Proverbes 24
1 Ne porte pas envie aux hommes 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 la ruine, Et leurs lèvres parlent d’iniquité.
because they are [constantly] thinking about acting violently, and whenever they speak [MTY], they talk about (causing trouble/hurting someone).
3 C’est par la sagesse qu’une maison s’élève, Et par l’intelligence qu’elle s’affermit;
People make good houses (OR, families) by doing what is wise, and they make their houses (OR, families) strong by [heeding] good advice.
4 C’est par la science que les chambres se remplissent De tous les biens précieux et agréables.
By using good sense, [they are able to buy] valuable and beautiful things and put them in the rooms of their houses.
5 Un homme sage est plein de force, Et celui qui a de la science affermit sa vigueur;
Being wise is better than being strong/powerful; those who know [many things can accomplish more] than those who are [very] strong.
6 Car tu feras la guerre avec prudence, Et le salut est dans le grand nombre des conseillers.
Leaders can fight battles if they have wise advisors, and they win those battles if they have many good advisors.
7 La sagesse est trop élevée pour l’insensé; Il n’ouvrira pas la bouche à la porte.
Foolish people cannot understand wise sayings/talk; at public meetings they are not [able to] say anything [that is useful].
8 Celui qui médite de faire le mal S’appelle un homme plein de malice.
Those who are [always] planning to do evil things will be called troublemakers.
9 La pensée de la folie n’est que péché, Et le moqueur est en abomination parmi les hommes.
It is sinful to plan to do foolish things, and people hate those who make fun of [everything that is good].
10 Si tu faiblis au jour de la détresse, Ta force n’est que détresse.
If you [act as though] you are helpless when you have troubles, you are [truly very] weak.
11 Délivre ceux qu’on traîne à la mort, Ceux qu’on va égorger, sauve-les!
[If it is unjustly decided] that someone must be executed, [try hard to] rescue them [DOU].
12 Si tu dis: Ah! Nous ne savions pas!… Celui qui pèse les cœurs ne le voit-il pas? Celui qui veille sur ton âme ne le connaît-il pas? Et ne rendra-t-il pas à 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 il est bon; Un rayon de miel sera doux à ton palais.
My child/son, eat honey, because it is good [for you]; the honey that drips from honeycombs tastes [very] sweet.
14 De même, connais la sagesse pour ton âme; Si tu la trouves, il est un avenir, Et ton espérance ne sera pas anéantie.
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 tends pas méchamment des embûches à la demeure du juste, Et ne dévaste pas le lieu où il repose;
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 sept fois le juste tombe, et il se relève, Mais les méchants sont précipités 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 Ne te réjouis pas de la chute de ton ennemi, Et que ton cœur ne soit pas dans l’allégresse quand il chancelle,
Do not be happy when something bad happens to one of your enemies; do not rejoice when he stumbles and falls,
18 De peur que l’Éternel ne le voie, que cela ne lui déplaise, Et qu’il ne détourne de lui sa colère.
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 t’irrite pas à cause de ceux qui font le mal, Ne porte pas envie aux méchants;
Do not become angry/upset about those who do what is evil, and do not [SYN] envy them,
20 Car il n’y a point d’avenir pour celui qui fait le mal, La lampe des méchants s’éteint.
because [nothing good] will happen to wicked people; they are [like] a lamp that will soon be extinguished [MET].
21 Mon fils, crains l’Éternel et le roi; Ne te mêle pas avec les hommes remuants;
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 soudain leur ruine surgira, Et qui connaît les châtiments des uns et des autres?
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 Voici encore ce qui vient des sages: Il n’est pas bon, dans les jugements, d’avoir égard aux personnes.
Here are more things that wise [people] have said: It is wrong for judges to decide matters unfairly [IDM].
24 Celui qui dit au méchant: Tu es juste! Les peuples le maudissent, les nations le maudissent.
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 Mais ceux qui le châtient s’en trouvent bien, Et le bonheur vient sur eux comme une bénédiction.
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 Il baise les lèvres, Celui qui répond des paroles justes.
Those who answer others honestly show that they are truly their friends [IDM].
27 Soigne tes affaires au-dehors, Mets ton champ en état, Puis tu bâtiras 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 témoigne pas à la légère contre ton prochain; Voudrais-tu tromper par tes lèvres?
[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: Je lui ferai comme il m’a fait, Je rendrai à chacun selon ses œuvres.
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 J’ai passé près du champ d’un paresseux, Et près de la vigne d’un homme dépourvu de sens.
One day I walked by the vineyards of a lazy man, a man who did not have good sense.
31 Et voici, les épines y croissaient partout, Les ronces en couvraient la face, Et le mur de pierres était écroulé.
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 J’ai regardé attentivement, Et j’ai tiré instruction de ce que j’ai vu.
When I saw that, I thought about it, and I learned this:
33 Un peu de sommeil, un peu d’assoupissement, Un peu croiser les mains pour dormir!…
[If you spend a lot of time] sleeping and napping and folding your hands while you rest,
34 Et la pauvreté te surprendra, comme un rôdeur, Et la disette, comme un homme en armes.
[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].
