< أَمْثَالٌ 26 >

كَٱلثَّلْجِ فِي ٱلصَّيْفِ وَكَالْمَطَرِ فِي ٱلْحَصَادِ، هَكَذَا ٱلْكَرَامَةُ غَيْرُ لَائِقَةٍ بِٱلْجَاهِلِ. ١ 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.
كَٱلْعُصْفُورِ لِلْفَرَارِ وَكَالسُّنُونَةِ لِلطَّيَرَانِ، كَذَلِكَ لَعْنَةٌ بِلَا سَبَبٍ لَا تَأْتِي. ٢ 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).
اَلسَّوْطُ لِلْفَرَسِ وَٱللِّجَامُ لِلْحِمَارِ، وَٱلْعَصَا لِظَهْرِ ٱلْجُهَّالِ. ٣ 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].
لَا تُجَاوِبِ ٱلْجَاهِلَ حَسَبَ حَمَاقَتِهِ لِئَلَّا تَعْدِلَهُ أَنْتَ. ٤ 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.
جَاوِبِ ٱلْجَاهِلَ حَسَبَ حَمَاقَتِهِ لِئَلَّا يَكُونَ حَكِيمًا فِي عَيْنَيْ نَفْسِهِ. ٥ 5
If you give a foolish answer to someone who asks a foolish question, he will realize that he is (not very wise/foolish).
يَقْطَعُ ٱلرِّجْلَيْنِ، يَشْرَبُ ظُلْمًا، مَنْ يُرْسِلُ كَلَامًا عَنْ يَدِ جَاهِلٍ. ٦ 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.
سَاقَا ٱلْأَعْرَجِ مُتَدَلْدِلَتَانِ، وَكَذَا ٱلْمَثَلُ فِي فَمِ ٱلْجُهَّالِ. ٧ 7
A lame man cannot use his legs, and similarly [SIM] [it is useless for] a foolish person to speak [MTY] (proverbs/wise sayings).
كَصُرَّةِ حِجَارَةٍ كَرِيمَةٍ فِي رُجْمَةٍ، هَكَذَا ٱلْمُعْطِي كَرَامَةً لِلْجَاهِلِ. ٨ 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.
شَوْكٌ مُرْتَفِعٌ بِيَدِ سَكْرَانٍ، مِثْلُ ٱلْمَثَلِ فِي فَمِ ٱلْجُهَّالِ. ٩ 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].
رَامٍ يَطْعَنُ ٱلْكُلَّ، هَكَذَا مَنْ يَسْتَأْجِرُ ٱلْجَاهِلَ أَوْ يَسْتَأْجِرُ ٱلْمُحْتَالِينَ. ١٠ 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].
كَمَا يَعُودُ ٱلْكَلْبُ إِلَى قَيْئِهِ، هَكَذَا ٱلْجَاهِلُ يُعِيدُ حَمَاقَتَهُ. ١١ 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.
أَرَأَيْتَ رَجُلًا حَكِيمًا فِي عَيْنَيْ نَفْسِهِ؟ ٱلرَّجَاءُ بِٱلْجَاهِلِ أَكْثَرُ مِنَ ٱلرَّجَاءِ بِهِ. ١٢ 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.
قَالَ ٱلْكَسْلَانُ: «ٱلْأَسَدُ فِي ٱلطَّرِيقِ، ٱلشِّبْلُ فِي ٱلشَّوَارِعِ!». ١٣ 13
Lazy people [just stay inside their houses and do nothing]; [they keep] saying “[I think] there is a lion in the street!”
اَلْبَابُ يَدُورُ عَلَى صَائِرِهِ، وَٱلْكَسْلَانُ عَلَى فِرَاشِهِ. ١٤ 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].
اَلْكَسْلَانُ يُخْفِي يَدَهُ فِي ٱلصَّحْفَةِ، وَيَشُقُّ عَلَيْهِ أَنْ يَرُدَّهَا إِلَى فَمِهِ. ١٥ 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.
اَلْكَسْلَانُ أَوْفَرُ حِكْمَةً فِي عَيْنَيْ نَفْسِهِ مِنَ ٱلسَّبْعَةِ ٱلْمُجِيبِينَ بِعَقْلٍ. ١٦ 16
Lazy people think that they are wiser than seven/several people who can answer [others’ questions] with good sense.
كَمُمْسِكٍ أُذُنَيْ كَلْبٍ، هَكَذَا مَنْ يَعْبُرُ وَيَتَعَرَّضُ لِمُشَاجَرَةٍ لَا تَعْنِيهِ. ١٧ 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.
مِثْلُ ٱلْمَجْنُونِ ٱلَّذِي يَرْمِي نَارًا وَسِهَامًا وَمَوْتًا، ١٨ 18
Crazy people who shoot burning arrows to kill people
هَكَذَا ٱلرَّجُلُ ٱلْخَادِعُ قَرِيبَهُ وَيَقُولُ: «أَلَمْ أَلْعَبْ أَنَا!». ١٩ 19
are as foolish as those who deceive someone else and [then] say, “I was only joking.”
بِعَدَمِ ٱلْحَطَبِ تَنْطَفِئُ ٱلنَّارُ، وَحَيْثُ لَا نَمَّامَ يَهْدَأُ ٱلْخِصَامُ. ٢٠ 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.
فَحْمٌ لِلْجَمْرِ وَحَطَبٌ لِلنَّارِ، هَكَذَا ٱلرَّجُلُ ٱلْمُخَاصِمُ لِتَهْيِيجِ ٱلنِّزَاعِ. ٢١ 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.
كَلَامُ ٱلنَّمَّامِ مِثْلُ لُقَمٍ حُلْوَةٍ فَيَنْزِلُ إِلَى مَخَادِعِ ٱلْبَطْنِ. ٢٢ 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.
فِضَّةُ زَغَلٍ تُغَشِّي شَقْفَةً، هَكَذَا ٱلشَّفَتَانِ ٱلْمُتَوَقِّدَتَانِ وَٱلْقَلْبُ ٱلشِّرِّيرُ. ٢٣ 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.
بِشَفَتَيْهِ يَتَنَكَّرُ ٱلْمُبْغِضُ، وَفِي جَوْفِهِ يَضَعُ غِشًّا. ٢٤ 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].
إِذَا حَسَّنَ صَوْتَهُ فَلَا تَأْتَمِنْهُ، لِأَنَّ فِي قَلْبِهِ سَبْعَ رَجَاسَاتٍ. ٢٥ 25
When they say nice things, do not believe them, because in their inner beings are many things that [Yahweh] hates.
مَنْ يُغَطِّي بُغْضَةً بِمَكْرٍ، يَكْشِفُ خُبْثَهُ بَيْنَ ٱلْجَمَاعَةِ. ٢٦ 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].
مَنْ يَحْفِرُ حُفْرَةً يَسْقُطُ فِيهَا، وَمَنْ يُدَحْرِجُ حَجَرًا يَرْجِعُ عَلَيْهِ. ٢٧ 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].
اَللِّسَانُ ٱلْكَاذِبُ يُبْغِضُ مُنْسَحِقِيهِ، وَٱلْفَمُ ٱلْمَلِقُ يُعِدُّ خَرَابًا. ٢٨ 28
Those [MTY] who tell lies to others [really] hate them, and those who deceive [others] ruin them.

< أَمْثَالٌ 26 >