1 מִשְׁלֵי שְׁלֹמֹה בֶן־דָּוִד מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל | 1 The Proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel: |
2 לָדַעַת חָכְמָה וּמוּסָר לְהָבִין אִמְרֵי בִינָה | 2 That men may appreciate wisdom and discipline, may understand words of intelligence; |
3 לָקַחַת מוּסַר הַשְׂכֵּל צֶדֶק וּמִשְׁפָּט וּמֵישָׁרִים | 3 May receive training in wise conduct, in what is right, just and honest; |
4 לָתֵת לִפְתָאיִם עָרְמָה לְנַעַר דַּעַת וּמְזִמָּה | 4 That resourcefulness may be imparted to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion. |
5 יִשְׁמַע חָכָם וְיֹוסֶף לֶקַח וְנָבֹון תַּחְבֻּלֹות יִקְנֶה | 5 A wise man by hearing them will advance in learning, an intelligent man will gain sound guidance, |
6 לְהָבִין מָשָׁל וּמְלִיצָה דִּבְרֵי חֲכָמִים וְחִידֹתָם | 6 That he may comprehend proverb and parable, the words of the wise and their riddles. |
7 יִרְאַת יְהוָה רֵאשִׁית דָּעַת חָכְמָה וּמוּסָר אֱוִילִים בָּזוּ׃ פ | 7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; wisdom and instruction fools despise. |
8 שְׁמַע בְּנִי מוּסַר אָבִיךָ וְאַל־תִּטֹּשׁ תֹּורַת אִמֶּךָ | 8 Hear, my son, your father's instruction, and reject not your mother's teaching; |
9 כִּי ׀ לִוְיַת חֵן הֵם לְרֹאשֶׁךָ וַעֲנָקִים לְגַרְגְּרֹתֶיךָ | 9 A graceful diadem will they be for your head; a torque for your neck. |
10 בְּנִי אִם־יְפַתּוּךָ חַטָּאִים אַל־תֹּבֵא | 10 My son, should sinners entice you, |
11 אִם־יֹאמְרוּ לְכָה אִתָּנוּ נֶאֶרְבָה לְדָם נִצְפְּנָה לְנָקִי חִנָּם | 11 and say, "Come along with us! Let us lie in wait for the honest man, let us, unprovoked, set a trap for the innocent; |
12 נִבְלָעֵם כִּשְׁאֹול חַיִּים וּתְמִימִים כְּיֹורְדֵי בֹור | 12 Let us swallow them up, as the nether world does, alive, in the prime of life, like those who go down to the pit! |
13 כָּל־הֹון יָקָר נִמְצָא נְמַלֵּא בָתֵּינוּ שָׁלָל | 13 All kinds of precious wealth shall we gain, we shall fill our houses with booty; |
14 גֹּורָלְךָ תַּפִּיל בְּתֹוכֵנוּ כִּיס אֶחָד יִהְיֶה לְכֻלָּנוּ | 14 Cast in your lot with us, we shall all have one purse!"-- |
15 בְּנִי אַל־תֵּלֵךְ בְּדֶרֶךְ אִתָּם מְנַע רַגְלְךָ מִנְּתִיבָתָם | 15 My son, walk not in the way with them, hold back your foot from their path! |
16 כִּי רַגְלֵיהֶם לָרַע יָרוּצוּ וִימַהֲרוּ לִשְׁפָּךְ־דָּם | 16 (For their feet run to evil, they hasten to shed blood.) |
17 כִּי־חִנָּם מְזֹרָה הָרָשֶׁת בְּעֵינֵי כָל־בַּעַל כָּנָף | 17 It is in vain that a net is spread before the eyes of any bird-- |
