الأمثال 6
| يَاابْنِي إِنْ ضَمِنْتَ أَحَداً، وَإِنْ أَخَذْتَ عَلَى نَفْسِكَ عَهْداً لِلْغَرِيبِ؛ | ١ 1 |
My son, if someone has borrowed money from a friend or a stranger, and if you have promised that you will pay the money back if that person is unable to pay back the money he borrowed,
| إِنْ وَقَعْتَ فِي فَخِّ أَقْوَالِ فَمِكَ، وَعَلِقْتَ بِكَلاَمِ شَفَتَيْكَ، | ٢ 2 |
you may be trapped by what you have agreed to do, [because if the one who borrowed the money is not able to pay it back, you will have to pay it]. What you have said that you will do will be like a snare to you.
| فَافْعَلْ هَذَا يَاابْنِي وَنَجِّ نَفْسَكَ، لأَنَّكَ أَصْبَحْتَ تَحْتَ رَحْمَةِ صَاحِبِكَ: اذْهَبْ تَذَلَّلْ إِلَيْهِ | ٣ 3 |
So, my son, I will tell you what you should do to escape from your difficulty, so that the moneylender does not get control over your [wealth: ] Humbly go to your friend and plead with him [to cancel the agreement]!
| وَأَلِحَّ عَلَيْهِ. لاَ يَغْلِبْ عَلَيْكَ النَّوْمُ، وَلاَ عَلَى أَجْفَانِكَ النُّعَاسُ، | ٤ 4 |
Do not wait until tomorrow; [go immediately]! Do not rest until you [go and talk with him].
| نَجِّ نَفْسَكَ كَالظَّبْيِ مِنْ يَدِ الصَّيَّادِ أَوْ كَالْعُصْفُورِ مِنْ قَبْضَةِ الْقَنَّاصِ. | ٥ 5 |
Save yourself, like a deer that escapes from a deer hunter [or] like a bird that flees from a bird hunter.
| اذْهَبْ إِلَى النَّمْلَةِ أَيُّهَا الْكَسُولُ، تَمَعَّنْ فِي طُرُقِهَا وَكُنْ حَكِيماً، | ٦ 6 |
You lazy individual, learn something from [watching] the ants. Become wise from observing what they do.
| فَمَعَ أَنَّهَا مِنْ غَيْرِ قَائِدٍ أَوْ مُدَبِّرٍ أَوْ حَاكِمٍ، | ٧ 7 |
They do not have a king or a governor or any [other] person who rules them [and forces them to work],
| إِلاَّ أَنَّهَا تَخْزِنُ طَعَامَهَا فِي الصَّيْفِ، وَتَجْمَعُ مَؤُونَتَهَا فِي مَوْسِمِ الْحَصَادِ. | ٨ 8 |
[but] they work hard [all] during the summer, gathering and storing food to eat during the winter.
| فَإِلَى مَتَى تَظَلُّ رَاقِداً أَيُّهَا الْكَسُولُ؟ مَتَى تَهُبُّ مِنْ نَوْمِكَ؟ | ٩ 9 |
[But], you lazy loafer, how long will you [continue to] sleep [RHQ]? Are you never going to get up from sleeping [and go to work]?
| فَإِنَّ بَعْضَ النَّوْمِ، ثُمَّ بَعْضَ الرُّقَادِ، وَطَيَّ الْيَدَيْنِ لِلْهُجُوعِ، | ١٠ 10 |
You sleep a for a little time; [you say, “I will take] just a short nap.” You lie down and fold/lay your hands [across your chest] and rest;
| تَجْعَلُ الْفَقْرَ يُقْبِلُ عَلَيْكَ كَقَاطِعِ طَرِيقٍ، وَالْعَوَزَ كَغَازٍ مُسَلَّحٍ. | ١١ 11 |
and suddenly you will become poor. It will be as though a bandit suddenly comes and takes all that you have.
