Proverbes 23
1 Si tu t'assieds pour dîner à la table d'un prince, fais bien attention à ce qui te sera présenté
When you sit down to eat a meal with a (government official/king), think carefully about what (OR, who) is in front of you.
2 puis étends la main, sachant qu'il convient qu'on te serve de tels mets; toutefois, même si tu as grand appétit,
[Even] if you (have a big appetite/want to eat a lot of food), restrain yourself.
3 ne convoite point leur repas; car c'est là une vie factice.
Do not want to eat [a lot of] his fine food, because he may be trying to trick you.
4 Si tu es pauvre, n'aspire pas à la richesse; repousse-la même en pensée.
Do not [cause yourself to become very tired by] working very hard to become rich; be wise and stop doing that,
5 Si tu fixes ton regard sur elle, tu la vois disparaître; car elle a, comme l'aigle, des ailes prêtes à s'envoler, et retourne à la maison de son premier maître.
because as soon as you look [MTY] at [all the money that you have acquired], it will be gone; it will [disappear as if it] suddenly grew wings [SIM] and flew up into the sky like an eagle.
6 Ne dîne pas avec un homme envieux; ne désire rien de sa table;
[If] someone who is stingy [invites you to a meal], do not eat [a lot of] his fine food,
7 car il mange et il boit comme on avalerait un cheveu. Ne l'introduis pas chez toi, et ne mange pas un morceau avec lui;
because he will be thinking about how much [the food cost that you are eating]. He [will] say to you, “Eat and drink all that you want!”, but that is not what he [will] really be thinking.
8 car il le vomirait et souillerait tes meilleures paroles.
[When you realize what he is really thinking, it will cause you to want to] vomit what you have eaten; and your kind words [telling him that you are enjoying the meal] will be wasted.
9 Ne dis rien à l'insensé, de peur que peut-être il ne tourne en dérision tes sages discours.
(Do not [waste time by]/It is useless) talking to foolish people; they will [only] despise the wise things that you say.
10 Ne dépasse pas les bornes anciennes, et n'entre pas dans le champ de l'orphelin;
Do not [steal someone’s property by] removing a boundary marker that has been there for a long time, and do not take for yourself the land that belongs to orphans,
11 car il est fort celui que le Seigneur rachète; et, si tu es en procès avec lui, Dieu plaidera sa cause.
because Yahweh is strong, and he is [like] a relative that has the responsibility to defend them, he will [stand up in court and] argue for them and against you.
12 Livre ton cœur à la discipline, et prépare ton oreille aux paroles de la doctrine.
Pay attention to what [your teachers] teach you, and try to learn from the wise things that they say.
13 Ne cesse de corriger un enfant; car si tu le frappes de verges, il n'en mourra pas.
Do not refuse to discipline your children; if you punish/spank them, it will not cause them to die,
and it may save them from [going to] the place where dead people are. (Sheol h7585)
15 Mon fils, si ton cœur est sage, tu réjouiras aussi mon cœur;
My son/child, if you [SYN] become wise, I [SYN] will be very happy.
16 et si tes lèvres sont droites, elles converseront avec mes lèvres.
I [SYN] will rejoice when I hear you [SYN] say what is right/wise.
17 Que ton cœur ne porte point envie aux pécheurs; mais sois toujours dans la crainte de Dieu.
Do not envy sinful people; instead, revere Yahweh all of your life.
18 Car si tu observes ces choses, tu auras des descendants, et ton espérance ne sera pas trompée.
[If you do that], you will be happy in the future, and [God] will certainly [do for you what you are] confidently expecting him to do.
19 Écoute, mon fils, et sois sage; et maintiens droites les pensées de ton cœur.
My son/child, listen carefully to me and become wise, and think about (all that you do/your behavior).
20 Ne sois pas buveur de vin; évite les longs banquets et la profusion des viandes.
Do not associate with those who drink a lot of (wine/strong drink) or with those who (are gluttons/eat more than they should),
21 Car l'ivrogne et le débauché mendieront; le paresseux sera revêtu de haillons en lambeaux.
because drunkards and gluttons will become poor; and if all that you do is eat and sleep, you will [soon] (be wearing rags/not have any money to buy clothes).
22 Écoute, mon fils, le père qui t'a engendré, et ne méprise pas ta mère parce qu'elle a vieilli.
Pay attention to what your father tells you, and (do not neglect/take care of) [LIT] your mother when she is old.
Try to know/learn what is wise, and get good instruction and understanding; and do not throw those things away.
24 Un père juste élève bien ses enfants, et la sagesse d'un fils réjouit son âme.
Righteous [children] will cause their parents to be very happy; those whose children are wise are proud of them.
25 Que ton père et ta mère se réjouissent en toi, et que celle qui t'a enfanté soit heureuse.
[Do what will] cause your father to be glad and enable your mother [also] to be happy.
26 Mon fils, donne-moi ton cœur; que tes yeux gardent mes voies.
My son, heed what I say to you, and allow what I do to be an example for you.
27 La maison étrangère est comme un tonneau percé; il est étroit le puits de l'étranger.
Prostitutes and immoral women [DOU] are [like] [MET] a deep pit or a well [that you may fall into].
28 Celui qui les recherche périra bientôt, et tout pécheur sera détruit.
They wait [for you] like robbers [SIM], and they cause many men to (be unfaithful to/have sex with women who are not) their wives.
29 Pour qui les gémissements? Pour qui le trouble? Pour qui les contestations? Pour qui les ennuis et les entretiens frivoles? Pour qui les repentirs inutiles? Pour qui les yeux livides?
I will tell you [RHQ] what kind of people are always miserable and sad. I will tell you [RHQ] which people are always causing arguments/quarrels and who are always complaining. I will tell you [RHQ] who are injured in fights and whose eyes are always red/bloodshot.
30 N'est-ce pas pour ceux qui passent leur temps dans l'ivresse et qui hantent les lieux où l'on boit?
[It is] those who drink a lot of wine, who try drinking other kinds of strong drinks.
31 Ne vous enivrez pas; mais faites votre société des hommes justes, et fréquentez-les publiquement. Car si vos yeux s'arrêtent sur les fioles et les coupes, plus tard vous marcherez plus nu qu'un pilon à mortier.
Do not look with pleasure at red wine that looks nice, and which sparkles when it is [poured out] into cups, and which tastes good as you drink it,
32 L'homme ivre finit par s'étendre comme si un serpent l'avait mordu; le venin se répand sur lui comme de la dent d'un reptile.
because the next morning [you will feel like] you have been bitten by a poisonous snake [DOU].
33 Si tes yeux regardent une femme étrangère, la langue aussitôt divaguera,
You [SYN] will [think that you are] seeing strange/weird things, and you [SYN] will not be able to think clearly or speak clearly.
34 et tu seras gisant comme au sein de la mer, et comme un pilote au milieu de l'orage.
You will think you are in a ship that is tossing on the sea; you be like [SIM] someone who is trying to sleep when the ship is rolling from one side to the other.
35 Et tu diras: On m'a frappé, et je n'en ai pas souffert; on s'est joué de moi, et je ne m'en suis pas douté; quand viendra l'aurore, pour m'en aller encore chercher des hommes avec qui je puisse me retrouver?
You will say, “[I think that] someone struck me, but he did not hurt me; he hit me, but I did not feel it. When will I (wake up/feel normal again) in order that I can drink some more wine?”
