Proverbs 26
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.
| الْكَرَامَةُ لَا تَلِيقُ بِالْجَاهِلِ، فَهِيَ كَالثَّلْجِ فِي الصَّيْفِ، وَكَالْمَطَرِ فِي مَوْسِمِ الْحَصَادِ. | ١ |
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).
| اللَّعْنَةُ مِنْ غَيْرِ عِلَّةٍ لَا تَسْتَقِرُّ، فَهِيَ كَالْعُصْفُورِ الْحَائِمِ وَالْيَمَامَةِ الطَّائِرَةِ. | ٢ |
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].
| السَّوْطُ لِلْفَرَسِ، وَاللِّجَامُ لِلْحِمَارِ، وَالْعَصَا لِظُهُورِ الْجُهَّالِ. | ٣ |
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.
| لَا تُجِبِ الْجَاهِلَ بِمِثْلِ حُمْقِهِ لِئَلّا تُصْبِحَ مِثْلَهُ. | ٤ |
5 If you give a foolish answer to someone who asks a foolish question, he will realize that he is (not very wise/foolish).
| رُدَّ عَلَى الْجَاهِلِ حَسَبَ جَهْلِهِ لِئَلّا يَضْحَى حَكِيماً فِي عَيْنَيْ نَفْسِهِ. | ٥ |
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.
| مَنْ يَبْعَثُ بِرِسَالَةٍ عَلَى فَمِ جَاهِلٍ يَكُونُ كَمَنْ يَبْتُرُ الرِّجْلَيْنِ أَوْ يَجْرَعُ الظُّلْمَ. | ٦ |
7 A lame man cannot use his legs, and similarly [SIM] [it is useless for] a foolish person to speak [MTY] (proverbs/wise sayings).
| الْمَثَلُ فِي فَمِ الْجُهَّالِ كَسَاقَيِ الأَعْرَجِ الْمُرْتَخِيَتَيْنِ. | ٧ |
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.
| مَثَلُ مَنْ يُكْرِمُ الْجَاهِلَ كَمَثَلِ مَنْ يَضْرِبُ حَجَراً فِي مِقْلاعٍ (وَيَقْذِفُهُ بَعِيداً). | ٨ |
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].
| الْمَثَلُ فِي فَمِ الْجُهَّالِ كَشَوْكٍ فِي يَدِ سَكْرَانٍ. | ٩ |
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].
| مَنْ يَسْتَأْجِرُ الْجَاهِلَ أَوْ أَيَّ عَابِرِ طَرِيقٍ، يَكُونُ كَرَامِي سِهَامٍ، يُصِيبُ عَلَى غَيْرِ هُدىً. | ١٠ |
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.
| كَمَا يَعُودُ الْكَلْبُ إِلَى قَيْئِهِ، هَكَذَا يَعُودُ الْجَاهِلُ لِيَرْتَكِبَ حَمَاقَتَهُ. | ١١ |
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.
| أَشَاهَدْتَ رَجُلاً مُعْتَزّاً بِحِكْمَتِهِ؟ إِنَّ لِلْجَاهِلِ رَجَاءً فِي الإِصْلاحِ أَكْثَرَ مِنْهُ. | ١٢ |
13 Lazy people [just stay inside their houses and do nothing]; [they keep] saying “[I think] there is a lion in the street!”
| يَقُولُ الْكَسُولُ: فِي الطَّرِيقِ أَسَدٌ، وَفِي الشَّوَارِعِ لَيْثٌ. | ١٣ |
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].
| كَمَا يَدُورُ الْبَابُ عَلَى مَفَاصِلِهِ، يَتَقَلَّبُ الْكَسُولُ فِي فِرَاشِهِ. | ١٤ |
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.
| يَدْفِنُ الْكَسُولُ يَدَهُ فِي صَحْفَتِهِ وَيَشُقُّ عَلَيْهِ أَنْ يَرُدَّهَا إِلَى فَمِهِ. | ١٥ |
16 Lazy people think that they are wiser than seven/several people who can answer [others’ questions] with good sense.
| الْكَسُولُ أَكْثَرُ حِكْمَةً فِي عَيْنَيْ نَفْسِهِ مِنْ سَبْعَةٍ يُجِيبُونَ بِفِطْنَةٍ. | ١٦ |
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.
| مَنْ يَتَدَخَّلْ فِي خُصُومَةٍ لَا تَعْنِيهِ يَكُنْ كَمَنْ يَقْبِضُ عَلَى أُذُنَيْ كَلْبٍ عَابِرٍ. | ١٧ |
18 Crazy people who shoot burning arrows to kill people
| كَمَجْنُونٍ يَقْذِفُ شَرَراً وَسِهَاماً وَمَوْتاً، | ١٨ |
19 are as foolish as those who deceive someone else and [then] say, “I was only joking.”
| مَنْ يَخْدَعُ قَرِيبَهُ، ثُمَّ يَقُولُ: كُنْتُ أَمْزَحُ فَقَطْ! | ١٩ |
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 تَخْمَدُ النَّارُ لافْتِقَارِهَا إِلَى الْحَطَبِ، هَكَذَا تَكُفُّ الْخُصُومَةُ حِينَمَا يَغِيبُ النَّمَّامُ. | ٢٠ |
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.
| كَمَا أَنَّ الْفَحْمَ يَزِيدُ مِنِ اتِّقَادِ الْجَمْرِ، وَالْحَطَبَ مِنِ اشْتِعَالِ النَّارِ، هَكَذَا صَاحِبُ الْخُصُومَةِ يُضْرِمُ النِّزَاعَ. | ٢١ |
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.
| هَمَسَاتُ النَّمَّامِ كَلُقَمٍ سَائِغَةٍ تَنْزَلِقُ إِلَى بَوَاطِنِ الْجَوْفِ! | ٢٢ |
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.
| الشَّفَتَانِ الْمُتَوَهِّجَتَانِ وَالْقَلْبُ الشِّرِّيرُ مِثْلُ فِضَّةِ زَغَلٍ تُغَطِّي خَزَفَةً. | ٢٣ |
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].
| الرَّجُلُ الْمَاكِرُ يُطْلِي نَوَايَاهُ بِمَعْسُولِ الشِّفَاهِ، وَلَكِنَّهُ يُرَاعِي الْحِقْدَ فِي قَلْبِهِ، | ٢٤ |
25 When they say nice things, do not believe them, because in their inner beings are many things that [Yahweh] hates.
| إِنْ تَمَلَّقَكَ بِعُذُوبَةِ حَدِيثِهِ، فَلا تَأْتَمِنْهُ، لأَنَّ قَلْبَهُ مُفْعَمٌ بِسَبْعَةِ صُنُوفٍ مِنَ الرَّجَاسَاتِ. | ٢٥ |
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].
| إِنْ وَارَى حِقْدَهُ بِمَكْرٍ، فَإِنَّ نِفَاقَهُ يُفْتَضَحُ بَيْنَ الْجَمَاعَةِ. | ٢٦ |
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].
| مَنْ يَحْفِرُ حُفْرَةً لإِيذَاءِ غَيْرِهِ يَقَعُ فِيهَا، وَمَنْ دَحْرَجَ حَجَراً يَرْتَدُّ عَلَيْهِ. | ٢٧ |
28 Those [MTY] who tell lies to others [really] hate them, and those who deceive [others] ruin them.
| اللِّسَانُ الْكَاذِبُ يَمْقُتُ ضَحَايَاهُ، وَالْفَمُ الْمَلِقُ يُسَبِّبُ خَرَاباً. | ٢٨ |
