Mishlim 23 – משלים כג

¹When you sit to eat with a ruler, consider well him that is before you;

²And put a knife to your throat, if you are a man given to appetite.

³Be not desirous of his dainties; seeing they are deceitful food.

⁴Weary not yourself to be rich; cease from your own wisdom.

⁵Will you set your eyes upon it? It is gone; for riches certainly make themselves wings, like an eagle that flies toward heaven.

⁶Eat not the bread of him that has an evil eye, neither desire his dainties;

⁷For as one that has reckoned within himself, so is he: “Eat and drink”, says he to you, but his heart is not with you.

⁸The morsel which you have eaten shall you vomit up, and lose your sweet words.

⁹Speak not in the ears of a fool; for he will despise the wisdom of your words.

¹⁰Remove not the ancient landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless;

¹¹For their Go’el is strong; He will plead their cause with you.

¹²Apply your heart unto instruction, and your ears to the words of knowledge.

¹³Withhold not correction from the child; for though you beat him with the rod, he will not die.

¹⁴Beat him with the rod, and you will deliver his soul from She’ol.

¹⁵B’ni, if your heart is wise, my heart will be glad, even mine;

¹⁶Yes, my reins will rejoice, when your lips speak right things.

¹⁷Let not your heart envy sinners, but be in the fear of  יהוה  all the day;

¹⁸For surely there is a future; and your hope shall not be cut off.

¹⁹Hear, B’ni, and be wise, and guide your heart in HaDerekh.

²⁰Be not among winebibbers; among gluttonous eaters of flesh;

²¹For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty; and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.

²²Hearken unto your father that begot you, and despise not your mother when she is old.

²³Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.

²⁴The father of a Tzadik will greatly rejoice; and he that begets a wise child will have joy over him.

²⁵Let your father and your mother be glad, and let her that bore you rejoice.

²⁶B’ni, give me your heart, and let your eyes observe my ways.

²⁷For a harlot is a deep ditch; and a foreign woman is a narrow pit.

²⁸She also lies in wait as a robber, and increases the faithless among men.

²⁹Who cries, “Woe”?  Who, “Alas”? Who has contentions? Who has raving? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes?

³⁰They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to try mixed wine.

³¹Look not upon the wine when it is red, when it gives its color in the cup, when it glides down smoothly;

³²At the last it bites like a serpent, and stings like an adder.

³³Your eyes shall behold strange things, and your heart shall utter confused things.

³⁴Yes, you shall be as he that lies down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lies upon the top of a mast.

³⁵“They have struck me, and I felt it not, they have beaten me, and I knew it not; when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.”

^אכִּי תֵשֵׁב לִלְחוֹם אֶת מוֹשֵׁל בִּין תָּבִין אֶת אֲשֶׁר לְפָנֶיךָ.

^בוְשַׂמְתָּ שַׂכִּין בְּלֹעֶךָ אִם בַּעַל נֶפֶשׁ אָתָּה.

^גאַל תִּתְאָו לְמַטְעַמּוֹתָיו; וְהוּא לֶחֶם כְּזָבִים.

^דאַל תִּיגַע לְהַעֲשִׁיר; מִבִּינָתְךָ חֲדָל.

^ההתעוף (הֲתָעִיף) עֵינֶיךָ בּוֹ וְאֵינֶנּוּ: כִּי עָשֹׂה יַעֲשֶׂה לּוֹ כְנָפַיִם; כְּנֶשֶׁר ועיף (יָעוּף) הַשָּׁמָיִם.

^ואַל תִּלְחַם אֶת לֶחֶם רַע עָיִן; וְאַל תִּתְאָו לְמַטְעַמֹּתָיו.

^זכִּי כְּמוֹ שָׁעַר בְּנַפְשׁוֹ כֶּן הוּא: אֱכוֹל וּשְׁתֵה יֹאמַר לָךְ; וְלִבּוֹ בַּל עִמָּךְ.

^חפִּתְּךָ אָכַלְתָּ תְקִיאֶנָּה; וְשִׁחַתָּ דְּבָרֶיךָ הַנְּעִימִים.

^טבְּאָזְנֵי כְסִיל אַל תְּדַבֵּר: כִּי יָבוּז לְשֵׂכֶל מִלֶּיךָ.

