الأمثال 26
| الْكَرَامَةُ لَا تَلِيقُ بِالْجَاهِلِ، فَهِيَ كَالثَّلْجِ فِي الصَّيْفِ، وَكَالْمَطَرِ فِي مَوْسِمِ الْحَصَادِ. | ١ 1 |
Just [like] [SIM] [it is not appropriate for] snow [to fall] in summer time, or rain [to fall] at harvest time, it is not appropriate to praise/honor foolish people.
| اللَّعْنَةُ مِنْ غَيْرِ عِلَّةٍ لَا تَسْتَقِرُّ، فَهِيَ كَالْعُصْفُورِ الْحَائِمِ وَالْيَمَامَةِ الطَّائِرَةِ. | ٢ 2 |
Like [SIM] birds that fly by [and do not alight/land on anything], if someone curses you, it cannot hurt you if you (do not deserve them/have not done to him what is wrong).
| السَّوْطُ لِلْفَرَسِ، وَاللِّجَامُ لِلْحِمَارِ، وَالْعَصَا لِظُهُورِ الْجُهَّالِ. | ٣ 3 |
It is necessary to whip a horse and to put a bridle on a donkey [to force them to go where we want them to go], and similarly [SIM] [it is often necessary to strike] foolish people with a stick [to cause them to do what is right].
| لَا تُجِبِ الْجَاهِلَ بِمِثْلِ حُمْقِهِ لِئَلّا تُصْبِحَ مِثْلَهُ. | ٤ 4 |
If a foolish person asks a foolish question, [do not answer him], because [if you answer his question], you are just as foolish as he is.
| رُدَّ عَلَى الْجَاهِلِ حَسَبَ جَهْلِهِ لِئَلّا يَضْحَى حَكِيماً فِي عَيْنَيْ نَفْسِهِ. | ٥ 5 |
If you give a foolish answer to someone who asks a foolish question, he will realize that he is (not very wise/foolish).
| مَنْ يَبْعَثُ بِرِسَالَةٍ عَلَى فَمِ جَاهِلٍ يَكُونُ كَمَنْ يَبْتُرُ الرِّجْلَيْنِ أَوْ يَجْرَعُ الظُّلْمَ. | ٦ 6 |
Anyone who asks a foolish person to take a message to someone [is himself doing something as foolish as] cutting off his own feet or drinking poison.
| الْمَثَلُ فِي فَمِ الْجُهَّالِ كَسَاقَيِ الأَعْرَجِ الْمُرْتَخِيَتَيْنِ. | ٧ 7 |
A lame man cannot use his legs, and similarly [SIM] [it is useless for] a foolish person to speak [MTY] (proverbs/wise sayings).
| مَثَلُ مَنْ يُكْرِمُ الْجَاهِلَ كَمَثَلِ مَنْ يَضْرِبُ حَجَراً فِي مِقْلاعٍ (وَيَقْذِفُهُ بَعِيداً). | ٨ 8 |
Tying a stone in a sling [so that it cannot be thrown at a target] is [as foolish as] [SIM] honoring a foolish person.
| الْمَثَلُ فِي فَمِ الْجُهَّالِ كَشَوْكٍ فِي يَدِ سَكْرَانٍ. | ٩ 9 |
If a drunk person waves some thorns/brambles with his hand, [he is not able to accomplish anything useful by doing that] (OR, [he does not feel it when a thorn sticks in his hand]); similarly, if foolish people speak [MTY] proverbs, [they do not help anyone who hears them].
| مَنْ يَسْتَأْجِرُ الْجَاهِلَ أَوْ أَيَّ عَابِرِ طَرِيقٍ، يَكُونُ كَرَامِي سِهَامٍ، يُصِيبُ عَلَى غَيْرِ هُدىً. | ١٠ 10 |
A man who shoots arrows [to try] to wound everybody who is near [is foolish]; similarly, anyone who hires a foolish person [who passes by is very foolish].
| كَمَا يَعُودُ الْكَلْبُ إِلَى قَيْئِهِ، هَكَذَا يَعُودُ الْجَاهِلُ لِيَرْتَكِبَ حَمَاقَتَهُ. | ١١ 11 |
A foolish person will foolishly do something stupid a second time; it is [like] [SIM] a dog returning to [eat] what it has vomited.
| أَشَاهَدْتَ رَجُلاً مُعْتَزّاً بِحِكْمَتِهِ؟ إِنَّ لِلْجَاهِلِ رَجَاءً فِي الإِصْلاحِ أَكْثَرَ مِنْهُ. | ١٢ 12 |
[God] can help/bless foolish people more easily than he can help/bless people who are not wise [RHQ], but think that they are wise.
| يَقُولُ الْكَسُولُ: فِي الطَّرِيقِ أَسَدٌ، وَفِي الشَّوَارِعِ لَيْثٌ. | ١٣ 13 |
Lazy people [just stay inside their houses and do nothing]; [they keep] saying “[I think] there is a lion in the street!”
| كَمَا يَدُورُ الْبَابُ عَلَى مَفَاصِلِهِ، يَتَقَلَّبُ الْكَسُولُ فِي فِرَاشِهِ. | ١٤ 14 |
A door [continually] swings back and forth on its hinges [and does not go anywhere]; similarly [SIM], lazy people [just continually turn over] in their beds [and never do anything].
