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Proverbs 8

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1 σὺ τὴν σοφίαν κηρύξεις ἵνα φρόνησίς σοι ὑπακούσῃ 2 ἐπὶ γὰρ τῶν ὑψηλῶν ἄκρων ἐστίν ἀνὰ μέσον δὲ τῶν τρίβων ἕστηκεν 3 παρὰ γὰρ πύλαις δυναστῶν παρεδρεύει ἐν δὲ εἰσόδοις ὑμνεῖται 4 ὑμᾶς ὦ ἄνθρωποι παρακαλῶ καὶ προΐεμαι ἐμὴν φωνὴν υἱοῖς ἀνθρώπων 5 νοήσατε ἄκακοι πανουργίαν οἱ δὲ ἀπαίδευτοι ἔνθεσθε καρδίαν 6 εἰσακούσατέ μου σεμνὰ γὰρ ἐρῶ καὶ ἀνοίσω ἀπὸ χειλέων ὀρθά 7 ὅτι ἀλήθειαν μελετήσει ὁ φάρυγξ μου ἐβδελυγμένα δὲ ἐναντίον ἐμοῦ χείλη ψευδῆ 8 μετὰ δικαιοσύνης πάντα τὰ ῥήματα τοῦ στόματός μου οὐδὲν ἐν αὐτοῖς σκολιὸν οὐδὲ στραγγαλῶδες 9 πάντα ἐνώπια τοῖς συνιοῦσιν καὶ ὀρθὰ τοῖς εὑρίσκουσι γνῶσιν 10 λάβετε παιδείαν καὶ μὴ ἀργύριον καὶ γνῶσιν ὑπὲρ χρυσίον δεδοκιμασμένον ἀνθαιρεῖσθε δὲ αἴσθησιν χρυσίου καθαροῦ 11 κρείσσων γὰρ σοφία λίθων πολυτελῶν πᾶν δὲ τίμιον οὐκ ἄξιον αὐτῆς ἐστιν

1 And, all the while, the wisdom that grants discernment is crying aloud, is never silent; 2 there she stands, on some high vantage-point by the public way, where the roads meet, 3 or at the city’s approach, close beside the gates, making proclamation. 4 To every man, high and low, her voice calls: 5 Here is better counsel for the simpleton; O foolish hearts, take warning! 6 Listen to me, I have matters of high moment to unfold, a plain message to deliver. 7 A tongue that speaks truth, lips that scorn impiety; 8 here all is sound doctrine, no shifts, no evasions here. 9 No discerning heart, no well-stored mind, but will own it right and just. 10 Here is counsel, here is instruction, better worth the winning than silver or the finest gold; 11 wisdom is more to be coveted than any jewel; there is no beauty that can be matched with hers.

1

Numquid non sapientia clamitat,
et prudentia dat vocem suam? 2
In summis excelsisque verticibus supra viam,
in mediis semitis stans, 3
juxta portas civitatis,
in ipsis foribus loquitur, dicens: 4
O viri, ad vos clamito,
et vox mea ad filios hominum. 5
Intelligite, parvuli, astutiam,
et insipientes, animadvertite. 6
Audite, quoniam de rebus magnis locutura sum,
et aperientur labia mea ut recta prædicent. 7
Veritatem meditabitur guttur meum,
et labia mea detestabuntur impium. 8
Justi sunt omnes sermones mei:
non est in eis pravum quid, neque perversum; 9
recti sunt intelligentibus,
et æqui invenientibus scientiam. 10
Accipite disciplinam meam, et non pecuniam;
doctrinam magis quam aurum eligite: 11
melior est enim sapientia cunctis pretiosissimis,
et omne desiderabile ei non potest comparari.

