الأمثال 1

١ 1 هَذِهِ هِيَ أَمْثَالُ سُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ دَاوُدَ مَلِكِ إِسْرَائِيلَ،

Proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:

٢ 2 لِتَعْلِيمِ الْحِكْمَةِ وَالْفَهْمِ، وَإِدْرَاكِ مَعَانِي الْأَقْوَالِ الْمَأْثُورَةِ.

to know wisdom and instruction; to discern the words of understanding;

٣ 3 وَلِلْحَثِّ عَلَى تَقَبُّلِ التَّأْدِيبِ الْفَطِنِ، وَالْبِرِّ وَالْعَدْلِ وَالاسْتِقَامَةِ.

to receive the instruction of wisdom, righteousness and judgment, and equity;

٤ 4 فَيُحْرِزُ الْبُسَطَاءُ فِطْنَةً، وَالأَحْدَاثُ عِلْماً وَبَصِيرَةً.

to give prudence to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.

٥ 5 يَسْتَمِعُ إِلَيْهَا الْحَكِيمُ فَيَزْدَادُ حِكْمَةً، وَيَكْتَسِبُ الْفَهِيمُ مَهَارَةً،

He that is wise will hear, and will increase learning; and the intelligent will gain wise counsels:

٦ 6 فِي فَهْمِ الْمَثَلِ وَالْمَعْنَى الْبَلِيغِ وَأَقْوَالِ الْحُكَمَاءِ الْمَأْثُورَةِ وَأَحَاجِيهِمْ.

to understand a proverb and an allegory, the words of the wise and their enigmas.

٧ 7 فَإِنَّ مَخَافَةَ الرَّبِّ هِيَ رَأْسُ الْمَعْرِفَةِ، أَمَّا الْحَمْقَى فَيَسْتَهِينُونَ بِالْحِكْمَةِ وَالتَّأْدِيبِ.

The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge: fools despise wisdom and instruction.

٨ 8 اسْتَمِعْ يَا ابْنِي إِلَى تَوْجِيهِ أَبِيكَ وَلا تَتَنَكَّرْ لِتَعْلِيمِ أُمِّكَ.

Hear, my son, the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the teaching of thy mother;

٩ 9 فَإِنَّهُمَا إِكْلِيلُ نِعْمَةٍ يُتَوِّجُ رَأْسَكَ، وَقَلائِدُ تُطَوِّقُ عُنُقَكَ.

for they shall be a garland of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.

١٠ 10 يَا ابْنِي إِنِ اسْتَغْوَاكَ الْخُطَاةُ فَلا تَقْبَلْ.

My son, if sinners entice thee, consent not.

١١ 11 إِنْ قَالُوا: «تَعَالَ مَعَنَا لِنَتَرَبَّصَ بِالنَّاسِ حَتَّى نَسْفُكَ دِمَاءً أَوْ نَكْمُنَ لِلْبَرِيءِ وَنَقْتُلَهُ لِغَيْرِ عِلَّةٍ.

If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause;

١٢ 12 أَوْ قَالُوا لَكَ: تَعَالَ لِنَبْتَلِعَهُمْ أَحْيَاءَ كَمَا تَبْتَلِعُهُمُ الْهَاوِيَةُ وَأَصِحَّاءَ كَالْهَابِطِينَ فِي حُفْرَةِ الْمَوْتِ (Sheol h7585)

let us swallow them up alive as Sheol, and whole, as those that go down into the pit; (Sheol h7585)

١٣ 13 فَنَغْنَمَ كُلَّ نَفِيسٍ وَنَمْلأَ بُيُوتَنَا بِالأَسْلابِ.

we shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:

١٤ 14 ارْبِطْ مَصِيرَكَ بِمَصِيرِنَا، وَلْنَتَقَاسَمْ أَسْلابَنَا بِالتَّسَاوِي».

cast in thy lot among us; we will all have one purse:

١٥ 15 إِنْ قَالُوا لَكَ هَكَذَا فَلا تَسْلُكْ يَا ابْنِي فِي طَرِيقِهِمْ، وَاكْفُفْ قَدَمَكَ عَنْ سَبِيلِهِمْ.

— my son, walk not in the way with them, keep back thy foot from their path;

١٦ 16 لأَنَّ أَرْجُلَهُمْ تَسْعَى حَثِيثاً إِلَى الشَّرِّ، وَتُسْرِعُ إِلَى سَفْكِ الدِّمَاءِ.

for their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood.

١٧ 17 فَإِنَّهُ عَبَثاً تُنْصَبُ الشَّبَكَةُ عَلَى مَرْأَى الطَّيْرِ.

For in vain the net is spread in the sight of anything which hath wings.

