< أَمْثَالٌ 17 >

لُقْمَةٌ يَابِسَةٌ وَمَعَهَا سَلَامَةٌ، خَيْرٌ مِنْ بَيْتٍ مَلآنٍ ذَبَائِحَ مَعَ خِصَامٍ. ١ 1
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.
اَلْعَبْدُ ٱلْفَطِنُ يَتَسَلَّطُ عَلَى ٱلِٱبْنِ ٱلْمُخْزِي وَيُقَاسِمُ ٱلْإِخْوَةَ ٱلْمِيرَاثَ. ٢ 2
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.
ٱلْبُوطَةُ لِلْفِضَّةِ، وَٱلْكُورُ لِلذَّهَبِ، وَمُمْتَحِنُ ٱلْقُلُوبِ ٱلرَّبُّ. ٣ 3
[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].
ٱلْفَاعِلُ ٱلشَّرَّ يَصْغَى إِلَى شَفَةِ ٱلْإِثْمِ، وَٱلْكَاذِبُ يَأْذَنُ لِلِسَانِ فَسَادٍ. ٤ 4
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.
ٱلْمُسْتَهْزِئُ بِٱلْفَقِيرِ يُعَيِّرُ خَالِقَهُ. ٱلْفَرْحَانُ بِبَلِيَّةٍ لَا يَتَبَرَّأُ. ٥ 5
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].
تَاجُ ٱلشُّيُوخِ بَنُو ٱلْبَنِينَ، وَفَخْرُ ٱلْبَنِينَ آبَاؤُهُمْ. ٦ 6
Old [people] are [usually] proud of [MET] their grandchildren, [just like] children are [usually] proud of their parents.
لَا تَلِيقُ بِٱلْأَحْمَقِ شَفَةُ ٱلسُّودَدِ. كَمْ بِٱلْأَحْرَى شَفَةُ ٱلْكَذِبِ بِٱلشَّرِيفِ! ٧ 7
Fine/Eloquent speech is not suitable for foolish people to say, just like lies are not suitable for rulers [to say].
ٱلْهَدِيَّةُ حَجَرٌ كَرِيمٌ فِي عَيْنَيْ قَابِلِهَا، حَيْثُمَا تَتَوَجَّهْ تُفْلِحْ. ٨ 8
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.
مَنْ يَسْتُرْ مَعْصِيَةً يَطْلُبِ ٱلْمَحَبَّةَ، وَمَنْ يُكَرِّرْ أَمْرًا يُفَرِّقْ بَيْنَ ٱلْأَصْدِقَاءِ. ٩ 9
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.
اَلِٱنْتِهَارُ يُؤَثِّرُ فِي ٱلْحَكِيمِ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ مِئَةِ جَلْدَةٍ فِي ٱلْجَاهِلِ. ١٠ 10
Rebuking people who have good sense will accomplish more for them than hitting them 100 times [with a stick].
اَلشِّرِّيرُ إِنَّمَا يَطْلُبُ ٱلتَّمَرُّدَ فَيُطْلَقُ عَلَيْهِ رَسُولٌ قَاسٍ. ١١ 11
[Because] wicked people are always trying to cause trouble, someone will be sent to severely punish them.
لِيُصَادِفِ ٱلْإِنْسَانَ دُبَّةٌ ثَكُولٌ وَلَا جَاهِلٌ فِي حَمَاقَتِهِ. ١٢ 12
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.
مَنْ يُجَازِي عَنْ خَيْرٍ بِشَرٍّ لَنْ يَبْرَحَ ٱلشَّرُّ مِنْ بَيْتِهِ. ١٣ 13
If someone does something evil in return for something good being done to him, evil/trouble will never leave that person’s family.
اِبْتِدَاءُ ٱلْخِصَامِ إِطْلَاقُ ٱلْمَاءِ، فَقَبْلَ أَنْ تَدْفُقَ ٱلْمُخَاصَمَةُ ٱتْرُكْهَا. ١٤ 14
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.
