מִשְׁלֵי 23

1 כִּֽי־תֵשֵׁב לִלְחוֹם אֶת־מוֹשֵׁל בִּין תָּבִין אֶת־אֲשֶׁר לְפָנֶֽיךָ׃

When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, Thou considerest diligently that which [is] before thee,

2 וְשַׂמְתָּ שַׂכִּין בְּלֹעֶךָ אִם־בַּעַל נֶפֶשׁ אָֽתָּה׃

And thou hast put a knife to thy throat, If thou [art] a man of appetite.

3 אַל־תִּתְאָו לְמַטְעַמּוֹתָיו וְהוּא לֶחֶם כְּזָבִֽים׃

Have no desire to his dainties, seeing it [is] lying food.

4 אַל־תִּיגַע לְֽהַעֲשִׁיר מִֽבִּינָתְךָ חֲדָֽל׃

Labour not to make wealth, From thine own understanding cease, Dost thou cause thine eyes to fly upon it? Then it is not.

5 (התעוף) [הֲתָעִיף] עֵינֶיךָ בּוֹ וְֽאֵינֶנּוּ כִּי עָשֹׂה יַעֲשֶׂה־לּוֹ כְנָפַיִם כְּנֶשֶׁר (ועיף) [יָעוּף] הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃

For wealth maketh to itself wings, As an eagle it flieth to the heavens.

6 אַל־תִּלְחַם אֶת־לֶחֶם רַע עָיִן וְאַל־תִּתְאָו לְמַטְעַמֹּתָֽיו׃

Eat not the bread of an evil eye, And have no desire to his dainties,

7 כִּי ׀ כְּמוֹ שָׁעַר בְּנַפְשׁוֹ כֶּן־הוּא אֱכוֹל וּשְׁתֵה יֹאמַר לָךְ וְלִבּוֹ בַּל־עִמָּֽךְ׃

For as he hath thought in his soul, so [is] he, 'Eat and drink,' saith he to thee, And his heart [is] not with thee.

8 פִּֽתְּךָ־אָכַלְתָּ תְקִיאֶנָּה וְשִׁחַתָּ דְּבָרֶיךָ הַנְּעִימִֽים׃

Thy morsel thou hast eaten thou dost vomit up, And hast marred thy words that [are] sweet.

9 בְּאׇזְנֵי כְסִיל אַל־תְּדַבֵּר כִּֽי־יָבוּז לְשֵׂכֶל מִלֶּֽיךָ׃

In the ears of a fool speak not, For he treadeth on the wisdom of thy words.

10 אַל־תַּסֵּג גְּבוּל עוֹלָם וּבִשְׂדֵי יְתוֹמִים אַל־תָּבֹֽא׃

Remove not a border of olden times, And into fields of the fatherless enter not,

11 כִּֽי־גֹאֲלָם חָזָק הֽוּא־יָרִיב אֶת־רִיבָם אִתָּֽךְ׃

For their Redeemer [is] strong, He doth plead their cause with thee.

12 הָבִיאָה לַמּוּסָר לִבֶּךָ וְאׇזְנֶךָ לְאִמְרֵי־דָֽעַת׃

Bring in to instruction thy heart, And thine ear to sayings of knowledge.

13 אַל־תִּמְנַע מִנַּעַר מוּסָר כִּֽי־תַכֶּנּוּ בַשֵּׁבֶט לֹא יָמֽוּת׃

Withhold not from a youth chastisement, When thou smitest him with a rod he dieth not.

14 אַתָּה בַּשֵּׁבֶט תַּכֶּנּוּ וְנַפְשׁוֹ מִשְּׁאוֹל תַּצִּֽיל׃ (Sheol h7585)

Thou with a rod smitest him, And his soul from Sheol thou deliverest. (Sheol h7585)

15 בְּנִי אִם־חָכַם לִבֶּךָ יִשְׂמַח לִבִּי גַם־אָֽנִי׃

My son, if thy heart hath been wise, My heart rejoiceth, even mine,

16 וְתַעְלֹזְנָה כִלְיוֹתָי בְּדַבֵּר שְׂפָתֶיךָ מֵישָׁרִֽים׃

And my reins exult when thy lips speak uprightly.

17 אַל־יְקַנֵּא לִבְּךָ בַּחַטָּאִים כִּי אִם־בְּיִרְאַת־יְהֹוָה כׇּל־הַיּֽוֹם׃

Let not thy heart be envious at sinners, But — in the fear of Jehovah all the day.

