Amsal 25
1 Inilah kumpulan amsal Salomo yang ditulis kembali dan disusun oleh para pegawai Hiskia, raja Yehuda.
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 Allah dimuliakan karena kebijakan-Nya amat dalam dan penuh rahasia. Raja-raja dimuliakan karena kemampuannya menyelidiki dan mengungkapkan hal-hal tersembunyi.
[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 Seperti tingginya langit dan dalamnya bumi, demikianlah pikiran para raja tak dapat diduga.
[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 Murnikan dahulu biji-biji perak dalam perapian yang sangat panas, barulah perak itu siap dibentuk oleh tukang perak.
[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 Demikian juga pemerintahan raja: Singkirkan dahulu orang jahat dari pemerintahannya, barulah kekuasaannya akan kokoh karena dia dapat memerintah dengan adil.
[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 Jangan menyombongkan diri di hadapan raja, dan jangan berlagak seperti orang penting di tengah para pembesar.
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 Karena lebih baik jika orang memanggilmu, “Mari, silakan duduk di tempat terhormat,” daripada engkau disuruh memberikan tempatmu kepada yang lebih berpangkat. Apabila engkau berpikir, “Aku baru saja menyaksikan orang itu berbuat kejahatan,”
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 jangan terburu-buru mengajukan tuntutan ke pengadilan. Karena bila orang itu bisa membela diri dan engkau kalah dalam perkara, engkau akan dipermalukan.
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 Apabila engkau bermasalah dengan orang lain, pertama berusahalah menyelesaikannya dengan dia secara empat mata. Jangan pernah membeberkan isi perbincangan itu kepada orang lain.
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 Karena jika engkau ketahuan membocorkan rahasia orang lain, nama baikmu rusak dan tak ada yang akan mempercayaimu lagi.
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 Nasihat yang tepat pada waktu yang tepat sungguh indah dan berharga, bagaikan hiasan apel dari emas yang berkilauan di atas piring perak.
Something that is said that is [very] appropriate is [as delightful as seeing] [SIM] gold apples/ornaments in a silver bowl.
12 Teguran orang bijak sangat bernilai bagi orang yang bersedia mendengarkannya. Bagi dia, teguran itu seperti hadiah yang sebanding dengan perhiasan dari emas murni.
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 Utusan yang setia memberi kelegaan di hati orang yang mengutusnya, ibarat hujan rintik yang memberi kesegaran pada musim panas.
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 Orang yang menjanjikan hadiah tanpa pernah memberikannya hanya membangkitkan harapan palsu, seperti angin dan awan mendung namun tidak menurunkan hujan hanya akan mengecewakan petani.
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 Untuk meyakinkan seorang pemimpin, lakukanlah dengan kesabaran. Perkataan yang lemah lembut dapat meluluhkan pendirian sekeras baja.
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 Makanlah madu secukupnya. Makan terlalu banyak hanya akan membuatmu mual dan memuntahkannya.
If you find some honey, do not eat a lot of it, because doing that may cause you to vomit.
17 Demikian juga, janganlah terlalu sering datang ke rumah temanmu, karena dia akan menjadi bosan melihatmu.
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 Memberikan kesaksian palsu terhadap sesama sebanding jahatnya seperti memukul dia dengan pentung atau melukainya dengan pedang atau anak panah.
To falsely accuse others [in court] is like [SIM] [attacking them with] a war-club or a sword or a sharp arrow.
19 Dalam masa kesesakan, berharap pada orang yang tak dapat dipercaya sama seperti mengunyah makanan dengan gigi yang sakit atau berjalan dengan kaki yang terkilir.
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 Menyanyikan lagu gembira bagi orang yang bersusah hati akan menyakitinya, sama seperti mengambil baju hangatnya pada hari yang dingin atau menuang cuka pada lukanya.
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 Bila musuhmu lapar, berilah dia makan, dan bila musuhmu haus, berilah dia minum.
If your enemies are hungry, give them something to eat; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink;
22 Karena dengan berbuat baik kepada musuhmu, engkau membuat dia malu, dan TUHAN akan membalas kebaikanmu.
doing that will cause them to feel ashamed [IDM], and Yahweh will reward you for doing that.
23 Seperti awan mendung pasti mendatangkan hujan, demikianlah mulut yang bergosip pasti menimbulkan kemarahan.
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 Lebih baik hidup sendirian di kamar yang sempit daripada tinggal di rumah besar bersama istri yang suka bertengkar.
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 Seperti air sejuk bagi orang yang kehausan, demikianlah kabar baik yang diterima dari tempat yang jauh.
Receiving good news from a country far away refreshes our spirits like [SIM] cold water refreshes us when we are very thirsty.
26 Seperti mata air yang berlumpur atau sumur yang tercemar, demikianlah buruknya keadaan orang benar yang terpengaruh untuk mengikuti kelakuan orang jahat.
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 Tidak baik terlalu banyak makan madu, dan tidak baik mengejar kehormatan bagi diri sendiri.
It is not good to eat too much honey, and trying to get people to praise you is also not good.
28 Orang yang tidak dapat mengendalikan diri sama seperti kota yang runtuh tembok pertahanannya.
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].
