Özdeyişler 9

¹Bilgelik kendisi için bir ev inşa etti ve yedi direği sağlamca yerleştirdi.

²Kurbanlık hayvanlarını boğazladı, şarabını karıştırma kasesinde hazırladı ve sofrasını kurdu.

³Hizmetçilerini gönderdi ve şölen kasesinin kurulduğu yere doğru yüksek bir sesle çağrıda bulunarak şöyle sesleniyor:

⁴"Kim akılsızsa bana yönelsin." Ve zihinsel yetiden yoksun olanlara dedi ki:

⁵"Gelin, ekmeklerimden yiyin ve sizin için hazırladığım şaraptan için.

⁶Akılsızlığı bırakın ki sonsuza dek hüküm süresiniz; sağduyuyu arayın ve kavrayışınızı bilgiyle doğrultun."

⁷Kötüleri eğitmeye çalışan kendine hakaret kazanır, tanrısızı azarlayan ise kendini lekelemiş olur.

⁸Kötüleri azarlama, yoksa senden nefret ederler; bilgeyi azarla, seni sevecektir.

⁹Bilgeye bir fırsat ver, daha da bilge olsun; doğru kişiye öğret, almaya devam etsin.

¹⁰RAB korkusudur bilgeliğin başlangıcı ve kutsalların konseyidir anlayış; yasayı bilmek ise iyi bir zihnin özelliğidir.

¹¹Çünkü bu yöntemle uzun bir ömür süreceksin ve yaşamının yılları artırılacaktır.

¹²Oğlum, kendin için bilge olursan, yakınların için de bilge olacaksın; ama kötü olursan, kötülüğün acısını tek başına çekersin. Yalanlara dayanan kişi rüzgarları gütmeye çalışır ve uçan kuşların peşinden koşar; çünkü kendi bağının yollarını bırakmış, kendi tarlasının saban tekerleklerini saptırmıştır; susuz bir çölden ve kuraklığa mahkum edilmiş bir topraktan geçer, elleriyle bereketsizlik toplar.

¹³Akılsız ve küstah kadın bir lokma ekmeğe muhtaç kalır, o ki utanma nedir bilmez.

¹⁴Evinin kapısında, meydanlarda herkesin göreceği bir kürsüde oturur,

¹⁵Yoldan geçenleri ve kendi yollarında dosdoğru gidenleri çağırarak der ki:

¹⁶"Aranızda en akılsız kimse bana dönsün." Ve sağduudan yoksun olanlara seslenerek der ki:

¹⁷"Gizli ekmeklere zevkle dokunun ve çalınmış tatlı sudan için."

¹⁸Ama o bilmez ki yeryüzünde doğanlar onun yanında yok olup gider ve o kişi ölüler diyarının tuzağıyla karşılaşır.

⁰18α Ama sen oradan hemen uzaklaş, o yerde gecikme ve gözünü ona dikme;

⁰18β çünkü böylece yabancı suları aşacak ve yabancı bir ırmağı geçeceksin.

⁰18γ Yabancı sudan uzak dur ve yabancı bir pınardan içme,

⁰18δ ki ömrün uzun olsun ve yaşamına yıllar katılsın.

¹Η σοφία ᾠκοδόμησεν ἑαυτῇ οἶκον καὶ ὑπήρεισε στύλους ἑπτά·

²ἔσφαξε τὰ ἑαυτῆς θύματα, ἐκέρασεν εἰς κρατῆρα τὸν ἑαυτῆς οἶνον καὶ ἡτοιμάσατο τὴν ἑαυτῆς τράπεζαν·

³ἀπέστειλε τοὺς ἑαυτῆς δούλους συγκαλοῦσα μετὰ ὑψηλοῦ κηρύγματος ἐπὶ κρατῆρα λέγουσα·

⁴ὅς ἐστιν ἄφρων, ἐκκλινάτω πρός με· καὶ τοῖς ἐνδεέσι φρενῶν εἶπεν·

⁵ἔλθετε φάγετε τῶν ἐμῶν ἄρτων καὶ πίετε οἶνον, ὃν ἐκέρασα ὑμῖν·

⁶ἀπολείπετε ἀφροσύνην, ἵνα εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα βασιλεύσητε, καὶ ζητήσατε φρόνησιν, καὶ κατορθώσατε ἐν γνώσει σύνεσιν.

⁷῾Ο παιδεύων κακοὺς λήψεται ἑαυτῷ ἀτιμίαν· ἐλέγχων δὲ τὸν ἀσεβῆ μωμήσεται ἑαυτόν.

⁸μὴ ἔλεγχε κακούς, ἵνα μὴ μισήσωσί σε· ἔλεγχε σοφόν, καὶ ἀγαπήσει σε.

⁹δίδου σοφῷ ἀφορμήν, καὶ σοφώτερος ἔσται· γνώριζε δικαίῳ, καὶ προσθήσει τοῦ δέχεσθαι.

