מִשְׁלֵי 12

1 אֹהֵ֣ב מ֖וּסָר אֹ֣הֵֽב דָּ֑עַת וְשֹׂנֵ֖א תֹוכַ֣חַת בָּֽעַר׃

Those who want to know [what is right to do] want to be (disciplined/corrected) when they do what is wrong; it is foolish to not want to be (corrected/told that what you did is wrong).

2 טֹ֗וב יָפִ֣יק רָ֭צֹון מֵיְהוָ֑ה וְאִ֖ישׁ מְזִמֹּ֣ות יַרְשִֽׁיעַ׃

Yahweh is pleased with good people, but he condemns those who plan to harm [others].

3 לֹא־יִכֹּ֣ון אָדָ֣ם בְּרֶ֑שַׁע וְשֹׁ֥רֶשׁ צַ֝דִּיקִ֗ים בַּל־יִמֹּֽוט׃

People do not become secure/safe by doing what is wicked; righteous [people] will be very safe and secure [LIT] like [MET] a tree that has deep roots.

4 אֵֽשֶׁת־חַ֭יִל עֲטֶ֣רֶת בַּעְלָ֑הּ וּכְרָקָ֖ב בְּעַצְמֹותָ֣יו מְבִישָֽׁה׃

A good wife is one who causes her husband to be greatly honored, but a wife who does things that cause her husband to be ashamed [will destroy him] like [SIM] cancer [destroys] his bones.

5 מַחְשְׁבֹ֣ות צַדִּיקִ֣ים מִשְׁפָּ֑ט תַּחְבֻּלֹ֖ות רְשָׁעִ֣ים מִרְמָֽה׃

What righteous [people] want to do is [to treat people] fairly; what wicked [people] want to do is to deceive people.

6 דִּבְרֵ֣י רְשָׁעִ֣ים אֱרָב־דָּ֑ם וּפִ֥י יְ֝שָׁרִ֗ים יַצִּילֵֽם׃

What wicked [people] say is like a trap [MET] that kills [MTY] people [who pass by], but what righteous [people] say [MTY] rescues those whom [wicked people threaten to harm].

7 הָפֹ֣וךְ רְשָׁעִ֣ים וְאֵינָ֑ם וּבֵ֖ית צַדִּיקִ֣ים יַעֲמֹֽד׃

Wicked [people] will die [before they become old and we will see] them no more, but righteous people will live [for many years] and have many descendants.

8 לְֽפִי־שִׂ֭כְלֹו יְהֻלַּל־אִ֑ישׁ וְנַעֲוֵה־לֵ֝֗ב יִהְיֶ֥ה לָבֽוּז׃

[People will] praise those who have good sense, but [people will] despise those (who are always thinking about doing evil things/whose thinking is twisted).

9 טֹ֣וב נִ֭קְלֶה וְעֶ֣בֶד לֹ֑ו מִ֝מְּתַכַּבֵּ֗ד וַחֲסַר־לָֽחֶם׃

It is better to be a humble/ordinary person who has only one servant than to think that you are very important while you have nothing to eat.

10 יֹודֵ֣עַ צַ֭דִּיק נֶ֣פֶשׁ בְּהֶמְתֹּ֑ו וְֽרַחֲמֵ֥י רְ֝שָׁעִ֗ים אַכְזָרִֽי׃

Righteous people take care of their domestic animals, but wicked people act cruelly [toward their animals].

11 עֹבֵ֣ד אַ֭דְמָתֹו יִֽשְׂבַּֽע־לָ֑חֶם וּמְרַדֵּ֖ף רֵיקִ֣ים חֲסַר־לֵֽב׃

Farmers who work hard in their fields will [produce good crops] that will give them plenty to eat, but those who waste their time working on worthless projects are foolish.

12 חָמַ֣ד רָ֭שָׁע מְצֹ֣וד רָעִ֑ים וְשֹׁ֖רֶשׁ צַדִּיקִ֣ים יִתֵּֽן׃

Wicked [people] desire to take away what [other] evil people have, but [Yahweh] enables righteous/godly [people] to be steadfast and productive [MET].

13 בְּפֶ֣שַׁע שְׂ֭פָתַיִם מֹוקֵ֣שׁ רָ֑ע וַיֵּצֵ֖א מִצָּרָ֣ה צַדִּֽיק׃

Evil people are trapped by the evil things that they say [MTY], but righteous [people] escape from trouble.

14 מִפְּרִ֣י פִי־אִ֭ישׁ יִשְׂבַּע־טֹ֑וב וּגְמ֥וּל יְדֵי־אָ֝דָ֗ם יָשׁוּב (יָשִׁ֥יב) לֹֽו׃

People are rewarded for [the good things] that they say [to others], and people are [also] rewarded for the good work that they do [MTY].

