< Proverbs 27 >

1 Do not boast about [what you will do] tomorrow, because you do not know what will happen [PRS] on any day.
لَا تَتَبَاهَ بِالْغَدِ لأَنَّكَ لَا تَدْرِي مَاذَا يَلِدُ الْيَوْمُ.١
2 Do not praise yourself [MTY, PRS]; allow others to praise you. If someone else praises you, that is okay.
لِيُثْنِ عَلَيْكَ سِوَاكَ لَا فَمُكَ؛ لِيَمْدَحْكَ الْغَرِيبُ لَا شَفَتَاكَ.٢
3 [It causes pain to our bodies to carry heavy] stones or [a pail full of] sand, but doing something stupid/foolish [can cause] great [pain to other people’s spirits.]
الْحَجَرُ ثَقِيلٌ، وَحُمُولَةُ الرَّمْلِ مُرْهِقَةٌ، وَلَكِنَّ غَضَبَ الْجَاهِلِ أَثْقَلُ مِنْهُمَا.٣
4 It is cruel to be angry [with others], and our being angry sometimes destroys [others], but being jealous of someone is [RHQ] often more cruel than that.
الْغَضَبُ فَظٌّ، وَالسَّخَطُ قَهَّارٌ، وَلَكِنْ مَنْ يَصْمُدُ أَمَامَ الْغَيْرَةِ؟٤
5 It is better to correct someone openly than to show that you l don’t love that person [by not correcting him].
التَّوْبِيخُ الظَّاهِرُ خَيْرٌ مِنَ الْحُبِّ الْمُضْمَرِ.٥
6 If a friend criticizes you, [he is a good friend and] you can trust him; but if one of your enemies kisses you, he is [probably wanting to] deceive you.
أَمِينَةٌ هِيَ جُرُوحُ الْمُحِبِّ، وَخَادِعَةٌ هِيَ قُبْلاتُ الْعَدُوِّ٦
7 When someone’s stomach is full, he does not want to eat honey; but when someone is [very] hungry, he thinks that [even] bitter things taste sweet.
النَّفْسُ الشَّبْعَانَةُ تَطَأُ الشَّهْدَ، أَمَّا النَّفْسُ الْجَائِعَةُ فَتَجِدُ كُلَّ مُرٍّ حُلْواً.٧
8 Anyone who wanders [far] from his home/family is like [SIM] a bird that is far from its nest.
الشَّارِدُ عَنْ مَوْطِنِهِ، كَالْعُصْفُورِ الشَّارِدِ عَنْ عُشِّهِ.٨
9 [Putting olive] oil and perfume on a person’s skin causes him to feel good, but having a friend [who gives] good advice [is even better].
الطِّيبُ وَالْبَخُورُ يُفْرِحَانِ الْقَلْبَ، وَمَسَرَّةُ الصِّدِّيقِ نَاجِمَةٌ عَنِ الْمَشُورَةِ الْمُخْلِصَةِ.٩
10 Do not neglect your friends or your parents’ friends; and at a time when you are experiencing a disaster, do not go to a relative [who lives far away to request his help]; someone who lives near you can help you more than relatives who live far away.
لَا تَتَخَلَّ عَنْ صَدِيقِكَ وَعَنْ صَدِيقِ أَبِيكَ، وَلا تَذْهَبْ إِلَى بَيْتِ قَرِيبِكَ فِي يَوْمِ بُؤْسِكَ، وَجَارٌ قَرِيبٌ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَخٍ بَعِيدٍ.١٠
11 My child/son, cause me to be happy by becoming wise, in order that I will [know how to] reply to those who would criticize me [about your behavior].
كُنْ حَكِيماً يَا ابْنِي، وَفَرِّحْ قَلْبِي، فَأَرُدَّ عَلَى مُعَيِّرِيَّ وَأُفْحِمَهُمْ.١١
12 Those who have good sense will realize that there is something dangerous ahead, and they will hide; those who do not have good sense [just] keep going, and later they will suffer because of [doing] that.
ذُو الْبَصِيرَةِ يَرَى الشَّرَّ فَيَتَوَارَى، أَمَّا الْحَمْقَى فَيَتَقَدَّمُونَ وَيُقَاسُونَ مِنْهُ.١٢
13 [You deserve to] have your property taken from you if you [foolishly] promise to a stranger (OR, a strange woman) that you will pay what she owes if she is unable to pay it [DOU].
خُذْ ثَوْبَ مَنْ كَفَلَ الْغَرِيبَ، وَرَهْناً مِمَّنْ ضَمِنَ الأَجْنَبِيَّ.١٣
14 If you rise early in the morning and call out a greeting to your neighbor [while he is still sleeping], he will consider it to be a curse, [not a blessing].
مَنْ يُبَارِكُ جَارَهُ فِي الصَّبَاحِ الْمُبَكِّرِ بِصَوْتٍ مُرْتَفِعٍ، تُحْسَبُ بَرَكَتُهُ لَعْنَةً.١٤
15 [Having] a wife that is [constantly] nagging is as [bad as listening] to rain continually dripping on a rainy day.
