أَمْثَالٌ 19

١ 1 ٱلْفَقِيرُ ٱلسَّالِكُ بِكَمَالِهِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ مُلْتَوِي ٱلشَّفَتَيْنِ وَهُوَ جَاهِلٌ.

Conducting our lives as we should [even though] we are poor is better than being foolish and telling lies.

٢ 2 أَيْضًا كَوْنُ ٱلنَّفْسِ بِلَا مَعْرِفَةٍ لَيْسَ حَسَنًا، وَٱلْمُسْتَعْجِلُ بِرِجْلَيْهِ يُخْطِئُ.

Being enthusiastic but not thinking carefully [about what we are about to do] is not good; doing things hastily can cause us a lot of trouble [IDM].

٣ 3 حَمَاقَةُ ٱلرَّجُلِ تُعَوِّجُ طَرِيقَهُ، وَعَلَى ٱلرَّبِّ يَحْنَقُ قَلْبُهُ.

Some people are ruined as a result of their [own] foolish actions, and when that happens, they [SYN] angrily say that it is Yahweh’s fault.

٤ 4 اَلْغِنَى يُكْثِرُ ٱلْأَصْحَابَ، وَٱلْفَقِيرُ مُنْفَصِلٌ عَنْ قَرِيبِهِ.

Those who are rich easily find people who want to be their friends, but when [people become] poor, their friends [often] desert them.

٥ 5 شَاهِدُ ٱلزُّورِ لَا يَتَبَرَّأُ، وَٱلْمُتَكَلِّمُ بِٱلْأَكَاذِيبِ لَا يَنْجُو.

Those who tell lies in court will surely be punished [LIT]; they will not escape it.

٦ 6 كَثِيرُونَ يَسْتَعْطِفُونَ وَجْهَ ٱلشَّرِيفِ، وَكُلٌّ صَاحِبٌ لِذِي ٱلْعَطَايَا.

Many [people] try to persuade important people to do favors for them; everyone [wants to] be a friend of those who give gifts.

٧ 7 كُلُّ إِخْوَةِ ٱلْفَقِيرِ يُبْغِضُونَهُ، فَكَمْ بِٱلْحَرِيِّ أَصْدِقَاؤُهُ يَبْتَعِدُونَ عَنْهُ! مَنْ يَتْبَعُ أَقْوَالًا فَهِيَ لَهُ.

[Even] the relatives of someone who becomes poor hate him, and his friends certainly stay away from him, too; [even] if he tries to talk with them, they will not be his friends [again].

٨ 8 اَلْمُقْتَنِي ٱلْحِكْمَةَ يُحِبُّ نَفْسَهُ. ٱلْحَافِظُ ٱلْفَهْمِ يَجِدُ خَيْرًا.

Those who become wise [IDM] are doing a favor for themselves; those who get good sense will prosper.

٩ 9 شَاهِدُ ٱلزُّورِ لَا يَتَبَرَّأُ، وَٱلْمُتَكَلِّمُ بِٱلْأَكَاذِيبِ يَهْلِكُ.

Those who tell lies in court will certainly be punished [LIT]; they will be ruined.

١٠ 10 اَلتَّنَعُّمُ لَا يَلِيقُ بِٱلْجَاهِلِ. كَمْ بِٱلْأَوْلَى لَا يَلِيقُ بِٱلْعَبْدِ أَنْ يَتَسَلَّطَ عَلَى ٱلرُّؤَسَاءِ!

It is not appropriate for foolish people to live (luxuriously/like rich people), and it is even less appropriate for slaves to rule important officials.

١١ 11 تَعَقُّلُ ٱلْإِنْسَانِ يُبْطِئُ غَضَبَهُ، وَفَخْرُهُ ٱلصَّفْحُ عَنْ مَعْصِيَةٍ.

Those who have good sense do not quickly become angry; people respect those who ignore offensive [things that people say to them].

١٢ 12 كَزَمْجَرَةِ ٱلْأَسَدِ حَنَقُ ٱلْمَلِكِ، وَكَالطَّلِّ عَلَى ٱلْعُشْبِ رِضْوَانُهُ.

When a king is angry, [that causes people to be afraid of him], like the roar of a lion [causes people to be afraid] [SIM], but if he acts kindly toward people, [they like it just] like [they like] dew on the grass [in the morning].

١٣ 13 اَلِٱبْنُ ٱلْجَاهِلُ مُصِيبَةٌ عَلَى أَبِيهِ، وَمُخَاصَمَاتُ ٱلزَّوْجَةِ كَٱلْوَكْفِ ٱلْمُتَتَابِعِ.

Foolish children [can] cause disasters to happen to their parents. A wife who constantly (nags/quarrels with) [her husband is as annoying as] water that continually drips [MET].

١٤ 14 اَلْبَيْتُ وَٱلثَّرْوَةُ مِيرَاثٌ مِنَ ٱلْآبَاءِ، أَمَّا ٱلزَّوْجَةُ ٱلْمُتَعَقِّلَةُ فَمِنْ عِنْدِ ٱلرَّبِّ.

We [can] inherit a house or money from our parents [when they die], but only Yahweh [can] give someone a sensible wife.

