§ 1 ⇪
Timor Dei Α et Ω sapientiæ |
| I |
- Proverbia Schelomonis filii Davidis, regis Jisraëlitarum :
- Ad sciendum sapientiam et eruditionem,
ad intellegendum dicta prudentiæ :
- Ad percipiendum eruditionem intellegentiæ,
justitiæ, jursique et omnis recti :
- Ad dandum fatuis astutiam,
puero scientiam et sollertiam.
- Quibus auditis, sapiens adjiciat disciplinam,
et intellegens industria consilia comparet :
- Ad docendum proverbium et interpretationem,
verba sapientum et ænigmata eorum.
- Reverentia Jahwéhæ est caput scientiæ :
sapientiam ac eruditionem stulti spernunt.
- Audi, fili mi, eruditionem patris tui,
neque deseras doctrinam matris tuæ :
- Nam adjectio gratiosa capiti tuo
et torques faucibus tuis.
- Fili mi, si pellicere volent te peccatores,
ne acquiescito.
- Si dixerint, « veni nobiscum,
insidiemur sanguini,
abscondamus nos contra innocentem impune :
- Absorbebimus eos velut sepulcrum vivos,
et integros ut descendentes in fossam :
- Omnem substantiam pretiosam consequemur,
implebimus domos nostras spoliis :
- Sortem tuam conjicies inter nos :
marsuppium idem esto nobis omnibus » :
- Fili mi, ne ambulato via communi cum illis ;
cohibe pedem tuum a semita illorum.
- Quia pedibus suis ad malum concurrunt,
et festinant ad effundendum sanguinem :
- Frustra enim panditur rete,
ante oculos omnis alitis ;
- Præterea ipsi in sanguinem suum insidiantur ;
quod abscondunt se, in animas ipsorum est.
- Ita se habent cœtus omnium deditorum quæstui ;
quæstus animam eorum qui dediti sunt ipsi, intercipit.
- Summa sapientia foris recantat,
in plateis edit vocem suam :
- In summo turbarum proclamat ;
ad fores portarum,
in civitate quaque sermones suos eloquitur, dicens :
- « Quousque et fatui amabitis fatuitatem,
et derisores derisionem desiderabunt sibi :
et stolidi odio habebunt scientiam ?
- Revertimini ad correctionem meam :
ecce, eructabo vobis spiritum meum,
nota faciam verba mea vobis.
- Quandoquidem invito et renuitis,
extendo manum meam et nemo advertit ;
- Sed abstrahitis vos ab omni consilio meo,
et correctioni meæ non acquiescitis :
- Ego quoque in calamitate vestra ridebo,
subsannabo quum advenerit id quod expavescitis :
- Quum adveniret tanquam fremebunda vastatio id quod expavescitis,
et calamitas vestra tanquam turbo adventaverit ;
quum irruerit in vos oppressio et angustia.
- Tunc invocabunt me, sed non exaudiam ;
mane quærent me, sed non invenient me ;
- Propterea quod oderunt scientiam,
et reverentiam Jahwéhæ non elegerunt ;
- Non acquieverunt consilio meo,
sed contempserunt omnem correctionem meam.
- Sic comedent de fructu viæ suæ,
et ex consiliis suis parvis saturabuntur.
- Nam quies fatuorum interficiet eos,
et tranquillitas stolidorum perdet eos.
- Qui vero auscultat mihi habitabit secure,
ut tranquillus a pavore mali. »
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- The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israël.
- To know wisdom and instruction ;
To discern the words of understanding ;
- To receive instruction in wise dealing,
In righteousness and justice and equity ;
- To give prudence to the simple,
To the boy knowledge and discretion :
- That the wise man may hear and increase in learning ;
And that the man of understanding may attain unto sound counsels :
- To understand a proverb, and an interpretation,
The words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
- The fear of Yahwéh is the beginning of knowledge;
But the foolish despise wisdom and instruction.
- My son, hear the instruction of thy father
And forsake not the teaching of thy mother :
- For they shall be a chaplet of grace unto thy head,
and chains about thy neck.
- My son, if sinners entice thee,
Consent thou not.
- If they say, “Come with us,
Let us lay wait for blood:
Let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause;
- Let us swallow them up alive as Sheol,
And whole, as those that go down into the pit;
- We shall find all precious substance;
We shall fill our houses with spoil;
- Thou shalt cast thy lot among us;
We will all have one purse:”
- My son, walk not thou in the way with them;
Refrain thy foot from their path:
- For their feet run to evil,
And they make haste to shed blood.
- For in vain is the net spread
In the sight of any bird:
- And these lay wait for their own blood;
They lurk privily for their own lives.
- So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain;
It taketh away the life of the owners thereof.
- Wisdom crieth aloud in the street;
She uttereth her voice in the broad places;
- She crieth in the chief place of concourse;
At the entrance of the gates,
In the city, she uttereth her words:
- “How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity?
And scoffers delight them in scoffing,
And fools hate knowledge?
- Turn you at my reproof:
Behold, I will pour out my spirit upon you;
I will make known my words unto you.
- Because I have called, and ye have refused;
I have stretched out my hand, and no man hath regarded;
- But ye have set at nought all my counsel,
And would none of my reproof:
- I also will laugh in the day of your calamity;
I will mock when your fear cometh;
- When your fear cometh as a storm,
And your calamity cometh on as a whirlwind;
When distress and anguish come upon you.
- Then will they call upon me, but I will not answer;
They will seek me diligently, but they shall not find me:
- For that they hated knowledge,
And did not choose the fear of Yahwéh:
- They would none of my counsel;
They despised all my reproof.
- Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way,
And be filled with their own devices.
- For the backsliding of the simple shall slay them,
And the careless ease of fools shall destroy them.
- But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell securely,
And shall be quiet without fear of evil.”
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§ 2 ⇪
Sapientiæ κτῆσις et χρῆσις |
| II |
- Fili mi, si acceperīs dicta mea,
et præcepta mea recordēris apud te,
- Si attendendo ad sapientiam aures tuas,
inclinaverīs animum tuum ad intellegentiam :
- Quin etiam si prudentiam inclamaverīs,
ad intellegentiam ediderīs vocem tuam.
- Si quæsierīs eam velut argentum,
et tanquam abditos thesauros scrutatus fuerīs eam :
- Tunc intelleges reverentiam Jahwéhæ,
et agnitionem Dei consequeris.
- Nam Jahwéha dat sapientiam,
ex ore ejus scientia et intellegentia procedit :
- Repositum habet pro rectis quicquid revera est :
scutum pro ambulantibus integre.
- Custodiendo itinera juris :
et viam eorum quos benigne accepit conservat.
- Tunc intelleges justitiam, et jus ;
et quicquid rectum est, omnem orbitam bonam :
- Quum venerit sapientia in animum tuum,
et scientia menti tuæ amœna erit :
- Sollertia observabit te,
intellegentia custodiet te,
- Eripiendo te a via mali,
et viris loquentibus perversitates,
- Qui derelinquunt itinera recti,
ut ambulent per vias tenebrarum.
- Qui lætantur faciendo malum,
exsultant in perversitatibus pessimis.
- Qui itineribus suis perversi sunt,
et præfracti orbitis suis :
- Eripiendo te a muliere extranea,
ab alienigena quæ dictis suis blanditur,
- Quæ derelinquit ducem adulescentiæ suæ,
et fœderis Dei sui obliviscitur :
- (Nam propendet ad mortem domus ejus,
et ad expertes vitæ orbitæ ejus ;
- Quicunque adeunt eam, non revertuntur,
neque assequntur itinera vitæ.)
- Ut ambules per viam bonorum,
et itinera justorum observes.
- Nam recti inhabitabunt terram,
et integri reliqui fient in ea ;
- Improbi vero e terra exscindentur,
et perfide agentes avellentur ex ea.
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- My son, if thou wilt receive my words,
And lay up my commandments with thee;
- So as to incline thine ear unto wisdom,
And apply thy heart to understanding;
- Yea, if thou cry after discernment,
And lift up thy voice for understanding;
- If thou seek her as silver,
And search for her as for hid treasures:
- Then shalt thou understand the fear of Yahwéh,
And find the knowledge of God.
- For Yahwéh giveth wisdom;
Out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding:
- He layeth up sound wisdom for the upright;
He is a shield to them that walk in integrity,
- Guarding the paths of justice;
And he preserveth the way of those he hath graciously accepted.
- Then shalt thou understand righteousness and justice,
And equity, yea, every good path.
- For wisdom shall enter into thy heart,
And knowledge shall be pleasant unto thy soul;
- Discretion shall watch over thee;
Understanding shall keep thee:
- To deliver thee from the way of evil,
From the men that speak perverse things;
- Who forsake the paths of uprightness,
To walk in the ways of darkness;
- Who rejoice to do evil,
And delight in the perverseness of evil;
- Who are crooked in their ways,
And wayward in their paths:
- To deliver thee from the strange woman,
Even from the foreigner that flattereth with her words;
- That forsaketh the leader of her youth
And forgetteth the covenant of her God:
- For her house inclineth unto death,
And her paths unto those destitute of life;
- None that go unto her return again,
Neither do they attain unto the paths of life:
- That thou mayest walk in the way of good men,
And keep the paths of the righteous.
- For the upright shall dwell in the land,
And the perfect shall remain in it.
- But the wicked shall be cut off from the land,
And the treacherous shall be rooted out of it.
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§ 3 ⇪
Observantia legis Dei |
| III |
- Fili me, doctrinæ meæ ne obliviscaris;
sed præcepta mea custodiat animus tuus :
- Nam longitudinem dierum, annosamque vitam ;
cum pace adjicient tibi.
- Benignitas et fides ne derelinquant te —
alliga eas faucibus tuis,
inscribe eas tabulæ cordis tui :
- Ita consequēre gratiam, et successum optimum ;
ante oculos Dei et hominum.
- Fiduciam habe in Jahwéha ex toto animo tuo :
intellegentiæ vero tuæ ne innititor.
- In omnibus viis tuis agnosce eum,
et ipse diriget itinera tua.
- Ne esto sapiens judicio tuo ;
reverēre Jahwéham, et recede a malo.
- Salutare id erit umbilico tuo,
et irrigatio ossibus tuis.
- Honora Jahwéham de substantia tua,
et de præcipuo totius proventus tui :
- Ita implebuntur horrea tua saturitate,
et musto lacus torcularii tui perrumpent.
- Eruditionem Jahwéhæ, fili mi, ne spernito ;
neque tædeat te correctionis ejus :
- Nam quem diligit Jahwéha corrigit ;
et quidem ut pater filium, cui bene vult.
- Beatus homo qui consequitur sapientiam,
et homo qui provehit intellegentiam :
- Melior enim est negotiatio ejus negotiatione argenti,
et auro effosso proventus ejus :
- Pretiosior est carbunculis,
et omnia oblectamenta tua non possunt æquari ei.
- Longitudo dierum in dextera ejus est —
in sinistra ejus divitiæ et honor.
- Viæ ejus viæ sunt amœnitatis ;
et omnes semitæ ejus, pacis :
- Arbor vitæ est prehendentibus eam —
denique tenentium eam beatus quisque.
- Jahwéha sapientia fundavit terram,
statuit cælos intellegentia :
- Scientia ejus abyssi diffissæ sunt,
et superiores nubes destillant rorem.
- Fili mi, ne decedant ab oculis tuis,
custodi eam quæ vere est sapientis, et sollertiam.
- Eruntque vita animæ tuæ,
et gratia faucibus tuis :
- Tunc obibis secure viam tuam,
et pedem tuum non offendes :
- Quum cubabis, non expavesces,
sed cubanti suavis erit somnus tuus.
- Ne timeto a pavore repentino ;
et a vastatione improborum, ut adveniat :
- Nam Jahwéha aderit fiduciæ tuæ,
et servabit pedem tuum a captura.
- Ne cohibeto bonum ab eis qui opus habent,
quum est in potestate manus tuæ efficere illud ;
- Ne dicito proximo tuo, « Abi, deinde revertere,
cras enim daturus sum »;
quum fuerit penes te.
- Ne fabricator contra proximum tuum rem malam,
qui considet secure tecum ;
- Ne contendito cum ullo homine immerito,
nisi affecerit te malo.
- Ne invideto ulli violento,
neque eligito ullas vias ejus :
- Nam abominationi est Jawéhæ præfractus ;
apud rectos autem arcanum ejus est.
- Exsecratio Jawéhæ incumbit domui improbi ;
at habitaculo justorum benedicitur.
- Quandoquidem derisores ipse deridet,
mansuetis autem dat gratiam :
- Honorem sapientes possident ;
stolidos vero tollit ignominia.
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- My son, forget not my law;
But let thy heart keep my commandments:
- For length of days, and years of life,
And peace, will they add to thee.
- Let not kindness and truth forsake thee:
Bind them about thy neck;
Write them upon the tablet of thy heart:
- So shalt thou find favor and good understanding
In the sight of God and man.
- Trust in Yahwéh with all thy heart,
And lean not upon thine own understanding:
- In all thy ways acknowledge him,
And he will direct thy paths.
- Be not wise in thine own eyes;
Fear Yahwéh, and depart from evil:
- It will be health to thy navel,
And marrow to thy bones.
- Honor Yahwéh with thy substance,
And with the first-fruits of all thine increase:
- So shall thy barns be filled with plenty,
And thy vats shall overflow with new wine.
- My son, despise not the chastening of Yahwéh;
Neither be weary of his reproof:
- For whom Yahwéh loveth he reproveth;
Even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
- Happy is the man that findeth wisdom,
And the man that getteth understanding.
- For the gaining of it is better than the gaining of silver,
And the profit thereof than fine gold.
- She is more precious than rubies:
And none of the things thou canst desire are to be compared unto her.
- Length of days is in her right hand;
In her left hand are riches and honor.
- Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
And all her paths are peace.
- She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her:
And happy is every one that retaineth her.
- Yahwéh by wisdom founded the earth;
By understanding he established the heavens.
- By his knowledge the depths were broken up,
And the skies drop down the dew.
- My son, let them not depart from thine eyes;
Keep sound wisdom and discretion:
- So shall they be life unto thy soul,
And grace to thy neck.
- Then shalt thou walk in thy way securely,
And thy foot shall not stumble.
- When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid:
Yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.
- Be not afraid of sudden fear,
Neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh:
- For Yahwéh will be thy confidence,
And will keep thy foot from being caught.
- Withhold not good from them to whom it is due,
When it is the power of thy hand to do it.
- Say not unto thy neighbor, “Go, and come again,
And tomorrow I will give”;
When thou hast it by thee.
- Devise not evil against thy neighbor,
Seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.
- Strive not with a man without cause,
If he have done thee no harm.
- Envy thou not the man of violence,
And choose none of his ways.
- For the vicious man is an abomination to Yahwéh;
But his intimacy is with the upright.
- The curse of Yahwéh is in the house of the wicked;
But he blesseth the habitation of the righteous.
- Surely he scoffeth at the scoffers;
But he giveth grace unto the lowly.
- The wise shall inherit glory;
But shame manifests fools.
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§ 4 ⇪
Sapientia, Custodia membrorum, &c. |
| IV |
- Audite, filii, eruditionem patris
et attendite ad cognoscendum prudentiam :
- Nam disciplinam bonam trado vobis :
doctrinam meam ne derelinquite.
- Quum filius essem apud patrem meum,
tener et unicus coram matre mea.
- Docens ille me dicebat mihi ;
« Retineat verba mea animus tuus ;
observans præcepta mea vive.
- Acquire sapientiam, acquire prudentiam ;
ne obliviscitor, neque declinato a sermonibus oris mei.
- Ne derelinquito illam, et conservabit te ;
dilige illam, et custodiet te.
- Quæ caput est sapientiæ, eam acquire sapientiam ;
et tota acquisitione tua acquire prudentiam.
- Extolle eam, et exaltabit te ;
honorabit te, quum amplexaberis eam.
- Indet capiti tuo adjectionem gratiæ
coronam ornatissimam tradet tibi. »
- Audi, fili mi, et percipe sermones meos :
ita multiplicabuntur tibi anni vitæ.
- Viam sapientiæ doceo te,
deduco te per orbitas recti.
- Quum ambulabis, nihil arctabit gressum tuum ;
etiamsi cucurreris, non offenderis.
- Prehende eruditionem illius, ne desistito ;
custodi illam, quia est vita tua.
- Iter improborum ne ingreditor,
neque incedito per viam malorum.
- Abstrahe te ab eam, ne transito per eam,
declina ab ea, et præteri.
- Nam non dormiunt illi, nisi malefecerint ;
et eripitur somnus illorum, nisi fecerint ut impingat quispiam
- Quia vescuntur cibo improbitatis,
et vinum omnimodæ violentiæ bibunt.
- Iter enim justorum simile est luci splendidæ, pergenti lucere ;
adeo ut eorum quisque fit stabilis die :
- Via vero improborum similis est caligine :
nesciunt in quid impacturi sint.
- Fili mi, ad verba mea attende :
ad sermones meos inclina aurem tuam :
- Ne efficiant illi ut recedant ab oculis tuis,
serva hæc in animo tuo :
- Nam verba vitæ sunt eis qui consequuntur ipsa,
et toti carni cujusque eorum salutaria.
- Supra omnem observationem custodi cor tuum :
nam ex eo prodeunt actiones vitæ.
- Remove abs te perversitatem oris,
et pravitatem labiorum procul amove abs te.
- Oculi tui e regione intueantur,
et palpebræ tuæ spectent recta coram te.
- Expende orbitam pedis tui,
ut omnes viæ tuæ stabiles sint :
- Ne declinato dextrorsum aut sinistrorsum,
amove pedem tuum a malo.
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- Hear, my sons, the instruction of a father,
And attend to know understanding:
- For I give you good doctrine;
Forsake ye not my law.
- For I was a son unto my father,
Tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.
- And he taught me, and said unto me:
Let thy heart retain my words;
Keep my commandments, and live;
- Get wisdom, get understanding;
Forget not, neither decline from the words of my mouth;
- Forsake her not, and she will preserve thee;
Love her, and she will keep thee.
- Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom;
Yea, with all thy getting get understanding.
- Exalt her, and she will promote thee;
She will bring thee to honor, when thou dost embrace her.
- She will give to thy head a chaplet of grace;
A crown of beauty will she deliver to thee.
- Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings;
And the years of thy life shall be many.
- I have taught thee in the way of wisdom;
I have led thee in paths of uprightness.
- When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened;
And if thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.
- Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go:
Keep her; for she is thy life.
- Enter not into the path of the wicked,
And walk not in the way of evil men.
- Avoid it, pass not by it;
Turn from it, and pass on.
- For they sleep not, except they do evil;
And their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.
- For they eat the bread of wickedness,
And drink the wine of violence.
- But the path of the righteous is like the shining light, continuing to brighten,
To the point that each of them becometh surefooted in the day.
- The way of the wicked is as darkness:
They know not at what they stumble.
- My son, attend to my words;
Incline thine ear unto my sayings.
- Let them not depart from thine eyes;
Keep them in the midst of thy heart.
- For they are life unto those that find them,
And health to all their flesh.
- Keep thy heart with all diligence;
For out of it are the issues of life.
- Put away from thee a wayward mouth,
And perverse lips put far from thee.
- Let thine eyes look right on,
And let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
- Make level the path of thy feet,
So that all thy ways may be stable.
- Turn not to the right hand nor to the left:
Remove thy foot from evil.
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§ 5 ⇪
Ab extranea cavendum |
| V |
- Fili mi, ad sapientiam meam attende ;
ad intellegentiam meam inclina aurem tuam :
- Ut observes omnimodam sollertiam,
et scientiam labia tua custodiant.
- Quamvis favum stillent labia extraneæ,
et mollius oleo stillet palatum ejus :
- Attamen posterius ejus amarum est ut absinthium ;
acutum ut gladius bipennis :
- Pedes ejus descendunt ad mortem,
ad sepulcrum gressus ejus pertinent.
- Iter vitæ ne expendas,
moventur orbitæ ejus, te imprudente.
- Nunc itaque filii, ascultate mihi,
et ne recedite a sermonibus oris mei.
- Procul facito ab illa iter tuum,
et ne appropinquato ad ostium domus illius :
- Ut non cedas aliis decorem tuum,
et annos tuos crudeli :
- Ut non satientur extranei facultatibus tuis ;
et labores tui maneant in domo alieni :
- Gemasque tandem,
consumpta carne tua et corpore tuo,
- Ac dicas « Quomodo odi eruditionem,
et correctionem sprevit animus meus,
- Neque auscultavi voci doctorum meorum,
et ad docentes me non inclinavit aurem meam ‽
- Ferme versor in omni malo,
in medio congregationis et cœtus. »
- Bibe aquam e cisterna tua,
et fluenta e medio putei tui.