12 ἐγὼ ἡ σοφία κατεσκήνωσα βουλήν καὶ γνῶσιν καὶ ἔννοιαν ἐγὼ ἐπεκαλεσάμην 13 φόβος κυρίου μισεῖ ἀδικίαν ὕβριν τε καὶ ὑπερηφανίαν καὶ ὁδοὺς πονηρῶν μεμίσηκα δὲ ἐγὼ διεστραμμένας ὁδοὺς κακῶν 14 ἐμὴ βουλὴ καὶ ἀσφάλεια ἐμὴ φρόνησις ἐμὴ δὲ ἰσχύς 15 δ{I'} ἐμοῦ βασιλεῖς βασιλεύουσιν καὶ οἱ δυνάσται γράφουσιν δικαιοσύνην 16 δ{I'} ἐμοῦ μεγιστᾶνες μεγαλύνονται καὶ τύραννοι δ{I'} ἐμοῦ κρατοῦσι γῆς 17 ἐγὼ τοὺς ἐμὲ φιλοῦντας ἀγαπῶ οἱ δὲ ἐμὲ ζητοῦντες εὑρήσουσιν 18 πλοῦτος καὶ δόξα ἐμοὶ ὑπάρχει καὶ κτῆσις πολλῶν καὶ δικαιοσύνη 19 βέλτιον ἐμὲ καρπίζεσθαι ὑπὲρ χρυσίον καὶ λίθον τίμιον τὰ δὲ ἐμὰ γενήματα κρείσσω ἀργυρίου ἐκλεκτοῦ 20 ἐν ὁδοῖς δικαιοσύνης περιπατῶ καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τρίβων δικαιώματος ἀναστρέφομαι 21 ἵνα μερίσω τοῖς ἐμὲ ἀγαπῶσιν ὕπαρξιν καὶ τοὺς θησαυροὺς αὐτῶν ἐμπλήσω ἀγαθῶν ἐὰν ἀναγγείλω ὑμῖν τὰ κα{Q'} ἡμέραν γινόμενα μνημονεύσω τὰ ἐξ αἰῶνος ἀριθμῆσαι

12 What am I, the wisdom that speaks to you? To shrewdness I am a near neighbour, and I occupy myself with deep designs; 13 but, since they must hate evil that fear the Lord, all pride and boastfulness, every mischievous design and every treacherous word I shun. 14 Good counsel is mine, and honourable dealing, discernment and high courage are my gifts; 15 through me kings learn how to reign, law-givers how to lay down just decrees; 16 through me chieftain and magistrate exercise their power aright. 17 Love me, and thou shalt earn my love; wait early at my doors, and thou shalt gain access to me. 18 The gifts I bring with me are riches and honour, princely state and the divine favour. 19 Mine is a yield better than gold or jewels, mine are revenues more precious than the finest silver. 20 A faithful course I tread, nor exceed the bounds of just retribution, 21 failing never to enrich the souls that love me with abundant store.

12

Ego sapientia, habito in consilio,
et eruditis intersum cogitationibus. 13
Timor Domini odit malum:
arrogantiam, et superbiam,
et viam pravam, et os bilingue, detestor. 14
Meum est consilium et æquitas;
mea est prudentia, mea est fortitudo. 15
Per me reges regnant,
et legum conditores justa decernunt; 16
per me principes imperant,
et potentes decernunt justitiam. 17
Ego diligentes me diligo,
et qui mane vigilant ad me, invenient me. 18
Mecum sunt divitiæ et gloria,
opes superbæ et justitia. 19
Melior est enim fructus meus auro et lapide pretioso,
et genimina me argento electo. 20
In viis justitiæ ambulo,
in medio semitarum judicii: 21
ut ditem diligentes me,
et thesauros eorum repleam.

