¹Don’t be envious of evil men; neither desire to be with them:

¹Misund ej onde Folk, hav ikke lyst til at være med dem;

²for their hearts plot violence, and their lips talk about mischief.

²thi deres Hjerte pønser på Vold, deres Læbers Ord volder Men.

³Through wisdom a house is built; by understanding it is established;

³Ved Visdom bygges et Hus, ved Indsigt holdes det oppe,

⁴by knowledge the rooms are filled with all rare and beautiful treasure.

⁴ved Kundskab fyldes kamrene med alskens kosteligt, herligt Gods.

⁵A wise man has great power; and a knowledgeable man increases strength;

⁵Vismand er større end Kæmpe, kyndig Mand mer end Kraftkarl.

⁶for by wise guidance you wage your war; and victory is in many advisors.

⁶Thi Krig skal du føre efter modent Overlæg, vel står det til, hvor mange giver Råd.

⁷Wisdom is too high for a fool: he doesn’t open his mouth in the gate.

⁷Visdom er Dåren for høj, han åbner ej Munden i Porten.

⁸One who plots to do evil will be called a schemer.

⁸Den, der har ondt i Sinde, kaldes en rænkefuld Mand.

⁹The schemes of folly are sin. The mocker is detested by men.

⁹Hvad en Dåre har for, er Synd, en Spotter er Folk en Gru.

¹⁰If you falter in the time of trouble, your strength is small.

¹⁰Taber du Modet på Trængslens Dag, da er din Kraft kun ringe.

¹¹Rescue those who are being led away to death! Indeed, hold back those who are staggering to the slaughter!

¹¹Frels dem, der slæbes til Døden, red dem, der vakler hen for at dræbes.

¹²If you say, “Behold, we didn’t know this”; doesn’t he who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, doesn’t he know it? Shall he not render to every man according to his work?

¹²Siger du: "Se, jeg vidste det ikke" - mon ej han, der vejer Hjerter, kan skønne? Han, der tager Vare på din Sjæl, han ved det, han gengælder Mennesker, hvad de har gjort.

¹³My son, eat honey, for it is good; the droppings of the honeycomb, which are sweet to your taste:

¹³Spis Honning, min Søn, det er godt, og Kubens Saft er sød for din Gane;

¹⁴so you shall know wisdom to be to your soul; if you have found it, then there will be a reward, your hope will not be cut off.

¹⁴vid, at så er og Visdom for Sjælen! Når du finder den, har du en Fremtid, dit Håb bliver ikke til intet.

¹⁵Don’t lay in wait, wicked man, against the habitation of the righteous. Don’t destroy his resting place:

¹⁵Lur ej på den retfærdiges Bolig, du gudløse, ødelæg ikke hans Hjem;

¹⁶for a righteous man falls seven times, and rises up again; but the wicked are overthrown by calamity.

¹⁶thi syv Gange falder en retfærdig og står op, men gudløse styrter i Fordærv.

¹⁷Don’t rejoice when your enemy falls. Don’t let your heart be glad when he is overthrown;

¹⁷Falder din Fjende, så glæd dig ikke, snubler han, juble dit Hjerte ikke,

¹⁸lest Yahweh see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.

¹⁸at ikke HERREN skal se det med Mishag og vende sin Vrede fra ham.

¹⁹Don’t fret yourself because of evildoers; neither be envious of the wicked:

¹⁹Græm dig ej over Ugerningsmænd, misund ikke de gudløse;

²⁰for there will be no reward to the evil man; and the lamp of the wicked shall be snuffed out.

²⁰thi den onde har ingen Fremtid, gudløses Lampe går ud.

²¹My son, fear Yahweh and the king. Don’t join those who are rebellious:

²¹Frygt HERREN og Kongen, min Søn, indlad dig ikke med Folk, som gør Oprør;

²²for their calamity will rise suddenly; the destruction from them both—who knows?

²²thi brat kommer Ulykke fra dem, uventet Fordærv fra begge.

²³These also are sayings of the wise. To show partiality in judgment is not good.

²³Også følgende Ordsprog er af vise Mænd. Partiskhed i Retten er ilde.

²⁴He who says to the wicked, “You are righteous”; peoples shall curse him, and nations shall abhor him—

²⁴Mod den, som kender en skyldig fri, er Folkeslags Banden, Folkefærds Vrede;

²⁵but it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and a rich blessing will come on them.

²⁵men dem, der dømmer med Ret, går det vel, dem kommer Lykkens Velsignelse over.

²⁶An honest answer is like a kiss on the lips.

²⁶Et Kys på Læberne giver den, som kommer med ærligt Svar.

²⁷Prepare your work outside, and get your fields ready. Afterwards, build your house.

²⁷Fuldfør din Gerning udendørs, gør dig færdig ude på Marken og byg dig siden et Hus!

²⁸Don’t be a witness against your neighbor without cause. Don’t deceive with your lips.

²⁸Vidn ikke falsk mod din Næste, vær ikke letsindig med dine Læber;

²⁹Don’t say, “I will do to him as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work.”

²⁹sig ikke: "Jeg gør mod ham, som han gjorde mod mig, jeg gengælder hver hans Gerning."

³⁰I went by the field of the sluggard, by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;

³⁰Jeg kom forbi en lad Mands Mark og et uforstandigt Menneskes Vingård;

³¹Behold, it was all grown over with thorns. Its surface was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down.

³¹se, den var overgroet af Tidsler, ganske skjult af Nælder; Stendiget om den lå nedbrudt.

³²Then I saw, and considered well. I saw, and received instruction:

³²Jeg skued og skrev mig det bag Øre, jeg så og tog Lære deraf:

³³a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep;

³³Lidt Søvn endnu, lidt Blund, lidt Hvile med samlagte Hænder:

³⁴so your poverty will come as a robber, and your want as an armed man.

³⁴Som en Stimand kommer da Fattigdom over dig, Trang som en skjoldvæbnet Mand.