1 ي ا بُنَيَّ، لا تَكْفَلْ دَينَ صاحِبِكَ، وَلا تُبرِمِ الصَّفَقاتِ مَعَ الغَرِيبِ.

My son, if thou art become surety for thy neighbor, If thou hast stricken thy hands for a stranger;

2 ل ِأنَّكَ سَتُربَطُ بِلِسانِكَ، وَتُمسَكُ بِكَلامِكَ.

Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, Thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.

3 ح َرِّرْ نَفسَكَ مِنَ هذا الالْتِزامِ يا بُنَيَّ. إنْ وَقَعتَ فِي يَدِ صاحِبِكَ، فَاذْهَبْ وَالتَمِسِ الخَلاصَ مِنَ الدَّينِ.

Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, Seeing thou art come into the hand of thy neighbor: Go, humble thyself, and importune thy neighbor;

4 ل ا تَنَمْ عَيناكَ، وَلا يَغفُ جَفْناكَ.

Give not sleep to thine eyes, Nor slumber to thine eyelids;

5 ن َجِّ نَفسَكَ كَما يُنَجِّي الغَزالُ نَفسَهُ مِنَ الصَّيّادِ، وَالعُصفُورُ مِنَ الفَخِّ.

Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, And as a bird from the hand of the fowler.

6 ا ذْهَبْ إلَى النَّملَةِ أيُّها الكَسلانُ، تَأمَّلْ تَدْبِيرَها وَصِرْ حَكِيماً.

Go to the ant, thou sluggard; Consider her ways, and be wise:

7 ف َلَيسَ لَها ضابِطٌ أوْ قائِدٌ أوْ حاكِمٌ،

Which having no chief, Overseer, or ruler,

8 ل َكِنَّها تَخْزِنُ طَعامَها فِي الصَّيفِ، وَتَجمَعُ مَؤُونَتَها فِي وَقتِ الحَصادِ. تَجَّنَبِ الكَسَل

Provideth her bread in the summer, And gathereth her food in the harvest.

9 إ لَى مَتَى تَنامُ أيُّها الكَسلانُ؟ مَتَى سَتَقُومُ مِنْ نَومِكَ؟

How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?

10 ت َقُولُ: «قَلِيلٌ مِنَ النَّومِ فَقَطْ، وَقَلِيلٌ مِنَ النُّعاسِ، وَقَلِيلٌ مِنْ ثَنْيِ اليَدَينِ لِلرّاحَةِ!»

Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep:

11 ل َكِنْ سَيُداهِمُكَ الفَقرُ كَلِّصٍّ، وَتَقتَحِمُكَ الخَسارَةُ اقتِحاماً.

So shall thy poverty come as a robber, And thy want as an armed man.

12 ا لرَّجُلُ اللَّئيمُ البَطّالُ يَجُولُ بِلِسانِهِ المُحتالِ.

A worthless person, a man of iniquity, Is he that walketh with a perverse mouth;

13 ي َغمِزُ بِعَينَيهِ، وَيَضرِبُ بِرِجلَيهِ، وَيُشِيرُ بِأصابِعِهِ.

That winketh with his eyes, that speaketh with his feet, That maketh signs with his fingers;

14 ا لفَسادُ فِي عَقلِهِ، وَهَوَ يُخَطِّطُ لِلشَّرِّ، وَيَزرَعُ الخِصامَ دائِماً.

In whose heart is perverseness, Who deviseth evil continually, Who soweth discord.

15 و َلِهَذا يَأتِي دَمارُهُ فَجأةً. فِي لَحظَةٍ يَنكَسِرُ، وَلَيسَ لَهُ شِفاءٌ. أشياءٌ يُبغضها الله

Therefore shall his calamity come suddenly; On a sudden shall he be broken, and that without remedy.

16 س َتَّةُ أشياءٍ يَكرَهُها اللهُ ، وَسَبعَةٌ يُبغِضُها:

There are six things which Jehovah hateth; Yea, seven which are an abomination unto him:

17 ع ُيُونٌ مُتَعالِيَةٌ، لِسانٌ كاذِبٌ، يَدٌ تَقتُلُ بَرِيئِاً،

Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, And hands that shed innocent blood;

18 ق َلبٌ يَخْتَرِعُ أفكاراً شِرِّيرَةً، أقدامٌ تُسرِعُ إلَى الشَّرِّ،

A heart that deviseth wicked purposes, Feet that are swift in running to mischief,

19 ش اهِدُ زُورٍ كَذّابٌ، وَزارِعُ خُصُوماتٍ بَينَ الإخوَةِ. خَطَرُ الزِّنَى

A false witness that uttereth lies, And he that soweth discord among brethren.

