< Proverbs 23 >

1 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider well him that is before thee;
إِذَا جَلَسْتَ تَأْكُلُ مَعَ حَاكِمٍ، فَتَأَمَّلْ أَشَدَّ التَّأَمُّلِ فِيمَا هُوَ أَمَامَكَ.١
2 And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.
ضَعْ سِكِّيناً فِي حَلْقِكَ إِنْ كُنْتَ شَرِهاً!٢
3 Be not desirous of his dainties; seeing they are deceitful food.
لَا تَشْتَهِ أَطَايِبَهُ لأَنَّهَا أَطْعِمَةٌ خَادِعَةٌ.٣
4 Weary not thyself to be rich; cease from thine own wisdom.
لَا تَشْقَ طَلَباً للثَّرَاءِ. اكْبَحْ جِمَاحَ نَفْسِكَ بِفَضْلِ فِطْنَتِكَ.٤
5 Wilt thou set thine eyes upon it? it is gone; for riches certainly make themselves wings, like an eagle that flieth toward heaven.
مَا تَكَادُ تَتَأَلَّقُ عَيْنَاكَ حُبُوراً بِهِ حَتَّى يَتَبَدَّدَ، إِذْ فَجْأَةً يَصْنَعُ لِنَفْسِهِ أَجْنِحَةً وَيَطِيرُ كَالنَّسْرِ مُحَلِّقاً نَحْوَ السَّمَاءِ.٥
6 Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainties;
لَا تَأْكُلْ مِنْ خُبْزِ رَجُلٍ بَخِيلٍ، وَلا تَشْتَهِ أَطَايِبَهُ،٦
7 For as one that hath reckoned within himself, so is he: 'Eat and drink', saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.
لأَنَّهُ يُفَكِّرُ دَائِماً فِي الثَّمَنِ. يَقُولُ لَكَ: كُلْ وَاشْرَبْ، إِلّا أَنَّ قَلْبَهُ يَكُنُّ لَكَ غَيْرَ ذَلِكَ،٧
8 The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.
فَتَتَقَيَّأَ اللُّقَمَ الَّتِي أَكَلْتَهَا وَتَذْهَبَ كَلِمَاتُكَ الطَّيِّبَةُ سُدىً!٨
9 Speak not in the ears of a fool; for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.
لَا تَتَكَلَّمْ فِي مَسَامِعِ الْجَاهِلِ لأَنَّهُ يَزْدَرِي بِحِكْمَةِ أَقْوَالِكَ.٩
10 Remove not the ancient landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless;
لَا تَنْقُلْ مَعَالِمَ تُخْمٍ قَدِيمٍ، وَلا تَدْخُلْ حُقُولَ الأَيْتَامِ،١٠
11 For their Redeemer is strong; He will plead their cause with thee.
لأَنَّ وَلِيَّهُمْ قَادِرٌ، وَهُوَ يُدَافِعُ عَنْ دَعْوَاهُمْ ضِدَّكَ.١١
12 Apply thy heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.
وَجِّهْ قَلْبَكَ إِلَى التَّأْدِيبِ، وَأَرْهِفْ أُذُنَيْكَ لِكَلِمَاتِ الْمَعْرِفَةِ.١٢
13 Withhold not correction from the child; for though thou beat him with the rod, he will not die.
لَا تَمْتَنِعْ عَنْ تَأْدِيبِ الْوَلَدِ. إِنْ عَاقَبْتَهُ بِالْعَصَا لَا يَمُوتُ.١٣
14 Thou beatest him with the rod, and wilt deliver his soul from the nether-world. (Sheol h7585)
اضْرِبْهُ بِالْعَصَا، فَتُنْقِذَ نَفْسَهُ مِنَ الْهَاوِيَةِ. (Sheol h7585)١٤
15 My son, if thy heart be wise, my heart will be glad, even mine;
يَا ابْنِي إِنْ كَانَ قَلْبُكَ حَكِيماً، يَبْتَهِجُ قَلْبِي أَيْضاً،١٥
16 Yea, my reins will rejoice, when thy lips speak right things.
تَفْرَحُ نَفْسِي عِنْدَمَا تَنْطِقُ شَفَتَاكَ بِالْحَقِّ.١٦
17 Let not thy heart envy sinners, but be in the fear of the LORD all the day;
لَا يَغَرْ قَلْبُكَ مِنَ الْخُطَاةِ، بَلْ وَاظِبْ عَلَى تَقْوَى الرَّبِّ الْيَوْمَ كُلَّهُ،١٧
18 For surely there is a future; and thy hope shall not be cut off.
فَهُنَاكَ حَقّاً ثَوَابٌ، وَرَجَاؤُكَ لَنْ يَخِيبَ.١٨
19 Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thy heart in the way.