| الرَّجُلُ الْمُغْتَابُ، الرَّجُلُ الأَثِيمُ هُوَ مَنْ يَسْعَى بِنَمِيمَةِ الْفَمِ الْكَاذِبَةِ، | ١٢ 12 |
[I will describe for you what] worthless and evil people [are like]. They constantly lie;
| وَيَغْمِزُ بِعَيْنَيْهِ، وَيُشِيرُ بِرِجْلَيْهِ، وَيَكْشِفُ عَنْ نَوَايَاهُ بِحَرَكَاتِ أَصَابِعِهِ. | ١٣ 13 |
by winking their eyes and moving their feet and making signs with their fingers, they signal [to their friends what they are intending/planning to do].
| يَخْتَرِعُ الشَّرَّ بِقَلْبٍ مُخَادِعٍ، وَيُثِيرُ الْخُصُومَاتِ دَائِماً. | ١٤ 14 |
They plan to do evil things. They constantly cause strife/trouble.
| لِذَلِكَ تَغْشَاهُ الْبَلايَا فَجْأَةً، وَفِي لَحْظَةٍ يَتَحَطَّمُ وَيَسْتَعْصِي شِفَاؤُهُ. | ١٥ 15 |
But disasters will hit them suddenly; they will be crushed/ruined and nothing will be able to heal them.
| سِتَّةُ أُمُورٍ يَمْقُتُهَا الرَّبُّ، وَسَبْعَةٌ مَكْرُوهَةٌ لَدَيْهِ: | ١٦ 16 |
There are six, [maybe] seven, kinds of people that Yahweh hates. [They are]:
| عَيْنَانِ مُتَعَجْرِفَتَانِ، وَلِسَانٌ كَاذِبٌ، وَيَدَانِ تَسْفِكَانِ دَماً بَرِيئاً. | ١٧ 17 |
People who show by their eyes that they are very proud; people who lie [MTY]; people [SYN] who kill others [SYN] who have done nothing wrong;
| وَقَلْبٌ يَتَآمَرُ بِالشَّرِّ، وَقَدَمَانِ تُسْرِعَانِ بِصَاحِبِهِمَا لارْتِكَابِ الإِثْمِ، | ١٨ 18 |
people who plan to do evil deeds; people [SYN] who run quickly to do wrong things;
| وَشَاهِدُ زُورٍ يَنْفُثُ كَذِباً، وَرَجُلٌ يَزْرَعُ خُصُومَاتٍ بَيْنَ الإِخْوَةِ. | ١٩ 19 |
people who easily tell lies in court; and people who cause strife between family members.
| يَاابْنِي احْفَظْ وَصَايَا أَبِيكَ وَلاَ تَتَجَاهَلْ شَرِيعَةَ أُمِّكَ. | ٢٠ 20 |
My son, obey my commands, and do not ignore what your mother has taught you.
| اعْقِدْهَا دَائِماً عَلَى قَلْبِكَ، وَتَقَلَّدْ بِهَا فِي عُنُقِكَ، | ٢١ 21 |
Remember the things that we have said. Those things should be [like a beautiful necklace] around your neck.
| فَتَهْدِيَكَ كُلَّمَا مَشَيْتَ، وَتَرْعَاكَ كُلَّمَا نِمْتَ، وَتُنَاجِيَكَ عِنْدَمَا تَسْتَيْقِظُ. | ٢٢ 22 |
[If you follow our advice, it will be as though] what we have taught you [PRS] will lead you, wherever you go. When you sleep, they will protect you. And when you wake up in the morning, they will teach/instruct you.
| فَالْوَصِيَّةُ مِصْبَاحٌ وَالشَّرِيعَةُ نُورٌ، وَالتَّوْبِيخُ فِي سَبِيلِ التَّأْدِيبِ هُوَ طَرِيقُ حَيَاةٍ، | ٢٣ 23 |
These commands and what we teach you [will be like] a lamp to light your path [MET]. When we rebuke you and correct/punish you, we will be showing you the road to having [a good] life.
| لِكَيْ تَقِيَكَ مِنَ الْمَرْأَةِ الشِّرِّيرَةِ وَمِنْ لِسَانِ الْعَاهِرَةِ الْمَعْسُولِ. | ٢٤ 24 |
Heeding [PRS] these commands and things that we have taught you will enable you to keep away from immoral women and from [listening to] the enticing words of an adulterous woman.
