الأمثال 19
| الْفَقِيرُ السَّالِكُ بِكَمَالِهِ خَيْرٌ مِنَ الْجَاهِلِ الْمُخَاتِلِ. | ١ 1 |
Conducting our lives as we should [even though] we are poor is better than being foolish and telling lies.
| لَا يَجْدُرُ بِالْمَرْءِ أَنْ يَخْلُوَ مِنَ الْمَعْرِفَةِ، وَمَنْ يَتَعَجَّلِ الأُمُورَ يُخْطِئِ الْغَرَضَ. | ٢ 2 |
Being enthusiastic but not thinking carefully [about what we are about to do] is not good; doing things hastily can cause us a lot of trouble [IDM].
| عِنْدَمَا تُسِيءُ حَمَاقَةُ الإِنْسَانِ إِلَى حَيَاتِهِ، يَسْخَطُ قَلْبُهُ عَلَى اللهِ. | ٣ 3 |
Some people are ruined as a result of their [own] foolish actions, and when that happens, they [SYN] angrily say that it is Yahweh’s fault.
| الْغَنِيُّ يَجْتَذِبُ كَثْرَةً مِنَ الأَصْدِقَاءِ، أَمَّا الْفَقِيرُ فَيَهْجُرُهُ خَلِيلُهُ. | ٤ 4 |
Those who are rich easily find people who want to be their friends, but when [people become] poor, their friends [often] desert them.
| شَاهِدُ الزُّورِ لَا يَنْجُو مِنَ الْعِقَابِ، وَنَافِثُ الْكَذِبِ لَا يُفْلِتُ مِنَ الْقِصَاصِ. | ٥ 5 |
Those who tell lies in court will surely be punished [LIT]; they will not escape it.
| كَثِيرُونَ يَتَمَلَّقُونَ صَاحِبَ النُّفُوذِ، وَالْكُلُّ صَاحِبٌ لِلَّذِي يُغْدِقُ الْعَطَايَا. | ٦ 6 |
Many [people] try to persuade important people to do favors for them; everyone [wants to] be a friend of those who give gifts.
| جَمِيعُ إخْوَةِ الْفَقِيرِ يَمْقُتُونَهُ، فَمَا أَحْرَى أَنْ يَتَهَرَّبَ مِنْهُ أَصْدِقَاؤُهُ؛ يُلاحِقُهُمْ بِتَوَسُّلاتِهِ وَلا يَجِدُ لَهُمْ أَثَراً. | ٧ 7 |
[Even] the relatives of someone who becomes poor hate him, and his friends certainly stay away from him, too; [even] if he tries to talk with them, they will not be his friends [again].
| مَنِ اقْتَنَى حِكْمَةً أَحَبَّ نَفْسَهُ، وَمَنِ ادَّخَرَ الْفَهْمَ يَلْقَى خَيْراً. | ٨ 8 |
Those who become wise [IDM] are doing a favor for themselves; those who get good sense will prosper.
| شَاهِدُ الزُّورِ لَا يُفْلِتُ مِنَ الْعِقَابِ، وَنَافِثُ الأَكَاذِيبِ يَهْلِكُ. | ٩ 9 |
Those who tell lies in court will certainly be punished [LIT]; they will be ruined.
| لَا يَلِيقُ التَّنَعُّمُ بِالْجَاهِلِ، فَكَمْ بِالْحَرِيِّ أَنْ يَتَسَلَّطَ عَلَى الرُّؤَسَاءِ؟ | ١٠ 10 |
It is not appropriate for foolish people to live (luxuriously/like rich people), and it is even less appropriate for slaves to rule important officials.
| تَعَقُّلُ الإِنْسَانِ يَكْبَحُ غَضَبَهُ، وَبَهَاؤُهُ فِي الْعَفْوِ عَنِ الْخَطَأِ. | ١١ 11 |
Those who have good sense do not quickly become angry; people respect those who ignore offensive [things that people say to them].
| حَنَقُ الْمَلِكِ كَزَمْجَرَةِ الأَسَدِ، وَرِضَاهُ كَالطَّلِّ عَلَى الْعُشْبِ. | ١٢ 12 |
When a king is angry, [that causes people to be afraid of him], like the roar of a lion [causes people to be afraid] [SIM], but if he acts kindly toward people, [they like it just] like [they like] dew on the grass [in the morning].
| الابْنُ الْجَاهِلُ مَدْعَاةُ خَرَابٍ لأَبِيهِ، وَمُخَاصَمَاتُ الزَّوْجَةِ كَنَقْرِ قَطَرَاتِ الْمَطَرِ الْمُتَتَابِعَةِ، | ١٣ 13 |
Foolish children [can] cause disasters to happen to their parents. A wife who constantly (nags/quarrels with) [her husband is as annoying as] water that continually drips [MET].
| الْبَيْتُ وَالثَّرْوَةُ مِيَراثٌ مِنَ الآبَاءِ، أَمَّا الزَّوْجَةُ الْعَاقِلَةُ فَهِيَ مِنْ عِنْدِ الرَّبِّ. | ١٤ 14 |
We [can] inherit a house or money from our parents [when they die], but only Yahweh [can] give someone a sensible wife.
