Proverbs 4 — parallel

4:1

Ἀκούσατε, παῖδες, παιδείαν πατρός, καὶ προσέχετε γνῶναι ἔννοιαν.

Listen, my sons, to a father’s instruction; pay attention and gain understanding.

4:2

δῶρον γὰρ ἀγαθὸν δωροῦμαι ὑμῖν, τὸν ἐμὸν νόμον μὴ ἐγκαταλίπητε.

For I give you sound teaching; do not abandon my directive.

4:3

υἱὸς γὰρ ἐγενόμην κἀγὼ πατρὶ ὑπήκοος καὶ ἀγαπώμενος ἐν προσώπῳ μητρός,

When I was a son to my father, tender and the only child of my mother,

4:4

οἳ ἔλεγον καὶ ἐδίδασκόν με Ἐρειδέτω ὁ ἡμένερος λόγος εἰς σὴν καρδίαν·

he taught me and said, “Let your heart lay hold of my words; keep my commands and you will live.

4:5

φύλασσε ἐντολάς, ⁵μὴ ἐπιλάθῃ· μηδὲ παρίδῃς ῥῆσιν ἐμοῦ στόματος

Get wisdom, get understanding; do not forget my words or turn from them.

4:6

μηδὲ ἐγκαταλίπῃς αὐτήν, καὶ ἀνθέξεταί σου· ἐράσθητι αὐτῆς, καὶ τηρήσει σε.

Do not forsake wisdom, and she will preserve you; love her, and she will guard you.

4:8

περιχαράκαωσον αὐτήν, καὶ ὑψώσει σε· τίμησον αὐτήν, ἴνα σε περιλάβῃ·

Prize her, and she will exalt you; if you embrace her, she will honor you.

4:9

ἵνα δῷ τῇ σῇ κεφαλῇ στέφανον χαρίτων. στεφάνῳ δέ τρυφῆς ὑπερασπίσῃ σου.

She will set a garland of grace on your head; she will present you with a crown of beauty.”

4:10

Ἄκουε, υἱέ, καὶ δέξαι ἐμοὺς λόγους. καὶ πληθυνθήσεται ἔτη ζωῆς σου, ἴνα σοι γένωνται πολλαὶ ὁδοὶ βίου.

Listen, my son, and receive my words, and the years of your life will be many.

4:11

ὁδοὺς γὰρ σοφίας διδάσκω σε. ἐμββάζω δέ σε τροχιαῖς ὀρθαῖς.

I will guide you in the way of wisdom; I will lead you on straight paths.

4:12

ἐὰν γὰρ πορεύῃ, οὐ συνκλεισθήσεταί σου τὰ διαβήματα· ἐὰν δέ τρέχῃς, οὐ κοπιάσεις.

When you walk, your steps will not be impeded; when you run, you will not stumble.

4:13

ἐπιλαβοῦ ἐμῆς παιδείας. μὴ ἀφῇς, ἀλλὰ φύλαξον αὐτὴν σεαυτῷ εἰς ζωὴν σου.

Hold on to instruction; do not let go. Guard it, for it is your life.

4:14

ὁδοὺς ἀσεβῶν μὴ ἐπέλθῃς, μηδέ ζηλώσῃς ὁδοὺς παρανόμων·

Do not set foot on the path of the wicked or walk in the way of evildoers.

4:15

ἐν ᾧ ἂν τόπῳ στρατοπεδεύσωσιν, μὴ ἐπέλθῃς ἐκει. ἔκκλινον δὲ ἀπʼ αὐτῶν καὶ παράλλαξον.

Avoid it; do not travel on it. Turn from it and pass on by.

4:16

οὐ γὰρ μὴ ὑπνώσωσιν, ἐὰν μὴ κακοποιήσωσιν· ἀφήρηται ὁ ὕπνος αὐτῶν, καὶ οὐ κοιμῶνται·

For they cannot sleep unless they do evil; they are deprived of slumber until they make someone fall.

4:17

οἵδε γὰρ σιτοῦνται σῖτα ἀσεβείας, οἴνῳ δὲ παρανόμῳ μεθύσκονται.

For they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence.

4:18

αἱ δὲ ὁδοὶ τῶν δικαίων ὁμοίως φωτὶ λάμπουσιν, προπορεύονται καὶ φωτίζουσιν ἕως κατορθώσῃ ἡ ἡμέρα.

The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday.

4:19

αἱ δὲ ὁδοὶ τῶν ἀσεβῶν σκοτειναί, οὐκ οἴδασιν πῶς προσκόπτουσιν.

But the way of the wicked is like the darkest gloom; they do not know what makes them stumble.

4:20

Υἱέ, ἐμῇ ῥήσει πρόσεχε, τοῖς δὲ ἐμοῖς λόγοις παράβαλε σὸν οὖς,

My son, pay attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.

4:21

ὅπως μὴ ἐκλίπωσίν σε αἱ πηγαί σου, φύλασσε αὐτὰς ἐν καρδίᾳ·

Do not lose sight of them; keep them within your heart.

4:22

ζωὴ γάρ ἐστιν τοῖς εὑρίσκουσιν αὐτήν, καὶ πάσῃ σαρκὶ ἴασις.

For they are life to those who find them, and health to the whole body.

4:23

πάσῃ φυλακῇ τήρει σὴν καρδίαν· ἐκ γὰρ τούτων ἔξοδοι ζωῆς.

Guard your heart with all diligence, for from it flow springs of life.

4:24

περίελε σεαυτοῦ σκολιὸν στόμα, καὶ ἄδικα χείλη ἀπὸ σοῦ μακρὰν ἄπωσαι.

Put away deception from your mouth; keep your lips from perverse speech.

4:25

οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου ὀρθὰ βλεπέτωσαν, τὰ δὲ βλέφαρά σου νευέτω δίκαια.

Let your eyes look forward; fix your gaze straight ahead.

4:26

ὀρθὰς τροχιὰς ποίει σοῖς ποσίν, καὶ τὰς ὁδοὺς σου κατεύθυνε.

Make a level path , and all your ways will be sure.

4:27

μὴ ἐκκλίνῃς εἰς τὰ δεξιὰ μηδὲ εἰς τὰ ἀριστερά, ἀπόστρεψον δὲ σὸν πόδα ἀπὸ ὁδοῦ κακῆς.

Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your feet away from evil.