أَمْثَالٌ 16
| لِلْإِنْسَانِ تَدَابِيرُ ٱلْقَلْبِ، وَمِنَ ٱلرَّبِّ جَوَابُ ٱللِّسَانِ. | ١ 1 |
People plan what they want to do, but Yahweh is the one who decides [MTY] what really will happen.
| كُلُّ طُرُقِ ٱلْإِنْسَانِ نَقِيَّةٌ فِي عَيْنَيْ نَفْسِهِ، وَٱلرَّبُّ وَازِنُ ٱلْأَرْوَاحِ. | ٢ 2 |
People may think that their actions are right, but Yahweh really knows why people do what they do.
| أَلْقِ عَلَى ٱلرَّبِّ أَعْمَالَكَ فَتُثَبَّتَ أَفْكَارُكَ. | ٣ 3 |
(Request/Rely on) Yahweh to direct what you plan to do; [if you do that], you will succeed in what you plan.
| اَلرَّبُّ صَنَعَ ٱلْكُلَّ لِغَرَضِهِ، وَٱلشِّرِّيرَ أَيْضًا لِيَوْمِ ٱلشَّرِّ. | ٤ 4 |
Yahweh knows why he does everything that he does; he has even prepared the wicked for the time that he will punish them.
| مَكْرَهَةُ ٱلرَّبِّ كُلُّ مُتَشَامِخِ ٱلْقَلْبِ. يَدًا لِيَدٍ لَا يَتَبَرَّأُ. | ٥ 5 |
Yahweh hates/detests everyone who is proud [IDM]; you can be certain [IDM] that they will be punished [LIT].
| بِٱلرَّحْمَةِ وَٱلْحَقِّ يُسْتَرُ ٱلْإِثْمُ، وَفِي مَخَافَةِ ٱلرَّبِّ ٱلْحَيَدَانُ عَنِ ٱلشَّرِّ. | ٦ 6 |
Be loyal to Yahweh and faithfully [obey] him; if you do that, he will forgive you for having sinned. If we revere him, nothing evil will happen to us (OR, he will prevent evil things from happening to us).
| إِذَا أَرْضَتِ ٱلرَّبَّ طُرُقُ إِنْسَانٍ، جَعَلَ أَعْدَاءَهُ أَيْضًا يُسَالِمُونَهُ. | ٧ 7 |
When our behavior pleases Yahweh, he even causes our enemies to act peacefully toward us.
| اَلْقَلِيلُ مَعَ ٱلْعَدْلِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ دَخْلٍ جَزِيلٍ بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ. | ٨ 8 |
It is better to have a small amount of money that is earned honestly than to have a lot of money that is acquired dishonestly.
| قَلْبُ ٱلْإِنْسَانِ يُفَكِّرُ فِي طَرِيقِهِ، وَٱلرَّبُّ يَهْدِي خَطْوَتَهُ. | ٩ 9 |
People plan what they want to do, but Yahweh directs/determines what they will [really] be able to do.
| فِي شَفَتَيِ ٱلْمَلِكِ وَحْيٌ. فِي ٱلْقَضَاءِ فَمُهُ لَا يَخُونُ. | ١٠ 10 |
[If] God directs what a king says, what he decides is [always] right/fair.
| قَبَّانُ ٱلْحَقِّ وَمَوَازِينُهُ لِلرَّبِّ. كُلُّ مَعَايِيرِ ٱلْكِيسِ عَمَلُهُ. | ١١ 11 |
Yahweh wants us to use scales that are correct; the weights in his bag are correct, [because] he made them.
| مَكْرَهَةُ ٱلْمُلُوكِ فِعْلُ ٱلشَّرِّ، لِأَنَّ ٱلْكُرْسِيَّ يُثَبَّتُ بِٱلْبِرِّ. | ١٢ 12 |
Kings detest those who do evil, because [it is people doing what] is fair/right that causes their governments to be [MTY] strong.
| مَرْضَاةُ ٱلْمُلُوكِ شَفَتَا حَقٍّ، وَٱلْمُتَكَلِّمُ بِٱلْمُسْتَقِيمَاتِ يُحَبُّ. | ١٣ 13 |
Kings are delighted to hear people say [MTY] what is true; they love those who say what is right/honest.
| غَضَبُ ٱلْمَلِكِ رُسُلُ ٱلْمَوْتِ، وَٱلْإِنْسَانُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ يَسْتَعْطِفُهُ. | ١٤ 14 |
If a king becomes angry, he [may] command that someone be executed, [so] wise people will [try to] cause him to be calm.
| فِي نُورِ وَجْهِ ٱلْمَلِكِ حَيَاةٌ، وَرِضَاهُ كَسَحَابِ ٱلْمَطَرِ ٱلْمُتَأَخِّرِ. | ١٥ 15 |
If a king has a smile [MTY] on his face, he will enable people to have a [long] life (OR, he will not order people to be executed); his being pleased [with people] is [as delightful] as rain in the springtime [when seeds are planted].
| قِنْيَةُ ٱلْحِكْمَةِ كَمْ هِيَ خَيْرٌ مِنَ ٱلذَّهَبِ، وَقِنْيَةُ ٱلْفَهْمِ تُخْتَارُ عَلَى ٱلْفِضَّةِ! | ١٦ 16 |
Becoming wise is better than aquiring gold; getting good understanding/insight is better than acquiring silver.
| مَنْهَجُ ٱلْمُسْتَقِيمِينَ ٱلْحَيَدَانُ عَنِ ٱلشَّرِّ. حَافِظٌ نَفْسَهُ حَافِظٌ طَرِيقَهُ. | ١٧ 17 |
Those whose behavior [MET] is good/right turn away from doing evil; those who guard their conduct [MTY] protect their lives.