| الْكَسَلُ يُغْرِقُ فِي سُبَاتٍ عَمِيقٍ، وَالنَّفْسُ الْمُتَقَاعِسَةُ تُقَاسِي مِنَ الْجُوعِ. | ١٥ 15 |
Those who are lazy sleep soundly, but if they are lazy, they will be hungry [because of not earning money to buy food].
| مَنْ يُطِعْ الْوَصِيَّةَ يَصُنْ نَفْسَهُ، وَالْمُتَهَاوِنُ فِي تَصَرُّفَاتِهِ يَلْقَى الْمَوْتَ. | ١٦ 16 |
Those who obey [God’s] commandments will remain alive [for a long time]; those who despise/disobey them (OR, those who do not control their own conduct) will die [while they are still young].
| مَنْ يَرْحَمْ الْفَقِيرَ يُقْرِضْ الرَّبَّ، وَيُكَافِئْهُ الرَّبُّ عَلَى حُسْنِ صَنِيعِهِ. | ١٧ 17 |
When we give things to poor [people], [it is as though] we are lending to Yahweh, and he will (pay us back/reward us for what we did).
| أَدِّبِ ابْنَكَ مَادَامَ فِي ذَلِكَ رَجَاءٌ، وَلا تَحْمِلْ نَفْسَكَ عَلَى قَتْلِهِ. | ١٨ 18 |
Discipline your children while [they are young], while you still hope that [they will learn to behave as they should]; [if you do not discipline them], you are helping them to destroy [themselves].
| الْجَامِحُ الْغَضَبِ يَدْفَعُ ثَمَنَ جُمُوحِهِ، وَإِنْ كَبَحْتَهُ أَوِ اعْتَرَضْتَهُ فَإِنَّكَ تَزِيدُهُ سُوءاً | ١٩ 19 |
Those who (do not control their temper/quickly become very angry) will have to endure what happens as a result; [but] if we rescue them [from those troubles once], we will have to continue rescuing them.
| اسْتَمِعْ إِلَى الْمَشُورَةِ، وَاقْبَلِ التَّأْدِيبَ، فَتَكْتَسِبَ حِكْمَةً بَقِيَّةَ حَيَاتِكَ. | ٢٠ 20 |
Pay attention when [people give you good] advice and learn from them, in order that you will become wise for the rest of your life.
| كَثِيرَةٌ هِيَ نَوَايَا قَلْبِ الإِنْسَانِ، إِنَّمَا مَشُورَةُ الرَّبِّ هِيَ الَّتِي تَسُودُ. | ٢١ 21 |
People plan to do many [kinds of things], but what will happen is what Yahweh has decided will happen.
| حُسْنُ الْجَمِيلِ زِينَةُ النَّاسِ، وَالْفَقِيرُ خَيْرٌ مِنَ الْغَنِيِّ الْكَاذِبِ. | ٢٢ 22 |
People want others to be loyal to them; it is better to be poor than to tell a lie [to a judge in court in order to get money].
| تَقْوَى الرَّبِّ تُفْضِي إِلَى الْحَيَاةِ، وَصَاحِبُهَا يَبِيتُ مُطْمَئِنّاً وَلا يَنَالُهُ شَرٌّ. | ٢٣ 23 |
[Those who have] an awesome respect for Yahweh will live [a long life]; they rest peacefully and are not harmed [during the night].
| الْكَسُولُ يَدْفِنُ يَدَهُ فِي صَحْنِهِ وَلا يَرُدُّهَا حَتَّى إِلَى فَمِهِ. | ٢٤ 24 |
Some people are extremely lazy; they put their hand in a dish [to take some food] but do not even lift the food up to their mouths.
| اضْرِبِ الْمُسْتَهْزِئَ فَيَتَعَقَّلَ الأَحْمَقُ، وَوَبِّخِ العَاقِلَ فَيَكْتَسِبَ فَهْماً. | ٢٥ 25 |
If you punish someone who makes fun of those who are wise, those who (are naive/need to be instructed) will learn to do what is smart; if you rebuke those who are wise, they will [listen to what you say and] become wiser.
| مَنْ يُخَرِّبْ حَيَاةَ أَبِيهِ، وَيُشَرِّدْ أُمَّهُ فَهُوَ ابْنٌ يَجْلِبُ الْخِزْيَ وَالْعَارَ. | ٢٦ 26 |
Anyone who mistreats/abuses his father or forces his mother to leave the home is a child who is acting shamefully and disgracefully.
| كُفَّ يَا ابْنِي عَنِ الإِصْغَاءِ إِلَى التَّعْلِيمِ الَّذِي يُضِلُّكَ عَنْ كَلِمَاتِ الْمَعْرِفَةِ. | ٢٧ 27 |
My son, if you stop learning things, you will [soon] forget what [you already] know.
| الشَّاهِدُ الْمُنَافِقُ يَسْخَرُ مِنَ الْقَضَاءِ، وَفَمُ الأَشْرَارِ يَبْتَلِعُ الإِثْمَ. | ٢٨ 28 |
Worthless witnesses [in court] make fun of [judges who try to] make fair decisions, and wicked people [enjoy] doing evil [like] they enjoy eating [good food] [MET].
| الْعِقَابُ مُعَدٌّ لِلسَّاخِرِينَ، وَجَلْدُ السِّيَاطِ مُهَيَّأٌ لِظُهُورِ الْجُهَّالِ. | ٢٩ 29 |
[God] is ready to punish those who make fun [of him/religion]; those who do foolish things deserve to be flogged/whipped.