١٥ 15 اَلْكَسَلُ يُلْقِي فِي ٱلسُّبَاتِ، وَٱلنَّفْسُ ٱلْمُتَرَاخِيَةُ تَجُوعُ.

Those who are lazy sleep soundly, but if they are lazy, they will be hungry [because of not earning money to buy food].

١٦ 16 حَافِظُ ٱلْوَصِيَّةِ حَافِظٌ نَفْسَهُ، وَٱلْمُتَهَاوِنُ بِطُرُقِهِ يَمُوتُ.

Those who obey [God’s] commandments will remain alive [for a long time]; those who despise/disobey them (OR, those who do not control their own conduct) will die [while they are still young].

١٧ 17 مَنْ يَرْحَمُ ٱلْفَقِيرَ يُقْرِضُ ٱلرَّبَّ، وَعَنْ مَعْرُوفِهِ يُجَازِيهِ.

When we give things to poor [people], [it is as though] we are lending to Yahweh, and he will (pay us back/reward us for what we did).

١٨ 18 أَدِّبِ ٱبْنَكَ لِأَنَّ فِيهِ رَجَاءً، وَلَكِنْ عَلَى إِمَاتَتِهِ لَا تَحْمِلْ نَفْسَكَ.

Discipline your children while [they are young], while you still hope that [they will learn to behave as they should]; [if you do not discipline them], you are helping them to destroy [themselves].

١٩ 19 اَلشَّدِيدُ ٱلْغَضَبِ يَحْمِلُ عُقُوبَةً، لِأَنَّكَ إِذَا نَجَّيْتَهُ فَبَعْدُ تُعِيدُ.

Those who (do not control their temper/quickly become very angry) will have to endure what happens as a result; [but] if we rescue them [from those troubles once], we will have to continue rescuing them.

٢٠ 20 اِسْمَعِ ٱلْمَشُورَةَ وَٱقْبَلِ ٱلتَّأْدِيبَ، لِكَيْ تَكُونَ حَكِيمًا فِي آخِرَتِكَ.

Pay attention when [people give you good] advice and learn from them, in order that you will become wise for the rest of your life.

٢١ 21 فِي قَلْبِ ٱلْإِنْسَانِ أَفْكَارٌ كَثِيرَةٌ، لَكِنْ مَشُورَةُ ٱلرَّبِّ هِيَ تَثْبُتُ.

People plan to do many [kinds of things], but what will happen is what Yahweh has decided will happen.

٢٢ 22 زِينَةُ ٱلْإِنْسَانِ مَعْرُوفَهُ، وَٱلْفَقِيرُ خَيْرٌ مِنَ ٱلْكَذُوبِ.

People want others to be loyal to them; it is better to be poor than to tell a lie [to a judge in court in order to get money].

٢٣ 23 مَخَافَةُ ٱلرَّبِّ لِلْحَيَاةِ. يَبِيتُ شَبْعَانَ لَا يَتَعَهَّدُهُ شَرٌّ.

[Those who have] an awesome respect for Yahweh will live [a long life]; they rest peacefully and are not harmed [during the night].

٢٤ 24 اَلْكَسْلَانُ يُخْفِي يَدَهُ فِي ٱلصَّحْفَةِ، وَأَيْضًا إِلَى فَمِهِ لَا يَرُدُّهَا.

Some people are extremely lazy; they put their hand in a dish [to take some food] but do not even lift the food up to their mouths.

٢٥ 25 اِضْرِبِ ٱلْمُسْتَهْزِئَ فَيَتَذَكَّى ٱلْأَحْمَقُ، وَوَبِّخْ فَهِيمًا فَيَفْهَمَ مَعْرِفَةً.

If you punish someone who makes fun of those who are wise, those who (are naive/need to be instructed) will learn to do what is smart; if you rebuke those who are wise, they will [listen to what you say and] become wiser.

٢٦ 26 ٱلْمُخَرِّبُ أَبَاهُ وَٱلطَّارِدُ أُمَّهُ هُوَ ٱبْنٌ مُخْزٍ وَمُخْجِلٌ.

Anyone who mistreats/abuses his father or forces his mother to leave the home is a child who is acting shamefully and disgracefully.

٢٧ 27 كُفَّ يَا ٱبْنِي عَنِ ٱسْتِمَاعِ ٱلتَّعْلِيمِ لِلضَّلَالَةِ عَنْ كَلَامِ ٱلْمَعْرِفَةِ.

My son, if you stop learning things, you will [soon] forget what [you already] know.

٢٨ 28 اَلشَّاهِدُ ٱللَّئِيمُ يَسْتَهْزِئُ بِٱلْحَقِّ، وَفَمُ ٱلْأَشْرَارِ يَبْلَعُ ٱلْإِثْمَ.

Worthless witnesses [in court] make fun of [judges who try to] make fair decisions, and wicked people [enjoy] doing evil [like] they enjoy eating [good food] [MET].

٢٩ 29 اَلْقِصَاصُ مُعَدٌّ لِلْمُسْتَهْزِئِينَ، وَٱلضَّرْبُ لِظَهْرِ ٱلْجُهَّالِ.

[God] is ready to punish those who make fun [of him/religion]; those who do foolish things deserve to be flogged/whipped.