الأمثال 23

١ 1 إِذَا جَلَسْتَ تَأْكُلُ مَعَ حَاكِمٍ، فَتَأَمَّلْ أَشَدَّ التَّأَمُّلِ فِيمَا هُوَ أَمَامَكَ.

When you sit down to eat a meal with a (government official/king), think carefully about what (OR, who) is in front of you.

٢ 2 ضَعْ سِكِّيناً فِي حَلْقِكَ إِنْ كُنْتَ شَرِهاً!

[Even] if you (have a big appetite/want to eat a lot of food), restrain yourself.

٣ 3 لَا تَشْتَهِ أَطَايِبَهُ لأَنَّهَا أَطْعِمَةٌ خَادِعَةٌ.

Do not want to eat [a lot of] his fine food, because he may be trying to trick you.

٤ 4 لَا تَشْقَ طَلَباً للثَّرَاءِ. اكْبَحْ جِمَاحَ نَفْسِكَ بِفَضْلِ فِطْنَتِكَ.

Do not [cause yourself to become very tired by] working very hard to become rich; be wise and stop doing that,

٥ 5 مَا تَكَادُ تَتَأَلَّقُ عَيْنَاكَ حُبُوراً بِهِ حَتَّى يَتَبَدَّدَ، إِذْ فَجْأَةً يَصْنَعُ لِنَفْسِهِ أَجْنِحَةً وَيَطِيرُ كَالنَّسْرِ مُحَلِّقاً نَحْوَ السَّمَاءِ.

because as soon as you look [MTY] at [all the money that you have acquired], it will be gone; it will [disappear as if it] suddenly grew wings [SIM] and flew up into the sky like an eagle.

٦ 6 لَا تَأْكُلْ مِنْ خُبْزِ رَجُلٍ بَخِيلٍ، وَلا تَشْتَهِ أَطَايِبَهُ،

[If] someone who is stingy [invites you to a meal], do not eat [a lot of] his fine food,

٧ 7 لأَنَّهُ يُفَكِّرُ دَائِماً فِي الثَّمَنِ. يَقُولُ لَكَ: كُلْ وَاشْرَبْ، إِلّا أَنَّ قَلْبَهُ يَكُنُّ لَكَ غَيْرَ ذَلِكَ،

because he will be thinking about how much [the food cost that you are eating]. He [will] say to you, “Eat and drink all that you want!”, but that is not what he [will] really be thinking.

٨ 8 فَتَتَقَيَّأَ اللُّقَمَ الَّتِي أَكَلْتَهَا وَتَذْهَبَ كَلِمَاتُكَ الطَّيِّبَةُ سُدىً!

[When you realize what he is really thinking, it will cause you to want to] vomit what you have eaten; and your kind words [telling him that you are enjoying the meal] will be wasted.

٩ 9 لَا تَتَكَلَّمْ فِي مَسَامِعِ الْجَاهِلِ لأَنَّهُ يَزْدَرِي بِحِكْمَةِ أَقْوَالِكَ.

(Do not [waste time by]/It is useless) talking to foolish people; they will [only] despise the wise things that you say.

١٠ 10 لَا تَنْقُلْ مَعَالِمَ تُخْمٍ قَدِيمٍ، وَلا تَدْخُلْ حُقُولَ الأَيْتَامِ،

Do not [steal someone’s property by] removing a boundary marker that has been there for a long time, and do not take for yourself the land that belongs to orphans,

١١ 11 لأَنَّ وَلِيَّهُمْ قَادِرٌ، وَهُوَ يُدَافِعُ عَنْ دَعْوَاهُمْ ضِدَّكَ.

because Yahweh is strong, and he is [like] a relative that has the responsibility to defend them, he will [stand up in court and] argue for them and against you.

١٢ 12 وَجِّهْ قَلْبَكَ إِلَى التَّأْدِيبِ، وَأَرْهِفْ أُذُنَيْكَ لِكَلِمَاتِ الْمَعْرِفَةِ.

