Proverbs 11
1 Yahweh detests [people who use] scales that do not weigh correctly; he is delighted with [those who use] correct weights on the scales.
Yehowa tsri nudanu amebatɔ, ke nudakpe si de blibo la nye eƒe dzidzɔ.
2 [People who are] proud will [eventually] be disgraced; it is wise to be humble.
Dada doa ŋgɔ na ŋukpeɖuɖu, ke ɖokuibɔbɔ hea nunya vɛ.
3 [People who are] good are guided by [doing what is] honest; those who are not honest will be ruined because of the wrong things that they do.
Ame dzɔdzɔewo ƒe ta me nyui ɖoɖo kplɔa wo, ke nuteƒemawɔlawo la, woƒe dzi me eve susu tsrɔ̃a wo.
4 [Your] money will not help [you] on the day that [God] judges [and punishes people]; but if you live righteously, you will live a long time.
Kesinɔnu nye nu dzodzro le dzikudogbe, ke dzɔdzɔenyenye ɖea ame tso ku me.
5 When people are honest and good, that will (direct their paths/show them what is right for them to do); but wicked [people will] experience disasters because of the evil things that they do.
Ame maɖifɔwo ƒe dzɔdzɔenyenye taa mɔ dzɔdzɔe ɖe wo ŋgɔ, ke ame vɔ̃ɖiwo ƒe vɔ̃wɔwɔ hea wo ƒua anyi.
6 [God] rescues/protects righteous [people] because they (are honest/do what is right), but those who (are treacherous/cannot be trusted) will be trapped because of their being greedy.
Ame dzɔdzɔewo ƒe nu dzɔdzɔe wɔwɔ ɖea wo, ke didi vlowo zua mɔ ɖea nuteƒemawɔlawo.
7 When wicked [people] die, they cannot confidently expect to receive anything [that is good]; they expect that [their money] will help/save them, but it will not.
Ne ame vɔ̃ɖi ku la, eƒe mɔkpɔkpɔ tsrɔ̃na, nu siwo katã wòle mɔ kpɔm na tso eƒe ŋusẽ me la zua tofloko.
8 [Yahweh] rescues righteous [people] from their troubles/difficulties; instead, it is the wicked who will have troubles.
Woɖea ame dzɔdzɔe tso fu me eye wòvaa ame vɔ̃ɖi la dzi boŋ.
9 Godless people can ruin others by what they say [MTY], but righteous [people will] be saved by [their (own] good sense/being wise).
Mawumavɔ̃la tsɔa eƒe nu gblẽa ehavi domee, ke woɖea ame dzɔdzɔe la to sidzedze me.
10 When things go well for righteous [people], [the people in] [MTY] their city are happy, and they shout joyfully when wicked [people] die.
Ne nu dze edzi na ame dzɔdzɔe la, du blibo kpɔa dzidzɔ, ke ne ame vɔ̃ɖi tsrɔ̃ la, wodoa dzidzɔɣli.
11 When righteous [people request God to] bless a city, that city will become great, but cities are ruined by what wicked [people] say [MTY].
To dzɔdzɔetɔ ƒe yayra dzi wodoa du ɖe dzi, ke wotsrɔ̃nɛ to ame vɔ̃ɖi ƒe nu dzi.
12 It is foolish to despise others; those who (have good sense/are wise) do not say anything [to criticize others].
Ame manyanu doa vlo ehavi, ke ŋutsu nugɔmesela léa eƒe aɖe.
13 Those who (spread gossip/tell bad things about others) will tell your secrets [to others], but if there is someone whom you can trust, you can trust him to not tell your secrets [to others].
Amenyagblɔla ʋua go nya ɣaɣla, ke ame ɖɔʋu ɣlaa nya.
14 A nation will be destroyed/ruined if it does not have [leaders] who guide it [wisely]; but if there are many [good] advisors, the nation remains secure.
Dukɔ aɖe dzea anyi, ne mɔfiala meli o, ke dziɖuɖu vana to aɖaŋuɖola geɖewo dzi.
15 If you promise a stranger that you will pay his debt [if he cannot pay it himself], you will regret it. You will be safe if you refuse to guarantee that you will pay someone else’s debts.
Ame si de megbe na ame bubu la akpe fu, ke ame si gbe akpesisi abe ŋugbedodo ƒe dzesi ene la anɔ dedie.
16 [People] honor/respect women who are kind/gracious; ruthless/violent people may get a lot of money, [but that is all that they will get].
Wodea bubu nyɔnu dɔmenyotɔ ŋu, ke ŋutsu ŋutasẽlawo ƒe asi sua kesinɔnu ko dzi.
