Proverbes 17
1 Mieux vaut un morceau sec et la paix, qu’une maison pleine de viandes de sacrifices et des querelles.
It is better [to eat] a dry piece [of bread] and not have strife/quarrels than to have a big feast in a house where [everyone] is quarreling.
2 Un serviteur sage gouvernera le fils qui fait honte, et il aura part à l’héritage au milieu des frères.
A slave who acts wisely will [some day] be the boss of his master’s disgraceful son and when his master dies, the slave will receive part of his master’s possessions.
3 Le creuset est pour l’argent, et le fourneau pour l’or; mais l’Éternel éprouve les cœurs.
[Workers put] silver and gold in a very hot furnace [to burn out what is impure], and Yahweh [similarly] examines people’s inner beings [to see if they are pure].
4 Celui qui fait le mal est attentif à la lèvre d’iniquité; le menteur prête l’oreille à la langue pernicieuse.
Those who do what is evil pay attention to people who say [MTY] what is evil, and liars pay attention to [other people’s] lies.
5 Qui se moque du pauvre outrage celui qui l’a fait; qui se réjouit de la calamité ne sera pas tenu pour innocent.
Those who make fun of poor [people] insult God, the one who made the poor [people], [and] those who are happy when [someone else has] troubles will certainly be punished [LIT] [by God].
6 La couronne des vieillards, ce sont les fils des fils, et la gloire des fils, ce sont leurs pères.
Old [people] are [usually] proud of [MET] their grandchildren, [just like] children are [usually] proud of their parents.
7 La parole excellente ne convient point à un homme vil; combien moins [sied] à un prince la lèvre menteuse.
Fine/Eloquent speech is not suitable for foolish people to say, just like lies are not suitable for rulers [to say].
8 Le présent est une pierre précieuse aux yeux de celui qui le possède; de quelque côté qu’il se tourne, il réussit.
People think that a bribe is like a magic stone [to persuade someone to do what they want him to do]; they think that because of the bribe, that person will do whatever they want him to do.
9 Celui qui couvre une transgression cherche l’amour, mais celui qui répète une chose divise les intimes amis.
If you want people to like/love you, forgive them for the wrong things that they do to you. If you continue to remind them about those wrong things, they will no longer be your friends.
10 La répréhension fait plus d’impression sur l’homme intelligent que 100 coups sur le sot.
Rebuking people who have good sense will accomplish more for them than hitting them 100 times [with a stick].
11 L’inique ne cherche que rébellion; mais un messager cruel sera envoyé contre lui.
[Because] wicked people are always trying to cause trouble, someone will be sent to severely punish them.
12 Qu’un homme rencontre une ourse privée de ses petits, plutôt qu’un sot dans sa folie!
A mother bear whose cubs have been taken away from her is dangerous, but it is more dangerous to confront a foolish person who is doing something foolish.
13 Le mal ne quittera point la maison de celui qui rend le mal pour le bien.
If someone does something evil in return for something good being done to him, evil/trouble will never leave that person’s family.
14 Le commencement d’une querelle, c’est comme quand on laisse couler des eaux; avant que la dispute s’échauffe, va-t’en.
Starting a quarrel is like allowing water to start to leak out of a dam; they both need to be stopped before they get worse.
15 Celui qui justifie le méchant et celui qui condamne le juste sont tous deux en abomination à l’Éternel.
There are two things that Yahweh hates: (Condemning innocent [people]/Saying that people who have done nothing wrong must be punished), and declaring that people who have done wicked things should not be punished.
16 Pourquoi donc le prix dans la main d’un sot pour acheter la sagesse, alors qu’il n’a point de sens?
It is useless to allow foolish people [RHQ] to try to become wise by paying for it, because they do not have enough good sense to become wise.
17 L’ami aime en tout temps, et un frère est né pour la détresse.
Friends love [others] all the time, and relatives are able to help us when we have troubles.
18 L’homme dépourvu de sens frappe dans la main, s’engageant comme caution vis-à-vis de son prochain.
[If someone borrows money from another person], it is foolish for you to promise [IDM] that you will pay the money back if that other person is unable to pay back the money that he borrowed.
19 Qui aime les contestations aime la transgression; qui hausse son portail cherche la ruine.
Those who like to sin [also] like to cause strife/trouble; [and] those who build fancy doors in their houses [to show that they are very wealthy] (OR, speak proudly) are inviting disaster.
20 Celui qui est pervers de cœur ne trouve pas le bien; et celui qui use de détours avec sa langue tombe dans le mal.
Those who (have perverse minds/are always thinking about doing evil things) will not prosper, and disasters will happen to those who always tell lies.
21 Celui qui engendre un sot [l’engendre] pour son chagrin; et le père d’un homme vil ne se réjouira pas.
Children who are foolish [soon] cause their parents to be very sad; their parents will not be joyful at all.
22 Le cœur joyeux fait du bien à la santé, mais un esprit abattu dessèche les os.
Being cheerful is [like swallowing] good medicine; being discouraged/gloomy [all the time will] (drain away your energy/cause you to become weak) [MTY].
23 Le méchant prend de [son] sein un présent pour faire dévier les sentiers du jugement.
Wicked people/judges accept bribes that are given to them secretly, and as a result they do not decide matters justly/fairly.
24 La sagesse est en face de l’homme intelligent, mais les yeux du sot sont au bout de la terre.
Those who have good sense determine to do what is wise, but foolish people are always thinking about many different things [and never decide what they should do].
25 Un fils insensé est un chagrin pour son père et une amertume pour celle qui l’a enfanté.
Children who are foolish cause their father to be sad and [also] cause their mother to be very sorrowful.
26 Il n’est pas bon de punir le juste, et de frapper les nobles à cause de [leur] droiture.
It is not right to force someone who has done nothing wrong to pay a fine; it is wrong to punish good/respected people.
27 Celui qui a de la connaissance retient ses paroles, et un homme qui a de l’intelligence est d’un esprit froid.
Those who have good sense do not talk a lot, and those who (control their tempers/keep themselves from becoming very angry) are [truly] wise.
28 Même le fou qui se tait est réputé sage, – celui qui ferme ses lèvres, un homme intelligent.
People [may] think that foolish people who do not say anything are wise; if foolish people (do not say anything/keep their mouths shut), others will think that they are [very] intelligent.