18 וְהֵם לְדָמָם יֶאֱרֹבוּ יִצְפְּנוּ לְנַפְשֹׁתָם | 18 These men lie in wait for their own blood, they set a trap for their own lives. |
19 כֵּן אָרְחֹות כָּל־בֹּצֵעַ בָּצַע אֶת־נֶפֶשׁ בְּעָלָיו יִקָּח׃ פ | 19 This is the fate of everyone greedy of loot: unlawful gain takes away the life of him who acquires it. |
20 חָכְמֹות בַּחוּץ תָּרֹנָּה בָּרְחֹבֹות תִּתֵּן קֹולָהּ | 20 Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the open squares she raises her voice; |
21 בְּרֹאשׁ הֹמִיֹּות תִּקְרָא בְּפִתְחֵי שְׁעָרִים בָּעִיר אֲמָרֶיהָ תֹאמֵר | 21 Down the crowded ways she calls out, at the city gates she utters her words: |
22 עַד־מָתַי ׀ פְּתָיִם תְּאֵהֲבוּ פֶתִי וְלֵצִים לָצֹון חָמְדוּ לָהֶם וּכְסִילִים יִשְׂנְאוּ־דָעַת | 22 "How long, you simple ones, will you love inanity, |
23 תָּשׁוּבוּ לְתֹוכַחְתִּי הִנֵּה אַבִּיעָה לָכֶם רוּחִי אֹודִיעָה דְבָרַי אֶתְכֶם | 23 how long will you turn away at my reproof? Lo! I will pour out to you my spirit, I will acquaint you with my words. |
24 יַעַן קָרָאתִי וַתְּמָאֵנוּ נָטִיתִי יָדִי וְאֵין מַקְשִׁיב | 24 "Because I called and you refused, I extended my hand and no one took notice; |
25 וַתִּפְרְעוּ כָל־עֲצָתִי וְתֹוכַחְתִּי לֹא אֲבִיתֶם | 25 Because you disdained all my counsel, and my reproof you ignored-- |
26 גַּם־אֲנִי בְּאֵידְכֶם אֶשְׂחָק אֶלְעַג בְּבֹא פַחְדְּכֶם | 26 I, in my turn, will laugh at your doom; I will mock when terror overtakes you; |
27 בְּבֹא [כְשַׁאֲוָה כ] (כְשֹׁואָה ׀ ק) פַּחְדְּכֶם וְאֵידְכֶם כְּסוּפָה יֶאֱתֶה בְּבֹא עֲלֵיכֶם צָרָה וְצוּקָה | 27 When terror comes upon you like a storm, and your doom approaches like a whirlwind; when distress and anguish befall you. |
28 אָז יִקְרָאֻנְנִי וְלֹא אֶעֱנֶה יְשַׁחֲרֻנְנִי וְלֹא יִמְצָאֻנְנִי | 28 "Then they call me, but I answer not; they seek me, but find me not; |
29 תַּחַת כִּי־שָׂנְאוּ דָעַת וְיִרְאַת יְהֹוָה לֹא בָחָרוּ | 29 Because they hated knowledge, and chose not the fear of the LORD; |
30 לֹא־אָבוּ לַעֲצָתִי נָאֲצוּ כָּל־תֹּוכַחְתִּי | 30 They ignored my counsel, they spurned all my reproof; And in their arrogance they preferred arrogance, and like fools they hated knowledge: |
31 וְיֹאכְלוּ מִפְּרִי דַרְכָּם וּמִמֹּעֲצֹתֵיהֶם יִשְׂבָּעוּ | 31 "Now they must eat the fruit of their own way, and with their own devices be glutted. |
32 כִּי מְשׁוּבַת פְּתָיִם תַּהַרְגֵם וְשַׁלְוַת כְּסִילִים תְּאַבְּדֵם | 32 For the self-will of the simple kills them, the smugness of fools destroys them. |
33 וְשֹׁמֵעַ לִי יִשְׁכָּן־בֶּטַח וְשַׁאֲנַן מִפַּחַד רָעָה׃ פ | 33 But he who obeys me dwells in security, in peace, without fear of harm." |