Proverbs 23
1 When you sit to eat with a ruler, observe carefully what is before you,
| إِذَا جَلَسْتَ تَأْكُلُ مَعَ حَاكِمٍ، فَتَأَمَّلْ أَشَدَّ التَّأَمُّلِ فِيمَا هُوَ أَمَامَكَ. | ١ |
2 and put a knife to your throat if you are a person who likes to eat a lot of food.
| ضَعْ سِكِّيناً فِي حَلْقِكَ إِنْ كُنْتَ شَرِهاً! | ٢ |
3 Do not crave his delicacies, for it is the food of lies.
| لَا تَشْتَهِ أَطَايِبَهُ لأَنَّهَا أَطْعِمَةٌ خَادِعَةٌ. | ٣ |
4 Do not work too hard to gain wealth; be wise enough to know when to stop.
| لَا تَشْقَ طَلَباً للثَّرَاءِ. اكْبَحْ جِمَاحَ نَفْسِكَ بِفَضْلِ فِطْنَتِكَ. | ٤ |
5 Will you let your eyes light upon it? It will be gone, for it will surely take up wings like an eagle and fly off to the sky.
| مَا تَكَادُ تَتَأَلَّقُ عَيْنَاكَ حُبُوراً بِهِ حَتَّى يَتَبَدَّدَ، إِذْ فَجْأَةً يَصْنَعُ لِنَفْسِهِ أَجْنِحَةً وَيَطِيرُ كَالنَّسْرِ مُحَلِّقاً نَحْوَ السَّمَاءِ. | ٥ |
6 Do not eat the food of one with an evil eye— and do not crave his delicacies,
| لَا تَأْكُلْ مِنْ خُبْزِ رَجُلٍ بَخِيلٍ، وَلا تَشْتَهِ أَطَايِبَهُ، | ٦ |
7 for he is the kind of man who counts the price of the food. “Eat and drink!” he says to you, but his heart is not with you.
| لأَنَّهُ يُفَكِّرُ دَائِماً فِي الثَّمَنِ. يَقُولُ لَكَ: كُلْ وَاشْرَبْ، إِلّا أَنَّ قَلْبَهُ يَكُنُّ لَكَ غَيْرَ ذَلِكَ، | ٧ |
8 You will vomit up the little you have eaten and you will have wasted your compliments.
| فَتَتَقَيَّأَ اللُّقَمَ الَّتِي أَكَلْتَهَا وَتَذْهَبَ كَلِمَاتُكَ الطَّيِّبَةُ سُدىً! | ٨ |
9 Do not speak in the hearing of a fool, for he will despise the wisdom of your words.
| لَا تَتَكَلَّمْ فِي مَسَامِعِ الْجَاهِلِ لأَنَّهُ يَزْدَرِي بِحِكْمَةِ أَقْوَالِكَ. | ٩ |
10 Do not move an ancient boundary stone or encroach on the fields of orphans,
| لَا تَنْقُلْ مَعَالِمَ تُخْمٍ قَدِيمٍ، وَلا تَدْخُلْ حُقُولَ الأَيْتَامِ، | ١٠ |
11 for their Redeemer is strong and he will plead their case against you.
| لأَنَّ وَلِيَّهُمْ قَادِرٌ، وَهُوَ يُدَافِعُ عَنْ دَعْوَاهُمْ ضِدَّكَ. | ١١ |
12 Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.
| وَجِّهْ قَلْبَكَ إِلَى التَّأْدِيبِ، وَأَرْهِفْ أُذُنَيْكَ لِكَلِمَاتِ الْمَعْرِفَةِ. | ١٢ |
13 Do not withhold instruction from a child, for if you discipline him, he will not die.
| لَا تَمْتَنِعْ عَنْ تَأْدِيبِ الْوَلَدِ. إِنْ عَاقَبْتَهُ بِالْعَصَا لَا يَمُوتُ. | ١٣ |
| اضْرِبْهُ بِالْعَصَا، فَتُنْقِذَ نَفْسَهُ مِنَ الْهَاوِيَةِ. (Sheol h7585) | ١٤ |
15 My son, if your heart is wise, then my heart also will be glad;
| يَا ابْنِي إِنْ كَانَ قَلْبُكَ حَكِيماً، يَبْتَهِجُ قَلْبِي أَيْضاً، | ١٥ |
16 my inmost being will rejoice when your lips speak what is right.
| تَفْرَحُ نَفْسِي عِنْدَمَا تَنْطِقُ شَفَتَاكَ بِالْحَقِّ. | ١٦ |
17 Do not let your heart envy sinners, but continue in the fear of Yahweh all the day.
| لَا يَغَرْ قَلْبُكَ مِنَ الْخُطَاةِ، بَلْ وَاظِبْ عَلَى تَقْوَى الرَّبِّ الْيَوْمَ كُلَّهُ، | ١٧ |
18 Surely there is a future and your hope will not be cut off.
| فَهُنَاكَ حَقّاً ثَوَابٌ، وَرَجَاؤُكَ لَنْ يَخِيبَ. | ١٨ |
19 Hear—you!—my son, and be wise and direct your heart in the way.
| اسْتَمِعْ يَا ابْنِي وَكُنْ حَكِيماً، وَوَجِّهْ قَلْبَكَ نَحْوَ سَبِيلِ الْحَقِّ. | ١٩ |
20 Do not associate with drunkards, or with gluttonous eaters of meat,
| لَا تَكُنْ وَاحِداً مِنْ مُدْمِنِي الْخَمْرِ، الشَّرِهِينَ لاِلْتِهَامِ اللَّحْمِ، | ٢٠ |
21 for the drunkard and the glutton become poor and slumber will clothe them with rags.