قَطَرَاتُ الْمَطَرِ الْمُتَتَابِعَةُ فِي يَوْمٍ مُمْطِرٍ، وَالْمَرْأَةُ الْمُشَاكِسَةُ سِيَّانِ،١٥
16 [Trying] to restrain/stop her [from doing that] is as [difficult] [SIM] [as trying] to stop the wind or [trying] to hold oil in your hand.
مَنْ يَكْبَحُ جُمُوحَهَا كَمَنْ يَكْبَحُ الرِّيحَ، أَوْ كَمَنْ يَقْبِضُ عَلَى زَيْتٍ بِيَمِينِهِ.١٦
17 [We can use one] iron tool to sharpen [another] iron [tool]; similarly [SIM], [when one person shares] what he is thinking, it can help other people [to think more clearly].
كَمَا يَصْقُلُ الْحَدِيدُ الْحَدِيدَ، هَكَذَا يَصْقُلُ الإِنْسَانُ صَاحِبَهُ.١٧
18 Those who take care of fig trees will have figs to eat; [similarly], servants who protect their master will be honored [by him].
مَنْ يَرْعَى تِينَةً يَأْكُلُ مِنْ ثَمَرِهَا، وَمَنْ يُرَاعِي سَيِّدَهُ يَحْظَى بِالإِكْرَامِ.١٨
19 [When a person looks] in the water, he sees his own face; similarly [SIM], [when we look at] a person’s behavior, we know what he is thinking.
كَمَا يَعْكِسُ الْمَاءُ صُورَةَ الْوَجْهِ، كَذَلِكَ يَعْكِسُ قَلْبُ الإِنْسَانِ جَوْهَرَهُ.١٩
20 [It is as though] the place where the dead people are is always wanting more people to [die and] come there; and humans [SYN] are always wanting to acquire more things, [too]. (Sheol h7585)
كَمَا أَنَّ الْهَاوِيَةَ وَالْهَلاكَ لَا يَشْبَعَانِ، هَكَذَا لَا تَشْبَعُ عَيْنَا الإِنْسَانِ. (Sheol h7585)٢٠
21 [Workers put] silver and gold in a very hot furnace [to burn out what is impure], and [SIM] people learn [what we are really like when they see how we react when people] praise us.
الْبَوْتَقَةُ لِتَنْقِيَةِ الْفِضَّةِ، وَالأَتُونُ لِتَمْحِيصِ الذَّهَبِ، وَالإِنْسَانُ يُحْكَمُ عَلَيْهِ بِمَوْقِفِهِ مِمَّا يُكَالُ لَهُ مِنْ مَدِيحٍ.٢١
22 Even if you beat/crush a fool severely [like] [MET] you pulverize grain with a pestle, you [probably] will not be able to cause him to stop (being foolish/doing foolish things).
لَوْ دَقَقْتَ الأَحْمَقَ بِمِدَقٍّ فِي هَاوُنٍ مَعَ السَّمِيذِ، فَلَنْ تَبْرَحَ عَنْهُ حَمَاقَتُهُ.٢٢
23 Take good care of your flocks of sheep and herds of cattle,
اجْتَهِدْ فِي مَعْرِفَةِ أَحْوَالِ غَنَمِكَ، وَاحْرِصْ كُلَّ الْحِرْصِ عَلَى قُطْعَانِكَ.٢٣
24 because the money [that you acquired from selling animals previously] will not (last/stay with you) forever; similarly [SIM], governments [MTY] certainly do not [RHQ] last forever.
لأَنَّ الْغِنَى لَا يَدُومُ إِلَى الأَبَدِ، وَلا يَخْلُدُ التَّاجُ مَدَى الدُّهُورِ.٢٤
25 After you cut the hay [DOU] and [store it to feed the animals in the winter while] a new crop of hay is growing,
عِنْدَمَا يَضْمَحِلُّ الْعُشْبُ، وَيَنْمُو الْحَشِيشُ الْجَدِيدُ وَيُجْمَعُ كَلَأُ الْجِبَالِ،٢٥
26 you will be able to [shear the sheep and] make clothes from the wool, and you will get money from selling [some of] the goats to buy [more] land,
فَإِنَّ الحُمْلانَ تُوَفِّرُ لَكَ كِسَاءَكَ، وَتَكُونُ الْجِدَاءُ ثَمَناً لِحَقْلِكَ.٢٦
27 and you will get enough milk from the [other] goats for you and your family and your female servants.
وَيَكُونُ لَكَ مِنْ لَبَنِ الْمَاعِزِ قُوتٌ يَكْفِيكَ، وَطَعَامٌ لأَهْلِ بَيْتِكَ وَغِذَاءٌ لِجَوَارِيكَ.٢٧

< Proverbs 27 >