أَمْثَالٌ 7
| يَا ٱبْنِي، ٱحْفَظْ كَلَامِي وَٱذْخَرْ وَصَايَايَ عِنْدَكَ. | ١ 1 |
My son, heed my advice, and guard my instructions [as you would] [MET] [guard] a treasure.
| ٱحْفَظْ وَصَايَايَ فَتَحْيَا، وَشَرِيعَتِي كَحَدَقَةِ عَيْنِكَ. | ٢ 2 |
Obey my commands, and [as a result you will] live [a good life]. Consider the things that I teach you [to be very precious]; guard them, [just] like you protect your eyes.
| اُرْبُطْهَا عَلَى أَصَابِعِكَ. ٱكْتُبْهَا عَلَى لَوْحِ قَلْبِكَ. | ٣ 3 |
Tie my commands around your fingers [in order that they will remind you to obey them]. Always keep them in mind [MET].
| قُلْ لِلْحِكْمَةِ: «أَنْتِ أُخْتِي» وَٱدْعُ ٱلْفَهْمَ ذَا قَرَابَةٍ. | ٤ 4 |
[Love] wisdom [like you love] your sister. Understand what is wise, [and let that be as dear to you as] members of your family.
| لِتَحْفَظَكَ مِنَ ٱلْمَرْأَةِ ٱلْأَجْنَبِيَّةِ، مِنَ ٱلْغَرِيبَةِ ٱلْمَلِقَةِ بِكَلَامِهَا. | ٥ 5 |
If you are wise and if you understand what is wise [PRS], you will not [sleep with] an immoral woman; you will not listen to a woman who tries to entice you [to sleep with her] by what she says.
| لِأَنِّي مِنْ كُوَّةِ بَيْتِي، مِنْ وَرَاءِ شُبَّاكِي تَطَلَّعْتُ، | ٦ 6 |
One day, I was standing at the window inside my house, and I looked outside.
| فَرَأَيْتُ بَيْنَ ٱلْجُهَّالِ، لَاحَظْتُ بَيْنَ ٱلْبَنِينَ غُلَامًا عَدِيمَ ٱلْفَهْمِ، | ٧ 7 |
I saw some young men who did not have good sense. Among them was a man who was very foolish.
| عَابِرًا فِي ٱلشَّارِعِ عِنْدَ زَاوِيَتِهَا، وَصَاعِدًا فِي طَرِيقِ بَيْتِهَا. | ٨ 8 |
He crossed the street near [the house of] an immoral woman. He was walking along the path toward her house
| فِي ٱلْعِشَاءِ، فِي مَسَاءِ ٱلْيَوْمِ، فِي حَدَقَةِ ٱللَّيْلِ وَٱلظَّلَامِ. | ٩ 9 |
at twilight, when it was getting dark [DOU].
| وَإِذَا بِٱمْرَأَةٍ ٱسْتَقْبَلَتْهُ فِي زِيِّ زَانِيَةٍ، وَخَبِيثَةِ ٱلْقَلْبِ. | ١٠ 10 |
Suddenly the woman came out to see/meet him. She was dressed (seductively/like a prostitute), wanting to persuade him to sleep with her.
| صَخَّابَةٌ هِيَ وَجَامِحَةٌ. فِي بَيْتِهَا لَا تَسْتَقِرُّ قَدَمَاهَا. | ١١ 11 |
She was a loud talker, one who was rebellious; she [SYN] never stayed at home.
| تَارَةً فِي ٱلْخَارِجِ، وَأُخْرَى فِي ٱلشَّوَارِعِ، وَعِنْدَ كُلِّ زَاوِيَةٍ تَكْمُنُ. | ١٢ 12 |
She often went into the city streets and plazas/markets, waiting to trap some man.
| فَأَمْسَكَتْهُ وَقَبَّلَتْهُ. أَوْقَحَتْ وَجْهَهَا وَقَالَتْ لَهُ: | ١٣ 13 |
[When she saw that young man], she put her arms around him and kissed him. Then without being a bit ashamed, she said,
| «عَلَيَّ ذَبَائِحُ ٱلسَّلَامَةِ. ٱلْيَوْمَ أَوْفَيْتُ نُذُورِي. | ١٤ 14 |
“I have [some meat that is left over from] a sacrifice that I made today [to maintain fellowship with Yahweh]; I have fulfilled/done what I promised him that I would do.