- Spargant se fontes tui foras,
in planteis rivi aquarum ?
- Sint tibi seorsim,
ac non extraneis tecum :
- Erit scaturigo tua benedicta,
sed lætare de uxore adolescentiæ tuæ.
- Sit cerva amicissima, et rupicapra gratiosa :
ubera ipsius uberent te omni tempore,
in amore ejus errato jugiter.
- Et quare errares, fili mi, cum extranea,
et amplecterēris pectus alienæ ?
- Quum coram oculis Jahwéhæ viæ cujusque sint,
et omnes orbitas ejus expendit.
- Iniquitates suæ capient ipsum — improbum, inquam, istum ;
et funibus peccati sui tenebitur.
- Ipse morietur expers eruditionis,
et in amplitudine stultitiæ suæ oberrabit.
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- My son, attend unto my wsidom;
Incline thine ear to my understanding:
- That thou mayest preserve discretion,
And that thy lips may keep knowledge.
- For the lips of a strange woman drop honey,
And her mouth is smoother than oil:
- But in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
Sharp as a two-edged sword.
- Her feet go down to death;
Her steps take hold on Sheol;
- Lest thou weigh carefully the path of life,
Her ways are unstable, unbeknownst to thee.
- Now therefore, my sons, hearken unto me,
And depart not from the words of my mouth.
- Remove thy way far from her,
And come not nigh the door of her house;
- Lest thou give thine honor unto others,
And thy years unto the cruel;
- Lest strangers be filled with thy strength,
And thy labors be in the house of an alien,
- And thou mourn at thy latter end,
When thy flesh and thy body are consumed,
- And say, “How have I hated instruction,
And my heart despised reproof;
- Neither have I obeyed the voice of my teachers,
Nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!
- I was well-nigh in all evil
In the midst of the assembly and congregation.”
- Drink waters out of thine own cistern,
And running waters out of thine own well.
- Should thy springs be dispersed abroad,
And streams of water in the streets?
- Let them be for thyself alone,
And not for strangers with thee.
- Let thy fountain be blessed;
And rejoice in the wife of thy youth.
- As a loving hind and a pleasant doe,
Let her breasts satisfy thee at all times;
And be thou ravished always with her love.
- For why shouldest thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman,
And embrace the bosom of a foreigner?
- For the ways of man are before the eyes of Yahwéh;
And he maketh level all his paths.
- His own iniquities shall take the wicked,
And he shall be holden with the cords of his own sin.
- He shall die for lack of instruction;
And in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.
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§ 6 ⇪
A sponsionibus, pigritia et adulterio dehortatio |
| VI |
- Fili mi, si spopondisti amico tuo ;
complosisti extraneo manum tuam :
- Illaqueasti te sermonibus oris tui,
captus es sermonibus oris tui.
- Fac istud jam, fili mi, et eripe te,
quandoquidem convenisti in manum proximi tui :
age, subjice te, et interpella proximum tuum.
- Ne concedito somnum oculis tuis,
aut dormitationem palpebris tuis :
- Eripe te ut caprea e manu venatoris,
et sicut avis e manu aucupis.
- Abi ad formicam, o piger ;
aspice vias ejus, et sape.
- Quum non sit illi ductor,
moderator aut dominator ;
- Comparat æstate cibum suum,
comportat per messem escam suam.
- Quousque piger jacebis ?
quando surges a somno tuo ?
- Pauculis somnis, pauculis dormitationibus ;
paucula complicatione manuum cubando :
- Interea advenit tanquam viator expeditius paupertas tua,
et egestas tua tanquam vir clipeatus.
- Homo nequam, vir nihili,
ambulat perverso ore :
- Nictat oculis suis ; verba facit pedibus suis,
docet digitis suis :
- Omnimoda perversitate insidente animo suo,
fabricatur omne malum omni tempore :
contentiones immittit.
- Idcirco repente adveniet calamitas ejus ;
ita subito diffringetur, ut non sit curatio.
- Sex ista odit Jahwéha,
immo septem abominationi sunt animæ ejus :
- Oculi elati ; lingua fallax ;
manusque effundentes sanguinem innocentem :
- Animus qui fabricatur cognitationes iniquas :
pedes festinanter currentes ad malum :
- Conflans mendacia testis falsus,
denique immittens contentiones inter fratres.
- Custodi, fili mi, præceptum patris tui ;
neque deserito doctrinam matris tuæ :
- Alliga ea cordi tuo jugiter,
annecte ea faucibus tuis.
- Quocunque itabis, illa deducet te,
quum cubabis, observabit te :
quum experrectus fueris, illa confabulabitur tecum :
- (Nam lucerna præceptum est, et doctrina lux ;
viaque vitæ correctiones erudientes.)
- Ad servandum te a muliere malefica,
a blanditia linquæ alienæ.
- Ne desiderato pulchritudinem ejus cum animo tuo,
neque capiat te palpebris suis :
- Nam propter mulierem meretricem devenitur usque ad frustum panis :
etiam uxor viro juncta animam pretiosam venatur.
- An accepturus esset quisquam ignem in sinum suum,
et vestes ejus non adurerentur ?
- An ambulaturus esset quisquam super prunas,
et pedes ejus non cremarentur ?
- Ita est qui congreditur cum uxore proximi sui :
non relinquetur impunis quisquis tetigerit eam.
- Non afficitur contemptu fur
qui furatur ad explendum animum suum, quum esurit :
- Sed deprehensus, rependit septies :
qualibet substantia domus suæ reddit.
- Adulterans autem mulierem est demens :
perditurus seipsum, ipse faciet istud.
- Plagam et ignominiam consequetur,
probrumque ejus non delebitur :
- Nam zelotypiæ inest æstus viri ;
ideo non utitur clementia die ultionis :
- Non habet rationem ullius redemptionis ;
neque acquiescit, quamvis multa adhibeas munera.
|
- My son, if thou art become surety for thy neighbor,
If thou hast stricken thy hands for a stranger;
- Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth,
Thou are taken with the words of thy mouth.
- Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself,
Seeing thou art come into the hand of thy neighbor:
Go, humble thyself, and importune thy neighbor;
- Give not sleep to thine eyes,
Nor slumber to thine eyelids;
- Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter,
And as a bird from the hand of the fowler.
- Go to the ant, thou sluggard;
Consider her ways, and be wise:
- Which having no chief,
Overseer or ruler,
- Provideth her bread in the summer,
And gathereth her food in the harvest.
- How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard?
When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
- Yet a little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to sleep:
- So shall thy poverty come as a robber,
And thy want as a man with a shield.
- A worthless person, a man of iniquity,
Is he that walketh with a perverse mouth;
- That winketh with his eyes, that speaketh with his feet,
That maketh signs with his fingers;
- In whose heart is perverseness,
Who deviseth evil continually,
Who soweth discord.
- Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly;
On a sudden shall he be broken, and that without remedy.
- There are six things which Yahwéh hateth;
Yea, seven which are an abomination unto him:
- Haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
And hands that shed innocent blood;
- A heart that deviseth wicked purposes,
Feet that are swift in running to mischief,
- A false witness that uttereth lies,
And he that soweth discord among brethren.
- My son, keep the commandments of thy father,
And forsake not the law of thy mother
- Bind them continually upon thy heart;
Tie them about thy neck.
- When thou walkest, it shall lead thee;
When thou sleepest, it shall watch over thee;
And when thou wakest, it shall talk with thee.
- For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light;
And reproofs of instruction are the way of life:
- To keep thee from the evil woman,
From the flattery of the foreigner’s tongue.
- Lust not after her beauty in thy heart;
Neither let her take thee with her eyelids.
- For on account of a harlot a man is brought to a piece of bread;
And the adulteress hunteth for the precious life.
- Can a man take fire in his bosom,
And his clothes not be burned?
- Or can one walk upon hot coals,
And his feet not be scorched?
- So he that goeth in to his neighbor’s wife:
Whosoever toucheth her shall not be unpunished.
- Men do not despise a thief, if he steal
To satisfy himself when he is hungry:
- But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold;
He shall give all the substance of his house.
- He that committeth adultery with a woman is void of understanding:
He doeth it who would destroy his own soul.
- Wounds and dishonor shall he get;
And his reproach shall not be wiped away.
- For jealousy is the rage of a man;
And he will not spare in the day of vengeance.
- He will not regard any ransom;
Neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.
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§ 7 ⇪
Sapientiæ præcepta et præmonita de negligendis letalibus Extranea blanditiis |
| VII |
- Fili mi, observa sermones meos,
et præcepta mea reconde apud te :
- Observans præcepta mea vive, doctrinamque ;
meam ut pupillam oculorum tuorum.
- Alliga ea digitis tuis :
inscribe ea tabulæ cordis tui :
- Dic sapientiæ, « Soror mea es » ;
affinem prudentiam voca ;
- Ut servet te a muliere extera ;
ab aliena sermonibus suis blandiente.
- Nam per fenestram domus meæ,
e fenestella prospectans,
- Vidi inter fatuos,
animadverti inter filios
puerum dementem :
- Qui transiens per vicum juxta angulum illius,
via ad domum illius gradiebatur,
- Crepusculo, vespere diei ;
nigra nocte et caliginosa animadverti.
- Quum ecce mulier processit obviam ei ;
ornatu meretricio ; et circumspecta animo.
- (Quæ strepera est et contumax,
in cujus domo non hærent pedes ejus :
- Modo foris, modo in plateis ;
aut prope quemque angulum insidiatur.)
- Et præhendens eum, osculata est eum ;
offirmansque vultum suum, dixit ei,
- « Sacrificia eucharistica apud me sunt ;
hodie reddidi vota mea :
- Idcirco prodii obviam tibi ;
studiose quærendo faciem tuam ;
commode invenio te.
- Cadurcis instruxi spondam meam,
variam emblematis, linteis Ægypti.
- Suffivi cubile meum ;
myrrha, santalis et cinnamomo.
- Age, incumbamus ubertim amoribus ad matutinum usque ;
nos ipsos exhilaremus amatoriis.
- Nam non est vir domi suæ,
abiit via longinqua :
- Loculum pecuniæ accepit in manum suam :
die stato redibit domum suam. »
- Flexit eum multitudine disciplinæ suæ,
blanditia labiorum suorum impulit eum.
- Sequitur eam subito ;
tanquam bos ad mactationem abit,
et velut compeditus ad eruditionem stultorum.
- Donec dissecet culter jecur ipsius,
quemadmodum festinat avis ad laqueum,
nesciens contra vitam suam illum esse.
- Itaque nunc, filii, auscultate mihi,
et attendite ad sermones oris mei.
- Ne declinato ad vias illius animus tuus,
ne aberrato in semitas illius :
- Nam multos confossos dejecit,
et numerosi sunt omnes interfecti ab illa.
- Viæ ad sepulcrum sunt viæ ad domum ejus,
descendentes ad penetralia mortis.
|
- My son, keep my words,
And lay up my commandments with thee.
- Keep my commandments and live;
And my law as the apple of thine eye.
- Bind them upon thy fingers;
Write them upon the tablet of thy heart.
- Say unto wisdom, “Thou art my sister”;
And call understanding thy kinswoman:
- That they may keep thee from the strange woman,
From the foreigner that flattereth with her words.
- For at the window of my house
I looked forth through my lattice;
- And I beheld among the simple ones,
I discerned among the youths,
A young man void of understanding,
- Passing through the street near her corner;
And he went the way to her house,
- In the twilight, in the evening of the day,
In the middle of the night and in the darkness.
- And behold, there met him a woman
With the attire of a harlot, and wily of heart.
- She is clamorous and willful;
Her feet abide not in her house:
- Now she is in the streets, now in the broad places,
And lieth in wait at every corner.
- So she caught him, and kissed him,
And with an obdurate face she said unto him:
- “Sacrifices of peace-offerings are with me;
This day have I paid my vows.
- Therefore came I forth to meet thee,
Diligently to seek thy face, and I have appropriately found thee.
- I have spread my couch with carpets of tapestry,
With striped cloths of the yarn of Egypt.
- I have perfumed my bed
With myrrh, sandalwood-perfumes and cinnamon.
- Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning;
Let us delight ourselves with loves.
- For the man is not at home;
He is gone a long journey:
- He hath taken a bag of money with him;
He will come home on a given day.”
- With a great amount of her lecturing she causeth him to yield;
With the flattering of her lips she forceth him along.
- He goeth after her straightway,
As an ox goeth to the slaughter,
Or as one in fetters to the correction of the dullard;
- Till a knife cuts through his liver;
As a bird hasteth to the snare,
And knoweth not that it is for his life.
- Now therefore, my sons, hearken unto me,
And attend to the words of my mouth.
- Let not thy heart decline to her ways;
Go not astray in her paths.
- For she hath cast down many who have been pierced through:
Yea, numerous are those slain by her.
- The ways to her house are ways to the grave,
Going down to the chambers of death.
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§ 8 ⇪
Sapientiæ æternæ pictura. |
| VIII |
- Nonne sapientia clamat,
et intellegentia edit vocem suam,
- In fastigio editorum locorum ;
per viam, in loco multarum semitarum consistens,
- Ad latus portarum, in aditu urbis,
in ingressu ostiorum recantant ?, dicendo
- « Vos, o viri præitantes, inclamo ;
et vox mea plebejos filios hominum.
- Intellegite, fatui, astutiam,
et stolidi, animum advertite.
- Audite, nam præstantia eloquar ;
et apertura labiorum meorum eloquar recta.
- Nam veritatem meditatam effert palatum meum ;
et abominationi labiis meis est efferre improbitatem.
- Justi sunt omnes sermones oris mei,
nihil est in eis contortum aut perversum.
- Illis omnes sunt obvii prudenti,
et recti eis qui consequuntur scientiam.
- Accipite eruditionem meam, ac non pecuniam ;
et scientiam potius quam aurum effossum lectissimum.
- Nam melior est sapientia carbunculis,
Et omnia oblectamenta non possunt æquari ei.
- Ego sum sapientia, cohæro astutiæ,
et scientiam summæ sollertiæ præsentem habeo.
- Reverentiam Jahwéhæ, odium mali :
fastum et elationem, viamque mali,
denique os perversitatibus deditum odi.
- Meum est consilium, et quicquid est ;
mea est prudentia, meum robur.
- Per me reges regnant,
et dominatores decernunt justitiam.
- Per me principes gerunt principatum,
et ingenui omnes judices terræ.
- Ego amantes mei amo,
et studiose quærentes me inveniunt me.
- Divitiæ et honor penes me sunt,
substantia perdurans et justitia.
- Melior est fructus meus auro effosso, et quidem purgatissimo,
et proventus meus argento lectissimo.
- Per iter justitiæ deduco,
per medias semitas juris.
- Efficiendo ut possideant amantes mei id quod est,
denique thesauros eorum impleo.
- Jahwéha possidebat me principio viæ suæ
ante opera sua, ante ullum tempus.
- Ante sæculum inuncta fui ;
ante principium, ante primordia terræ.
- Quum nullæ essent abyssi, edita eram ;
quum nulli essent fontes graves aquis.
- Quum nondum factus esset ut montes demersi incumberent terræ,
ante colles edita eram.
- Adhuc non fecerat terram ; aut rura :
immo principium, pulveres orbis habitabilis.
- Quum aptaret cælos, ibi eram ;
quum statueret ambitum in superficie abyssi :
- Quum fortificaret superiores nubes superne,
quum roboraret fontes abyssi,
- Quum imponeret mari statutum suum,
et aquis, ne transgrediantur præstitutum oris ipsius ;
quum statueret fundamenta terræ.
- Quum itaque sim apud eum, educans,
et sim deliciæ quotidianæ;
lætificans coram eo omni tempore.
- Lætificans in orbe habitabili terram ejus,
atque deliciis meis filios hominum :
- Nunc igitur, filii, auscultate mihi :
beati enim sunt qui vias meas observant.
- Audite eruditionem, et sapite,
et ne vos abstrahite.
- Beatus homo qui auscultat mihi,
sedulo insistendo foribus meis quotidie,
observando postes ostiorum meorum.
- Nam qui consequitur me, consequitur vitam ;
ut provehit benevolentia a Jahwéha.
- At qui peccat in me, vim facit animæ suæ :
omnes osores mei amant mortem. »
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- Doth not wisdom cry,
And understanding put forth her voice?
- On the top of high places by the way,
Where the paths meet, she standeth;
- Beside the gates, at the entry of the city,
At the coming in at the doors, she crieth aloud:
- “Unto you, O men, I call;
And my voice is to the sons of men.
- O ye simple, understand prudence;
And, ye fools, be of an understanding heart.
- Hear, for I will speak excellent things;
And the opening of my lips shall be right things.
- For my mouth shall utter truth;
And wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
- All the words of my mouth are in righteousness;
There is nothing crooked or perverse in them.
- They are all plain to him that understandeth.
And right to them that find knowledge.
- Receive my instruction, and not silver;
And knowledge rather than choice gold.
- For wisdom is better than rubies;
And all the things that may be desired are not to be compared unto it.
- I, wisdom, have made prudence my dwelling,
And find out knowledge and discretion.
- The fear of Yahwéh is to hate evil:
Pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way,
And the perverse mouth, do I hate.
- Counsel is mine, and sound knowledge:
I am understanding, I have might.
- By me kings reign,
And princes decree justice.
- By me princes rule,
And nobles, even all the judges of the earth.
- I love them that love me;
And those that seek me diligently shall find me.
- Riches and honor are with me;
Yea, durable wealth and righteousness.
- My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold;
And my revenue than choice silver.
- I walk in the way of righteousness,
In the midst of the paths of justice;
- That I may cause those that love me to inherit substance,
And that I may fill their treasuries.
- Yahwéh possessed me in the beginning of his way,
Before his works of old.
- I was set up from everlasting, from the beginning,
Before the earth was.
- When there were no depths, I was brought forth,
When there were no fountains abounding with water.
- Before the mountains were settled,
Before the hills I was brought forth;
- While as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields,
Nor the beginning of the dust of the world.
- When he established the heavens, I was there:
When he set a circle upon the face of the deep,
- When he made firm the skies above,
When the fountains of the deep became strong,
- When he gave to the sea its bound,
That the waters should not transgress his commandment,
When he marked out the foundations of the earth;
- Then I was by him, as a master workman;
And I was daily his delight,
Rejoicing always before him,
- Rejoicing in his habitable earth;
And my delight was with the sons of men.
- Now therefore, my sons, hearken unto me;
For blessed are they that keep my ways.
- Hear instruction, and be wise,
And refuse it not.
- Blessed is the man that heareth me,
Watching daily at my gates,
Waiting at the posts of my doors.
- For whoso findeth me findeth life,
And shall obtain favor of Yahwéh.
- But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul:
All they that hate me love death.”
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§ 9 ⇪
Sapientia invitat filios suos, et mulier fatua fatuos suos. |
| IX |
- Summa sapientia ædificavit domum suam,
excisis columnis suis septem.
- Mactavit animalia sua ; miscuit vinum suum,
etiam instruxit mensam suam :
- Et missis puellis suis,
invitat per collegia, et loca excelsa urbis.
- « Quisquis fatuus, divertito huc »;
quisquis est demens, dicit ei,
- « Venite, vescimini cibo meo,
et bibite de vino quod miscui.
- Relinquite fatuos, et vivite,
ac incedite per viam prudentiæ. »
- Qui erudit derisorem, recipit sibi ignominiam :
et qui corripit improbum, recipit convicium sibi.
- Ne corripito derisorem, ut non odio prosequatur te :
corripe sapientem, et amabit te.
- Da sapienti, ut sapiat amplius :
notum fac justo, ut augeat disciplinam.
- Principium sapientiæ reverentiam Jahwéhæ,
et agnitionem sanctorum prudentiam.
- Nam per me multiplicabuntur dies tui,
et adjicientur tibi anni vitæ.
- Si sapias, sapies tibi :
sin derisor eris, solus reportabis.
- Mulier stolida strepera est :
fatua, etsi nescit quicquam.
- Tamen sedet ad ostium domus suæ ;
super solium, in locis excelsis urbis,
- Ad avocandum viatores,
qui etiam recta eunt itineribus suis :
- Et quisquis fatuus, « Divertito huc, »
et quisquis est demens, dicit ei.
