Proverbes 24
1 Mon fils, ne rivalise point avec les méchants, et ne désire pas être avec eux.
Do not envy evil people; do not desire to associate with them,
2 Car leur cœur médite des fraudes, et leurs lèvres disent des paroles affligeantes.
because they are [constantly] thinking about acting violently, and whenever they speak [MTY], they talk about (causing trouble/hurting someone).
3 La sagesse bâtit sa maison; l'intelligence la dirige;
People make good houses (OR, families) by doing what is wise, and they make their houses (OR, families) strong by [heeding] good advice.
4 avec la doctrine on remplit les celliers de tout ce qu'il y a de riche, de précieux et de bon.
By using good sense, [they are able to buy] valuable and beautiful things and put them in the rooms of their houses.
5 Mieux vaut le sage que le fort, et un homme de bon sens que de vastes domaines.
Being wise is better than being strong/powerful; those who know [many things can accomplish more] than those who are [very] strong.
6 Avec l'art de gouverner, on conduit la guerre; avec un cœur résolu, on trouve le salut.
Leaders can fight battles if they have wise advisors, and they win those battles if they have many good advisors.
7 La sagesse et les bonnes pensées sont à la porte des sages; les sages ne se détournent pas de la parole du Seigneur.
Foolish people cannot understand wise sayings/talk; at public meetings they are not [able to] say anything [that is useful].
8 Mais ils sont appréciés dans les conseils. la mort surprend les imprudents.
Those who are [always] planning to do evil things will be called troublemakers.
9 L'insensé meurt dans son péché. L'impureté est dans l'homme de pestilence;
It is sinful to plan to do foolish things, and people hate those who make fun of [everything that is good].
10 il sera déshonoré au jour fatal, au jour de la tribulation, jusqu'à ce qu'il soit renversé.
If you [act as though] you are helpless when you have troubles, you are [truly very] weak.
11 Délivre ceux que l'on conduit à la mort; rachète ceux qu'on va faire mourir, et n'y épargne pas tes soins.
[If it is unjustly decided] that someone must be executed, [try hard to] rescue them [DOU].
12 Si tu dis: Je ne connais pas cet homme; sache que Dieu connaît tous les cœurs; Celui qui a donné le souffle à tous, sait toutes choses, et Il rétribue chacun selon ses œuvres.
If you say, “I did not know anything about it, [so (it is not my concern/I did not try to help him)],” remember that God knows what we have done, and he knows what we were thinking [IDM, RHQ], and he will certainly [RHQ] repay us as we deserve for what we have done or for not doing what we should have done.
13 Mon fils, mange du miel; car le rayon de miel est bon; que ton gosier en goûte la douceur.
My child/son, eat honey, because it is good [for you]; the honey that drips from honeycombs tastes [very] sweet.
14 C'est ainsi que tu feras comprendre la sagesse à ton âme; car si tu l'acquiers, ta fin sera bonne, et l'espérance ne t'abandonnera point.
Similarly, being wise is good for your soul; if you become wise, you will be [happy in] the future, and [God] will certainly [do for you what you are] confidently expecting him to do [LIT].
15 Ne conduis pas l'impie dans les pâturages des justes; ne te laisse pas séduire par l'appât de la gourmandise.
Do not be like wicked people who [hide and] wait to break into the houses of righteous/good [people] and rob/steal things.
16 Car le juste tombera sept fois, et il se relèvera; mais les impies seront sans force dans le malheur.
[Even if] good people fall down seven/many times, they [always] stand/get up again, but when a disaster happens to wicked [people], it ruins/destroys them.
17 Si ton ennemi tombe, ne te moque pas de lui, et ne t'enorgueillis pas de sa ruine.
Do not be happy when something bad happens to one of your enemies; do not rejoice when he stumbles and falls,
18 Car le Seigneur te verrait, et Il ne t'aurait point pour agréable, et Il détournerait Sa colère de ton ennemi.
because Yahweh will know what you are thinking, and he will not like it, and [as a result] he will not punish that enemy of yours.
19 Ne prends point part aux joies des méchants; ne porte point envie aux pécheurs.
Do not become angry/upset about those who do what is evil, and do not [SYN] envy them,
20 Car les pervers n'auront point de postérité, et la langue des impies s'éteindra.
because [nothing good] will happen to wicked people; they are [like] a lamp that will soon be extinguished [MET].
21 Crains Dieu et le roi, mon fils, et ne leur désobéis jamais.
My child/son, revere Yahweh and [also] honor the king, and do not associate with people who want to rebel against either of them,
22 Car ils punissent inopinément les impies; et qui peut prévoir quelle sera leur vengeance?
because those people will suddenly experience disasters; and no one knows [RHQ] what great disasters that God or the king can cause to happen to them.
23 Qu'aucun mensonge se soit dit par la langue du roi; que nulle fausseté ne sorte de sa langue. Voici ce que je dis, à vous sages, pour que vous le sachiez: Il n'est pas bien, en justice, d'avoir égard au rang.
Here are more things that wise [people] have said: It is wrong for judges to decide matters unfairly [IDM].
24 La langue du roi n'est point de chair, c'est un glaive; et celui qui lui sera livré, sera brisé; Ceux qui disent de l'impie: C'est un juste, seront maudits du peuple et odieux aux nations.
If they say to people who are guilty, “You (are innocent/have not done something that is wrong),” [even] people in other nations will curse and despise them,
25 car si sa colère est excitée, elle détruit les hommes avec leurs nerfs; Mais ceux qui le réprimandent paraîtront meilleurs, et la bénédiction viendra sur eux.
but if judges say that guilty people must be punished, things will go well for those judges, and (they will receive blessings/God will bless them).
26 elle dévore leurs os, elles les consume comme la flamme, au point que les aiglons n'y trouveraient pas de quoi se repaître. On baisera les livres qui diront de bonnes paroles.
Those who answer others honestly show that they are truly their friends [IDM].
27 Prépare ton ouvrage au dehors; arrive à ton champ, tout préparé; marche sur mes traces, et tu réédifieras ta maison.
First, do the work [that needs to be done] outside [your house], and prepare your fields, [and then plant things], and after you finish doing that, build your house.
28 Ne porte pas contre un concitoyen de faux témoignage, et n'ouvre pas les lèvres contre lui.
[In the courtroom] do not testify against someone when you have no reason to do that, and do not [try to] deceive [people] by what you say [MTY].
29 Ne dis pas: Comme il m'a traité, je le traiterai; je me vengerai du tort qu'il m'a fait.
Do not say, “I will do to him what he did to me; I will pay him back for [the bad things that] he did to me.”
30 L'insensé est comme un champ; l'homme qui manque d'esprit est comme un vignoble.
One day I walked by the vineyards of a lazy man, a man who did not have good sense.
31 Si tu le délaisses, il sera stérile et tout couvert de mauvaises herbes; il dépérit, et sa clôture de pierres s'écroule.
I was surprised to see that the fields were full of all kinds of thorny bushes, and the stone wall [around the garden] had (collapsed/fallen down).
32 À la fin, j'ai réfléchi et j'ai songé à chercher la vraie doctrine.
When I saw that, I thought about it, and I learned this:
33 Je sommeille un moment; un moment je m'endors, et je me tiens un moment les bras croisés.
[If you spend a lot of time] sleeping and napping and folding your hands while you rest,
34 Si tu fais cela, l'indigence t'arrivera à grands pas, et le besoin fondra sur toi comme un agile coursier.
[soon] you will become poor; [it will be as though] [PRS, SIM] a bandit who had a weapon in his hand [attacked you and stole all that you had].
