Proverbes 25
1 Ce sont aussi des Proverbes de Salomon, que recueillirent les hommes d'Ezéchias, roi de Juda.
Here are more wise sayings/words that Solomon [wrote]. Some men who worked for Hezekiah, the king of Judah, copied them [from a scroll that Solomon had written].
2 La gloire de Dieu, c'est de cacher ses desseins, et la gloire des rois, de les pénétrer.
[We consider] God to be great because he (acts in mysterious ways/does things that we cannot understand); [we consider] kings to be great because they explain things.
3 Comme les Cieux en hauteur, la terre en profondeur, que le cœur du roi soit insondable!
[It is not possible for anyone to measure] how high the sky is or how deep the earth/ocean is; likewise [SIM], it is not possible for us to know [all] that kings are thinking.
4 De l'argent enlève les scories, et il en sort pour l'orfèvre un vase;
[If workers] burn out the impure bits that are in silver, a man who makes things from silver can make something beautiful from the silver.
5 ôte l'impie des alentours du roi, et par la justice son trône s'affermira.
[Similarly, if] wicked [advisors] are taken away from a king, his government will remain secure, because [the king will be able to] act justly.
6 Ne fais pas le glorieux devant un roi, et ne te mets pas au rang des Grands;
When you stand in front of a king, do not try to (impress him/honor yourself) and do not (act like you are important/ask to sit where important people sit; )
7 car mieux vaut qu'on te dise: Monte ici! que d'être humilié devant le prince que tes yeux voient.
it is better if someone tells you to sit closer [to the king] than for [someone to tell you], while the king is listening, to sit further away in order that someone who is more important [may sit closer to the king].
8 Ne te hâte pas d'entrer en procès, de peur de ce qu'à la fin tu pourrais faire, si ta partie t'outrage!
Do not quickly go to a court [to tell the judge about] something that you have seen, because another witness may later [say something that proves that you are wrong, and as a result] you will be disgraced/ashamed. If that happens, (what will you do?/you will not know what to do.) [RHQ]
9 Plaide ton procès contre ta partie, mais ne révèle pas le secret d'autrui;
If you and someone else think differently about some matter, settle it between yourselves, and do not tell others any secret [that he has told you].
10 de peur que celui qui t'entendrait, ne te fasse honte, et que ton infamie ne s'efface pas.
If others find out that you have told secrets, you will be ashamed, and from that time on, (you will have a bad reputation/people will think badly about you).
11 Des pommes d'or sur une ciselure d'argent, tel est un mot dit à propos.
Something that is said that is [very] appropriate is [as delightful as seeing] [SIM] gold apples/ornaments in a silver bowl.
12 Anneau d'or, collier d'or fin, tel est le sage moniteur pour l'oreille docile.
When a wise person rebukes/warns someone [SYN] who is willing to listen, that is [as valuable as] [SIM] a gold ring or a gold chain.
13 Le frais de la neige au temps de la moisson, tel est le messager sûr pour celui qui le dépêche: il restaure l'âme de son maître.
A messenger who (is reliable/tells someone else exactly what he was told to say) refreshes [the spirits of] his bosses who sent him like [SIM] (snow/cold water) refreshes [the ground] at the time that [people] harvest crops.
14 Nuage et vent, mais point de pluie, c'est l'homme qui se vante en mentant de donner.
When someone promises to give a gift to us but never gives it, [that disappoints us] as much as [SIM] clouds and wind that come but do not bring any rain.
15 A la patience un prince se laisse gagner, et la langue, toute molle qu'elle est, brise des os.
If someone keeps requesting a ruler long enough to do something, he will [often] agree to do it; similarly, by speaking [MTY] gently we can [often] convince [others that what we say is right] [IDM].
16 Si tu trouves du miel, manges-en ce qui t'est suffisant, de peur d'en avoir à satiété, et de le rejeter.
If you find some honey, do not eat a lot of it, because doing that may cause you to vomit.
17 Mets rarement le pied dans la maison de ton ami, de peur qu'il ne se lasse de toi, et ne te prenne en aversion.
Do not go to your neighbor’s house very often [to talk with him]; if you go [very] often, he will get tired of listening to you and start to hate you.
18 Un marteau, une épée, une flèche aiguë, c'est l'homme qui dépose contre son frère en faux témoin.
To falsely accuse others [in court] is like [SIM] [attacking them with] a war-club or a sword or a sharp arrow.
19 Une dent cassée, un pied vacillant, c'est au jour de détresse le perfide en qui l'on se lie.
Depending on unreliable people when you have troubles is [as bad] as [trying to eat when] you have a bad/hurting tooth or [trying to walk when] your foot is crippled.
20 Oter son manteau au jour de la froidure, verser du vinaigre sur du natron, c'est chanter des chansons à un cœur triste.
Singing to someone who is depressed [just causes him to feel worse]; it is like [SIM] taking off clothes on a very cold day or like putting vinegar on a wound.
21 Si ton ennemi a faim, donne-lui du pain à manger, s'il a soif, donne-lui de l'eau à boire,
If your enemies are hungry, give them something to eat; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink;
22 car ainsi tu lui mets sur la tête des charbons ardents, et l'Éternel te récompensera.
doing that will cause them to feel ashamed [IDM], and Yahweh will reward you for doing that.
23 Le vent du nord produit la pluie, et la calomnie sourde, le visage irrité.
When wind blows from the right direction, it will rain; [similarly] [SIM], if we gossip about others, that causes them to look at us very angrily.
24 Mieux vaut habiter le coin d'un toit, que près d'une femme querelleuse, et le même logis.
It is better to live ([alone/by yourself]) in the corner of an attic/housetop than to live inside the house with a wife who is [always] nagging.
25 Une eau fraîche pour un homme fatigué, c'est une bonne nouvelle venant d'un pays lointain.
Receiving good news from a country far away refreshes our spirits like [SIM] cold water refreshes us when we are very thirsty.
26 Une source troublée, et un puits gâté, c'est le juste succombant sous l'impie.
When a righteous/good person (gives in/yields) to wicked [people], that is [as bad] as [SIM] a spring that becomes muddied or a fountain that becomes polluted.
27 Il n'est pas bon de manger trop de miel, et sonder les choses difficiles est trop difficile.
It is not good to eat too much honey, and trying to get people to praise you is also not good.
28 Une ville forcée et sans murs, tel est l'homme qui n'a pas l'empire de son cœur.
People who (cannot control their tempers/quickly become very angry) [are unable to defend their behavior]; that is like [having] a city without a wall around it, [with the result that no one can defend it].