- « Aquæ furtivæ suaves quidem sunt,
et cibus latebrarum amœnus »;
- Sed ignorat ille expertes vitæ illic esse,
in profundissimo sepulcro, invitatos ab ea.
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- Wisdom hath builded her house;
She hath hewn out her seven pillars:
- She hath killed her beasts; she hath mingled her wine;
She hath also furnished her table:
- She hath sent forth her maidens;
She invites through the magistracies and the highest places of the city:
- “Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither”:
As for him that is void of understanding, she saith to him,
- “Come, eat ye of my bread,
And drink of the wine which I have mingled.
- Forsake the simple ones, and live;
And walk in the way of understanding.”
- He that correcteth a scoffer getteth to himself reviling;
And he that reproveth a wicked man getteth himself an insult.
- Reprove not a scoffer, lest he hate thee:
Reprove a wise man, and he will love thee.
- Give instruction to a wise man, that he may be yet wiser:
Teach a righteous man, that he may increase in learning.
- The fear of Yahwéh is the beginning of wisdom;
And acknowledgement of holy things is understanding.
- For by me thy days shall be multiplied,
And the years of thy life shall be increased.
- If thou art wise, thou art wise for thyself;
And if thou scoffest, thou alone shalt bear it.
- The stupid woman is clamorous;
She is foolish, and knoweth nothing.
- Nonetheless she sitteth at the door of her house,
On a seat in the high places of the city,
- To call to them that pass by,
Who go right on their ways:
- Whoso is simple, “Turn in hither”;
And as for him that is senseless, she saith to him,
- “Stolen waters are sweet,
And bread eaten in secret is pleasant.”
- But he knoweth not that the dead are there;
That her guests are in the depths of Sheol.
|
§ 10 ⇪
Decem antitheses in genere morali |
| X |
- Proverbia Schelomonis. Filius sapiens lætitia afficit patrem,
filius vero stolidus mæstitiæ est matri suæ.
- Non prosunt thesauri improbitatis,
sed justitia eripit a morte.
- Non sinit esurire Jahwéha animam justi,
substantiam vero improborum depellit.
- Pauper fit qui agit manu dolosa :
manus autem sedulorum ditat ipsos.
- Comportat in æstate filius intellegens :
somno sopitus est in messe filius pudefaciens.
- Benedictiones assunt capiti justi,
at os improborum obtegit violentia.
- Memoria justi est benedicta,
nomen autem improborum putridum est.
- Sapiens animo accipit præcepta,
stultus vero labiis se ipsum conturbat.
- Qui ambulat in integritate, ambulat secure ;
qui autem pervertit vias suas, documento erit.
- Qui nictans oculo dat molestiam ;
et stultus labiis se ipsum conturbat.
- Scaturigo vitæ perfundit os justi :
at os improborum obtegit violentia.
- Odium excitat contentiones :
vero defectiones obtegit caritas.
- Labiis prudentis adest præsens sapientia,
at virga corpori dementis.
- Sapientes recondunt scientiam :
ori autem stulti contritio propinqua est.
- Substantia divitis est tanquam urbs munita ejus :
contritioni est tenuibus paupertas eorum.
- Quod opere suo comparat justus, comparat in vitam :
proventus improbi in peccatum.
- Iter ad vitam est servantis eruditionem :
derelinquentis vero correptionem iter errorem affert.
- Qui tegit odium, labiis est fallacibus ;
et qui profert infamiam, est stolidus.
- Multitudine verborum non cessabit defectio :
sed cohibet labia sua intellegens.
- Velut argentum lectissimum est lingua justi,
animus improborum perparvi est.
- Labia justi pascunt multos,
stulti vero dementia moriuntur.
- Benedictio Jahwéhæ ipsa ditat,
neque addit molestiam secum.
- Prout ludus fuerit, stolido facere scelus ;
et exercere sapientiam, viro intellegenti :
- Quod formidat improbus, id eveniet ei ;
quod autem desiderant justi, dabit Deus :
- Ut tanquam transeunte turbine non exstet improbus :
justo vero sit fundamentum perpetuum.
- Ut acetum dentibus, et velut fumus oculis,
ita est piger mittentibus ipsum.
- Reverentia Jahwéhæ adjicit dies,
anni vero improborum decurtantur.
- Spes justorum est lætitiæ,
exspectatio vero improborum perit.
- Robori est cuique integro via Jahwéhæ,
contritioni vero operam dantibus iniquitati.
- Justus nunquam dimovetur,
improbi vero non inhabitabunt terram.
- Os justi abunde profert sapientiam :
at lingua vero perversitatum rescissa est.
- Labia justi experientur benevolentiam,
os vero improborum pœnam perversitatum.
|
- A wise son maketh a glad father;
But a foolish son is the sorrow of his mother.
- Treasures of wickedness profit nothing;
But righteousness delivereth from death.
- Yahwéh will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish;
But he thrusteth away the desire of the wicked.
- He becometh poor that worketh with a deceiving hand;
But the hand of the diligent maketh rich.
- He that gathereth in summer is a wise son;
But he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame.
- Blessings are upon the head of the righteous;
But violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.
- The memory of the righteous is blessed;
But the name of the wicked shall rot.
- The wise in heart will receive commandments;
But a prating fool shall fall.
- He that walketh uprightly walketh surely;
He that perverteth his ways shall be known.
- He that winketh with the eye causeth sorrow;
But a prating fool shall fall.
- The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life;
But violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.
- Hatred stirreth up strifes;
But love covereth all transgressions.
- In the lips of him that hath discernment wisdom is found;
But a rod is for the back of him that is void of understanding.
- Wise men lay up knowledge;
But grief is near the mouth of the foolish.
- The rich man’s wealth is his fortified city:
The grief of the poor is their poverty.
- The labor of the righteous tendeth to life;
The increase of the wicked, to sin.
- He is in the way of life that heedeth correction;
But he that forsaketh reproof erreth.
- He that hideth hatred is of lying lips;
And he that uttereth a slander is a fool.
- In the multitude of words there wanteth not transgression;
But he that refraineth his lips doeth wisely.
- The tongue of the righteous is as choice silver:
The heart of the wicked is little worth.
- The lips of the righteous feed many;
But the foolish die for lack of understanding.
- The blessing of Yahwéh, it maketh rich;
And he addeth no sorrow therewith.
- It is as sport to a fool to do wickedness;
And so is wisdom to a man of understanding.
- The fear of the wicked, it shall come upon him;
And the desire of the righteous shall be granted.
- As the whirlwind passeth, so may the wicked be no more;
But may there be an everlasting foundation for the righteous man.
- As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes,
So is the sluggard to them that send him.
- The fear of Yahwéh prolongeth days;
But the years of the wicked shall be shortened.
- The hope of the righteous is of gladness;
But the expectation of the wicked shall perish.
- The way of Yahwéh is a stronghold to the upright;
But it is grief to those giving to iniquity.
- The righteous shall never be removed;
But the wicked shall not dwell in the land.
- The mouth of the righteous bringeth forth wisdom abundantly;
But the perverse tongue hath been cut off.
- The lips of the righteous shall encounter kindness;
But the mouth of the wicked, the punishment for perverseness.
|
§ 11 ⇪
Encomium justitiæ et beneficentiæ, collatione contrariorum illustratum. |
| XI |
- Lances dolosæ abominationi sunt Jahwéhæ :
pondus vero integrum acceptum est ei.
- Advenienti superbiæ evenit ignominia :
apud modestos autem est sapientia.
- Integritas rectorum deducit eos :
at perversitas perfidiosorum devastat eos.
- Non prodest substantia die furoris :
justitia autem eripit a morte.
- Justitia integri dirigit viam ejus,
at improbitate sua concidit improbus.
- Justitia justorum eripit ipsos,
at ærumna sua perfidiosi capiuntur.
- Quum moritur homo improbus, perit exspectatio ;
etiam spes valentissima perit.
- Justus ex angustia liberatur,
et devenit improbus in locum ejus.
- Ore hypocrita corrumpit proximum suum :
at scientia justi liberantur.
- De bono justorum exsultat urbs ;
et quum pereunt improbi, cantus exercetur.
- Benedictione rectorum effertur urbs :
ore autem improborum destruitur.
- Spernente proximum suum demente,
vir prudentissimus surdum agit.
- Ambulans cum detractione revelat arcanum :
at fidus animo tegit rem.
- Ubi non sunt prudentia consilia, corruit populus ;
salus autem est in amplitudine consiliarii.
- Omnino confringitur, qui spondet pro extraneo :
qui autem odit complodentes, securus est.
- Mulier gratiosa continet honorem,
at potentiores continent divitas.
- Beneficus est sibi ipsi vir benignus,
turbat autem carnem suam crudelis.
- Improbus comparat præmium falsum,
serentis vero justitiam merces est fida :
- Probe adhærens justitiæ serit ad vitam ;
sectans vero malum, ad mortem suam.
- Abominationi sunt Jahwéhæ perversi animo :
accepti vero ei integri via.
- Conjunctis operis non sequitur impunitatem malus ;
semen vero justorum liberat se.
- Velut monile aureum ad rostrum porci,
est mulier pulchra et aversans rationem.
- Desiderio justorum tantummodo bonum,
exspectationi improborum obvenit furor.
- Est qui dispergens, tamen augetur amplius ;
sed qui cohibet se a recto, tantummodo ad egestatem cohibet.
- Animus beneficus pinguis efficitur ;
et qui ubertim communicat, idem amplius profundet.
- Comprimentem triticum, exsecrabuntur populares ;
benedictio autem incumbet capiti venum dantis.
- Studiose quærens bonum aliis, conquirit benevolentiam :
quærenti vero malum, ipsi eventurum est.
- Qui confidit in divitiis suis, ipse decidet :
at tanquam ramus justi efflorescent.
- Qui conturbat domum suam possidebit ventum ;
et stultus, servus efficietur sapienti animo.
- Fructus justi est fructus arboris vitæ,
quum disciplina imbuit animas sapiens.
- En justum, in terra hac rependitur ei ;
quanto magis improbo et peccatori ?
|
- A false balance is an abomination to Yahwéh;
But a just weight is his delight.
- When pride cometh, then cometh shame;
But with the modest is wisdom.
- The integrity of the upright shall guide them;
But the perverseness of the treacherous shall destroy them.
- Richers profit not in the day of wrath;
But righteousness delivereth from death.
- The righteousness of the perfect shall direct his way;
But the wicked shall fall by his own wickedness.
- The righteousness of the upright shall deliver them;
But the treacherous shall be taken in their own iniquity.
- When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish;
Even his strongest hope perisheth.
- The righteous is delivered out of trouble;
And the wicked cometh in his stead.
- With his mouth the godless man destroyeth his neighbor;
But through knowledge shall the righteous be delivered.
- In the good of the righteous, the city rejoiceth;
And when the wicked perish, there is singing.
- By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted;
But it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.
- He that despiseth his neighbor is void of wisdom;
But a man of underanding holdeth his peace.
- He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets;
But he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth a matter.
- Where no wise guidance is, the people faileth;
But in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.
- One will be utterly broken by co-signing for a stranger;
But he that hateth handshakes is secure.
- A gracious woman obtaineth honor;
But powerful men obtain riches.
- The merciful man doeth good to his own soul;
But he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh.
- The wicked earneth deceitful wages;
But he that soweth righteousness hath a sure reward.
- He that keepeth properly to righteousness soweth unto life;
And he that pursueth evil doeth it to his own death.
- They that are perverse in heart are an abomination to Yahwéh;
But such as are perfect in their way are his delight.
- The evil man shall not get impunity through conjoint operations;
But the seed of the righteous shall deliver him.
- As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout,
So is a beautiful woman that is averse to reason.
- The desire of the righteous is only good;
But the expectation of the wicked meeteth wrath.
- There is he that scattereth, yet increaseth more;
But he that refraineth from what is right, refraineth only to his neediness.
- The liberal soul shall be made fat;
And he that shareth abundantly shall abound more profusely.
- He that withholdeth grain, the people shall curse him;
But blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it.
- He that diligently seeketh good for others getteth benevolence;
But he that searcheth after evil, it shall come unto him.
- He that trusteth in his riches shall fall;
But the righteous shall flourish as the green leaf.
- He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind;
And the foolish shall be servant to the wise of heart.
- The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life,
While the wise man imbues souls with learning.
- Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed on this earth;
How much more the wicked and the sinner!
|
§ 12 ⇪
Opponuntur inter se cogitata, verba et praxis diversa piorum et improborum. |
| XII |
- Qui amat eruditionem, amat scientiam ;
qui vero odit correptionem, brutus est.
- Bonum provehit benevolentia a Jahwéha :
at virum sceleratum condemnat :
- Non stabilitur homo improbitate,
radix autem justorum non dimovetur.
- Uxor strenua corona est mariti sui ;
sed tanquam putredo in ossibus ejus est ea quæ pudefacit.
- Cogitationes justorum sunt justæ;
astuta consilia improborum dolosa.
- Verba improborum insidiantur sanguini ;
os autem rectorum eripit illos.
- Evertunt se improbi ita ut non sint ;
familia autem justorum stabit.
- Pro ratione intellectus sui laudabitur vir :
sed perversus animo erit contemptui.
- Melior est qui agnoscit se vilem, et servum habet,
eo qui se extollit honore et deficitur cibo.
- Curat justus vitam jumenti sui :
miserationes autem improborum sunt miserationes crudelis.
- Qui colit tellurem suam, satiatur cibo ;
qui vero sectatur vana, est demens.
- Desiderat improbus prædam malorum,
sed radix justorum dat fructum.
- In defectione labiorum est tendicula mali,
at egreditur ab angustia justus.
- E fructu oris sui vir satiatur bonus,
etiam retributionem operum suorum homo recipit sibi.
- Via stulti recta videtur in oculis ipsius :
at qui auscultat consilio, sapiens est.
- Stulti ipsius indignatio eodem die agnoscitur,
tegit vero ignominiam astutus.
- Efflat veritatem qui indicat quod justum est,
testis autem falsissimus efficit dolum.
- Est qui pronuntiat similia transfodienti gladio ;
at lingua sapientum, medicinæ.
- Labium verax stabilitur in æternum ;
donec momentum transigam, lingua falsa.
- Dolus recidit in cor fabricantium malum ;
in consiliarios autem pacis lætitia.
- Non abjicietur justus in ullam molestiam,
improbi autem pleni erunt malo.
- Abominationi sunt Jahwéhæ labia fallacia ;
qui autem agunt fideliter, accepti sunt ei.
- Homo callidus tegit scientiam,
animus autem stolidorum proclamat stultitiam.
- Manus sedulorum dominabitur,
dolosa autem erit tributaria.
- Sollicita anxietas in anima viri deprimit illam,
res autem bona lætificat illam.
- Excellentior est proximo suo justus,
at via improborum seducit eos.
- Non assabit dolosus quod venando ceperit,
substantia autem hominis pretiosa sedulus fruitur.
- In itinere justitiæ est vita,
et via semitæ ejus immortalis est.
|
- Whoso loveth correction loveth knowledge;
But he that hateth reproof is brutish.
- A good man shall obtain favor of Yahwéh;
But a man of wicked devices will he condemn.
- A man shall not be established by wickedness;
But the root of the righteous shall not be moved.
- A worthy woman is the crown of her husband;
But she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.
- The thoughts of the righteous are just;
But the counsels of the wicked are deceit.
- The words of the wicked are of lying in wait for blood;
But the mouth of the upright shall deliver them.
- The wicked are overthrown, so that they do not exist;
But the house of the righteous shall stand.
- A man shall be commended according to his wisdom;
But he that is of a perverse heart shall be despised.
- Better is he that is lightly esteemed, and hath a servant,
Than he that honoreth himself, and lacketh bread.
- A righteous man hath regard for the life of his beast;
But the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.
- He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread;
But he that pursues vanities is void of understanding.
- The wicked desireth the prey of evil men;
But the root of the righteous yieldeth fruit.
- In the transgression of the lips is a snare to the evil man;
But the righteous man shall come out of trouble.
- A good man shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth;
He shall also receive unto himself the repayment of his own works.
- The way of a dullard is right in his own eyes;
But he that is wise hearkeneth unto counsel.
- A dullard’s vexation is known on the same day;
But a prudent man concealeth shame.
- He that showeth what is righteous uttereth truth;
But a false witness, deceit.
- There is one that uttereth things similar to a piercing sword;
But the tongue of the wise is health.
- The lip of truth shall be established for ever;
A lying tongue, until I pass through a moment.
- Deceit falls back onto the heart of them that devise evil;
But to the counsellors of peace is joy.
- The righteous man will not be thrown off into trouble;
But the wicked shall be filled with evil.
- Lying lips are an abomination to Yahwéh;
But they that deal truly are his delight.
- A prudent man concealeth knowledge;
But the heart of fools proclaimeth foolishness.
- The hand of the diligent shall rule;
But the deceitful hand shall be subservient.
- Heaviness in the heart of a man maketh it stoop;
But a good word maketh it glad.
- The righteous man is superior to his neighbor;
But the way of the wicked causeth them to err.
- The deceitful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting;
But the industrious man enjoyeth the precious substance of men.
- In the way of righteousness is life;
And in the pathway thereof there is no death.
|
§ 13 ⇪
Varii generis aurea dicta |
| XIII |
- Filius sapiens auscultat eruditioni patris;
at derisor ne ulli quidem auscultat increpatoni.
- Fructu oris sui quisque fruitur bonus,
anima vero perfidiosiorum fructu violentiæ.
- Qui custodit os suum, conservat se ipsum;
qui divaricat labia sua, contritio evenit ei.
- Desiderio permovetur anima ipsius pigri, sed nihil aderit :
anima vero sedulorum efficietur pinguis.
- Rem falsam odit justus,
improbum vero illa reddit fœtidum atque pudefacit.
- Justitia custodit integrum via,
improbitas vero pervertit peccatorem.
- Est qui divitem se jactat, quum desint omnia ;
item qui pauperem se fingit, cui substantia est ampla.
- Redemptura vitæ viri divitiæ suæ :
at pauper non audit increpationem.
- Lux justorum clara erit ;
at lucerna improborum exstinguetur.
- Mera superbia vir edit jurgium,
at penes consultos est sapientia.
- Substantia ex vanitate, diminuetur :
qui autem congregat manu, augebit eam.
- Spes protracta ægrum efficit animum :
arbor autem est vitæ, desiderium adveniens.
- Contemptor verbi, corrumpetur ille :
qui autem reveretur præceptum, ipse donetur pace.
- Doctrina sapientis est scaturigo vitæ,
ad recedendum a tendiculis mortis.
- Successum bonum dat gratia,
via autem perfidiosorum est aspera.
- Omnis astutus agit scientia,
stolidus autem pandit stultitiam.
- Nuntius improbus incidit in malum,
legatus autem optimæ fidei, medicinam facit.
- Paupertas et ignominia erit abstrahenti se ab eruditione :
qui autem servat correptionem honorabitur.
- Desiderium effectum suave erit animæ hujus ;
at abominationi est stolidis recedere a malo.
- Qui ambulat cum sapientibus, sapientior fiet :
qui vero se consociat stolidis, efficietur pejor.
- Peccatores insectatur malum,
justos autem compensat bonum.
- Bonus possessionem tradit nepotibus,
suntque reconditæ justo opes peccatoris.
- Multus est cibus novellantibus pauperibus :
sed est qui consumit se inertia.
- Qui cohibet virgam suam, odit filium suum :
qui autem amat eum, tempestive procurat eruditionem ei.
- Justus comedit ad satietatem animæ suæ ;
venter autem improborum eget.
|
- A wise son heareth his father’s instruction;
But a scoffer heareth not any rebuke whatsoever.
- A man shall eat good by the fruit of his mouth;
But the soul of the treacherous shall eat violence.
- He that guardeth his mouth keepeth his life;
But he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.
- The soul of the sluggard desireth, yet hath nothing;
But the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.
- A righteous man hateth lying;
But it maketh a wicked man loathsome and shameful.
- Righteousness guardeth him whose path is perfect;
But wickedness subverteth the sinner.
- One pretendeth to be rich, yet hath nothing;
Another pretendeth to be poor, yet hath great wealth.
- The ransom of a man’s life is his riches;
But the poor man heedeth not rebuke.
- The light of the righteous shall glow brightly;
But the lamp of the wicked shall be extinguished.
- By pure arrogance a man causeth contention;
But with the well-advised is wisdom.
- Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished;
But he that gathereth by hand shall increase it.
- Hope deferred maketh the heart sick;
But when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life.
