أَمْثَالٌ 4

١ 1 اِسْمَعُوا أَيُّهَا ٱلْبَنُونَ تَأْدِيبَ ٱلْأَبِ، وَٱصْغُوا لِأَجْلِ مَعْرِفَةِ ٱلْفَهْمِ،

Hear, you children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding.

٢ 2 لِأَنِّي أُعْطِيكُمْ تَعْلِيمًا صَالِحًا، فَلَا تَتْرُكُوا شَرِيعَتِي.

For I give you good doctrine, forsake you not my law.

٣ 3 فَإِنِّي كُنْتُ ٱبْنًا لِأَبِي، غَضًّا وَوَحِيدًا عِنْدَ أُمِّي،

For I was my father’s son, tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.

٤ 4 وَكَانَ يُرِينِي وَيَقُولُ لِي: «لِيَضْبِطْ قَلْبُكَ كَلَامِي. ٱحْفَظْ وَصَايَايَ فَتَحْيَا.

He taught me also, and said to me, Let your heart retain my words: keep my commandments, and live.

٥ 5 اِقْتَنِ ٱلْحِكْمَةَ. ٱقْتَنِ ٱلْفَهْمَ. لَا تَنْسَ وَلَا تُعْرِضْ عَنْ كَلِمَاتِ فَمِي.

Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth.

٦ 6 لَا تَتْرُكْهَا فَتَحْفَظَكَ. أَحْبِبْهَا فَتَصُونَكَ.

Forsake her not, and she shall preserve you: love her, and she shall keep you.

٧ 7 ٱلْحِكْمَةُ هِيَ ٱلرَّأْسُ. فَٱقْتَنِ ٱلْحِكْمَةَ، وَبِكُلِّ مُقْتَنَاكَ ٱقْتَنِ ٱلْفَهْمَ.

Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all your getting get understanding.

٨ 8 ٱرْفَعْهَا فَتُعَلِّيَكَ. تُمَجِّدُكَ إِذَا ٱعْتَنَقْتَهَا.

Exalt her, and she shall promote you: she shall bring you to honor, when you do embrace her.

٩ 9 تُعْطِي رَأْسَكَ إِكْلِيلَ نِعْمَةٍ. تَاجَ جَمَالٍ تَمْنَحُكَ».

She shall give to your head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to you.

١٠ 10 اِسْمَعْ يَا ٱبْنِي وَٱقْبَلْ أَقْوَالِي، فَتَكْثُرَ سِنُو حَيَاتِكَ.

Hear, O my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of your life shall be many.

١١ 11 أَرَيْتُكَ طَرِيقَ ٱلْحِكْمَةِ. هَدَيْتُكَ سُبُلَ ٱلِٱسْتِقَامَةِ.

I have taught you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in right paths.

١٢ 12 إِذَا سِرْتَ فَلَا تَضِيقُ خَطَوَاتُكَ، وَإِذَا سَعَيْتَ فَلَا تَعْثُرُ.

When you go, your steps shall not be straitened; and when you run, you shall not stumble.

١٣ 13 تَمَسَّكْ بِٱلْأَدَبِ، لَا تَرْخِهِ. ٱحْفَظْهُ فَإِنَّهُ هُوَ حَيَاتُكَ.

Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is your life.

١٤ 14 لَا تَدْخُلْ فِي سَبِيلِ ٱلْأَشْرَارِ، وَلَا تَسِرْ فِي طَرِيقِ ٱلْأَثَمَةِ.

Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.

١٥ 15 تَنَكَّبْ عَنْهُ. لَا تَمُرَّ بِهِ. حِدْ عَنْهُ وَٱعْبُرْ،

Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.

١٦ 16 لِأَنَّهُمْ لَا يَنَامُونَ إِنْ لَمْ يَفْعَلُوا سُوءًا، وَيُنْزَعُ نَوْمُهُمْ إِنْ لَمْ يُسْقِطُوا أَحَدًا.

For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.

١٧ 17 لِأَنَّهُمْ يَطْعَمُونَ خُبْزَ ٱلشَّرِّ، وَيَشْرَبُونَ خَمْرَ ٱلظُّلْمِ.

For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.

١٨ 18 أَمَّا سَبِيلُ ٱلصِّدِّيقِينَ فَكَنُورٍ مُشْرِقٍ، يَتَزَايَدُ وَيُنِيرُ إِلَى ٱلنَّهَارِ ٱلْكَامِلِ.

But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shines more and more to the perfect day.

١٩ 19 أَمَّا طَرِيقُ ٱلْأَشْرَارِ فَكَالظَّلَامِ. لَا يَعْلَمُونَ مَا يَعْثُرُونَ بِهِ.

The way of the wicked is as darkness: they know not at what they stumble.

٢٠ 20 يَا ٱبْنِي، أَصْغِ إِلَى كَلَامِي. أَمِلْ أُذُنَكَ إِلَى أَقْوَالِي.

My son, attend to my words; incline your ear to my sayings.

٢١ 21 لَا تَبْرَحْ عَنْ عَيْنَيْكَ. اِحْفَظْهَا فِي وَسَطِ قَلْبِكَ.

Let them not depart from your eyes; keep them in the middle of your heart.

٢٢ 22 لِأَنَّهَا هِيَ حَيَاةٌ لِلَّذِينَ يَجِدُونَهَا، وَدَوَاءٌ لِكُلِّ ٱلْجَسَدِ.

For they are life to those that find them, and health to all their flesh.

٢٣ 23 فَوْقَ كُلِّ تَحَفُّظٍ ٱحْفَظْ قَلْبَكَ، لِأَنَّ مِنْهُ مَخَارِجَ ٱلْحَيَاةِ.

Keep your heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

٢٤ 24 ٱنْزِعْ عَنْكَ ٱلْتِوَاءَ ٱلْفَمِ، وَأَبْعِدْ عَنْكَ ٱنْحِرَافَ ٱلشَّفَتَيْنِ.

Put away from you a fraudulent mouth, and perverse lips put far from you.

٢٥ 25 لِتَنْظُرْ عَيْنَاكَ إِلَى قُدَّامِكَ، وَأَجْفَانُكَ إِلَى أَمَامِكَ مُسْتَقِيمًا.

Let your eyes look right on, and let your eyelids look straight before you.

٢٦ 26 مَهِّدْ سَبِيلَ رِجْلِكَ، فَتَثْبُتَ كُلُّ طُرُقِكَ.

Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established.

٢٧ 27 لَا تَمِلْ يَمْنَةً وَلَا يَسْرَةً. بَاعِدْ رِجْلَكَ عَنِ ٱلشَّرِّ.

Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove your foot from evil.