20 ي ا بُنَيَّ، احفَظْ وَصِيَّةَ أبِيكَ، وَلا تُهمِلْ تَعلِيمَ أُمِّكَ.

My son, keep the commandment of thy father, And forsake not the law of thy mother:

21 ا حفَظْهُما وِساماً عَلَى صَدْرِكَ، وَقِلادَةً حَولَ عُنُقِكَ.

Bind them continually upon thy heart; Tie them about thy neck.

22 ي َقُودانِكَ عِندَما تَسِير، وَيَحْفَظانِكَ عِندَما تَنامُ، وَيَتَحَدَّثانِ إلَيكَ عِندَما تَصْحُو.

When thou walkest, it shall lead thee; When thou sleepest, it shall watch over thee; And when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee.

23 ل ِأنَّ الوَصِيَّةَ مِصْباحٌ، وَالتَّعلِيمُ ضِياءٌ. وَعِتابُ التأدِيبِ طَرِيقُ الْحَياةِ.

For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; And reproofs of instruction are the way of life:

24 س َتَحفَظُكَ مِنَ المَرأةِ الشِّرِّيرَةِ، وَمِنَ لِسانِ الزّانِيَةِ المَعسُولِ.

To keep thee from the evil woman, From the flattery of the foreigner's tongue.

25 ف َلا تَشتَهِ جَمالَها فِي قَلبِكَ، وَلا تَقبَلْ أنْ تَأْسُرَكَ بِعَيَنَيها.

Lust not after her beauty in thy heart; Neither let her take thee with her eyelids.

26 ق َدْ تَخسَرُ رَغِيفَ خُبْزٍ بِسَبَبِ بِنْتِ الهَوَى، أمّا الزِّنا مَعَ المُتَزَوِّجَةِ فيُكَلِّفُكَ حياتَكَ.

For on account of a harlot a man is brought to a piece of bread; And the adulteress hunteth for the precious life.

27 أ يَحْمِلُ أحَدٌ ناراً فِي حِضنِهِ وَلا تَحتَرِقُ ثِيابُهُ؟

Can a man take fire in his bosom, And his clothes not be burned?

28 أ وْ يَدُوسُ عَلَى الجَمرِ وَلا تُلذَعُ قَدَماهُ؟

Or can one walk upon hot coals, And his feet not be scorched?

29 ه َكَذا هُوَ حالُ مَنْ يُعاشِرُ زَوجَةَ صاحِبِهِ. إنْ لَمَسَها، لَنْ يُفلِتَ مِنَ العِقابِ.

So he that goeth in to his neighbor's wife; Whosoever toucheth her shall not be unpunished.

30 ل ا يَحتَقِرُ أحَدٌ اللِّصَّ إذا سَرَقَ لِيَشبَعَ وَهُوَ جائِعٌ.

Men do not despise a thief, if he steal To satisfy himself when he is hungry:

31 و َمَعْ ذَلِكَ، فَهُوَ يَدفَعُ سَبعَةَ أضعافٍ إنْ أُمسَكَ. وَقَدْ يَدفَعُ كُلَّ ما فِي بَيتِهِ.

But if he be found, he shall restore sevenfold; He shall give all the substance of his house.

32 أ مّا الزّانِي فَعَدِيمُ الفَهمِ، وَهُوَ يُدُمِّرُ نَفسَهُ.

He that committeth adultery with a woman is void of understanding: He doeth it who would destroy his own soul.

33 س َيَتَلَقَّى الضَّرَباتِ وَسَيُذَلُّ، وَعارُهُ لَنْ يَزُولَ.

Wounds and dishonor shall he get; And his reproach shall not be wiped away.

34 ل ِأنَّ الغَيرَةَ تُوقِظُ غَضَبَ الزَّوْجِ، فَلا يُشفِقُ حِينَ يَنتَقِمُ.

For jealousy is the rage of a man; And he will not spare in the day of vengeance.

35 ل ا يَقبَلُ تَعوِيضاً، وَيَرفُضُ الرِّشوَةَ مَهما كانَتْ كَبِيرَةً.

He will not regard any ransom; Neither will he rest content, though thou givest many gifts.