Proverbs 24
1 Do not envy evil people; do not desire to associate with them,
Mma wʼani mmere amumɔyɛfo, mfa wo ho mmɔ wɔn;
2 because they are [constantly] thinking about acting violently, and whenever they speak [MTY], they talk about (causing trouble/hurting someone).
Efisɛ wɔn koma dwene atirimɔdensɛm ho, na wɔn ano ka nea ɛde basabasayɛ ba ho asɛm.
3 People make good houses (OR, families) by doing what is wise, and they make their houses (OR, families) strong by [heeding] good advice.
Wɔde nyansa na esi fi, na nhumu mu na wɔma etim;
4 By using good sense, [they are able to buy] valuable and beautiful things and put them in the rooms of their houses.
ɛnam nimdeɛ so na wonya ademude a ɛho yɛ na na ɛyɛ fɛ hyehyɛ nʼadan mu.
5 Being wise is better than being strong/powerful; those who know [many things can accomplish more] than those who are [very] strong.
Onyansafo wɔ tumi a ɛso, na onimdefo nyin ahoɔden mu;
6 Leaders can fight battles if they have wise advisors, and they win those battles if they have many good advisors.
nea ɔretu sa hia akwankyerɛ, nea ɔrehwehwɛ nkonimdi no hia afotufo pii.
7 Foolish people cannot understand wise sayings/talk; at public meetings they are not [able to] say anything [that is useful].
Nyansa wɔ soro dodo ma ɔkwasea; wɔ apon ano aguabɔ mu no, ɛnsɛ sɛ wobue wɔn ano.
8 Those who are [always] planning to do evil things will be called troublemakers.
Onipa a ɔbɔ pɔw bɔne no, wɔbɛfrɛ no ɔkɔtwebrɛfo.
9 It is sinful to plan to do foolish things, and people hate those who make fun of [everything that is good].
Ogyimifo nhyehyɛe yɛ bɔne, nnipa kyi ɔfɛwdifo.
10 If you [act as though] you are helpless when you have troubles, you are [truly very] weak.
Sɛ wʼaba mu gow wɔ ɔhaw mu a, na wʼahoɔden sua!
11 [If it is unjustly decided] that someone must be executed, [try hard to] rescue them [DOU].
Gye wɔn a wɔde wɔn rekɔ akokum wɔn no nkwa; na sianka wɔn a wɔtɔ ntintan kɔ akumii.
12 If you say, “I did not know anything about it, [so (it is not my concern/I did not try to help him)],” remember that God knows what we have done, and he knows what we were thinking [IDM, RHQ], and he will certainly [RHQ] repay us as we deserve for what we have done or for not doing what we should have done.
Sɛ woka se, “Na yennim eyi ho hwee a,” nea ɔkari koma hwɛ no nhu ana? Nea ɔbɔ wo nkwa ho ban no nnim ana? Ɔrentua nea obiara ayɛ so ka ana?
13 My child/son, eat honey, because it is good [for you]; the honey that drips from honeycombs tastes [very] sweet.
Me ba, di ɛwo, efisɛ eye; ɛwokyɛm mu wo yɛ wʼanom dɛ.
14 Similarly, being wise is good for your soul; if you become wise, you will be [happy in] the future, and [God] will certainly [do for you what you are] confidently expecting him to do [LIT].
Hu nso sɛ nyansa yɛ wo kra dɛ; sɛ wunya a, wowɔ anidaso ma daakye, na wʼanidaso renyɛ ɔkwa.
15 Do not be like wicked people who [hide and] wait to break into the houses of righteous/good [people] and rob/steal things.
Nkɔtɛw ɔtreneeni fi sɛ ɔkwanmukafo, na nkɔtow nhyɛ nʼatenae so,
16 [Even if] good people fall down seven/many times, they [always] stand/get up again, but when a disaster happens to wicked [people], it ruins/destroys them.
Ɛwɔ mu sɛ ɔtreneeni hwe ase mpɛn ason de, nanso ɔsɔre bio, na amumɔyɛfo de amanehunu baako ma wɔhwe ase.