- Whoso despiseth the word, he will be destroyed;
But he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded with peace.
- The law of the wise is a fountain of life,
For avoiding the snares of death.
- Grace yieldeth good success;
But the way of the faithless is hard.
- Every prudent man worketh with knowledge;
But a fool flaunteth his folly.
- A wicked messenger falleth into evil;
But an emissary of good faith yieldeth a means of healing.
- Poverty and shame shall be to him that withdraweth himself from instruction;
But he that heedeth reproof shall be honored.
- The desire accomplished is sweet to the latter’s soul;
But it is an abomination to fools to depart from evil.
- He who walketh with wise men shall become wiser;
But he who associateth himself with fools shall be made worse.
- Evil pursueth sinners;
But good shall recompense the righteous.
- A good man bequeatheth an inheritance to his grandchildren;
And the wealth of the sinner is secreted for the righteous man.
- Much food goeth to the poor who plant nurseries;
But there is the man that destroyeth himself by sloth.
- He that spareth his rod hateth his son;
But he that loveth him administereth discipline to him betimes.
- The righteous man eateth to the satisfaction of his soul;
But the belly of the wicked shall want.
|
§ 14 ⇪
Sapientiæ et stultitiæ variæ condiciones, &c. |
| XIV |
- Sapientum feminarum quæque ædificat domum suam ;
stulta autem manibus suis destruit eam.
- Qui ambulat recte, reveretur Jahwéham :
præfractus vero viis suis, spernit eum.
- Ori stulti inest baculus superbiæ ;
labiis vero sapientum conservatio ipsorum.
- Quum desunt boves, præsæpe mundum est.
amplitudo autem proventuum, est viribus bovis.
- Testis optimæ fidei non mentitur ;
efflat autem mendacia testis falsus.
- Quærenti derisori sapientiam, ea non exstat ;
scientia autem prudenti facilis est.
- Abi a conspectu viri stolidi,
et quem nosti non esse præditum verbis scientiæ.
- Sapientia astuti, est advertere ad viam suam ;
stultitia autem stolidorum ad dolum.
- Stultos conciliat reatus ;
inter rectos autem, quod acceptum est consiliationem facit.
- Animus agnoscit suam ipsius amaritudinem ;
et in lætitia ipsius non intermiscet se extraneum quicquam.
- Domus improborum perdetur :
tentorium autem rectorum florebit.
- Est via quæ recta videtur in conspectu virorum,
cujus finis est via multiplex ad mortem.
- Etiam e risu dolet animus :
et tandem lætitia fit mæror.
- Viis suis satiabitur vir averso animo,
absistit autem a consortio ejus vir bonus.
- Fatuus credit omnibus rebus,
astutus autem advertit ad gressum suum.
- Sapiens timet ac recedit a malo ;
stolidus vero infert se, adeo prævidens est.
- Præceps ira efficit stultitiam,
sed viro circumspectissimo est odio.
- Possident fatui stultitiam,
astuti autem coronamentum texunt scientiæ.
- Incurvant se mali coram bonis,
et improbi ad portas justi.
- Etiam proximo ipsius odio est pauper,
amici autem divitis multi sunt.
- Qui contemnit proximum suum futurus est peccator :
qui autem gratiam facit pauperibus, ô beatum illum.
- Nonne errant qui fabricant malum ?
benignitas vero et fides est fabricantium bonum.
- In omni labore est emolumentum ;
at in verbo labiorum tantum egestas est.
- Corona sapientum sunt divitiæ ipsorum,
stultitia stolidorum stultitia manet.
- Liberat animas testis verax,
conflat autem mendacia dolosus.
- In reverentia Jahwéhæ est fiducia valida
qui filiis suis esse solet receptui.
- Reverentia Jahwéhæ est scaturigo vitæ,
ad recedendum a tendiculis mortis.
- In multitudines populi est decor regis ;
at defectu nationis contritio dominatoris advenit.
- Tardus ad iram abundat intellegentia :
præceps autem excitat stultitiam.
- Vita carnium est animus sanans ;
putredo vero ossium, invidentia.
- Qui opprimit tenuem, probro afficit opificem ejus :
hunc autem honorat, qui gratiam facit egenti.
- In malum suum impellit se improbus :
recipit se etiam in morte sua justus.
- In animo prudentis requiescit sapientia :
quod autem est in stolidis, se cognoscendum exhibet.
- Justitia exaltat gentem,
probro autem est nationibus peccatum.
- Benevolentia regis erga servum intellegentem ;
furor autem ejus erit contra pudefacientem.
|
- Every wise woman buildeth her house;
But the foolish pulleth it down with her own hands.
- He that walketh in his uprightness feareth Yahwéh;
But he that is perverse in his ways despiseth him.
- In the mouth of the foolish is a rod for his pride;
But the lips of the wise shall preserve them.
- Where no oxen are, the crib is clean;
But much increase is by the strength of the ox.
- A faithful witness will not lie;
But a false witness spouteth lies.
- For the scoffer seeking wisdom, it is not to be found;
But knowledge is easy unto him that hath understanding.
- Leave from the sight of a foolish man,
And whom thou knowest is not equipped with words of wisdom.
- The wisdom of the prudent is to understand one’s way;
But the folly of fools leads to deceit.
- Admission of guilt mediateth between fools;
But among the upright good will createth deliberation.
- The heart knoweth its own bitterness;
And nothing alien intermeddleth with its joy.
- The house of the wicked shall be overthrown;
But the tent of the upright shall flourish.
- There is a way which seemeth right unto a man;
But the end thereof are manifold ways of death.
- Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful;
And in the end mirth becometh sorrow.
- The backslider in heart shall be filled with his own ways;
But the good man stayeth away from his company.
- The simple believeth every word;
But the prudent man watcheth where he is going.
- A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil;
But the fool rusheth in, he is so confident.
- Rash anger createth stupidity;
But it is hated by the very cautious man.
- The simple inherit stupidity;
But skills are the coronation of the prudent man.
- The evil bow down before the good;
And the wicked, at the gates of the righteous.
- The poor is hated even by his own neighbor;
But the rich hath many friends.
- He that despiseth his neighbor sinneth;
But he that hath pity on the poor, happy is he.
- Do they not err that devise evil?
But mercy and truth shall be to them that devise good.
- In all labor there is profit;
But the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.
- The crown of the wise is their riches;
The folly of fools remaineth only folly.
- A true witness delivereth souls;
But the deceitful man uttereth lies.
- In the fear of Yahwéh is strong confidence;
Who is accustomed to being a refuge to his children.
- The fear of Yahwéh is a fountain of life,
That one may depart from the snares of death.
- In the multitude of people is the king’s glory;
But in the want of population is the destruction of the prince.
- He that is slow to anger is of great understanding;
But he that is hasty of spirit produceth folly.
- A healing mind is the life of the flesh;
But envy is the rottenness of the bones.
- He that oppresseth the poor reproacheth his Maker;
But he that is gracious to the needy honoreth Him.
- The wicked man thrusteth himself into his own evil;
But the righteous man hath a refuge even in his own death.
- Wisdom resteth in the heart of him that hath understanding;
But that which is in fools displays itself to be made known.
- Righteousness exalteth a nation;
But sin is a reproach to any people.
- The king’s favor is toward a prudent servant;
But his wrath will be against him that causeth shame.
|
§ 15 ⇪
Lingua sapientis, bonum correctionis,
αὐταρκείας, mansuetudinis, consilii et humilitatis. |
| XV |
- Responsio mollis avertit excandescendtiam :
verbum autem molestum excitat iram.
- Lingua sapientum bonam profert scientiam :
os autem stolidorum eructat stultitiam.
- In omni loco oculi Jahwéhæ sunt,
speculantes malos et bonos.
- Curatio linquæ, arboris vitæ est ;
perversitas autem ex ea, velut confractio a vento.
- Stultus spernit eruditionem patris sui ;
qui autem observat correctionem, valde astutus est.
- In domo justi robur est magnum :
at proventus improbi, conturbatur ex sese.
- Labia sapientum spargunt scientiam :
animus autem stolidorum, quod abest a recto.
- Sacrificium improborum, abominationi est Jahwéhæ :
oratio autem rectorum, accepta est ei.
- Abominationi est Jahwéhæ via improbi ;
eum autem qui sectatur justitiam, diligit.
- Eruditio videtur mala derelinquenti iter ;
qui odit correptionem, morietur.
- Infernus et perditio coram Jahwéha sunt,
quanto magis animi hominum ?
- Non diligit derisor corripientem se,
sapientes non adit.
- Animus lætus bene afficit vultum :
et dolore animi spiritus frangitur.
- Animus prudentis quærit scientiam :
os autem stolidorum pascitur stultitia.
- Omnes dies pauperis mali sunt ;
læti autem animo, sunt convivium juge.
- Melius est parum cum reverentia Jahwéhæ,
quam thesaurus amplus ubi est vexatio.
- Melius est cibarium oleris ubi est dilectio,
quam bovis saginati ubi est odium.
- Vir iracundus miscet contentionem,
longanimis autem sedat litem.
- Via pigri est velut sæpimentum spinosum ;
iter autem rectorum aggestum est.
- Filius sapiens lætificat patrem,
stolidus autem homo spernit matrem suam.
- Stultitia, lætitiæ est dementi ;
at vir intellegens recte ambulaturus est.
- Irritæ fiunt cogitationes, quum deest consilium :
at in amplitudines consiliariorum assurgit cogitatio.
- Lætitia huic viro est e sermone oris sui :
nam res tempore suo, ô quam bona est !
- Iter vitæ sursum est intellegenti,
ut recedat a sepulcro deorsum.
- Domum superborum evellit Jahwéha,
consituit autem terminum viduæ.
- Abominationi sunt Jahwéhæ cogitationes mali ;
mundorum autem sermones sunt sermones amœni.
- Conturbat domum suam, qui deditus est quæstui ;
qui vero odit dona, victurus est.
- Animus justi meditatur ad loquendum :
os autem improborum eructat mala.
- Procul abest Jahwéha ab improbis,
orationem autem justorum exaudit.
- Ut lumen oculorum lætificat animum,
Ita auditio bona pinguefacit ossa.
- Auris auscultans correptioni vitæ,
inter sapientes commorabitur.
- Qui abstrahit se ab eruditione, spernit animam suam :
qui autem auscultat correptioni, possidet animum.
- Anteit reverentiam Jahwéhæ eruditio sapientiæ,
et ante honorem abjectio.
|
- A soft answer turneth away wrath;
But a grievous word stirreth up anger.
- The tongue of the wise uttereth knowledge aright;
But the mouth of fools poureth out folly.
- The eyes of Yahwéh are in every place,
Keeping watch upon the evil and the good.
- A tongue’s healing is a tree of life;
But perverseness therein is a breaking by a wind.
- A fool despiseth his father’s correction;
But he that regardeth reproof is highly intelligent.
- In the house of the righteous is great strength;
But the profit of the wicked goeth bankrupt due to itself.
- The lips of the wise disperse knowledge;
But the heart of the foolish, that which is off of the straight path.
- The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to Yahwéh;
But the prayer of the upright is his delight.
- The way of the wicked is an abomination to Yahwéh;
But he loveth him that followeth after righteousness.
- Instruction seemeth bad to him that forsaketh the way;
He that hateth reproof shall die.
- Sheol and Abaddon are before Yahwéh;
How much more then, the hearts of the children of men!
- A scoffer loveth not him who reproveth him;
He will not go unto the wise.
- A glad heart maketh a cheerful countenance;
But by sorrow of heart the spirit is broken.
- The heart of him that hath understanding seeketh knowledge;
But the mouth of fools feedeth on folly.
- All the days of the poor man are miserable;
But there is constancy of banquets for the spirit of a cheerful man.
- Better is little, with the fear of Yahwéh,
Than great treasure where there is trouble.
- Better is a dinner of herbs, where love is,
Than a fattened ox where there is hatred.
- A wrathful man stirreth up contention;
But he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.
- The way of the sluggard is as a hedge of thorns;
But the path of the upright is made a highway.
- A wise son maketh a glad father;
But a foolish man despiseth his mother.
- Folly is joy to a senseless man;
But a man of understanding will walk straight.
- Where there is no counsel, plans are in vain;
Rather, planning emerges in a multitude of counsellors.
- The joy for this man is from the speech of his mouth;
For, something said at the proper time — O how good it is!
- To the wise man the way of life goeth upward,
That he may depart from the grave beneath.
- Yahwéh will root up the house of the proud;
But he upholdeth the boundary of the widow.
- Evil thoughts are an abomination to Yahwéh;
But the words of the pure are pleasant words.
- He that is devoted to gain troubleth his own house;
But he that hateth bribes shall live.
- The heart of the righteous pondereth how to speak;
But the mouth of the wicked blurteth out evil things.
- Yahwéh is far from the wicked;
But he heareth the prayer of the righteous.
- The light of the eyes rejoiceth the heart;
And good tidings make the bones fat.
- The ear that hearkeneth to the discipline of life
Shall abide among the wise.
- He that withdraweth himself from correction despiseth his own soul;
But he that hearkeneth to reproof getteth understanding.
- Instruction in wisdom goeth before fear of Yahwéh;
And before honor goeth humility.
|
§ 16 ⇪
Occulta providentiæ et benignitatis Dei
opera : item sapientiæ, canitiei et longanimitatis commendatio. |
| XVI |
- Penes hominem sunt acies cogitationum animi,
sed a Jahwéha est sermo linguæ.
- Ut omnibus viis suis vir purus videatur in oculis suis ;
tamen perpendit spiritus Jahwéha.
- Devolve in Jahwéham facta tua ;
et comparabuntur cogitationes tuæ.
- Omnes operatus est Jahwéha propter se,
etiamque improbum ad diem mali.
- Abominationi est Jahwéhæ omnis altus animo ;
conjunctis operis non consequitur impunitatem.
- Benignitate et veritate expiatur iniquitas :
et reverentia Jahwéhæ, receditur a malo.
- Quum benevolentia prosequitur Jahwéha vias alicujus,
etiam inimicos ejus pacatos reddit ei.
- Melius est parum cum justitia,
quam amplissimus proventus cum injuria.
- Animus hominis excogitat viam suam ;
sed Jahwéha statuit gressum ejus.
- Sagacitas insideat labiis regis,
in judicio ne prævaricetur os ejus,
- Scapus et lances judicii Jahwéhæ sunt,
opus ejus sunt omnia pondera loculi.
- Abominationi sit regibus committere improbitatem :
nam justitia stabilitur solium.
- Accepta sunto regibus labia justa ;
et loquentem recta, rex diligito.
- Nuntii excandescentiæ regis sunt nuntii mortis ;
sed vir sapiens expiabit eam.
- In lucida facie regis vita est,
ejusque benevolentia est velut densa nubes pluviæ serotinæ.
- Comparare sapientiam, ô quam melius est auro effosso ;
et comparare prudentiam, optatius argento !
- Agger rectorum est recedere a malo ;
conservat seipsum, qui custodit viam suam.
- Ante confractionem superbia,
et ante lapsum alti sunt spiritus.
- Melius est summissum esse spiritu cum mansuetis,
quam partiri spolium cum superbis.
- Qui attendit ad verbum, consequitur bonum ;
et qui confidit Jahwéhæ, ô beatum illum !
- Sapiens animo vocandus est prudens,
suavitas autem labiorum addit disciplinam.
- Scaturigo vitæ est intellegentia possidentis ipsam ;
at eruditio stultorum scaturigo stultitiæ.
- Animus sapientis intellegenter moderatur os suum,
et per labia sua addit disciplinam.
- Ut favus mellis sunt sermones amœni ;
res dulcis animæ, et sanans ossa.
- Est via quæ videtur recta in conspectu hominis,
cujus finis est via multiplex ad mortem.
- Ipse molestus molestiam affert sibi :
nam reflectitur in ipsum os ejus.
- Vir nequam effodit malum ;
ejusque labiis insidet velut ignis adurens.
- Vir perversitatibus deditus immittit contentionem,
et susurro disjungit ducem.
- Vir violentus pellicit proximum suum,
ut deducat eum via iniqua.
- Connivens oculis suis connivet dum cogitat res perversas,
concīdens sermones suos perficit malum.
- Corona ornatissima est canities,
quæ in via justitiæ invenitur.
- Melior est longanimis robusto ;
et qui dominatur in animumu suum, eo qui capit civitatem.
- In gremium conjicitur sors :
a Jahwéhæ autem est tota ratio ejus.
|
- The acuteness of the thoughts of the mind belongs to man;
But the speech of the tongue is from Yahwéh.
- Though all the ways of a man may be clean in his own eyes,
Nonetheless Yahwéh weigheth the spirits.
- Commit thy works unto Yahwéh,
And thy thoughts shall be set aright.
- Yahwéh hath wrought everything for its own end;
Yea, even the wicked man for the day of evil.
- Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to Yahwéh;
He doth not attain impunity with shared efforts.
- By mercy and truth iniquity is atoned for;
And by the fear of Yahwéh men depart from evil.
- When Yahwéh followeth someone’s ways with kindness,
He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.
- Better is a little, with righteousness,
Than great revenues with injustice.
- A man’s heart deviseth his way;
But Yahwéh determineth his steps.
- Sagacity is in the lips of the king;
His mouth shall not transgress in judgment.
- The balance and scales of judgment are Yahwéh’s;
All the weights of the pouch are his work.
- It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness;
For the throne is established by righteousness.
- Righteous lips shall be the delight of kings;
And the king shall love him that speaketh right.
- The messengers of a king’s wrath are messengers of death;
But a wise man will pacify it.
- In the beaming countenance of a king is life;
And his favor is like a thick cloud of late rain.
- How much better is it to get wisdom than gold!
And to get understanding is rather to be chosen than silver.
- The highway of the upright is to depart from evil:
He that keepeth his way preserveth his soul.
- Pride goeth before destruction,
And haughty spirits before a fall.
- Better it is to be of a lowly spirit with the poor,
Than to divide the spoil with the proud.
- He that giveth heed unto the word shall find good;
And whoso trusteth in Yahwéh, happy is he.
- The wise in heart is prudent;
And the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning.
- Intelligence is a wellspring of life for the one possessing it;
But the training of fools is a wellspring of folly.
- The heart of the wise controlleth his mouth intelligently,
And addeth learning through his lips.
- Pleasant words are like a sweet honeycomb,
Something sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.
- There is a way which seemeth right in the view of a man,
Of which the end is a manifold pathway to death.
- The troublesome man himself inflicteth troublesomeness on himself;
For his mouth turneth back on himself.
- A worthless man diggeth up mischief;
And it resteth upon his lips as a scorching fire.
- A man dedicated to perversities introduceth strife;
And a whisperer estrangeth a ruler.
- A man of violence enticeth his neighbor,
And leadeth him in a wrong way.
- He that shutteth his eyes, shutteth them to devise perverse things:
He that choppeth up his words bringeth evil to pass.
- The hoary head is a crown of glory,
That is found in the way of righteousness.
- He that is long-suffering is better than the mighty;
And he that ruleth his spirit, than he that taketh a city.
- The lot is cast into the lap;
But the whole equation thereof is from Yahwéh,
|
§ 17 ⇪
Αὐτάρκεια cordis probator, corona senum, continentia linguæ, &c. |
| XVII |
- Melior est buccea cibi sicci, quicum est tranquillitas ;
quam domus plena mactatis animalibus, in qua sit contentio.
- Servus intellegens dominatur in filium pudefacientem,
et inter fratres partitur possessionem.
- Fusorium vas argento adhibetur, et catinus auro :
qui autem probat corda, est Jawéha.
- Maleficus attendit ad sermonem molestum,
fallax autem advertit ad linguam ærumnosam.
- Qui subsannat pauperem probro afficit opificem ejus ;
qui delectatur calamitate, non impunis erit.
- Corona senum sunt nepotes,
et ornamentum filiorum sunt patres ipsorum.
- Ingratus est stulto sermo excellentiæ,
multo magis ingenuo sermo vanus.
- Velut gemma gratissima, est munus in oculis dediti ei ;
quocunque spectet, prosperatur.
- Qui tegit defectionem, quærit dilectionem ;
qui vero renovat rem, disjungit ducem.
- Urit increpatio prudentem,
magis quam si percutias stolidum centies.
- Tantum rebellionem quærit malus :
tandem nuntius crudelis mittetur in eum.
- Occurrat ursa orba in virum,
ac non stolidus in stultitia sua.
- Qui reddit malum pro bono,
non amovetur malum a domo illius.
