[This is part of a running series on the Didache. See the introductory post for more information — RWB]

Phrasing/Translation

Τέκνον μου,
My child,
   φεῦγε
   flee
      ἀπὸ παντὸς πονηροῦ
      from all evil
      καὶ ἀπὸ παντὸς ὁμοίου αὐτοῦ.
      and from all like it.
   μὴ γίνου ὀργίλος,
   do not be proud,
      ὁδηγεῖ γὰρ ἡ ὀργὴ πρὸς τὸν φόνον,
      for pride leads to murder,
   μηδὲ ζηλωτὴς
   nor (be) jealous
   μηδὲ ἐριστικὸς
   nor (be) quarrelsome
   μηδὲ θυμικός·
   nor (be) easily stoked to anger:
      ἐκ γὰρ τούτων ἁπάντων φόνοι γεννῶνται.
      for from all of these murder is borne.

τέκνον μου,
My child,
   μὴ γίνου ἐπιθυμητής,
   do not be lustful,
      ὁδηγεῖ γὰρ ἡ ἐπιθυμία πρὸς τὴν πορνείαν,
      for lust leads to sexual immorality,
   μηδὲ αἰσχρολόγος
   nor (be) filthy-mouthed
   μηδὲ ὑψηλόφθαλμος·
   nor (have) eyes prone to desire:
      ἐκ γὰρ τούτων ἁπάντων μοιχεῖαι γεννῶνται.
      for from all of these adulterous acts are borne.

τέκνον μου,
My child,
   μὴ γίνου οἰωνοσκόπος,
   do not be one who consults soothsayers,
      ἐπειδὴ ὁδηγεῖ εἰς τὴν εἰδωλολατρίαν,
      for this leads to idolotry,
   μηδὲ ἐπαοιδὸς
   nor (be) an enchanter
   μηδὲ μαθηματικὸς
   nor (follow) astrology
   μηδὲ περικαθαίρων,
   nor (be) a magician,
   μηδὲ θέλε αὐτὰ βλέπειν·
   nor desire to see these things:
      ἐκ γὰρ τοῦτων ἁπάντων εἰδωλολατρία γεννᾶται.
      for from all of these idolotry is borne.

τέκνον μου,
My child,
   μή γίνου ψεύστης,
   do not be a liar,
      ἐπειδὴ ὁδηγεῖ τὸ ψεῦσμα εἰς τὴν κλοπήν,
      because lying leads to theivery,
   μηδὲ φιλάργυρος
   nor (be) a lover of money
   μηδὲ κενόδοξος·
   nor (be) conceited:
      ἐκ γὰρ τούτων ἁπάντων κλοπαὶ γεννῶνται.
      for from all of these theivery is borne.

τέκνον μου,
My child,
   μὴ γίνου γόγγυσος,
   do not be a grumbler,
      ἐπειδὴ ὁδηγεῖ εἰς τὴν βλασφημίαν,
      because it leads to blasphemy,
   μηδὲ αὐθάδης
   nor (be) arrogant
   μηδὲ πονηρόφρων·
   nor (be) evil-minded:
      ἐκ γὰρ τούτων ἁπάντων βλασφημίαι γεννῶνται.
      for from all of these blasphemy is borne.

Notes

The Didachist uses a simple structure to warn the baptismal candidate against five kinds of evil. Those evils are:

• Murder
• Sexual Immorality
• Idolotry
• Thievery
• Blasphemy

The baptismal candidate isn't just warned about these areas generally, he is warned about specific sorts of action that may lead one to these areas.

And at the beginning of the section, the baptismal candidate is warned against evil in general. So this section goes from general to specific. Sort of like this:

• Evil
  • Murder
    • pride, jealousy, being prone to quarrel, easily stoked to anger 
  • Sexual Immorality
    • lustful, filthy-mouthed, eyes prone to desire
  • Idolotry
    • consult soothsayers, enchanters, astrology, magicians, desire to see such things
  • Thievery
    • liar, lover of money, conceited
  • Blasphemy
    • grumbler, arrogant, evil-minded

The baptismal candidate isn't just to generally abstain from evil, or even from things all would acknowledge are evil. He is to refrain from smaller things, he is to be in control of his passions and doings. He is not only to not be a thief, he is to avoid lying and the love of money because those things could lead to thievery (and thus lead toward evil).

As said above, the structure starts generally and works down into specifics. And the specifics are what the candidate is to take home and apply in his overall quest to live according to the way of life (cf. Did 1) and avoid the way of death.

That's just the first part (Did 3.1-6). I'll do something on the second part (Did 3.7-10) some time later.