1
Λίθῳ ἠρδαλωμένῳ συνεβλήθη ὀκνηρὸς, καὶ πᾶς ἐκσυριεῖ ἐπὶ τῇ ἀτιμίᾳ αὐτοῦ.
A slothful man is compared to a filthy stone, And everyone will hiss him out to his disgrace.
2
Βολβίτῳ κοπρίων συνεβλήθη ὀκνηρὸς, πᾶς ὁ ἀναιρούμενος αὐτὸν ἐκτινάξει χεῖρα.
A slothful man is compared to the filth of a dunghill: Every man that takes it up will shake his hand.
3
Αἰσχύνη πατρὸς ἐν γεννήσει ἀπαιδεύτου, θυγάτηρ δὲ ἐπʼ ἐλαττώσει γίνεται.
An evil-nurtured son is the dishonor of his father that begot him: And a [foolish] daughter is born to his loss.
4
Θυγάτηρ φρονίμη κληρονομήσει ἄνδρα αὐτῆς, καὶ ἡ καταισχύνουσα, εἰς λύπην γεννήσαντος.
A wise daughter shall bring an inheritance to her husband: But she that liveth dishonestly is her father’s heaviness.
5
Πατέρα καὶ ἄνδρα καταισχύνει ἡ θρασεῖα, καὶ ὑπὸ ἀμφοτέρων ἀμιμασθήσεται.
She that is bold dishonoreth both her father and her husband, And they both shall despise her.
6
Μουσικὰ ἐν πένθει ἄκαιρος διήγησις, μάστιγες καὶ παιδεία ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ σοφίας.
A tale out of season [is as] music in mourning: But stripes and correction of wisdom are never out of time.
9
Συγκολλῶν ὄστρακον ὁ διδάσκων μωρὸν, ἐξεγείρων καθεύδοντα ἐκ βαθέως ὕπνου.
Whoso teacheth a fool is as one that glueth a potsherd together, And as he that waketh one from a sound sleep.
10
Διηγούμενος νυστάζοντι ὁ διηγούμενος μωρῷ, καὶ ἐπὶ συντελείᾳ ἐρεῖ, τί ἐστιν;
He that telleth a tale to a fool speaketh to one in a slumber: When he hath told his tale, he will say, What is the matter?
11
Ἐπὶ νεκρῷ κλαῦσον, ἐξέλιπε γὰρ φῶς· καὶ ἐπὶ μωρῷ κλαῦσον, ἐξέλιπε γὰρ σύνεσις· ἥδιον κλαῦσον ἐπὶ νεκρῷ, ὅτι ἀνεπαύσατο, τοῦ δὲ μωροῦ ὑπὲρ θάνατον ἡ ζωὴ πονηρά.
Weep for the dead, for he hath lost the light: And weep for the fool, for he wanteth understanding: Make little weeping for the dead, for he is at rest: But the life of the fool is worse than death.
12
Πένθος νεκροῦ ἑπτὰ ἡμέραι, μωροῦ δὲ καὶ ἀσεβοῦς πᾶσαι αἱ ἡμέραι τῆς ζωῆς αὐτοῦ.
Seven days do men mourn for him that is dead; But for a fool and an ungodly man all the days of his life.
13
Μετὰ ἄφρονος μὴ πληθύνῃς λόγον, καὶ πρὸς ἀσύνετον μὴ πορεύου· φύλαξον ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ ἵνα μὴ κόπον ἔχῃς, καὶ οὐ μὴ μολυνθῇς ἐν τῷ ἐντιναγμῷ αὐτοῦ· ἔκκλινον ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ καὶ εὑρήσεις ἀνάπαυσιν, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀκηδιάσῃς ἐν τῇ ἀπονοίᾳ αὐτοῦ.
Talk not much with a fool, And go not to him that hath no understanding: Beware of him, lest thou have trouble, And thou shalt never be defiled with his fooleries: Depart from him, and thou shalt find rest, And never be disquieted with madness.
14
Ὑπὲρ μόλυβδον τί βαρυνθήσεται; καὶ τί αὐτῷ ὄνομα, ἀλλʼ ἢ μωρός;
What is heavier than lead? And what is the name thereof, but a fool?
15
Ἄμμον καὶ ἅλα καὶ βῶλον σιδήρου εὔκοπον ὑπενεγκεῖν, ἢ ἄνθρωπον ἀσύνετον.