- Laxat aquas, qui est caput contentionis ;
quare antequam sese immisceat, litem ipsam desere.
- Qui absolvit improbum, et qui condemnat justum ;
abominationi Jawéhæ sunt æque ambo.
- Ecqua re pretium est in manu stolidi ?
ad possidenteum sapientiam ? at deest animus illi.
- Omni tempore diligit, qui amicus est ;
et frater in angustia enascitur.
- Homo demens complodit manum,
spondens sponsionem ante amicum suum.
- Diligit defectionem, qui diligit jurgium :
ampliat januam illius, qui quærit fracturam.
- Perversus animo non consequetur bonum,
et versutus lingua sua incidet in malum.
- Qui gignit stolidum, gignit ad mærorem sibi ;
neque lætaturus est pater stulti.
- Animus lætus bene medicinam facit,
spiritus autem fractus exsiccat ossa.
- Munus e sinu improbus accipit,
ad pervertendum itinera juris.
- Adest faciei prudentis sapientia,
oculi autem stolidi vagantur ad extremitatem terræ.
- Indignationi est patri suo filius stolidus,
et amaritudini genetrici suæ.
- Mulctare etiam justum, non est bonum ;
percutere ingenuos præter rectum.
- Cohibet sermones suos vir scitus,
et frigidus est spiritu, vir intellegens.
- Etiam stultus quiete consistens, sapiens reputatur ;
obturans labia sua, prudens.
|
- Better is a morsel of dry food for one where there is tranquillity,
Than a house full of sacrificed animals in which there is strife.
- An intelligent servant ruleth over a son that causeth shame,
And shareth the inheritance among the brethren.
- The refining pot is for silver, and the bowl for gold,
But the one who trieth hearts is Yahwéh.
- An evil-doer giveth heed to wicked speech;
While a liar payeth attention to a trouble-making tongue.
- Whoso sneereth at the poor man with reproach affronteth his Maker;
He that is glad at calamity shall not be unpunished.
- Grandchildren are the crown of old men;
And the distinction of children is their fathers.
- Words of excellence are unwelcome in a dimwit;
Much less so is vain speech in a nobleman.
- A bribe is as a most desirable gem in the eyes of him devoted to it;
Whithersoever it may face, it prospereth.
- He that covereth an offense seeketh friendship;
But he that keepeth renewing the matter alienateth the principal person.
- A rebuke burneth an intelligent man
More than if you strike a dullard a hundred times.
- An evil man seeketh only rebellion;
In the end a cruel messenger shall be sent against him.
- Let a man encounter a she-bear robbed of her whelps —
But not a stupid man in his stupidity !
- Whoso rewardeth evil for good,
Evil shall not depart from his house.
- He who releaseth the waters is the start of an argument:
Therefore leave off contention, before the fighting beginneth.
- He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the righteous,
Both of them alike are equally an abomination to Yahwéh.
- To what purpose is money in the hand of a dullard?
To possess wisdom? But he lacketh the intelligence!
- A friend loveth at all times;
And a brother is born for adversity.
- An unthinking man giveth his handshake,
Co-signing a pledge in the presence of his friend.
- He loveth transgression that loveth strife:
He that seeketh broken bones enlargeth his doorway.
- He of the wayward heart will find no good;
And he of the cunning tongue will fall into evil.
- He that begetteth a dullard doeth it to his sorrow;
And the father of a dullard hath no joy.
- A cheerful heart is a good medicine;
But a broken spirit drieth up the bones.
- A wicked man receiveth a bribe out of the bosom,
To pervert the ways of justice.
- Wisdom is before the face of the intelligent man;
But the eyes of the dullard wander to the ends of the earth.
- A stupid son is a vexation to his father,
And bitterness to her that bare him.
- Also to fine the righteous is not good;
To smite the noble is beyond righteousness.
- The knowledgeable man restraineth his words,
And is cool of spirit, an intelligent man.
- Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise —
Shutting his lips, as prudent.
|
§ 18 ⇪
Amor proprii sensus, verba sapientis et stolidi,
Jahwéha turris, animus elatus et contra, &c. |
| XVIII |
- Pro desiderio quærit cerebrosus,
omnibus quæ sunt immiscet se.
- Non delectatur stolidus intellegentia,
sed eis quæ exsistunt in animo ipsius.
- Adveniente improbo advenit etiam contemptus,
et cum ignominioso probrum.
- Velut aquæ profundæ sunt verba ore viri præstantis enuntiata ;
torrens eructans, est scaturigo præditi sapientia.
- Accipere personam improbi non est bonum,
pervertere justum in judicio.
- Sermones stolidi ineunt contentionem,
et os ejus contusiones advocat.
- Os stolidi contritioni est ei,
et labia ejus tendicula vitæ ejus.
- Verba susurronis similia sunt verbis eorum qui sæpenumero contusi sunt :
attamen ea descendunt in penetralia ventris :
- Etiam se gerens remisse in opere suo,
frater est disperdenti.
- Turris robusta est nomen Jahwéhæ,
quo accurrens justus, in edito collocatur.
- Substantia divitis est tanquam urbs munita ejus,
et tanquam murus editus in cogitatione ipsius.
- Ante confractionem attollit se animus viri :
anteit vero honorem abjectio.
- Respondenti aliquid, quum nondum audierit,
id stultum est ei et ignominiosum.
- Spiritus viri sustentat ægritudinem ipsius,
spiritum autem fractum quis attollat ?
- Animus prudentis possidet scientiam,
et auris sapientum quærit scientiam.
- Donum hominis in lato collocat eum,
et ante faciem magnatum adducit eum.
- Justus videtur qui primus est in lite sua,
donec adveniente proximo ejus, pervestiget illum judex.
- Contentiones summovet sors,
et inter robustos dirimit.
- Frater defectione provocatus firmior est urbe munita,
et contentiones horum sunt ut vectes arcis.
- Fructu oris cujusque satiatur venter ejus,
proventu labiorum suorum quisque satiatur.
- Mors et vita sunt in potestate linguæ :
prout quisque amat uti ea, comedet fructum ejus.
- Consequitur bonum, qui consequitur uxorem,
ut provehit benevolentia a Jahwéha.
- Supplicationes eloquitur pauper,
dives autem loquitur aspere.
- Viro cui sunt amici, colenda est amicitia :
Est enim amicus conjunctior fratre.
|
- The hotheaded man seeketh his own desire.
He injects himself into everything that is.
- A fool hath no delight in understanding,
Except in those things that arise in his mind.
- When the wicked cometh, there cometh also contempt,
And with a man of disgrace cometh reproach.
- The spoken words of an eminent man are as deep waters;
A gushing torrent, is the wellspring of a man endowed with wisdom.
- To respect the person of the wicked is not good,
Nor to subvert the righteous in judgment.
- A fool’s lips enter into contention,
And his mouth calleth for bruisings.
- A fool’s mouth is his downfall,
And his lips are the snare of his life.
- The words of a whisperer are like the words of those who have often been beaten,
Nonetheless they go down into the innermost parts of the stomach.
- He also that is slack in his work
Is brother to him that is a destroyer.
- The name of Yahwéh is a strong tower;
Running to it, the righteous man is placed aloft.
- The rich man’s wealth is like his fortified city,
And as a high wall in his own thinking.
- Before destruction the heart of man is haughty;
And before honor goeth humilty.
- To one that giveth answer when he hath not yet heard,
It is folly and disgrace unto him.
- The spirit of a man sustaineth his infirmity;
But a broken spirit who can bear?
- The heart of the prudent possesseth knowledge;
And the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.
- A man’s gift placeth him in a wide area,
And bringeth him before the face of great men.
- He that pleadeth his cause first seemeth just;
Until when his neighbor cometh the judge examineth him.
- The lottery endeth disputes,
And decideth between the powerful.
- A brother provoked by desertion is more rigid than a fortified city;
And their antagonisms are like the bars of a castle.
- A man’s belly is filled with the fruit of his mouth;
With the increase of his lips everyone is satiated.
- Death and life are in the power of the tongue;
According as each one loves to use it, he will eat its fruit.
- Whoso findeth a wife findeth a good thing,
As the favor from Yahwéh enhanceth him.
- The poor man uttereth supplications;
But the rich man speaketh harshly.
- A man that hath friends should cultivate friendship;
For a friend is closer than a brother.
|
§ 19 ⇪
Integritatis laus, inconsideratæ vitæ reprehensio,
divitiarum, paupertatis, falsitatis, elationisque accidentia, &c. |
| XIX |
- Melior est pauper ambulans integre,
divite perverso labiis suis qui quidem est stolidus.
- Æque cujus non dignoscit animus quod non est bonum,
at præceps pedibus peccat.
- Stultitia hominis pervertit viam ipsius,
et adversus Jahwéham indignatur animus ejus.
- Substantia addit amicos multos,
tenuis autem ab amico suo disjungitur.
- Testis falsitatum non impunis erit,
et conflator mendaciorum non proripiet se.
- Multi precantur faciem ingenui,
et quisque amicus adhæret viro munifico.
- Omnes fratres pauperis odio habent eum,
quanto magis socii ejus procul absunt ab eo :
persequente verbis, non sunt ii.
- Possidet animum, qui diligit seipsum ;
qui observat intellegentiam est consecuturus bonum.
- Testis falsitatum non erit impunis,
et conflator mendaciorum peribit.
- Non decet stolidum oblectatio,
multo minus servum dominari in principes.
- Intellectus hominis longanimem efficit eum ;
et ornamento est ei, præterire defectionem.
- Ut rugitus leonis juvenis, est indignatio regis,
ut ros autem super herbam, benevolentia ejus.
- Ærumnarum causa est patri suo filius stolidus,
et stilla continua jurgia mulieris.
- Domus et substantia possessio est patria,
a Jahwéha autem est uxor intellegens.
- Dedita pigritiæ, quæ injicit altum soporem,
et dolosa anima esuriet.
- Qui observat præceptum, servat seipsum,
qui spernit vias suas, supplicio affectus morietur.
- Mutuat Jahwéhæ, qui gratiose largitur tenui,
et beneficium ipsius rependet ipsi.
- Castiga filium tuum, dum est spes ;
et ad perniciem ejus ne condonato animus tuus :
- Magnus esto excandescentia, condonans mulctam :
dicens se, « Si eripias, deinde amplius mulctaturum. »
- Ausculta consilio, et accipe eruditionem ;
ut sapias tandem.
- Multæ cogitationes insunt animo cujusque,
sed consilium Jahwéhæ ipsum stabit.
- Quod summe desideret homo, est benignitas ipsius :
at melior est pauper viro mendace.
- Reverentia Jahwéhæ vitalis est :
nam satur præditus ea commoratur, nec visitatur malo.
- Abditam habet piger manum suam in sua manica,
etiam ad os non reducit eam.
- Si derisorem percutias, fatuus fiet astutus ;
et corripiendo prudentem, intelleget scientiam.
- Devastat patrem, fugat matrem ;
filius pudefaciens, et afficiens probris.
- Desine, fili mi, ut auscultes eruditioni,
aberrare a sermonibus scientiæ.
- Testis nequam deridet jus :
adeo os improborum absorbet iniquitas :
- Sed parata sunt in derisores istos judicia,
et contusiones tergo stolidorum.
|
- Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity
Than a rich man perverse in his lips who is indeed a dullard.
- Also, the man whose soul doth not recognize what is not good,
But with his feet sinneth rashly.
- The foolishness of man subverteth his way;
And his heart fretteth against Yahwéh.
- Wealth addeth many friends;
But the poor is separated from his friend.
- A witness of falsehoods shall not be unpunished;
And the forger of lies shall not escape.
- Many will beseech the countenance of the nobleman;
And every friend clingeth to the gift-giving man.
- All the brethren of the poor do hate him:
How much more do his acquaintances go far from him!
He pursueth them with wordsl they are gone.
- He that loveth his own soul hath a mind:
He that keepeth understanding shall find good.
- A witness of falsehoods shall not be unpunished;
And the forger of lies shall perish.
- Luxury is not seemly for a dullard;
Much less for a slave to lord over princes.
- A intelligence in a man maketh him slow to anger;
And it is his glory to pass over a transgression.
- A king’s wrath is as the roaring of a young lion;
But his favor is as dew upon the grass.
- A stupid son is the source of troubles for his father;
And a wife’s nagging is a constant drip.
- House and riches are a paternal inheritance;
But a prudent wife is from Yahwéh.
- The soul addicted to sloth is one that casteth into a deep sleep
and, being deceitful, shall go hungry.
- He that keepeth the commandment saveth himself;
But he that disregards his ways, being put to death, shall die.
- He that graciously dispenseth to the poor lendeth unto Yahwéh,
And his good deed will he pay him again.
- Chasten thy son, while there is hope;
And do not let thy heart give him over to destruction.
- Be magnanimus with regards to wrathfulness, forgiving the punishment,
Saying to thyself, “If thou exoneratest, afterwards thou wilt punish all the more.”
- Hear counsel, and receive instruction,
That thou mayest be wise in thy later days.
- There are many thoughts in everyone’s heart;
But the counsel of Yahwéh, that shall stand.
- That which a man desireth above all is his kindness;
While a poor man is better than a liar.
- The fear of Yahwéh tendeth to life;
And the one endowed with it abideth satisfied; nor is he visited by evil.
- The sluggard hath his hand hidden in his sleeve,
And doth not so much as bring it to his mouth again.
- If thou smitest a scorner, the simpleton will become prudent;
And through reproving an intelligent man, he will understand knowledge.
- He that doeth violence to his father, and chaseth away his mother,
Is a son that causeth shame and bringeth reproach.
- Cease, my son — that thou mightest hear instruction —,
To err from the words of knowledge.
- A worthless witness mocketh at justice;
To the point that the mouth of the wicked swalloweth iniquity.
- But judgments are prepared for scoffers,
And bruisings for the back of dullards.
|
§ 20 ⇪
Vini effecta, regis terror, fuga litium, pigritæ malum, &c. |
| XX |
- Derisor est vinum, tumultuosus potus inebrians :
ideo quisquis oberrat in eo, non sapit.
- Ut rugitus leonis juvenis, est terror regis,
in quem furore percitus fuerit, peccaverit in vitam suam.
- Honorificum viro est supersedere a lite ;
quisquis autem stultus est, immiscebit se.
- Qui propter hiemem piger, non arat ;
mendicabit in æstate, quum nihil aderit.
- Ut aquæ profundæ, consilium est in animo viri ;
attamen vir intellegens haurit illud.
- Maxima pars hominum, prædicat quisque benignitatem suam :
virum autem usquequaque veracem quis inveniat ?
- Indesinenter ambulans in integritate sua justus, beatus est ;
beati filii ejus post eum.
- Rex insidens solio judiciali,
ventilat in oculis suis omne malum.
- Quis dicere possit, « purificavi animum meum ;
mundus sum a peccato meo »?
- Diversa pondera, diversæque mensuræ;
abominationi sunt Jahwéhæ æque utraque.
- Actionibus suis præbeat se cognoscendum etiam puer,
an purum et an rectum sit opus ejus.
- Aurem audientem et oculum videntem,
Jahwéha fecit æque utrumque.
- Ne diligito somnum, ut non efficiaris pauper ;
aperi oculos tuos, satiare cibo.
- « Pessimum est, » ait emptor ;
sed quum digressus fuerit, tum se ipsum laudat :
- Est aurum et copia carbunculorum pretiosa :
at instrumentum pretiosissimum est labiorum scientiæ.
- Cape vestem ejus, qui spopondit pro extraneo ;
et pro aliena spondentem, pignerare eum.
- Suavis est viro cibus falsitatis,
sed postea impletur os ejus scrupis.
- Cogitationibus in consilio confirmatur,
et prudentibus consiliis gere bellum.
- Revelanti arcanum, qui ambulat cum detractione ;
et ei qui seducitur labiis suis, ne admisceto te.
- Maledicentis patri suo aut matri suæ,
exstinguetur lucerna in nigris tenebris.
- Possessioni acceleratæ in principio,
etiam fini illius non benedicetur.
- Ne dicas, « Rependam malum, »
exspecta Jahwéham, et servabit te.
- Abominationi sunt Jahwéhæ diversa pondera ;
et lances dolosæ non sunt res bonaæ:
- A Jahwéha sunt gressus viri :
homo autem quid intellegit viæ illius ?
- Tendicula est homini deglutire sacrum,
et post vota requirere.
- Ventilat improbos rex sapiens,
postquam convertit in eos rotam.
- Velut lucerna Jahwéhæ est anima hominis,
qua pervestigat omnia penetralia ventris.
- Benignitas et fides custodiunt regem,
et sustentat benignitate solium suum.
- Ornamento juvenibus sunt vires ipsorum ;
et decori senibus canities.
- Tumices, vulneraque strigiles sunt pro malo,
et plagæ pervadentes penetralia ventris.
|
- Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler;
And whosever goeth astray thereby is not wise.
- A king’s grimness is as the growling of a lion:
The one against whom he hath been aroused by rage sinneth against his own life.
- It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife;
But every fool will involve himself in it.
- The sluggard doth not plow in provision for the winter;
He shall beg in harvest, when nothing is around.
- Counsel in the heart of man is like deep water;
But a man of understanding will draw it out.
- Most men will proclaim every one his own kindness;
But who can find a trustworthy man anywhere?
- A righteous man walking ceaselessly in his integrity is blessed,
Blessed are his children after him.
- A king that sitteth on the throne of judgment
Sifteth out all evil with his eyes.
- Who can say, “I have made my heart clean,
I am pure from my sin”?
- Varying weights, and varying measures,
Both of them alike are an abomination to Yahwéh.
- Even a child maketh himself known by his doings,
Whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.
- The hearing ear, and the seeing eye,
Yahwéh hath made equally both of them.
- Love not sleep, lest thou become a pauper;
Open thine eyes, that thou mayest be satisfied with food.
- “It is most awful,” saith the buyer;
But when he has left, then he praiseth himself.
- There is gold, and a costly abundance of rubies;
But the lips of knowledge are an extremely valuable tool.
- Take the garment of him that hath co-signed for a stranger;
And hold in pledge him that giveth collateral for an unfamiliar woman.
- Bread of falsehood is sweet to a man;
But afterwards his mouth shall be filled with sharp stones.
- By thinking in council, things are strengthened;
And with wise strategies make thou war.
- With the one who revealeth secrets, who goeth about with slander,
And with him who leadeth astray with his lips, have nothing to do.
- Whoso curseth his father or his mother,
His lamp shall be put out in black darkness.
- A possession quick in the beginning
Shall not also be blessed in the end.
- Say not thou, “I will recompense evil”:
Wait for Yahwéh, and he will save thee.
- Varying weights are an abomination to Yahwéh;
And a deceitful scales are not good.
- A man’s goings are of Yahwéh;
But as for man, how doth he understand anything of his way?
- It is a snare to a man to gulp, “Holy,”
And after his vows to inquire about it.
- A wise king winnoweth the wicked;
Afterward he turneth the threshing wheel over them.
- The soul of man is like the lamp of Yahwéh,
By which he searcheth all the innards of his stomach.
- Kindness and troth perserve the king;
And he upholdeth his throne by kindness.
- The glory of young men is their strength;
And the beauty of old men is their hoary head.
- Swellings and wounds are dirt-scrapers for evil;
And blows pervading the innermost parts.
|
§ 21 ⇪
Cor regis et viam recit in manu Dei esse, cui justitia
magis quam victima placet, elatio displicet, &c. |
| XXI |
- Ut rivi aquarum, sic animus regis est in manu Jahwéhæ,
quocunque vult, inclinat eum
- Unaquaque via sua vir rectus videtur in oculis suis :
sed perpendit animos Jahwéha.
- Exercere justitiam et jus,
magis dilectum est Jahwéhæ quam sacrificium :
- Elatio vero oculorum, et amplitudo animi ;
aratio denique improborum, peccatum est.
- Cogitationes seduli, tantum emolumento sunt :
omnes autem præcipites, tantum ad egestatem pertinent.
- Comportati thesauri lingua falsitatis ;
vanitas impulsa sunt hominum quærentium mortem.
- Vastitas improborum dissecabit ipsos,
quia renuunt excercere jus.
- Quisquis via sua volubilis est, is alienus est :
purus autem, cujus rectum est opus.
- Melius est habitare in angulo tecti ;
quam cum muliere contentiosa, et domo communi habitare.
- Animus improbi desiderat malum,
non gratiosus videtur in oculis ejus proximus ipsius.
- Quum mulctatur derisor, resipiscit fatuus,
et quum intellegentia imbuitur sapiens, percipit scientiam.
