1 Υἱέ, ἐὰν ἐγγυήσῃ σὸν φίλον,
παραδώσεις σὴν χεῖρα ἐχθρῷ·
2 παγὶς γὰρ ἰσχυρὰ ἀνδρὶ τὰ ἴδια χείλη,
καὶ ἁλίσκεται χείλεσιν ἰδίου στόματος.
3 ποίει, υἱέ, ἃ ἐγώ σοι ἐντέλλομαι, καὶ σῴζου —
ἥκεις γὰρ εἰς χεῖρας κακῶν διὰ σὸν φίλον —
ἴθι μὴ ἐκλυόμενος,
παρόξυνε δὲ καὶ τὸν φίλον σου, ὃν ἐνεγυήσω·
4 μὴ δῷς ὕπνον σοῖς ὄμμασιν
μηδὲ ἐπινυστάξῃς σοῖς βλεφάροις,
5 ἵνα σῴζῃ ὥσπερ δορκὰς ἐκ βρόχων
καὶ ὥσπερ ὄρνεον ἐκ παγίδος.
6 Ἴθι πρὸς τὸν μύρμηκα, ὦ ὀκνηρέ,
καὶ ζήλωσον ἰδὼν τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ
καὶ γενοῦ ἐκείνου σοφώτερος·
7 ἐκείνῳ γὰρ γεωργίου μὴ ὑπάρχοντος
μηδὲ τὸν ἀναγκάζοντα ἔχων
μηδὲ ὑπὸ δεσπότην ὢν
8 ἑτοιμάζεται θέρους τὴν τροφὴν
πολλήν τε ἐν τῷ ἀμήτῳ ποιεῖται τὴν παράθεσιν.
8a ἢ πορεύθητι πρὸς τὴν μέλισσαν
καὶ μάθε ὡς ἐργάτις ἐστὶν
τήν τε ἐργασίαν ὡς σεμνὴν ποιεῖται,
8b ἧς τοὺς πόνους βασιλεῖς καὶ ἰδιῶται πρὸς ὑγίειαν προσφέρονται,
ποθεινὴ δέ ἐστιν πᾶσιν καὶ ἐπίδοξος·
8c καίπερ οὖσα τῇ ῥώμῃ ἀσθενής,
τὴν σοφίαν τιμήσασα προήχθη.
9 ἕως τίνος, ὀκνηρέ, κατάκεισαι;
πότε δὲ ἐξ ὕπνου ἐγερθήσῃ;
10 ὀλίγον μὲν ὑπνοῖς, ὀλίγον δὲ κάθησαι, μικρὸν δὲ νυστάζεις,
ὀλίγον δὲ ἐναγκαλίζῃ χερσὶν στήθη·
11 εἶτ᾽ ἐμπαραγίνεταί σοι ὥσπερ κακὸς ὁδοιπόρος ἡ πενία
καὶ ἡ ἔνδεια ὥσπερ ἀγαθὸς δρομεύς.
11a ἐὰν δὲ ἄοκνος ᾖς, ἥξει ὥσπερ πηγὴ ὁ ἀμητός σου,
ἡ δὲ ἔνδεια ὥσπερ κακὸς δρομεὺς ἀπαυτομολήσει.
12 Ἀνὴρ ἄφρων καὶ παράνομος πορεύεται ὁδοὺς οὐκ ἀγαθάς·
13 ὁ δ᾽ αὐτὸς ἐννεύει ὀφθαλμῷ, σημαίνει δὲ ποδί,
διδάσκει δὲ ἐννεύμασιν δακτύλων,
14 διεστραμμένῃ δὲ καρδίᾳ τεκταίνεται κακὰ ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ·
ὁ τοιοῦτος ταραχὰς συνίστησιν πόλει.
15 διὰ τοῦτο ἐξαπίνης ἔρχεται ἡ ἀπώλεια αὐτοῦ,
διακοπὴ καὶ συντριβὴ ἀνίατος.
16 ὅτι χαίρει πᾶσιν, οἷς μισεῖ ὁ κύριος,
συντρίβεται δὲ δι᾽ ἀκαθαρσίαν ψυχῆς·
17 ὀφθαλμὸς ὑβριστοῦ, γλῶσσα ἄδικος,
χεῖρες ἐκχέουσαι αἷμα δικαίου
18 καὶ καρδία τεκταινομένη λογισμοὺς κακοὺς
καὶ πόδες ἐπισπεύδοντες κακοποιεῖν·
19 ἐκκαίει ψεύδη μάρτυς ἄδικος
καὶ ἐπιπέμπει κρίσεις ἀνὰ μέσον ἀδελφῶν.