| يَدْفِنُ الْكَسُولُ يَدَهُ فِي صَحْفَتِهِ وَيَشُقُّ عَلَيْهِ أَنْ يَرُدَّهَا إِلَى فَمِهِ. | ١٥ 15 |
Some people are extremely lazy; they put their hand in a dish [to get some food] but do not [even] lift the food up to their mouths.
| الْكَسُولُ أَكْثَرُ حِكْمَةً فِي عَيْنَيْ نَفْسِهِ مِنْ سَبْعَةٍ يُجِيبُونَ بِفِطْنَةٍ. | ١٦ 16 |
Lazy people think that they are wiser than seven/several people who can answer [others’ questions] with good sense.
| مَنْ يَتَدَخَّلْ فِي خُصُومَةٍ لَا تَعْنِيهِ يَكُنْ كَمَنْ يَقْبِضُ عَلَى أُذُنَيْ كَلْبٍ عَابِرٍ. | ١٧ 17 |
Anyone who (meddles/involves himself) in a quarrel that does not concern him is [as foolish as] [SIM] someone who tries to grab a passing dog by its ears.
| كَمَجْنُونٍ يَقْذِفُ شَرَراً وَسِهَاماً وَمَوْتاً، | ١٨ 18 |
Crazy people who shoot burning arrows to kill people
| مَنْ يَخْدَعُ قَرِيبَهُ، ثُمَّ يَقُولُ: كُنْتُ أَمْزَحُ فَقَطْ! | ١٩ 19 |
are as foolish as those who deceive someone else and [then] say, “I was only joking.”
| كَمَا تَخْمَدُ النَّارُ لافْتِقَارِهَا إِلَى الْحَطَبِ، هَكَذَا تَكُفُّ الْخُصُومَةُ حِينَمَا يَغِيبُ النَّمَّامُ. | ٢٠ 20 |
If there is no [more] firewood [to put on the fire], the fire will go out; similarly [SIM], if there are no people who (gossip/tell people things that are not true), quarreling will end.
| كَمَا أَنَّ الْفَحْمَ يَزِيدُ مِنِ اتِّقَادِ الْجَمْرِ، وَالْحَطَبَ مِنِ اشْتِعَالِ النَّارِ، هَكَذَا صَاحِبُ الْخُصُومَةِ يُضْرِمُ النِّزَاعَ. | ٢١ 21 |
[Putting] charcoal on burning coals or [putting] wood on a fire [causes the fire to keep burning]; similarly, people who like to quarrel cause people to keep arguing.
| هَمَسَاتُ النَّمَّامِ كَلُقَمٍ سَائِغَةٍ تَنْزَلِقُ إِلَى بَوَاطِنِ الْجَوْفِ! | ٢٢ 22 |
People [enjoy listening to what gossips say about others just like] [SIM] they enjoy tasty food; they [enjoy listening to what gossips tell them like] they enjoy swallowing tasty food.
| الشَّفَتَانِ الْمُتَوَهِّجَتَانِ وَالْقَلْبُ الشِّرِّيرُ مِثْلُ فِضَّةِ زَغَلٍ تُغَطِّي خَزَفَةً. | ٢٣ 23 |
People who say nice things when they are thinking about doing evil things are like a nice glaze/covering on a [cheap] clay pot.
| الرَّجُلُ الْمَاكِرُ يُطْلِي نَوَايَاهُ بِمَعْسُولِ الشِّفَاهِ، وَلَكِنَّهُ يُرَاعِي الْحِقْدَ فِي قَلْبِهِ، | ٢٤ 24 |
Those who hate someone and are saying [MTY] something very different from what they are thinking are hypocrites; they are only planning [to harm that person].
| إِنْ تَمَلَّقَكَ بِعُذُوبَةِ حَدِيثِهِ، فَلا تَأْتَمِنْهُ، لأَنَّ قَلْبَهُ مُفْعَمٌ بِسَبْعَةِ صُنُوفٍ مِنَ الرَّجَاسَاتِ. | ٢٥ 25 |
When they say nice things, do not believe them, because in their inner beings are many things that [Yahweh] hates.
| إِنْ وَارَى حِقْدَهُ بِمَكْرٍ، فَإِنَّ نِفَاقَهُ يُفْتَضَحُ بَيْنَ الْجَمَاعَةِ. | ٢٦ 26 |
They try to deceive people to cause them to think that they do not hate [that person], but in a public meeting, the people will find out the evil things [that they have done].
| مَنْ يَحْفِرُ حُفْرَةً لإِيذَاءِ غَيْرِهِ يَقَعُ فِيهَا، وَمَنْ دَحْرَجَ حَجَراً يَرْتَدُّ عَلَيْهِ. | ٢٧ 27 |
Those who dig a deep pit [for other people to fall into] will fall into it themselves; rocks will roll down on those who start to cause rocks to roll down [to crush someone].
| اللِّسَانُ الْكَاذِبُ يَمْقُتُ ضَحَايَاهُ، وَالْفَمُ الْمَلِقُ يُسَبِّبُ خَرَاباً. | ٢٨ 28 |
Those [MTY] who tell lies to others [really] hate them, and those who deceive [others] ruin them.