| لأَنَّ السِّكِّيرَ وَالشَّرِهَ يَفْتَقِرَانِ، وَكَثْرَةُ النَّوْمِ تَكْسُو الْمَرْءَ بِالْخِرَقِ. | ٢١ |
22 Listen to your father who begot you and do not despise your mother when she is old.
| اسْتَمِعْ لأَبِيكَ الَّذِي أَنْجَبَكَ، وَلا تَحْتَقِرْ أُمَّكَ إِذَا شَاخَتْ. | ٢٢ |
23 Buy the truth, but do not sell it; buy wisdom, instruction, and understanding.
| اقْتَنِ الْحَقَّ وَلا تَبِعْهُ، وَكَذَا الْحِكْمَةَ وَالتَّأْدِيبَ وَالْفِطْنَةَ. | ٢٣ |
24 The father of the righteous person will greatly rejoice, and he who begets a wise child will be glad in him.
| أَبُو الصِّدِّيقِ يَغْتَبِطُ أَشَدَّ الاغْتِبَاطِ، وَمَنْ أَنْجَبَ حَكِيماً يُسَرُّ بِهِ. | ٢٤ |
25 Let your father and your mother be glad and let her who bore you rejoice.
| لِيَفْرَحْ أَبُوكَ وَأُمُّكَ وَلْتَبْتَهِجْ مَنْ أَنْجَبَتْكَ. | ٢٥ |
26 My son, give me your heart and let your eyes observe my ways.
| يَا ابْنِي هَبْنِي قَلْبَكَ، وَلْتُرَاعِ عَيْنَاكَ سُبُلِي. | ٢٦ |
27 For a prostitute is a deep pit, and an immoral woman is a narrow well.
| فَإِنَّ الْعَاهِرَةَ حُفْرَةٌ عَمِيقَةٌ، وَالزَّوْجَةَ الْمَاجِنَةَ بِئْرٌ ضَيِّقَةٌ، | ٢٧ |
28 She lies in wait like a robber and she increases the number of the treacherous among humanity.
| تَكْمُنُ مُتَرَبِّصَةً كَلِصٍّ، وَتَزِيدُ مِنَ الْغَادِرِينَ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ. | ٢٨ |
29 Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has fights? Who has complaining? Who has wounds for no reason? Who has bloodshot eyes?
| لِمَنِ الْمُعَانَاةُ؟ لِمَنِ الْوَيْلُ وَالشَّقَاءُ وَالْمُخَاصَمَاتُ وَالشَّكْوَى؟ لِمَنِ الْجِرَاحُ بِلا سَبَبٍ؟ وِلِمَنِ احْمِرَارُ الْعَيْنَيْنِ؟ | ٢٩ |
30 Those who linger over wine, those who try the mixed wine.
| إِنَّهَا لِلْمُدْمِنِينَ الْخَمْرَ، السَّاعِينَ وَرَاءَ الْمُسْكِرِ الْمَمْزُوجِ. | ٣٠ |
31 Do not look at the wine when it is red, when it sparkles in the cup and goes down smoothly.
| لَا تَنْظُرْ إِلَى الْخَمْرِ إِذَا الْتَهَبَتْ بِالاحْمِرَارِ، وَتَأَلَّقَتْ فِي الْكَأْسِ، وَسَالَتْ سَائِغَةً، | ٣١ |
32 In the last it bites like a serpent and it stings like an adder.
| فَإِنَّهَا فِي آخِرِهَا تَلْسَعُ كَالْحَيَّةِ وَتَلْدَغُ كَالأُفْعُوَانِ. | ٣٢ |
33 Your eyes will see strange things and your heart will utter perverse things.
| فَتُشَاهِدُ عَيْنَاكَ أُمُوراً غَرِيبَةً، وَقَلْبُكَ يُحَدِّثُكَ بِأَشْيَاءَ مُلْتَوِيَةٍ، | ٣٣ |
34 You will be as one who sleeps on the high seas or lies on the top of a mast.
| فَتَكُونُ مُتَرَنِّحاً كَمَنْ يَضْطَجِعُ فِي وَسَطِ عُبَابِ الْبَحْرِ، أَوْ كَرَاقِدٍ عَلَى قِمَّةِ سَارِيَةٍ! | ٣٤ |
35 “They hit me,” you will say, “but I was not hurt. They beat me, but I did not feel it. When will I wake up? I will seek another drink.”
| فَتَقُولُ: «ضَرَبُونِي وَلَكِنْ لَمْ أَتَوَجَّعْ. لَكَمُونِي فَلَمْ أَشْعُرْ، فَمَتَى أَسْتَيْقِظُ؟ سَأَذْهَبُ أَلْتَمِسُ شُرْبَهَا مَرَّةً أُخْرَى». | ٣٥ |
