< Proverbs 20 >

1 Drinking a lot of wine or [other] strong drinks causes people to start fighting; it is foolish to become drunk/intoxicated.
Ko e meʻa manuki ʻae kava, pea ko e meʻa fakatupu lili ʻae kava mālohi: pea ko ia kuo kākaaʻi ʻaki ia ʻoku taʻepoto.
2 Being afraid of a king when he is angry is like [SIM] being afraid of a lion when it growls/roars; if you cause the king to become angry, he may execute you.
Ko e tuputāmaki ʻoe tuʻi ʻoku hangē ko e ngungulu ʻae laione; pea ko ia ʻoku ne fakatupu ʻene houhau ʻoku fai angahala ia ki hono laumālie ʻoʻona.
3 [People] respect those who stay away from disputes/arguments; foolish people [love to] quarrel.
Ko e meʻa ongoongolelei ʻi ha tangata ke ne tuku ʻae kē: ka ʻoku fie kau ai ʻae vale kotoa pē.
4 [If] a lazy man does not plow [his fields at the right/proper time], he will look for [crops] at harvest [time], but there will be nothing there.
‌ʻOku ʻikai ke keli ʻae fakapikopiko koeʻuhi ko e momoko; ko ia te ne faʻa kole ai ʻi he ututaʻu, ka ʻe ʻikai maʻu ha meʻa.
5 [Just] as it is difficult to bring up water from a deep well, it is difficult to know what people are thinking, but someone who has good sense/insight will be able to find out what people are thinking.
‌ʻOku hangē ko e vai loloto ʻae poto ʻi he loto ʻoe tangata; ka ʻe fusi hake ia ʻe he tangata faʻa fakakaukau.
6 Many people proclaim that they can be trusted [to do what they say that they will do], but it is very difficult to find [RHQ] someone who can really be trusted.
‌ʻOku tokolahi ʻae kakai ʻoku taki taha viki ʻi heʻene lelei ʻaʻana: ka ko hai ʻoku ne faʻa ʻilo ki ha tangata angatonu.
7 If parents conduct their lives as they should, [God] blesses their children (OR, their children are very happy/fortunate).
‌ʻOku ʻeveʻeva ʻae tangata angatonu ʻi heʻene māʻoniʻoni: ʻoku monūʻia ʻa ʻene fānau kimui ʻiate ia.
8 A king who sits on his throne to judge people can [easily] [MTY] find out what things that people have done are good and what things are evil.
Ko e tuʻi ʻoku nofo ʻi he nofoʻa ʻoe fakamaau, ʻoku ne fakahēʻi ʻae kovi ʻaki hono fofonga.
9 There is no one [RHQ] who can truthfully say, “I do not know of any wrong things that I have done; I have (gotten rid of all my sinful behavior/quit doing what is sinful).”
Ko hai ʻoku ne faʻa lea ʻo pehē, “Kuo u fakamaʻa hoku loto, ʻoku ou maʻa au mei heʻeku angahala?”
10 Yahweh detests people who use weights that are not right and measures that are not correct.
Ko e faikehekehe ʻi he fakamamafa meʻa, mo e faikehekehe ʻi he fuofua meʻa, ʻoku fakatou fakalielia tatau kia Sihova.
11 Even children show by what they do whether they are good or not; they show whether (what they do/their behavior) is honest and right [or not].
Naʻa mo e tamasiʻi, ʻoku ʻilo ia ʻi heʻene faianga; pe ʻoku maʻa ʻene ngāue, pe ʻoku totonu ia.
12 Two of the things that Yahweh has created [for us] are ears to hear things and eyes to see things.
Kuo fakatou ngaohi ʻe Sihova ʻae telinga ke fanongo mo e mata ke sio ʻaki.
13 If you want to sleep [all the time], you will become poor; if you stay awake [and work], you will have plenty of food.
‌ʻOua naʻa ke manako ki he mohe, telia naʻa ke hoko ʻo masiva ai: ke ʻā pe ho mata, pea ʻe fakamākona koe ʻaki ʻae mā.
14 People [look at things that they are about] to buy, [and in order to get it for a lower price sometimes they] say, “(It is no good/It is poor quality),” but [after they buy it], they go and boast [about having bought it for a cheap price].
‌ʻOku pehē ʻe ia ʻoku fakatau, “Ko e meʻa noa pe ʻena, ko e meʻa noa pe ʻena,” ka ʻoka ʻalu ia ʻi hono hala, ʻoku ne toki polepole.
15 Gold and precious stones are [valuable], but wise words [MTY] are more valuable.
‌ʻOku ai ʻae koula, pea taʻefaʻalaua ʻae ngaahi maka koloa; ka ko e teunga mahuʻinga ʻae loungutu ʻoe poto.
16 If you foolishly promise to a stranger that you will pay what he owes if he is unable to pay it [DOU], [you deserve to] have someone take your coat from you.