- Intellegentia imbuit justum ad domum improbi,
qui pervertit improbos in ipsorum malum.
- Qui obturat aurem suam a clamore tenuis ;
etiam ipse clamabit, sed non exaudietur.
- Donum in abdito, evertit iram ;
et munus in sinu, excandescentiam vehementem.
- Lætitiæ est justo facere jus,
contritioni vero operam dantibus iniquitati.
- Homo aberrans a via intellegentiæ,
in cœtu vitæ expertium quiescet.
- Vir egens erit, qui amat lætitiam ;
qui amat vinum et unguentum, non erit dives.
- Redemptio pro justo erit improbus,
et loco rectorum perfidus.
- Melius est habitare in terra deserti,
quam cum muliere contentiosa et indignabunda.
- Thesaurus desideratissimus et unguentum est in habitaculo sapientis,
stolidus autem homo absorbet illud.
- Qui sectatur justitiam et benignitatem,
consequetur vitam, justitiam, et honorem.
- Civitatem potentem conscendit sapiens,
ac dejicit robur fiduciæ ejus.
- Qui observat os suum et linguam suam,
conservat ab angustiis animam suam.
- Superbi, contumacis, derisoris nomen est illi ;
qui exercet furore suo superbiam.
- Desiderium pigri morte afficit eum ;
quia renuunt manus ejus facere quicquam.
- Totum diem afficitur desiderio ;
justus vero dat, neque cohibet manum.
- Sacrificium improborum abominationi est ;
quanto magis, quum scelerate offert illud ?
- Testis mendaciorum peribit ;
vir autem qui auscultat, in æternum loquetur.
- Obfirmat vir improbus faciem suam,
rectus autem, ipse aptat viam quamque suam.
- Nulla est sapientia, nullaque intellegentia,
et nullum consilium, ex adverso Jahwéhæ.
- Equus aptatur ad diem prœlii,
sed Jahwéhæ est ipsa salus.
|
- Like the watercourses, the king’s heart is in the hand of Yahwéh:
He turneth it whithersoever he will.
- In his own eyes, a man seems right in all his ways;
But Yahwéh weigheth the hearts.
- To practice righteousness and justice
Is dearer to Yahwéh than sacrifice.
- Haughtiness of the eyes, and bloatedness of character —
The tillage of the wicked, lastly, is sin.
- The thoughts of the diligent man are only gain;
But every one that is hasty endeth up only with poverty.
- Treasures gathered by a tongue of falsehood
Are the driven vanity of men seeking death.
- The devastation of the wicked shall cut them up,
Because they refuse to practice justice.
- Whoso is fickle in his way is unsuitable;
But he whose work is righteous is pure.
- It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop,
Than with a contentious woman, and to live in a shared house.
- The soul of the wicked craveth evil:
His neighbor doth not appear welcome in his eyes.
- When the scoffer is punished, the simple man cometh to his senses;
And when the wise man is imbued with understanding, he receiveth knowledge.
- Understanding instructeth the righteous man about the house of the wicked;
He overthroweth the wicked in their evil.
- Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of he poor,
He also shall cry, but shall not be heard.
- A gift in secret overturneth anger;
And a bribe in the bosom, violent rage.
- It is joy to the righteous man to do justice;
But it is grief to those working iniquity.
- The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding
Shall rest in the assembly of those destitute of life.
- He that loveth fun shall be an indigent man:
He that loveth wine and ointment shall not be rich.
- The evildoer will be an atonement for the righteous man,
And the faithless one in the place of the upright.
- It is better to dwell in a desert land,
Than with a contentious and furious woman.
- There is most desirable treasure and ointment in the dwelling of the wise man;
But a foolish man exhausteth it.
- He that followeth after righteousness and kindness
Findeth life, righteousness, and honor.
- A wise man scaleth a powerful city,
And felleth the strength of its confidence.
- Whoso guardeth his mouth and his tongue
Keepeth his soul from troubles.
- The name of arrogant, contumacious and scoffer belongs to him
Who wreaketh arrogance in his rage.
- The desire of the sluggard killeth him;
For his hands refuse to do anything.
- He is driven by greed all the day long;
But the righteous giveth and doth not hold his hand back.
- The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination;
How much more, when he offereth it impiously!
- A witness of lies shall perish;
But the man that heareth shall speak eternally.
- A wicked man maketh his face rigid;
But as for the upright, he adjusteth each of his ways.
- There is no wisdom nor any understanding
Nor any counsel against Yahwéh.
- The horse is prepared for the day of battle;
But deliverance itself is of Yahwéh.
|
§ 22 ⇪
Laus famæ, præmium mansuetudinis, bonum
disciplinæ, et sapientiæ ad filios suos instructio. |
| XXII |
- Optatius est nomen divitiis amplis,
argento et auro gratia melior.
- Dives et pauper inter se occurrunt,
efficiente hos omnes Jahwéha.
- Astutus prævidens malum abscondit se,
fatui autem transeuntes mulctantur.
- Præmium mansuetudinis cum reverentia Jahwéhæ ;
sunt divitiæ et honor et vita.
- Aculei, laquei sunt in via perversi :
qui observat animam suam, procul erit ab eis.
- Instrue puerum pro ratione viæ ipsius ;
etiam quum valde senuerit, non recedet ab illa.
- Dives in pauperes dominatur :
et servus fit qui mutuatur viro danti mutuum.
- Qui seminat iniquitatem, metet molestiam :
et virga furoris sui deficiet.
- Bonus oculo, ipse benedicetur ;
quum dederit de pane suo tenui.
- Ejiciendo derisorem, simul exibit contentio ;
cessabitque litigium et ignominia.
- Qui amat munditiem animi ;
pro gratia labiorum ejus, Rex amicus ejus futurus est.
- Oculi Jahwéhæ custodiunt scientiam,
pervertit autem res perfidiosi.
- Dicit piger, « Leo foris est,
in medio platearum occiderer. »
- Ut fossa profunda, est os extranearum ;
qui detestationi est Jahwéhæ, corruet illuc.
- Stultitiam alligatam animo pueri,
eam virga eruditionis amovebit procul ab ipso.
- Qui opprimit tenuem, ut amplificet rem suam :
et qui dat diviti, tantum ad egestatem deveniet.
- Inclina aurem tuam, et ausculta verbis sapientum,
et animum tuum adhibe ad scientiam meam :
- Nam amœnum erit, si servaveris hæc in ventre tuo,
si comparentur pariter in labiis tuis.
- Si fuerit in Jahwéha fiducia tua,
et quod notum facio tibi hodie, etiam tu feceris.
- Nonne scripsi tibi præstantissima documenta
posita in consiliis et scientia,
- Notum faciendo tibi quod certum est, sermones veraces ;
ut referas sermonibus veritatem, missuris ad te ?
- Ne deripias tenuem, eo quod tenuis fit ;
neque conteras pauperem in porta.
- Nam Jahwéha agit causam eorum,
et rapiet rapientium eos animam.
- Ne colas amicitiam cum iracundo,
et cum furibundo ne congrediaris :
- Ut non dicas itinera ejus,
et assumas tendiculam tibi ipsi.
- Ne sis e complodentibus manu,
e spondentibus debita :
- Si non sit tibi quod reddas,
quare acciperet creditor cubile tuum a te?
- Ne moveto terminum antiquum,
quem aptarunt majores tui.
- Vidisti virum diligentem in opere suo ?
ante reges consistet, non consistet ante obscuros.
|
- A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches,
And high esteem rather than silver and gold.
- The rich and the poor meet together;
Yahwéh is the maker of them all.
- The prudent man, seeing evil, hideth himself;
But simpletons, passing on through, are punished.
- The reward of humility with the fear of Yahwéh
Is riches and honor and life.
- Thorns and snares are in the way of the perverse:
He that keepeth his soul shall be far from them.
- Train a child according to the order of his way,
And even when he has become quite old he will not depart from it.
- The rich ruleth over the poor;
And the borrower becometh slave to the man giving the loan.
- He that soweth iniquity shall reap trouble;
And the rod of his wrath shall fail.
- The man bountiful of eye shall be blessed
When he giveth of his bread to the poor person.
- In casting out the scoffer, contention will go out;
Yea, strife and ignominy will cease.
- He that loveth pureness of heart,
Due to the grace of his lips the king will be his friend.
- The eyes of Yahwéh preserve knowledge;
But he overthroweth the affairs of the treacherous man.
- The sluggard saith, “There is a lion without;
I shall be slain in the streets.”
- The mouth of alien women is a deep pit;
He that is abhorred of Yahwéh shall fall therein.
- Folly bound up in the heart of a child —
The rod of correction will drive it far from him.
- He that oppresseth the poor to increase his own gain,
And he that giveth to the rich, shall come only to want.
- Incline thine ear, and hear the words of the wise,
And apply thy heart unto my knowledge.
- For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thine innards,
If they be established together upon thy lips.
- If thy trust be in Yahwéh,
Likewise what I am making known to thee today, do thou also.
- Have I not written unto thee excellent lessons
Placed in counsels and knowledge,
- In making known to thee what is certain, truthful sayings,
That with words thou mayest return the truth to them that will send to thee?
- Rob not the poor, because he is poor;
Neither oppress the afflicted in the gate;
- For Yahwéh will plead their cause,
And despoil of life those that despoil them.
- Do not develop a friendship with a man that is given to anger;
And with a wrathful man thou shalt not go:
- Lest thou learn his ways,
And get a snare to thine own self.
- Be thou not one of them that strike handshakes,
Or of them that are sureties for debts.
- If thou hast not wherewith to repay,
Why should the creditor take away thy bed from thee?
- Remove not the ancient boundary stone,
Which thy forefathers have set.
- Seest thou a man diligent in his business?
He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before obscure men.
|
§ 23 ⇪
Quomodo edendum cum principe,
non appetendas divitias nec cibos invidorum ; sed
quærendam sapientiam et fugiendam ebrietatem, &c. |
| XXIII |
- Quando sedebis ad vescendum cum dominante,
diligenter considera quid propositurus sis tibi :
- Alioquin inderes cultellum faucibus tuis,
si præditus appetentia esses.
- Ne afficiaris desiderio cupediarum ejus :
est enim cibus mendax.
- Ne fatiges te ut ditescas ;
a prudentia tua desiste.
- An facies ut involent oculi tui in ea quæ mox non futura sunt ?
nam omnino comparant sibi alas ;
ut aquila avolat cælum versus, avolantia.
- Ne vescitor cibo maligni oculo,
neque afficitor desiderio cuppediarum ejus :
- Nam ut æstimat te cum animo suo, ita ille cibus est :
« Comede et bibe, » dicet tibi ;
sed animus ejus non adhæret tibi :
- Bucceam tuam quam comederis ipsam evomes ;
ubi corruperis res tuas amœnissimas.
- Audiente stolido ne loquaris,
nam spernet te cum prudentia dictorum tuorum.
- Ne moveas terminum antiquum,
et agros pupillorum ne invadas :
- Nam vindex eorum fortis,
ipse aget causam illorum contra te.
- Adhibe ad eruditionem animam tuum,
et aures tuas ad sermones scientiæ.
- Ne subtrahas a puero castigationem ;
quum percusseris eum virga, non morietur :
- Tu virga percutito eum :
et animam ejus a sepulcro eripies.
- Fili mi, si sapit animus tuus ;
lætabitur animus meus, etiam ego lætabor ;
- Et exsultabunt renes mei,
loquentibus labiis tuis recta.
- Ne æmuletur animus tuus peccatores,
sed reverentes Jahwéhæ toto die :
- Quum enim sit merces,
utique exspectatio tua non succidetur.
- Ausculta tu fili mi, et sape :
ac dirige in hac via animum tuum.
- Ne sis ex ebriosis vino,
et comissatoribus ingurgitantibus carne sese :
- Nam ebriosus et comissator pauper fiet,
et pannunculos induit dormitator.
- Ausculta patri tuo qui genuit te ;
neque contemnas, quum senuerit, matrem tuam :
- Veritatem compara ; ac non vendito —
sapientiæ eruditionisque et prudentiæ.
- Valde exsultat pater justi,
genitor sapientis lætatur de eo.
- Lætetur pater tuus et mater tua,
exsultetque genetrix tua.
- Cedo, fili mi, animum tuum mihi ;
et oculi tui vias meas studiose custodiant :
- Nam fossa profunda meretrix est,
et puteus angustus aliena :
- Etiam ipsa ut prædator insidiatur,
et perfidos inter homines adjicit.
- Cui væ ? Cui eheu ? Cui contentiones ?
Cui loquacitas ? Cui vulnera impune ?
Cui rubor oculorum est ?
- Immorantibus apud vinum,
euntibus ad investigandum vinum mistum.
- Ne respicito vinum, quum rubescit :
quum exhibet in poculo colorem suum,
indesinenter movetur rectissime :
- Tandem velut serpens mordebit,
et ut hæmorrhois punget.
- Oculi tui respicient alienas,
et animus tuus eloquetur perversitates :
- Et eris ut qui jacet in medio mari,
et ut qui jacet in corona carchesii.
- « Percutientibus me, » inquies, « aliis, non ægrotavi,
tundentibus me, non sensi :
quando expergiscar, pergam, requiram istud amplius. »
|
- When thou sittest to eat with a ruler,
Consider diligently what he will set before thee ;
- In other respects put a knife to thy throat
If thou be a man given to appetite.
- Be not moved by desire for his delicacies;
For it is deceitful food.
- Exhaust not thyself to become rich;
Forbear from thine own prudence.
- Or wilt thou make it so that thine eyes pounce upon things which are soon not to be?
For by all means they make themselves wings,
Flying off, like an eagle that flieth toward heaven.
- Eat thou not the food of one miserly of eye,
Neither be moved by desire for his delicacies:
- For as he evaluateth thee in his mind, so is he:
“Eat and drink,” he will say to thee;
But his heart doth not cling to thee.
- The morsel which thou has eaten shalt thou vomit up,
Wherein thou wilt lose thy most pleasant remarks.
- Speak not, given a listening dullard;
For he will despise thee along with the wisdom of thy words.
- Remove not the ancient boundary stone;
And encroach not upon the fields of the fatherless:
- For their avenger is strong;
He will plead their cause against thee.
- Apply thy heart unto instruction,
And thine ears to the words of knowledge.
- Withhold not correction from the child;
For when thou hast beaten him with the rod, he will not die.
- Thou shalt beat him with the rod,
And shalt deliver his soul from Sheol.
- My son, if thy heart be wise,
My heart will be glad, I too shall rejoice:
- And my heart will rejoice,
When thy lips speak right things.
- Let not thy heart emulate sinners,
But those fearing Yahwéh all day long:
- For since there is a reward,
Thy hope shall by no means be cut off.
- Hear thou, my son, and be wise,
And guide thy heart in this way.
- Be not from among winebibbers,
Among revelers glutting themselves with meat:
- For the drunkard and reveler shall become a pauper;
And the torpid man will don rags.
- Hearken unto thy father that begat thee,
And despise not thy mother when she is old.
- Acquire the truth, and sell it not —
Of wisdom and instruction and understanding.
- The father of the righteous rejoiceth greatly,
And the begetter of a wise son rejoiceth in him.
- Let thy father and thy mother be glad,
And let her that bare thee rejoice.
- My son, give me thy heart;
And let thine eyes diligently keep watch over my ways.
- For a harlot is a deep ditch;
And a foreign woman is a narrow pit.
- Yea, she lieth in wait as a robber,
And adds to the treacherous among men.
- Who hath woe? Who hath sorrow? Who hath contentions?
Who hath prattle? Who hath wounds with impunity?
Who hath redness of eyes?
- They that linger over wine,
They that go to seek out mixed wine.
- Look not thou upon the wine when it is red,
When it showeth its color in the cup,
Moveth straightforward without stopping;
- In the end it biteth like a serpent,
And stingeth like an adder.
- Thine eyes shall behold strange things,
And thy heart shall utter perversities.
- And thou shalt be as he that lieth in the midst of the sea,
And as he that lieth atop the crown of a ship’s mast.
- “They have stricken me,” shalt thou say, “and I was not hurt;
They have beaten me, and I felt it not:
When shall I awake? I will continue; I will seek it yet again.”
|
§ 24 ⇪
Maleficorum aversatio, sapientiæ procuratio et
usus, diligentia in difficultatibus alienis levandis
et sapientiam comparanda imperatur. |
| XXIV |
- Ne æmulator malignos,
neque desiderato esse cum eis :
- Nam vastationem meditatur animus eorum,
et molestiam labia eorum proloquuntur.
- Sapientia ædificator domus,
et intellegentia stabilitor :
- Et scientia penetralia implebuntur,
omni substantia pretiosa et amœna.
- Vir sapiens est cum robore,
et vir sciens fortificat vires :
- Nam prudentibus consiliis geres tibi bellum,
et salutem comparabis amplitudine consiliariorum.
- Nimis altæ sunt stulto sapientiæ :
in porta non aperit os suum.
- Cogitans malefacere,
is vocatur sceleratissimus.
- Scelus stulti est damnabile ;
abominandum vero cuique, derisoris.
- Si remisse te geras, tempore anguistiæ
angusta erit virtus tua.
- Eripe raptos ad mortem ;
nam a declinantibus ad necem an cohiberes te ?
- Si dicas, « En, ignoramus hoc » :
nonne expendens animos ipse intelleget,
et qui custodit animam tuam ipse cognoscet,
et reddet cuique secundum opus ipsius ?
- Comede, fili mi, mel, quia bonum est,
et favum, dulcem palato tuo.
- Ita sapientiæ cognitio est animæ tuæ :
si assecutus fueris ; utique erit merces,
et exspectatio tua non exscindetur.
- Ne insidiator, ô improbe, habitaculo justi ;
ne devastato accubitum ejus :
- Nam ut septies cadat justus, exsurgit tamen :
improbi vero corruunt malo.
- Quum cadit inimicus tuus ne lætator ;
quumque corruit, ne exsultato animus tuus :
- Ut aspicientis Jahwéhæ in oculis non videatur malum
et convertat ab eo iram suam in te.
- Ne accendaris ira propter maleficos,
ne invideas improbis :
- Nam non erit finis malo,
sed lucerna improborum exstinguetur.
- Reverere Jahwéham, fili mi : et regem ;
cum variis ne commisceto te.
- Nam repente consurget calamitas eorum,
et oppressionem istorum amborum quis novit ?
- Etiam hæc ad sapientes pertinent ;
agnoscere personam in judicio non est bonum.
- Dicentem improbos, « Justus es » ;
exsecrabuntur populi, detestabuntur nationes ;
- Corripientibus vero erit amœnitas,
et obveniet eis benedictio cujusque boni :
- Labia osculabitur ejus
qui respondet verba recta.
- Apta foris opus tuum,
et para illud in agro tibi :
postea etiam exstrues domum tuam.
- Ne sis testis temere contra proximum tuum,
aut fatuum agito labiis tuis :
- Ne dicito, « Quemadmodum fecit mihi, ita faciam ei ;
reddam isti viro secundum opus ipsius. »
- Juxta agrum viri pigri transivi,
et juxta vineam hominis dementis :
- Ecce autem, assurrexerant in eo toto chamæleones,
tegebatur superficies ejus urticis ;
et maceria ejus lapidea destructa erat.
- Quod videns ego, apposui animum meum ;
respiciens percepi eruditionem.
- Pauculis somnis, pauculis dormitationibus,
paucula complicatione manuum cubando,
- Interea advenit, ut viator expeditus, paupertas tua ;
et egestas tua, tanquam vir clipeatus.
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- Be thou not emulous of evil men;
Neither desire to be with them:
- For their heart contemplateth oppression,
And their lips give voice to vexatiousness.
- Wisdom is the builder of a house;
And understanding its stabilizer;
- And by knowledge is its interior filled
With all precious and pleasant possessions.
- A wise man is strong;
And a man of knowledge strengtheneth his might.
- For by wise guidance thou shalt make thy war;
And through a multitude of counsellors thou shalt attain safety.
- Wisdom is too high for a dullard:
He openeth not his mouth in the gate.
- He that deviseth to do evil,
He shall be called accursed.
- The crime of the dullard is damnable;
But that of the scoffer is to be detested by all men.
- If thou behavest feebly in straitened times,
Thy strength is in tight straits.
- Rescue them that are snatched off to death;
For art thou restraining thyself from those descending to slaughter?
- If thou sayest, “Behold, we know this not,”;
Will not he that weigheth the hearts consider it?
