أَمْثَالٌ 27

١ 1 لَا تَفْتَخِرْ بِٱلْغَدِ لِأَنَّكَ لَا تَعْلَمُ مَاذَا يَلِدُهُ يَوْمٌ.

Boast not thyself of to-morrow, For thou knowest not what a day bringeth forth.

٢ 2 لِيَمْدَحْكَ ٱلْغَرِيبُ لَا فَمُكَ، ٱلْأَجْنَبِيُّ لَا شَفَتَاكَ.

Let another praise thee, and not thine own mouth, A stranger, and not thine own lips.

٣ 3 اَلْحَجَرُ ثَقِيلٌ وَٱلرَّمْلُ ثَقِيلٌ، وَغَضَبُ ٱلْجَاهِلِ أَثْقَلُ مِنْهُمَا كِلَيْهِمَا.

A stone [is] heavy, and the sand [is] heavy, And the anger of a fool Is heavier than they both.

٤ 4 اَلْغَضَبُ قَسَاوَةٌ وَٱلسَّخَطُ جُرَافٌ، وَمَنْ يَقِفُ قُدَّامَ ٱلْحَسَدِ؟

Fury [is] fierce, and anger [is] overflowing, And who standeth before jealousy?

٥ 5 اَلتَّوْبِيخُ ٱلظَّاهِرُ خَيْرٌ مِنَ ٱلْحُبِّ ٱلْمُسْتَتِرِ.

Better [is] open reproof than hidden love.

٦ 6 أَمِينَةٌ هِيَ جُرُوحُ ٱلْمُحِبِّ، وَغَاشَّةٌ هِيَ قُبْلَاتُ ٱلْعَدُوِّ.

Faithful are the wounds of a lover, And abundant the kisses of an enemy.

٧ 7 اَلنَّفْسُ ٱلشَّبْعَانَةُ تَدُوسُ ٱلْعَسَلَ، وَلِلنَّفْسِ ٱلْجَائِعَةِ كُلُّ مُرٍّ حُلْوٌ.

A satiated soul treadeth down a honeycomb, And [to] a hungry soul every bitter thing [is] sweet.

٨ 8 مِثْلُ ٱلْعُصْفُورِ ٱلتَّائِهِ مِنْ عُشِّهِ، هَكَذَا ٱلرَّجُلُ ٱلتَّائِهُ مِنْ مَكَانِهِ.

As a bird wandering from her nest, So [is] a man wandering from his place.

٩ 9 اَلدُّهْنُ وَٱلْبَخُورُ يُفَرِّحَانِ ٱلْقَلْبَ، وَحَلَاوَةُ ٱلصَّدِيقِ مِنْ مَشُورَةِ ٱلنَّفْسِ.

Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart, And the sweetness of one's friend — from counsel of the soul.

١٠ 10 لَا تَتْرُكْ صَدِيقَكَ وَصَدِيقَ أَبِيكَ، وَلَا تَدْخُلْ بَيْتَ أَخِيكَ فِي يَوْمِ بَلِيَّتِكَ. ٱلْجَارُ ٱلْقَرِيبُ خَيْرٌ مِنَ ٱلْأَخِ ٱلْبَعِيدِ.

Thine own friend, and the friend of thy father, forsake not, And the house of thy brother enter not In a day of thy calamity, Better [is] a near neighbour than a brother afar off.

١١ 11 يَا ٱبْنِي، كُنْ حَكِيمًا وَفَرِّحْ قَلْبِي، فَأُجِيبَ مَنْ يُعَيِّرُنِي كَلِمَةً.

Be wise, my son, and rejoice my heart. And I return my reproacher a word.

١٢ 12 ٱلذَّكِيُّ يُبْصِرُ ٱلشَّرَّ فَيَتَوَارَى. ٱلْأَغْبِيَاءُ يَعْبُرُونَ فَيُعَاقَبُونَ.

The prudent hath seen the evil, he is hidden, The simple have passed on, they are punished.

١٣ 13 خُذْ ثَوْبَهُ لِأَنَّهُ ضَمِنَ غَرِيبًا، وَلِأَجْلِ ٱلْأَجَانِبِ ٱرْتَهِنَ مِنْهُ.

Take his garment, when a stranger hath been surety, And for a strange woman pledge it.

