أَمْثَالٌ 26
| كَٱلثَّلْجِ فِي ٱلصَّيْفِ وَكَالْمَطَرِ فِي ٱلْحَصَادِ، هَكَذَا ٱلْكَرَامَةُ غَيْرُ لَائِقَةٍ بِٱلْجَاهِلِ. | ١ 1 |
Just [like] [SIM] [it is not appropriate for] snow [to fall] in summer time, or rain [to fall] at harvest time, it is not appropriate to praise/honor foolish people.
| كَٱلْعُصْفُورِ لِلْفَرَارِ وَكَالسُّنُونَةِ لِلطَّيَرَانِ، كَذَلِكَ لَعْنَةٌ بِلَا سَبَبٍ لَا تَأْتِي. | ٢ 2 |
Like [SIM] birds that fly by [and do not alight/land on anything], if someone curses you, it cannot hurt you if you (do not deserve them/have not done to him what is wrong).
| اَلسَّوْطُ لِلْفَرَسِ وَٱللِّجَامُ لِلْحِمَارِ، وَٱلْعَصَا لِظَهْرِ ٱلْجُهَّالِ. | ٣ 3 |
It is necessary to whip a horse and to put a bridle on a donkey [to force them to go where we want them to go], and similarly [SIM] [it is often necessary to strike] foolish people with a stick [to cause them to do what is right].
| لَا تُجَاوِبِ ٱلْجَاهِلَ حَسَبَ حَمَاقَتِهِ لِئَلَّا تَعْدِلَهُ أَنْتَ. | ٤ 4 |
If a foolish person asks a foolish question, [do not answer him], because [if you answer his question], you are just as foolish as he is.
| جَاوِبِ ٱلْجَاهِلَ حَسَبَ حَمَاقَتِهِ لِئَلَّا يَكُونَ حَكِيمًا فِي عَيْنَيْ نَفْسِهِ. | ٥ 5 |
If you give a foolish answer to someone who asks a foolish question, he will realize that he is (not very wise/foolish).
| يَقْطَعُ ٱلرِّجْلَيْنِ، يَشْرَبُ ظُلْمًا، مَنْ يُرْسِلُ كَلَامًا عَنْ يَدِ جَاهِلٍ. | ٦ 6 |
Anyone who asks a foolish person to take a message to someone [is himself doing something as foolish as] cutting off his own feet or drinking poison.
| سَاقَا ٱلْأَعْرَجِ مُتَدَلْدِلَتَانِ، وَكَذَا ٱلْمَثَلُ فِي فَمِ ٱلْجُهَّالِ. | ٧ 7 |
A lame man cannot use his legs, and similarly [SIM] [it is useless for] a foolish person to speak [MTY] (proverbs/wise sayings).
| كَصُرَّةِ حِجَارَةٍ كَرِيمَةٍ فِي رُجْمَةٍ، هَكَذَا ٱلْمُعْطِي كَرَامَةً لِلْجَاهِلِ. | ٨ 8 |
Tying a stone in a sling [so that it cannot be thrown at a target] is [as foolish as] [SIM] honoring a foolish person.
| شَوْكٌ مُرْتَفِعٌ بِيَدِ سَكْرَانٍ، مِثْلُ ٱلْمَثَلِ فِي فَمِ ٱلْجُهَّالِ. | ٩ 9 |
If a drunk person waves some thorns/brambles with his hand, [he is not able to accomplish anything useful by doing that] (OR, [he does not feel it when a thorn sticks in his hand]); similarly, if foolish people speak [MTY] proverbs, [they do not help anyone who hears them].
| رَامٍ يَطْعَنُ ٱلْكُلَّ، هَكَذَا مَنْ يَسْتَأْجِرُ ٱلْجَاهِلَ أَوْ يَسْتَأْجِرُ ٱلْمُحْتَالِينَ. | ١٠ 10 |
A man who shoots arrows [to try] to wound everybody who is near [is foolish]; similarly, anyone who hires a foolish person [who passes by is very foolish].
| كَمَا يَعُودُ ٱلْكَلْبُ إِلَى قَيْئِهِ، هَكَذَا ٱلْجَاهِلُ يُعِيدُ حَمَاقَتَهُ. | ١١ 11 |
A foolish person will foolishly do something stupid a second time; it is [like] [SIM] a dog returning to [eat] what it has vomited.
| أَرَأَيْتَ رَجُلًا حَكِيمًا فِي عَيْنَيْ نَفْسِهِ؟ ٱلرَّجَاءُ بِٱلْجَاهِلِ أَكْثَرُ مِنَ ٱلرَّجَاءِ بِهِ. | ١٢ 12 |
[God] can help/bless foolish people more easily than he can help/bless people who are not wise [RHQ], but think that they are wise.
| قَالَ ٱلْكَسْلَانُ: «ٱلْأَسَدُ فِي ٱلطَّرِيقِ، ٱلشِّبْلُ فِي ٱلشَّوَارِعِ!». | ١٣ 13 |
Lazy people [just stay inside their houses and do nothing]; [they keep] saying “[I think] there is a lion in the street!”
