מִשְׁלֵי 26
| כשלג בקיץ וכמטר בקציר כן לא נאוה לכסיל כבוד׃ | 1 |
Like snow in summer and rain when the grain is being cut, so honour is not natural for the foolish.
| כצפור לנוד כדרור לעוף כן קללת חנם לא תבא׃ | 2 |
As the sparrow in her wandering and the swallow in her flight, so the curse does not come without a cause.
| שוט לסוס מתג לחמור ושבט לגו כסילים׃ | 3 |
A whip for the horse, a mouth-bit for the ass, and a rod for the back of the foolish.
| אל תען כסיל כאולתו פן תשוה לו גם אתה׃ | 4 |
Do not give to the foolish man a foolish answer, or you will be like him.
| ענה כסיל כאולתו פן יהיה חכם בעיניו׃ | 5 |
Give a foolish man a foolish answer, or he will seem wise to himself.
| מקצה רגלים חמס שתה שלח דברים ביד כסיל׃ | 6 |
He who sends news by the hand of a foolish man is cutting off his feet and drinking in damage.
| דליו שקים מפסח ומשל בפי כסילים׃ | 7 |
The legs of one who has no power of walking are hanging loose; so is a wise saying in the mouth of the foolish.
| כצרור אבן במרגמה כן נותן לכסיל כבוד׃ | 8 |
Giving honour to a foolish man is like attempting to keep a stone fixed in a cord.
| חוח עלה ביד שכור ומשל בפי כסילים׃ | 9 |
Like a thorn which goes up into the hand of a man overcome by drink, so is a wise saying in the mouth of a foolish man.
| רב מחולל כל ושכר כסיל ושכר עברים׃ | 10 |
Like an archer wounding all who go by, is a foolish man overcome by drink.
| ככלב שב על קאו כסיל שונה באולתו׃ | 11 |
Like a dog going back to the food which he has not been able to keep down, is the foolish man doing his foolish acts over again.
| ראית איש חכם בעיניו תקוה לכסיל ממנו׃ | 12 |
Have you seen a man who seems to himself to be wise? There is more hope for the foolish than for him.
| אמר עצל שחל בדרך ארי בין הרחבות׃ | 13 |
The hater of work says, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets.
| הדלת תסוב על צירה ועצל על מטתו׃ | 14 |
A door is turned on its pillar, and the hater of work on his bed.
| טמן עצל ידו בצלחת נלאה להשיבה אל פיו׃ | 15 |
The hater of work puts his hand deep into the basin: lifting it again to his mouth is a weariness to him.
| חכם עצל בעיניו משבעה משיבי טעם׃ | 16 |
The hater of work seems to himself wiser than seven men who are able to give an answer with good sense.
| מחזיק באזני כלב עבר מתעבר על ריב לא לו׃ | 17 |
He who gets mixed up in a fight which is not his business, is like one who takes a dog by the ears while it is going by.
| כמתלהלה הירה זקים חצים ומות׃ | 18 |
As one who is off his head sends about flaming sticks and arrows of death,
| כן איש רמה את רעהו ואמר הלא משחק אני׃ | 19 |
So is the man who gets the better of his neighbour by deceit, and says, Am I not doing so in sport?
| באפס עצים תכבה אש ובאין נרגן ישתק מדון׃ | 20 |
Without wood, the fire goes out; and where there is no secret talk, argument is ended.
| פחם לגחלים ועצים לאש ואיש מדונים לחרחר ריב׃ | 21 |
Like breath on coals and wood on fire, so a man given to argument gets a fight started.
| דברי נרגן כמתלהמים והם ירדו חדרי בטן׃ | 22 |
The words of one who says evil of his neighbour secretly are like sweet food, they go down into the inner parts of the stomach.
| כסף סיגים מצפה על חרש שפתים דלקים ולב רע׃ | 23 |
Smooth lips and an evil heart are like a vessel of earth plated with silver waste.
| בשפתו ינכר שונא ובקרבו ישית מרמה׃ | 24 |
With his lips the hater makes things seem what they are not, but deceit is stored up inside him;
| כי יחנן קולו אל תאמן בו כי שבע תועבות בלבו׃ | 25 |
When he says fair words, have no belief in him; for in his heart are seven evils:
| תכסה שנאה במשאון תגלה רעתו בקהל׃ | 26 |
Though his hate is covered with deceit, his sin will be seen openly before the meeting of the people.
| כרה שחת בה יפל וגלל אבן אליו תשוב׃ | 27 |
He who makes a hole in the earth will himself go falling into it: and on him by whom a stone is rolled the stone will come back again.
| לשון שקר ישנא דכיו ופה חלק יעשה מדחה׃ | 28 |
A false tongue has hate for those who have clean hearts, and a smooth mouth is a cause of falling.