Pay attention to what [your teachers] teach you, and try to learn from the wise things that they say.

١٣ 13 لَا تَمْتَنِعْ عَنْ تَأْدِيبِ الْوَلَدِ. إِنْ عَاقَبْتَهُ بِالْعَصَا لَا يَمُوتُ.

Do not refuse to discipline your children; if you punish/spank them, it will not cause them to die,

١٤ 14 اضْرِبْهُ بِالْعَصَا، فَتُنْقِذَ نَفْسَهُ مِنَ الْهَاوِيَةِ. (Sheol h7585)

and it may save them from [going to] the place where dead people are. (Sheol h7585)

١٥ 15 يَا ابْنِي إِنْ كَانَ قَلْبُكَ حَكِيماً، يَبْتَهِجُ قَلْبِي أَيْضاً،

My son/child, if you [SYN] become wise, I [SYN] will be very happy.

١٦ 16 تَفْرَحُ نَفْسِي عِنْدَمَا تَنْطِقُ شَفَتَاكَ بِالْحَقِّ.

I [SYN] will rejoice when I hear you [SYN] say what is right/wise.

١٧ 17 لَا يَغَرْ قَلْبُكَ مِنَ الْخُطَاةِ، بَلْ وَاظِبْ عَلَى تَقْوَى الرَّبِّ الْيَوْمَ كُلَّهُ،

Do not envy sinful people; instead, revere Yahweh all of your life.

١٨ 18 فَهُنَاكَ حَقّاً ثَوَابٌ، وَرَجَاؤُكَ لَنْ يَخِيبَ.

[If you do that], you will be happy in the future, and [God] will certainly [do for you what you are] confidently expecting him to do.

١٩ 19 اسْتَمِعْ يَا ابْنِي وَكُنْ حَكِيماً، وَوَجِّهْ قَلْبَكَ نَحْوَ سَبِيلِ الْحَقِّ.

My son/child, listen carefully to me and become wise, and think about (all that you do/your behavior).

٢٠ 20 لَا تَكُنْ وَاحِداً مِنْ مُدْمِنِي الْخَمْرِ، الشَّرِهِينَ لاِلْتِهَامِ اللَّحْمِ،

Do not associate with those who drink a lot of (wine/strong drink) or with those who (are gluttons/eat more than they should),

٢١ 21 لأَنَّ السِّكِّيرَ وَالشَّرِهَ يَفْتَقِرَانِ، وَكَثْرَةُ النَّوْمِ تَكْسُو الْمَرْءَ بِالْخِرَقِ.

because drunkards and gluttons will become poor; and if all that you do is eat and sleep, you will [soon] (be wearing rags/not have any money to buy clothes).

٢٢ 22 اسْتَمِعْ لأَبِيكَ الَّذِي أَنْجَبَكَ، وَلا تَحْتَقِرْ أُمَّكَ إِذَا شَاخَتْ.

Pay attention to what your father tells you, and (do not neglect/take care of) [LIT] your mother when she is old.

٢٣ 23 اقْتَنِ الْحَقَّ وَلا تَبِعْهُ، وَكَذَا الْحِكْمَةَ وَالتَّأْدِيبَ وَالْفِطْنَةَ.

Try to know/learn what is wise, and get good instruction and understanding; and do not throw those things away.

٢٤ 24 أَبُو الصِّدِّيقِ يَغْتَبِطُ أَشَدَّ الاغْتِبَاطِ، وَمَنْ أَنْجَبَ حَكِيماً يُسَرُّ بِهِ.

Righteous [children] will cause their parents to be very happy; those whose children are wise are proud of them.

٢٥ 25 لِيَفْرَحْ أَبُوكَ وَأُمُّكَ وَلْتَبْتَهِجْ مَنْ أَنْجَبَتْكَ.