اسْتَمِعْ يَا ابْنِي وَكُنْ حَكِيماً، وَوَجِّهْ قَلْبَكَ نَحْوَ سَبِيلِ الْحَقِّ.١٩
20 Be not among winebibbers; among gluttonous eaters of flesh;
لَا تَكُنْ وَاحِداً مِنْ مُدْمِنِي الْخَمْرِ، الشَّرِهِينَ لاِلْتِهَامِ اللَّحْمِ،٢٠
21 For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty; and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.
لأَنَّ السِّكِّيرَ وَالشَّرِهَ يَفْتَقِرَانِ، وَكَثْرَةُ النَّوْمِ تَكْسُو الْمَرْءَ بِالْخِرَقِ.٢١
22 Hearken unto thy father that begot thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.
اسْتَمِعْ لأَبِيكَ الَّذِي أَنْجَبَكَ، وَلا تَحْتَقِرْ أُمَّكَ إِذَا شَاخَتْ.٢٢
23 Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.
اقْتَنِ الْحَقَّ وَلا تَبِعْهُ، وَكَذَا الْحِكْمَةَ وَالتَّأْدِيبَ وَالْفِطْنَةَ.٢٣
24 The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; and he that begetteth a wise child will have joy of him.
أَبُو الصِّدِّيقِ يَغْتَبِطُ أَشَدَّ الاغْتِبَاطِ، وَمَنْ أَنْجَبَ حَكِيماً يُسَرُّ بِهِ.٢٤
25 Let thy father and thy mother be glad, and let her that bore thee rejoice.
لِيَفْرَحْ أَبُوكَ وَأُمُّكَ وَلْتَبْتَهِجْ مَنْ أَنْجَبَتْكَ.٢٥
26 My son, give me thy heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.
يَا ابْنِي هَبْنِي قَلْبَكَ، وَلْتُرَاعِ عَيْنَاكَ سُبُلِي.٢٦
27 For a harlot is a deep ditch; and an alien woman is a narrow pit.
فَإِنَّ الْعَاهِرَةَ حُفْرَةٌ عَمِيقَةٌ، وَالزَّوْجَةَ الْمَاجِنَةَ بِئْرٌ ضَيِّقَةٌ،٢٧
28 She also lieth in wait as a robber, and increaseth the faithless among men.
تَكْمُنُ مُتَرَبِّصَةً كَلِصٍّ، وَتَزِيدُ مِنَ الْغَادِرِينَ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ.٢٨
29 Who crieth: 'Woe'? who: 'Alas'? who hath contentions? who hath raving? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?
لِمَنِ الْمُعَانَاةُ؟ لِمَنِ الْوَيْلُ وَالشَّقَاءُ وَالْمُخَاصَمَاتُ وَالشَّكْوَى؟ لِمَنِ الْجِرَاحُ بِلا سَبَبٍ؟ وِلِمَنِ احْمِرَارُ الْعَيْنَيْنِ؟٢٩
30 They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to try mixed wine.
إِنَّهَا لِلْمُدْمِنِينَ الْخَمْرَ، السَّاعِينَ وَرَاءَ الْمُسْكِرِ الْمَمْزُوجِ.٣٠
31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth its colour in the cup, when it glideth down smoothly;
لَا تَنْظُرْ إِلَى الْخَمْرِ إِذَا الْتَهَبَتْ بِالاحْمِرَارِ، وَتَأَلَّقَتْ فِي الْكَأْسِ، وَسَالَتْ سَائِغَةً،٣١
32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like a basilisk.
فَإِنَّهَا فِي آخِرِهَا تَلْسَعُ كَالْحَيَّةِ وَتَلْدَغُ كَالأُفْعُوَانِ.٣٢
33 Thine eyes shall behold strange things, and thy heart shall utter confused things.
فَتُشَاهِدُ عَيْنَاكَ أُمُوراً غَرِيبَةً، وَقَلْبُكَ يُحَدِّثُكَ بِأَشْيَاءَ مُلْتَوِيَةٍ،٣٣
34 Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.
فَتَكُونُ مُتَرَنِّحاً كَمَنْ يَضْطَجِعُ فِي وَسَطِ عُبَابِ الْبَحْرِ، أَوْ كَرَاقِدٍ عَلَى قِمَّةِ سَارِيَةٍ!٣٤
35 'They have struck me, and I felt it not, they have beaten me, and I knew it not; when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.'
فَتَقُولُ: «ضَرَبُونِي وَلَكِنْ لَمْ أَتَوَجَّعْ. لَكَمُونِي فَلَمْ أَشْعُرْ، فَمَتَى أَسْتَيْقِظُ؟ سَأَذْهَبُ أَلْتَمِسُ شُرْبَهَا مَرَّةً أُخْرَى».٣٥

< Proverbs 23 >