Amsal 17
1 Lebih baik makan hanya sesuap nasi disertai ketenangan daripada makanan mewah disertai pertengkaran.
It is better [to eat] a dry piece [of bread] and not have strife/quarrels than to have a big feast in a house where [everyone] is quarreling.
2 Dalam suatu rumah tangga, budak yang bijaksana dapat melebihi kedudukan anak kandung yang menjatuhkan nama baik keluarga. Budak seperti itu akan menerima warisan sama seperti anak-anak lelaki tuannya.
A slave who acts wisely will [some day] be the boss of his master’s disgraceful son and when his master dies, the slave will receive part of his master’s possessions.
3 Emas dan perak dimurnikan dengan api, sedangkan hati manusia diuji oleh TUHAN.
[Workers put] silver and gold in a very hot furnace [to burn out what is impure], and Yahweh [similarly] examines people’s inner beings [to see if they are pure].
4 Orang jahat dan pembohong senang mendengar gosip yang menjatuhkan orang lain.
Those who do what is evil pay attention to people who say [MTY] what is evil, and liars pay attention to [other people’s] lies.
5 Siapa menghina orang miskin berarti juga menghina TUHAN yang menciptakannya. Siapa bersukacita atas penderitaan orang lain pasti akan dihukum Allah.
Those who make fun of poor [people] insult God, the one who made the poor [people], [and] those who are happy when [someone else has] troubles will certainly be punished [LIT] [by God].
6 Kebanggaan orang tua adalah anak cucu mereka, dan kebanggaan anak-anak adalah orang tua mereka.
Old [people] are [usually] proud of [MET] their grandchildren, [just like] children are [usually] proud of their parents.
7 Orang bebal tidak pantas mengucapkan kata-kata bijaksana, terlebih lagi seorang pemimpin sama sekali tidak pantas mengucapkan dusta.
Fine/Eloquent speech is not suitable for foolish people to say, just like lies are not suitable for rulers [to say].
8 Memberi uang suap menjadi senjata ampuh bagi si pemberi. Dia yakin bahwa semua yang dikerjakannya akan berhasil.
People think that a bribe is like a magic stone [to persuade someone to do what they want him to do]; they think that because of the bribe, that person will do whatever they want him to do.
9 Memaafkan kesalahan akan memelihara kasih dalam hubungan. Mengungkit-ungkit kesalahan merusak persahabatan.
If you want people to like/love you, forgive them for the wrong things that they do to you. If you continue to remind them about those wrong things, they will no longer be your friends.
10 Satu teguran menjadi pelajaran yang sangat berarti bagi orang bijaksana, tetapi seratus pukulan tidak berguna bagi orang bebal.
Rebuking people who have good sense will accomplish more for them than hitting them 100 times [with a stick].
11 Orang-orang jahat selalu ingin memberontak, karena itu mereka akan dihukum dengan kejam.
[Because] wicked people are always trying to cause trouble, someone will be sent to severely punish them.
12 Lebih baik menghadapi induk harimau yang sedang ganas karena kehilangan anak daripada menghadapi orang bebal yang sibuk dengan hal-hal bodoh.
A mother bear whose cubs have been taken away from her is dangerous, but it is more dangerous to confront a foolish person who is doing something foolish.
13 Siapa membalas kebaikan dengan kejahatan akan ditimpa malapetaka seumur hidupnya.
If someone does something evil in return for something good being done to him, evil/trouble will never leave that person’s family.
14 Memulai pertengkaran sama seperti membiarkan bendungan retak, maka hentikanlah pertengkaran sebelum pecah perkelahian besar.
Starting a quarrel is like allowing water to start to leak out of a dam; they both need to be stopped before they get worse.
15 Membenarkan orang yang bersalah dan menyalahkan orang yang benar, keduanya sama-sama jahat di mata TUHAN.
There are two things that Yahweh hates: (Condemning innocent [people]/Saying that people who have done nothing wrong must be punished), and declaring that people who have done wicked things should not be punished.
16 Percuma saja orang bebal menghabiskan uang untuk memperoleh kebijaksanaan karena dia tidak punya kemauan untuk belajar.
It is useless to allow foolish people [RHQ] to try to become wise by paying for it, because they do not have enough good sense to become wise.
17 Teman sejati mengasihi dalam segala keadaan dan seorang saudara turut menderita pada masa kesukaran.
Friends love [others] all the time, and relatives are able to help us when we have troubles.
18 Sungguh tak berakal budi orang yang bersedia menjadi penanggung jawab hutang kawannya.
[If someone borrows money from another person], it is foolish for you to promise [IDM] that you will pay the money back if that other person is unable to pay back the money that he borrowed.
19 Siapa yang suka bertengkar berarti senang berbuat dosa. Orang yang menyombongkan diri mengundang kehancuran.
Those who like to sin [also] like to cause strife/trouble; [and] those who build fancy doors in their houses [to show that they are very wealthy] (OR, speak proudly) are inviting disaster.
20 Orang yang berpikiran jahat tidak akan bahagia, dan orang yang sering berbohong akan terjerumus ke dalam masalah.
Those who (have perverse minds/are always thinking about doing evil things) will not prosper, and disasters will happen to those who always tell lies.
21 Hati menjadi susah bila anak bebal. Tidak ada sukacita bagi orangtua bila anaknya bodoh.
Children who are foolish [soon] cause their parents to be very sad; their parents will not be joyful at all.
22 Hati yang gembira bagaikan obat yang memberi kesembuhan, tetapi semangat yang patah melemahkan tubuh.
Being cheerful is [like swallowing] good medicine; being discouraged/gloomy [all the time will] (drain away your energy/cause you to become weak) [MTY].
23 Orang yang jahat diam-diam menerima uang suap untuk memutarbalikkan kebenaran.
Wicked people/judges accept bribes that are given to them secretly, and as a result they do not decide matters justly/fairly.
24 Orang yang berpengertian memusatkan pikiran pada hal-hal bijak tetapi orang bebal tidak memikirkan arah hidup yang pasti.
Those who have good sense determine to do what is wise, but foolish people are always thinking about many different things [and never decide what they should do].
25 Anak laki-laki yang bebal mendatangkan kesedihan bagi ayahnya dan kesusahan bagi ibunya.
Children who are foolish cause their father to be sad and [also] cause their mother to be very sorrowful.
26 Tidak patut menghukum orang yang tidak bersalah, apalagi menghukum para pemimpin karena bertindak adil.
It is not right to force someone who has done nothing wrong to pay a fine; it is wrong to punish good/respected people.
27 Orang yang berpengetahuan mampu tetap bersikap tenang sambil menjawab dengan bijak.
Those who have good sense do not talk a lot, and those who (control their tempers/keep themselves from becoming very angry) are [truly] wise.
28 Orang yang bodoh pun akan terlihat bijak ketika diam dan kelihatan pandai saat tidak bicara.
People [may] think that foolish people who do not say anything are wise; if foolish people (do not say anything/keep their mouths shut), others will think that they are [very] intelligent.