¹⁰ἀρχὴ σοφίας φόβος Κυρίου, καὶ βουλὴ ἁγίων σύνεσις, τὸ δὲ γνῶναι νόμον διανοίας ἐστὶν ἀγαθῆς·

¹¹τούτῳ γὰρ τῷ τρόπῳ πολὺν ζήσεις χρόνον, καὶ προστεθήσεταί σοι ἔτη ζωῆς σου.

¹²υἱέ, ἐὰν σοφὸς γένῃ σεαυτῷ, σοφὸς ἔση καὶ τοῖς πλησίον· ἐὰν δὲ κακὸς ἀποβῇς, μόνος ἂν ἀντλήσεις κακά. ὃς ἐρείδεται ἐπὶ ψεύδεσιν, οὗτος ποιμαίνει ἀνέμους, ὁ δ᾿ αὐτὸς διώξεται ὄρνεα πετόμενα· ἀπέλιπε γὰρ ὁδοὺς τοῦ ἑαυτοῦ ἀμπελῶνος, τοὺς δὲ ἄξονας τοῦ ἰδίου γεωργίου πεπλάνηται· διαπορεύεται δὲ δι᾿ ἀνύδρου ἐρήμου καὶ γῆν διατεταγμένην ἐν διψώδεσι, συνάγει δὲ χερσὶν ἀκαρπίαν.

¹³Γυνὴ ἄφρων καὶ θρασεῖα ἐνδεὴς ψωμοῦ γίνεται, ἣ οὐκ ἐπίσταται αἰσχύνην.

¹⁴ἐκάθισεν ἐπὶ θύραις τοῦ ἑαυτῆς οἴκου, ἐπὶ δίφρου ἐμφανῶς ἐν πλατείαις,

¹⁵προσκαλουμένη τοὺς παριόντας καὶ κατευθύνοντας ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτῶν·

¹⁶ὅς ἐστιν ὑμῶν ἀφρονέστατος, ἐκκλινάτω πρός με καὶ τοῖς ἐνδεέσι φρονήσεως παρακελεύομαι λέγουσα·

¹⁷ἄρτων κρυφίων ἡδέως ἅψασθε καὶ ὕδατος κλοπῆς γλυκεροῦ.

¹⁸ὁ δὲ οὐκ οἶδεν ὅτι γηγενεῖς παρ᾿ αὐτῇ ὄλλυνται, καὶ ἐπὶ πέταυρον ᾅδου συναντᾷ. 18α ἀλλὰ ἀποπήδησον, μὴ χρονίσῃς ἐν τῷ τόπῳ, μηδὲ ἐπιστήσῃς τὸ σὸν ὄμμα πρὸς αὐτήν· 18β οὕτως γὰρ διαβήσῃ ὕδωρ ἀλλότριον καὶ ὑπερβήσῃ ποταμὸν ἀλλότριον· 18γ ἀπὸ δὲ ὕδατος ἀλλοτρίου ἀπόσχου καὶ ἀπὸ πηγῆς ἀλλοτρίας μὴ πίῃς, 18δ ἵνα πολὺν ζήσῃς χρόνον, προστεθῇ δέ σοι ἔτη ζωῆς.

¹Wisdom has built a house for herself, and set up seven pillars.

²She has killed her beasts; she has mingled her wine in a bowl, and prepared her table.

³She has sent forth her servants, calling with a loud proclamation to the feast, saying,

⁴Whoso is foolish, let him turn aside to me: and to them that want understanding she says,

⁵Come, eat of my bread, and drink wine which I have mingled for you.

⁶Leave folly, that ye may reign for ever; and seek wisdom, and improve understanding by knowledge.

⁷He that reproves evil [men] shall get dishonour to himself; and he that rebukes an ungodly [man] shall disgrace himself.

⁸Rebuke not evil [men], lest they should hate thee: rebuke a wise [man], and he will love thee.

⁹Give an opportunity to a wise [man], and he will be wiser: instruct a just man, and he will receive more [instruction].

¹⁰The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the counsel of saints is understanding: for to know the law is [the character] of a sound mind.

¹¹For in this way thou shalt live long, and years of thy life shall be added to thee.

¹²Son, if thou be wise for thyself, thou shalt also be wise for thy neighbours; and if thou shouldest prove wicked, thou alone wilt bear the evil. He that stays himself upon falsehoods, attempts to rule the winds, and the same will pursue birds in their fight: for he has forsaken the ways of his own vineyard, and he has caused the axles of his own husbandry to go astray; and he goes through a dry desert, and a [land] appointed to drought, and he gathers barrenness with his hands.

¹³A foolish and bold woman, who knows not modesty, comes to want a morsel.

¹⁴She sits at the doors of her house, on a seat openly in the streets,

¹⁵calling to passers by, and to those that are going right on their ways;

¹⁶[saying], Whoso is most senseless of you, let him turn aside to me; and I exhort those that want prudence, saying,

¹⁷Take and enjoy secret bread, and the sweet water of theft.

¹⁸But he knows not that mighty men die by her, and he falls in with a snare of hell. 18α But hasten away, delay not in the place, neither fix thine eye upon her: 18β for thus shalt thou go through strange water; 18γ but do thou abstain from strange water, and drink not of a strange fountain, 18δ that thou mayest live long, and years of life may be added to thee.