Proverbs 8
Old Testament · Brenton Septuagint with Greek parallel
Proverbs chapter 8 is given here in full, verse by verse, in Sir Lancelot Brenton's classic English translation of the Septuagint (LXX), with the Greek text of the Septuagint set beneath each verse. The text follows the Septuagint tradition received throughout the Orthodox Church.
5 patristic excerpts are attached to this chapter, from 3 Fathers — Saint Alexander of Alexandria, Saint Methodius of Olympus, and Saint Gregory of Nyssa. The translator's notes for this chapter (8) follow the text.
Proverbs 8
1You shall proclaim wisdom, that understanding may be obedient to you.Σὺ τὴν σοφίαν κηρύξεις, ἵνα φρόνησίς σοι ὑπακούσῃ.
2For she is on lofty eminences, and stands in the midst of the ways.Ἐπὶ γὰρ τῶν ὑψηλῶν ἄκρων ἐστὶν, ἀναμέσον δὲ τῶν τρίβων ἕστηκε.
3For she sits by the gates of princes, and sings in the entrances, saying,Παρὰ γὰρ πύλαις δυναστῶν παρεδρεύει, ἐν δὲ εἰσόδοις ὑμνεῖται.
4You, O men, I exhort; and utter my voice to the sons of men.Ὑμᾶς ὦ ἄνθρωποι παρακαλῶ, καὶ προΐεμαι ἐμὴν φωνὴν υἱοῖς ἀνθρώπων.
5O you simple, * understand subtlety, and you that are untaught, imbibe knowledge.Νοήσατε ἄκακοι πανουργίαν, οἱ δὲ ἀπαίδευτοι ἔνθεσθε καρδίαν.
6Listen to me; for I will speak solemn truths; and will produce right sayings from my lips.Εἰσακούσατέ μου, σεμνὰ γὰρ ἐρῶ, καὶ ἀνοίσω ἀπὸ χειλέων ὀρθά.
7For my throat shall meditate truth; and false lips are an abomination before me.Ὅτι ἀλήθειαν μελετήσει ὁ φάρυγξ μου, ἐβδελυγμένα δὲ ἐναντίον ἐμοῦ χείλη ψευδῆ.
8All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing in them wrong or perverse.Μετὰ δικαιοσύνης πάντα τὰ ῥήματα τοῦ στόματός μου, οὐδὲν ἐαυτοῖς σκολιὸν οὐδὲ στραγγαλιῶδες.
9They are all evident to those that understand, and right to those that find knowledge.Πάντα ἐνώπια τοῖς συνιοῦσι, καὶ ὀρθὰ τοῖς εὑρίσκουσι γνῶσιν.
10Receive instruction, and not silver; and knowledge rather than tried gold.Λάβετε παιδείαν καὶ μὴ ἀργύριον, καὶ γνῶσιν ὑπὲρ χρυσίον δεδοκιμασμένον·
11For wisdom is better than precious stones; and no valuable substance is of equal worth with it.Κρείσσων γὰρ σοφία λίθων πολυτελῶν, πᾶν δὲ τίμιον οὐκ ἄξιον αὐτῆς ἐστιν.
12I wisdom have lived with counsel and knowledge, and I have called upon understanding.Ἐγὼ ἡ σοφία κατεσκήνωσα βουλὴν καὶ γνῶσιν, καὶ ἔννοιαν ἐγὼ ἐπεκαλεσάμην.
13The fear of the Lord hates unrighteousness, and insolence, and pride, and the ways of wicked men; and I hate the perverse ways of bad men.Φόβος Κυρίου μισεῖ ἀδικίαν, ὕβριν τε καὶ ὑπερηφανίαν καὶ ὁδοὺς πονηρῶν· μεμίσηκα δὲ ἐγὼ διεστραμμένας ὁδοὺς κακῶν.
14Counsel and safety are mine; prudence is mine, and strength is mine.Ἐμὴ βουλὴ καὶ ἀσφάλεια, ἐμὴ φρόνησις, ἐμὴ δὲ ἰσχύς.
15By me kings reign, and princes decree justice.Διʼ ἐμοῦ βασιλεῖς βασιλεύουσι, καὶ οἱ δυνάσται γράφουσιν δικαιοσύνην.
