Proverbs 26

kasheleg baqqayits vekhammatar baqqatsir ken lo-naveh likhsil kavod

Like snow in summer and rain at harvesttime, So honor is not fitting for a dullard.

katsippor lanud kadderor la'uf ken qillat khinnam (l) [lo] tavo

As a sparrow must flit and a swallow fly, So a gratuitous curse must backfire.

shot lassus meteg lakhamor veshevet legev kesilim

A whip for a horse and a bridle for a donkey, And a rod for the back of dullards.

al-ta'an kesil ke'ivvalto pen-tishveh-llo gam-attah

Do not answer a dullard in accord with his folly, Else you will become like him.

aneh khesil ke'ivvalto pen-yihyeh khakham be'enayw

Answer a dullard in accord with his folly, Else he will think himself wise.

meqatseh raglayim khamas shoteh sholeakh devarim beyad-kesil

One who sends a message by a dullard Will wear out legs and must put up with lawlessness.

dalyu shoqayim mippisseakh umashal befi khesilim

As legs hang limp on a cripple, So is a proverb in the mouth of dullards.

kitsror even bemargemah ken-noten likhsil kavod

Like a pebble in a sling, So is paying honor to a dullard.

khoakh alah veyad-shikkor umashal befi khesilim

As a thorn comes to the hand of a drunkard, So a proverb to the mouth of a dullard.

rav mekholel-kol vesokher kesil vesokher overim

A master can produce anything, But anyone who hires a dullard is as one who hires transients.

kekhelev shav al-qe'o kesil shoneh ve'ivvalto

As a dog returns to its vomit, So a dullard repeats his folly.

ra'ita ish khakham be'enayw tiqvah likhsil mimmennu

If you see a man who thinks himself wise, There is more hope for a dullard than for him.

amar atsel shakhal baddarekh ari ben harekhovot

The sluggard says, “There’s a cub on the road, a lion in the squares.”

haddelet tissov al-tsirah ve'atsel al-mittato

The door turns upon the hinge, And the sluggard upon the bed.

taman atsel yado batsallakhat nilah lahashivah el-piv

The sluggard buries a hand in the bowl, And will not even bring it to the mouth.

khakham atsel be'enayw mishivah meshive ta'am

In self-regard, the sluggard is wiser Than seven who give good advice.

makhaziq be'ozne-khalev over mitabber al-riv lo-lo

A passerby who gets embroiled in someone else’s quarrel Is like one who seizes a dog by its ears.

kemitlahleah hayyoreh ziqqim khitsim vamavet

Like a lunatic scattering deadly firebrands, arrows,

ken-ish rimmah et-re'ehu ve'amar halo-mesakheq ani

Is the man who cheats his fellow and says, “I was only joking.”

be'efes etsim tikhbeh-esh uve'en nirgan yishtoq madon

For lack of wood a fire goes out, And without a grumbler contention is stilled.

pekham legekhalim ve'etsim le'esh ve'ish (mdvnym) [midyanim] lekharkhar-riv

Charcoal for embers and wood for a fire And a contentious man for kindling strife.

divre nirgan kemitlahamim vehem yaredu khadre-vaten

The words of a grumbler are bruising; They penetrate one’s inmost parts.

kesef sigim metsuppeh al-khares sefatayim doleqim velev-ra

Base silver laid over earthenware Are ardent lips with an evil mind.

bisfatav yinnakher sone uveqirbo yashit mirmah

An enemy dissembles with his speech, Inwardly he harbors deceit.

ki-yekhannen qolo al-ta'amen-bo ki sheva to'evot belibbo

Though he be fair-spoken do not trust him, For seven abominations are in his mind.

tikkasseh sinah bemasha'on tiggaleh ra'ato veqahal

His hatred may be concealed by dissimulation, But his evil will be exposed to public view.

koreh-shakhat bah yippol vegolel even elayw tashuv

One who digs a pit will fall in it, And a stone will roll back upon the one who is rolling it.

leshon-sheqer yisna dakkayw ufeh khalaq ya'aseh midkheh

A lying tongue hates those crushed by it; Smooth speech throws one down.