¹Ordsprog af Salomo, Davids Søn, Israels Konge.

¹Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:

²Af dem skal man lære Visdom forstandig Tale,

²For knowing wisdom and instruction, For understanding sayings of intelligence,

³tage mod Tugt, som gør klog, mod Retfærdighed, Ret og Retsind;

³For receiving the instruction of wisdom, Righteousness, judgment, and uprightness,

⁴de skal give tankeløse Klogskab, ungdommen Kundskab og Kløgt;

⁴For giving to simple ones — prudence, To a youth — knowledge and discretion.

⁵den vise høre og øge sin Viden, den forstandige vinde sig Levekunst;

⁵(The wise doth hear and increaseth learning, And the intelligent doth obtain counsels.)

⁶de skal lære at tyde Ordsprog og Billeder, de vises Ord og Gåder.

⁶For understanding a proverb and its sweetness, Words of the wise and their acute sayings.

⁷HERRENs Frygt er Kundskabs begyndelse, Dårer ringeagter Visdom og Tugt.

⁷Fear of Jehovah [is] a beginning of knowledge, Wisdom and instruction fools have despised!

⁸Hør, min Søn, på din Faders Tugt, opgiv ikke din Moders Belæring.

⁸Hear, my son, the instruction of thy father, And leave not the law of thy mother,

⁹thi begge er en yndig Krans til dit Hoved og Kæder til din Hals.

⁹For a graceful wreath [are] they to thy head, And chains to thy neck.

¹⁰Min Søn, sig nej, når Syndere lokker!

¹⁰My son, if sinners entice thee be not willing.

¹¹Siger de: "Kom med, lad os lure på den fromme, lægge Baghold for sagesløs, skyldfri Mand!

¹¹If they say, `Come with us, we lay wait for blood, We watch secretly for the innocent without cause,

¹²Som Dødsriget sluger vi dem levende, med Hud og Hår, som for de i Graven.

¹²We swallow them as Sheol — alive, And whole — as those going down [to] the pit,

¹³Vi vinder os Gods og Guld, vi fylder vore Huse med Rov.

¹³Every precious substance we find, We fill our houses [with] spoil,

¹⁴Gør fælles Sag med os; vi har alle fælles Pung!"

¹⁴Thy lot thou dost cast among us, One purse is — to all of us.`

¹⁵- min Søn, gå da ikke med dem, hold din Fod fra deres Sti;

¹⁵My son! go not in the way with them, Withhold thy foot from their path,

¹⁶thi deres Fødder løber efter ondt, de haster for at udgyde Blod.

¹⁶For their feet to evil do run, And they haste to shed blood.

¹⁷Thi det er unyttigt at udspænde Garnet for alle Fugles Øjne;

¹⁷Surely in vain is the net spread out before the eyes of any bird.

¹⁸de lurer på eget Blod, lægger Baghold for eget Liv.

¹⁸And they for their own blood lay wait, They watch secretly for their own lives.

¹⁹Så går det enhver, der attrår Rov, det tager sin Herres Liv.

¹⁹So [are] the paths of every gainer of dishonest gain, The life of its owners it taketh.

²⁰Visdommen råber på Gaden, på Torvene løfter den Røsten;

²⁰Wisdom in an out-place crieth aloud, In broad places she giveth forth her voice,

²¹oppe på Murene kalder den, tager til Orde i Byen ved Portindgangene:

²¹At the head of the multitudes she calleth, In the openings of the gates, In the city her sayings she saith:

²²Hvor længe vil I tankeløse elske Tankeløshed, Spotterne finde deres Glæde i Spot og Dårerne hade kundskab?

²²`Till when, ye simple, do ye love simplicity? And have scorners their scorning desired? And do fools hate knowledge?

²³Vend eder til min Revselse! Se, jeg lader min Ånd udvælde for eder, jeg kundgør eder mine Ord:

²³Turn back at my reproof, lo, I pour forth to you my spirit, I make known my words with you.

²⁴Fordi jeg råbte og I stod imod, jeg vinked og ingen ænsed det,

²⁴Because I have called, and ye refuse, I stretched out my hand, and none is attending,

²⁵men I lod hånt om alt mit Råd og tog ikke min Revselse til jer,

²⁵And ye slight all my counsel, And my reproof ye have not desired.

²⁶derfor ler jeg ved eders Ulykke, spotter, når det, I frygter, kommer,

²⁶I also in your calamity do laugh, I deride when your fear cometh,

²⁷når det, I frygter, kommer som Uvejr, når eders Ulykke kommer som Storm, når Trængsel og Nød kommer over jer.

²⁷When your fear cometh as destruction, And your calamity as a hurricane doth come, When on you come adversity and distress.

²⁸Da svarer jeg ej, når de kalder, de søger mig uden at finde,

²⁸Then they call me, and I do not answer, They seek me earnestly, and find me not.

²⁹fordi de hadede Kundskab og ikke valgte HERRENs Frygt;

²⁹Because that they have hated knowledge, And the fear of Jehovah have not chosen.

³⁰mit Råd tog de ikke til sig, men lod hånt om al min Revselse.

³⁰They have not consented to my counsel, They have despised all my reproof,

³¹Frugt af deres Færd skal de nyde og mættes med egne Råd;

³¹And they eat of the fruit of their way, And from their own counsels they are filled.

³²thi tankeløses Egensind bliver deres Død, Tåbers Sorgløshed bliver deres Undergang;

³²For the turning of the simple slayeth them, And the security of the foolish destroyeth them.

³³men den, der adlyder mig, bor trygt, sikret mod Ulykkens Rædsel.

³³And whoso is hearkening to me dwelleth confidently, And [is] quiet from fear of evil!`