Proverbes 26
1 Comme la neige en été, et la pluie pendant la moisson, ainsi la gloire ne convient pas à un insensé.
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.
2 Comme le passereau qui s'échappe, comme l'hirondelle qui s'envole, ainsi la malédiction sans cause n'atteint pas.
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).
3 Le fouet est pour le cheval, le mors pour l'âne et la verge pour le dos des insensés.
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].
4 Ne réponds pas à l'insensé selon sa folie, de peur de lui ressembler toi-même.
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.
5 Réponds à l'insensé selon sa folie, de peur qu'il ne se regarde comme sage.
If you give a foolish answer to someone who asks a foolish question, he will realize that he is (not very wise/foolish).
6 Il se coupe les pieds, il boit l'iniquité, celui qui donne des messages à un insensé.
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.
7 Otez les jambes au boiteux, est la sentence de la bouche de l'insensé.
A lame man cannot use his legs, and similarly [SIM] [it is useless for] a foolish person to speak [MTY] (proverbs/wise sayings).
8 C'est attacher une pierre à la fronde, que de rendre gloire à un insensé.
Tying a stone in a sling [so that it cannot be thrown at a target] is [as foolish as] [SIM] honoring a foolish person.
9 Comme une épine qui s'enfonce dans la main d'un homme ivre, ainsi est une sentence dans la bouche des insensés.
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].
10 Comme un archer qui blesse tout le monde, ainsi est celui qui prend à gage les insensés et les passants.
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].
11 Comme un chien qui retourne à son vomissement, ainsi est un insensé qui revient à sa folie.
A foolish person will foolishly do something stupid a second time; it is [like] [SIM] a dog returning to [eat] what it has vomited.
12 Si tu vois un homme qui est sage à ses yeux, il faut plus espérer d'un insensé que de lui.
[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.
13 Le paresseux dit: « Il y a un lion sur la route, il y a un lion dans les rues. »
Lazy people [just stay inside their houses and do nothing]; [they keep] saying “[I think] there is a lion in the street!”
14 La porte tourne sur ses gonds, ainsi le paresseux sur sa couche.
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].
15 Le paresseux met sa main dans le plat, et il a de la peine à la porter à la bouche.
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.
16 Le paresseux est plus sage à ses yeux que sept conseillers prudents.
Lazy people think that they are wiser than seven/several people who can answer [others’ questions] with good sense.
17 Comme celui qui saisit un chien par les oreilles, tel est le passant qui s'échauffe dans la querelle d'autrui.
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.
18 Comme un furieux qui lance des traits enflammés, des flèches et la mort,
Crazy people who shoot burning arrows to kill people
19 ainsi est un homme qui a trompé son prochain et qui dit: « Est-ce que je ne plaisantais pas. »
are as foolish as those who deceive someone else and [then] say, “I was only joking.”
20 Faute de bois, le feu s'éteint; éloignez le rapporteur, et la querelle s'apaise.
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.
21 Le charbon donne un brasier et le bois du feu: ainsi l'homme querelleur irrite une discussion.
[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.
22 Les paroles du rapporteur sont comme des friandises; elles descendent jusqu'au fond des entrailles.
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.
23 Des scories d'argent appliquées sur un vase de terre, telles sont les lèvres brûlantes avec un cœur mauvais.
People who say nice things when they are thinking about doing evil things are like a nice glaze/covering on a [cheap] clay pot.
24 Celui qui hait se déguise par ses lèvres, mais il met au dedans de lui la perfidie.
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].
25 Quand il adoucit sa voix, ne te fies pas à lui, car il a sept abominations dans son cœur.
When they say nice things, do not believe them, because in their inner beings are many things that [Yahweh] hates.
26 Il peut bien cacher sa haine sous la dissimulation, mais sa méchanceté se révélera dans l'assemblée.
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].
27 Celui qui creuse une fosse y tombe, et la pierre revient sur celui qui la roule.
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].
28 La langue fausse hait ceux qu'elle blesse, et la bouche flatteuse cause la ruine.
Those [MTY] who tell lies to others [really] hate them, and those who deceive [others] ruin them.
