< أَمْثَالٌ 24 >
لَا تَحْسِدْ أَهْلَ ٱلشَّرِّ، وَلَا تَشْتَهِ أَنْ تَكُونَ مَعَهُمْ، | ١ 1 |
Do not envy evil people; do not desire to associate with them,
لِأَنَّ قَلْبَهُمْ يَلْهَجُ بِٱلِٱغْتِصَابِ، وَشِفَاهَهُمْ تَتَكَلَّمُ بِٱلْمَشَقَّةِ. | ٢ 2 |
because they are [constantly] thinking about acting violently, and whenever they speak [MTY], they talk about (causing trouble/hurting someone).
بِٱلْحِكْمَةِ يُبْنَى ٱلْبَيْتُ وَبِالْفَهْمِ يُثَبَّتُ، | ٣ 3 |
People make good houses (OR, families) by doing what is wise, and they make their houses (OR, families) strong by [heeding] good advice.
وَبِالْمَعْرِفَةِ تَمْتَلِئُ ٱلْمَخَادِعُ مِنْ كُلِّ ثَرْوَةٍ كَرِيمَةٍ وَنَفِيسَةٍ. | ٤ 4 |
By using good sense, [they are able to buy] valuable and beautiful things and put them in the rooms of their houses.
اَلرَّجُلُ ٱلْحَكِيمُ فِي عِزٍّ، وَذُو ٱلْمَعْرِفَةِ مُتَشَدِّدُ ٱلْقُوَّةِ. | ٥ 5 |
Being wise is better than being strong/powerful; those who know [many things can accomplish more] than those who are [very] strong.
لِأَنَّكَ بِٱلتَّدَابِيرِ تَعْمَلُ حَرْبَكَ، وَٱلْخَلَاصُ بِكَثْرَةِ ٱلْمُشِيرِينَ. | ٦ 6 |
Leaders can fight battles if they have wise advisors, and they win those battles if they have many good advisors.
اَلْحِكَمُ عَالِيَةٌ عَنِ ٱلْأَحْمَقِ. لَا يَفْتَحْ فَمَهُ فِي ٱلْبَابِ. | ٧ 7 |
Foolish people cannot understand wise sayings/talk; at public meetings they are not [able to] say anything [that is useful].
اَلْمُتَفَكِّرُ فِي عَمَلِ ٱلشَّرِّ يُدْعَى مُفْسِدًا. | ٨ 8 |
Those who are [always] planning to do evil things will be called troublemakers.
فِكْرُ ٱلْحَمَاقَةِ خَطِيَّةٌ، وَمَكْرَهَةُ ٱلنَّاسِ ٱلْمُسْتَهْزِئُ. | ٩ 9 |
It is sinful to plan to do foolish things, and people hate those who make fun of [everything that is good].
إِنِ ٱرْتَخَيْتَ فِي يَوْمِ ٱلضِّيقِ ضَاقَتْ قُوَّتُكَ. | ١٠ 10 |
If you [act as though] you are helpless when you have troubles, you are [truly very] weak.
أَنْقِذِ ٱلْمُنْقَادِينَ إِلَى ٱلْمَوْتِ، وَٱلْمَمْدُودِينَ لِلْقَتْلِ. لَا تَمْتَنِعْ. | ١١ 11 |
[If it is unjustly decided] that someone must be executed, [try hard to] rescue them [DOU].
إِنْ قُلْتَ: «هُوَذَا لَمْ نَعْرِفْ هَذَا»، أَفَلَا يَفْهَمُ وَازِنُ ٱلْقُلُوبِ؟ وَحَافِظُ نَفْسِكَ أَلَا يَعْلَمُ؟ فَيَرُدُّ عَلَى ٱلْإِنْسَانِ مِثْلَ عَمَلِهِ. | ١٢ 12 |
If you say, “I did not know anything about it, [so (it is not my concern/I did not try to help him)],” remember that God knows what we have done, and he knows what we were thinking [IDM, RHQ], and he will certainly [RHQ] repay us as we deserve for what we have done or for not doing what we should have done.
يَا ٱبْنِي، كُلْ عَسَلًا لِأَنَّهُ طَيِّبٌ، وَقَطْرَ ٱلْعَسَلِ حُلْوٌ فِي حَنَكِكَ. | ١٣ 13 |
My child/son, eat honey, because it is good [for you]; the honey that drips from honeycombs tastes [very] sweet.
كَذَلِكَ مَعْرِفَةُ ٱلْحِكْمَةِ لِنَفْسِكَ. إِذَا وَجَدْتَهَا فَلَا بُدَّ مِنْ ثَوَابٍ، وَرَجَاؤُكَ لَا يَخِيبُ. | ١٤ 14 |
Similarly, being wise is good for your soul; if you become wise, you will be [happy in] the future, and [God] will certainly [do for you what you are] confidently expecting him to do [LIT].
لَا تَكْمُنْ أَيُّهَا ٱلشِّرِّيرُ لِمَسْكَنِ ٱلصِّدِّيقِ. لَا تُخْرِبْ رَبْعَهُ. | ١٥ 15 |
Do not be like wicked people who [hide and] wait to break into the houses of righteous/good [people] and rob/steal things.
لِأَنَّ ٱلصِّدِّيقَ يَسْقُطُ سَبْعَ مَرَّاتٍ وَيَقُومُ، أَمَّا ٱلْأَشْرَارُ فَيَعْثُرُونَ بِٱلشَّرِّ. | ١٦ 16 |
[Even if] good people fall down seven/many times, they [always] stand/get up again, but when a disaster happens to wicked [people], it ruins/destroys them.
