Proverbes 17
1 Mieux vaut un morceau de pain avec la joie de la paix, qu'une maison pleine de biens et d'offrandes iniques avec 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 Le serviteur intelligent gouvernera des maîtres insensés, et il fera les parts entre les 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 Comme dans une fournaise on éprouve l'argent et l'or, ainsi les âmes sont élues par le Seigneur.
[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 Le méchant obéit à la langue des pervers; le juste ne fait pas attention à des lèvres menteuses.
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 Railler le mendiant, c'est irriter son Créateur; celui qui se réjouit de la ruine de son prochain ne sera point innocent; celui qui a des entrailles faciles à émouvoir obtiendra miséricorde.
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 Les fils de ses fils sont la couronne du vieillard; les pères sont la gloire des enfants. Le fidèle a le monde entier pour richesses; l'infidèle n'a pas même une obole.
Old [people] are [usually] proud of [MET] their grandchildren, [just like] children are [usually] proud of their parents.
7 Des livres fidèles ne vont pas à l'insensé, ni des livres trompeurs au juste.
Fine/Eloquent speech is not suitable for foolish people to say, just like lies are not suitable for rulers [to say].
8 Les corrections sont, pour ceux qui les mettent à profit, une récompense de la grâce; où elles s'adressent, elles remettent dans le bon chemin.
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 garde le secret sur les mauvaises actions, maintient les amitiés; celui à qui il est odieux de les cacher, sépare les amis et ceux d'une même maison.
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 Une menace fait naître le repentir dans le cœur du sage; l'insensé ne sent pas même les coups de fouet.
Rebuking people who have good sense will accomplish more for them than hitting them 100 times [with a stick].
11 Tout méchant excite des querelles; mais le Seigneur lui enverra un ange inexorable.
[Because] wicked people are always trying to cause trouble, someone will be sent to severely punish them.
12 L'homme prudent n'est pas exempt de honte; l'injuste ne songe qu'à mal.
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 Celui qui rend le mal pour le bien n'éloignera pas le mal de sa maison.
If someone does something evil in return for something good being done to him, evil/trouble will never leave that person’s family.
14 L'autorité de la justice donne du pouvoir aux paroles; les séditions et les querelles précèdent la misère.
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 déclare le juste injuste, et l'injuste juste, est impur et abominable aux yeux de Dieu.
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 À quoi servent ses richesses à l'insensé, puisque l'homme sans cœur ne pourra pas en acheter la sagesse? Celui qui exhausse sa maison cherche sa ruine; celui qui prend une voie mauvaise pour s'instruire tombera dans le malheur.
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 Aie en tout temps un ami; que tes frères te soient secourables dans tes nécessités: c'est pour cela qu'ils sont nés.
Friends love [others] all the time, and relatives are able to help us when we have troubles.
18 L'imprudent bat des mains et se complaît en lui-même, quand il s'est rendu caution d'une somme pour ses amis.
[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 Si l'on aime le péché, on se réjouit des querelles.
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 a le cœur dur ne trouvera pas de biens. L'homme dont la langue est facilement changeante tombera dans le malheur.
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 Le cœur de l'insensé est pour lui un sujet de troubles. Le père ne se réjouit pas en un fils ignorant; le fils sage réjouit sa mère.
Children who are foolish [soon] cause their parents to be very sad; their parents will not be joyful at all.
22 La joie du cœur donne la santé; les os d'un homme triste se dessèchent.
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 Les voies de celui qui emporte des présents iniques dans les plis de son manteau ne seront point prospères; l'impie s'écarte des voies de la justice.
Wicked people/judges accept bribes that are given to them secretly, and as a result they do not decide matters justly/fairly.
24 Sur la face du sage brille l'intelligence; les yeux de l'insensé sont égarés aux bouts du monde.
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, courroux du père, douleur de la mère.
Children who are foolish cause their father to be sad and [also] cause their mother to be very sorrowful.
26 Il n'est pas bien de nuire à un homme juste; conspirer contre des princes équitables est une iniquité.
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 s'abstient de paroles dures est un sage; l'homme patient est sensé.
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 Si l'insensé cherche la sagesse, il sera réputé sage; et s'il ferme la bouche, il passera pour prudent.
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.
