1 لا تُهَلِّلْ لِـيومِ الغَدِ،
فهَل تَعرِفُ ما يَلِدُ اليومُ؟
2 دعِ الأجنبـيَّ يَمدَحُكَ لا فَمُكَ،
والغريـبَ لا شَفَتاكَ.
3 الحجَرُ ثقيلٌ والرَّملُ ثقيلٌ،
وتقاعُسُ الأحمقِ أثقَلُ مِنهُما.
4 الغَيظُ قاسٍ والغضَبُ غامِرٌ،
والحسَدُ مَنْ يَقِفُ في وجهِهِ؟
5 التَّوبـيخُ الّذي تُعلِنُهُ
خيرٌ مِنَ الحُبِّ الّذي تُضمرُهُ.
6 جُروحُ المُحِبِّ أمينَةٌ،
وقُبلاتُ العَدُوِّ خائِنَةٌ.
7 النَّفْسُ الشَّبعانةُ تَعافُ العسَلَ،
وللنَّفْسِ الجائِعَةِ كُلُّ مُرٍّ حُلوٌ.
8 إنسانٌ شاردٌ منْ وطنِهِ
عُصفورٌ شاردٌ مِنْ عُشِّهِ.
9 العِطْرُ والبَخُورُ يُفرِّحانِ القلبَ،
ونصيحةُ الصِّدِّيقِ تَحلو للنَّفْسِ.
10 لا تـترُكْ صديقَكَ وصديقَ أبـيكَ،
ولا تدخُلْ بَيتَ أخيكَ في يَومِ نَكبَتِكَ.
الجارُ القريـبُ خَيرٌ مِنَ الأخِ البعيدِ.
11 كُنْ حكيما يا ابْني وفَرِّحْ قلبـي،
فأرُدَّ على مَنْ يُحَرِّفُ كَلامي.
12 الذَّكيُّ يرَى الشَّرَّ فيَختَبِـئُ،
والجُهَّالُ يَعبُرونَهُ فيُعاقَبونَ.
13 إنْ كَفِلْتَ غريـبا تكونُ غبِيًّا،
وإلاَّ فخُذْ ثَوبَهُ رَهْنا لكَ.
14 مَنْ صَبَّحَ صديقَهُ بِصَوتٍ جَهيرٍ،
كانَ ذلِكَ لَعنَةً لا بركةً.
15 كالوَكْفِ المُتواصِلِ في يومٍ مُمْطرٍ،
هكذا المرأةُ النَقَّاقَةُ.
16 مَنْ ضَبَطَها يَضبُطُ الرِّيحَ
ويَقبِضُ بِيَمينِهِ على زيتٍ.
17 الحديدُ يَصقُلُ الحديدَ،
وكذلِكَ العِشْرَةُ بَينَ النَّاسِ.
18 مَنْ يَنظُرْ تِـينَتَهُ يَأكُلْ ثمَرَها،
ومَنْ يُحافِظْ على سيِّدِهِ يُكرَمْ.
19 الوجهُ في الماءِ يَتَراءى للوجهِ،
وكذلِكَ قلبُ الإنسانِ لِلإنسانِ.
20 الجحيمُ والهاويةُ لا يَشبَعانِ،
وكذلِكَ عَينَا الإنسانِ.
21 البُوتَقَةُ تَمتَحِنُ الفِضَّةَ والذَّهَبَ،
كما يَمتَحِنُ المديحُ الإنسانَ.
22 لو دَققْتَ الأحمقَ في هاونٍ
معَ الحُبوبِ، عبَثا تُفارِقُهُ حَماقتُهُ.
23 إجتَهِدْ في مَعرِفَةِ حالِ غنَمِكَ،
ووَجِّهْ قلبَكَ إلى قُطْعانِكَ.
24 فحُسْنُ الحالِ لا يَدومُ،
ولا المُلكُ إلى جيلٍ فجيلٍ.
25 تَخضرُّ الأرضُ ويظهَرُ الحَشيشُ
ويَنبُتُ العُشْبُ في الجِبالِ.
26 فتَمُدُّكَ الكِباشُ بِمَلبوسِكَ
والتُّيوسُ بِثَمنِ الحَقلِ،
27 ويَكفيكَ لَبَنُ المعَزِ طَعاما لكَ
وقُوتا لِعيالِكَ ومعيشَةِ جَواريكَ.
1 Boast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. 2 Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.
3 A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; but a fool’s wrath is heavier than them both. 4 Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?
5 Open rebuke is better than secret love. 6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. 7 The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet. 8 As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth from his place.
9 Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man’s friend by hearty counsel. 10 Thine own friend, and thy father’s friend, forsake not; neither go into thy brother’s house in the day of thy calamity: for better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off. 11 My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him that reproacheth me. 12 A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished. 13 Take his garment that is surety for a stranger, and take a pledge of him for a strange woman. 14 He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it shall be counted a curse to him.
15 A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike. 16 Whosoever hideth her hideth the wind, and the ointment of his right hand, which bewrayeth itself . 17 Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. 18 Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof: so he that waiteth on his master shall be honoured. 19 As in water face answereth to face, so the heart of man to man. 20 Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied. 21 As the fining pot for silver, and the furnace for gold; so is a man to his praise. 22 Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his foolishness depart from him.
23 Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, and look well to thy herds. 24 For riches are not for ever: and doth the crown endure to every generation? 25 The hay appeareth, and the tender grass sheweth itself, and herbs of the mountains are gathered. 26 The lambs are for thy clothing, and the goats are the price of the field. 27 And thou shalt have goats’ milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, and for the maintenance for thy maidens.