[Do what will] cause your father to be glad and enable your mother [also] to be happy.

٢٦ 26 يَا ابْنِي هَبْنِي قَلْبَكَ، وَلْتُرَاعِ عَيْنَاكَ سُبُلِي.

My son, heed what I say to you, and allow what I do to be an example for you.

٢٧ 27 فَإِنَّ الْعَاهِرَةَ حُفْرَةٌ عَمِيقَةٌ، وَالزَّوْجَةَ الْمَاجِنَةَ بِئْرٌ ضَيِّقَةٌ،

Prostitutes and immoral women [DOU] are [like] [MET] a deep pit or a well [that you may fall into].

٢٨ 28 تَكْمُنُ مُتَرَبِّصَةً كَلِصٍّ، وَتَزِيدُ مِنَ الْغَادِرِينَ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ.

They wait [for you] like robbers [SIM], and they cause many men to (be unfaithful to/have sex with women who are not) their wives.

٢٩ 29 لِمَنِ الْمُعَانَاةُ؟ لِمَنِ الْوَيْلُ وَالشَّقَاءُ وَالْمُخَاصَمَاتُ وَالشَّكْوَى؟ لِمَنِ الْجِرَاحُ بِلا سَبَبٍ؟ وِلِمَنِ احْمِرَارُ الْعَيْنَيْنِ؟

I will tell you [RHQ] what kind of people are always miserable and sad. I will tell you [RHQ] which people are always causing arguments/quarrels and who are always complaining. I will tell you [RHQ] who are injured in fights and whose eyes are always red/bloodshot.

٣٠ 30 إِنَّهَا لِلْمُدْمِنِينَ الْخَمْرَ، السَّاعِينَ وَرَاءَ الْمُسْكِرِ الْمَمْزُوجِ.

[It is] those who drink a lot of wine, who try drinking other kinds of strong drinks.

٣١ 31 لَا تَنْظُرْ إِلَى الْخَمْرِ إِذَا الْتَهَبَتْ بِالاحْمِرَارِ، وَتَأَلَّقَتْ فِي الْكَأْسِ، وَسَالَتْ سَائِغَةً،

Do not look with pleasure at red wine that looks nice, and which sparkles when it is [poured out] into cups, and which tastes good as you drink it,

٣٢ 32 فَإِنَّهَا فِي آخِرِهَا تَلْسَعُ كَالْحَيَّةِ وَتَلْدَغُ كَالأُفْعُوَانِ.

because the next morning [you will feel like] you have been bitten by a poisonous snake [DOU].

٣٣ 33 فَتُشَاهِدُ عَيْنَاكَ أُمُوراً غَرِيبَةً، وَقَلْبُكَ يُحَدِّثُكَ بِأَشْيَاءَ مُلْتَوِيَةٍ،

You [SYN] will [think that you are] seeing strange/weird things, and you [SYN] will not be able to think clearly or speak clearly.

٣٤ 34 فَتَكُونُ مُتَرَنِّحاً كَمَنْ يَضْطَجِعُ فِي وَسَطِ عُبَابِ الْبَحْرِ، أَوْ كَرَاقِدٍ عَلَى قِمَّةِ سَارِيَةٍ!

You will think you are in a ship that is tossing on the sea; you be like [SIM] someone who is trying to sleep when the ship is rolling from one side to the other.

٣٥ 35 فَتَقُولُ: «ضَرَبُونِي وَلَكِنْ لَمْ أَتَوَجَّعْ. لَكَمُونِي فَلَمْ أَشْعُرْ، فَمَتَى أَسْتَيْقِظُ؟ سَأَذْهَبُ أَلْتَمِسُ شُرْبَهَا مَرَّةً أُخْرَى».

You will say, “[I think that] someone struck me, but he did not hurt me; he hit me, but I did not feel it. When will I (wake up/feel normal again) in order that I can drink some more wine?”