17 Do not be happy when something bad happens to one of your enemies; do not rejoice when he stumbles and falls,
Sɛ wo tamfo hwe ase a mma ɛnyɛ wo dɛ; na sɛ ohintiw a mma wo koma nni ahurusi,
18 because Yahweh will know what you are thinking, and he will not like it, and [as a result] he will not punish that enemy of yours.
efisɛ Awurade behu wʼadwene na ɔrempɛ na obeyi nʼabufuwhyew afi no so.
19 Do not become angry/upset about those who do what is evil, and do not [SYN] envy them,
Nhaw wo ho wɔ abɔnefo nti, na mma wʼani mmere amumɔyɛfo nso,
20 because [nothing good] will happen to wicked people; they are [like] a lamp that will soon be extinguished [MET].
efisɛ, ɔbɔnefo nni anidaso biara daakye, na wobedum amumɔyɛfo kanea.
21 My child/son, revere Yahweh and [also] honor the king, and do not associate with people who want to rebel against either of them,
Me ba, suro Awurade ne ɔhene, na mfa wo ho mmɔ atuatewfo ho,
22 because those people will suddenly experience disasters; and no one knows [RHQ] what great disasters that God or the king can cause to happen to them.
efisɛ saa baanu yi de, ɔsɛe bɛba wɔn so mpofirim; na hena na onim amanehunu ko a wobetumi de aba?
23 Here are more things that wise [people] have said: It is wrong for judges to decide matters unfairly [IDM].
Eyinom nso yɛ anyansafo Nsɛnka: Atemmu a nhwɛanim wɔ mu no nye:
24 If they say to people who are guilty, “You (are innocent/have not done something that is wrong),” [even] people in other nations will curse and despise them,
Obiara a ɔbɛka akyerɛ nea odi fɔ se, “Wo ho nni asɛm” no, nnipa bɛdome no na amanaman remmɔ no din pa.
25 but if judges say that guilty people must be punished, things will go well for those judges, and (they will receive blessings/God will bless them).
Na wɔn a wobu afɔdifo fɔ no, ebesi wɔn yiye, na nhyira bɛba wɔn so.
26 Those who answer others honestly show that they are truly their friends [IDM].
Mmuae pa te sɛ mfewano.
27 First, do the work [that needs to be done] outside [your house], and prepare your fields, [and then plant things], and after you finish doing that, build your house.
Wie wo mfikyidwuma na siesie wo mfuw; ɛno akyi, si wo fi.
28 [In the courtroom] do not testify against someone when you have no reason to do that, and do not [try to] deceive [people] by what you say [MTY].
Nni adanse ntia ɔyɔnko a ɔnyɛɛ wo hwee, na mfa wʼano nnaadaa.
29 Do not say, “I will do to him what he did to me; I will pay him back for [the bad things that] he did to me.”
Nka se, “Nea wayɛ me no me nso mɛyɛ no bi; nea ɔyɛe no mitua no so ka.”
30 One day I walked by the vineyards of a lazy man, a man who did not have good sense.
Menantew faa onihawfo afuw ho, twaa mu wɔ nea onni adwene bobeturo nso ho;
31 I was surprised to see that the fields were full of all kinds of thorny bushes, and the stone wall [around the garden] had (collapsed/fallen down).
nsɔe afuw wɔ baabiara, wura afuw akata asase no so, na abo afasu no nso abubu.
32 When I saw that, I thought about it, and I learned this:
Mede me koma kɔɔ nea mihuu no so na misuaa biribi fii mu:
33 [If you spend a lot of time] sleeping and napping and folding your hands while you rest,
nna kakra, nkotɔ kakra, nsa a woabobɔw de rehome kakra
34 [soon] you will become poor; [it will be as though] [PRS, SIM] a bandit who had a weapon in his hand [attacked you and stole all that you had].
bɛma ohia aba wo so sɛ ɔkwanmukafo, na nneɛma ho nna bɛba wo so sɛ obi a okura akode. Na ohia bɛtow akyere wo sɛ ɔkwanmukafo; ahokyere bɛtoa wo sɛ ɔkorɔmfowerɛmfo.
