1 כִּי נַעַר יִשְׂרָאֵל וָאֹהֲבֵהוּ וּמִמִּצְרַיִם קָרָאתִי לִבְנִי | 1 Wisdom enables the poor to stand erect, and gives to the poor a place with the great. |
2 קָרְאוּ לָהֶם כֵּן הָלְכוּ מִפְּנֵיהֶם לַבְּעָלִים יְזַבֵּחוּ וְלַפְּסִלִים יְקַטֵּרוּן | 2 Do not praise anyone for good looks, nor dislike anyone for mere appearance. |
3 וְאָנֹכִי תִרְגַּלְתִּי לְאֶפְרַיִם קָחָם עַל־זְרֹועֹתָיו וְלֹא יָדְעוּ כִּי רְפָאתִים | 3 Smal among winged creatures is the bee but her produce is the sweetest of the sweet. |
4 בְּחַבְלֵי אָדָם אֶמְשְׁכֵם בַּעֲבֹתֹות אַהֲבָה וָאֶהְיֶה לָהֶם כִּמְרִימֵי עֹל עַל לְחֵיהֶם וְאַט אֵלָיו אֹוכִיל | 4 Do not grow proud when people honour you; for the works of the Lord are wonderful but hidden fromhuman beings. |
5 לֹא יָשׁוּב אֶל־אֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם וְאַשּׁוּר הוּא מַלְכֹּו כִּי מֵאֲנוּ לָשׁוּב | 5 Many monarchs have been made to sit on the ground, and the person nobody thought of has worn thecrown. |
6 וְחָלָה חֶרֶב בְּעָרָיו וְכִלְּתָה בַדָּיו וְאָכָלָה מִמֹּעֲצֹותֵיהֶם | 6 Many influential people have been utterly disgraced, and prominent people have fal en into the power ofothers. |
7 וְעַמִּי תְלוּאִים לִמְשׁוּבָתִי וְאֶל־עַל יִקְרָאֻהוּ יַחַד לֹא יְרֹומֵם | 7 Do not find fault before making thorough enquiry; first reflect, then give a reprimand. |
8 אֵיךְ אֶתֶּנְךָ אֶפְרַיִם אֲמַגֶּנְךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל אֵיךְ אֶתֶּנְךָ כְאַדְמָה אֲשִׂימְךָ כִּצְבֹאיִם נֶהְפַּךְ עָלַי לִבִּי יַחַד נִכְמְרוּ נִחוּמָי | 8 Listen before you answer, and do not interrupt a speech before it is finished. |
9 לֹא אֶעֱשֶׂה חֲרֹון אַפִּי לֹא אָשׁוּב לְשַׁחֵת אֶפְרָיִם כִּי אֵל אָנֹכִי וְלֹא־אִישׁ בְּקִרְבְּךָ קָדֹושׁ וְלֹא אָבֹוא בְּעִיר | 9 Do not wrangle about something that does not concern you, do not interfere in the quarrels of sinners. |
10 אַחֲרֵי יְהוָה יֵלְכוּ כְּאַרְיֵה יִשְׁאָג כִּי־הוּא יִשְׁאַג וְיֶחֶרְדוּ בָנִים מִיָּם | 10 My child, do not take on a great amount of business; if you multiply your interests, you are bound to suffer for it; hurry as fast as you can, yet you wil never arrive, nor wil you escape by running away. |
11 יֶחֶרְדוּ כְצִפֹּור מִמִּצְרַיִם וּכְיֹונָה מֵאֶרֶץ אַשּׁוּר וְהֹושַׁבְתִּים עַל־בָּתֵּיהֶם נְאֻם־יְהוָה׃ ס | 11 Some people work very hard at top speed, only to find themselves fal ing further behind. |
| 12 Or there is the slow kind of person, needing help, poor in possessions and rich in poverty; and theLord turns a favourable eye on him, lifts him out of his wretched condition, |
| 13 and enables him to hold his head high, thus causing general astonishment. |
| 14 Good and bad, life and death, poverty and wealth, al come from the Lord. |
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| 17 To the devout the Lord's gift remains constant, and his favour will be there to lead them for ever. |
| 18 Others grow rich by pinching and scraping, and here is the reward they receive for it: |
| 19 although they say, 'Now I can sit back and enjoy the benefit of what I have got,' they do not know howlong this wil last; they will have to leave their goods to others and die. |
| 20 Stick to your job, work hard at it and grow old at your work. |
| 21 Do not admire the achievements of sinners, trust the Lord and mind your own business; since it is atrifle in the eyes of the Lord, in a moment, suddenly to make the poor rich. |
| 22 The blessing of the Lord is the reward of the devout, in a moment God brings his blessing to flower. |
| 23 Do not say, 'What are my needs, how much shal I have in the future?' |
| 24 And do not say, 'I am self-sufficient, what disaster can affect me now?' |
| 25 In prosperous times, disasters are forgotten and in times of disaster, no one remembers prosperity. |
| 26 Yet it is a trifle for the Lord on the day someone dies to repay him as his conduct deserves. |
| 27 A moment's adversity, and pleasures are forgotten; in a person's last hour his deeds wil standrevealed. |
| 28 Cal no one fortunate before his death; it is by his end that someone wil be known. |
| 29 Do not bring everyone home with you, for many are the traps of the crafty. |
| 30 Like a captive partridge in a cage, so is the heart of the proud: like a spy he watches for your downfal , |
| 31 ever on the look-out, turning good into bad and finding fault with what is praiseworthy. |
| 32 A hearthful of glowing coals starts from a single spark, and the sinner lurks for the chance to spilblood. |
| 33 Beware of a scoundrel and his evil contrivances, in case he puts a smear on you for ever. |
| 34 Give a home to a stranger and he wil start trouble and estrange you from your own family. |