מִשְׁלֵי 28
| נסו ואין-רדף רשע וצדיקים ככפיר יבטח | 1 |
Wicked [people] run away [even] when no one is pursuing them, but righteous/good [people are not afraid]; they are as brave as lions.
| בפשע ארץ רבים שריה ובאדם מבין ידע כן יאריך | 2 |
When [the people of] a nation sin, they will have one ruler after another; but when their leaders are wise and have good sense, their government will last for a long time.
| גבר-רש ועשק דלים-- מטר סחף ואין לחם | 3 |
A poor person who oppresses [other] poor [people] is [like] [MET] a very heavy/hard rain that [destroys the crops], with the result that there is no food [for people to eat].
| עזבי תורה יהללו רשע ושמרי תורה יתגרו בם | 4 |
Those who reject/disobey [God’s] laws always speak well of wicked [people]; but those who obey [God’s] laws [always] oppose what wicked people do.
| אנשי-רע לא-יבינו משפט ומבקשי יהוה יבינו כל | 5 |
Evil people do not understand what it means to act justly, but those who try to obey/worship Yahweh understand that very well.
| טוב-רש הולך בתמו-- מעקש דרכים והוא עשיר | 6 |
It is better to be honest [even] though you are poor than to be dishonest [even] though you are rich.
| נוצר תורה בן מבין ורעה זוללים יכלים אביו | 7 |
Young people who obey the laws are wise [IDM]; parents whose children associate with those who (carouse/go to wild parties) are humiliated/disgraced because of what their children do.
| מרבה הונו בנשך ובתרבית (ותרבית)-- לחונן דלים יקבצנו | 8 |
When people become very rich by charging very high interest [DOU], their money will [eventually] go to someone who does kind things for the poor.
| מסיר אזנו משמע תורה-- גם תפלתו תועבה | 9 |
If people do not obey [MTY] [God’s] laws, [God] (detests their prayers/considers that their prayers stink).
| משגה ישרים בדרך רע--בשחותו הוא-יפול ותמימים ינחלו-טוב | 10 |
Those who cause honest/good [people] to do what is evil will fall into their own pits/traps, but good things will happen to those who (are innocent/have not done what is wrong).
| חכם בעיניו איש עשיר ודל מבין יחקרנו | 11 |
[Many] rich people think that they are wise, but poor people who have good sense will find out whether rich people really are wise or not.
| בעלץ צדיקים רבה תפארת ובקום רשעים יחפש אדם | 12 |
When righteous/good [people] (succeed/win [elections]), everyone (celebrates/is happy); but when wicked [people win], everyone hides [because they are afraid of what the wicked people will do].
| מכסה פשעיו לא יצליח ומודה ועזב ירחם | 13 |
Those who refuse to confess/admit their sins will not prosper, but [God] acts mercifully/kindly toward those who confess their sins and turn away from their sinful behavior.
| אשרי אדם מפחד תמיד ומקשה לבו יפול ברעה | 14 |
[God] is pleased with those who always revere him, but those who are stubborn [IDM] will experience disasters.
| ארי-נהם ודב שוקק-- מושל רשע על עם-דל | 15 |
Wicked people who [mistreat] poor people whom they rule are [as dangerous to them as] [SIM] a lion roaring [at them] or a bear springing up [to attack them].
| נגיד--חסר תבונות ורב מעשקות שנאי (שנא) בצע יאריך ימים | 16 |
Rulers who do not have good sense cruelly oppress [the people they rule], but rulers who do not want to become rich by cheating/deceiving [people] will live (OR, rule) for a long time.
| אדם עשק בדם-נפש-- עד-בור ינוס אל-יתמכו-בו | 17 |
Those who are guilty of murdering [MTY] another person will (be fugitives/keep running away) until they die; do not help them to escape.
| הולך תמים יושע ונעקש דרכים יפול באחת | 18 |
Those who [continually] do what is right will be safe/protected, but those who are dishonest will [suddenly] be ruined.
| עבד אדמתו ישבע-לחם ומרדף ריקים ישבע-ריש | 19 |
Farmers who work [hard] in their fields will [produce good crops and always] have plenty of food [to eat], but those who spend all their time (on useless projects/doing things that do not benefit anyone) will become very poor.
| איש אמונות רב-ברכות ואץ להעשיר לא ינקה | 20 |
[God] will greatly bless those who (are trustworthy/always do what they say that they will do), but he will certainly punish [LIT] those who try to become rich quickly.
| הכר-פנים לא-טוב ועל-פת-לחם יפשע-גבר | 21 |
It is not good [for judges] to decide matters unfairly/unjustly, but [some] people will do what is wrong [even] if they receive [only] a very small bribe [HYP] [for doing it].
| נבהל להון--איש רע עין ולא-ידע כי-חסר יבאנו | 22 |
Selfish people [IDM] are very eager to become rich quickly; they do not realize that they will [soon] become poor.
| מוכיח אדם אחרי חן ימצא-- ממחליק לשון | 23 |
Those who rebuke someone will be appreciated/thanked more than those who [say nice things to others merely] to (flatter them/cause them to feel good).
| גוזל אביו ואמו--ואמר אין-פשע חבר הוא לאיש משחית | 24 |
Anyone who steals things from his father or his mother and says “That is not sinful” is as bad as a bandit.
| רחב-נפש יגרה מדון ובטח על-יהוה ידשן | 25 |
Greedy people cause trouble/strife; those who trust in Yahweh will prosper [IDM].
| בוטח בלבו הוא כסיל והולך בחכמה הוא ימלט | 26 |
Those who believe that what they think [is always right] are foolish; those who act wisely will (escape danger/be safe).
| נותן לרש אין מחסור ומעלים עיניו רב-מארות | 27 |
Those who give things to poor [people] will not become poor, but many [people] will curse those who refuse to help [IDM] poor people.
| בקום רשעים יסתר אדם ובאבדם ירבו צדיקים | 28 |
When wicked [people] become rulers, people hide [because they are afraid of what those wicked people will do]; but when wicked people are no longer rulers, good/righteous [people will] become the rulers.