And he that keepeth thy soul, will he not know it? —
And that shall render to every man according to his work?
- My son, eat thou honey, because it is good;
And the honeycomb, sweet to thy taste:
- Likewise the acquisition of wisdom is unto thy soul;
If thou hast acquired it there shall definitely be a reward,
And thy hope shall not be cut off.
- Lurk not in wait, O wicked man, against the habitation of the righteous;
Destroy not his resting-place:
- For as a righteous man may fall seven times, he nonetheless riseth up again;
But the wicked break down through their evil.
- Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth,
And let not thy heart rejoice when he collapseth;
- Lest in the eyes of watching Yahwéh it not appear evil,
And he turn his wrath from him onto thee.
- Do not become inflamed with wrath on account of evildoers;
Neither be thou envious at the wicked:
- For there shall be no result for the evil man,
But the lamp of the wicked shall be extinguished.
- My son, fear thou Yahwéh and the king;
Do not mix with the fickle:
- For their calamity shall rise suddenly;
And the destruction from them both, who knoweth it?
- These also belong to the sages:
To recognize personages in judgment is not good.
- He that saith unto the wicked, “Thou art righteous,”
Peoples shall execrate him, nations shall curse him;
- But to them that rebuke him shall be delight,
And the blessing of every good man shall come upon them.
- He will kiss the lips of him
Who answereth with upright words.
- Prepare thy work without
And make it ready for thee in the field;
Afterwards thou shalt build thy house as well.
- Be not heedlessly a witness against thy neighbor
Or act the fool with thy lips.
- Say not, “I will do so to him as he hath done to me;
I will render to the man according to his work.”
- I passed by the field of the sluggard,
And by the vineyard of the madman;
- And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns,
The face thereof was covered with nettles,
And the stone wall thereof was broken down.
- Seeing which, I took it into my mind;
Viewing it, I learned a lesson:
- A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands for lying down;
- So shall thy poverty arrive as a well-prepared agent,
And thy want as an armed man.
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§ 25 ⇪
Officium regis in suos et horum in regem, litigiorum modus, &c. |
| XXV |
- Etiam hæc proverbia Schelomonis sunt,
quæ contulerunt homines Chizkijæ regis Jehudæ.
- Honor Dei est abscondere rem,
honor autem regum pervestigare rem.
- Ut cælo altitudine, terræque profunditate ;
ita animo regum non est pervestigatio.
- Ut auferendo scorias ab argento,
prodit conflatori vas :
- Ita auferendo improbum a conspectu regis,
stabilitur justitia solium ejus.
- Ne arrogato tibi decorem coram rege,
et in loco magnatum ne stato :
- Nam melius est dici tibi, « Ascende huc, »
quam deprimi te coram ingenuo :
quod vident oculi tui.
- Ne prodito ad litigandum festinanter :
aspice quid sis facturus tandem,
afficiente ignominia te proximo tuo.
- Causam tuam age cum proximo tuo ;
sed arcanum alterius ne retegito :
- Ne probro afficiat te qui audit,
et infamia tuo sit irrevocabilis.
- Velut mala aurea cum figuris argenteis,
est verbum dictum commode.
- Velut monile aureum, et ornamentum ex insigni auro,
est reprehensor sapiens apud aurem auscultantem.
- Ut frigus nivale tempore messis,
est legatus fidus mittentibus ipsum :
nam animam dominorum suorum restituit.
- Velut vapores et ventus, quibus non adest pluvia ;
est vir qui se jactat de dono falso.
- Longanimitate pellicitur ductor,
et lingua mollis frangit osseum.
- Mel inveniens comedis quod satis est tibi,
ne saturatus illo evomas illud :
- Studiose contine pedem tuum a domo proximi tui,
ne saturatus tui odio habeat te.
- Ut marculus, gladiusque ac sagitta acuta ;
est vir testans contra proximum suum testimonium falsum.
- Ut dens fractus, et pes luxatus ;
est fiducia in perfidum die anguistiæ.
- Ut qui imponit sibi vestem tempore frigoris, aut acetum nitro ;
ita est qui canit cantica apud animum male affectum.
- Si esuriat osor tuus, ciba eum pane ;
et si sitiat, da ei bibendam aquam :
- Nam velut prunas coacervabis super caput ejus,
et Jahwéha rependet tibi.
- Ut cæcias gignit pluviam,
ita vultum indignabundum lingua simulantis.
- Melius est habitare in angulo tecti ;
quam cum muliere contentiosa, et domo communi habitare.
- Ut aquæ frigidæ erga animam fessam,
ita auditio bona e terra longinqua est.
- Ut fons calcibus conturbatus, aut scaturigo corrupta ;
est justus qui dimovetur coram improbo.
- Comedere mellis plurimum, non est bonum ;
ita pervestigare honorem suum, inhonestum.
- Ut civitas dirupta absque muro ;
ita est cuicumque non est imperium in spiritum suum.
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- These also are proverbs of Solomon,
which the men of Hezekiah, king of Judah, collected.
- It is the glory of God to conceal a thing;
But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.
- As in height with the heavens, and depth with the earth,
So in the heart of kings there is no searchability.
- As by removing the dross from silver,
A vessel emerges for the smith:
- So by removing the wicked from the sight of the king,
His throne is established in righteousness.
- Do not arrogate to thyself glory in the presence of the king,
And stand not in the place of magnates:
- For better is it that it be said unto thee, “Come up hither,”
Than for thee to be put lower in the presence of the prince,
Whom thine eyes see.
- Go not forth hastily to litigate:
Look at what thou art about to effect in the end,
With thy neighbor putting thee to shame.
- Debate thy cause with thy neighbor,
But disclose not the secret of another;
- Lest he that heareth it revile thee,
And thine infamy be irrevocable.
- Like golden apples with silver settings
Is a word fitly spoken.
- As a golden necklace and an ornament of striking gold,
So is a wise reprover upon a listening ear.
- As the cold of snow in the time of harvest,
So is a faithful messenger to them that send him;
For he refresheth the soul of his masters.
- As clouds and wind in which there is no rain,
So is he that boasteth himself of an untrue gift.
- By long forbearing is a ruler enticed,
And a soft tongue breaketh the bone.
- On finding honey, eat just what is sufficient for thee,
Lest, satiated with it, thou vomit it up.
- Carefully restrict thy foot from thy neighbor’s house,
Lest, tired of thee, he hate thee.
- Like a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow
So is a man that beareth false witness against his neighbor.
- Like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint
So is confidence in an unfaithful man in the day of trouble.
- As one that putteth a garment on himself in time of cold, or vinegar upon soda,
So is he that singeth songs in the presence of a heart badly distressed.
- If thine enemy be hungry, feed him with bread;
And if he be thirsty, give him water to drink:
- For thou wilt heap live coals upon his head,
And Yahwéh will reward thee.
- As the nor’easter produceth rain;
So doth the tongue of a slanderous person, an angry countenance.
- It is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop,
Than with a contentious woman, and to live in a shared house.
- As cold waters to a tired soul,
So is good news from a far country.
- As a fountain made turbid by feet, or a corrupted spring,
So is a righteous man that is dislodged before the wicked.
- It is not good to eat much honey,
Likewise to seek one’s own glory is dishonorable.
- As a destroyed city without a wall
So is whoever has no control over his own self.
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§ 26 ⇪
Similitudines variæ, speculum prigritiæ, et mala linguæ, &c. |
| XXVI |
- Ut nix æstati, et ut pluvia messi ;
ita non convenit stulto honor.
- Ut avicula errando, ut hirundo volitando,
ita maledictio immerita non adventura est.
- Ut flagellum adhibetur equo, frenum asino ;
ita virga tergo stolidorum.
- Ne respondeto stolido secundum stultitiam ejus,
ne adæqueris ei tu quoque.
- Responde stolido secundum stultitiam ejus,
ne sit sapiens in oculis suis.
- Ut qui sibi detruncat pedes ;
ita violentiæ pœnam ebibet qui mittit verba per stolidum :
- Tollite cothurnos a claudo,
et sententiam quæ est in ore stolidorum.
- Ut qui applicat lapidem ballistæ ;
ita qui præbet stolido honorem facit.
- Ut spina veniens in manum ebrii,
ita est sententia in ore stolidorum :
- Ut plurimum dolore afficit omnes ebrius ;
ita mercedem dans sibi stolidus etiam mercedem dat transeuntibus.
- Ut canis redit ad vomitum suum,
ita stolidus iterat stultitiam suam.
- Vidisti virum sapientem in oculis suis ? —
exspectatio est de stolido melior quam de illo.
- Dicit piger, « Immanis leo est in via :
leo est inter plateas. »
- Ut janua circumagitur in cardine suo,
ita piger in lecto suo :
- Abditam habet piger manum suam in sua manica,
defetiscitur reducendo eam ad os suum :
- Sapientior videtur piger in oculis suis,
quam septem revocantes ad rationem ipsum.
- Prehendit aures canis,
qui transiens furentem agit in lite non sua.
- Ut insaniens, qui jaculatur malleolos,
sagittas, et letalia :
- Ita est quisquis decipit proximum suum ;
et dicit, « Nonne ridebam ? »
- Ut deficientibus lignis exstinguitur ignis ;
ita quum non est susurro, silet contentio.
- Ut carbo ad prunas, et ligna ad ignem,
ita vir contentiosus est ad accendendum litem.
- Verba susurronis similia sunt verbis eorum qui sæpenumero confusi sunt ;
tamen ea descendunt in penetralia ventris.
- Ut argenti scoria obducta testæ,
ita sunt labia prosequentia, et animus malus.
- Labiis suis alium se simulat osor,
quum in medio sui disponit dolum.
- Quando gratiosam præbebit vocem suam ; ne fidito ei :
nam septem abominationes insunt animo ejus.
- Tegit odium deceptionem ;
sed revelabitur malitia ejus in congregatione.
- Qui fodit foveam, in eam decidet ;
et qui devolvit lapidem, in ipsum revertetur lapis.
- Vir lingua fallace, odit quos attriturus est,
et ore blando perficit impulsionem.
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- As snow in summer, and as rain in harvest,
So honor doth not beseem a dullard.
- As the little bird in her wandering, as the swallow in her flying,
So the unmeritted curse will not alight.
- As a whip is applied to the horse, a bridle to the ass,
So a rod to the back of dullards.
- Answer not a dullard according to his stupidity,
Lest thou also be made equivalent to him.
- Answer a dullard according to his stupidity,
Lest he be wise in his own eyes.
- Like someone who cutteth off his own feet
So one who transmits a message via a dullard will drink a penalty of violence.
- Take ye away the acting boots of a lame man;
And the proverb that is in the mouth of dullards.
- As one that setteth a pebble in a ballista,
So acteth he that bestoweth honor on a dullard.
- As a thorn that goeth up into the hand of a drunkard,
So is a proverb in the mouth of dullards.
- As a drunkard greatly afflicts everyone with pain,
So a dullard giving himself pay also giveth pay to passers-by.
- As a dog returneth to his vomit,
So a dullard repeateth his stupidity.
- Hast thou seen a man wise in his own eyes? —
There is better hope for a dullard than for him.
- The sluggard saith, “There is a lion in the way;
A lion is out in the streets.”
- As a door turneth upon its hinges,
So doth the sluggard upon his bed.
- The sluggard hath his hand hidden in his sleeve,
He suffereth exhaustion in bringing it again to his mouth.
- The sluggard appeareth wiser in his own eyes
Than seven men recalling him to reason.
- He seizeth the ears of a cur
who, passing by, engageth a raging man in a lawsuit not his own.
- As a madman that casteth firebrands,
Arrows, and deadly missiles,
- Likewise is whoever deceiveth his neighbor
And saith, “Was I not laughing?”
- As with wood running out, the fire dieth;
So when there is no whisperer, contention goeth silent.
- As coal is to hot embers, and wood to fire,
So is a contentious man to inflaming strife.
- The words of a whisperer are like the words of those who are often confused;
Nevertheless they sink into the innards of the belly.
- Like silver dross glazed over earthenware
So are pursuant lips and an evil heart.
- With his lips a hater pretendeth he is otherwise;
While he layeth out his trap within himself:
- When he presenteth his voice as gracious, trust him not;
For there are seven abominations in his heart:
- His hatred useth guile to cover up,
But his wickedness shall be exposed before the assembly.
- Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein;
And he that rolleth a stone, the stone shall return upon him.
- A man of untruthful tongue hateth those whom he is about to ruin;
And with a flattering mouth he worketh his onslaught.
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§ 27 ⇪
De spe vana, sui laude, correctione manifesta, saturitate, &c. |
| XXVII |
- Ne glorieris de die crastino,
quia nescis quid pariturus sit dies,
- Laudet te os extranei, non autem os tuum;
alieni, non autem labia tua.
- Gravitas lapidi est, et pondus arenæ ;
sed indignatio stulti gravior est duobus illis.
- Crudelitas excandescentiæ est et exundatio iræ ;
at quis consistat coram invidentia?
- Melior est correptio manifesta
amore occulto.
- Fidelia sunt vulnera amici,
deprecanda vero oscula osoris.
- Anima satura calcat favum ;
animæ famelicæ omne amarum dulce est.
- Ut avicula quæ errat a nido suo,
ita est vir qui errat a loco suo.
- Ut unguentum et suffitus lætificat animum :
ita dulcedo amici sui quemque magis quam consilium proprium.
- Amicum tuum et amicum paternum tuum ne derelinquito,
domumque fratris tui ne ingreditor tempore calamitatis tuæ :
melior est vicinus propinquus fratre longingquo.
- Sape, fili mi, et lætifica animum meum :
ut respondere possim ei qui exprobraturus esset mihi rem aliquam.
- Astutus prævidens malum abscondit se,
fatui transeuntes mulctantur.
- Cape vestem ejus qui spopondit pro extraneo
et pro aliena spondentem pignerare eum.
- Ei qui benedicit amico suo voce magna mane, tempestive surgendo,
maledictio imputabitur ei.
- Stilla continua tempore imbris vehementissimi,
et mulier contentiosa æquæ sunt inter se —
- Abscondentium eam quisque absconderit ventum :
ut unguentum dexteræ ipsius sese prodit illa.
- Ut ferrum ferro acuit vir,
ita virum acuit facies amici sui.
- Ut qui custodit ficum, comedet fructum ejus :
ita qui observat dominum suum, honorabitur.
- Ut in aquis facies faciei obversatur,
ita animus hominis unius alteri.
- Ut sepulcrum et perditio non satiantur,
ita oculi hominis non satiantur.
- Fusorium vas argento, et catinum auro,
denique adhibetur res quæque ex præscripto laudationis ejus :
- Sed si contunderes stultum in mortario cum mola pistillo,
non recederet ab eo stultitia ejus.
- Diligenter cognosce præsentes pecudes tuas,
appone animum tuum ad greges :
- Nam tuum est in sæculum robur,
et an coronamentum futurum est in quamque generationem ?
- Simulac prodit fenum, et conspicua est tenera herba,
colliguntur herbæ montium ?
- Agni erunt ad vestitum tuum,
et pretium agri hirci :
- Insuper quantum satis erit lactis caprini ad cibum tuum, ad cibum familiæ tuæ,
et victum puellis tuis.
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- Boast thou not of tomorrow;
For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.
- Let the mouth of someone else praise thee, but not thine own mouth;
Of a stranger, but not thine own lips.
- A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty;
But a fool’s offensiveness is heavier than both of them.
- There is cruelty from wrath, and an overflow from anger;
But who is able to stand before jealously?
- Better is open rebuke
Than hidden love.
- Faithful are the wounds of a friend;
But the kisses of one who hates are to be prayed against.
- The satiated soul spurneth a honeycomb;
But to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.
- As a little bird that wandereth from her nest,
So is a man that wandereth from his place.
- Ointment and incense gladden the heart;
So the sweetness of one’s friend doth anyone, more than one’s own counsel.
- Thine own friend, and thy father’s friend, forsake not;
And go not to thy brother’s house in the day of thy calamity:
Better is a nearby neighbor than a brother far off.
- My son, be wise, and make my heart glad,
That I may answer him that reproacheth me for something.
- The prudent man, seeing evil, hideth himself;
But simpletons, passing on through, are punished.
- Take the garment of him that hath co-signed for a stranger;
And hold in pledge him that giveth collateral for an unfamiliar woman.
- He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning,
It shall be counted a curse to him.
- A continuous drip at the time of a very strong rain
And a contentious woman are alike:
- Anyone hiding her would hide the wind;
As the ointment of his right hand betrayeth itself through her.
- As a man sharpeneth iron with iron,
So the countenance of his friend sharpeneth a man.
- Just as whoso keepeth the fig-tree shall eat the fruit thereof,
Likewise he that is attentive to his master shall be honored.
- As in waters face appeareth to face,
So doth the heart of one man to another.
- As the grave and destruction are not satisfied,
So the eyes of man are not satisfied.
- The refining pot is for silver, and the crucible is for gold;
Finally, each item is employed according to the prescription of its commendation.
- Even if thou poundedst a fool in a mortar with a pestle along with barley groats,
His stupidity would still not depart from him.
- Be thou diligently aware of thy current cattle,
Pay mind to thy herds:
- For is thy strength forever,
And doth the crown endure unto all generations?
- As soon as the hay goeth away and the tender grass is visible,
Are the greens of the mountains gathered in?
- The lambs will be for thy clothing,
And the he-goats for the price of the field;
- In addition there will be quite enough goats’ milk for thy food, for the food of thy household,
And sustenance for thy maidens.
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§ 28 ⇪
De terrore malæ conscientiæ, multitudine principum,
paupere calumniante, observantia legis, &c. |
| XXVIII |
- Fugiunt improbus quisque, nemine persequente :
justi autem sunt similes juveni leoni confidenti.
- Ubi defectione laborat regio, multi sunt principes ejus :
ubi autem homo est prudens et peritus, prorogat statum.
- Vir pauper qui opprimit tenues,
similis est pluviæ everrenti, adeo ut desit panis.
- Qui derelinquunt legem, laudant improbos ;
at qui observant legem, miscent prœlia cum illis.
- Homines dediti malo non animadvertunt jus,
quærentes autem Jahwéham animadvertunt omnia.
- Melior est pauper ambulans integre ;
quam perversus huc illuc se flectens, quamvis sit dives.
- Qui custodit legem, filius est prudens,
qui autem se consociat comissatoribus, ignominia afficit patrem suum.
- Qui auget substantiam suam usura et fenore,
gratiose largituro tenuibus congregaverit eam.
- Qui avertit aurem suam ab audienda lege,
etiam oratio ejus abominationi est.
- Qui seducit rectos in viam malam,
in foveam suam ipse decidit,
integri vero possidebunt bonum.
- Sapiens videtur in oculis suis vir dives ;
sed tenuis prudens perscrutatur eum.
- Exsultantibus justis amplus est ornatus ;
erectis autem improbis, pervestigatur homo.
- Qui tegit defectiones suas, non prosperabitur ;
qui vero fatetur et derelinquit, afficietur misericordia.
- Beatus homo, qui admodum pavet jugiter,
qui autem obdurat animum suum, ruet in malum.
- Ut leo rugiens et ursus discursans,
est dominator improbus in populum tenuem.
- Antecessor carens omni intellegentia, et multus oppressionibus decurtabit ;
qui autem odit quæstum prolongabit dies.
- Homo oppressus propter sanguinem hominis ;
ad foveam usque fugiat, ne sustentanto eum.
- Qui ambulat integre, servabitur :
qui vero perversus est altera viarum, corruit in eam.
- Qui colit tellurem suam, satiatur cibo :
qui vero sectatur homines vanos, satiatur paupertate.
- Vir optimæ fidei amplus est benedictionibus ;
at præceps ad ditescendum non erit impunis.
- Agnoscere personam non est bonum :
nam propter bucceam panis deficeret vir.
- Accelerat ad substantiam parandam vir malignus oculo ;
sed ignorat inopiam obventuram sibi.
- Qui corripit hominem ut sequatur me ; gratiam consequetur potius,
quam qui blanditur lingua.
- Qui diripiens patrem suum, aut matrem suam dicit, « Non est defectio » ;
socius est viro interfectori.
- Amplus animo suo miscet contentionem :
qui autem confidit Jahwéhæ, pinguis efficietur.
- Qui confidit animo suo, est stolidus ;
qui autem ambulat sapienter, is eripiet se.
- Ei qui dat pauperi, non erit egestas ;
occultans vero oculos suos, amplus erit maledictionibus.
