< Proverbs 24 >

1 Don't be jealous of evil people; don't long to spend time with them,
Tiga kũiguĩra andũ arĩa aaganu ũiru, na ndũkanerirĩrie thiritũ yao,
2 for they think up cruel plans and discuss how to cause trouble.
nĩgũkorwo ngoro ciao ithugundaga o haaro, na mĩromo yao yaragia ũhoro wa kũrehere andũ thĩĩna.
3 A house is built by wisdom; its foundation is made secure through understanding.
Nyũmba yakagwo na ũũgĩ, naguo ũtaũku nĩguo ũtũmaga ĩĩhaande;
4 Its rooms are filled by knowledge with all kinds of valuable and beautiful objects.
ũmenyo nĩguo ũiyũragia tũnyũmba twayo, ũgatũiyũria na indo cia bata, na ũtonga mwega.
5 If you have wisdom, you are strong; if you have knowledge, your power increases,
Mũndũ mũũgĩ arĩ ũhoti mũnene, na mũndũ ũrĩ ũmenyo nĩakĩragĩrĩria kũgĩa na hinya;
6 for with wise guidance you can go to war; you will be victorious by having many good advisors.
ũgĩthiĩ mbaara-inĩ nĩũbatarĩtio nĩgũtaarwo, na nĩgeetha ũhootane nĩũbatarĩtio nĩ aheani kĩrĩra aingĩ.
7 Wisdom goes over the heads of stupid people; they have nothing to contribute when important matters are discussed.
Ũũgĩ ũrĩ igũrũ mũno, ndũngĩkinyĩrĩka nĩ mũndũ mũkĩĩgu; rĩrĩa kwagomanwo kĩhingo-inĩ, ndangĩona wa kuuga.
8 Anyone who plans to do evil will be seen as a troublemaker.
Mũndũ ũrĩa ũthugundaga ũũru-rĩ, andũ mamwĩtaga mungumania.
9 Plans thought up by stupid people are sinful. Everyone hates those who are scornful of others.
Mathugunda ma ũrimũ nĩ mehia, na mũnyũrũrania nĩ kĩndũ kĩrĩ magigi harĩ andũ.
10 If you give up in times of trouble, it shows how weak you are.
Ũngĩtuĩka wa kũũrwo nĩ hinya hĩndĩ ya thĩĩna, hinya waku kaĩ nĩ mũnini-ĩ!
11 Rescue those who are being led away to be executed; save those who are stumbling on their way to be slaughtered.
Honokia arĩa maratwarĩrĩrio gĩkuũ-inĩ; girĩrĩria arĩa maratũgũũga merekeire gĩthĩnjĩro.
12 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.
Ũngiuga atĩrĩ, “Ũhoro ũcio tũtiraũmenyete,” githĩ ũrĩa ũthimaga ngoro tiwe ũmenyaga? Ũrĩa ũrangagĩra muoyo waku-rĩ, githĩ ndooĩ kana nĩguo? Githĩ ndakaarĩha o mũndũ kũringana na ũrĩa ekĩte?
13 My son, eating honey is good for you; the honeycomb tastes sweet.
Mũrũ wakwa, rĩa ũũkĩ, nĩgũkorwo nĩ mwega; ũũkĩ uumĩte magua-inĩ ũrĩ mũrĩo ũkĩũcama.
14 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.
Ningĩ menya atĩ ũũgĩ ũrĩ mũrĩo harĩ ngoro yaku; ũngĩgĩa naguo, nĩũkagĩa na kĩĩrĩgĩrĩro, na kĩĩrĩgĩrĩro gĩaku gĩtigaathira.
15 Don't be like a criminal waiting to ambush the home of good people; don't attack the place where they live.
Ndũkanoohie mũndũ mũthingu njĩra-inĩ ũtharĩkĩre nyũmba yake ta mũitũ, ndũkanahithũkĩre gĩikaro gĩake;
16 Those who do right may fall down seven times, and still get up again; but the wicked are brought down by disaster.
nĩgũkorwo mũndũ mũthingu o na angĩgũa maita mũgwanja, agũũaga o agĩũkagĩra, no andũ arĩa aaganu marũndagwo nĩ mũtino.