16By me nobles become great, and monarchs by me rule over the earth.Διʼ ἐμοῦ μεγιστᾶνες μεγαλύνονται, καὶ τύραννοι διʼ ἐμοῦ κρατοῦσι γῆς.
17I love those that love me; and they that seek me shall find me.Ἐγὼ τοὺς ἐμὲ φιλοῦντας ἀγαπῶ, οἱ δὲ ἐμὲ ζητοῦντες εὑρήσουσιν.
18Wealth and glory belong to me; yes, abundant possessions and righteousness.Πλοῦτος καὶ δόξα ἐμοὶ ὑπάρχει, καὶ κτῆσις πολλῶν καὶ δικαιοσύνη.
19It is better to have my fruit than to have gold and precious stones; and my produce is better than choice silver.Βέλτιον ἐμὲ καρπίζεσθαι ὑπὲρ χρυσίον καὶ λίθον τίμιον, τὰ δὲ ἐμὰ γεννήματα κρείσσω ἀργυρίου ἐκλεκτοῦ.
20I walk in ways of righteousness, and am conversant with the paths of judgment;Ἐν ὁδοῖς δικαιοσύνης περιπατῶ, καὶ ἀναμέσον τρίβων δικαιώματος ἀναστρέφομαι·
21that I may divide substance to them that love me, and may fill their treasures with good things. If I declare to you the things that daily happen, I will remember also to recount the things of old.ἵνα μερίσω τοῖς ἐμὲ ἀγαπῶσιν ὕπαρξιν, καὶ τοὺς θησαυροὺς αὐτῶν ἐμπλήσω ἀγαθῶν·
21aἐὰν ἀναγγείλω ὑμῖν τὰ καθʼ ἡμέραν γινόμενα, μνημονεύσω τὰ ἐξ αἰῶνος ἀριθμῆσαι.
22The Lord made me the beginning of his ways for his works.Κύριος ἔκτισέ με ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ εἰς ἔργα αὐτοῦ,
23He established me † before time was in the beginning, before he made the earth:πρὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος ἐθεμελίωσέ με, ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸ τοῦ τὴν γῆν ποιῆσαι,
24even before he made the depths; before the fountains of water came forth:καὶ πρὸ τοῦ τὰς ἀβύσσους ποιῆσαι, πρὸ τοῦ προελθεῖν τὰς πηγὰς τῶν ὑδάτων·
25before the mountains were settled, and before all hills, he begets me.Πρὸ τοῦ ὄρη ἑδρασθῆναι, πρὸ δὲ πάντων βουνῶν, γεννᾷ με.
26The Lord made countries and uninhabited tracks, and the highest inhabited parts of the world.Κύριος ἐποίησε χώρας καὶ ἀοικήτους, καὶ ἄκρα οἰκούμενα τῆς ὑπʼ οὐρανῶν.
27When he prepared the heaven, I was present with him; and when he ‡ prepared his throne upon the winds:Ἡνίκα ἡτοίμαζε τὸν οὐρανὸν, συμπαρήμην αὐτῷ, καὶ ὅτε ἀφώριζε τὸν ἑαυτοῦ θρόνον ἐπʼ ἀνέμων,
28and when he strengthened the clouds above; and when he secured the fountains of the earth:καὶ ὡς ἰσχυρὰ ἐποίει τὰ ἄνω νέφη, καὶ ὡς ἀσφαλεῖς ἐτίθει πηγὰς τῆς ὑπʼ οὐρανὸν,
29§ decree. and when he strengthened the foundations of the earth:καὶ ὡς ἰσχυρὰ ἐποίει τὰ θεμέλια τῆς γῆς,
30I was by him, ** suiting myself to him, I was that wherein he took delight; and daily I rejoiced in his presence continually.ἤμην παρʼ αὐτῷ ἁρμόζουσα· ἐγὼ ἤμην ᾗ προσέχαιρε· καθʼ ἡμέραν δὲ εὐφραινόμην ἐν προσώπῳ αὐτοῦ ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ,
31For he rejoiced when he had completed the world, and rejoiced among the children of men.ὅτε ἐνευφραίνετο τὴν οἰκουμένην συντελέσας, καὶ ἐνευφραίνετο ἐν υἱοῖς ἀνθρώπων.