Sand, and salt, and a mass of iron, are easier to bear, Than a man without understanding.
16
Ἱμάντωσις ξυλίνη ἐνδεδεμένη εἰς οἰκοδομὴν ἐν συσσεισμῷ οὐ διαλυθήσεται, οὕτως καρδία ἐστηριγμένη ἐπὶ διανοήματος βουλῆς ἐν καιρῷ οὐ δειλιάσει.
As timber girded and bound together in a building cannot be loosed with shaking: So the heart that is established by advised counsel shall fear at no time.
17
Καρδία ἡδρασμένη ἐπὶ διανοίας συνέσεως, ὡς κόσμος ψαμμωτὸς τοίχου ξυστοῦ.
A heart settled upon a thought of understanding Is as a fair plastering on the wall of a gallery.
18
Χάρακες ἐπὶ μετεώρου κείμενοι κατέναντι ἀνέμου οὐ μὴ ὑπομείνωσιν, οὕτως καρδία δειλὴ ἐπὶ διανοήματος μωροῦ κατέναντι παντὸς φόβου οὐ μὴ ὑπομείνῃ.
Pales set on a high place will never stand against the wind: So a fearful heart in the imagination of a fool cannot stand against any fear.
19
Ὁ νύσσων ὀφθαλμὸν κατάξει δάκρυα, καὶ ὁ νύσσων καρδίαν ἐκφαίνει αἴσθησιν.
He that pricketh the eye will make tears to fall: And he that pricketh the heart maketh it to show her knowledge.
20
Βάλλων λίθον ἐπὶ πετεινὰ ἀποσοβεῖ αὐτὰ, καὶ ὁ ὀνειδίζων φίλον διαλύσει φιλίαν.
Whoso casteth a stone at the birds frayeth them away: And he that upbraideth his friend breaketh friendship.
21
Ἐπὶ φίλον ἐὰν σπάσῃς ῥομφαίαν, μὴ ἀπελπίσῃς, ἔστι γὰρ ἐπάνοδος.
Though thou drewest a sword at thy friend, yet despair not: For there may be a returning [to favor].
22
Ἐπὶ φίλον ἐὰν ἀνοίξῃς στόμα, μὴ εὐλαβηθῇς, ἔστι γὰρ διαλλαγή· πλὴν ὀνειδισμοῦ, καὶ ὑπερηφανίας, καὶ μυστηρίου ἀποκαλύψεως, καὶ πληγῆς δολίας, ἐν τούτοις ἀποφεύξεται πᾶς φίλος.
If thou hast opened thy mouth against thy friend, fear not; For there may be a reconciliation: Except for upbraiding, or pride, or disclosing of secrets, or a treacherous wound: For for these things every friend will depart.
23
Πίστιν κτῆσαι ἐν πτωχείᾳ μετὰ τοῦ πλησίον, ἵνα ἐν τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς αὐτοῦ ὁμοῦ πλησθῇς· ἐν καιρῷ θλίψεως διάμενε αὐτῷ, ἵνα ἐν τῇ κληρονομίᾳ αὐτοῦ συνκληρονομήσῃς.
Be faithful to thy neighbor in his poverty, That thou mayest rejoice in his prosperity: Abide steadfast unto him in the time of his trouble, That thou mayest be heir with him in his heritage.
24
Πρὸ πυρὸς ἀτμὶς καμίνου καὶ καπνὸς, οὕτως πρὸ αἱμάτων λοιδορίαι.
As the vapor and smoke of a furnace goeth before the fire; So reviling before blood.
25
Φίλον σκεπάσαι οὐκ αἰσχυνθήσομαι, καὶ ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ οὐ μὴ κρυβῶ,
I will not be ashamed to defend a friend; Neither will I hide myself from him;
26
καὶ εἰ κακά μοι συμβῇ διʼ αὐτόν, πᾶς ὁ ἀκούων φυλάξεται ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ.
And if any evil happen unto me by him, Everyone that heareth it will beware of him.
27
Τίς δώσει μοι ἐπὶ στόμα μου φυλακὴν, καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν χειλέων μου σφραγίδα πανοῦργον, ἵνα μὴ πέσω ἀπʼ αὐτῆς, καὶ ἡ γλῶσσά μου ἀπολέσῃ με;
Who shall set a watch before my mouth, And a seal of wisdom upon my lips, That I fall not suddenly by them, And that my tongue destroy me not?