Septuagint Bible w/ Apocrypha LXX
New Revised Standard w/ Apocrypha NRSA
1 He that toucheth pitch shall be defiled therewith; and he that hath fellowship with a proud man shall be like unto him.
1
Whoever touches pitch gets dirty, and whoever associates with a proud person becomes like him.
2 Burden not thyself above thy power while thou livest; and have no fellowship with one that is mightier and richer than thyself: for how agree the kettle and the earthen pot together? for if the one be smitten against the other, it shall be broken.
2
Do not lift a weight too heavy for you, or associate with one mightier and richer than you. How can the clay pot associate with the iron kettle? The pot will strike against it and be smashed.
3 The rich man hath done wrong, and yet he threateneth withal: the poor is wronged, and he must intreat also.
3
A rich person does wrong, and even adds insults; a poor person suffers wrong, and must add apologies.
4 If thou be for his profit, he will use thee: but if thou have nothing, he will forsake thee.
4
A rich person will exploit you if you can be of use to him, but if you are in need he will abandon you.
5 If thou have any thing, he will live with thee: yea, he will make thee bare, and will not be sorry for it.
5
If you own something, he will live with you; he will drain your resources without a qualm.
6 If he have need of thee, he will deceive thee, and smile upon thee, and put thee in hope; he will speak thee fair, and say, What wantest thou?
6
When he needs you he will deceive you, and will smile at you and encourage you; he will speak to you kindly and say, "What do you need?"
7 And he will shame thee by his meats, until he have drawn thee dry twice or thrice, and at the last he will laugh thee to scorn afterward, when he seeth thee, he will forsake thee, and shake his head at thee.
7
He will embarrass you with his delicacies, until he has drained you two or three times, and finally he will laugh at you. Should he see you afterwards, he will pass you by and shake his head at you.
8 Beware that thou be not deceived and brought down in thy jollity.
8
Take care not to be led astray and humiliated when you are enjoying yourself.
9 If thou be invited of a mighty man, withdraw thyself, and so much the more will he invite thee.
9
When an influential person invites you, be reserved, and he will invite you more insistently.
10 Press thou not upon him, lest thou be put back; stand not far off, lest thou be forgotten.
10
Do not be forward, or you may be rebuffed; do not stand aloof, or you will be forgotten.
11 Affect not to be made equal unto him in talk, and believe not his many words: for with much communication will he tempt thee, and smiling upon thee will get out thy secrets:
11
Do not try to treat him as an equal, or trust his lengthy conversations; for he will test you by prolonged talk, and while he smiles he will be examining you.
12 But cruelly he will lay up thy words, and will not spare to do thee hurt, and to put thee in prison.
12
Cruel are those who do not keep your secrets; they will not spare you harm or imprisonment.
13 Observe, and take good heed, for thou walkest in peril of thy overthrowing: when thou hearest these things, awake in thy sleep.
13
Be on your guard and very careful, for you are walking about with your own downfall.
14 Love the Lord all thy life, and call upon him for thy salvation.
15 Every beast loveth his like, and every man loveth his neighbour.
15
Every creature loves its like, and every person the neighbor.
16 All flesh consorteth according to kind, and a man will cleave to his like.
16
All living beings associate with their own kind, and people stick close to those like themselves.
17 What fellowship hath the wolf with the lamb? so the sinner with the godly.
17
What does a wolf have in common with a lamb? No more has a sinner with the devout.
18 What agreement is there between the hyena and a dog? and what peace between the rich and the poor?
18
What peace is there between a hyena and a dog? And what peace between the rich and the poor?
19 As the wild ass is the lion's prey in the wilderness: so the rich eat up the poor.
19
Wild asses in the wilderness are the prey of lions; likewise the poor are feeding grounds for the rich.
20 As the proud hate humility: so doth the rich abhor the poor.
20
Humility is an abomination to the proud; likewise the poor are an abomination to the rich.
21 A rich man beginning to fall is held up of his friends: but a poor man being down is thrust away by his friends.
21
When the rich person totters, he is supported by friends, but when the humble falls, he is pushed away even by friends.
22 When a rich man is fallen, he hath many helpers: he speaketh things not to be spoken, and yet men justify him: the poor man slipped, and yet they rebuked him too; he spake wisely, and could have no place.
22
If the rich person slips, many come to the rescue; he speaks unseemly words, but they justify him. If the humble person slips, they even criticize him; he talks sense, but is not given a hearing.
23 When a rich man speaketh, every man holdeth his tongue, and, look, what he saith, they extol it to the clouds: but if the poor man speak, they say, What fellow is this? and if he stumble, they will help to overthrow him.
23
The rich person speaks and all are silent; they extol to the clouds what he says. The poor person speaks and they say, "Who is this fellow?" And should he stumble, they even push him down.
24 Riches are good unto him that hath no sin, and poverty is evil in the mouth of the ungodly.
24
Riches are good if they are free from sin; poverty is evil only in the opinion of the ungodly.
25 The heart of a man changeth his countenance, whether it be for good or evil: and a merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance.
25
The heart changes the countenance, either for good or for evil.
26 A cheerful countenance is a token of a heart that is in prosperity; and the finding out of parables is a wearisome labour of the mind.
26
The sign of a happy heart is a cheerful face, but to devise proverbs requires painful thinking.
The Brenton translation of the Septuagint is in the public domain.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.