الأمثال 2

١ 1 يَا ابْنِي إِنْ قَبِلْتَ كَلامِي، وَادَّخَرْتَ وَصَايَايَ فِي قَلْبِكَ،

[My] son, if you will receive the utterance of my commandment, and hide it with you;

٢ 2 وَأَرْهَفْتَ أُذُنَكَ إِلَى الْحِكْمَةِ، وَأَمَلْتَ قَلْبَكَ نَحْوَ الْفَهْمِ،

your ear shall listen to wisdom; you shall also apply your heart to understanding, and shall apply it to the instruction of your son.

٣ 3 وَإِنْ نَشَدْتَ الْفِطْنَةَ، وَهَتَفْتَ دَاعِياً الْفَهْمَ.

For it you shall call to wisdom, and utter your voice for understanding;

٤ 4 إِنِ الْتَمَسْتَهُ كَمَا تُلْتَمَسُ الْفِضَّةُ، وَبَحَثْتَ عَنْهُ كَمَا يُبْحَثُ عَنِ الْكُنُوزِ الدَّفِينَةِ،

and if you shall seek it as silver, and search diligently for it as for treasures;

٥ 5 عِنْدَئِذٍ تُدْرِكُ مَخَافَةَ الرَّبِّ وَتَعْثُرُ عَلَى مَعْرِفَةِ اللهِ،

then shall you understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.

٦ 6 لأَنَّ الرَّبَّ يَهَبُ الْحِكْمَةَ، وَمِنْ فَمِهِ تَتَدَفَّقُ الْمَعْرِفَةُ وَالْفَهْمُ.

For the Lord gives wisdom; and from his presence [come] knowledge and understanding,

٧ 7 يَذْخَرُ لِلْمُسْتَقِيمِينَ فِطْنَةً، وَهُوَ تُرْسٌ لِلسَّالِكِينَ بِالْكَمَالِ.

and he treasures up salvation for them that walk uprightly: he will protect their way;

٨ 8 يَرْعَى سُبُلَ الْعَدْلِ، وَيُحَافِظُ عَلَى طَرِيقِ أَتْقِيَائِهِ.

that he may guard the righteous ways: and he will preserve the way of them that fear him.

٩ 9 حِينَئِذٍ تُدْرِكُ الْعَدْلَ وَالْحَقَّ وَالاسْتِقَامَةَ، وَكُلَّ سَبِيلٍ صَالِحٍ.

Then shall you understand righteousness, and judgment; and shall direct all your course aright.

١٠ 10 إِنِ اسْتَقَرَّتِ الْحِكْمَةُ فِي قَلْبِكَ وَاسْتَلَذَّتْ نَفْسُكَ الْمَعْرِفَةَ،

For if wisdom shall come into your understanding, and discernment shall seem pleasing to your soul,

١١ 11 يَرْعَاكَ التَّعَقُّلُ، وَيَحْرُسُكَ الْفَهْمُ.

good counsel shall guard you, and holy understanding shall keep you;

١٢ 12 إِنْقَاذاً لَكَ مِنْ طَرِيقِ الشَّرِّ وَمِنَ النَّاطِقِينَ بِالأَكَاذِيبِ.

to deliver you from the evil way, and from the man that speaks nothing faithfully.

١٣ 13 مِنَ الَّذِينَ يَبْتَعِدُونَ عَنْ سَوَاءِ السَّبِيلِ وَيَسْلُكُونَ فِي طُرُقِ الظُّلْمَةِ،

Alas [for those] who forsake right paths, to walk in ways of darkness;

١٤ 14 الَّذِينَ يَفْرَحُونَ بِارْتِكَابِ الْمَسَاوِئِ، وَيَبْتَهِجُونَ بِنِفَاقِ الشَّرِّ،

who rejoice in evils, and delight in wicked perverseness;

١٥ 15 مِنْ ذَوِي الْمَسَالِكِ الْمُلْتَوِيَةِ وَالسُّبُلِ الْمُعْوَجَّةِ.

whose paths are crooked, and their courses winding;

١٦ 16 وَإِنْقَاذاً لَكَ مِنَ الْمَرْأَةِ الْغَرِيبَةِ الْمُخَاتِلَةِ الَّتِي تَتَمَلَّقُكَ بِكَلامِهَا،

to remove you far from the straight way, and to estrange you from a righteous purpose. [My] son, let not evil counsel overtake you,

١٧ 17 الَّتِي نَبَذَتْ شَرِيكَ صِبَاهَا وَتَنَاسَتْ عَهْدَ إِلَهِهَا.

[of her] who has forsaken the instruction of her youth, and forgotten the covenant of God.

١٨ 18 لأَنَّ بَيْتَهَا يَغُوصُ عَمِيقاً إِلَى الْمَوْتِ، وَسُبُلَهَا تُفْضِي إِلَى عَالَمِ الأَرْوَاحِ.

For she has fixed her house near death, and [guided] her wheels near Hades with the giants.

١٩ 19 كُلُّ مَنْ يَدْخُلُ إِلَيْهَا لَا يَرْجِعُ وَلا يَبْلُغُ سُبُلَ الْحَيَاةِ.

None that go by her shall return, neither shall they take hold of right paths, for they are not apprehended of the years of life.

٢٠ 20 لِهَذَا سِرْ فِي طَرِيقِ الأَخْيَارِ، وَاحْفَظْ سَبِيلَ الأَبْرَارِ،

For had they gone in good paths, they would have found the paths of righteousness easy.

٢١ 21 لأَنَّ الْمُسْتَقِيمِينَ يَسْكُنُونَ الأَرْضَ، وَالْكَامِلِينَ يَمْكُثُونَ دَائِماً فِيهَا.

For the upright shall dwell in the earth, and the holy shall be left behind in it.

٢٢ 22 أَمَّا الأَشْرَارُ فَيَنْقَرِضُونَ مِنَ الأَرْضِ، وَالْغَادِرُونَ يُسْتَأْصَلُونَ مِنْهَا.

The paths of the ungodly shall perish out of the earth, and transgressors shall be driven away from it.