17 Don't celebrate when your enemies fall; don't be glad when they trip up,
Hĩndĩ ĩrĩa thũ yaku yagũa-rĩ, ndũkanamĩkenerere; hĩndĩ ĩrĩa yahĩngwo-rĩ, ndũkareke ngoro yaku ĩkene,
18 otherwise when the Lord sees it, he'll be unhappy with you and won't punish your enemies as he planned.
nĩguo Jehova ndakone ũndũ ũcio arakare, akĩhũndũre marakara make kuuma kũrĩ thũ ĩyo.
19 Don't get all upset over the wicked, or be jealous of those who do wrong,
Ndũkanathĩĩnĩke ngoro nĩ ũndũ wa andũ arĩa ooru, kana wĩrirĩrie kũhaanana na arĩa aaganu,
20 for evil people have no future—the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.
nĩgũkorwo mũndũ ũrĩa mũũru ndarĩ na mwĩhoko wa thuutha-inĩ, na tawa wa ũrĩa mwaganu nĩũkahorio.
21 My son, honor the Lord and the king, and don't join those who are rebellious,
Mũrũ wakwa, wĩtigĩre Jehova na wĩtigĩre mũthamaki, na ndũkagĩe na ngwatanĩro na andũ arĩa aremi,
22 for disaster will suddenly fall on them. Who knows how the Lord and king will punish them?
nĩgũkorwo acio eerĩ no mamũrehithĩrie mwanangĩko wa narua, na nũũ ũngĩmenya nĩ mĩtino ĩrĩkũ mangĩrehe?
23 These are more sayings of the wise: Showing favoritism when passing judgment is wrong.
O na ici no thimo cia andũ arĩa oogĩ: Kwenda mwena ũmwe gũkĩra ũrĩa ũngĩ ciira-inĩ ti ũndũ mwega:
24 Those who tell the guilty, “You're innocent,” will be cursed by the people and hated by the nation,
Ũrĩa wothe wĩraga mũndũ ũrĩa ũrĩ na mahĩtia atĩrĩ, “Wee ndũrĩ na mahĩtia,” kĩrĩndĩ nĩgĩkamũruma, na athũũrwo nĩ ndũrĩrĩ.
25 while those who convict the guilty will be appreciated, and will receive a rich blessing.
No arĩa matuagĩra andũ arĩa aaganu ciira, nĩmakona wega, na magĩe na kĩrathimo kĩega.
26 An honest answer is a kiss on the lips.
Icookio rĩa wĩhokeku nĩ ta kĩmumunyano kĩa mĩromo.
27 Do the work you need to do outside first, then prepare and sow your fields, and only after that start building your house.
Rĩĩkia wĩra wa gũtua mwako na nja, na ũhaarĩrie mĩgũnda yaku; thuutha ũcio cooka wĩakĩre nyũmba.
28 Don't testify against your neighbors without having a good reason, and don't tell lies.
Ndũkanarute ũira ũigĩrĩre mũndũ wa itũũra rĩaku kĩgeenyo, kana ũheenanie na mĩromo yaku.
29 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!”
Ndũkanoige atĩrĩ, “Ngũmwĩka o ta ũrĩa anjĩkĩte; ngwĩrĩhĩria harĩ mũndũ ũcio kũringana na ũrĩa eekire.”
30 I walked past the field of a lazy man, past a vineyard of someone with no sense.
Ndaahĩtũkĩire mũgũnda-inĩ wa kĩgũũta, ngĩhĩtũkĩra mũgũnda-inĩ wa mĩthabibũ wa mũndũ ũtooĩ gũkũũrana maũndũ;
31 It was all overgrown with thorns, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall had fallen down.
na rĩrĩ, mĩigua yamerete kũndũ guothe, na mũgũnda ũkaiyũra riya, naruo rũthingo rwa mahiga rũkamomoka.
32 As I looked I thought about it, and what I saw taught me a lesson:
Nĩndacũũranirie na ngoro yakwa maũndũ macio ndonire, na ngĩĩruta ũndũ kuumana na ũrĩa ndonire:
33 You may say, “Please, just a little more sleep, a little longer snooze, a little more folding of the arms to rest”—
Mũtugo wa gũkoma hanini, gũcooka toro hanini, gũkũnja moko hanini ũhurũke;
34 and poverty will attack you like a robber, destitution like an armed warrior.
naguo ũthĩĩni ũgaagũkorerera ta mũitũ, na wagi ũgũkorerere ta mũndũ wĩohete indo cia mbaara.

< Proverbs 24 >