Proverbs 23

إِذَا جَلَسْتَ تَأْكُلُ مَعَ مُتَسَلِّطٍ، فَتَأَمَّلْ مَا هُوَ أَمَامَكَ تَأَمُّلاً،

When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee:

وَضَعْ سِكِّينًا لِحَنْجَرَتِكَ إِنْ كُنْتَ شَرِهًا.

And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.

لاَ تَشْتَهِ أَطَايِبَهُ لأَنَّهَا خُبْزُ أَكَاذِيبَ.

Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat.

لاَ تَتْعَبْ لِكَيْ تَصِيرَ غَنِيًّا. كُفَّ عَنْ فِطْنَتِكَ.

Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.

هَلْ تُطَيِّرُ عَيْنَيْكَ نَحْوَهُ وَلَيْسَ هُوَ؟ لأَنَّهُ إِنَّمَا يَصْنَعُ لِنَفْسِهِ أَجْنِحَةً. كَالنَّسْرِ يَطِيرُ نَحْوَ السَّمَاءِ.

Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.

لاَ تَأْكُلْ خُبْزَ ذِي عَيْنٍ شِرِّيرَةٍ، وَلاَ تَشْتَهِ أَطَايِبَهُ،

Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats:

لأَنَّهُ كَمَا شَعَرَ فِي نَفْسِهِ هكَذَا هُوَ. يَقُولُ لَكَ: «كُلْ وَاشْرَبْ» وَقَلْبُهُ لَيْسَ مَعَكَ.

For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

اللُّقْمَةُ الَّتِي أَكَلْتَهَا تَتَقَيَّأُهَا، وَتَخْسَرُ كَلِمَاتِكَ الْحُلْوَةَ.

The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.

فِي أُذُنَيْ جَاهِل لاَ تَتَكَلَّمْ لأَنَّهُ يَحْتَقِرُ حِكْمَةَ كَلاَمِكَ.

Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.

لاَ تَنْقُلِ التُّخُمَ الْقَدِيمَ، وَلاَ تَدْخُلْ حُقُولَ الأَيْتَامِ،

Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:

لأَنَّ وَلِيَّهُمْ قَوِيٌّ. هُوَ يُقِيمُ دَعْوَاهُمْ عَلَيْكَ.

For their redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee.

وَجِّهْ قَلْبَكَ إِلَى الأَدَبِ، وَأُذُنَيْكَ إِلَى كَلِمَاتِ الْمَعْرِفَةِ.

Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.

لاَ تَمْنَعِ التَّأْدِيبَ عَنِ الْوَلَدِ، لأَنَّكَ إِنْ ضَرَبْتَهُ بِعَصًا لاَ يَمُوتُ.

Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.

تَضْرِبُهُ أَنْتَ بِعَصًا فَتُنْقِذُ نَفْسَهُ مِنَ الْهَاوِيَةِ.

Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.

يَا ابْنِي، إِنْ كَانَ قَلْبُكَ حَكِيمًا يَفْرَحُ قَلْبِي أَنَا أَيْضًا،

My son, if thine heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine.

وَتَبْتَهِجُ كِلْيَتَايَ إِذَا تَكَلَّمَتْ شَفَتَاكَ بِالْمُسْتَقِيمَاتِ.

Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things.

لاَ يَحْسِدَنَّ قَلْبُكَ الْخَاطِئِينَ، بَلْ كُنْ فِي مَخَافَةِ الرَّبِّ الْيَوْمَ كُلَّهُ.

Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long.

لأَنَّهُ لاَ بُدَّ مِنْ ثَوَابٍ، وَرَجَاؤُكَ لاَ يَخِيبُ.

For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.

اِسْمَعْ أَنْتَ يَا ابْنِي، وَكُنْ حَكِيمًا، وَأَرْشِدْ قَلْبَكَ فِي الطَّرِيقِ.

Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way.

لاَ تَكُنْ بَيْنَ شِرِّيبِي الْخَمْرِ، بَيْنَ الْمُتْلِفِينَ أَجْسَادَهُمْ،

Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh:

لأَنَّ السِّكِّيرَ وَالْمُسْرِفَ يَفْتَقِرَانِ، وَالنَّوْمُ يَكْسُو الْخِرَقَ.

For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.

اِسْمَعْ لأَبِيكَ الَّذِي وَلَدَكَ، وَلاَ تَحْتَقِرْ أُمَّكَ إِذَا شَاخَتْ.

Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.

اِقْتَنِ الْحَقَّ وَلاَ تَبِعْهُ، وَالْحِكْمَةَ وَالأَدَبَ وَالْفَهْمَ.

Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.

أَبُو الصِّدِّيقِ يَبْتَهِجُ ابْتِهَاجًا، وَمَنْ وَلَدَ حَكِيمًا يُسَرُّ بِهِ.

The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.

يَفْرَحُ أَبُوكَ وَأُمُّكَ، وَتَبْتَهِجُ الَّتِي وَلَدَتْكَ.

Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice.

يَا ابْنِي أَعْطِنِي قَلْبَكَ، وَلْتُلاَحِظْ عَيْنَاكَ طُرُقِي.

My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.

لأَنَّ الزَّانِيَةَ هُوَّةٌ عَمِيقَةٌ، وَالأَجْنَبِيَّةُ حُفْرَةٌ ضَيِّقَةٌ.

For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit.

هِيَ أَيْضًا كَلِصٍّ تَكْمُنُ وَتَزِيدُ الْغَادِرِينَ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ.

She also lieth in wait as for a prey, and increaseth the transgressors among men.

لِمَنِ الْوَيْلُ؟ لِمَنِ الشَّقَاوَةُ؟ لِمَنِ الْمُخَاصَمَاتُ؟ لِمَنِ الْكَرْبُ؟ لِمَنِ الْجُرُوحُ بِلاَ سَبَبٍ؟ لِمَنِ ازْمِهْرَارُ الْعَيْنَيْنِ؟

Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?

لِلَّذِينَ يُدْمِنُونَ الْخَمْرَ، الَّذِينَ يَدْخُلُونَ فِي طَلَبِ الشَّرَابِ الْمَمْزُوجِ.

They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.

لاَ تَنْظُرْ إِلَى الْخَمْرِ إِذَا احْمَرَّتْ حِينَ تُظْهِرُ حِبَابَهَا فِي الْكَأْسِ وَسَاغَتْ مُرَقْرِقَةً.

Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.

فِي الآخِرِ تَلْسَعُ كَالْحَيَّةِ وَتَلْدَغُ كَالأُفْعُوانِ.

At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.

عَيْنَاكَ تَنْظُرَانِ الأَجْنَبِيَّاتِ، وَقَلْبُكَ يَنْطِقُ بِأُمُورٍ مُلْتَوِيَةٍ.

Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things.

وَتَكُونُ كَمُضْطَجعٍ فِي قَلْبِ الْبَحْرِ، أَوْ كَمُضْطَجعٍ عَلَى رَأْسِ سَارِيَةٍ.

Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.

يَقُولُ: «ضَرَبُونِي وَلَمْ أَتَوَجَّعْ! لَقَدْ لَكَأُونِي وَلَمْ أَعْرِفْ! مَتَى أَسْتَيْقِظُ؟ أَعُودُ أَطْلُبُهَا بَعْدُ!».

They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.