Proverbs 20
1 Drinking a lot of wine or [other] strong drinks causes people to start fighting; it is foolish to become drunk/intoxicated.
Le vin est moqueur, la boisson forte pousse aux querelles; quiconque s'y égare n'est pas sage.
2 Being afraid of a king when he is angry is like [SIM] being afraid of a lion when it growls/roars; if you cause the king to become angry, he may execute you.
La terreur qu'inspire un roi est comme le rugissement d'un lion; celui qui le met en colère met sa propre vie en péril.
3 [People] respect those who stay away from disputes/arguments; foolish people [love to] quarrel.
C'est un honneur pour un homme de se tenir à l'écart des querelles, mais tout insensé se jette dans la dispute.
4 [If] a lazy man does not plow [his fields at the right/proper time], he will look for [crops] at harvest [time], but there will be nothing there.
À cause de l'hiver, le paresseux ne laboure pas; au temps de la moisson il mendiera, et n'aura rien.
5 [Just] as it is difficult to bring up water from a deep well, it is difficult to know what people are thinking, but someone who has good sense/insight will be able to find out what people are thinking.
Les desseins dans le cœur de l'homme sont comme des eaux profondes, mais l'homme intelligent sait y puiser.
6 Many people proclaim that they can be trusted [to do what they say that they will do], but it is very difficult to find [RHQ] someone who can really be trusted.
Beaucoup d'hommes vantent leur amour fidèle, mais un homme vraiment fidèle, qui le trouvera?
7 If parents conduct their lives as they should, [God] blesses their children (OR, their children are very happy/fortunate).
Le juste marche dans son intégrité; heureux sont ses enfants après lui!
8 A king who sits on his throne to judge people can [easily] [MTY] find out what things that people have done are good and what things are evil.
Un roi qui siège sur le trône du jugement dissipe tout mal par son regard.
9 There is no one [RHQ] who can truthfully say, “I do not know of any wrong things that I have done; I have (gotten rid of all my sinful behavior/quit doing what is sinful).”
Qui peut dire: «J'ai purifié mon cœur, je suis pur de mon péché»?
10 Yahweh detests people who use weights that are not right and measures that are not correct.
Des poids différents et des mesures inégales sont tous deux une abomination pour le SEIGNEUR.
11 Even children show by what they do whether they are good or not; they show whether (what they do/their behavior) is honest and right [or not].
Même un enfant se fait connaître par ses actes, selon que sa conduite est pure et droite.
12 Two of the things that Yahweh has created [for us] are ears to hear things and eyes to see things.
L'oreille qui entend et l'œil qui voit, c'est le SEIGNEUR qui les a faits l'un et l'autre.
13 If you want to sleep [all the time], you will become poor; if you stay awake [and work], you will have plenty of food.
N'aime pas le sommeil, de peur de t'appauvrir; ouvre les yeux, et tu seras rassasié de pain.
14 People [look at things that they are about] to buy, [and in order to get it for a lower price sometimes they] say, “(It is no good/It is poor quality),” but [after they buy it], they go and boast [about having bought it for a cheap price].
«Cela ne vaut rien! Cela ne vaut rien!» dit l'acheteur; mais une fois parti, il se vante.
15 Gold and precious stones are [valuable], but wise words [MTY] are more valuable.
Il y a de l'or et des rubis en abondance, mais des lèvres qui dispensent la connaissance sont un joyau précieux.
16 If you foolishly promise to a stranger that you will pay what he owes if he is unable to pay it [DOU], [you deserve to] have someone take your coat from you.
Prends son vêtement, car il s'est porté garant pour un étranger; exige de lui un gage s'il s'est porté caution d'une femme immorale.
17 People [may] think that food that they acquire by doing what is dishonest will taste very good, but later [they will not enjoy what they have done any more than they would enjoy] eating gravel/sand.
La nourriture acquise par la fraude est douce à l'homme, mais ensuite sa bouche est remplie de gravier.
18 When people give you good advice, [if you do what they suggest], your plans will succeed; so be sure to get good advice from wise people before you start fighting a war.
Les projets s'affermissent par le conseil; fais la guerre avec de sages directives.
19 Those who go around telling gossip are [always] telling secrets to [others]; so stay away from people who foolishly talk [too much].
Celui qui colporte des commérages révèle les secrets; ne fréquente donc pas celui qui parle à tort et à travers.
20 If someone curses his father or his mother, his life will be ended, [just] like a lamp is extinguished.
Quiconque maudit son père ou sa mère, sa lampe s'éteindra au milieu des ténèbres les plus noires.
21 If you very quickly take the property that your parents promise will be yours after they die, you will not receive any good/blessing from it.
Un héritage acquis trop vite au début ne sera pas béni à la fin.
22 Do not say, “I will do evil to those who do evil to me;” wait for Yahweh [to do something about it], and he will (help you/[do what is right]).
Ne dis pas: «Je rendrai le mal.» Attends le SEIGNEUR, et il te sauvera.
23 Yahweh detests [those who use] dishonest scales and weights that are not accurate/correct.
Le SEIGNEUR a en horreur les poids inégaux, et la fausse balance ne lui plaît pas.
24 Yahweh is the one who has decided what will happen to us, so (how can we (understand/know) what will happen before it happens?/we humans certainly cannot (understand/know) what will happen before it happens.) [RHQ]
Les pas de l'homme sont dirigés par le SEIGNEUR; comment donc l'être humain pourrait-il comprendre sa propre voie?
25 You should think carefully before you solemnly promise to dedicate something to God, because later you might be sorry you have promised to do it.
C'est un piège pour l'homme que de consacrer quelque chose à la légère, et de ne réfléchir qu'après avoir fait ses vœux.
26 Wise kings find out [MET] which people have done what is wrong, and they punish them very severely [IDM].
Un roi sage vanne les méchants, et fait passer sur eux la roue de battage.
27 Our consciences are [like] lamps that Yahweh [has given to us to enable us to know what we are thinking] [MET]; they reveal what is hidden deep in our (minds/inner beings).
L'esprit de l'homme est la lampe du SEIGNEUR; il sonde toutes les profondeurs de son être.
28 Kings will continue to rule as long as they faithfully love their people and are loyal to them and as long as they rule righteously/fairly.
L'amour et la fidélité gardent le roi, et son trône est affermi par l'amour.
29 We honor/admire young people because they are strong, but we respect [MTY] old people more because they are wise.
La gloire des jeunes gens, c'est leur force; la splendeur des vieillards, ce sont leurs cheveux blancs.
30 When we are beaten or whipped, it [can] cause us to quit doing what is evil in our lives; when someone wounds us [by punishing us], it [can] cause our behavior to become good.
Les coups qui blessent purifient du mal, et les corrections atteignent les profondeurs de l'être.
