Ngeche 17
1 Ber bangʼo kuon gi kwe kod mor moloyo ot mopongʼ gi chiemo mathoth kod dhawo.
It is better [to eat] a dry piece [of bread] and not have strife/quarrels than to have a big feast in a house where [everyone] is quarreling.
2 Misumba mariek biro bedo gi loch kuom wuowi makwodo wich, kendo obiro yudo pok mar girkeni machal mana gi owetene.
A slave who acts wisely will [some day] be the boss of his master’s disgraceful son and when his master dies, the slave will receive part of his master’s possessions.
3 Dhahabu gi fedha itemo gi mach, to Jehova Nyasaye ema temo chuny.
[Workers put] silver and gold in a very hot furnace [to burn out what is impure], and Yahweh [similarly] examines people’s inner beings [to see if they are pure].
4 Ngʼat ma timbene richo chiko ite ne dhok mopongʼ gi richo, ja-miriambo winjo lep mar ajara.
Those who do what is evil pay attention to people who say [MTY] what is evil, and liars pay attention to [other people’s] lies.
5 Ngʼat ma jaro jochan ochayo Jachwechgi; ngʼat mamor gi masira ok notony ne kum.
Those who make fun of poor [people] insult God, the one who made the poor [people], [and] those who are happy when [someone else has] troubles will certainly be punished [LIT] [by God].
6 Nyikwayo gin osimbo ne joma oti, to jonywol e mor mar nyithindgi.
Old [people] are [usually] proud of [MET] their grandchildren, [just like] children are [usually] proud of their parents.
7 Lep mar sunga ok owinjore ne ngʼama ofuwo, to en rach maromo nadi lep mariambo ne jaloch!
Fine/Eloquent speech is not suitable for foolish people to say, just like lies are not suitable for rulers [to say].
8 Asoya en bilo ne ngʼat machiwe, kamoro amora modhiye, odhi maber.
People think that a bribe is like a magic stone [to persuade someone to do what they want him to do]; they think that because of the bribe, that person will do whatever they want him to do.
9 Ngʼat ma umo ketho mewo hera, to ngʼat mamedo timo gima kamano pogo osiepe moherore.
If you want people to like/love you, forgive them for the wrong things that they do to you. If you continue to remind them about those wrong things, they will no longer be your friends.
10 Puonj mar kwer konyo ngʼat mariek, moloyo chwat nyadi mia ni ngʼat mofuwo.
Rebuking people who have good sense will accomplish more for them than hitting them 100 times [with a stick].
11 Ngʼat ma jaricho ohero mana miero, jaote makwiny ema ibiro orone.
[Because] wicked people are always trying to cause trouble, someone will be sent to severely punish them.
12 Ber romo gi ondiek madhako moma nyithinde, moloyo romo gi ngʼat mofuwo ei fupe.
A mother bear whose cubs have been taken away from her is dangerous, but it is more dangerous to confront a foolish person who is doing something foolish.
13 Ka ngʼato chulo rach kar ber, rach ok nowe ode.
If someone does something evil in return for something good being done to him, evil/trouble will never leave that person’s family.
14 Chako dhawo chalo gimuko yawo, emomiyo we wach kapok dhawo owuok.
Starting a quarrel is like allowing water to start to leak out of a dam; they both need to be stopped before they get worse.
15 Jehova Nyasaye mon-gi ngʼama chwako jaketho kata kumo ngʼat maonge ketho.
There are two things that Yahweh hates: (Condemning innocent [people]/Saying that people who have done nothing wrong must be punished), and declaring that people who have done wicked things should not be punished.
16 Ere tiende mondo ngʼat mofuwo obed gi pesa nimar oonge gi dwaro mar bedo mariek?
It is useless to allow foolish people [RHQ] to try to become wise by paying for it, because they do not have enough good sense to become wise.
17 En adier ni osiepni nyalo heri kinde duto, to owadu ema konyi e chandruok.
Friends love [others] all the time, and relatives are able to help us when we have troubles.
18 Ngʼat maonge gi rieko ema keto gir singo ne jabute.
[If someone borrows money from another person], it is foolish for you to promise [IDM] that you will pay the money back if that other person is unable to pay back the money that he borrowed.
19 Ngʼat mohero dhawo ohero richo; ngʼat mogero ohinga mabor kelo mana hinyruok.
Those who like to sin [also] like to cause strife/trouble; [and] those who build fancy doors in their houses [to show that they are very wealthy] (OR, speak proudly) are inviting disaster.
20 Ngʼat man-gi chuny marach ok nyal dhi maber; ngʼat ma lewe riambo podho e chandruok.
Those who (have perverse minds/are always thinking about doing evil things) will not prosper, and disasters will happen to those who always tell lies.
21 Bedo gi ngʼat mofuwo kaka wuowi kelo kuyo; onge mor ni wuoro ma wuon ngʼat mofuwo.
Children who are foolish [soon] cause their parents to be very sad; their parents will not be joyful at all.
22 Chuny mamor en yath maber, to chuny mool tuoyo choke.
Being cheerful is [like swallowing] good medicine; being discouraged/gloomy [all the time will] (drain away your energy/cause you to become weak) [MTY].
23 Ngʼat ma timbene richo yie asoya kama opondo mondo oketh gima kare.
Wicked people/judges accept bribes that are given to them secretly, and as a result they do not decide matters justly/fairly.
24 Ngʼat mariek keto rieko mondo otel, to wenge ngʼat mofuwo bayo nyaka giko piny.
Those who have good sense determine to do what is wise, but foolish people are always thinking about many different things [and never decide what they should do].
25 Wuowi mofuwo kelo kuyo ni wuon mare kod chuny lit ne ngʼat mane onywole.
Children who are foolish cause their father to be sad and [also] cause their mother to be very sorrowful.
26 Ok en gima ber kumo ngʼat maonge ketho kata goyo joote nikech dimbruokgi.
It is not right to force someone who has done nothing wrong to pay a fine; it is wrong to punish good/respected people.
27 Ngʼat man-gi ngʼeyo konyore gi weche kotangʼ; to ngʼat man-gi winjo wach to ritore maber.
Those who have good sense do not talk a lot, and those who (control their tempers/keep themselves from becoming very angry) are [truly] wise.
28 Kata ngʼat mofuwo ikwano ka ngʼat mariek ka olingʼ thi; kendo ka ngʼat mongʼeyo ka orito lewe.
People [may] think that foolish people who do not say anything are wise; if foolish people (do not say anything/keep their mouths shut), others will think that they are [very] intelligent.
