1 אַל־תִּתְהַלֵּל בְּיֹום מָחָר כִּי לֹא־תֵדַע מַה־יֵּלֶד יֹום | 1 Boast not of tomorrow, for you know not what any day may bring forth. |
2 יְהַלֶּלְךָ זָר וְלֹא־פִיךָ נָכְרִי וְאַל־שְׂפָתֶיךָ | 2 Let another praise you--not your own mouth; Someone else--not your own lips. |
3 כֹּבֶד־אֶבֶן וְנֵטֶל הַחֹול וְכַעַס אֱוִיל כָּבֵד מִשְּׁנֵיהֶם | 3 Stone is heavy, and sand a burden, but a fool's provocation is heavier than both. |
4 אַכְזְרִיּוּת חֵמָה וְשֶׁטֶף אָף וּמִי יַעֲמֹד לִפְנֵי קִנְאָה | 4 Anger is relentless, and wrath overwhelming-- but before jealousy who can stand? |
5 טֹובָה תֹּוכַחַת מְגֻלָּה מֵאַהֲבָה מְסֻתָּרֶת | 5 Better is an open rebuke than a love that remains hidden. |
6 נֶאֱמָנִים פִּצְעֵי אֹוהֵב וְנַעְתָּרֹות נְשִׁיקֹות שֹׂונֵא | 6 Wounds from a friend may be accepted as well meant, but the greetings of an enemy one prays against. |
7 נֶפֶשׁ בֵעָה תָּבוּס נֹפֶת וְנֶפֶשׁ רְעֵבָה כָּל־מַר מָתֹוק | 7 One who is full, tramples on virgin honey; but to the man who is hungry, any bitter thing is sweet. |
8 כְּצִפֹּור נֹודֶדֶת מִן־קִנָּהּ כֵּן־אִישׁ נֹודֵד מִמְּקֹומֹו | 8 Like a bird that is far from its nest is a man who is far from his home. |
9 שֶׁמֶן וּקְטֹרֶת יְשַׂמַּח־לֵב וּמֶתֶק רֵעֵהוּ מֵעֲצַת־נָפֶשׁ | 9 Perfume and incense gladden the heart, but by grief the soul is torn asunder. |
10 רֵעֲךָ [וְרֵעֶה כ] (וְרֵעַ ק) אָבִיךָ אַל־תַּעֲזֹב וּבֵית אָחִיךָ אַל־תָּבֹוא בְּיֹום אֵידֶךָ טֹוב שָׁכֵן קָרֹוב מֵאָח רָחֹוק | 10 Your own friend and your father's friend forsake not; but if ruin befalls you, enter not a kinsman's house. Better is a neighbor near at hand than a brother far away. |
11 חֲכַם בְּנִי וְשַׂמַּח לִבִּי וְאָשִׁיבָה חֹרְפִי דָבָר | 11 If you are wise, my son, you will gladden my heart, and I will be able to rebut him who tuants me. |
12 עָרוּם רָאָה רָעָה נִסְתָּר פְּתָאיִם עָבְרוּ נֶעֱנָשׁוּ | 12 The shrewd man perceives evil and hides; simpletons continue on and suffer the penalty. |
13 קַח־בִּגְדֹו כִּי־עָרַב זָר וּבְעַד נָכְרִיָּה חַבְלֵהוּ | 13 Take his garment who becomes surety for another, and for the sake of a stranger, yield it up! |
14 מְבָרֵךְ רֵעֵהוּ ׀ בְּקֹול גָּדֹול בַּבֹּקֶר הַשְׁכֵּים קְלָלָה תֵּחָשֶׁב לֹו | 14 When one greets his neighbor with a loud voice in the early morning, a curse can be laid to his charge. |
15 דֶּלֶף טֹורֵד בְּיֹום סַגְרִיר וְאֵשֶׁת [מִדֹונִים כ] (מִדְיָנִים ק) נִשְׁתָּוָה | 15 For a persistent leak on a rainy day the match is a quarrelsome woman. |
16 צֹפְנֶיהָ צָפַן־רוּחַ וְשֶׁמֶן יְמִינֹו יִקְרָא | 16 He who keeps her stores up a stormwind; he cannot tell north from south. |
17 בַּרְזֶל בְּבַרְזֶל יָחַד וְאִישׁ יַחַד פְּנֵי־רֵעֵהוּ | 17 As iron sharpens iron, so man sharpens his fellow man. |
18 נֹצֵר תְּאֵנָה יֹאכַל פִּרְיָהּ וְשֹׁמֵר אֲדֹנָיו יְכֻבָּד | 18 He who tends a fig tree eats its fruit, and he who is attentive to his master will be enriched. |
19 כַּמַּיִם הַפָּנִים לַפָּנִים כֵּן לֵב־הָאָדָם לָאָדָם | 19 As one face differs from another, so does one human heart from another. |
20 שְׁאֹול [וַאֲבַדֹּה כ] (וַאֲבַדֹּו ק) לֹא תִשְׂבַּעְנָה וְעֵינֵי הָאָדָם לֹא תִשְׂבַּעְנָה | 20 The nether world and the abyss are never satisfied; so too the eyes of men. |
21 מַצְרֵף לַכֶּסֶף וְכוּר לַזָּהָב וְאִישׁ לְפִי מַהֲלָלֹו | 21 As the crucible tests silver and the furnace gold, so a man is tested by the praise he receives. |
22 אִם תִּכְתֹּושׁ־אֶת־הָאֱוִיל ׀ בַּמַּכְתֵּשׁ בְּתֹוךְ הָרִיפֹות בַּעֱלִי לֹא־תָסוּר מֵעָלָיו אִוַּלְתֹּו׃ פ | 22 Though you should pound the fool to bits with the pestle, amid the grits in a mortar, his folly would not go out of him. |
23 יָדֹעַ תֵּדַע פְּנֵי צֹאנֶךָ שִׁית לִבְּךָ לַעֲדָרִים | 23 Take good care of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds; |
24 כִּי לֹא לְעֹולָם חֹסֶן וְאִם־נֵזֶר לְדֹור [דֹור כ] (וָדֹור׃ ק) | 24 For wealth lasts not forever, nor even a crown from age to age. |
25 גָּלָה חָצִיר וְנִרְאָה־דֶשֶׁא וְנֶאֶסְפוּ עִשְּׂבֹות הָרִים | 25 When the grass is taken away and the aftergrowth appears, and the mountain greens are gathered in, |
26 כְּבָשִׂים לִלְבוּשֶׁךָ וּמְחִיר דֶה עַתּוּדִים | 26 The lambs will provide you with clothing, and the goats will bring the price of a field, |
27 וְדֵי ׀ חֲלֵב עִזִּים לְלַחְמְךָ לְלֶחֶם בֵּיתֶךָ וְחַיִּים לְנַעֲרֹותֶיךָ | 27 And there will be ample goat's milk to supply you, to supply your household, and maintenance for your maidens. |