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

My son, if you have become collateral for your neighbor, if you have struck your hands in pledge for a stranger;

2 ل ِأنَّكَ سَتُربَطُ بِلِسانِكَ، وَتُمسَكُ بِكَلامِكَ.

You are trapped by the words of your mouth. You are ensnared with the words of your 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 yourself, since you have come into the hand of your neighbor. Go, humble yourself. Press your plea with your neighbor.

4 ل ا تَنَمْ عَيناكَ، وَلا يَغفُ جَفْناكَ.

Give no sleep to your eyes, nor slumber to your eyelids.

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

Free yourself, like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter, like a bird from the snare of the fowler.

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

Go to the ant, you 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

provides her bread in the summer, and gathers her food in the harvest.

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

How long will you sleep, sluggard? When will you arise out of your sleep?

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

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

11 ل َكِنْ سَيُداهِمُكَ الفَقرُ كَلِّصٍّ، وَتَقتَحِمُكَ الخَسارَةُ اقتِحاماً.

so your poverty will come as a robber, and your scarcity as an armed man.

12 ا لرَّجُلُ اللَّئيمُ البَطّالُ يَجُولُ بِلِسانِهِ المُحتالِ.

A worthless person, a man of iniquity, is he who walks with a perverse mouth;

13 ي َغمِزُ بِعَينَيهِ، وَيَضرِبُ بِرِجلَيهِ، وَيُشِيرُ بِأصابِعِهِ.

who winks with his eyes, who signals with his feet, who motions with his fingers;

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

in whose heart is perverseness, who devises evil continually, who always sows discord.

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

Therefore his calamity will come suddenly. He will be broken suddenly, and that without remedy.

16 س َتَّةُ أشياءٍ يَكرَهُها اللهُ ، وَسَبعَةٌ يُبغِضُها:

There are six things which Yahweh hates; yes, seven which are an abomination to him:

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

haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood;

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

a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are swift in running to mischief,

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

a false witness who utters lies, and he who sows discord among brothers.

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

My son, keep your father’s commandment, and don’t forsake your mother’s teaching.

21 ا حفَظْهُما وِساماً عَلَى صَدْرِكَ، وَقِلادَةً حَولَ عُنُقِكَ.

Bind them continually on your heart. Tie them around your neck.

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

When you walk, it will lead you. When you sleep, it will watch over you. When you awake, it will talk with you.

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

For the commandment is a lamp, and the law is light. Reproofs of instruction are the way of life,

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

to keep you from the immoral woman, from the flattery of the wayward wife’s tongue.

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

Don’t lust after her beauty in your heart, neither let her captivate you with her eyelids.

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

For a prostitute reduces you to a piece of bread. The adulteress hunts for your precious life.

27 أ يَحْمِلُ أحَدٌ ناراً فِي حِضنِهِ وَلا تَحتَرِقُ ثِيابُهُ؟

Can a man scoop fire into his lap, and his clothes not be burned?

28 أ وْ يَدُوسُ عَلَى الجَمرِ وَلا تُلذَعُ قَدَماهُ؟

Or can one walk on hot coals, and his feet not be scorched?

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

So is he who goes in to his neighbor’s wife. Whoever touches her will not be unpunished.

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

Men don’t despise a thief, if he steals 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 is found, he shall restore seven times. He shall give all the wealth of his house.

32 أ مّا الزّانِي فَعَدِيمُ الفَهمِ، وَهُوَ يُدُمِّرُ نَفسَهُ.

He who commits adultery with a woman is void of understanding. He who does it destroys his own soul.

33 س َيَتَلَقَّى الضَّرَباتِ وَسَيُذَلُّ، وَعارُهُ لَنْ يَزُولَ.

He will get wounds and dishonor. His reproach will not be wiped away.

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

For jealousy arouses the fury of the husband. He won’t spare in the day of vengeance.

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

He won’t regard any ransom, neither will he rest content, though you give many gifts.