أَمْثَالٌ 5

١ 1 يَا ٱبْنِي، أَصْغِ إِلَى حِكْمَتِي. أَمِلْ أُذُنَكَ إِلَى فَهْمِي،

My son, attend unto my wisdom, [and] bow thine ear to my understanding:

٢ 2 لِحِفْظِ ٱلتَّدَابِيرِ، وَلْتَحْفَظَ شَفَتَاكَ مَعْرِفَةً.

That thou mayest regard discretion, and [that] thy lips may keep knowledge.

٣ 3 لِأَنَّ شَفَتَيِ ٱلْمَرْأَةِ ٱلْأَجْنَبِيَّةِ تَقْطُرَانِ عَسَلًا، وَحَنَكُهَا أَنْعَمُ مِنَ ٱلزَّيْتِ،

For the lips of a strange woman drop [as] an honeycomb, and her mouth [is] smoother than oil:

٤ 4 لَكِنَّ عَاقِبَتَهَا مُرَّةٌ كَٱلْأَفْسَنْتِينِ، حَادَّةٌ كَسَيْفٍ ذِي حَدَّيْنِ.

But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword.

٥ 5 قَدَمَاهَا تَنْحَدِرَانِ إِلَى ٱلْمَوْتِ. خَطَوَاتُهَا تَتَمَسَّكُ بِٱلْهَاوِيَةِ. (Sheol h7585)

Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell. (Sheol h7585)

٦ 6 لِئَلَّا تَتَأَمَّلَ طَرِيقَ ٱلْحَيَاةِ، تَمَايَلَتْ خَطَوَاتُهَا وَلَا تَشْعُرُ.

Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, [that] thou canst not know [them].

٧ 7 وَٱلْآنَ أَيُّهَا ٱلْبَنُونَ ٱسْمَعُوا لِي، وَلَا تَرْتَدُّوا عَنْ كَلِمَاتِ فَمِي.

Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth.

٨ 8 أَبْعِدْ طَرِيقَكَ عَنْهَا، وَلَا تَقْرَبْ إِلَى بَابِ بَيْتِهَا،

Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:

٩ 9 لِئَلَّا تُعْطِيَ زَهْرَكَ لِآخَرِينَ، وَسِنِينَكَ لِلْقَاسِي.

Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel:

١٠ 10 لِئَلَّا تَشْبَعَ ٱلْأَجَانِبُ مِنْ قُوَّتِكَ، وَتَكُونَ أَتْعَابُكَ فِي بَيْتِ غَرِيبٍ.

Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours [be] in the house of a stranger;

١١ 11 فَتَنُوحَ فِي أَوَاخِرِكَ، عِنْدَ فَنَاءِ لَحْمِكَ وَجِسْمِكَ،

And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed,

١٢ 12 فَتَقُولَ: «كَيْفَ أَنِّي أَبْغَضْتُ ٱلْأَدَبَ، وَرَذَلَ قَلْبِي ٱلتَّوْبِيخَ!

And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof;

١٣ 13 وَلَمْ أَسْمَعْ لِصَوْتِ مُرْشِدِيَّ، وَلَمْ أَمِلْ أُذُنِي إِلَى مُعَلِّمِيَّ.

And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!

١٤ 14 لَوْلَا قَلِيلٌ لَكُنْتُ فِي كُلِّ شَرٍّ، فِي وَسَطِ ٱلزُّمْرَةِ وَٱلْجَمَاعَةِ».

I was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly.

١٥ 15 اِشْرَبْ مِيَاهًا مِنْ جُبِّكَ، وَمِيَاهًا جَارِيَةً مِنْ بِئْرِكَ.

Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.

١٦ 16 لَا تَفِضْ يَنَابِيعُكَ إِلَى ٱلْخَارِجِ، سَوَاقِيَ مِيَاهٍ فِي ٱلشَّوَارِعِ.

Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, [and] rivers of waters in the streets.

١٧ 17 لِتَكُنْ لَكَ وَحْدَكَ، وَلَيْسَ لِأَجَانِبَ مَعَكَ.

Let them be only thine own, and not strangers’ with thee.

١٨ 18 لِيَكُنْ يَنْبُوعُكَ مُبَارَكًا، وَٱفْرَحْ بِٱمْرَأَةِ شَبَابِكَ،

Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.

١٩ 19 ٱلظَّبْيَةِ ٱلْمَحْبُوبَةِ وَٱلْوَعْلَةِ ٱلزَّهِيَّةِ. لِيُرْوِكَ ثَدْيَاهَا فِي كُلِّ وَقْتٍ، وَبِمَحَبَّتِهَا ٱسْكَرْ دَائِمًا.

[Let her be as] the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love.

٢٠ 20 فَلِمَ تُفْتَنُ يَا ٱبْنِي بِأَجْنَبِيَّةٍ، وَتَحْتَضِنُ غَرِيبَةً؟

And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?

٢١ 21 لِأَنَّ طُرُقَ ٱلْإِنْسَانِ أَمَامَ عَيْنَيِ ٱلرَّبِّ، وَهُوَ يَزِنُ كُلَّ سُبُلِهِ.

For the ways of man [are] before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings.

٢٢ 22 ٱلشِّرِّيرُ تَأْخُذُهُ آثَامُهُ وَبِحِبَالِ خَطِيَّتِهِ يُمْسَكُ.

His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.

٢٣ 23 إِنَّهُ يَمُوتُ مِنْ عَدَمِ ٱلْأَدَبِ، وَبِفَرْطِ حُمْقِهِ يَتَهَوَّرُ.

He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.