| 6 χείλη ἄφρονος ἄγουσιν αὐτὸν εἰς κακά τὸ δὲ στόμα αὐτοῦ τὸ θρασὺ θάνατον ἐπικαλεῖται 7 στόμα ἄφρονος συντριβὴ αὐτῷ τὰ δὲ χείλη αὐτοῦ παγὶς τῇ ψυχῇ αὐτοῦ 8 ὀκνηροὺς καταβάλλει φόβος ψυχαὶ δὲ ἀνδρογύνων πεινάσουσιν 9 ὁ μὴ ἰώμενος ἑαυτὸν ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις αὐτοῦ ἀδελφός ἐστιν τοῦ λυμαινομένου ἑαυτόν |
6 A fool’s talk is for ever embroiling him; let him but open his mouth, blows will follow. 7 From his own words his undoing comes, from his own lips the snare. 8 Innocent enough seem the words of the back-biter, yet their poison sinks deep into a man’s belly.
(Slow natures every fear disarms; womanish souls shall go hungry.[3]) 9 Dainty and listless go to work, thou art own brother to that work’s undoer. |
6
Labia stulti miscent se rixis,
et os ejus jurgia provocat. 7
Os stulti contritio ejus,
et labia ipsius ruina animæ ejus. 8
Verba bilinguis quasi simplicia,
et ipsa perveniunt usque ad interiora ventris.
Pigrum dejicit timor;
animæ autem effeminatorum esurient. 9
Qui mollis et dissolutus est in opere suo
frater est sua opera dissipantis. |
[1] ‘Quick to find pretexts’; in the Hebrew text, ‘selfish’.
[2] The sense and the bearing of this maxim are open to dispute.
[3] The words printed in brackets are found in the Septuagint Greek, but not in the Hebrew text.
[4] Literally, ‘A just man is the first to accuse himself’; but this can hardly mean that he confesses his guilt, since there would be no need, in that case, for investigation by his neighbours. The sense will be rather that he makes admissions which at first sight tell against his innocence. The Hebrew text is obscure; with some difficulty, it is interpreted as meaning, ‘He who speaks first is always (apparently) in the right’.
[5] The Hebrew text here is usually rendered, ‘A brother trespassed (against) is (harder to win over) than a strong city; (such) contentions are like the bars of a fortress’.
[6] ‘Lovingly’ is usually interpreted as meaning ‘lavishly’, but ‘with due reverence’ may be meant.
[7] The second part of this verse is found in the Septuagint Greek, but not in the Hebrew text.
[8] This verse is very obscure, and perhaps corrupt; some infer from the Hebrew text a contrast between fair-weather and genuine friends.
Knox Translation Copyright © 2013 Westminster Diocese
Nihil Obstat. Father Anton Cowan, Censor.
Imprimatur. +Most Rev. Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster. 8th January 2012.
Re-typeset and published in 2012 by Baronius Press Ltd