20 Υἱέ, φύλασσε νόμους πατρός σου
καὶ μὴ ἀπώσῃ θεσμοὺς μητρός σου·
21 ἄφαψαι δὲ αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ σῇ ψυχῇ διὰ παντὸς
καὶ ἐγκλοίωσαι ἐπὶ σῷ τραχήλῳ.
22 ἡνίκα ἂν περιπατῇς, ἐπάγου αὐτήν, καὶ μετὰ σοῦ ἔστω·
ὡς δ᾽ ἂν καθεύδῃς, φυλασσέτω σε,
ἵνα ἐγειρομένῳ συλλαλῇ σοι·
23 ὅτι λύχνος ἐντολὴ νόμου καὶ φῶς,
καὶ ὁδὸς ζωῆς ἔλεγχος καὶ παιδεία
24 τοῦ διαφυλάσσειν σε ἀπὸ γυναικὸς ὑπάνδρου
καὶ ἀπὸ διαβολῆς γλώσσης ἀλλοτρίας.
25 μή σε νικήσῃ κάλλους ἐπιθυμία,
μηδὲ ἀγρευθῇς σοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς
μηδὲ συναρπασθῇς ἀπὸ τῶν αὐτῆς βλεφάρων·
26 τιμὴ γὰρ πόρνης ὅση καὶ ἑνὸς ἄρτου,
γυνὴ δὲ ἀνδρῶν τιμίας ψυχὰς ἀγρεύει.
27 ἀποδήσει τις πῦρ ἐν κόλπῳ, τὰ δὲ ἱμάτια οὐ κατακαύσει;
28 ἢ περιπατήσει τις ἐπ᾽ ἀνθράκων πυρός, τοὺς δὲ πόδας οὐ κατακαύσει;
29 οὕτως ὁ εἰσελθὼν πρὸς γυναῖκα ὕπανδρον,
οὐκ ἀθῳωθήσεται οὐδὲ πᾶς ὁ ἁπτόμενος αὐτῆς.
30 οὐ θαυμαστὸν ἐὰν ἁλῷ τις κλέπτων,
κλέπτει γὰρ ἵνα ἐμπλήσῃ τὴν ψυχὴν πεινῶν·
31 ἐὰν δὲ ἁλῷ, ἀποτείσει ἑπταπλάσια
καὶ πάντα τὰ ὑπάρχοντα αὐτοῦ δοὺς ῥύσεται ἑαυτόν.
32 ὁ δὲ μοιχὸς δι᾽ ἔνδειαν φρενῶν ἀπώλειαν τῇ ψυχῇ αὐτοῦ περιποιεῖται,
33 ὀδύνας τε καὶ ἀτιμίας ὑποφέρει,
τὸ δὲ ὄνειδος αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐξαλειφθήσεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.
34 μεστὸς γὰρ ζήλου θυμὸς ἀνδρὸς αὐτῆς·
οὐ φείσεται ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως,
35 οὐκ ἀνταλλάξεται οὐδενὸς λύτρου τὴν ἔχθραν
οὐδὲ μὴ διαλυθῇ πολλῶν δώρων.
1 My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger, 2 Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth. 3 Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend. 4 Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids. 5 Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter , and as a bird from the hand of the fowler.
6 ¶ Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: 7 Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, 8 Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. 9 How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? 10 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: 11 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.
12 ¶ A naughty person, a wicked man, walketh with a froward mouth. 13 He winketh with his eyes, he speaketh with his feet, he teacheth with his fingers; 14 Frowardness is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually; he soweth discord. 15 Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; suddenly shall he be broken without remedy.
16 ¶ These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: 17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, 18 An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, 19 A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.
20 ¶ My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: 21 Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. 22 When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. 23 For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life: 24 To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman. 25 Lust not after her beauty in thine heart; neither let her take thee with her eyelids. 26 For by means of a whorish woman a man is brought to a piece of bread: and the adulteress will hunt for the precious life. 27 Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? 28 Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be burned? 29 So he that goeth in to his neighbour’s wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be innocent. 30 Men do not despise a thief, if he steal to satisfy his soul when he is hungry; 31 But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; he shall give all the substance of his house. 32 But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul. 33 A wound and dishonour shall he get; and his reproach shall not be wiped away. 34 For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance. 35 He will not regard any ransom; neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.