أَمْثَالٌ 24

١ 1 لَا تَحْسِدْ أَهْلَ ٱلشَّرِّ، وَلَا تَشْتَهِ أَنْ تَكُونَ مَعَهُمْ،

Be not thou envious of evil men, neither desire to be with them;

٢ 2 لِأَنَّ قَلْبَهُمْ يَلْهَجُ بِٱلِٱغْتِصَابِ، وَشِفَاهَهُمْ تَتَكَلَّمُ بِٱلْمَشَقَّةِ.

for their heart studieth destruction, and their lips talk of mischief.

٣ 3 بِٱلْحِكْمَةِ يُبْنَى ٱلْبَيْتُ وَبِالْفَهْمِ يُثَبَّتُ،

Through wisdom is a house built, and by understanding it is established;

٤ 4 وَبِالْمَعْرِفَةِ تَمْتَلِئُ ٱلْمَخَادِعُ مِنْ كُلِّ ثَرْوَةٍ كَرِيمَةٍ وَنَفِيسَةٍ.

and by knowledge are the chambers filled with all precious and pleasant substance.

٥ 5 اَلرَّجُلُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ فِي عِزٍّ، وَذُو ٱلْمَعْرِفَةِ مُتَشَدِّدُ ٱلْقُوَّةِ.

A wise man is strong, and a man of knowledge increaseth strength.

٦ 6 لِأَنَّكَ بِٱلتَّدَابِيرِ تَعْمَلُ حَرْبَكَ، وَٱلْخَلَاصُ بِكَثْرَةِ ٱلْمُشِيرِينَ.

For with good advice shalt thou make thy war; and in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.

٧ 7 اَلْحِكَمُ عَالِيَةٌ عَنِ ٱلْأَحْمَقِ. لَا يَفْتَحْ فَمَهُ فِي ٱلْبَابِ.

Wisdom is too high for a fool: he will not open his mouth in the gate.

٨ 8 اَلْمُتَفَكِّرُ فِي عَمَلِ ٱلشَّرِّ يُدْعَى مُفْسِدًا.

He that deviseth to do evil shall be called a master of intrigues.

٩ 9 فِكْرُ ٱلْحَمَاقَةِ خَطِيَّةٌ، وَمَكْرَهَةُ ٱلنَّاسِ ٱلْمُسْتَهْزِئُ.

The purpose of folly is sin, and the scorner is an abomination to men.

١٠ 10 إِنِ ٱرْتَخَيْتَ فِي يَوْمِ ٱلضِّيقِ ضَاقَتْ قُوَّتُكَ.

[If] thou losest courage in the day of trouble, thy strength is small.

١١ 11 أَنْقِذِ ٱلْمُنْقَادِينَ إِلَى ٱلْمَوْتِ، وَٱلْمَمْدُودِينَ لِلْقَتْلِ. لَا تَمْتَنِعْ.

Deliver them that are taken forth unto death, and withdraw not from them that stagger to slaughter.

١٢ 12 إِنْ قُلْتَ: «هُوَذَا لَمْ نَعْرِفْ هَذَا»، أَفَلَا يَفْهَمُ وَازِنُ ٱلْقُلُوبِ؟ وَحَافِظُ نَفْسِكَ أَلَا يَعْلَمُ؟ فَيَرُدُّ عَلَى ٱلْإِنْسَانِ مِثْلَ عَمَلِهِ.

If thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not, will not he that weigheth the hearts consider it? And he that preserveth thy soul, he knoweth it; and he rendereth to man according to his work.

١٣ 13 يَا ٱبْنِي، كُلْ عَسَلًا لِأَنَّهُ طَيِّبٌ، وَقَطْرَ ٱلْعَسَلِ حُلْوٌ فِي حَنَكِكَ.

Eat honey, my son, for it is good; and a honeycomb is sweet to thy taste:

١٤ 14 كَذَلِكَ مَعْرِفَةُ ٱلْحِكْمَةِ لِنَفْسِكَ. إِذَا وَجَدْتَهَا فَلَا بُدَّ مِنْ ثَوَابٍ، وَرَجَاؤُكَ لَا يَخِيبُ.

so consider wisdom for thy soul; if thou hast found it, there shall be a result, and thine expectation shall not be cut off.

١٥ 15 لَا تَكْمُنْ أَيُّهَا ٱلشِّرِّيرُ لِمَسْكَنِ ٱلصِّدِّيقِ. لَا تُخْرِبْ رَبْعَهُ.

Lay not wait, O wicked [man], against the dwelling of the righteous; lay not waste his resting-place.

١٦ 16 لِأَنَّ ٱلصِّدِّيقَ يَسْقُطُ سَبْعَ مَرَّاتٍ وَيَقُومُ، أَمَّا ٱلْأَشْرَارُ فَيَعْثُرُونَ بِٱلشَّرِّ.

For the righteous falleth seven times, and riseth up again; but the wicked stumble into disaster.

