מִשְׁלֵי 26
| כשלג בקיץ וכמטר בקציר כן לא נאוה לכסיל כבוד׃ | 1 |
Just [like] [SIM] [it is not appropriate for] snow [to fall] in summer time, or rain [to fall] at harvest time, it is not appropriate to praise/honor foolish people.
| כצפור לנוד כדרור לעוף כן קללת חנם לא תבא׃ | 2 |
Like [SIM] birds that fly by [and do not alight/land on anything], if someone curses you, it cannot hurt you if you (do not deserve them/have not done to him what is wrong).
| שוט לסוס מתג לחמור ושבט לגו כסילים׃ | 3 |
It is necessary to whip a horse and to put a bridle on a donkey [to force them to go where we want them to go], and similarly [SIM] [it is often necessary to strike] foolish people with a stick [to cause them to do what is right].
| אל תען כסיל כאולתו פן תשוה לו גם אתה׃ | 4 |
If a foolish person asks a foolish question, [do not answer him], because [if you answer his question], you are just as foolish as he is.
| ענה כסיל כאולתו פן יהיה חכם בעיניו׃ | 5 |
If you give a foolish answer to someone who asks a foolish question, he will realize that he is (not very wise/foolish).
| מקצה רגלים חמס שתה שלח דברים ביד כסיל׃ | 6 |
Anyone who asks a foolish person to take a message to someone [is himself doing something as foolish as] cutting off his own feet or drinking poison.
| דליו שקים מפסח ומשל בפי כסילים׃ | 7 |
A lame man cannot use his legs, and similarly [SIM] [it is useless for] a foolish person to speak [MTY] (proverbs/wise sayings).
| כצרור אבן במרגמה כן נותן לכסיל כבוד׃ | 8 |
Tying a stone in a sling [so that it cannot be thrown at a target] is [as foolish as] [SIM] honoring a foolish person.
| חוח עלה ביד שכור ומשל בפי כסילים׃ | 9 |
If a drunk person waves some thorns/brambles with his hand, [he is not able to accomplish anything useful by doing that] (OR, [he does not feel it when a thorn sticks in his hand]); similarly, if foolish people speak [MTY] proverbs, [they do not help anyone who hears them].
| רב מחולל כל ושכר כסיל ושכר עברים׃ | 10 |
A man who shoots arrows [to try] to wound everybody who is near [is foolish]; similarly, anyone who hires a foolish person [who passes by is very foolish].
| ככלב שב על קאו כסיל שונה באולתו׃ | 11 |
A foolish person will foolishly do something stupid a second time; it is [like] [SIM] a dog returning to [eat] what it has vomited.
| ראית איש חכם בעיניו תקוה לכסיל ממנו׃ | 12 |
[God] can help/bless foolish people more easily than he can help/bless people who are not wise [RHQ], but think that they are wise.
| אמר עצל שחל בדרך ארי בין הרחבות׃ | 13 |
Lazy people [just stay inside their houses and do nothing]; [they keep] saying “[I think] there is a lion in the street!”
| הדלת תסוב על צירה ועצל על מטתו׃ | 14 |
A door [continually] swings back and forth on its hinges [and does not go anywhere]; similarly [SIM], lazy people [just continually turn over] in their beds [and never do anything].
| טמן עצל ידו בצלחת נלאה להשיבה אל פיו׃ | 15 |
Some people are extremely lazy; they put their hand in a dish [to get some food] but do not [even] lift the food up to their mouths.
| חכם עצל בעיניו משבעה משיבי טעם׃ | 16 |
Lazy people think that they are wiser than seven/several people who can answer [others’ questions] with good sense.
| מחזיק באזני כלב עבר מתעבר על ריב לא לו׃ | 17 |
Anyone who (meddles/involves himself) in a quarrel that does not concern him is [as foolish as] [SIM] someone who tries to grab a passing dog by its ears.
| כמתלהלה הירה זקים חצים ומות׃ | 18 |
Crazy people who shoot burning arrows to kill people
| כן איש רמה את רעהו ואמר הלא משחק אני׃ | 19 |
are as foolish as those who deceive someone else and [then] say, “I was only joking.”
| באפס עצים תכבה אש ובאין נרגן ישתק מדון׃ | 20 |
If there is no [more] firewood [to put on the fire], the fire will go out; similarly [SIM], if there are no people who (gossip/tell people things that are not true), quarreling will end.
| פחם לגחלים ועצים לאש ואיש מדונים לחרחר ריב׃ | 21 |
[Putting] charcoal on burning coals or [putting] wood on a fire [causes the fire to keep burning]; similarly, people who like to quarrel cause people to keep arguing.
| דברי נרגן כמתלהמים והם ירדו חדרי בטן׃ | 22 |
People [enjoy listening to what gossips say about others just like] [SIM] they enjoy tasty food; they [enjoy listening to what gossips tell them like] they enjoy swallowing tasty food.
| כסף סיגים מצפה על חרש שפתים דלקים ולב רע׃ | 23 |
People who say nice things when they are thinking about doing evil things are like a nice glaze/covering on a [cheap] clay pot.
| בשפתו ינכר שונא ובקרבו ישית מרמה׃ | 24 |
Those who hate someone and are saying [MTY] something very different from what they are thinking are hypocrites; they are only planning [to harm that person].
| כי יחנן קולו אל תאמן בו כי שבע תועבות בלבו׃ | 25 |
When they say nice things, do not believe them, because in their inner beings are many things that [Yahweh] hates.
| תכסה שנאה במשאון תגלה רעתו בקהל׃ | 26 |
They try to deceive people to cause them to think that they do not hate [that person], but in a public meeting, the people will find out the evil things [that they have done].
| כרה שחת בה יפל וגלל אבן אליו תשוב׃ | 27 |
Those who dig a deep pit [for other people to fall into] will fall into it themselves; rocks will roll down on those who start to cause rocks to roll down [to crush someone].
| לשון שקר ישנא דכיו ופה חלק יעשה מדחה׃ | 28 |
Those [MTY] who tell lies to others [really] hate them, and those who deceive [others] ruin them.