لَا تَفْرَحْ بِسُقُوطِ عَدُوِّكَ، وَلَا يَبْتَهِجْ قَلْبُكَ إِذَا عَثَرَ، | ١٧ 17 |
Do not be happy when something bad happens to one of your enemies; do not rejoice when he stumbles and falls,
لِئَلَّا يَرَى ٱلرَّبُّ وَيَسُوءَ ذَلِكَ فِي عَيْنَيْهِ، فَيَرُدَّ عَنْهُ غَضَبَهُ. | ١٨ 18 |
because Yahweh will know what you are thinking, and he will not like it, and [as a result] he will not punish that enemy of yours.
لَا تَغَرْ مِنَ ٱلْأَشْرَارِ وَلَا تَحْسِدِ ٱلْأَثَمَةَ، | ١٩ 19 |
Do not become angry/upset about those who do what is evil, and do not [SYN] envy them,
لِأَنَّهُ لَا يَكُونُ ثَوَابٌ لِلْأَشْرَارِ. سِرَاجُ ٱلْأَثَمَةِ يَنْطَفِئُ. | ٢٠ 20 |
because [nothing good] will happen to wicked people; they are [like] a lamp that will soon be extinguished [MET].
يَا ٱبْنِي، ٱخْشَ ٱلرَّبَّ وَٱلْمَلِكَ. لَا تُخَالِطِ ٱلْمُتَقَلِّبِينَ، | ٢١ 21 |
My child/son, revere Yahweh and [also] honor the king, and do not associate with people who want to rebel against either of them,
لِأَنَّ بَلِيَّتَهُمْ تَقُومُ بَغْتَةً، وَمَنْ يَعْلَمُ بَلَاءَهُمَا كِلَيْهِمَا. | ٢٢ 22 |
because those people will suddenly experience disasters; and no one knows [RHQ] what great disasters that God or the king can cause to happen to them.
هَذِهِ أَيْضًا لِلْحُكَمَاءِ: مُحَابَاةُ ٱلْوُجُوهِ فِي ٱلْحُكْمِ لَيْسَتْ صَالِحَةً. | ٢٣ 23 |
Here are more things that wise [people] have said: It is wrong for judges to decide matters unfairly [IDM].
مَنْ يَقُولُ لِلشِّرِّيرِ: «أَنْتَ صِدِّيقٌ» تَسُبُّهُ ٱلْعَامَّةُ. تَلْعَنُهُ ٱلشُّعُوبُ. | ٢٤ 24 |
If they say to people who are guilty, “You (are innocent/have not done something that is wrong),” [even] people in other nations will curse and despise them,
أَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ يُؤَدِّبُونَ فَيَنْعَمُونَ، وَبَرَكَةُ خَيْرٍ تَأْتِي عَلَيْهِمْ. | ٢٥ 25 |
but if judges say that guilty people must be punished, things will go well for those judges, and (they will receive blessings/God will bless them).
تُقَبَّلُ شَفَتَا مَنْ يُجَاوِبُ بِكَلَامٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ. | ٢٦ 26 |
Those who answer others honestly show that they are truly their friends [IDM].
هَيِّئْ عَمَلَكَ فِي ٱلْخَارِجِ وَأَعِدَّهُ فِي حَقْلِكَ، بَعْدُ تَبْنِي بَيْتَكَ. | ٢٧ 27 |
First, do the work [that needs to be done] outside [your house], and prepare your fields, [and then plant things], and after you finish doing that, build your house.
لَا تَكُنْ شَاهِدًا عَلَى قَرِيبِكَ بِلَا سَبَبٍ، فَهَلْ تُخَادِعُ بِشَفَتَيْكَ؟ | ٢٨ 28 |
[In the courtroom] do not testify against someone when you have no reason to do that, and do not [try to] deceive [people] by what you say [MTY].
لَا تَقُلْ: «كَمَا فَعَلَ بِي هَكَذَا أَفْعَلُ بِهِ. أَرُدُّ عَلَى ٱلْإِنْسَانِ مِثْلَ عَمَلِهِ». | ٢٩ 29 |
Do not say, “I will do to him what he did to me; I will pay him back for [the bad things that] he did to me.”
عَبَرْتُ بِحَقْلِ ٱلْكَسْلَانِ وَبِكَرْمِ ٱلرَّجُلِ ٱلنَّاقِصِ ٱلْفَهْمِ، | ٣٠ 30 |
One day I walked by the vineyards of a lazy man, a man who did not have good sense.
فَإِذَا هُوَ قَدْ عَلَاهُ كُلَّهُ ٱلْقَرِيصُ، وَقَدْ غَطَّى ٱلْعَوْسَجُ وَجْهَهُ، وَجِدَارُ حِجَارَتِهِ ٱنْهَدَمَ. | ٣١ 31 |
I was surprised to see that the fields were full of all kinds of thorny bushes, and the stone wall [around the garden] had (collapsed/fallen down).
ثُمَّ نَظَرْتُ وَوَجَّهْتُ قَلْبِي. رَأَيْتُ وَقَبِلْتُ تَعْلِيمًا: | ٣٢ 32 |
When I saw that, I thought about it, and I learned this:
نَوْمٌ قَلِيلٌ بَعْدُ نُعَاسٌ قَلِيلٌ، وَطَيُّ ٱلْيَدَيْنِ قَلِيلًا لِلرُّقُودِ، | ٣٣ 33 |
[If you spend a lot of time] sleeping and napping and folding your hands while you rest,
فَيَأْتِي فَقْرُكَ كَعَدَّاءٍ وَعَوَزُكَ كَغَازٍ. | ٣٤ 34 |
[soon] you will become poor; [it will be as though] [PRS, SIM] a bandit who had a weapon in his hand [attacked you and stole all that you had].