١٨ 18 إِنَّمَا هُمْ يَتَرَبَّصُونَ لِسَفْكِ دَمِ أَنْفُسِهِمْ، وَيَكْمُنُونَ لإِهْدَارِ حَيَاتِهِمْ.

And these lay wait for their own blood; they lurk secretly for their own lives.

١٩ 19 هَذَا هُوَ مَصِيرُ كُلِّ مَنْ يَثْرَى ظُلْماً، فَإِنَّ الثَّرَاءَ الْحَرَامَ يَذْهَبُ بِحَيَاةِ قَانِيهِ.

So are the paths of every one that is greedy of gain: it taketh away the life of its possessors.

٢٠ 20 تُنَادِي الْحِكْمَةُ فِي الْخَارِجِ؛ وَفِي الأَسْوَاقِ تَرْفَعُ صَوْتَهَا.

Wisdom crieth without; she raiseth her voice in the broadways;

٢١ 21 عِنْدَ مُفْتَرَقَاتِ الطُّرُقِ الْمُزْدَحِمَةِ تَهْتِفُ، وَفِي مَدَاخِلِ بَوَّابَاتِ الْمَدِينَةِ تُرَدِّدُ أَقْوَالَهَا:

she calleth in the chief [place] of concourse, in the entry of the gates; in the city she uttereth her words:

٢٢ 22 «إِلَى مَتَى أَيُّهَا الْجُهَّالُ تَظَلُّونَ مُوْلَعِينَ بِالسَّذَاجَةِ، وَالسَّاخِرُونَ تُسَرُّونَ بِالسُّخْرِيَةِ، وَالْحَمْقَى بِكَرَاهِيَةِ الْمَعْرِفَةِ؟

How long, simple ones, will ye love simpleness, and scorners take pleasure in their scorning, and the foolish hate knowledge?

٢٣ 23 إِنْ رَجَعْتُمْ عِنْدَ تَوْبِيخِي وَتُبْتُمْ، أَسْكُبْ عَلَيْكُمْ رُوحِي وَأُعَلِّمْكُمْ كَلِمَاتِي.

Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour forth my spirit unto you, I will make known to you my words.

٢٤ 24 وَلَكِنْ لأَنَّكُمْ أَبَيْتُمْ دَعْوَتِي، وَرَفَضْتُمْ يَدِي الْمَمْدُودَةَ إِلَيْكُمْ،

Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no one regarded;

٢٥ 25 وَتَجَاهَلْتُمْ كُلَّ نَصَائِحِي وَلَمْ تَقْبَلُوا تَوْبِيخِي،

and ye have rejected all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:

٢٦ 26 فَأَنَا أَيْضاً أَسْخَرُ عِنْدَ مُصَابِكُمْ، وَأَشْمَتُ عِنْدَ حُلُولِ بَلِيَّتِكُمْ.

I also will laugh in your calamity, I will mock when your fear cometh;

٢٧ 27 عِنْدَمَا تَجْتَاحُكُمُ الْبَلِيَّةُ كَالْعَاصِفَةِ، وَتَحُلُّ بِكُمُ الْكَارِثَةُ كَالزَّوْبَعَةِ، عِنْدَمَا يَعْتَرِيكُمْ ضِيقٌ وَشِدَّةٌ،

when your fear cometh as sudden destruction, and your calamity cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish come upon you:

٢٨ 28 حِينَئِذٍ يَسْتَغِيثُونَ بِي فَلا أَسْتَجِيبُ، وَيَلْتَمِسُونَنِي فَلا يَجِدُونَنِي.

— then will they call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me early, and shall not find me.

٢٩ 29 لأَنَّهُمْ كَرِهُوا الْمَعْرِفَةَ وَلَمْ يُؤْثِرُوا مَخَافَةَ الرَّبِّ،

Because they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of Jehovah;

٣٠ 30 وَتَنَكَّرُوا لِكُلِّ مَشُورَتِي، وَاسْتَخَفُّوا بِتَوْبِيخِي.

they would none of my counsel, they despised all my reproof:

٣١ 31 لِذَلِكَ يَأْكُلُونَ ثِمَارَ أَعْمَالِهِمِ الْمُرَّةَ، وَيَشْبَعُونَ مِنْ عَوَاقِبِ مُؤَامَرَاتِهِمْ

therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their way, and be filled with their own devices.

٣٢ 32 لأَنَّ ضَلالَ الحَمْقَى يَقْتُلُهُمْ، وَتَرَفَ الجُهَّالِ يُهْلِكُهُمْ.

For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of the foolish shall cause them to perish.

٣٣ 33 أَمَّا الْمُسْتَمِعُ لِي فَيَسْكُنُ آمِناً مُطْمَئِنّاً لَا يُصِيبُهُ خَوْفٌ مِنَ الشَّرِّ».

But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be at rest from fear of evil.

King Solomon in Old Age