22 κύριος ἔκτισέν με ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ εἰς ἔργα αὐτοῦ 23 πρὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος ἐθεμελίωσέν με ἐν ἀρχῇ 24 πρὸ τοῦ τὴν γῆν ποιῆσαι καὶ πρὸ τοῦ τὰς ἀβύσσους ποιῆσαι πρὸ τοῦ προελθεῖν τὰς πηγὰς τῶν ὑδάτων 25 πρὸ τοῦ ὄρη ἑδρασθῆναι πρὸ δὲ πάντων βουνῶν γεννᾷ με 26 κύριος ἐποίησεν χώρας καὶ ἀοικήτους καὶ ἄκρα οἰκούμενα τῆς ὑ{P'} οὐρανόν 27 ἡνίκα ἡτοίμαζεν τὸν οὐρανόν συμπαρήμην αὐτῷ καὶ ὅτε ἀφώριζεν τὸν ἑαυτοῦ θρόνον ἐ{P'} ἀνέμων 28 ἡνίκα ἰσχυρὰ ἐποίει τὰ ἄνω νέφη καὶ ὡς ἀσφαλεῖς ἐτίθει πηγὰς τῆς ὑ{P'} οὐρανὸν 29 καὶ ἰσχυρὰ ἐποίει τὰ θεμέλια τῆς γῆς 30 ἤμην πα{R'} αὐτῷ ἁρμόζουσα ἐγὼ ἤμην ᾗ προσέχαιρεν κα{Q'} ἡμέραν δὲ εὐφραινόμην ἐν προσώπῳ αὐτοῦ ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ 31 ὅτε εὐφραίνετο τὴν οἰκουμένην συντελέσας καὶ ἐνευφραίνετο ἐν υἱοῖς ἀνθρώπων 32 νῦν οὖν υἱέ ἄκουέ μου 33 34 μακάριος ἀνήρ ὃς εἰσακούσεταί μου καὶ ἄνθρωπος ὃς τὰς ἐμὰς ὁδοὺς φυλάξει ἀγρυπνῶν ἐ{P'} ἐμαῖς θύραις κα{Q'} ἡμέραν τηρῶν σταθμοὺς ἐμῶν εἰσόδων 35 αἱ γὰρ ἔξοδοί μου ἔξοδοι ζωῆς καὶ ἑτοιμάζεται θέλησις παρὰ κυρίου 36 οἱ δὲ εἰς ἐμὲ ἁμαρτάνοντες ἀσεβοῦσιν τὰς ἑαυτῶν ψυχάς καὶ οἱ μισοῦντές με ἀγαπῶσιν θάνατον

22 The Lord made me his[1] when first he went about his work, at the birth of time, before his creation began. 23 Long, long ago, before earth was fashioned, I held my course. 24 Already I lay in the womb, when the depths were not yet in being, when no springs of water had yet broken; 25 when I was born, the mountains had not yet sunk on their firm foundations, and there were no hills; 26 not yet had he made the earth, or the rivers, or the solid framework of the world.[2] 27 I was there when he built the heavens, when he fenced in the waters with a vault inviolable, 28 when he fixed the sky overhead, and levelled the fountain-springs of the deep. 29 I was there when he enclosed the sea within its confines, forbidding the waters to transgress their assigned limits, when he poised the foundations of the world. 30 I was at his side, a master-workman, my delight increasing with each day, as I made play before him all the while; 31 made play in this world of dust, with the sons of Adam for my play-fellows. 32 Listen to me, then, you that are my sons, that follow, to your happiness, in the paths I shew you; 33 listen to the teaching that will make you wise, instead of turning away from it. 34 Blessed are they who listen to me, keep vigil, day by day, at my threshold, watching till I open my doors. 35 The man who wins me, wins life, drinks deep of the Lord’s favour; 36 who fails, fails at his own bitter cost; to be my enemy is to be in love with death.

22

Dominus possedit me in initio viarum suarum
antequam quidquam faceret a principio. 23
Ab æterno ordinata sum,
et ex antiquis antequam terra fieret. 24
Nondum erant abyssi, et ego jam concepta eram:
necdum fontes aquarum eruperant, 25
necdum montes gravi mole constiterant:
ante colles ego parturiebar. 26
Adhuc terram non fecerat, et flumina,
et cardines orbis terræ. 27
Quando præparabat cælos, aderam;
quando certa lege et gyro vallabat abyssos; 28
quando æthera firmabat sursum,
et librabat fontes aquarum; 29
quando circumdabat mari terminum suum,
et legem ponebat aquis, ne transirent fines suos;
quando appendebat fundamenta terræ: 30
cum eo eram, cuncta componens.
Et delectabar per singulos dies,
ludens coram eo omni tempore, 31
ludens in orbe terrarum;
et deliciæ meæ esse cum filiis hominum. 32
Nunc ergo, filii, audite me:
beati qui custodiunt vias meas. 33
Audite disciplinam, et estote sapientes,
et nolite abjicere eam. 34
Beatus homo qui audit me,
et qui vigilat ad fores meas quotidie,
et observat ad postes ostii mei. 35
Qui me invenerit, inveniet vitam,
et hauriet salutem a Domino. 36
Qui autem in me peccaverit, lædet animam suam;
omnes qui me oderunt diligunt mortem.

[1] Some would give ‘made me’ as the right translation of the verb used in the Hebrew text. But it is doubtful whether it really has this meaning in the passages cited (e.g. Gen. 14.19), and all through the book of Proverbs it is regularly used in the sense of ‘acquiring’ wisdom.

[2] In the Hebrew text, ‘the open spaces, or the beginnings of the world’s dust’.

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