Proverbes 23
1 Quand tu seras assis pour manger avec le prince, considère attentivement ce qui est servi devant toi;
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 Mets un couteau à ta gorge, si cependant tu es maître de ton âme.
[Even] if you (have a big appetite/want to eat a lot of food), restrain yourself.
3 Ne désire pas des aliments de celui chez qui est un pain de mensonge.
Do not want to eat [a lot of] his fine food, because he may be trying to trick you.
4 Ne travaille pas à t’enrichir; mais à ta prudence mets des bornes.
Do not [cause yourself to become very tired by] working very hard to become rich; be wise and stop doing that,
5 Ne lève pas tes yeux vers des richesses que tu ne peux avoir; parce qu’elles se feront des ailes comme celles d’un aigle, et s’envoleront au ciel.
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 mange pas avec un homme envieux, et ne désire pas de ses mets;
[If] someone who is stingy [invites you to a meal], do not eat [a lot of] his fine food,
7 Parce que, semblable à un devin et à un augure, il juge de ce qu’il ignore. Mange et bois, te dira-t-il, et son cœur n’est pas avec toi.
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 Les aliments que tu avais mangés, tu les rejetteras; et tu perdras tes sages discours.
[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 parle pas à l’oreille des insensés, parce qu’ils mépriseront la doctrine que tu leur auras enseignée par tes paroles.
(Do not [waste time by]/It is useless) talking to foolish people; they will [only] despise the wise things that you say.
10 Ne touche pas aux bornes des petits; et n’entre pas dans le champ des orphelins;
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 leur proche est puissant; et lui-même jugera contre toi leur 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 Que ton cœur s’avance vers la doctrine, et tes oreilles vers les paroles de la science.
Pay attention to what [your teachers] teach you, and try to learn from the wise things that they say.
13 Ne soustrais pas à l’enfant la discipline; car si tu le frappes de la verge, il ne 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 esprit est sage, mon cœur se réjouira avec toi;
My son/child, if you [SYN] become wise, I [SYN] will be very happy.
16 Et mes reins exulteront, lorsque tes lèvres parleront droiture.
I [SYN] will rejoice when I hear you [SYN] say what is right/wise.
17 Que ton cœur ne porte pas envie aux pécheurs; mais dans la crainte du Seigneur sois tout le jour;
Do not envy sinful people; instead, revere Yahweh all of your life.
18 Parce que tu auras l’espérance à ton dernier moment, et que ton attente ne sera pas frustrée.
[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 Ecoute, mon fils, et sois sage; et dirige ton esprit dans la bonne voie.
My son/child, listen carefully to me and become wise, and think about (all that you do/your behavior).
20 Ne te trouve pas dans les festins des buveurs, ni dans les orgies de ceux qui apportent des viandes pour manger ensemble.
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 ceux qui passent le temps à boire et qui payent leur écot, se ruineront, et l’assoupissement sera vêtu de haillons.
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 Ecoute ton père qui t’a engendré; et ne méprise pas ta mère, lorsqu’elle aura vieilli.
Pay attention to what your father tells you, and (do not neglect/take care of) [LIT] your mother when she is old.
23 Achète la vérité, et ne vends pas la sagesse, la doctrine et l’intelligence.
Try to know/learn what is wise, and get good instruction and understanding; and do not throw those things away.
24 Le père du juste exulte; celui qui a engendré le sage se réjouira en lui.
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; et qu’elle exulte, celle qui t’a enfanté.
[Do what will] cause your father to be glad and enable your mother [also] to be happy.
26 Donne-moi ton cœur, mon fils; et 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 Car c’est une fosse profonde, qu’une prostituée; et un puits étroit, qu’une étrangère.
Prostitutes and immoral women [DOU] are [like] [MET] a deep pit or a well [that you may fall into].
28 Elle dresse des embûches sur la voie comme un voleur; et ceux qu’elle verra n’être pas sur leurs gardes, elle les tuera.
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 À qui malheur? au père de qui malheur? à qui les querelles? à qui les fosses? à qui les blessures sans motifs? à qui le trouble des yeux?
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 à ceux qui s’arrêtent à boire le vin, et qui prennent goût à vider des coupes pleines?
[It is] those who drink a lot of wine, who try drinking other kinds of strong drinks.
31 Ne regarde pas le vin, quand il jaunit, lorsque sa couleur brille dans le verre: il entre doucement;
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 Mais à la fin, il mordra comme une couleuvre: et comme le basilic, il répandra son venin.
because the next morning [you will feel like] you have been bitten by a poisonous snake [DOU].
33 Tes yeux verront les étrangères, et ton cœur dira des choses perverses.
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 comme un homme dormant au milieu de la mer, et comme un pilote assoupi, le gouvernail ayant été perdu;
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: Ils m’ont frappé, mais je n’en ai pas souffert; ils m’ont traîné, et moi je ne l’ai pas senti: quand me réveillerai-je, et trouverai-je encore du vin?
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?”