18 כִּי אִם־יֵשׁ אַחֲרִית וְתִקְוָתְךָ לֹא תִכָּרֵֽת׃

For, is there a posterity? Then thy hope is not cut off.

19 שְׁמַע־אַתָּה בְנִי וַחֲכָם וְאַשֵּׁר בַּדֶּרֶךְ לִבֶּֽךָ׃

Hear thou, my son, and be wise, And make happy in the way thy heart,

20 אַל־תְּהִי בְסֹֽבְאֵי־יָיִן בְּזֹלְלֵי בָשָׂר לָֽמוֹ׃

Be not thou among quaffers of wine, Among gluttonous ones of flesh,

21 כִּֽי־סֹבֵא וְזוֹלֵל יִוָּרֵשׁ וּקְרָעִים תַּלְבִּישׁ נוּמָֽה׃

For the quaffer and glutton become poor, And drowsiness clotheth with rags.

22 שְׁמַע לְאָבִיךָ זֶה יְלָדֶךָ וְאַל־תָּבוּז כִּֽי־זָקְנָה אִמֶּֽךָ׃

Hearken to thy father, who begat thee, And despise not thy mother when she hath become old.

23 אֱמֶת קְנֵה וְאַל־תִּמְכֹּר חׇכְמָה וּמוּסָר וּבִינָֽה׃

Truth buy, and sell not, Wisdom, and instruction, and understanding,

24 (גול) [גִּיל] יָגִיל אֲבִי צַדִּיק (יולד) [וְיוֹלֵד] חָכָם (וישמח) [יִשְׂמַח־]בּֽוֹ׃

The father of the righteous rejoiceth greatly, The begetter of the wise rejoiceth in him.

25 יִֽשְׂמַח־אָבִיךָ וְאִמֶּךָ וְתָגֵל יוֹלַדְתֶּֽךָ׃

Rejoice doth thy father and thy mother, Yea, she that bare thee is joyful.

26 תְּנָה־בְנִי לִבְּךָ לִי וְעֵינֶיךָ דְּרָכַי (תרצנה) [תִּצֹּֽרְנָה]׃

Give, my son, thy heart to me, And let thine eyes watch my ways.

27 כִּֽי־שׁוּחָה עֲמֻקָּה זוֹנָה וּבְאֵר צָרָה נׇכְרִיָּֽה׃

For a harlot [is] a deep ditch, And a strange woman [is] a strait pit.

28 אַף־הִיא כְּחֶתֶף תֶּאֱרֹב וּבוֹגְדִים בְּאָדָם תּוֹסִֽף׃

She also, as catching prey, lieth in wait, And the treacherous among men she increaseth.

29 לְמִי אוֹי לְמִי אֲבוֹי לְמִי (מדונים) [מִדְיָנִים ׀] לְמִי שִׂיחַ לְמִי פְּצָעִים חִנָּם לְמִי חַכְלִלוּת עֵינָֽיִם׃

Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? Who hath contentions? who hath plaint? Who hath wounds without cause? Who hath redness of eyes?

30 לַֽמְאַחֲרִים עַל־הַיָּיִן לַבָּאִים לַחְקֹר מִמְסָֽךְ׃

Those tarrying by the wine, Those going in to search out mixed wine.

31 אַל־תֵּרֶא יַּיִן כִּי יִתְאַדָּם כִּֽי־יִתֵּן (בכיס) [בַּכּוֹס] עֵינוֹ יִתְהַלֵּךְ בְּמֵֽישָׁרִֽים׃

See not wine when it showeth itself red, When it giveth in the cup its colour, It goeth up and down through the upright.

32 אַחֲרִיתוֹ כְּנָחָשׁ יִשָּׁךְ וּֽכְצִפְעֹנִי יַפְרִֽשׁ׃

Its latter end — as a serpent it biteth, And as a basilisk it stingeth.

33 עֵינֶיךָ יִרְאוּ זָרוֹת וְלִבְּךָ יְדַבֵּר תַּהְפֻּכֽוֹת׃

Thine eyes see strange women, And thy heart speaketh perverse things.

34 וְהָיִיתָ כְּשֹׁכֵב בְּלֶב־יָם וּכְשֹׁכֵב בְּרֹאשׁ חִבֵּֽל׃

And thou hast been as one lying down in the heart of the sea, And as one lying down on the top of a mast.

35 הִכּוּנִי בַל־חָלִיתִי הֲלָמוּנִי בַּל־יָדָעְתִּי מָתַי אָקִיץ אוֹסִיף אֲבַקְשֶׁנּוּ עֽוֹד׃

'They smote me, I have not been sick, They beat me, I have not known. When I awake — I seek it yet again!'