أَمْثَالٌ 24

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

Be not envious of evil men, And desire not to be with them.

٢ 2 لِأَنَّ قَلْبَهُمْ يَلْهَجُ بِٱلِٱغْتِصَابِ، وَشِفَاهَهُمْ تَتَكَلَّمُ بِٱلْمَشَقَّةِ.

For destruction doth their heart meditate, And perverseness do their lips speak.

٣ 3 بِٱلْحِكْمَةِ يُبْنَى ٱلْبَيْتُ وَبِالْفَهْمِ يُثَبَّتُ،

By wisdom is a house builded, And by understanding it establisheth itself.

٤ 4 وَبِالْمَعْرِفَةِ تَمْتَلِئُ ٱلْمَخَادِعُ مِنْ كُلِّ ثَرْوَةٍ كَرِيمَةٍ وَنَفِيسَةٍ.

And by knowledge the inner parts are filled, [With] all precious and pleasant wealth.

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

Mighty [is] the wise in strength, And a man of knowledge is strengthening power,

٦ 6 لِأَنَّكَ بِٱلتَّدَابِيرِ تَعْمَلُ حَرْبَكَ، وَٱلْخَلَاصُ بِكَثْرَةِ ٱلْمُشِيرِينَ.

For by plans thou makest for thyself war, And deliverance [is] in a multitude of counsellors.

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

Wisdom [is] high for a fool, In the gate he openeth not his mouth.

٨ 8 اَلْمُتَفَكِّرُ فِي عَمَلِ ٱلشَّرِّ يُدْعَى مُفْسِدًا.

Whoso is devising to do evil, Him they call a master of wicked thoughts.

٩ 9 فِكْرُ ٱلْحَمَاقَةِ خَطِيَّةٌ، وَمَكْرَهَةُ ٱلنَّاسِ ٱلْمُسْتَهْزِئُ.

The thought of folly [is] sin, And an abomination to man [is] a scorner.

١٠ 10 إِنِ ٱرْتَخَيْتَ فِي يَوْمِ ٱلضِّيقِ ضَاقَتْ قُوَّتُكَ.

Thou hast shewed thyself weak in a day of adversity, Straitened is thy power,

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

If [from] delivering those taken to death, And those slipping to the slaughter — thou keepest back.

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

When thou sayest, 'Lo, we knew not this.' Is not the Ponderer of hearts He who understandeth? And the Keeper of thy soul He who knoweth? And He hath rendered to man according to his work.

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

Eat my son, honey that [is] good, And the honeycomb — sweet to thy palate.

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

So [is] the knowledge of wisdom to thy soul, If thou hast found that there is a posterity And thy hope is not cut off.

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

Lay not wait, O wicked one, At the habitation of the righteous. Do not spoil his resting-place.

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

For seven [times] doth the righteous fall and rise, And the wicked stumble in evil.

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

In the falling of thine enemy rejoice not, And in his stumbling let not thy heart be joyful,

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

Lest Jehovah see, and [it be] evil in His eyes, And He hath turned from off him His anger.

١٩ 19 لَا تَغَرْ مِنَ ٱلْأَشْرَارِ وَلَا تَحْسِدِ ٱلْأَثَمَةَ،

Fret not thyself at evil doers, Be not envious at the wicked,

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

For there is not a posterity to the evil, The lamp of the wicked is extinguished.

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

Fear Jehovah, my son, and the king, With changers mix not up thyself,

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

For suddenly doth their calamity rise, And the ruin of them both — who knoweth!

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

These also are for the wise: — To discern faces in judgment is not good.

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

Whoso is saying to the wicked, 'Thou [art] righteous,' Peoples execrate him — nations abhor him.

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

And to those reproving it is pleasant, And on them cometh a good blessing.

٢٦ 26 تُقَبَّلُ شَفَتَا مَنْ يُجَاوِبُ بِكَلَامٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ.

Lips he kisseth who is returning straightforward words.

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

Prepare in an out-place thy work, And make it ready in the field — go afterwards, Then thou hast built thy house.

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

Be not a witness for nought against thy neighbour, Or thou hast enticed with thy lips.

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

Say not, 'As he did to me, so I do to him, I render to each according to his work.'

٣٠ 30 عَبَرْتُ بِحَقْلِ ٱلْكَسْلَانِ وَبِكَرْمِ ٱلرَّجُلِ ٱلنَّاقِصِ ٱلْفَهْمِ،

Near the field of a slothful man I passed by, And near the vineyard of a man lacking heart.

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

And lo, it hath gone up — all of it — thorns! Covered its face have nettles, And its stone wall hath been broken down.

٣٢ 32 ثُمَّ نَظَرْتُ وَوَجَّهْتُ قَلْبِي. رَأَيْتُ وَقَبِلْتُ تَعْلِيمًا:

And I see — I — I do set my heart, I have seen — I have 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 lie down.

٣٤ 34 فَيَأْتِي فَقْرُكَ كَعَدَّاءٍ وَعَوَزُكَ كَغَازٍ.

And thy poverty hath come [as] a traveller, And thy want as an armed man!