- Erectis improbis abscondit se homo ;
sed pereuntibus illis augentur justi.
|
- The wicked flee when no man pursueth;
But the righteous are like a young, confident lion.
- Where a territory suffers from rebellion, many are its princes;
But where a man is foresightful and knowledgeable, he prolongs its status.
- A needy man that oppresseth the poor
Is like a sweeping rain, such that bread is lacking.
- They that forsake the law praise the wicked;
But such as keep the law engage in battle with them.
- Men dedicated to evil do not understand justice;
But they that seek Yahwéh understand all things.
- Better is the poor that walketh in his integrity,
Than the perverse man turing this way and that, though he be rich.
- Whoso keepeth the law is a prudent son;
But he that associates with revellers brings disgrace upon his father.
- He that augmenteth his substance by interest and usury,
Graciously gathereth it for him that bestoweth it on the poor.
- He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law,
Even his prayer is an abomination.
- Whoso leadeth the upright astray into an evil path,
He shall fall himself into his own pit;
But the uncorrupted shall possess the good.
- The rich man appears wise in his own eyes;
But the perceptive poor man searcheth him out.
- When the righteous are triumphant, there is much embellishment;
But when the wicked rise, man is searched for.
- He that covereth his transgressions shall not be made prosperous;
But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall be granted mercy.
- Happy is the man that greatly feareth alway;
But he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into trouble.
- As a roaring lion, and a roving bear,
So is a wicked despot over a poor people.
- A leader lacking all understanding, being mighty, will by oppression also cut them short;
But he that hateth covetousness shall prolong their days.
- A man burdened on account of the blood of any person —
Let him flee unto the pit; let men not stay him.
- Whoso walketh honestly shall be saved;
But he that is crooked in another of ways, falleth in it.
- He that tilleth his own land is sated with bread;
But he that followeth after vain men is sated with poverty.
- A man of finest faith is abundant in blessings;
But he rushing to be rich shall not be unpunished.
- To have respect of persons is not good;
For on account of a morsel of bread a man would transgress.
- A man evil of eye hasteth to acquire wealth,
And knoweth not that want shall come upon him.
- He that rebuketh a man that he should follow me shall find more favor
Than he that flattereth with the tongue.
- Whoso, robbing his father or his mother, saith, “It is not a transgression,”
Is the ally of a killer.
- One expansive in mind stirreth up strife;
But he that trusteth in Yahwéh shall be made fat.
- He that trusteth in his own mind is stupid;
But whoso walketh wisely, he shall save himself.
- He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack;
But he that hideth his eyes shall be abundant in curses.
- When the wicked rise, a man hides himself;
But when they perish, the righteous increase.
|
§ 29 ⇪
De contemptu disciplinæ, amore sapientiæ,
rege justo, homine adulatore, &c. |
| XXIX |
- Vir qui sæpius correptus obdurat cervicem,
repente confringetur ita ut non fit curatio.
- Quum augentur justi, lætatur populus :
quum autem dominatur improbus, suspirat populus.
- Vir amans sapientiam, lætificat patrem suum :
qui autem consociat se meretricibus, perdit substantiam.
- Rex judicio stabilit regionem ;
vir autem oblatis muneribus serviens destruit eam.
- Vir qui blanditur amico suo,
rete pandit contra pedes ejus.
- Defectioni viri mali inest tendicula ;
justus autem cantat et lætus est.
- Cognoscit justus causam tenuium,
improbus non animadvertit ut cognoscat.
- Homines derisores inflammant urbem :
at sapientes avertunt iram.
- Vir sapiens si disceptat cum viro stulto ;
sive commoveatur, sive rideat, nulla tamen est quies.
- Homines sanguinarii oderunt integrum :
recti autem quærunt ipsum.
- Totum spiritum suum profert stolidus :
at sapiens pone reprimit eum.
- Dominatoris attendentis verbo falsitatis
omnes ministri sunt improbi.
- Rudis et industrius inter se occurrunt ;
illuminat oculos amborum Jahwéha.
- Regis qui judicat fideliter tenues,
ipsius solium in perpetuum stabilitur.
- Virga et correptio dat sapientiam,
at puer permissus sibi pudefacit matrem suam.
- Quum crescunt improbi, crescit defectio :
justi vero casum eorum vident.
- Castiga filium tuum, et quietem afferet tibi ;
dabit etiam delicias animæ tuæ.
- Quum non est visio, nudatur populus :
qui autem observat legem ; ô beatum illum !
- Verbis non castigatur servus,
quum intellegit, tamen non respondet.
- Vidisti virum præcipitem verbis suis,
exspectatio est de stolido melior quam de illo.
- Qui delicate educat a pueritia servum suum,
tandem erit orbus liberis.
- Iracundus miscet contentionem :
et furibundus multus est defectione.
- Elatio hominis deprimit eum,
depressum autem spiritu sustentat honor.
- Qui partitur cum fure, odit se ipsum,
et qui exsecrationem audiens, non indicat.
- Trepidus homo sibi ponit tendiculam :
qui autem confidit Jahwéhæ, in edito collocatur.
- Multi quærunt faciem dominantis :
verum a Jahwéha est jus uniuscujusque.
- Abominationi est justis vir iniquus,
et abominationi improbo rectus via.
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- He that, being often reproved, hardeneth his neck
Shall be suddenly destroyed in such a way that there will be no healing.
- When the righteous are increased, the people rejoice;
But when a wicked man dominateth, the people sigh.
- Whoso loveth wisdom rejoiceth his father;
But he that keepeth company with harlots wasteth his substance.
- By justice a king maketh the land stable;
But a man complying with offered bribes destroyeth it.
- A man that flattereth his neighbor
Spreadeth a net for his feet.
- A snare is inherent in the transgression of an evil man;
But a righteous one doth sing and is cheerful.
- The righteous recognizeth the cause of the poor;
The wicked hath not the understanding to recognize it.
- Men that deride set a city in a flame;
But wise men turn wrath away.
- If a wise man hath a controversy with a foolish man,
Whether he be enraged or laugh, there will nonetheless be no rest.
- Bloodthirsty men hate him that is blameless;
As for the upright, they seek him out.
- A dullard maketh all his emotions known;
But a wise man keepeth it back.
- Given a ruler who hearkeneth to words of falsehood,
All the servants are wicked.
- The unschooled man and the diligent man meet together;
Yahwéh enlighteneth the eyes of them both.
- The king that faithfully judgeth the poor,
His throne shall be established forever.
- The rod and reproof give wisdom;
But a child left to himself causeth shame to his mother.
- When the wicked increase, corruption increaseth;
But the righteous look upon their downfall.
- Discipline thy son, and he will give thee rest;
Yea, he will give delight unto thy soul.
- When there is no vision, the people are stripped bare;
But he that keepeth the law, blessed is he.
- A slave is not disciplined by words;
While he understandeth, nonetheless he respondeth not.
- Hast thou seen a man impetuous in his words?
There is better hope of a fool than of him.
- He that bringeth up his slave indulgently from childhood
Will in the end be bereft of children.
- An angry man stirreth up strife,
And a wrathful man aboundeth in transgression.
- A man’s pride bringeth him low;
But honor upholdeth the man lowly of spirit.
- Whoso partners with a thief hateth himself —
And one who, hearing the adjuration, doth not give evidence.
- An anxious man setteth a snare for himself;
But whoso putteth his trust in Yahwéh is placed on a height.
- Many seek the face of the ruler;
But every man’s justice is from Yahwéh.
- To the righteous an unjust man is an abomination;
And an abomination to the wicked is he that is upright in the way.
|
§ 30 ⇪
Precatio Schelomonis, item de tribus insatiabilibus,
tribus occultis, tribus terram moventibus,
quattuor humilibus terræ, et tribus bene gradientibus. |
| XXX |
- Verborum Aguris filii Jake comportatio :
dictum viri de Ithiele, de Ithiele inquam, et Ucale sit.
- Nam brutus sum ego ex quo vir sum,
nec est intellegentia hominis mihi.
- Neque didici sapientiam,
aut scientiam sanctorum novi.
- Quis ascendat cælos et descendat ?
Quis colligat ventum pugillis suis ?
Quis liget aquas suo pallio ?
Quis stabiliat ullos fines terræ ?
Et quod nomen filii ipsius ? Si noveris ?
- Totus sermo Dei purgatissimus est,
scutum est recipientibus se ad ipsum.
- Ne adjicito ad verba ejus ;
ut non corripiat te, et efficiaris mendax.
- Duo quæro abs te :
ne prohibeas a me, tantisper dum vivo.
- Vanitatem et rem mendacem longe amove a me :
paupertatem aut divitias ne des mihi ;
ale me cibo demensi mei :
- Ne saturatus ementiar ac dicam ; « Quis est Jahwéha ? »
neve pauper factus furer ;
denique abutar nomine Dei mei.
- Ne insimules servum apud dominum suum ;
ne maledicat tibi, et reus peragaris.
- Generatio est quæ vel patri suo maledicit,
et matri suæ non benedicit.
- Generatio munda in oculis suis,
quamvis a sorde sua non sit abluta.
- Generatio cujus oculi quam elati sunt!
et cujus palpebræ extollunt sese.
- Generatio cujus dentes sunt gladii, et cujus molares cultri ;
ad consumendum pauperes e terra, et egentes ab hominibus.
- Præter hirudinem cui duo sunt rami, « Præbe, præbe »;
tria sunt insatiabilia,
immo quattuor non dicentia « Ohe ! » :
- Sepulcrum, et occlusa vulva ;
terra non satiatur aquis,
et ignis non dicit « Ohe ! »
- Oculum qui subsannat patrem,
aut spernit obœdientiam matris,
hunc effodient corvi vallis,
aut comedent eum juvenes aquilæ.
- Tria ista occulta a me,
immo quattuor hæc non novi :
- Viam aquilæ in cælo,
viam serpentis in rupe,
viam navis in alto mari,
et viam viri in virgine.
- Ita est via mulieris scortantis :
comedit, deinde abstergit os suum ;
tum dicit, « Non sum operata iniquitatem. »
- Sub tribus commovetur terra,
immo sub quattuor, quæ non potest ferre ;
- Sub servo, quum regnat ;
et stulto quum satur est cibo :
- Sub exosa, quum maritatur ;
denique sub ancilla, quum heres efficitur heræ suæ.
- Quattuor ista parva sunt humilia ;
tamen sunt sapientia, apprime sapientia :
- Formicæ populus infirmus ;
quæ comparant æstate cibum suum :
- Mures montani, populus invalidus ;
disponunt in petra domum suam.
- Rex non est locustis,
tamen procedunt confertæ omnes :
- Aranea manibus prehendit,
quæ est in palatiis regalibus.
- Tria ista bene procedunt,
immo quattuor bene ambulant :
- Vetus leo robustissimus inter bestias,
qui non retrogreditur metu cujusquam :
- Accinctus lumbis equus, aut caper :
et rex, in quem nemo insurgit.
- Si stultus fuisti efferendo te ;
sive cogitasti,
manum ori imponito :
- Nam ut pressura lactis educit butyrum,
et pressura nasi educit sanguinem ;
ita pressura irarum educit litem.
|
- The conveyance of the words of Agur the son of Jakeh:
Be it the pronouncement of the man of Ithiel, of Ithiel I say, and Ucal.
- For I am stupid from that I am a man,
Nor have I the understanding of a man;
- And I have not learned wisdom,
Or learned the knowledge of the holy ones.
- Who might ascend up into heaven, and descend?
Who might gather the wind in his fists?
Who might bind the waters in his garment?
Who might secure any of the ends of the earth?
And what is his son’s name, if thou knowest?
- Every utterance of God is highly refined.
He is a shield unto them that take refuge in him.
- Add thou not unto his words,
Lest he reprove thee, and thou be found lying.
- Two things I ask of thee;
Keep them not from me as long as I live:
- Remove far from me falsehood and lies;
Give me neither poverty nor riches;
Nourish me with the food of my ration:
- Lest sated, I lie and say, “Who is Yahwéh?”
Or lest having become poor, I steal
And, finally, abuse the name of my God.
- Do not make an allegation about a servant unto his master,
Lest he curse thee, and thou be prosecuted as guilty.
- There is a generation that even curseth its father,
And blesseth not its mother —
- A generation pure in its own eyes,
No matter how much it hath not been washed from its filthiness.
- There is a generation whose eyes — oh how lofty they are!
And whose eyelids are lifted up.
- There is a generation whose teeth are swords, and whose molars, knives,
To devour the poor from off the earth, and the needy from among men.
- Besides the leech that hath two branches, “Give, give.”
There are three insatiable things,
Yea, four that say not, “Stop!” :
- the grave, and the shut-up womb;
Earth is not satisfied with water;
And fire saith not, “Stop!”
- The eye that mocketh at his father,
Or despiseth obedience to his mother,
The ravens of the valley shall pick it out,
And the young eagles shall eat it.
- There are these three things hidden to me,
Yea, these four I know not:
- The way of an eagle in the sky;
The way of a serpent upon a rock;
The way of a ship on the high sea;
And the way of a man with a maiden.
- So is the way of a whoring woman:
She eateth, and wipeth her mouth,
Then saith, “I have done no wickedness.”
- Under three things the earth is shaken,
Indeed, under four, which it cannot bear:
- Under a slave when he is king;
And a fool when he is sated with food;
- Under a hateful woman when she is married;
Finally, a handmaid when she become heir to her mistress.
- These four small things are lowly,
But they are nonetheless wise, exceeding wise:
- The ants are a weak people,
Who prepare their food in the summer;
- The mountain mice, a feeble folk,
Set up their houses in the rocks;
- The locusts have no king,
Yet they all go forth closely packed;
- The spider taketh hold with her hands,
Which is in royal palaces.
- These three things walk forth well —
Yea, four stride well:
- The mature lion, mightiest among beasts,
That doth not retreat out of fear for anything;
- The girded-up warhorse, or the he-goat;
And the king against whom no one riseth up.
- If thou wast foolish in lifting up thyself,
Or if thou hast thought so,
Lay thy hand upon thy mouth
- For as the pressing of milk bringeth forth butter,
And pressing of the nose bringeth forth blood;
So pressing on wrath bringeth forth strife.
|
§ 31 ⇪
Institutio ad Regem : laus et raritas uxoris strenuæ. |
| XXXI |
- Verborum Lemuelis regis comportatio,
quibus erudiverat ipsum mater ipsius.
- Quid dicam fili mi ? Ecquid fili uteri mei ?
et quid fili votorum meorum ?
- Ne dedito feminis robur tuum,
et vias tuas facientibus ut deleantur reges,
- Absit regibus, ô Lemuel, absit regibus bibere vinum ;
et dominatoribus desiderium potus inebriantis :
- Ut non quum biberit, obliviscatur statuti,
et mutet jus ullorum afflictorum.
- Date potum inebriantem perituro,
et vinum amaris animo :
- Bibat ut obliviscatur paupertatis suæ,
et molestiæ suæ non sit memor amplius.
- Aperi os tuum pro muto,
in causa omnium qui jam traduntur excidio.
- Aperi os tuum, judica juste ;
causam age pauperis et egentis.
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- The conveyance of the words of king Lemuel,
with which his mother had educated him.
- What shall I say, my son? Indeed, what, O son of my womb?
And what, O son of my vows?
- Give not thy strength unto women,
Nor thy ways to them working so that kings may be destroyed.
- Be it far from kings, O Lemuel, be it far from kings to drink wine;
And from rulers the desire of inebriating drink;
- Lest when he drink, he should forget the law,
And change the justice due to any of the afflicted.
- Give inebriating drink unto him that is ready to perish,
And wine unto those bitter in soul:
- Let him drink that he may forget his poverty
And no longer be mindful of his misery.
- Open thy mouth for the dumb man,
In the cause of all who are already handed over for death.
- Open thy mouth, judge righteously,
Take up the cause of the poor and needy.
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| ALEPH { א ( Α, α ) } |
- Feminam strenuam quis inveniet,
quum longe superet carbunculos pretium ejus ?
|
- An energetic woman who will find,
Since her worth far exceeds rubies?
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| BETH { ב ( Β, β ) } |
- Confidit ei animus mariti ejus,
et spolia non deficiunt.
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- The heart of her husband trusteth in her,
And his spoils do not wane.
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| GHIMEL { ג ( Γ, γ ) } |
- Afficit eum bono, non autem malo,
omnibus diebus vitæ suæ.
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- She doeth him good — not, on the contrary, evil
All the days of her life.
|
| DALETH { ד ( Δ, δ ) } |
- Quærit lanam aut lina,
conficitque pro voluntate manuum suarum.
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- She seeketh wool or flax,
And worketh willingly with her hands.
|
| HE { ה ( Ε, ε ) } |
- Et similis navibus negotiatoriis,
e longinquo advehit cibum suum.
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- And like the merchant-ships,
She bringeth her food from afar.
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| WAW { ו ( Υ, υ & Ϝ, ϝ ) } |
- Et surgens dum adhuc nox est,
dat escam domui suæ,
et pensum puellis suis.
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- And rising while it is still night,
She giveth food to her household.
And their task to her maidens
|
| ZAIN { ז ( Ζ, ζ ) } |
- Cogitat agrum, et accipit eum ;
de fructu manuum suarum plantat vineam.
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- She considereth a field, and acquireth it;
From the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.
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| HETH { ח ( Η, η ) } |
- Accingit robore lumbos suos,
et confirmat brachia sua.
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- She girdeth her loins with strength,
And maketh strong her arms.
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| TETH { ט ( Θ, θ ) } |
- Ipsius gustantis bonum esse mercimonium suum,
non exstinguitur noctu lucerna.
|
- Of her that tasteth that her merchandise is good
The lamp is not extinguished by night.
|
| JOD { י ( Ι, ι ) } |
- Manus suas immittit ad verticulum,
et manus ejus tenent fusum.
|
- She putteth her hands to the distaff,
And her hands hold the spindle.
|
| CAPH { כ ( Κ, κ ) } |
- Volam suam pandit pauperi,
et manus suas extendit egenti.
|
- She stretcheth out her palm to the poor man;
And she extendeth her hands to the needy.
|
| LAMED { ל ( Λ, λ ) } |
- Non timet familiæ suæ a nive :
nam tota familia ipsius vestitur pænulis duplicibus.
|
- She feareth not for her household from the snow;
For all her household is clothed with double cloaks.
|
| MEM { מ ( Μ, μ ) } |
- Cadurca parat sibi,
xylinum et purpureum est vestimentum ipsius.
|
- She produceth coverlets for herself;
Her clothing is cotton and purple.
|
| NUN { נ ( Ν, ν ) } |
- Notus est in portis maritus ejus,
considens cum senioribus regionis.
|
- Her husband is known inside the gates,
When sitting with the elders of the land.
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| SAMECH { ס ( Χ, χ & Ξ, ξ ) } |
- Sindonem conficit ac vendit,
et cingulum tradit negotiatori.
|
- She maketh and selleth fine cotton cloth,
And delivereth a sash to the merchant.
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| AIN { ע ( Ο ο & Ω ω ) } |
- Robur et decor est vestitus ejus,
et ridet ad tempora sequentia.
|
- Strength and dignity are her clothing;
And she laugheth at the times to come.
|
| PHE { פ ( Π π ) } |
- Os suum aperit sapienter,
et doctrina benignitatis insidet linguæ ejus.
|
- She openeth her mouth with wisdom;
And the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
|
| TSADE { צ ( Ϡ ϡ ) } |
- Speculatur rationes familiæ suæ,
cibumque pigritiæ non comedit.
|
- She watcheth over the operations of her household,
And eateth not the bread of idleness.
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| QOPH { ק {Ϙ, ϙ} } |
- Assurgentes filii ejus beatam prædicant eam,
maritus ejus similiter laudat eam,
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- Rising up, her children call her blessed;
Her husband likewise praiseth her,
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| REŠ { ר ( Ρ ρ ) } |
- Dicens : « Multæ feminæ fecerunt strenue,
tu vero superas omnes illas. »
|
- Saying, “Many women have done energetically,
But thou excellest them all.”
|
| ŠIN { ש ( Σ, σ, ς ) } |
- Fallax est gratia, et vana pulchritudo ;
mulier reverentia Jahwéhæ prædita,
ipsa laudem comparat sibi.
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- Grace is deceitful, and beauty is vain;
But the woman endowed with fear of Yahwéh,
she garnereth praise to herself.
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| TAU { ת ( Τ τ ) } |
- Date ei de fructu manuum ejus,
et laudent eam in portis facta ejus.
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- Give ye her from the fruit of her hands;
And let her works praise her in the gates.
|