17 Those who are kind benefit themselves [because others will be kind to them], but those who are cruel will hurt themselves [because others will be cruel to them].
Ŋuistu dɔmenyotɔ wɔa nyui na eɖokui, gake ŋutsu ŋutasẽla hea hiã vaa eɖokui dzii.
18 If wicked people earn a lot of money, that will deceive them [because they will not keep it for very long], but those who do what is right will surely be rewarded [by God forever].
Woxea fetu si me beble le la na ame vɔ̃ɖi, ke ame si ƒã dzɔdzɔenyenye ƒe ku la axa nu geɖe.
19 Those who always do what is right will live [a long/happy life], but those who insist on doing what is wrong will not live [very long].
Ame si nye dzɔdzɔetɔ vavã la, akpɔ agbe, ke ame si ti nu vɔ̃ɖi yome la yia eƒe ku me.
20 Yahweh hates those who are always thinking about doing evil things, but he is delighted with those who always do what is right.
Yehowa tsri ame siwo ƒe dzi daa alakpa, ke ame siwo fɔɖiɖi mele woƒe mɔwo ŋu o la ƒe nu nyoa eŋu.
21 It is certain that [Yahweh] will punish evil people and that righteous people will escape [from being punished].
Maka ɖe esia dzi na mi be, womagbe tohehe na ame vɔ̃ɖi la o, ke woana ablɔɖe ame dzɔdzɔewo.
22 [It is] ([unsuitable/not proper/disgusting]) for a beautiful woman not to know what is right to do, like [SIM] [it is unsuitable/disgusting] for a pig to have a gold ring in its snout/nose.
Abe ale si sikaŋɔtigɛ nɔa ha ƒe ŋɔtimee ene la, nenema kee nye nyɔnu dzetugbe si meɖoa ŋu ɖo o.
23 When the things that righteous people want happen, it brings good [to them and to others], but when the wicked get what they want, it causes everyone else to become angry.
Ame dzɔdzɔewo ƒe didiwo vaa eme na wo nyuie, ke ame vɔ̃ɖiwo ƒe mɔkpɔkpɔ wua nu le dziku me.
24 Some people give [their money] generously [to poor people], but they become richer [in spite of that], and some people hold tightly to their money, but they still become poor [in spite of that].
Ame ɖeka naa nu faa gake egakpɔa geɖe ɖe edzi, ame bubu vea nu le nu si wòle be wòana la ŋu gake ahe ko wòdana.
25 Those who give generously [to others] will prosper; if you help others, [they/someone] will help you, too.
Nu adze dzi na ame si na nu faa, ame si na amewo ƒe dzi dze eme la, woana eya ŋutɔ hã ƒe dzi nadze eme.
26 People curse/despise someone who hoards his grain [and does not sell it], waiting to get a higher/bigger price for it, but they praise someone who sells it [when people need it, even when the price is not high].
Ame si tsɔ bli ɣla la amewo aƒo fi adee gake yayra ava ame si lɔ̃ be yeadzra etɔ la dzi.
27 If you sincerely want to [do what is] right, [people] will respect you, but if you are wanting to cause trouble, trouble is what you will get.
Ame si ti nyui yome la, amewo adi nyui nɛ gake vɔ̃ vana na ame si le vɔ̃ dim.
28 Those who trust in their money will [disappear like the] withered [leaves that fall from the trees], but righteous [people] will keep going strong, like green leaves [in the summer].
Ame si tsɔ eƒe mɔkpɔkpɔ da ɖe eƒe kesinɔnuwo dzi la adze anyi gake ame dzɔdzɔe awɔ mlɔmlɔmlɔ abe gbe dama ene.
29 Those who bring troubles to their families will inherit nothing [MET] [from them], and those who do foolish things [like that] will [some day] become the servants of wise [people].
Ame si he dzɔgbevɔ̃e va eƒe ƒome dzi la, ya anye eƒe domenyinu eye bometsila anye subɔla na nunyala.
30 Those who live righteously will live [for a long time], but [those who act] violently will destroy [their own] lives (OR, those who are wise will have many people come and live with them).
Ame dzɔdzɔe ƒe kutsetse nye agbeti, eye ame si ɖea luʋɔwo la, nunyalae.
31 [Sometimes] righteous [people] are rewarded [here] on the earth, but it is much more certain that very wicked people [DOU] [will be rewarded by being punished].
Ne ame dzɔdzɔewo xɔ wo tɔ gome le anyigba dzi la, ekema aleke wòahanɔ na mawumavɔ̃lawo kple nu vɔ̃ wɔlawo!
