι πῶς προσκόπτουσιν.

20My son, attend to my speech; and apply your ear to my words:Υἱὲ ἐμῇ ῥήσει πρόσεχε, τοῖς δὲ ἐμοῖς λόγοις παράβαλλε σὸν οὖς.

21that your fountains may not fail you; keep them in your heart.Ὅπως μὴ ἐκλίπωσί σε αἱ πηγαί σου, φύλασσε αὐτὰς ἐν καρδίᾳ.

22For they are life to those that find them, and ** health to all their flesh.Ζωὴ γάρ ἐστι τοῖς εὑρίσκουσιν αὐτὰς, καὶ πάσῃ σαρκὶ ἴασις.

23Keep your heart with the utmost care; for out of these are the issues of life.Πάσῃ φυλακῇ τήρει σὴν καρδίαν, ἐκ γὰρ τούτων ἔξοδοι ζωῆς.

24Remove from you a froward mouth, and put far away from you unjust lips.Περίελε σεαυτοῦ σκολιὸν στόμα, καὶ ἄδικα χείλη μακρὰν ἀπὸ σοῦ ἄπωσαι.

25Let your eyes look right on, and let your eyelids assent to just things.Οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου ὀρθὰ βλεπέτωσαν, τὰ δὲ βλέφαρά σου νευέτω δίκαια.

26Make straight paths for your feet, and order your ways aright.Ὀρθὰς τροχιὰς ποίει σοῖς ποσί, καὶ τὰς ὁδούς σου κατεύθυνε.

27Turn not aside to the right hand nor to the left, but turn away your foot from an evil way: †† for God knows the ways on the right hand, but those on the left are crooked: and he will make your ways straight, and will guide your steps in peace.Μὴ ἐκκλίνῃς εἰς τὰ δεξιὰ, μηδὲ εἰς τὰ ἀριστερά, ἀπόστρεψον δὲ σὸν πόδα ἀπὸ ὁδοῦ κακῆς·

27aὁδοὺς γὰρ τὰς ἐκ δεξιῶν οἶδεν ὁ Θεὸς, διεστραμμέναι δέ εἰσιν αἱ ἐξ ἀριστερῶν·

27bαὐτὸς δὲ ὀρθὰς ποιήσει τὰς τροχιάς σου, τὰς δὲ πορείας σου ἐν εἰρήνῃ προάξει.

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. 5*Alexandrian codex has: “Get wisdom, get understanding, forget not, nor decline from the words of my mouth.”
• v. 8†Lit. dig a trench about her, see Heb.
• v. 11‡Gr. wheel-tracks, see chap 2:18; Heb 12:13.
• v. 18§Gr. order itself aright.
• v. 22**Or, healing.
• v. 27††Heb. omits.