- THE Proverbs of Solomon son of David, who reigned in Israel;
- to know wisdom and instruction, and to perceive words of
understanding;
- to receive also [a] hard sayings, and
to understand true justice, and how to direct judgment;
- that he might give subtlety to the simple, and to the young man [b] discernment and understanding.
- For by the hearing of these a wise man will be wiser, and the man
of understanding will gain direction;
- and will understand a parable, and a dark speech; the sayings of
the wise also, and riddles.
- The fear of the Lord is the [c]
beginning of wisdom; and there is good understanding to all
that practise it: and piety toward God is the beginning of
discernment; but the ungodly will set at nought wisdom and
instruction.
- Hear, my son, the instruction of thy father, and reject
not the rules of thy mother.
- For thou shalt receive for thine head a crown of graces, and a
chain of gold round thy neck.
- My son, let not ungodly men lead thee astray, neither
consent thou to them.
- If they should exhort thee, saying, Come with us, partake in
blood, and let us unjustly hide the just man in the earth:
- and let us swallow him alive, as Hades would, and remove
the memorial of him from the earth:
- let us seize on his valuable property, and let us fill our houses
with spoils:
- but do thou cast in thy lot with us, and let us all provide a
common purse, and let us have one pouch:
- go not in the way with them, but turn aside thy foot from their
paths: [d]
- for nets are not without cause spread for birds.
- For they that are concerned in murder store up evils for
themselves; and the overthrow of transgressors is evil.
- These are the ways of all that perform lawless deeds; for by
ungodliness they destroy their own life.
- Wisdom sings aloud in passages, and in the broad places speaks
boldly.
- And she makes proclamation on the top of the walls, and sits by
the gates of princes; and at the gates of the city boldly says,
- So long as the simple cleave to justice, they shall not be
ashamed: but the foolish being lovers of haughtiness, having become
ungodly have hated knowledge, and are become subject to reproofs.
- Behold, I will bring forth to you the utterance of my breath, and
I will instruct you in my speech.
- Since I called, and ye did not hearken; and I spoke at length, and
ye gave no heed;
- but ye set at nought my counsels, and disregarded my reproofs;
- therefore I also will laugh at our destruction; and I will rejoice
against you when ruin comes upon you:
- yea when dismay suddenly comes upon you, and your
overthrow shall arrive like a tempest; and when tribulation and
distress shall come upon you, or when ruin shall come upon you.
- For it shall be that when ye call upon me, I will not hearken to
you: wicked men shall seek me, but shall not find me.
- For they hated wisdom, and did not choose the word of the Lord:
- neither would they attend to my counsels, but derided my reproofs.
- Therefore shall they eat the fruits of their own way, and shall be
filled with their own ungodliness.
- For because they wronged the simple, they shall be slain; and an
inquisition shall ruin the ungodly.
- But he that hearkens to me shall dwell in [e] confidence, and shall rest securely from
all evil.
[a] Gr. turnings, q.d.
knotty words. See Heb.
[b] Or, discretion.
[c] Or, sum, or, top.
[d] For ver.16, see Appendix.
[e] Gr. hope. See Ps. 16.
[English translation of the Septuagint by Sir Lancelot Charles Lee
Brenton (1807-1862) originally published by Samuel Bagster & Sons,
Ltd., London, 1851]
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