Ke toʻo pe ʻae kofu ʻoʻona ʻoku tongia ha taha ʻoku taʻeʻiloʻi: pea ke maʻu mei ai ʻae tuku paʻanga ko e langomekina ʻoe fefine muli.
17 People [may] think that food that they acquire by doing what is dishonest will taste very good, but later [they will not enjoy what they have done any more than they would enjoy] eating gravel/sand.
Ko e mā ʻoku maʻu ʻi he kākā ʻoku ifoifo lelei ki he tangata: ka ʻe toki fakafonu kimui ʻa hono ngutu ʻaki ʻae pata.
18 When people give you good advice, [if you do what they suggest], your plans will succeed; so be sure to get good advice from wise people before you start fighting a war.
‌ʻOku tuʻumaʻu ʻae tuʻutuʻuni kotoa pē ʻi he fakakaukau: pea ka hoko ʻae tau, ke tomuʻa fakakaukau lelei ki ai.
19 Those who go around telling gossip are [always] telling secrets to [others]; so stay away from people who foolishly talk [too much].
Ko ia ʻoku ʻalu fano ko e faʻa fafana ʻoku fakahā ʻe ia ʻae ngaahi tala fufū: ko ia ʻoua naʻa ke kau kiate ia ʻoku faʻa lapu ʻaki hono loungutu.
20 If someone curses his father or his mother, his life will be ended, [just] like a lamp is extinguished.
Ko ia kotoa pē ʻoku kape ki heʻene tamai pe ki heʻene faʻē, ʻe tāmateʻi ke mate ʻa hono maama ʻi he fakapoʻuli ʻoe ʻuliʻuli.
21 If you very quickly take the property that your parents promise will be yours after they die, you will not receive any good/blessing from it.
‌ʻE faʻa maʻu fakavave ha tofiʻa ʻi he kamataʻanga: ka e ʻikai fakamonūʻia ia ʻi hono ikuʻanga.
22 Do not say, “I will do evil to those who do evil to me;” wait for Yahweh [to do something about it], and he will (help you/[do what is right]).
‌ʻOua naʻa ke pehē ʻe koe, “Te u totongi ʻeau ki he kovi;” ka ke tatali pe kia Sihova, pea te ne fakamoʻui koe.
23 Yahweh detests [those who use] dishonest scales and weights that are not accurate/correct.
Ko e faikehekehe ʻi he fakamamafa meʻa, koe fakalielia ia kia Sihova: pea ko e meʻa fakamamafa kākā ʻoku ʻikai lelei ia.
24 Yahweh is the one who has decided what will happen to us, so (how can we (understand/know) what will happen before it happens?/we humans certainly cannot (understand/know) what will happen before it happens.) [RHQ]
‌ʻOku pule pe ʻa Sihova ki he tangata ʻi hono ngaahi ʻaluʻanga: pea ko ia, ʻe faʻa ʻiloʻi fēfē ʻe he tangata ʻa hono hala ʻoʻona?
25 You should think carefully before you solemnly promise to dedicate something to God, because later you might be sorry you have promised to do it.
Ko e kai ʻoe meʻa ʻoku tapu ko e tauhele ia ki he tangata kuo ne fai ia: pea ʻoku pehē foki ʻae fai ʻoe fuakava, kae toki fehuʻi kimui ki hono ʻuhinga.
26 Wise kings find out [MET] which people have done what is wrong, and they punish them very severely [IDM].
‌ʻOku fakamovetevete ʻae angahala ʻe he tuʻi ʻoku poto; ʻo ne taʻomi ʻakinautolu ʻaki ʻae meʻa teka.
27 Our consciences are [like] lamps that Yahweh [has given to us to enable us to know what we are thinking] [MET]; they reveal what is hidden deep in our (minds/inner beings).
Ko e laumālie ʻoe tangata ko e maama ia meia Sihova, ʻoku fakamaama ʻae potu kotoa pē ʻoku ʻi loto ʻiate ia.
28 Kings will continue to rule as long as they faithfully love their people and are loyal to them and as long as they rule righteously/fairly.
‌ʻOku fakamoʻui ʻae tuʻi ʻe he ʻaloʻofa mo e moʻoni: pea ʻoku fokotuʻumaʻu hono nofoʻa ʻi he ʻaloʻofa.
29 We honor/admire young people because they are strong, but we respect [MTY] old people more because they are wise.
Ko e toulekeleka ʻoe kau talavou ʻa honau mālohi: pea ko e meʻa matamatalelei ʻi he kau mātuʻa ko honau ʻuluhinā.
30 When we are beaten or whipped, it [can] cause us to quit doing what is evil in our lives; when someone wounds us [by punishing us], it [can] cause our behavior to become good.
Ko e lavea ʻoku toka ʻuli ko e faitoʻo ia ki he kovi: ʻoku pehē foki hono ʻaonga ʻoe tautea ki he ngaahi potu ʻi loto.

< Proverbs 20 >