Παροιμίαι 26
1 ὥσπερ δρόσος ἐν ἀμήτῳ καὶ ὥσπερ ὑετὸς ἐν θέρει οὕτως οὐκ ἔστιν ἄφρονι τιμή
Like snow in summer and rain when the grain is being cut, so honour is not natural for the foolish.
2 ὥσπερ ὄρνεα πέταται καὶ στρουθοί οὕτως ἀρὰ ματαία οὐκ ἐπελεύσεται οὐδενί
As the sparrow in her wandering and the swallow in her flight, so the curse does not come without a cause.
3 ὥσπερ μάστιξ ἵππῳ καὶ κέντρον ὄνῳ οὕτως ῥάβδος ἔθνει παρανόμῳ
A whip for the horse, a mouth-bit for the ass, and a rod for the back of the foolish.
4 μὴ ἀποκρίνου ἄφρονι πρὸς τὴν ἐκείνου ἀφροσύνην ἵνα μὴ ὅμοιος γένῃ αὐτῷ
Do not give to the foolish man a foolish answer, or you will be like him.
5 ἀλλὰ ἀποκρίνου ἄφρονι κατὰ τὴν ἀφροσύνην αὐτοῦ ἵνα μὴ φαίνηται σοφὸς παρ’ ἑαυτῷ
Give a foolish man a foolish answer, or he will seem wise to himself.
6 ἐκ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ ποδῶν ὄνειδος πίεται ὁ ἀποστείλας δῑ ἀγγέλου ἄφρονος λόγον
He who sends news by the hand of a foolish man is cutting off his feet and drinking in damage.
7 ἀφελοῦ πορείαν σκελῶν καὶ παροιμίαν ἐκ στόματος ἀφρόνων
The legs of one who has no power of walking are hanging loose; so is a wise saying in the mouth of the foolish.
8 ὃς ἀποδεσμεύει λίθον ἐν σφενδόνῃ ὅμοιός ἐστιν τῷ διδόντι ἄφρονι δόξαν
Giving honour to a foolish man is like attempting to keep a stone fixed in a cord.
9 ἄκανθαι φύονται ἐν χειρὶ τοῦ μεθύσου δουλεία δὲ ἐν χειρὶ τῶν ἀφρόνων
Like a thorn which goes up into the hand of a man overcome by drink, so is a wise saying in the mouth of a foolish man.
10 πολλὰ χειμάζεται πᾶσα σὰρξ ἀφρόνων συντρίβεται γὰρ ἡ ἔκστασις αὐτῶν
Like an archer wounding all who go by, is a foolish man overcome by drink.
11 ὥσπερ κύων ὅταν ἐπέλθῃ ἐπὶ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ ἔμετον καὶ μισητὸς γένηται οὕτως ἄφρων τῇ ἑαυτοῦ κακίᾳ ἀναστρέψας ἐπὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ἁμαρτίαν ἔστιν αἰσχύνη ἐπάγουσα ἁμαρτίαν καὶ ἔστιν αἰσχύνη δόξα καὶ χάρις
Like a dog going back to the food which he has not been able to keep down, is the foolish man doing his foolish acts over again.
12 εἶδον ἄνδρα δόξαντα παρ’ ἑαυτῷ σοφὸν εἶναι ἐλπίδα μέντοι ἔσχεν μᾶλλον ἄφρων αὐτοῦ
Have you seen a man who seems to himself to be wise? There is more hope for the foolish than for him.
13 λέγει ὀκνηρὸς ἀποστελλόμενος εἰς ὁδόν λέων ἐν ταῖς ὁδοῖς
The hater of work says, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets.
14 ὥσπερ θύρα στρέφεται ἐπὶ τοῦ στρόφιγγος οὕτως ὀκνηρὸς ἐπὶ τῆς κλίνης αὐτοῦ
A door is turned on its pillar, and the hater of work on his bed.
15 κρύψας ὀκνηρὸς τὴν χεῖρα ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ αὐτοῦ οὐ δυνήσεται ἐπενεγκεῖν ἐπὶ τὸ στόμα
The hater of work puts his hand deep into the basin: lifting it again to his mouth is a weariness to him.
16 σοφώτερος ἑαυτῷ ὀκνηρὸς φαίνεται τοῦ ἐν πλησμονῇ ἀποκομίζοντος ἀγγελίαν
The hater of work seems to himself wiser than seven men who are able to give an answer with good sense.
17 ὥσπερ ὁ κρατῶν κέρκου κυνός οὕτως ὁ προεστὼς ἀλλοτρίας κρίσεως
He who gets mixed up in a fight which is not his business, is like one who takes a dog by the ears while it is going by.
18 ὥσπερ οἱ ἰώμενοι προβάλλουσιν λόγους εἰς ἀνθρώπους ὁ δὲ ἀπαντήσας τῷ λόγῳ πρῶτος ὑποσκελισθήσεται
As one who is off his head sends about flaming sticks and arrows of death,
19 οὕτως πάντες οἱ ἐνεδρεύοντες τοὺς ἑαυτῶν φίλους ὅταν δὲ φωραθῶσιν λέγουσιν ὅτι παίζων ἔπραξα
So is the man who gets the better of his neighbour by deceit, and says, Am I not doing so in sport?
20 ἐν πολλοῖς ξύλοις θάλλει πῦρ ὅπου δὲ οὐκ ἔστιν δίθυμος ἡσυχάζει μάχη
Without wood, the fire goes out; and where there is no secret talk, argument is ended.
21 ἐσχάρα ἄνθραξιν καὶ ξύλα πυρί ἀνὴρ δὲ λοίδορος εἰς ταραχὴν μάχης
Like breath on coals and wood on fire, so a man given to argument gets a fight started.
22 λόγοι κερκώπων μαλακοί οὗτοι δὲ τύπτουσιν εἰς ταμίεια σπλάγχνων
The words of one who says evil of his neighbour secretly are like sweet food, they go down into the inner parts of the stomach.
23 ἀργύριον διδόμενον μετὰ δόλου ὥσπερ ὄστρακον ἡγητέον χείλη λεῖα καρδίαν καλύπτει λυπηράν
Smooth lips and an evil heart are like a vessel of earth plated with silver waste.
24 χείλεσιν πάντα ἐπινεύει ἀποκλαιόμενος ἐχθρός ἐν δὲ τῇ καρδίᾳ τεκταίνεται δόλους
With his lips the hater makes things seem what they are not, but deceit is stored up inside him;
25 ἐάν σου δέηται ὁ ἐχθρὸς μεγάλῃ τῇ φωνῇ μὴ πεισθῇς ἑπτὰ γάρ εἰσιν πονηρίαι ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ αὐτοῦ
When he says fair words, have no belief in him; for in his heart are seven evils:
26 ὁ κρύπτων ἔχθραν συνίστησιν δόλον ἐκκαλύπτει δὲ τὰς ἑαυτοῦ ἁμαρτίας εὔγνωστος ἐν συνεδρίοις
Though his hate is covered with deceit, his sin will be seen openly before the meeting of the people.
27 ὁ ὀρύσσων βόθρον τῷ πλησίον ἐμπεσεῖται εἰς αὐτόν ὁ δὲ κυλίων λίθον ἐφ’ ἑαυτὸν κυλίει
He who makes a hole in the earth will himself go falling into it: and on him by whom a stone is rolled the stone will come back again.
28 γλῶσσα ψευδὴς μισεῖ ἀλήθειαν στόμα δὲ ἄστεγον ποιεῖ ἀκαταστασίας
A false tongue has hate for those who have clean hearts, and a smooth mouth is a cause of falling.
