Ngeche 17
1 Ber bangʼo kuon gi kwe kod mor moloyo ot mopongʼ gi chiemo mathoth kod dhawo.
Better a dry morsel in quietness than a house full of feasting with strife.
2 Misumba mariek biro bedo gi loch kuom wuowi makwodo wich, kendo obiro yudo pok mar girkeni machal mana gi owetene.
A wise servant will rule over a disgraceful son and share his inheritance as one of the brothers.
3 Dhahabu gi fedha itemo gi mach, to Jehova Nyasaye ema temo chuny.
A crucible for silver and a furnace for gold, but the LORD is the tester of hearts.
4 Ngʼat ma timbene richo chiko ite ne dhok mopongʼ gi richo, ja-miriambo winjo lep mar ajara.
A wicked man listens to evil lips; a liar gives ear to a destructive tongue.
5 Ngʼat ma jaro jochan ochayo Jachwechgi; ngʼat mamor gi masira ok notony ne kum.
He who mocks the poor insults their Maker; whoever gloats over calamity will not go unpunished.
6 Nyikwayo gin osimbo ne joma oti, to jonywol e mor mar nyithindgi.
Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of a son is his father.
7 Lep mar sunga ok owinjore ne ngʼama ofuwo, to en rach maromo nadi lep mariambo ne jaloch!
Eloquent words are unfit for a fool; how much worse are lying lips to a ruler!
8 Asoya en bilo ne ngʼat machiwe, kamoro amora modhiye, odhi maber.
A bribe is a charm to its giver; wherever he turns, he succeeds.
9 Ngʼat ma umo ketho mewo hera, to ngʼat mamedo timo gima kamano pogo osiepe moherore.
Whoever conceals an offense promotes love, but he who brings it up separates friends.
10 Puonj mar kwer konyo ngʼat mariek, moloyo chwat nyadi mia ni ngʼat mofuwo.
A rebuke cuts into a man of discernment deeper than a hundred lashes cut into a fool.
11 Ngʼat ma jaricho ohero mana miero, jaote makwiny ema ibiro orone.
An evil man seeks only rebellion; a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
12 Ber romo gi ondiek madhako moma nyithinde, moloyo romo gi ngʼat mofuwo ei fupe.
It is better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than a fool in his folly.
13 Ka ngʼato chulo rach kar ber, rach ok nowe ode.
If anyone returns evil for good, evil will never leave his house.
14 Chako dhawo chalo gimuko yawo, emomiyo we wach kapok dhawo owuok.
To start a quarrel is to release a flood; so abandon the dispute before it breaks out.
15 Jehova Nyasaye mon-gi ngʼama chwako jaketho kata kumo ngʼat maonge ketho.
Acquitting the guilty and condemning the righteous— both are detestable to the LORD.
16 Ere tiende mondo ngʼat mofuwo obed gi pesa nimar oonge gi dwaro mar bedo mariek?
Why should the fool have money in his hand with no intention of buying wisdom?
17 En adier ni osiepni nyalo heri kinde duto, to owadu ema konyi e chandruok.
A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
18 Ngʼat maonge gi rieko ema keto gir singo ne jabute.
A man lacking judgment strikes hands in pledge and puts up security for his neighbor.
19 Ngʼat mohero dhawo ohero richo; ngʼat mogero ohinga mabor kelo mana hinyruok.
He who loves transgression loves strife; he who builds his gate high invites destruction.
20 Ngʼat man-gi chuny marach ok nyal dhi maber; ngʼat ma lewe riambo podho e chandruok.
The one with a perverse heart finds no good, and he whose tongue is deceitful falls into trouble.
21 Bedo gi ngʼat mofuwo kaka wuowi kelo kuyo; onge mor ni wuoro ma wuon ngʼat mofuwo.
A man fathers a fool to his own grief; the father of a fool has no joy.
22 Chuny mamor en yath maber, to chuny mool tuoyo choke.
A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.
23 Ngʼat ma timbene richo yie asoya kama opondo mondo oketh gima kare.
A wicked man takes a covert bribe to subvert the course of justice.
24 Ngʼat mariek keto rieko mondo otel, to wenge ngʼat mofuwo bayo nyaka giko piny.
Wisdom is the focus of the discerning, but the eyes of a fool wander to the ends of the earth.
25 Wuowi mofuwo kelo kuyo ni wuon mare kod chuny lit ne ngʼat mane onywole.
A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to her who bore him.
26 Ok en gima ber kumo ngʼat maonge ketho kata goyo joote nikech dimbruokgi.
It is surely not good to punish the innocent or to flog a noble for his honesty.
27 Ngʼat man-gi ngʼeyo konyore gi weche kotangʼ; to ngʼat man-gi winjo wach to ritore maber.
A man of knowledge restrains his words, and a man of understanding maintains a calm spirit.
28 Kata ngʼat mofuwo ikwano ka ngʼat mariek ka olingʼ thi; kendo ka ngʼat mongʼeyo ka orito lewe.
Even a fool is considered wise if he keeps silent, and discerning when he holds his tongue.
