الأمثال 2

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

Oh, my son, that thou wouldst receive my words, And treasure up my precepts within thee;

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

That thou wouldst apply thine ear to wisdom, And incline thy heart to understanding!

٣ 3 وَإِنْ نَشَدْتَ الْفِطْنَةَ، وَهَتَفْتَ دَاعِياً الْفَهْمَ.

For if thou wilt call aloud to knowledge, And lift up thy voice to understanding, —

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

If thou wilt seek her as silver, And search for her as for hidden treasures,

٥ 5 عِنْدَئِذٍ تُدْرِكُ مَخَافَةَ الرَّبِّ وَتَعْثُرُ عَلَى مَعْرِفَةِ اللهِ،

Then shalt thou 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 giveth wisdom; From his mouth proceed knowledge and understanding:

٧ 7 يَذْخَرُ لِلْمُسْتَقِيمِينَ فِطْنَةً، وَهُوَ تُرْسٌ لِلسَّالِكِينَ بِالْكَمَالِ.

He layeth up safety for the righteous; He is a shield to them that walk uprightly:

٨ 8 يَرْعَى سُبُلَ الْعَدْلِ، وَيُحَافِظُ عَلَى طَرِيقِ أَتْقِيَائِهِ.

He guardeth the paths of equity, And defendeth the way of his servants.

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

Then shalt thou understand righteousness and equity And uprightness, yea, every good path.

١٠ 10 إِنِ اسْتَقَرَّتِ الْحِكْمَةُ فِي قَلْبِكَ وَاسْتَلَذَّتْ نَفْسُكَ الْمَعْرِفَةَ،

When wisdom entereth into thy heart, And knowledge is pleasant to thy soul,

١١ 11 يَرْعَاكَ التَّعَقُّلُ، وَيَحْرُسُكَ الْفَهْمُ.

Discretion will guard thee, Understanding will preserve thee.

١٢ 12 إِنْقَاذاً لَكَ مِنْ طَرِيقِ الشَّرِّ وَمِنَ النَّاطِقِينَ بِالأَكَاذِيبِ.

It will deliver thee from the way of the wicked, From the men who speak perverse things;

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

Who forsake the paths of uprightness, To walk in the ways of darkness;

١٤ 14 الَّذِينَ يَفْرَحُونَ بِارْتِكَابِ الْمَسَاوِئِ، وَيَبْتَهِجُونَ بِنِفَاقِ الشَّرِّ،

Who rejoice in doing evil, And delight in the perverseness of the wicked;

١٥ 15 مِنْ ذَوِي الْمَسَالِكِ الْمُلْتَوِيَةِ وَالسُّبُلِ الْمُعْوَجَّةِ.

Whose paths are crooked, And who are froward in their ways.

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

It will deliver thee from the wife of another, From the stranger, who useth smooth words;

١٧ 17 الَّتِي نَبَذَتْ شَرِيكَ صِبَاهَا وَتَنَاسَتْ عَهْدَ إِلَهِهَا.

Who forsaketh the friend of her youth, And forgetteth the covenant of her God.

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

For her house sinketh down to Death, And her paths to the shades of the dead:

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

None that go to her return again; They will not attain the paths of life.

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

Therefore walk thou in the way of good men, And keep the paths of the righteous:

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

For the upright shall dwell in the land, And the righteous shall remain in it;

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

But the wicked shall be cut off from the land, And transgressors shall be rooted out of it.