| لاَ تَشْتَهِ جَمَالَهَا فِي قَلْبِكَ وَلا تَأْسِرْ لُبَّكَ بِعُيُونِهَا. | ٢٥ 25 |
[Even] if such a woman is beautiful and has lovely eyes, do not desire to go with her. Do not let her persuade you to go with her (with her eyes/by the way she looks at you).
| لأَنَّهُ بِسَبَبِ الْمَرْأَةِ الْعَاهِرَةِ يَفْتَقِرُ الإِنْسَانُ إِلَى رَغِيفِ خُبْزٍ، وَالزَّانِيَةُ الْمُتَزَوِّجَةُ تَقْتَنِصُ بِأَشْرَاكِهَا النَّفْسَ الْكَرِيمَةَ. | ٢٦ 26 |
[Do not forget that] you can hire a prostitute for only a loaf of bread, but [if you sleep with] another man’s wife, (it may cost you/you may lose) your life.
| أَيُمْكِنُ لِلْمَرْءِ أَنْ يَضَعَ نَاراً فِي حِضْنِهِ وَلاَ تَحْتَرِقَ ثِيَابُهُ؟ | ٢٧ 27 |
Can you carry hot coals in your pocket and not be burned [RHQ]?
| أَوْ أَنْ يَمْشِيَ عَلَى جَمْرٍ وَلاَ تَكْتَوِيَ قَدَمَاهُ؟ | ٢٨ 28 |
Can you walk on burning coals and not scorch/burn your feet?
| هَذَا مَا يُصِيبُ كُلَّ مَنْ يَزْنِي بِامْرَأَةِ غَيْرِهِ؛ حَتْماً يَحُلُّ بِهِ الْعِقَابُ. | ٢٩ 29 |
[No]! And in the same way, anyone who (sleeps with/has sex with) another man’s wife will [suffer for doing that]. [He will certainly] [LIT] be punished severely.
| وَمَعَ أَنَّ النَّاسَ قَدْ لاَ تَحْتَقِرُ لِصّاً إِذَا سَرَقَ لِيُشْبِعَ بَطْنَهُ وَهُوَ جَائِعٌ، | ٣٠ 30 |
We do not despise a thief if he steals some food because he is very hungry.
| لَكِنْ إِذَا قُبِضَ عَلَيْهِ مُتَلَبِّساً بِالْجَرِيمَةِ يُعَوِّضُ سَبْعَةَ أَضْعَافٍ، حَتَّى وَلَوْ كَلَّفَهُ ذَلِكَ كُلَّ مَا يَقْتَنِيهِ. | ٣١ 31 |
But [if he steals something and then] is caught [by the police], he will have to pay back (seven times as much as/much more than) he stole. He may need to sell everything that is in his house [to get enough money to pay it back].
| أَمَّا الزَّانِي فَيَفْتَقِرُ إِلَى الإِدْرَاكِ السَّلِيمِ، وَكُلُّ مَنْ يَرْتَكِبُ الزِّنَى يُدَمِّرُ نَفْسَهُ، | ٣٢ 32 |
[But] a man who commits adultery with some woman is very foolish, [because] he is destroying his own self/soul [by what he is doing].
| إِذْ يَتَعَرَّضُ لِلضَّرْبِ وَالْهَوَانِ، وَعَارُهُ لاَ يُمْحَى أَبَداً. | ٣٣ 33 |
[That woman’s husband] will wound him badly, and [other people] will despise him. His shame will never end.
| لأَنَّ الْغَيْرَةَ تُفَجِّرُ غَضَبَ الرَّجُلِ فَلاَ يَرْحَمُ عِنْدَمَا يُقْدِمُ عَلَى الانْتِقَامِ. | ٣٤ 34 |
Because that woman’s husband will (be jealous/not want anyone else to sleep with her), he will become furious, and when he gets revenge, he will not act mercifully [toward the man who slept with his wife].
| لاَ يَقْبَلُ الْفِدْيَةَ، وَيَأْبَى الاسْتِرْضَاءَ مَهْمَا أَكْثَرْتَ الرِّشْوَةَ. | ٣٥ 35 |
And he will not accept any bribe/money, even if it is a big bribe, to (appease him/cause him to stop being angry).