^יאַל תַּסֵּג גְּבוּל עוֹלָם; וּבִשְׂדֵי יְתוֹמִים אַל תָּבֹא.

^יאכִּי גֹאֲלָם חָזָק; הוּא יָרִיב אֶת רִיבָם אִתָּךְ.

^יבהָבִיאָה לַמּוּסָר לִבֶּךָ; וְאָזְנֶךָ לְאִמְרֵי דָעַת.

^יגאַל תִּמְנַע מִנַּעַר מוּסָר: כִּי תַכֶּנּוּ בַשֵּׁבֶט לֹא יָמוּת.

^ידאַתָּה בַּשֵּׁבֶט תַּכֶּנּוּ; וְנַפְשׁוֹ מִשְּׁאוֹל תַּצִּיל.

^טובְּנִי אִם חָכַם לִבֶּךָ יִשְׂמַח לִבִּי גַם אָנִי.

^טזוְתַעְלֹזְנָה כִלְיוֹתָי בְּדַבֵּר שְׂפָתֶיךָ מֵישָׁרִים.

^יזאַל יְקַנֵּא לִבְּךָ בַּחַטָּאִים: כִּי אִם בְּיִרְאַת יהוה כָּל הַיּוֹם.

^יחכִּי אִם יֵשׁ אַחֲרִית; וְתִקְוָתְךָ לֹא תִכָּרֵת.

^יטשְׁמַע אַתָּה בְנִי וַחֲכָם; וְאַשֵּׁר בַּדֶּרֶךְ לִבֶּךָ.

^כאַל תְּהִי בְסֹבְאֵי יָיִן בְּזֹלְלֵי בָשָׂר לָמוֹ.

^כאכִּי סֹבֵא וְזוֹלֵל יִוָּרֵשׁ; וּקְרָעִים תַּלְבִּישׁ נוּמָה.

^כבשְׁמַע לְאָבִיךָ זֶה יְלָדֶךָ; וְאַל תָּבוּז כִּי זָקְנָה אִמֶּךָ.

^כגאֱמֶת קְנֵה וְאַל תִּמְכֹּר; חָכְמָה וּמוּסָר וּבִינָה.

^כדגול (גִּיל) יָגִיל אֲבִי צַדִּיק; יולד (וְיוֹלֵד) חָכָם וישמח (יִשְׂמַח) בּוֹ.

^כהיִשְׂמַח אָבִיךָ וְאִמֶּךָ; וְתָגֵל יוֹלַדְתֶּךָ.

^כותְּנָה בְנִי לִבְּךָ לִי; וְעֵינֶיךָ דְּרָכַי תרצנה (תִּצֹּרְנָה).

^כזכִּי שׁוּחָה עֲמֻקָּה זוֹנָה; וּבְאֵר צָרָה נָכְרִיָּה.

^כחאַף הִיא כְּחֶתֶף תֶּאֱרֹב; וּבוֹגְדִים בְּאָדָם תּוֹסִף.

^כטלְמִי אוֹי לְמִי אֲבוֹי לְמִי מדונים (מִדְיָנִים) לְמִי שִׂיחַ לְמִי פְּצָעִים חִנָּם; לְמִי חַכְלִלוּת עֵינָיִם.

^ללַמְאַחֲרִים עַל הַיָּיִן לַבָּאִים לַחְקֹר מִמְסָךְ.

^לאאַל תֵּרֶא יַיִן כִּי יִתְאַדָּם: כִּי יִתֵּן בכיס (בַּכּוֹס) עֵינוֹ; יִתְהַלֵּךְ בְּמֵישָׁרִים.

^לבאַחֲרִיתוֹ כְּנָחָשׁ יִשָּׁךְ; וּכְצִפְעֹנִי יַפְרִשׁ.

^לגעֵינֶיךָ יִרְאוּ זָרוֹת; וְלִבְּךָ יְדַבֵּר תַּהְפֻּכוֹת.

^לדוְהָיִיתָ כְּשֹׁכֵב בְּלֶב יָם; וּכְשֹׁכֵב בְּרֹאשׁ חִבֵּל.

^לההִכּוּנִי בַל חָלִיתִי הֲלָמוּנִי בַּל יָדָעְתִּי: מָתַי אָקִיץ; אוֹסִיף אֲבַקְשֶׁנּוּ עוֹד.

chapter 22 <

chapter 24 <