箴言的價值

這是大衛的兒子以色列王所羅門的箴言。

為使人認識智慧和教誨,
    領悟真知灼見;
為使人接受勸誡,
    為人處事仁義、公平、正直;
使愚昧人明智,
    使青年有知識和明辨力;
使智者聽了長學問,
    明哲聽了得指引;
使人領悟箴言和比喻,
    明白智者的話和謎語。

知識始於敬畏耶和華,

    愚人輕視智慧和教誨。
孩子啊,
    你要聽從父親的教誨,
    不可背棄母親的訓言。
因為這要作你頭上的華冠,
    頸上的項鏈。
10 孩子啊,惡人若引誘你,
    千萬不要聽從。
11 他們若說:「跟我們來吧,
    我們去埋伏殺人,
    暗害無辜者取樂;
12 我們要像陰間一樣生吞他們,
    整個吞沒他們,
    使他們如墜入墳墓的人;
13 我們必得到各樣寶物,
    把戰利品裝滿我們的房屋。
14 跟我們一起幹吧,
    大家有福同享!」
15 孩子啊,
    不要走他們的道,
    切莫行他們的路。
16 因為他們奔向罪惡,
    急速地去殺人流血。
17 在飛鳥眼前設網羅,徒勞無功。
18 他們埋伏,卻自流己血;
    他們伏擊,卻自害己命。
19 這就是貪愛不義之財者的結局,
    不義之財終要奪去他們的性命。

智慧的勸誡

20 智慧在大街上高喊,
    在廣場上揚聲,
21 在熱鬧的市集宣告,
    在城門口演說:
22 「你們愚昧人喜愛愚昧,
    嘲諷者以嘲弄為樂,
    無知者厭惡知識,
    要到什麼時候呢?
23 你們若因我的責備而回轉,
    我就向你們顯明我的旨意[a]
    叫你們明白我的話語。
24 我呼喚你們,
    你們卻充耳不聞;
    我向你們招手,
    你們卻視若無睹。
25 你們漠視我的勸誡,
    不接受我的責備。
26 因此,
    你們遭遇災難時,
    我必發笑;
    驚恐臨到你們時,
    我必嗤笑——
27 那時,恐懼如風暴襲擊你們,
    災難如旋風臨到你們,
    憂愁和苦難吞沒你們。
28 你們呼求我,
    我也不回答;
    你們懇切地尋找我,
    卻找不到。
29 因為你們厭惡知識,
    不願意敬畏耶和華,
30 不接受我的勸誡,
    又藐視我的責備。
31 所以,你們必自食其果,
    因自己的惡謀而吃盡苦頭。
32 愚昧人背離正道,
    自招滅亡;
    愚頑人逍遙自在,
    毀掉自己。
33 然而,那聽從我的必安然居住,
    得享安寧,
    不怕災禍。」

Footnotes

  1. 1·23 我就向你們顯明我的旨意」希伯來文是「我就將我的靈澆灌你們」。

How Proverbs Can Be Used

(A) These are the proverbs
of King Solomon of Israel,
    the son of David.
Proverbs will teach you
    wisdom and self-control
and how to understand
    sayings with deep meanings.
You will learn what is right
    and honest and fair.
From these, an ordinary person
    can learn to be smart,
and young people can gain
    knowledge and good sense.

If you are already wise,
    you will become even wiser.
And if you are smart,
you will learn to understand
    proverbs and sayings,
as well as words of wisdom,
    and all kinds of riddles.
(B) Respect and obey the Lord!
This is the beginning
    of knowledge.[a]
Only a fool rejects wisdom
    and good advice.

Warnings against Bad Friends

My child, obey the teachings
    of your parents,
and wear their teachings
as you would a pretty hat
    or a lovely necklace.
10 Don't be tempted by sinners
or listen 11     when they say,
“Come on! Let's gang up
and kill somebody,
    just for the fun of it!
12 They're well and healthy now,
but we'll finish them off
    once and for all.
13 We'll take their valuables
and fill our homes
    with stolen goods.
14 If you join our gang,
    you'll get your share.”

15 Don't follow anyone like that
    or do what they do.
16 They are in a big hurry
to commit some crime,
    perhaps even murder.
17 They are like a bird
that sees the bait,
    but ignores the trap.[b]
18 They gang up to murder someone,
    but they are the victims.
19 The wealth you get from crime
    robs you of your life.