١٧ 17 لَا تَفْرَحْ بِسُقُوطِ عَدُوِّكَ، وَلَا يَبْتَهِجْ قَلْبُكَ إِذَا عَثَرَ،

Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thy heart be glad when he stumbleth;

١٨ 18 لِئَلَّا يَرَى ٱلرَّبُّ وَيَسُوءَ ذَلِكَ فِي عَيْنَيْهِ، فَيَرُدَّ عَنْهُ غَضَبَهُ.

lest Jehovah see it, and it be evil in his sight, and he turn away his anger from him.

١٩ 19 لَا تَغَرْ مِنَ ٱلْأَشْرَارِ وَلَا تَحْسِدِ ٱلْأَثَمَةَ،

Fret not thyself because of evil-doers, [and] be not envious of the wicked:

٢٠ 20 لِأَنَّهُ لَا يَكُونُ ثَوَابٌ لِلْأَشْرَارِ. سِرَاجُ ٱلْأَثَمَةِ يَنْطَفِئُ.

for there shall be no future to the evil [man]; the lamp of the wicked shall be put out.

٢١ 21 يَا ٱبْنِي، ٱخْشَ ٱلرَّبَّ وَٱلْمَلِكَ. لَا تُخَالِطِ ٱلْمُتَقَلِّبِينَ،

My son, fear Jehovah and the king: meddle not with them that are given to change.

٢٢ 22 لِأَنَّ بَلِيَّتَهُمْ تَقُومُ بَغْتَةً، وَمَنْ يَعْلَمُ بَلَاءَهُمَا كِلَيْهِمَا.

For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both?

٢٣ 23 هَذِهِ أَيْضًا لِلْحُكَمَاءِ: مُحَابَاةُ ٱلْوُجُوهِ فِي ٱلْحُكْمِ لَيْسَتْ صَالِحَةً.

These things also come from the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.

٢٤ 24 مَنْ يَقُولُ لِلشِّرِّيرِ: «أَنْتَ صِدِّيقٌ» تَسُبُّهُ ٱلْعَامَّةُ. تَلْعَنُهُ ٱلشُّعُوبُ.

He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous, peoples shall curse him, nations shall abhor him;

٢٥ 25 أَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ يُؤَدِّبُونَ فَيَنْعَمُونَ، وَبَرَكَةُ خَيْرٍ تَأْتِي عَلَيْهِمْ.

but to them that rebuke [him] shall be delight, and a good blessing cometh upon them.

٢٦ 26 تُقَبَّلُ شَفَتَا مَنْ يُجَاوِبُ بِكَلَامٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ.

He kisseth the lips who giveth a right answer.

٢٧ 27 هَيِّئْ عَمَلَكَ فِي ٱلْخَارِجِ وَأَعِدَّهُ فِي حَقْلِكَ، بَعْدُ تَبْنِي بَيْتَكَ.

Prepare thy work without, and put thy field in order, and afterwards build thy house.

٢٨ 28 لَا تَكُنْ شَاهِدًا عَلَى قَرِيبِكَ بِلَا سَبَبٍ، فَهَلْ تُخَادِعُ بِشَفَتَيْكَ؟

Be not a witness against thy neighbour without cause; and wouldest thou deceive with thy lips?

٢٩ 29 لَا تَقُلْ: «كَمَا فَعَلَ بِي هَكَذَا أَفْعَلُ بِهِ. أَرُدُّ عَلَى ٱلْإِنْسَانِ مِثْلَ عَمَلِهِ».

Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me, I will render to the man according to his work.

٣٠ 30 عَبَرْتُ بِحَقْلِ ٱلْكَسْلَانِ وَبِكَرْمِ ٱلرَّجُلِ ٱلنَّاقِصِ ٱلْفَهْمِ،

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

٣١ 31 فَإِذَا هُوَ قَدْ عَلَاهُ كُلَّهُ ٱلْقَرِيصُ، وَقَدْ غَطَّى ٱلْعَوْسَجُ وَجْهَهُ، وَجِدَارُ حِجَارَتِهِ ٱنْهَدَمَ.

and lo, it was all grown over with thistles, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and its stone wall was broken down.

٣٢ 32 ثُمَّ نَظَرْتُ وَوَجَّهْتُ قَلْبِي. رَأَيْتُ وَقَبِلْتُ تَعْلِيمًا:

Then I looked, I took it to heart; I saw, I received instruction:

٣٣ 33 نَوْمٌ قَلِيلٌ بَعْدُ نُعَاسٌ قَلِيلٌ، وَطَيُّ ٱلْيَدَيْنِ قَلِيلًا لِلرُّقُودِ،

— A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest!

٣٤ 34 فَيَأْتِي فَقْرُكَ كَعَدَّاءٍ وَعَوَزُكَ كَغَازٍ.

So shall thy poverty come [as] a roving plunderer, and thy penury as an armed man.