32Now then, my son, hear me: blessed is the man who shall listen to me, and the mortal who shall keep my ways; ††Νῦν οὖν υἱὲ ἄκουέ μου,
33‡‡ Hear wisdom and be wise, and §§be not strangers to it.
34watching daily at my doors, waiting at the posts of my entrances.μακάριος ἀνὴρ ὃς εἰσακούσεταί μου, καὶ ἄνθρωπος ὃς τὰς ἐμὰς ὁδοὺς φυλάξει, ἀγρυπνῶν ἐπʼ ἐμαῖς θύραις καθʼ ἡμέραν, τηρῶν σταθμοὺς ἐμῶν εἰσόδων.
35For my outgoings are the outgoings of life, and in them is prepared favor from the Lord.Αἱ γὰρ ἔξοδοί μου, ἔξοδοι ζωῆς, καὶ ἑτοιμάζεται θέλησις παρὰ Κυρίου.
36But they that sin against me act wickedly against their own souls: and they that hate me love death.Οἱ δὲ ἁμαρτάνοντες εἰς ἐμὲ, ἀσεβοῦσιν εἰς τὰς ἑαυτῶν ψυχὰς, καὶ οἱ μισοῦντές με ἀγαπῶσι θάνατον.
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*For the use of ἄκατος and πανοῦργος in this book, see Proverbs 8. 5 — It is frequently the case in Proverbs that ἄκατος is used in a bad sense, and πανοῦργος in a good one. For ἄκατος see chap 1. 4, 22; 8. 5; 14. 15; 21:11 For πανοῦργος, 12. 16; 13. 1, 16; 14. 8, 15, 18; 15. 5; 21. 11; 22. 3; 27. 12; 28:2.
- v. 23†Gr. before the age.
- v. 27‡Or, marked out.
- v. 29§The Alexandrine text has: When he set to the sea its bound, and the waters shall not pass his [note: Gr. mouth.]
- v. 30**Or, arranging all things.
- v. 32††Alexandrine text reads: “And blessed are they that keep my ways.”
- v. 33‡‡not in Codex Vaticanus, but Alexandrine codex has this text
- v. 33§§More lit., do not separate yourselves from it.
The Fathers on Proverbs 8
Saint Alexander of Alexandria, Saint Methodius of Olympus, and Saint Gregory of Nyssa comment on this chapter. Each excerpt below is drawn from the full text held in the Fathers Library; follow the link on any entry to read the whole work.
On Proverbs 8Saint Alexander of AlexandriaTo Alexander, Bishop of the City of Constantinople. Epistles on the Arian Heresy And the Deposition of Arius. I.—To Alexander, Bishop of the City of Constantinople. To the most reverend and like-minded brother, Alexander, Alexander sends greeting in the Lord: 1. The ambitious and avaricious will of wicked men is always wont to lay snares against those…
Read Epistles and Fragments against Arianism →
On Proverbs 8Saint Alexander of AlexandriaEpistle Catholic. II.—Epistle Catholic. To our beloved and most reverend fellow-ministers of the Catholic Church in every place, Alexander sends greeting in the Lord: 1. Since the body of the Catholic Church is one, and it is commanded in Holy Scripture that we should keep the bond of unanimity and peace, it follows that we should write and signify to one…
Read Epistles and Fragments against Arianism →
On Proverbs 8Saint Methodius of OlympusExtracts from the Work on Things Created. I. This selection is made, by way of compendium or synopsis, from the work of the holy martyr and bishop Methodius, concerning things created. The passage, “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine,” is explained by Origen as signifying that the pearls are the more mystical…
Read Extracts from the Work on Things Created →
On Proverbs 8:22Saint Gregory of Nyssa§10. He explains the phrase “The Lord created Me,” and the argument about the origination of the Son, the deceptive character of Eunomius’ reasoning, and the passage which says, “My glory will I not give to another,” examining them from different points of vi…
Read Against Eunomius →
On Proverbs 8:22Open Proverbs 8 in the interactive reader Switch translations, hear the chapter read aloud, tap any verse for its patristic commentary, and study the Greek word by word.Saint Gregory of Nyssa§2. He then once more excellently, appropriately, and clearly examines and expounds the passage, “The Lord Created Me.” Perhaps that passage in the Proverbs might be brought forward against us which the champions of heresy are wont to cite as a testimony that…
Read Against Eunomius →