| فَلِذَلِكَ خَرَجْتُ لِلِقَائِكَ، لِأَطْلُبَ وَجْهَكَ حَتَّى أَجِدَكَ. | ١٥ 15 |
And now I have come out to meet/see you. I was searching for you, and [now] I have found you!
| بِٱلدِّيبَاجِ فَرَشْتُ سَرِيرِي، بِمُوَشَّى كَتَّانٍ مِنْ مِصْرَ. | ١٦ 16 |
I have put on my bed sheets/bedspreads that were made from [very fine] linen [that were imported] {[people brought]} from Egypt.
| عَطَّرْتُ فِرَاشِي بِمُرٍّ وَعُودٍ وَقِرْفَةٍ. | ١٧ 17 |
I have sprinkled [sweet-smelling] perfumes on my bed— myrrh and aloes and cinnamon.
| هَلُمَّ نَرْتَوِ وُدًّا إِلَى ٱلصَّبَاحِ. نَتَلَذَّذُ بِٱلْحُبِّ. | ١٨ 18 |
Come [with me]; let us enjoy having sex until [tomorrow] morning. Let’s enjoy making love.
| لِأَنَّ ٱلرَّجُلَ لَيْسَ فِي ٱلْبَيْتِ. ذَهَبَ فِي طَرِيقٍ بَعِيدَةٍ. | ١٩ 19 |
My husband is not at home; he has gone away on a long journey.
| أَخَذَ صُرَّةَ ٱلْفِضَّةِ بِيَدِهِ. يَوْمَ ٱلْهِلَالِ يَأْتِي إِلَى بَيْتِهِ». | ٢٠ 20 |
He is carrying a wallet filled with money, and he will not return until the middle of this month.”
| أَغْوَتْهُ بِكَثْرَةِ فُنُونِهَا، بِمَلْثِ شَفَتَيْهَا طَوَّحَتْهُ. | ٢١ 21 |
[So] she persuaded him by [her] enticing/tempting words. She allured him by her smooth/sweet talk.
| ذَهَبَ وَرَاءَهَا لِوَقْتِهِ، كَثَوْرٍ يَذْهَبُ إِلَى ٱلذَّبْحِ، أَوْ كَٱلْغَبِيِّ إِلَى قَيْدِ ٱلْقِصَاصِ، | ٢٢ 22 |
[And] he went with her immediately, like an ox that was going to where it would be slaughtered, or like a deer (OR, a fool) that is stepping into a noose/trap,
| حَتَّى يَشُقَّ سَهْمٌ كَبِدَهُ. كَطَيْرٍ يُسْرِعُ إِلَى ٱلْفَخِّ وَلَا يَدْرِي أَنَّهُ لِنَفْسِهِ. | ٢٣ 23 |
where it will remain/stay until someone shoots an arrow into its liver [and kills it]. [He was] like a bird that flew into a trap. He did not know that (it would cost him his life/he would die as a result).
| وَٱلْآنَ أَيُّهَا ٱلْأَبْنَاءُ ٱسْمَعُوا لِي وَأَصْغُوا لِكَلِمَاتِ فَمِي: | ٢٤ 24 |
My son, listen to what I say; pay [careful] attention to my words.
| لَا يَمِلْ قَلْبُكَ إِلَى طُرُقِهَا، وَلَا تَشْرُدْ فِي مَسَالِكِهَا. | ٢٥ 25 |
Do not allow anything to arouse/persuade you to go with an immoral woman like that. Do not go where she goes.
| لِأَنَّهَا طَرَحَتْ كَثِيرِينَ جَرْحَى، وَكُلُّ قَتْلَاهَا أَقْوِيَاءُ. | ٢٦ 26 |
She has caused many men to be ruined; truly, no one can count the men she has killed.
