Ngeche 24
1 Kik nyiego maki gi joricho bende kik iyie chunyi gomb bedo e chokruok margi;
Don't be jealous of evil people; don't long to spend time with them,
2 nimar chunjegi chano timo mamono to dhogi wacho mana gik makelo chandruok.
for they think up cruel plans and discuss how to cause trouble.
3 Rieko ema igerogo ot, to kuom winjo ogurore mosiko;
A house is built by wisdom; its foundation is made secure through understanding.
4 kuom ngʼeyo, utene maiye ipongʼo gi gik moko ma ok yudo yot kod mwandu mabeyo.
Its rooms are filled by knowledge with all kinds of valuable and beautiful objects.
5 Ngʼat mariek nigi teko maduongʼ; to ngʼat man-gi ngʼeyo medo teko;
If you have wisdom, you are strong; if you have knowledge, your power increases,
6 nimar dhiyo e lweny dwaro ni ongʼadni rieko, to bedo gi loch dwaro jongʼad rieko mangʼeny.
for with wise guidance you can go to war; you will be victorious by having many good advisors.
7 Rieko bor moyombo ngʼat mofuwo; e kar bura mar alap oonge gi gima onyalo wacho.
Wisdom goes over the heads of stupid people; they have nothing to contribute when important matters are discussed.
8 Ngʼat machano gima rach biro ngʼere kaka ja-andhoga.
Anyone who plans to do evil will be seen as a troublemaker.
9 Andhoga mar fuwo en richo, to ji mon kod ja-jar ji.
Plans thought up by stupid people are sinful. Everyone hates those who are scornful of others.
10 Ka tekri orumo mipodho e kinde mar lweny, to mano kaka tekri tin!
If you give up in times of trouble, it shows how weak you are.
11 Res jogo mitero kar tho; mak jogo mawuotho ka tangni dhiyo kar yengʼo.
Rescue those who are being led away to be executed; save those who are stumbling on their way to be slaughtered.
12 Ka iwacho niya, “Ne ok wangʼeyo gimoro kuom wachni,” donge ngʼatno mapimo chuny dhano ongʼeyo wachno? Donge ngʼat morito kendo ngʼiyo ngimani ongʼeyogo? To donge obiro chulo ngʼato ka ngʼato mowinjore gi timbene?
If you say, “Look, we didn't know anything about this,” don't you think the God who judges your motives will see what's happening? He who watches over you knows, and he will pay people back for what they've done.
13 Wuoda, cham mor kich, nimar ober; mor kich moa e pedni mar kich nigi ndhandhu mamit.
My son, eating honey is good for you; the honeycomb tastes sweet.
14 Ngʼe bende ne rieko mit ni chunyi; ka iyude, nitie geno mar ndalo mabiro kuomi, to genoni ok nongʼad oko.
In the same way, you should know that wisdom is good for you; if you find it, there will be a future for you, and your hope will not be crushed.
15 Kik ibut ka ngʼat marach mondo iketh od ngʼat makare, kik iyak dalane,
Don't be like a criminal waiting to ambush the home of good people; don't attack the place where they live.
16 kata bedni ngʼat makare ogore piny nyadibiriyo, pod obiro chungo kendo; to joricho igoyo piny gi masira.
Those who do right may fall down seven times, and still get up again; but the wicked are brought down by disaster.
17 Kik ibed mamor gi masiche mag jasiki, ka ochwanyore, kik iyie chunyi bed mamor;
Don't celebrate when your enemies fall; don't be glad when they trip up,
18 nimar Jehova Nyasaye biro neno kendo golo mirimbe oko kuome.
otherwise when the Lord sees it, he'll be unhappy with you and won't punish your enemies as he planned.
19 Kik ibed maluor nikech joricho kata kik nyiego maki kod joma timbegi richo,
Don't get all upset over the wicked, or be jealous of those who do wrong,
20 nimar jaricho onge gi geno mar ndalo mabiro, kendo taya mar ngʼat marach ibiro nego.
for evil people have no future—the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.
21 Wuoda, luor Jehova Nyasaye kod ruoth morito piny, kendo kik iriwri gi joma kwede,
My son, honor the Lord and the king, and don't join those who are rebellious,
22 nimar ji ariyogo biro kelonegi chandruok apoya nono, to en ngʼa ma dingʼe ni en chandruok manade ma ginyalo kelo?
for disaster will suddenly fall on them. Who knows how the Lord and king will punish them?
23 Magi bende gin weche mag jomariek: Luoro wangʼ kuom ngʼado bura ok ber:
These are more sayings of the wise: Showing favoritism when passing judgment is wrong.
24 Ngʼatno mowachone jaketho niya, “In kare ionge ketho” ji biro kwongʼe to piny kwede.
Those who tell the guilty, “You're innocent,” will be cursed by the people and hated by the nation,
25 To nobed maber gi jogo makumo joma oketho, kendo gweth mogundho nobed kodgi.
while those who convict the guilty will be appreciated, and will receive a rich blessing.
26 Dwoko maratiro nyiso ni mano osiepni mar adier.
An honest answer is a kiss on the lips.
27 Tiek tijeni ma oko kendo ik puothegi; bangʼ mano, eka iger odi.
Do the work you need to do outside first, then prepare and sow your fields, and only after that start building your house.
28 Kik ibed janeno e wach jabuti kaonge gima omiyo, kata tiyo gi dhogi mondo iriambi.
Don't testify against your neighbors without having a good reason, and don't tell lies.
29 Kik iwach niya, “Abiro timone mana kaka osetimona; abiro chulo ngʼatno mana kaka notimona.”
Don't say to yourself, “I'm going to do to him what he did to me! I'll pay him back for what he's done!”
30 Nakadho but puoth jasamuoyo, kakadho but puoth olemb mzabibu mar ngʼat maonge gi rieko;
I walked past the field of a lazy man, past a vineyard of someone with no sense.
31 kudho notwi kuonde duto, puodho duto noim gi buya, to ohinga mar kidi nomukore.
It was all overgrown with thorns, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall had fallen down.
32 Naketo chunya nono gino mane aneno to napuonjora kuom gino mane aneno.
As I looked I thought about it, and what I saw taught me a lesson:
33 Nindo matin, ayula wangʼ matin, kwakruok matin kiyweyo,
You may say, “Please, just a little more sleep, a little longer snooze, a little more folding of the arms to rest”—
34 to dhier biro monji ka janjore kendo chan ka jalweny momanore.
and poverty will attack you like a robber, destitution like an armed warrior.