مُبَرِّئُ ٱلْمُذْنِبَ وَمُذَنِّبُ ٱلْبَرِيءَ كِلَاهُمَا مَكْرَهَةُ ٱلرَّبِّ. ١٥ 15
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.
لِمَاذَا فِي يَدِ ٱلْجَاهِلِ ثَمَنٌ؟ أَلِٱقْتِنَاءِ ٱلْحِكْمَةِ وَلَيْسَ لَهُ فَهْمٌ؟ ١٦ 16
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.
اَلصَّدِيقُ يُحِبُّ فِي كُلِّ وَقْتٍ، أَمَّا ٱلْأَخُ فَلِلشِّدَّةِ يُولَدُ. ١٧ 17
Friends love [others] all the time, and relatives are able to help us when we have troubles.
اَلْإِنْسَانُ ٱلنَّاقِصُ ٱلْفَهْمِ يَصْفِقُ كَفًّا وَيَضْمَنُ صَاحِبَهُ ضَمَانًا. ١٨ 18
[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.
مُحِبُّ ٱلْمَعْصِيَةِ مُحِبُّ ٱلْخِصَامِ. ٱلْمُعَلِّي بَابَهُ يَطْلُبُ ٱلْكَسْرَ. ١٩ 19
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.
ٱلْمُلْتَوِي ٱلْقَلْبِ لَا يَجِدُ خَيْرًا، وَٱلْمُتَقَلِّبُ ٱللِّسَانِ يَقَعُ فِي ٱلسُّوءِ. ٢٠ 20
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.
مَنْ يَلِدُ جَاهِلًا فَلِحَزَنِهِ، وَلَا يَفْرَحُ أَبُو ٱلْأَحْمَقِ. ٢١ 21
Children who are foolish [soon] cause their parents to be very sad; their parents will not be joyful at all.
ٱلْقَلْبُ ٱلْفَرْحَانُ يُطَيِّبُ ٱلْجِسْمَ، وَٱلرُّوحُ ٱلْمُنْسَحِقَةُ تُجَفِّفُ ٱلْعَظْمَ. ٢٢ 22
Being cheerful is [like swallowing] good medicine; being discouraged/gloomy [all the time will] (drain away your energy/cause you to become weak) [MTY].
ٱلشِّرِّيرُ يَأْخُذُ ٱلرَّشْوَةَ مِنَ ٱلْحِضْنِ لِيُعَوِّجَ طُرُقَ ٱلْقَضَاءِ. ٢٣ 23
Wicked people/judges accept bribes that are given to them secretly, and as a result they do not decide matters justly/fairly.
ٱلْحِكْمَةُ عِنْدَ ٱلْفَهِيمِ، وَعَيْنَا ٱلْجَاهِلِ فِي أَقْصَى ٱلْأَرْضِ. ٢٤ 24
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].
ٱلِٱبْنُ ٱلْجَاهِلُ غَمٌّ لِأَبِيهِ، وَمَرَارَةٌ لِلَّتِي وَلَدَتْهُ. ٢٥ 25
Children who are foolish cause their father to be sad and [also] cause their mother to be very sorrowful.
أَيْضًا تَغْرِيمُ ٱلْبَرِيءِ لَيْسَ بِحَسَنٍ، وَكَذَلِكَ ضَرْبُ ٱلشُّرَفَاءِ لِأَجْلِ ٱلِٱسْتِقَامَةِ. ٢٦ 26
It is not right to force someone who has done nothing wrong to pay a fine; it is wrong to punish good/respected people.
ذُو ٱلْمَعْرِفَةِ يُبْقِي كَلَامَهُ، وَذُو ٱلْفَهْمِ وَقُورُ ٱلرُّوحِ. ٢٧ 27
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.
بَلِ ٱلْأَحْمَقُ إِذَا سَكَتَ يُحْسَبُ حَكِيمًا، وَمَنْ ضَمَّ شَفَتَيْهِ فَهِيمًا. ٢٨ 28
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.

< أَمْثَالٌ 17 >