Proverbs 6
1 My son, if someone has borrowed money from a friend or a stranger, and if you have promised that you will pay the money back if that person is unable to pay back the money he borrowed,
Ndodana yami, nxa wenzele umakhelwane wakho isibambiso, nxa libambene izandla ukuba uzamhlawulela imilandu yakhe,
2 you may be trapped by what you have agreed to do, [because if the one who borrowed the money is not able to pay it back, you will have to pay it]. What you have said that you will do will be like a snare to you.
aluba usuzihilele ngalokho okutshiloyo, wazibambisa ngamazwi omlomo wakho,
3 So, my son, I will tell you what you should do to escape from your difficulty, so that the moneylender does not get control over your [wealth: ] Humbly go to your friend and plead with him [to cancel the agreement]!
lapho-ke yenza lokhu, ndodana yami, ukuzikhulula, njengoba usuwele ezandleni zakhe umakhelwane wakho: Hamba ufike uzehlise; mncengancenge umakhelwane wakho!
4 Do not wait until tomorrow; [go immediately]! Do not rest until you [go and talk with him].
Ungabuvumeli ubuthongo emehlweni akho, ungavumeli ukuwozela enkopheni zakho.
5 Save yourself, like a deer that escapes from a deer hunter [or] like a bird that flees from a bird hunter.
Zikhulule njengempala ezandleni zomzingeli, njengenyoni esifini somthiyi.
6 You lazy individual, learn something from [watching] the ants. Become wise from observing what they do.
Khangela ubunyonyo, wena vila; hlolisisa ukwenza kwabo uhlakaniphe!
7 They do not have a king or a governor or any [other] person who rules them [and forces them to work],
Kabulamphathi, kabula mkhangeli loba umbusi,
8 [but] they work hard [all] during the summer, gathering and storing food to eat during the winter.
kodwa buyaqoqa umphako wabo ehlobo bubuthe ukudla kwabo nxa kuvunwa.
9 [But], you lazy loafer, how long will you [continue to] sleep [RHQ]? Are you never going to get up from sleeping [and go to work]?
Uzalala khonapho kuze kube nini, vila ndini? Uzavuka nini ebuthongweni bakho?
10 You sleep a for a little time; [you say, “I will take] just a short nap.” You lie down and fold/lay your hands [across your chest] and rest;
Ukulala okuncane, ukuwozela okuncane, ukugoqa izandla kancane uphumula,
11 and suddenly you will become poor. It will be as though a bandit suddenly comes and takes all that you have.
ubuyanga buzafika kuwe njengesela lokuswela njengesigebenga.
12 [I will describe for you what] worthless and evil people [are like]. They constantly lie;
Isigangi lesixhwali esihamba sikhuluma amanyala,
13 by winking their eyes and moving their feet and making signs with their fingers, they signal [to their friends what they are intending/planning to do].
esiqhweba ngelihlo sitshengise ngezinyawo zaso njalo sitshengise ngeminwe yaso,
14 They plan to do evil things. They constantly cause strife/trouble.
esiceba ububi ngenkohliso enhliziyweni yaso sithanda ukuvusa inkani kokuphela.
15 But disasters will hit them suddenly; they will be crushed/ruined and nothing will be able to heal them.
Ngakho lowo uzawelwa yingozi ngokuphazima; uzabhidlizwa ngokuphangisa kungasekho okungenziwa.
16 There are six, [maybe] seven, kinds of people that Yahweh hates. [They are]:
Ziyisithupha izinto uThixo azizondayo, eziyisikhombisa eziyisinengiso kuye:
17 People who show by their eyes that they are very proud; people who lie [MTY]; people [SYN] who kill others [SYN] who have done nothing wrong;
amehlo atshengisa ukudelela, ulimi oluqamba amanga, izandla ezichitha igazi elingelacala,
18 people who plan to do evil deeds; people [SYN] who run quickly to do wrong things;
inhliziyo egaya izibozi, inyawo eziphangisa ukuya ebubini,
19 people who easily tell lies in court; and people who cause strife between family members.
umfakazi wamanga, okhuluma inkohliso lomuntu oletha ukuxabana kubazalwane.
