1 Better to eat a dry crust of bread with peace of mind than have a banquet in a house full of trouble.
2 A shrewd servant will gain authority over a master's worthless son and receive a part of the inheritance.
3 Gold and silver are tested by fire, and a person's heart is tested by the Lord.
4 Evil people listen to evil ideas, and liars listen to lies.
5 If you make fun of poor people, you insult the God who made them. You will be punished if you take pleasure in someone's misfortune.
6 Grandparents are proud of their grandchildren, just as children are proud of their parents.
7 Respected people do not tell lies, and fools have nothing worthwhile to say.
8 Some people think a bribe works like magic; they believe it can do anything.
9 If you want people to like you, forgive them when they wrong you. Remembering wrongs can break up a friendship.
10 An intelligent person learns more from one rebuke than a fool learns from being beaten a hundred times.
11 Death will come like a cruel messenger to wicked people who are always stirring up trouble.
12 It is better to meet a mother bear robbed of her cubs than to meet some fool busy with a stupid project.
13 If you repay good with evil, you will never get evil out of your house.
14 The start of an argument is like the first break in a dam; stop it before it goes any further.
15 Condemning the innocent or letting the wicked go—both are hateful to the Lord.
16 It does a fool no good to spend money on an education, because he has no common sense.
17 Friends always show their love. What are relatives for if not to share trouble?
18 Only someone with no sense would promise to be responsible for someone else's debts.
19 To like sin is to like making trouble. If you brag all the time, you are asking for trouble.
20 Anyone who thinks and speaks evil can expect to find nothing good—only disaster.
21 There is nothing but sadness and sorrow for parents whose children do foolish things.
22 Being cheerful keeps you healthy. It is slow death to be gloomy all the time.
23 Corrupt judges accept secret bribes, and then justice is not done.
24 An intelligent person aims at wise action, but a fool starts off in many directions.
25 Foolish children bring grief to their fathers and bitter regrets to their mothers.
26 It is not right to make an innocent person pay a fine; justice is perverted when good people are punished.
27 Those who are sure of themselves do not talk all the time. People who stay calm have real insight. 28 After all, even fools may be thought wise and intelligent if they stay quiet and keep their mouths shut.
1 لُقمةٌ يابسةٌ معَ الطُّمَأنينَةِ،
ولا بَيتُ ولائمَ معَ خِصامٍ.
2 العبدُ العاقلُ يَسودُ الابنَ المَعتُوهَ،
ويُقاسِمُ الإخوةَ أملاكَهُم.
3 البُوتَقَةُ تَمتَحِنُ الفِضَّةَ والذَّهبَ،
والرّبُّ يَمتَحِنُ جميعَ القلوبِ.
4 يُصغي الشِّرِّيرُ إلى كَلامِ الإثْمِ،
والكذَّابُ إلى كَلامِ الخُبْثِ.
5 المُستَهزئُ بالفقيرِ يَستَهينُ بِـخالِقِهِ،
ومَنْ يَفرَحْ بالنَّكْبَةِ لا عُذْرَ لهُ.
6 بَنو البنينَ إكليلُ جُدودِهِم،
وفَخرُ البنينَ آباؤُهُم.
7 الكَلامُ المأثورُ لا يَليقُ بالجاهلِ،
ولا كَلامُ الكَذِبِ بالأميرِ.
8 الرَّشوَةُ حجَرُ سِخْرٍ للرَّاشي،
فأينما يُرسِلُهُ يَنجَحُ.
9 مَنْ يَستُرِ الأخطاءَ يُحِبُّهُ النَّاسُ،
ومَنْ يُرَدِّدْ ذِكرَها يُفَرِّقِ الأصحابَ.
10 التَّأنيـبُ يؤثِّرُ في الفهيمِ،
أكثرَ مِنْ مِئَةِ جَلدَةٍ في البليدِ.
11 المُتَمَرِّدُ لا يطلُبُ غيرَ السُّوءِ،
فيَضْرِبُهُ ملاكٌ لا يَرحَمُ.
12 صادِفْ دُبَّةً فقَدَت أولادَها،
ولا بليدا كُلُّهُ حماقةٌ.
13 مَنْ جازَى عَنِ الخَيرِ سُوءًا،
فلن يخرُجَ السُّوءُ مِنْ بَيتِهِ.
14 يَبتَدئُ النِّزاعُ كمياهٍ تَنفَجِرُ.
فانظُرْ في أمرِهِ قَبلَ أنْ يَحتَدِمَ
15 تَبرِئَةُ المُجرمِ وتَجريمُ البريءِ،
كِلاهُما يَمْقُتُهُما الرّبُّ.
16 لماذا المالُ في يدِ البليدِ؟
أيَقتني الحِكمةَ ولا فَهْمَ لهُ؟
17 الصِّدِّيقُ يُحِبُّ في كُلِّ وقتٍ،
والأخُ يولَدُ ليَومِ الضِّيقِ.
18 النَّاقِصُ الفهْمِ يَعقِدُ صَفقَةً،
ويَصيرُ كَفيلا بِـحضورِ شاهدٍ.
19 مَنْ يُحِبُّ المَعصيةَ يُحِبُّ الخِصامَ
ومَنْ يُعْلِ بابَهُ يَجلُبْ علَيهِ الهَدمَ.
20 المُراوغُ لا يَجِدُ خيرا،
والكذَّابُ يَقَعُ في السُّوءِ.
21 مَنْ يَلِدُ بليدا فَلحَسرَتِهِ،
ومَنْ يَلِدُ جاهِلا لا يَفرَحُ.
22 فرَحُ القلبِ دَواءٌ شافٍ،
وكآبةُ الرُّوحِ تُيـبِّسُ العِظامَ.
23 يَرتشي الشِّرِّيرُ في الخِفيَةِ،
وغايَتُهُ تَحويلُ مَجرَى العَدلِ.
24 الفهيمُ يَرى الحِكمةَ مَجرَى العَدلِ.
أمَّا البليدُ فعيناهُ بَعيدَتانِ مِنْها.
25 الابنُ البليدُ كَدَرٌ لأبـيهِ،
ومَرارَةٌ للَّتي ولَدَتْهُ.
26 مُعاقَبَةُ الصِّدِّيقِ لا تَجوزُ،
وضَرْبُ الشُّرَفاءِ يُنافي العَدلَ.
27 صاحِبُ المَعرِفَةِ يضبطُ كَلامَهُ،
وصاحبُ الفهْمِ وقُورُ الرُّوحِ.
28 يَصمُتُ البليدُ فتَحسَبُهُ حكيما،
ومَنْ ضَمَّ شفَتَيهِ تَحسَبُهُ فهيما.