Proverbs 4
1 My children, listen to what I am teaching you. If you pay attention, you will understand what is wise.
小子等よ父の訓をきけ 聰明を知んために耳をかたむけよ
2 What I am teaching you is good, so do not turn away from it.
われ善敎を汝らにさづく わが律を棄つることなかれ
3 When I was a young boy, loved by my mother,
われも我が父には子にして 我が母の目には獨の愛子なりき
4 my father told me, “Remember my words; if you obey my commandments, you will live [a long time].
父われを敎へていへらく我が言を汝の心にとどめ わが誡命をまもれ 然らば生べし
5 Obtain wisdom and understanding, and (do not abandon/hold fast to) [LIT] what I have taught you.
智慧をえ聰明をえよ これを忘るるなかれ また我が口の言に身をそむくるなかれ
6 Do not turn away from wisdom, because if you are wise, you will be protected [from all evil/danger]. If you love wisdom, wisdom [PRS] will guard you.
智慧をすつることなかれ彼なんぢを守らん 彼を愛せよ彼なんぢを保たん
7 The most important thing that you can do is to get wisdom. Even if you obtain many other things, the best thing is to know what things are wise.
智慧は第一なるものなり 智慧をえよ 凡て汝の得たる物をもて聰明をえよ
8 If you consider being wise to be very valuable, [people] will think very highly of you. If you cling to wisdom [like you would cling to a woman you love], [many people] will honor you.
彼を尊べ さらば彼なんぢを高く擧げん もし彼を懐かば彼汝を尊榮からしめん
9 If you become wise, that will for you be [like] a beautiful wreath that is put {someone puts} on your head; it will be [like] a king’s glorious crown.” [That is what my father told me].
かれ美しき飾を汝の首に置き 榮の冠弁を汝に予へん
10 [So now I say], “My son, heed what I say. If you do that, you will live a [good] long life.
我が子よきけ 我が言を納れよ さらば汝の生命の年おほからん
11 I am teaching you the way to live wisely; I am showing you how to act justly [toward others].
われ智慧の道を汝に敎へ義しき徑筋に汝を導けり
12 If you live wisely, when you decide to do something, you will succeed [LIT].
歩くとき汝の歩は艱まず 趨るときも躓かじ
13 Hold fast to the things I have taught you to do, and do not let them go. Guard them, because they [will be the source of a good] life.
堅く訓誨を執りて離すこと勿れ これを守れ これは汝の生命なり
14 Do not do the things that wicked people do; [do not behave like they do]; do not even walk on the roads that evil [people] walk on [MET].
邪曲なる者の途に入ることなかれ 惡者の路をあやむこと勿れ
15 Stay away from those roads; turn aside and walk on other roads;
これを避よ 過ること勿れ 離れて去れ
16 because evil people cannot sleep if they have not done some evil deed [on that day]. They cannot rest if they have not harmed someone.
そは彼等は惡を爲さざれば睡らず 人を躓かせざればいねず
17 What they eat and what they drink are things that they have obtained by acting wickedly and violently.”
不義のパンを食ひ暴虐の酒を飮めばなり
18 The behavior of good/righteous [people] is like the light [that begins to shine] at dawn and then [continues to] shine brighter until the brightest time of day.
義者の途は旭光のごとし いよいよ光輝をまして晝の正午にいたる
19 [But] the behavior of wicked [people] is like deep/thick darkness. [Because it is very dark], they cannot see the things that cause them to stumble.
惡者の途は幽冥のごとし 彼らはその蹟くもののなになるを知ざるなり
20 My son, pay attention to what I am saying. Listen to my words carefully.
わが子よ我が言をきけ 我が語るところに汝の耳を傾けよ
21 Keep them close to you; let them penetrate your inner being,
之を汝の目より離すこと勿れ 汝の心のうちに守れ
22 because you will have [PRS] [a good] life and [good] health if you [search for them and] find them.
是は之を得るものの生命にしてまたその全體の良薬なり
23 It is very important that you be careful about what you think, because what you think controls [MET] the things that you do.
すべての操守べき物よりもまさりて汝の心を守れ そは生命の流これより出ればなり
24 Do not say anything that deceives [others] and never say what is not true.
虚偽の口を汝より棄さり 惡き口唇を汝より遠くはなせ
25 Keep looking straight ahead toward the events that are before you, and do not turn aside.
汝の目は正く視 汝の眼瞼は汝の前を眞直に視るべし
26 Plan carefully where you will go and what you will do, and then stay on that road. Then what you do will be right.
汝の足の徑をかんがへはかり 汝のすべての道を直くせよ
27 Do not leave the straight road by turning to the left or to the right. [Do only what is right] and keep yourself from [doing what is] evil.
右にも左にも偏ること勿れ汝の足を惡より離れしめよ
