My son, attend to my wisdom, and apply thine ear to my words;
Υἱὲ, ἐμῇ σοφίᾳ πρόσεχε, ἐμοῖς δὲ λόγοις παράβαλλε σὸν οὖς,
The Old Testament
ΠΑΡΟΙΜΙΑΙ ΣΟΛΟΜΩΝΤΟΣ · 5
23 Brenton verses
My son, attend to my wisdom, and apply thine ear to my words;
Υἱὲ, ἐμῇ σοφίᾳ πρόσεχε, ἐμοῖς δὲ λόγοις παράβαλλε σὸν οὖς,
that thou mayest keep good understanding, and the discretion of my lips gives thee a charge. Give no heed to a worthless woman;
ἵνα φυλάξῃς ἔννοιαν ἀγαθήν· αἴσθησις δὲ ἐμῶν χειλέων ἐντέλλεταί σοι·
for honey drops from the lips of a harlot, who for a season pleases thy palate:
Μὴ πρόσεχε φαύλῃ γυναικί. Μέλι γὰρ ἀποστάζει ἀπὸ χειλέων γυναικὸς πόρνης, ἣ πρὸς καιρὸν λιπαίνει σὸν φάρυγγα,
but afterwards thou wilt find her more bitter than gall, and sharper than a two-edged sword.
ὕστερον μέντοι πικρότερον χολῆς εὑρήσεις, καὶ ἠκονημένον μᾶλλον μαχαίρας διστόμου.
For the feet of folly lead those who deal with her down to the grave with death; and her steps are not established.
Τῆς γὰρ ἀφροσύνης οἱ πόδες κατάγουσι τοὺς χρωμένους αὐτῇ μετὰ θανάτου εἰς τὸν ᾅδην, τὰ δὲ ἴχνη αὐτῆς οὐκ ἐρείδεται.
For she goes not upon the paths of life; but her ways are slippery, and not easily known.
Ὁδοὺς γὰρ ζωῆς οὐκ ἐπέρχεται, σφαλεραὶ δὲ αἱ τροχιαὶ αὐτῆς, καὶ οὐκ εὔγνωστοι.
Now then, my son, hear me, and make not my words of none effect.
Νῦν οὖν υἱὲ ἄκουέ μου, καὶ μὴ ἀκύρους ποιήσεις ἐμοὺς λόγους.
Remove thy way far from her; draw not near to the doors of her house:
Μακρὰν ποίησον ἀπʼ αὐτῆς σὴν ὁδόν· μὴ ἐγγίσῃς πρὸς θύραις οἴκων αὐτῆς,
lest thou give away thy life to others, and thy substance to the merciless:
ἵνα μὴ πρόῃ ἄλλοις ζωήν σου, καὶ σὸν βίον ἀνελεήμοσιν·
lest strangers be filled with thy strength, and thy labours come into the houses of strangers;
Ἵνα μὴ πλησθῶσιν ἀλλότριοι σῆς ἰσχύος, οἱ δὲ σοὶ πόνοι εἰς οἴκους ἀλλοτρίων ἔλθεσι·
and thou repent at last, when the flesh of thy body is consumed,
Καὶ μεταμεληθήσῃ ἐπʼ ἐσχάτων, ἡνίκα ἂν κατατριβῶσι σάρκες σώματός σου,
and thou shalt say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart avoided reproofs!
καὶ ἐρεῖς, πῶς ἐμίσησα παιδείαν, καὶ ἐλέγχους ἐξέκλινεν ἡ καρδία μου;
I heard not the voice of him that instructed me, and taught me, neither did I apply mine ear.
Οὐκ ἤκουον φωνὴν παιδεύοντός με καὶ διδάσκοντός με, οὐδὲ παρέβαλλον τὸ οὖς μου.
I was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly.
Παρʼ ὀλίγον ἐγενόμην ἐν παντὶ κακῷ, ἐν μέσῳ ἐκκλησίας καὶ συναγωγῆς.
Drink waters out of thine own vessels, and out of thine own springing wells.
Πίνε ὕδατα ἀπὸ σῶν ἀγγείων, καὶ ἀπὸ σῶν φρεάτων πηγῆς.
Let not waters out of thy fountain be spilt by thee, but let thy waters go into thy streets.
Μὴ ὑπερεκχείσθω σοι ὕδατα ἐκ τῆς σῆς πηγῆς, εἰς δὲ σὰς πλατείας διαπορευέσθω τὰ σὰ ὕδατα.
Let them be only thine own, and let no stranger partake with thee.
Ἔστω σοι μόνῳ ὑπάρχοντα, καὶ μηδεὶς ἀλλότριος μετασχέτω σοι.
Let thy fountain of water be truly thine own; and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.
Ἡ πηγή σου τοῦ ὕδατος ἔστω σοι ἰδία, καὶ συνευφραίνου μετὰ γυναικὸς τῆς ἐκ νεότητός σου.
Let thy loving hart and thy graceful colt company with thee, and let her be considered thine own, and be with thee at all times; for ravished with her love thou shalt be greatly increased.
Ἔλαφος φιλίας καὶ πῶλος σῶν χαρίτων ὁμιλείτω σοι, ἡ δὲ ἰδία ἡγείσθω σου καὶ συνέστω σοι ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ· ἐν γὰρ τῇ ταύτης φιλίᾳ συμπεριφερόμενος, πολλοστὸς ἔσῃ.
Be not intimate with a strange woman, neither fold thyself in the arms of a woman not thine own.
Μὴ πολὺς ἴσθι πρὸς ἀλλοτρίαν, μηδὲ συνέχου ἀγκάλαις τῆς μὴ ἰδίας.
For the ways of a man are before the eyes of God, and he looks on all his paths.
Ἐνώπιον γάρ εἰσι τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ ὀφθαλμῶν ὁδοὶ ἀνδρὸς, εἰς δὲ πάσας τὰς τροχιὰς αὐτοῦ σκοπεύει.
Iniquities ensnare a man, and every one is bound in the chains of his own sins.
Παρανομίαι ἄνδρα ἀγρεύουσι, σειραῖς δὲ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ ἁμαρτιῶν ἕκαστος σφίγγεται.
Such a man dies with the uninstructed; and he is cast forth from the abundance of his own substance, and has perished through folly.
Οὗτος τελευτᾷ μετὰ ἀπαιδεύτων, ἐκ δὲ πλήθους τῆς ἑαυτοῦ βιότητος ἐξεῤῥίφη, καὶ ἀπώλετο διʼ ἀφροσύνην.
Brenton supplied wording, small capitals, translation notes, Greek wording, and edition-specific verse identifiers are retained. Parallel passages keep each edition's own references. Editions and sources.