Proverbs 1

The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;

أَمْثَالُ سُلَيْمَانَ بْنِ دَاوُدَ مَلِكِ إِسْرَائِيلَ:

To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;

لِمَعْرِفَةِ حِكْمَةٍ وَأَدَبٍ. لإِدْرَاكِ أَقْوَالِ الْفَهْمِ.

To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;

لِقُبُولِ تَأْدِيبِ الْمَعْرِفَةِ وَالْعَدْلِ وَالْحَقِّ وَالاسْتِقَامَةِ.

To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.

لِتُعْطِيَ الْجُهَّالَ ذَكَاءً، وَالشَّابَّ مَعْرِفَةً وَتَدَبُّرًا.

A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:

يَسْمَعُهَا الْحَكِيمُ فَيَزْدَادُ عِلْمًا، وَالْفَهِيمُ يَكْتَسِبُ تَدْبِيرًا.

To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.

لِفَهْمِ الْمَثَلِ وَاللُّغْزِ، أَقْوَالِ الْحُكَمَاءِ وَغَوَامِضِهِمْ.

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

مَخَافَةُ الرَّبِّ رَأْسُ الْمَعْرِفَةِ، أَمَّا الْجَاهِلُونَ فَيَحْتَقِرُونَ الْحِكْمَةَ وَالأَدَبَ.

My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:

اِسْمَعْ يَا ابْنِي تَأْدِيبَ أَبِيكَ، وَلاَ تَرْفُضْ شَرِيعَةَ أُمِّكَ،

For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck.

لأَنَّهُمَا إِكْلِيلُ نِعْمَةٍ لِرَأْسِكَ، وَقَلاَئِدُ لِعُنُقِكَ.

My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.

يَا ابْنِي، إِنْ تَمَلَّقَكَ الْخُطَاةُ فَلاَ تَرْضَ.

If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause:

إِنْ قَالُوا: «هَلُمَّ مَعَنَا لِنَكْمُنْ لِلدَّمِ. لِنَخْتَفِ لِلْبَرِيءِ بَاطِلاً.

Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit:

لِنَبْتَلِعْهُمْ أَحْيَاءً كَالْهَاوِيَةِ، وَصِحَاحًا كَالْهَابِطِينَ فِي الْجُبِّ،

We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:

فَنَجِدَ كُلَّ قِنْيَةٍ فَاخِرَةٍ، نَمْلأَ بُيُوتَنَا غَنِيمَةً.

Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:

تُلْقِي قُرْعَتَكَ وَسْطَنَا. يَكُونُ لَنَا جَمِيعًا كِيسٌ وَاحِدٌ».

My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:

يَا ابْنِي، لاَ تَسْلُكْ فِي الطَّرِيقِ مَعَهُمْ. اِمْنَعْ رِجْلَكَ عَنْ مَسَالِكِهِمْ.

For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.

لأَنَّ أَرْجُلَهُمْ تَجْرِي إِلَى الشَّرِّ وَتُسْرِعُ إِلَى سَفْكِ الدَّمِ.

Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.

لأَنَّهُ بَاطِلاً تُنْصَبُ الشَّبَكَةُ فِي عَيْنَيْ كُلِّ ذِي جَنَاحٍ.

And they lay wait for their own blood; they lurk privily for their own lives.

أَمَّا هُمْ فَيَكْمُنُونَ لِدَمِ أَنْفُسِهِمْ. يَخْتَفُونَ لأَنْفُسِهِمْ.

So are the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; which taketh away the life of the owners thereof.

هكَذَا طُرُقُ كُلِّ مُولَعٍ بِكَسْبٍ. يَأْخُذُ نَفْسَ مُقْتَنِيهِ.

Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:

اَلْحِكْمَةُ تُنَادِي فِي الْخَارِجِ. فِي الشَّوَارِعِ تُعْطِي صَوْتَهَا.

She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying,

تَدْعُو فِي رُؤُوسِ الأَسْوَاقِ، فِي مَدَاخِلِ الأَبْوَابِ. فِي الْمَدِينَةِ تُبْدِي كَلاَمَهَا

How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?

قَائِلَةً: «إِلَى مَتَى أَيُّهَا الْجُهَّالُ تُحِبُّونَ الْجَهْلَ، وَالْمُسْتَهْزِئُونَ يُسَرُّونَ بِالاسْتِهْزَاءِ، وَالْحَمْقَى يُبْغِضُونَ الْعِلْمَ؟

Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.

اِرْجِعُوا عِنْدَ تَوْبِيخِي. هأَنَذَا أُفِيضُ لَكُمْ رُوحِي. أُعَلِّمُكُمْ كَلِمَاتِي.

Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;

«لأَنِّي دَعَوْتُ فَأَبَيْتُمْ، وَمَدَدْتُ يَدِي وَلَيْسَ مَنْ يُبَالِي،

But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:

بَلْ رَفَضْتُمْ كُلَّ مَشُورَتِي، وَلَمْ تَرْضَوْا تَوْبِيخِي.

I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;

فَأَنَا أَيْضًا أَضْحَكُ عِنْدَ بَلِيَّتِكُمْ. أَشْمَتُ عِنْدَ مَجِيءِ خَوْفِكُمْ.

When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.

إِذَا جَاءَ خَوْفُكُمْ كَعَاصِفَةٍ، وَأَتَتْ بَلِيَّتُكُمْ كَالزَّوْبَعَةِ، إِذَا جَاءَتْ عَلَيْكُمْ شِدَّةٌ وَضِيقٌ.

Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:

حِينَئِذٍ يَدْعُونَنِي فَلاَ أَسْتَجِيبُ. يُبَكِّرُونَ إِلَيَّ فَلاَ يَجِدُونَنِي.

For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:

لأَنَّهُمْ أَبْغَضُوا الْعِلْمَ وَلَمْ يَخْتَارُوا مَخَافَةَ الرَّبِّ.

They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.

لَمْ يَرْضَوْا مَشُورَتِي. رَذَلُوا كُلَّ تَوْبِيخِي.

Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.

فَلِذلِكَ يَأْكُلُونَ مِنْ ثَمَرِ طَرِيقِهِمْ، وَيَشْبَعُونَ مِنْ مُؤَامَرَاتِهِمْ.

For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.

لأَنَّ ارْتِدَادَ الْحَمْقَى يَقْتُلُهُمْ، وَرَاحَةَ الْجُهَّالِ تُبِيدُهُمْ.

But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

أَمَّا الْمُسْتَمِعُ لِي فَيَسْكُنُ آمِنًا، وَيَسْتَرِيحُ مِنْ خَوْفِ الشَّرِّ».