١٤ 14 مَنْ يُبَارِكُ قَرِيبَهُ بِصَوْتٍ عَالٍ فِي ٱلصَّبَاحِ بَاكِرًا، يُحْسَبُ لَهُ لَعْنًا.

Whoso is saluting his friend with a loud voice, In the morning rising early, A light thing it is reckoned to him.

١٥ 15 اَلْوَكْفُ ٱلْمُتَتَابِعُ فِي يَوْمٍ مُمْطِرٍ، وَٱلْمَرْأَةُ ٱلْمُخَاصِمَةُ سِيَّانِ،

A continual dropping in a day of rain, And a woman of contentions are alike,

١٦ 16 مَنْ يُخَبِّئُهَا يُخَبِّئُ ٱلرِّيحَ وَيَمِينُهُ تَقْبِضُ عَلَى زَيْتٍ!

Whoso is hiding her hath hidden the wind, And the ointment of his right hand calleth out.

١٧ 17 ٱلْحَدِيدُ بِٱلْحَدِيدِ يُحَدَّدُ، وَٱلْإِنْسَانُ يُحَدِّدُ وَجْهَ صَاحِبِهِ.

Iron by iron is sharpened, And a man sharpens the face of his friend.

١٨ 18 مَنْ يَحْمِي تِينَةً يَأْكُلُ ثَمَرَتَهَا، وَحَافِظُ سَيِّدِهِ يُكْرَمُ.

The keeper of a fig-tree eateth its fruit, And the preserver of his master is honoured.

١٩ 19 كَمَا فِي ٱلْمَاءِ ٱلْوَجْهُ لِلْوَجْهِ، كَذَلِكَ قَلْبُ ٱلْإِنْسَانِ لِلْإِنْسَانِ.

As [in] water the face [is] to face, So the heart of man to man.

٢٠ 20 اَلْهَاوِيَةُ وَٱلْهَلَاكُ لَا يَشْبَعَانِ، وَكَذَا عَيْنَا ٱلْإِنْسَانِ لَا تَشْبَعَانِ. (Sheol h7585)

Sheol and destruction are not satisfied, And the eyes of man are not satisfied. (Sheol h7585)

٢١ 21 اَلْبُوطَةُ لِلْفِضَّةِ وَٱلْكُورُ لِلذَّهَبِ، كَذَا ٱلْإِنْسَانُ لِفَمِ مَادِحِهِ.

A refining pot [is] for silver, and a furnace for gold, And a man according to his praise.

٢٢ 22 إِنْ دَقَقْتَ ٱلْأَحْمَقَ فِي هَاوُنٍ بَيْنَ ٱلسَّمِيذِ بِمِدَقٍّ، لَا تَبْرَحُ عَنْهُ حَمَاقَتُهُ.

If thou dost beat the foolish in a mortar, Among washed things — with a pestle, His folly turneth not aside from off him.

٢٣ 23 مَعْرِفَةً ٱعْرِفْ حَالَ غَنَمِكَ، وَٱجْعَلْ قَلْبَكَ إِلَى قُطْعَانِكَ،

Know well the face of thy flock, Set thy heart to the droves,

٢٤ 24 لِأَنَّ ٱلْغِنَى لَيْسَ بِدَائِمٍ، وَلَا ٱلتَّاجُ لِدَوْرٍ فَدَوْرٍ.

For riches [are] not to the age, Nor a crown to generation and generation.

٢٥ 25 فَنِيَ ٱلْحَشِيشُ وَظَهَرَ ٱلْعُشْبُ وَٱجْتَمَعَ نَبَاتُ ٱلْجِبَالِ.

Revealed was the hay, and seen the tender grass, And gathered the herbs of mountains.

٢٦ 26 ٱلْحُمْلَانُ لِلِبَاسِكَ، وَثَمَنُ حَقْلٍ أَعْتِدَةٌ.

Lambs [are] for thy clothing, And the price of the field [are] he-goats,

٢٧ 27 وَكِفَايَةٌ مِنْ لَبَنِ ٱلْمَعْزِ لِطَعَامِكَ، لِقُوتِ بَيْتِكَ وَمَعِيشَةِ فَتَيَاتِكَ.

And a sufficiency of goats' milk [is] for thy bread, For bread to thy house, and life to thy damsels!