15 דֶּ֣רֶךְ אֱ֭וִיל יָשָׁ֣ר בְּעֵינָ֑יו וְשֹׁמֵ֖עַ לְעֵצָ֣ה חָכָֽם׃

Foolish people [always] think that what they are doing is right; wise people heed [other people when they give them good] advice.

16 אֱוִ֗יל בַּ֭יֹּום יִוָּדַ֣ע כַּעְסֹ֑ו וְכֹסֶ֖ה קָלֹ֣ון עָרֽוּם׃

Foolish people quickly become angry when someone does something that they don’t like; but those who have good sense ignore it when others insult them.

17 יָפִ֣יחַ אֱ֭מוּנָה יַגִּ֣יד צֶ֑דֶק וְעֵ֖ד שְׁקָרִ֣ים מִרְמָֽה׃

[In the courtroom], honest people say what is true, but untruthful/dishonest people tell [nothing but] lies.

18 יֵ֣שׁ בֹּ֖וטֶה כְּמַדְקְרֹ֣ות חָ֑רֶב וּלְשֹׁ֖ון חֲכָמִ֣ים מַרְפֵּֽא׃

What some people say [hurts people badly], as much as [SIM] a sword can; but what wise [people] say (heals [others’ souls]/comforts others).

19 שְֽׂפַת־אֱ֭מֶת תִּכֹּ֣ון לָעַ֑ד וְעַד־אַ֝רְגִּ֗יעָה לְשֹׁ֣ון שָֽׁקֶר׃

When people tell [MTY] lies, others soon realize that what they said is not true [IDM]; but when people say what is true, others will remember that forever.

20 מִ֭רְמָה בְּלֶב־חֹ֣רְשֵׁי רָ֑ע וּֽלְיֹעֲצֵ֖י שָׁלֹ֣ום שִׂמְחָֽה׃

Those who plan to do what is evil are always wanting to deceive [others], but things will go well for those who plan [to do] good things.

21 לֹא־יְאֻנֶּ֣ה לַצַּדִּ֣יק כָּל־אָ֑וֶן וּ֝רְשָׁעִ֗ים מָ֣לְאוּ רָֽע׃

Bad things [usually] [HYP] do not happen to righteous [people], but wicked [people] always have troubles.

22 תֹּועֲבַ֣ת יְ֭הוָה שִׂפְתֵי־שָׁ֑קֶר וְעֹשֵׂ֖י אֱמוּנָ֣ה רְצֹונֹֽו׃

Yahweh detests those [MTY] who tell lies, but he is delighted with those who faithfully do what they promise that they will do.

23 אָדָ֣ם עָ֭רוּם כֹּ֣סֶה דָּ֑עַת וְלֵ֥ב כְּ֝סִילִ֗ים יִקְרָ֥א אִוֶּֽלֶת׃

Those with good sense do not reveal [all] that they know; foolish people show [clearly] by what they say that they (are ignorant/have not learned much).

24 יַד־חָרוּצִ֥ים תִּמְשֹׁ֑ול וּ֝רְמִיָּ֗ה תִּהְיֶ֥ה לָמַֽס׃

Those [SYN] who work hard become rulers [of others]; those who are lazy become slaves [of others.]

25 דְּאָגָ֣ה בְלֶב־אִ֣ישׁ יַשְׁחֶ֑נָּה וְדָבָ֖ר טֹ֣וב יְשַׂמְּחֶֽנָּה׃

When people are anxious/worried, they become depressed/dejected, but when others speak kindly to them, it causes them to be cheerful again.

26 יָתֵ֣ר מֵרֵעֵ֣הוּ צַדִּ֑יק וְדֶ֖רֶךְ רְשָׁעִ֣ים תַּתְעֵֽם׃

Godly/Righteous people try to [give good advice to] their friends (OR, try to make friends with others), but the manner in which wicked [people] live misleads their friends.

27 לֹא־יַחֲרֹ֣ךְ רְמִיָּ֣ה צֵידֹ֑ו וְהֹון־אָדָ֖ם יָקָ֣ר חָרֽוּץ׃

Lazy people do not even [cook the meat of] the animals that they catch/kill, but those who work hard will acquire (OR, are like) a valuable treasure.

28 בְּאֹֽרַח־צְדָקָ֥ה חַיִּ֑ים וְדֶ֖רֶךְ נְתִיבָ֣ה אַל־מָֽוֶת׃

Those who (live righteously/continually do what is right) are [walking] on the road to a long life; (it is not a road to death/they will not die when they are still young).