Proverbs 20
1 Drinking a lot of wine or [other] strong drinks causes people to start fighting; it is foolish to become drunk/intoxicated.
C’est une chose luxurieuse que le vin; et l’ivresse est tumultueuse: quiconque y met son plaisir ne sera 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.
Comme le rugissement du lion, ainsi est la terreur du roi: celui qui le provoque pèche contre son âme.
3 [People] respect those who stay away from disputes/arguments; foolish people [love to] quarrel.
C’est un honneur pour l’homme, de se séparer des contestations; mais tous les insensés s’immiscent dans des affaires ignominieuses.
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 du froid, le paresseux n’a pas voulu labourer; il mendiera donc pendant l’été, et il ne lui sera rien donné.
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.
Comme une eau profonde, ainsi est le conseil dans le cœur de l’homme; mais l’homme sage l’épuisera.
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 sont appelés miséricordieux; mais un homme 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 qui marche dans sa simplicité laissera après lui des enfants bienheureux.
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.
Le roi qui est assis sur le trône de la justice dissipe tout le 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: Mon cœur est pur, je suis pur de péché?
10 Yahweh detests people who use weights that are not right and measures that are not correct.
Un poids et un poids, une mesure et une mesure, l’un et l’autre sont abominables auprès de Dieu.
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].
Par ses inclinations un enfant est connu: si ses œuvres sont pures et droites.
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, le Seigneur a fait 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 que la détresse ne t’accable; ouvre les yeux et rassasie-toi 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].
C’est mauvais, c’est mauvais, dit tout acheteur; et après qu’il se sera retiré, alors il se glorifiera.
15 Gold and precious stones are [valuable], but wise words [MTY] are more valuable.
Il y a de l’or et une multitude de pierreries; mais c’est un vase précieux que les lèvres savantes.
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 le vêtement de celui qui s’est fait caution pour un étranger; et parce qu’il a répondu pour des étrangers, emporte un gage de lui.
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.
Un pain de mensonge est doux à l’homme; mais, ensuite, sa bouche sera 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 pensées s’affermissent par les conseils, et c’est par de sages directions que doivent être conduites les guerres.
19 Those who go around telling gossip are [always] telling secrets to [others]; so stay away from people who foolishly talk [too much].
Quant à celui qui révèle les secrets, qui marche frauduleusement, et qui dilate ses lèvres, ne te lie pas avec lui.
20 If someone curses his father or his mother, his life will be ended, [just] like a lamp is extinguished.
Celui qui maudit son père et sa mère, sa lampe s’éteindra au milieu des ténèbres.
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.
L’héritage vers lequel on se précipite dès le premier instant sera à la fin privé de bénédiction.
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 point: Je rendrai le mal; attends le Seigneur, et il te délivrera.
23 Yahweh detests [those who use] dishonest scales and weights that are not accurate/correct.
C’est une abomination auprès du Seigneur, qu’un poids et un poids: la balance trompeuse n’est pas bonne.
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]
Par le Seigneur sont dirigés les pas de l’homme; mais qui des hommes peut comprendre sa 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 une ruine pour l’homme de dévorer les saints, et après des vœux, de se rétracter.
26 Wise kings find out [MET] which people have done what is wrong, and they punish them very severely [IDM].
Un roi sage dissipe les impies, et courbe sur eux un arc de triomphe.
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).
Le souffle de l’homme est une lampe du Seigneur, laquelle découvre les parties intimes du corps.
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.
La miséricorde et la vérité gardent le roi, et par la clémence est affermi son trône.
29 We honor/admire young people because they are strong, but we respect [MTY] old people more because they are wise.
La joie des jeunes hommes, c’est leur force; et la dignité des vieillards, les 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.
La lividité d’une blessure fera disparaître le mal; et les plaies dans les parties les plus intimes du corps le feront disparaître aussi.
