Proverbes 25
1 Ce sont ici aussi des proverbes de Salomon, que les gens d’Ézéchias, roi de Juda, ont transcrits:
Here are more wise sayings/words that Solomon [wrote]. Some men who worked for Hezekiah, the king of Judah, copied them [from a scroll that Solomon had written].
2 La gloire de Dieu est de cacher une chose, et la gloire des rois est de sonder une chose.
[We consider] God to be great because he (acts in mysterious ways/does things that we cannot understand); [we consider] kings to be great because they explain things.
3 Les cieux en hauteur, et la terre en profondeur, et le cœur des rois, on ne peut les sonder.
[It is not possible for anyone to measure] how high the sky is or how deep the earth/ocean is; likewise [SIM], it is not possible for us to know [all] that kings are thinking.
4 Ôte de l’argent les scories, et il en sortira un vase pour l’orfèvre;
[If workers] burn out the impure bits that are in silver, a man who makes things from silver can make something beautiful from the silver.
5 ôte le méchant de devant le roi, et son trône sera affermi par la justice.
[Similarly, if] wicked [advisors] are taken away from a king, his government will remain secure, because [the king will be able to] act justly.
6 Ne fais pas le magnifique devant le roi, et ne te tiens pas à la place des grands;
When you stand in front of a king, do not try to (impress him/honor yourself) and do not (act like you are important/ask to sit where important people sit; )
7 car il vaut mieux qu’on te dise: Monte ici, que si l’on t’abaissait devant le prince que tes yeux voient.
it is better if someone tells you to sit closer [to the king] than for [someone to tell you], while the king is listening, to sit further away in order that someone who is more important [may sit closer to the king].
8 Ne sors pas à la hâte pour contester, de peur [que tu ne saches] que faire à la fin, lorsque ton prochain t’aura rendu confus.
Do not quickly go to a court [to tell the judge about] something that you have seen, because another witness may later [say something that proves that you are wrong, and as a result] you will be disgraced/ashamed. If that happens, (what will you do?/you will not know what to do.) [RHQ]
9 Plaide ta cause avec ton prochain, et ne révèle pas le secret d’autrui,
If you and someone else think differently about some matter, settle it between yourselves, and do not tell others any secret [that he has told you].
10 de peur que celui qui l’écoute ne te fasse honte, et que ton opprobre ne se retire pas.
If others find out that you have told secrets, you will be ashamed, and from that time on, (you will have a bad reputation/people will think badly about you).
11 Des pommes d’or incrustées d’argent, c’est la parole dite à propos.
Something that is said that is [very] appropriate is [as delightful as seeing] [SIM] gold apples/ornaments in a silver bowl.
12 Un anneau d’or et un joyau d’or fin, tel est, pour l’oreille qui écoute, celui qui reprend sagement.
When a wise person rebukes/warns someone [SYN] who is willing to listen, that is [as valuable as] [SIM] a gold ring or a gold chain.
13 La fraîcheur de la neige au temps de la moisson, tel est le messager fidèle pour ceux qui l’envoient: il restaure l’âme de son maître.
A messenger who (is reliable/tells someone else exactly what he was told to say) refreshes [the spirits of] his bosses who sent him like [SIM] (snow/cold water) refreshes [the ground] at the time that [people] harvest crops.
14 Les nuages et le vent, et point de pluie, tel est celui qui se glorifie faussement d’un présent.
When someone promises to give a gift to us but never gives it, [that disappoints us] as much as [SIM] clouds and wind that come but do not bring any rain.
15 Par la lenteur à la colère un prince est gagné, et la langue douce brise les os.
If someone keeps requesting a ruler long enough to do something, he will [often] agree to do it; similarly, by speaking [MTY] gently we can [often] convince [others that what we say is right] [IDM].
16 As-tu trouvé du miel, manges-en ce qu’il t’en faut, de peur que tu n’en sois repu et que tu ne le vomisses.
If you find some honey, do not eat a lot of it, because doing that may cause you to vomit.
17 Mets rarement ton pied dans la maison de ton prochain, de peur qu’il ne soit rassasié de toi et qu’il ne te haïsse.
Do not go to your neighbor’s house very often [to talk with him]; if you go [very] often, he will get tired of listening to you and start to hate you.
18 L’homme qui rend un faux témoignage contre son prochain est un marteau, et une épée, et une flèche aiguë.
To falsely accuse others [in court] is like [SIM] [attacking them with] a war-club or a sword or a sharp arrow.
19 La confiance en un perfide, au jour de la détresse, est une dent cassée et un pied chancelant.
Depending on unreliable people when you have troubles is [as bad] as [trying to eat when] you have a bad/hurting tooth or [trying to walk when] your foot is crippled.
20 [Comme] celui qui ôte son vêtement en un jour de froid, [comme] du vinaigre sur le nitre, tel est celui qui chante des chansons à un cœur affligé.
Singing to someone who is depressed [just causes him to feel worse]; it is like [SIM] taking off clothes on a very cold day or like putting vinegar on a wound.
21 Si celui qui te hait a faim, donne-lui du pain à manger, et, s’il a soif, donne-lui de l’eau à boire;
If your enemies are hungry, give them something to eat; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink;
22 car tu entasseras des charbons ardents sur sa tête, et l’Éternel te le rendra.
doing that will cause them to feel ashamed [IDM], and Yahweh will reward you for doing that.
23 Le vent du nord enfante les averses; et les visages indignés, une langue [qui médit] en secret.
When wind blows from the right direction, it will rain; [similarly] [SIM], if we gossip about others, that causes them to look at us very angrily.
24 Mieux vaut habiter sur le coin d’un toit, que [d’avoir] une femme querelleuse et une maison en commun.
It is better to live ([alone/by yourself]) in the corner of an attic/housetop than to live inside the house with a wife who is [always] nagging.
25 Les bonnes nouvelles d’un pays éloigné sont de l’eau fraîche pour une âme altérée.
Receiving good news from a country far away refreshes our spirits like [SIM] cold water refreshes us when we are very thirsty.
26 Le juste qui chancelle devant le méchant est une fontaine trouble et une source corrompue.
When a righteous/good person (gives in/yields) to wicked [people], that is [as bad] as [SIM] a spring that becomes muddied or a fountain that becomes polluted.
27 Manger beaucoup de miel n’est pas bon, et s’occuper de sa propre gloire n’est pas la gloire.
It is not good to eat too much honey, and trying to get people to praise you is also not good.
28 L’homme qui ne gouverne pas son esprit est une ville en ruine, sans murailles.
People who (cannot control their tempers/quickly become very angry) [are unable to defend their behavior]; that is like [having] a city without a wall around it, [with the result that no one can defend it].