| اَلْبَابُ يَدُورُ عَلَى صَائِرِهِ، وَٱلْكَسْلَانُ عَلَى فِرَاشِهِ. | ١٤ 14 |
A door [continually] swings back and forth on its hinges [and does not go anywhere]; similarly [SIM], lazy people [just continually turn over] in their beds [and never do anything].
| اَلْكَسْلَانُ يُخْفِي يَدَهُ فِي ٱلصَّحْفَةِ، وَيَشُقُّ عَلَيْهِ أَنْ يَرُدَّهَا إِلَى فَمِهِ. | ١٥ 15 |
Some people are extremely lazy; they put their hand in a dish [to get some food] but do not [even] lift the food up to their mouths.
| اَلْكَسْلَانُ أَوْفَرُ حِكْمَةً فِي عَيْنَيْ نَفْسِهِ مِنَ ٱلسَّبْعَةِ ٱلْمُجِيبِينَ بِعَقْلٍ. | ١٦ 16 |
Lazy people think that they are wiser than seven/several people who can answer [others’ questions] with good sense.
| كَمُمْسِكٍ أُذُنَيْ كَلْبٍ، هَكَذَا مَنْ يَعْبُرُ وَيَتَعَرَّضُ لِمُشَاجَرَةٍ لَا تَعْنِيهِ. | ١٧ 17 |
Anyone who (meddles/involves himself) in a quarrel that does not concern him is [as foolish as] [SIM] someone who tries to grab a passing dog by its ears.
| مِثْلُ ٱلْمَجْنُونِ ٱلَّذِي يَرْمِي نَارًا وَسِهَامًا وَمَوْتًا، | ١٨ 18 |
Crazy people who shoot burning arrows to kill people
| هَكَذَا ٱلرَّجُلُ ٱلْخَادِعُ قَرِيبَهُ وَيَقُولُ: «أَلَمْ أَلْعَبْ أَنَا!». | ١٩ 19 |
are as foolish as those who deceive someone else and [then] say, “I was only joking.”
| بِعَدَمِ ٱلْحَطَبِ تَنْطَفِئُ ٱلنَّارُ، وَحَيْثُ لَا نَمَّامَ يَهْدَأُ ٱلْخِصَامُ. | ٢٠ 20 |
If there is no [more] firewood [to put on the fire], the fire will go out; similarly [SIM], if there are no people who (gossip/tell people things that are not true), quarreling will end.
| فَحْمٌ لِلْجَمْرِ وَحَطَبٌ لِلنَّارِ، هَكَذَا ٱلرَّجُلُ ٱلْمُخَاصِمُ لِتَهْيِيجِ ٱلنِّزَاعِ. | ٢١ 21 |
[Putting] charcoal on burning coals or [putting] wood on a fire [causes the fire to keep burning]; similarly, people who like to quarrel cause people to keep arguing.
| كَلَامُ ٱلنَّمَّامِ مِثْلُ لُقَمٍ حُلْوَةٍ فَيَنْزِلُ إِلَى مَخَادِعِ ٱلْبَطْنِ. | ٢٢ 22 |
People [enjoy listening to what gossips say about others just like] [SIM] they enjoy tasty food; they [enjoy listening to what gossips tell them like] they enjoy swallowing tasty food.
| فِضَّةُ زَغَلٍ تُغَشِّي شَقْفَةً، هَكَذَا ٱلشَّفَتَانِ ٱلْمُتَوَقِّدَتَانِ وَٱلْقَلْبُ ٱلشِّرِّيرُ. | ٢٣ 23 |
People who say nice things when they are thinking about doing evil things are like a nice glaze/covering on a [cheap] clay pot.
| بِشَفَتَيْهِ يَتَنَكَّرُ ٱلْمُبْغِضُ، وَفِي جَوْفِهِ يَضَعُ غِشًّا. | ٢٤ 24 |
Those who hate someone and are saying [MTY] something very different from what they are thinking are hypocrites; they are only planning [to harm that person].
| إِذَا حَسَّنَ صَوْتَهُ فَلَا تَأْتَمِنْهُ، لِأَنَّ فِي قَلْبِهِ سَبْعَ رَجَاسَاتٍ. | ٢٥ 25 |
When they say nice things, do not believe them, because in their inner beings are many things that [Yahweh] hates.
| مَنْ يُغَطِّي بُغْضَةً بِمَكْرٍ، يَكْشِفُ خُبْثَهُ بَيْنَ ٱلْجَمَاعَةِ. | ٢٦ 26 |
They try to deceive people to cause them to think that they do not hate [that person], but in a public meeting, the people will find out the evil things [that they have done].
| مَنْ يَحْفِرُ حُفْرَةً يَسْقُطُ فِيهَا، وَمَنْ يُدَحْرِجُ حَجَرًا يَرْجِعُ عَلَيْهِ. | ٢٧ 27 |
Those who dig a deep pit [for other people to fall into] will fall into it themselves; rocks will roll down on those who start to cause rocks to roll down [to crush someone].
| اَللِّسَانُ ٱلْكَاذِبُ يُبْغِضُ مُنْسَحِقِيهِ، وَٱلْفَمُ ٱلْمَلِقُ يُعِدُّ خَرَابًا. | ٢٨ 28 |
Those [MTY] who tell lies to others [really] hate them, and those who deceive [others] ruin them.