| قَبْلَ ٱلْكَسْرِ ٱلْكِبْرِيَاءُ، وَقَبْلَ ٱلسُّقُوطِ تَشَامُخُ ٱلرُّوحِ. | ١٨ 18 |
Being proud will (lead to your having/cause you to have) disasters; despising others will result in your being ruined.
| تَوَاضُعُ ٱلرُّوحِ مَعَ ٱلْوُدَعَاءِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ قَسْمِ ٱلْغَنِيمَةِ مَعَ ٱلْمُتَكَبِّرِينَ. | ١٩ 19 |
It is better to be humble and poor than [to associate with] proud [people] and [to become rich by] dividing with them (plunder/goods captured in a battle).
| ٱلْفَطِنُ مِنْ جِهَةِ أَمْرٍ يَجِدُ خَيْرًا، وَمَنْ يَتَّكِلُ عَلَى ٱلرَّبِّ فَطُوبَى لَهُ. | ٢٠ 20 |
Those who heed good teaching/instruction will prosper; happy are those who trust in Yahweh.
| حَكِيمُ ٱلْقَلْبِ يُدْعَى فَهِيمًا، وَحَلَاوَةُ ٱلشَّفَتَيْنِ تَزِيدُ عِلْمًا. | ٢١ 21 |
People say that those who are wise learn what is right/good behavior, and those who talk pleasantly [are able to] influence others [to do what is right].
| ٱلْفِطْنَةُ يَنْبُوعُ حَيَاةٍ لِصَاحِبِهَا، وَتَأْدِيبُ ٱلْحَمْقَى حَمَاقَةٌ. | ٢٢ 22 |
Being wise is [like having] a fountain that gives life [MET], but foolish people are punished as a result of their acting foolishly.
| قَلْبُ ٱلْحَكِيمِ يُرْشِدُ فَمَهُ وَيَزِيدُ شَفَتَيْهِ عِلْمًا. | ٢٣ 23 |
Those who are wise think carefully before they talk, and as a result they are able to influence/persuade others [to do what is right].
| اَلْكَلَامُ ٱلْحَسَنُ شَهْدُ عَسَلٍ، حُلْوٌ لِلنَّفْسِ وَشِفَاءٌ لِلْعِظَامِ. | ٢٤ 24 |
Kind words are like honey [SIM]: We enjoy them both, and both cause our bodies to be healthy/strong.
| تُوجَدُ طَرِيقٌ تَظْهَرُ لِلْإِنْسَانِ مُسْتَقِيمَةً وَعَاقِبَتُهَا طُرُقُ ٱلْمَوْتِ. | ٢٥ 25 |
There are some kinds of behavior [MET] that people think are right, but (walking on those roads [MET]/continually doing those things) causes those people to die.
| نَفْسُ ٱلتَّعِبِ تُتْعِبُ لَهُ، لِأَنَّ فَمَهُ يَحِثُّهُ. | ٢٦ 26 |
If a worker (has an appetite/is hungry), that urges him to work hard because he [SYN] wants to [earn money to buy things to] eat.
| ٱلرَّجُلُ ٱللَّئِيمُ يَنْبُشُ ٱلشَّرَّ، وَعَلَى شَفَتَيْهِ كَٱلنَّارِ ٱلْمُتَّقِدَةِ. | ٢٧ 27 |
Worthless people plan [ways to cause] trouble [for others], and [even] what they say [injures people] like a hot fire does [SIM].
| رَجُلُ ٱلْأَكَاذِيبِ يُطْلِقُ ٱلْخُصُومَةَ، وَٱلنَّمَّامُ يُفَرِّقُ ٱلْأَصْدِقَاءَ. | ٢٨ 28 |
Deceitful people cause strife/quarreling among other people; those who say false things about other people cause people who are friends to become enemies.
| اَلرَّجُلُ ٱلظَّالِمُ يُغْوِي صَاحِبَهُ وَيَسُوقُهُ إِلَى طَرِيقٍ غَيْرِ صَالِحَةٍ. | ٢٩ 29 |
Those who act violently entice/encourage others [to also act violently] and lead them along a road that will end in disaster.
| مَنْ يُغَمِّضُ عَيْنَيْهِ لِيُفَكِّرَ فِي ٱلْأَكَاذِيبِ، وَمَنْ يَعَضُّ شَفَتَيْهِ، فَقَدْ أَكْمَلَ شَرًّا. | ٣٠ 30 |
People [sometimes] show with [one of] their eyes [to signal to their friends that they are] planning to do something to harm [others]; they smirk when they are about to do something evil.
| تَاجُ جَمَالٍ: شَيْبَةٌ تُوجَدُ فِي طَرِيقِ ٱلْبِرِّ. | ٣١ 31 |
Gray hair is [like] a glorious crown [MET] that is given to people who have always behaved righteously.
| اَلْبَطِيءُ ٱلْغَضَبِ خَيْرٌ مِنَ ٱلْجَبَّارِ، وَمَالِكُ رُوحِهِ خَيْرٌ مِمَّنْ يَأْخُذُ مَدِينَةً. | ٣٢ 32 |
Those who do not become angry quickly are better than those who are powerful; it is better to (control your temper/keep yourself from becoming very angry) than to conquer a city.
| ٱلْقُرْعَةُ تُلْقَى فِي ٱلْحِضْنِ، وَمِنَ ٱلرَّبِّ كُلُّ حُكْمِهَا. | ٣٣ 33 |
People (cast lots/throw marked stones) [to decide what should be done], but God is the one who truly decides what will happen.
