< Proverbs 27 >
1 Boast not thyself of to-morrow, for thou knowest not what a day will bring forth.
Usijisifu kwa ajili ya kesho, kwa kuwa hujui ni nini kitakachozaliwa kwa siku moja.
2 Let another praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips.
Mwache mwingine akusifu, wala si kinywa chako mwenyewe; mtu mwingine afanye hivyo na si midomo yako mwenyewe.
3 A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; but a fool's vexation is heavier than them both.
Jiwe ni zito na mchanga ni mzigo, lakini kukasirishwa na mpumbavu ni kuzito kuliko vyote viwili.
4 Fury is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before jealousy?
Hasira ni ukatili na ghadhabu kali ni gharika, lakini ni nani awezaye kusimama mbele ya wivu?
5 Open rebuke is better than hidden love.
Afadhali karipio la wazi kuliko upendo uliofichika.
6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are profuse.
Majeraha kutoka kwa rafiki yaonyesha uaminifu, bali kubusu kwa adui ni kwingi sana.
7 The full soul trampleth on a honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.
Yeye aliyeshiba huchukia kabisa asali, bali kwa mwenye njaa hata kile kilicho kichungu kwake ni kitamu.
8 As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth from his place.
Kama ndege atangatangavyo mbali na kiota chake, ndivyo alivyo mtu atangatangaye mbali na nyumbani mwake.
9 Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart; and the sweetness of one's friend is [the fruit] of hearty counsel.
Manukato na uvumba huleta furaha moyoni, nao uzuri wa rafiki huchipuka kutoka kwenye ushauri wake wa uaminifu.
10 Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; and go not into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity: better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off.
Usimwache rafiki yako wala rafiki wa baba yako, tena usiende nyumbani mwa ndugu yako wakati umepatwa na maafa. Bora jirani wa karibu kuliko ndugu aliye mbali.
11 Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad, that I may have wherewith to answer him that reproacheth me.
Mwanangu, uwe na hekima, nawe ulete furaha moyoni mwangu, ndipo nitakapoweza kumjibu yeyote anitendaye kwa dharau.
12 A prudent [man] seeth the evil, [and] hideth himself; the simple pass on, [and] are punished.
Mtu mwenye busara huona hatari na kujificha, bali mjinga huendelea mbele nayo ikamtesa.
13 Take his garment that is become surety [for] another, and hold him in pledge for a strange woman.
Chukua vazi la yule awekaye dhamana kwa ajili ya mgeni; lishikilie iwe dhamana kama anafanya hivyo kwa ajili ya mwanamke mpotovu.
14 He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it shall be reckoned a curse to him.
Kama mtu akimbariki jirani yake kwa sauti kuu asubuhi na mapema, itahesabiwa kama ni laana.
15 A continual dropping on a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike:
Mke mgomvi ni kama matone yasiyokoma ya siku ya mvua.
16 whosoever will restrain her restraineth the wind, and his right hand encountereth oil.
Kumzuia yeye ni kama kuuzuia upepo au kukamata mafuta kwa kiganja cha mkono.
17 Iron is sharpened by iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
Kama vile chuma kinoavyo chuma, ndivyo mtu amnoavyo mwenzake.
18 Whoso keepeth the fig-tree shall eat the fruit thereof; and he that guardeth his master shall be honoured.
Yeye autunzaye mtini atakula tunda lake, naye amtunzaye bwana wake ataheshimiwa.
19 As [in] water face [answereth] to face, so the heart of man to man.
Kama uso uonekanavyo kwenye maji, ndivyo hivyo moyo wa mtu humwonyesha alivyo.
20 Sheol and destruction are insatiable; so the eyes of man are never satisfied. (Sheol )
Kuzimu na Uharibifu havishibi kadhalika macho ya mwanadamu. (Sheol )
21 The fining-pot is for silver, and the furnace for gold; so let a man be to the mouth that praiseth him.
Kalibu ni kwa ajili ya fedha na tanuru kwa ajili ya dhahabu, bali mtu hupimwa kwa sifa azipokeazo.
22 If thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, yet will not his folly depart from him.
Hata ukimtwanga mpumbavu kwenye kinu, ukimtwanga kama nafaka kwa mchi, hutauondoa upumbavu wake.
23 Be well acquainted with the appearance of thy flocks; look well to thy herds:
Hakikisha kuwa unajua hali ya makundi yako ya kondoo na mbuzi, angalia kwa bidii ngʼombe zako.
24 for wealth is not for ever; and doth the crown [endure] from generation to generation?
Kwa kuwa utajiri haudumu milele, nayo taji haidumu vizazi vyote.
25 The hay is removed, and the tender grass sheweth itself, and herbs of the mountains are gathered in.
Wakati majani makavu yameondolewa na mapya yamechipua, nayo majani toka milimani yamekusanywa,
26 The lambs are for thy clothing, and the goats are the price of a field;
wana-kondoo watakupatia mavazi na mbuzi thamani ya shamba.
27 and there is goats' milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, and sustenance for thy maidens.
Utakuwa na maziwa mengi ya mbuzi kukulisha wewe na jamaa yako, na kuwalisha watumishi wako wa kike.