20 My son, obey my commands, and do not ignore what your mother has taught you.
Ndodana yami, gcina imilayo kayihlo ungadeli imfundiso kanyoko.
21 Remember the things that we have said. Those things should be [like a beautiful necklace] around your neck.
Kubophele enhliziyweni yakho nini lanini; kugqize entanyeni yakho.
22 [If you follow our advice, it will be as though] what we have taught you [PRS] will lead you, wherever you go. When you sleep, they will protect you. And when you wake up in the morning, they will teach/instruct you.
Nxa uhamba, lezizinto zizakukhokhela; lanxa ulele zizakulinda; uthi uvuka zikukhulumise.
23 These commands and what we teach you [will be like] a lamp to light your path [MET]. When we rebuke you and correct/punish you, we will be showing you the road to having [a good] life.
Ngoba imilayo le iyisibane, imfundiso le iyikukhanya, leziqondiso zokuzithiba ziyindlela yokuphila,
24 Heeding [PRS] these commands and things that we have taught you will enable you to keep away from immoral women and from [listening to] the enticing words of an adulterous woman.
zikuvikela kowesifazane ongaziphathanga, laselimini olumnandi lomfazi ongelambeko.
25 [Even] if such a woman is beautiful and has lovely eyes, do not desire to go with her. Do not let her persuade you to go with her (with her eyes/by the way she looks at you).
Ungasuki umfise ngenhliziyo yakho ngenxa yobuhle bakhe kumbe akuhuge ngamehlo akhe.
26 [Do not forget that] you can hire a prostitute for only a loaf of bread, but [if you sleep with] another man’s wife, (it may cost you/you may lose) your life.
Ngoba isifebe siyakululazisa ufane lesinkwa, kodwa umfazi womuntu uyayibhidliza impilo yakho uqobo.
27 Can you carry hot coals in your pocket and not be burned [RHQ]?
Kambe umuntu angokhela umlilo emathangazini akhe na zingaze zatsha izigqoko zakhe?
28 Can you walk on burning coals and not scorch/burn your feet?
Kambe umuntu angahamba phezu kwamalahle inyawo zakhe zingaze zatsha na?
29 [No]! And in the same way, anyone who (sleeps with/has sex with) another man’s wife will [suffer for doing that]. [He will certainly] [LIT] be punished severely.
Kunjalo kulowo olala lomfazi wenye indoda; kakho omthintayo ongayikujeziswa.
30 We do not despise a thief if he steals some food because he is very hungry.
Abantu kabalithuki isela nxa lintshontsha ngoba lifuqwa liphango.
31 But [if he steals something and then] is caught [by the police], he will have to pay back (seven times as much as/much more than) he stole. He may need to sell everything that is in his house [to get enough money to pay it back].
Kodwa lingabanjwa lihlawuliswa kasikhombisa, lanxa inhlawulo ilithathela yonke impahla yendlu yalo.
32 [But] a man who commits adultery with some woman is very foolish, [because] he is destroying his own self/soul [by what he is doing].
Kodwa indoda efebayo kayilangqondo; lowo okwenzayo lokho uyazibulala yena ngokwakhe.
33 [That woman’s husband] will wound him badly, and [other people] will despise him. His shame will never end.
Izidutshulo lehlazo kuyisabelo sakhe, ukuyangeka kwakhe kakusoze kwafa kwaphela.
34 Because that woman’s husband will (be jealous/not want anyone else to sleep with her), he will become furious, and when he gets revenge, he will not act mercifully [toward the man who slept with his wife].
Ngoba ubukhwele bendoda yalowomfazi buyiqubula ulaka, ingabe isaba lozwelo lapho isiphindisela.
35 And he will not accept any bribe/money, even if it is a big bribe, to (appease him/cause him to stop being angry).
Kayizukuvuma inhlawulo; kayiyikwamukela isivalamlomo loba singakanani.