Wisdom Speaks

20 (C) Wisdom[c] shouts in the streets
    wherever crowds gather.
21 She shouts in the marketplaces
and near the city gates
    as she says to the people,
22 “How much longer
will you enjoy
    being stupid fools?
Won't you ever stop sneering
    and laughing at knowledge?
23 Listen as I correct you
    and tell you what I think.
24 You completely ignored me
    and refused to listen;
25 you rejected my advice
and paid no attention
    when I warned you.

26 “So when you are struck
    by some terrible disaster,
27 or when trouble and distress
surround you like a whirlwind,
    I will laugh and make fun.
28 You will ask for my help,
    but I won't listen;
you will search,
    but you won't find me.
29 No, you would not learn,
and you refused
    to respect the Lord.
30 You rejected my advice
and paid no attention
    when I warned you.

31 “Now you will eat the fruit
    of what you have done,
until you are stuffed full
    with your own schemes.
32 Sin and self-satisfaction
bring destruction and death
    to stupid fools.
33 But if you listen to me,
you will be safe and secure
    without fear of disaster.”

Footnotes

  1. 1.7 the beginning of knowledge: Or “what knowledge is all about.”
  2. 1.17 They are … trap: Or “Be like a bird that won't go for the bait, if it sees the trap.”
  3. 1.20 Wisdom: In the book of Proverbs the word “wisdom” is sometimes used as though wisdom were a supernatural being who was with God at the time of creation.

Mishlei Sh’lomo Ben Dovid, Melech Yisroel;

To have da’as of chochmah and musar (discipline); to understand the words of binah;

To receive the musar of those with seichel, tzedek and mishpat, and meisharim (equity, uprightness);

To give subtlety to the simple, to the na’ar, da’as and discretion.

A chacham (wise person) will hear, and will increase learning, and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:

To understand a mashal (proverb), and the melitzah (enigma); the divrei chachamim, and their chidot (riddles).

The Yirat Hashem is the reshit da’as, but fools despise chochmah and musar.

Beni (my son), hear the musar Avicha, and forsake not the Torat Immecha.

For they shall be a garland of chen unto thy rosh, and a chain about thy neck.

10 Beni (my son), if chatt’aim (sinners) entice thee, consent thou not.

11 If they say, Come with us, let us lie in wait for dahm, let us lurk secretly for the naki (innocent, harmless) chinnom (without cause);

12 Let us swallow them up chayyim (alive) like She’ol; and whole, as those that go down into the bor (pit);

13 We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill bateinu (our houses) with plunder;

14 Throw in thy goral (lot) among us; let all of us have kis echad (one pouch, purse).

15 Beni (my son), walk not thou in the derech with them; refrain thy regel from their path;

16 For their raglayim run to rah, and make haste for shefach dahm (shedding of blood).

17 Surely in vain the reshet (net) is spread in the eyes of kol ba’al kanaf (all the birds, i.e., lit. master of [the] wing);

18 And they lie in wait for their own dahm; they lurk secretly for their own nafshot.

19 So are the ways of every one that is greedy for betza (ill-gotten gain); which taketh away the nefesh of the be’alim (owners) thereof.

20 Chochmot crieth out in the street; she lifts up her voice in the rechovot (city squares);

21 She crieth out in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the she’arim (gates); in the Ir (city) she uttereth her words, saying,

22 Ad mosai, ye simple ones, will ye love being simpletons? And the scoffers delight in their mockery, and kesilim (fools) hate da’as?

23 Turn you at my tokhechah (reproof); hinei, I will pour out my ruach unto you, I will make known my devarim unto you.

24 Because I have called, and ye refused, I have stretched out my yad, and no man regarded;

25 But ye have disdained all my etza (counsel), and would have none of my tokhechah (reproof);

26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your pachad (terror) cometh;

27 When your pachad (terror) cometh like a storm, and your calamity cometh like a whirlwind; when tzarah (distress) and oppression cometh upon you.

28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall look for me diligently, but they shall not find me;

29 For that they hated da’as, and did not choose the Yirat Hashem;

30 They would have none of my etza (counsel); they despised all my tokhechah (reproof).

31 Therefore shall they eat of the p’ri (fruit) of their own derech, and be filled with their own mo’atzot (schemes, devices).

32 For the waywardness of the simple shall slay them, and the complacent contentment of kesilim (fools) shall destroy them.

33 But the one who payeth heed unto me [Chochmat Hashem, i.e., the Redemptive Word, not only Hashem’s creative agent (Ps 33:6; Prov 8:30; 30:4) but the one who comes with a healing mission according to Ps 107:20, though Moshiach has to die in the midst of his healing Mission to accomplish our healing from guilt and punitive dread-Isa 53:5] shall dwell safely, and shall be secure from pachad ra’ah (terror of evil).