الأمثال 5

١ 1 يَا ابْنِي أَصْغِ إِلَى حِكْمَتِي، وَأَرْهِفْ أُذُنَكَ إِلَى قَوْلِ فِطْنَتِي.

My son, attend unto my wisdom, [and] bow thine ear to my understanding:

٢ 2 لِكَيْ تَدَّخِرَ الْفِطْنَةَ، وَتَرْعَى شَفَتَاكَ الْعِلْمَ.

That thou mayest regard discretion, and [that] thy lips may keep knowledge.

٣ 3 لأَنَّ شَفَتَيِ الْمَرْأَةِ الْعَاهِرَةِ تَقْطُرَانِ شَهْداً، وَحَدِيثَهَا أَكْثَرُ نُعُومَةً مِنَ الزَّيْتِ،

For the lips of a strange woman drop [as] an honeycomb, and her mouth [is] smoother than oil:

٤ 4 لَكِنَّ عَاقِبَتَهَا مُرَّةٌ كَالْعَلْقَمِ، حَادَّةٌ كَسَيْفٍ ذِي حَدَّيْنِ.

But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword.

٥ 5 تَنْحَدِرُ قَدَمَاهَا إِلَى الْمَوْتِ، وَخَطْوَاتُهَا تَتَشَبَّثُ بِالْهَاوِيَةِ. (Sheol h7585)

Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell. (Sheol h7585)

٦ 6 لَا تَتَأَمَّلُ طَرِيقَ الْحَيَاةِ؛ تَتَرَنَّحُ خَطْوَاتُهَا وَهِيَ لَا تُدْرِكُ ذَلِكَ.

Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life, her ways are moveable, [that] thou canst not know [them].

٧ 7 وَالآنَ أَصْغُوا إِلَيَّ أَيُّهَا الْبَنُونَ، وَلا تَهْجُرُوا كَلِمَاتِ فَمِي.

Hear me now therefore, O ye children, and depart not from the words of my mouth.

٨ 8 أَبْعِدْ طَرِيقَكَ عَنْهَا، وَلا تَقْتَرِبْ مِنْ بَابِ بَيْتِهَا،

Remove thy way far from her, and come not nigh the door of her house:

٩ 9 لِئَلّا تُعْطِيَ كَرَامَتَكَ لِلآخَرِينَ، وَسِنِي عُمْرِكَ لِمَنْ لَا يَرْحَمُ،

Lest thou give thine honour unto others, and thy years unto the cruel:

١٠ 10 فَيَسْتَهْلِكَ الْغُرَبَاءُ ثَرْوَتَكَ حَتَّى الشِّبَعِ، وَتَضْحَى غَلَّةُ أَتْعَابِكَ فِي بَيْتِ الأَجْنَبِيِّ.

Lest strangers be filled with thy wealth; and thy labours [be] in the house of a stranger;

١١ 11 فَتَنُوحَ فِي أَوَاخِرِ حَيَاتِكَ، عِنْدَ فَنَاءِ لَحْمِكَ وَجَسَدِكَ، لإِصَابَتِكَ بِأَمْرَاضٍ مُعْدِيَةٍ،

And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed,

١٢ 12 وَتَقُولَ: «كَيْفَ مَقَتُّ التَّأْدِيبَ، وَاسْتَخَفَّ قَلْبِي بِالتَّوْبِيخِ،

And say, How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof;

١٣ 13 فَلَمْ أَصْغِ إِلَى تَوْجِيهِ مُرْشِدِيَّ، وَلا اسْتَمَعْتُ إِلَى مُعَلِّمِيَّ.

And have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, nor inclined mine ear to them that instructed me!

١٤ 14 حَتَّى كِدْتُ أَتْلَفُ فِي وَسَطِ الْجُمْهُورِ وَالْجَمَاعَةِ».

I was almost in all evil in the midst of the congregation and assembly.

١٥ 15 اشْرَبْ مَاءً مِنْ جُبِّكَ، وَمِيَاهاً جَارِيَةً مِنْ بِئْرِكَ.

Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters out of thine own well.

١٦ 16 أَيَنْبَغِي عَلَى يَنَابِيعِكَ أَنْ تَفِيضَ إِلَى الْخَارِجِ كَأَنْهَارِ مِيَاهٍ فِي الشَّوَارِعِ؟

Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, [and] rivers of waters in the streets.

١٧ 17 لِيَكُنْ أَوْلادُكَ لَكَ وَحْدَكَ، لَا نَصِيبَ لِلْغُرَبَاءِ مَعَكَ فِيهِمْ.

Let them be only thine own, and not strangers’ with thee.

١٨ 18 لِيَكُنْ يَنْبُوعُ عِفَّتِكَ مُبَارَكاً، وَاغْتَبِطْ بِامْرَأَةِ شَبَابِكَ،

Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.

١٩ 19 فَتَكُونَ كَالظَّبْيَةِ الْمَحْبُوبَةِ وَالْوَعْلَةِ الْبَهِيَّةِ، فَتَرْتَوِيَ مِنْ فَيْضِ فِتْنَتِهَا، وَتَظَلَّ دَائِماً أَسِيرَ حُبِّهَا.

[Let her be as] the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love.

٢٠ 20 لِمَاذَا تُوْلَعُ يَا ابْنِي بِالْمَرْأَةِ الْعَاهِرَةِ أَوْ تَحْتَضِنُ الْغَرِيبَةَ؟

And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished with a strange woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?

٢١ 21 فَإِنَّ تَصَرُّفَاتِ الإِنْسَانِ مَكْشُوفَةٌ أَمَامَ عَيْنَيِ الرَّبِّ، وَهُوَ يُبْصِرُ جَمِيعَ طُرُقِهِ.

For the ways of man [are] before the eyes of the LORD, and he pondereth all his goings.

٢٢ 22 آثَامُ الْمُنَافِقِ تَتَصَيَّدُهُ، وَيَعْلَقُ بِحِبَالِ خَطِيئَتِهِ.

His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.

٢٣ 23 يَمُوتُ افْتِقَاراً إِلَى التَّأْدِيبِ، وَبِحُمْقِهِ يَتَشَرَّدُ.

He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.