智慧和愚昧

智慧建造她的房屋,
    凿出七根柱子。
她宰了牲口,
    调了美酒,
    设了宴席,
派婢女出去邀请宾客,
    自己在城中高处呼喊:
“愚昧人啊,到这里来吧!”
    她又对无知者说:
“来吃我做的饭,
    尝尝我调的酒吧!
你们要抛弃愚昧,就能存活,
    要转向悟性之道。”

纠正嘲讽者,必自招羞辱;
    责备恶人,必自招伤害。
不要责备嘲讽者,免得他恨你;
    要责备智者,他必爱你。
教导智者,他就更有智慧;
    指教义人,他就更有见识。
10 智慧始于敬畏耶和华,
    认识至圣者便是明智。
11 智慧可增添你的年日,
    加添你的寿数。
12 人有智慧,自得益处;
    人好嘲讽,自食恶果。

13 愚昧的女人喧嚷,蒙昧,无知。
14 她坐在自己的家门口,
    坐在城中高处的座位上,
15 招呼着行色匆匆的过客:
16 “愚昧人啊,到这里来吧!”
    她又对无知者说:
17 “偷喝的水甜,偷吃的饼香。”
18 他们却不知她那里鬼影憧憧,
    她的客人已落在阴间的深处。

智慧和愚昧

智慧建造她的房屋,
    鑿出七根柱子。
她宰了牲口,
    調了美酒,
    設了宴席,
派婢女出去邀請賓客,
    自己在城中高處呼喊:
「愚昧人啊,到這裡來吧!」
    她又對無知者說:
「來吃我做的飯,
    嚐嚐我調的酒吧!
你們要拋棄愚昧,就能存活,
    要轉向悟性之道。」

糾正嘲諷者,必自招羞辱;
    責備惡人,必自招傷害。
不要責備嘲諷者,免得他恨你;
    要責備智者,他必愛你。
教導智者,他就更有智慧;
    指教義人,他就更有見識。
10 智慧始於敬畏耶和華,
    認識至聖者便是明智。
11 智慧可增添你的年日,
    加添你的壽數。
12 人有智慧,自得益處;
    人好嘲諷,自食惡果。

13 愚昧的女人喧嚷,蒙昧,無知。
14 她坐在自己的家門口,
    坐在城中高處的座位上,
15 招呼著行色匆匆的過客:
16 「愚昧人啊,到這裡來吧!」
    她又對無知者說:
17 「偷喝的水甜,偷吃的餅香。」
18 他們卻不知她那裡鬼影幢幢,
    她的客人已落在陰間的深處。

Wisdom versus Foolishness

Wisdom has built her house;(A)
she has carved out her seven pillars.
She has prepared her meat;(B) she has mixed her wine;(C)
she has also set her table.(D)
She has sent out her female servants;(E)
she calls out from the highest points of the city:(F)
“Whoever is inexperienced, enter here!”
To the one who lacks sense,(G) she says,
“Come, eat my bread,(H)
and drink the wine I have mixed.
Leave inexperience behind, and you will live;
pursue the way of understanding.
The one who corrects a mocker
will bring abuse on himself;
the one who rebukes the wicked will get hurt.[a]
Don’t rebuke a mocker, or he will hate you;(I)
rebuke the wise, and he will love you.(J)
Instruct the wise, and he will be wiser still;
teach the righteous, and he will learn more.(K)

10 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,(L)
and the knowledge of the Holy One(M) is understanding.
11 For by me your days will be many,
and years will be added to your life.
12 If you are wise, you are wise for your own benefit;(N)
if you mock, you alone will bear the consequences.”

13 Folly is a rowdy woman;(O)
she is gullible and knows nothing.(P)
14 She sits by the doorway of her house,
on a seat at the highest point of the city,
15 calling to those who pass by,
who go straight ahead on their paths:(Q)
16 “Whoever is inexperienced, enter here!”
To the one who lacks sense, she says,
17 “Stolen water is sweet,
and bread eaten secretly is tasty!” (R)
18 But he doesn’t know that the departed spirits are there,(S)
that her guests are in the depths of Sheol.(T)

Footnotes

  1. 9:7 Lit man: his blemish