HOLY BIBLE: Proverbs 4 (original) (raw)

1 ἀκούσατε παῖδες παιδείαν πατρὸς καὶ προσέχετε γνῶναι ἔννοιαν 2 δῶρον γὰρ ἀγαθὸν δωροῦμαι ὑμῖν τὸν ἐμὸν νόμον μὴ ἐγκαταλίπητε 3 υἱὸς γὰρ ἐγενόμην κἀγὼ πατρὶ ὑπήκοος καὶ ἀγαπώμενος ἐν προσώπῳ μητρός 4 οἳ ἔλεγον καὶ ἐδίδασκόν με ἐρειδέτω ὁ ἡμέτερος λόγος εἰς σὴν καρδίαν 5 φύλασσε ἐντολάς μὴ ἐπιλάθῃ μηδὲ παρίδῃς ῥῆσιν ἐμοῦ στόματος 6 μηδὲ ἐγκαταλίπῃς αὐτήν καὶ ἀνθέξεταί σου ἐράσθητι αὐτῆς καὶ τηρήσει σε 7 8 περιχαράκωσον αὐτήν καὶ ὑψώσει σε τίμησον αὐτήν ἵνα σε περιλάβῃ 9 ἵνα δῷ τῇ σῇ κεφαλῇ στέφανον χαρίτων στεφάνῳ δὲ τρυφῆς ὑπερασπίσῃ σου

1 Sons of mine, take a lesson from your father; a lesson that will make discerning men of you, will you but heed it. 2 A precious heirloom it is, the tradition I teach, not to be lightly bartered away. 3 Time was when I had a father of my own; and when I was but a boy, my mother’s darling, 4 in such words as these he would teach me: Ever be thy heart true to my bidding; if thrive thou wouldst, hold fast the charge I give thee. 5 Wisdom be thy quest, thy quest discernment still; thy father’s apt and faithful pupil, 6 keep her at thy side, thy guardian; cherish her, thy preserver. 7 Wisdom be thy chief thought, make discernment thine at all hazards; 8 her attainment exalts, her embrace ennobles thee; 9 a wreath of fresh graces she will give thee, a crown of glory, to overshadow thy brow.

1

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

2
Donum bonum tribuam vobis:
legem meam ne derelinquatis. 3
Nam et ego filius fui patris mei,
tenellus et unigenitus coram matre mea. 4
Et docebat me, atque dicebat:
Suscipiat verba mea cor tuum;
custodi præcepta mea, et vives. 5
Posside sapientiam, posside prudentiam:
ne obliviscaris, neque declines a verbis oris mei. 6
Ne dimittas eam, et custodiet te:
dilige eam, et conservabit te. 7
Principium sapientiæ: posside sapientiam,
et in omni possessione tua acquire prudentiam. 8
Arripe illam, et exaltabit te;
glorificaberis ab ea cum eam fueris amplexatus. 9
Dabit capiti tuo augmenta gratiarum,
et corona inclyta proteget te.

[1] Literally, ‘direct’ in the Latin version, ‘weigh’ in the Hebrew text. The Hebrew verb is ordinarily interpreted ‘smooth out’, but it is difficult to see the relevance of such a metaphor here.

[2] The words enclosed in brackets are found in the Septuagint Greek, but not in the Hebrew text. They have perhaps been misplaced by accident; evidently they do not suit the thought of the present passage.

Knox Translation Copyright © 2013 Westminster Diocese
Nihil Obstat. Father Anton Cowan, Censor.
Imprimatur. +Most Rev. Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster. 8th January 2012.
Re-typeset and published in 2012 by Baronius Press Ltd