< Proverbs 23 >

1 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee:
‌ʻOka ke ka nofo ke keinanga mo ha taha ʻoku pule, tokanga lahi ki he meʻa ʻoku ʻi ho ʻao:
2 And put a knife to thy throat, if thou art a man given to appetite.
Pea kapau ko e tangata faʻa kai koe, ai ha hele ki ho kia.
3 Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful food.
‌ʻOua naʻa ke holi ki heʻene ngaahi meʻa lelei: he ko e meʻakai kākā ia.
4 Labour not to be rich: cease from thy own wisdom.
‌ʻOua naʻa fai feinga ke ke koloaʻia: pea ʻoua naʻa falala ki ho poto ʻoʻou.
5 Wilt thou set thy eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make to themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.
He te ke sio fakamamaʻu ki he meʻa ʻoku ʻikai? He ko e moʻoni ʻoku ngaohi ʻe he koloa hono kapakau; ʻoku puna atu ia ʻo hangē ko e ʻikale ki he langi.
6 Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his delicacies:
‌ʻOua naʻa ke kai ʻi he mā ʻaʻana ʻoku manumanu hono mata, pea ʻoua naʻa ke holi ki heʻene ngaahi meʻakai lelei:
7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.
He ko e ngaahi mahalo ʻo hono loto, ko ia ai pe ia: ʻoku ne pehē kiate koe, “Ke ke kai mo inu;” ka ʻoku ʻikai ʻiate koe hono loto.
8 The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.
Ko e momoʻi meʻa kuo ke kai te ke toe lua ʻaki, pea mole mo hoʻo ngaahi lea lelei.
9 Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.
‌ʻOua naʻa ke lea ʻi he telinga ʻoe vale, he te ne manukiʻi ʻae poto ʻo hoʻo ngaahi lea.
10 Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless:
‌ʻOua naʻa hiki ʻae kauʻā motuʻa; pea ʻoua naʻa faʻao ʻae potu ngoue ʻae tamai mate:
11 For their redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee.
He ʻoku māfimafi ʻa honau huhuʻi, pea te ne fai mo koe ʻi heʻenau meʻa.
12 Apply thy heart to instruction, and thy ears to the words of knowledge.
Fakatokangaʻi ho loto ki he akonaki, pea mo ho telinga ki he ngaahi lea ʻae ʻilo.
13 Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.
‌ʻOua naʻa taʻofi ʻae tauteʻi mei he tamasiʻi: he kapau te ke taaʻi ia ʻaki ʻae meʻa tā, ʻe ʻikai mate ia.
14 Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell. (Sheol h7585)
He te ke tauteʻi ʻaki ia ʻae meʻa tā, ʻo fakahaofi ai hono laumālie mei heli. (Sheol h7585)
15 My son, if thy heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine.
‌ʻE hoku foha, kapau ʻe poto ho loto, ʻe fiefia ai hoku loto, ʻio, te u fiefia au.
16 Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things.
Ko e moʻoni ʻe fiefia hoku loto, ʻoka lea ʻaki ʻe ho loungutu ʻae ngaahi meʻa totonu.
17 Let not thy heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long.
‌ʻOua naʻa meheka ho loto ki he angahala: ka ke manavahē koe kia Sihova ʻi he ʻaho kotoa pē.
18 For surely there is an end; and thy expectation shall not be cut off.
He ko e moʻoni ʻoku ai ha ngataʻanga; pea ʻe ʻikai motuhi hoʻo ʻamanaki.
19 Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thy heart in the way.
Ke ke fanongo, ʻE hoku foha, pea ke poto, pea fakahinohino ho loto ʻi he hala.
20 Be not among winebibbers; among gluttonous eaters of flesh:
‌ʻOua naʻa ke kau mo e kakai faʻa inu ke konā, mo kinautolu ʻoku ʻuakai ki heʻenau meʻakai:
21 For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.
Koeʻuhi ʻe iku ki he masiva ʻaia ʻoku faʻa konā mo faʻa ʻuakai: pea ko ia ʻoku faʻa mohe ʻe kofu mahaehae pe ia.
22 Hearken to thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.
Fakaongo ki hoʻo tamai naʻa ke tupu ai, pea ʻoua naʻa ke taʻeʻofa ki hoʻo faʻē ʻoka motuʻa ia.
23 Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.
Fakatau mai ʻae moʻoni, pea ʻoua naʻa toe fakatau atu; ʻae poto, mo e akonaki, pea mo e faʻa fakakaukau.
24 The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.
‌ʻE fiefia lahi ʻae tamai ʻaʻana ʻoku māʻoniʻoni: pea ko ia ʻoku ne maʻu ʻae tamasiʻi ʻoku poto ʻe fiefia ia ʻiate ia.
25 Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bore thee shall rejoice.
‌ʻE fiefia ʻa hoʻo tamai mo hoʻo faʻē, pea ʻe fiefia ia naʻa ne fanauʻi koe.
26 My son, give me thy heart, and let thy eyes observe my ways.
‌ʻE hoku foha, foaki mai ho loto, pea ke tokangaʻi ʻe ho mata ʻa hoku ngaahi hala.
27 For an harlot is a deep ditch; and an adulteress is a narrow pit.
He ʻoku tatau mo e luo taumamaʻo ʻae fefine faʻa feʻauaki; pea ko e fefine anga kehe ʻoku tatau mo e luo ʻapiʻapi.
28 She also lieth in wait as for a prey, and increaseth the transgressors among men.
‌ʻOku ne toi foki ʻo hangē ha kaihaʻa, pea ʻoku ne fakatokolahi ʻae kau angahala ʻi he kakai.
29 Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?
Ko hai ia ʻoku malaʻia? Ko hai ia ʻoku mamahi? Ko hai ia ʻoku ʻi he feʻiteʻitani? Ko hai ʻoku papūnoa? Ko hai ʻoku lavea noa pe? Ko hai ʻoku kulokula hono mata?
30 They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine.
Ko kinautolu ʻoku nofo fuoloa ke inu ke konā; ʻakinautolu ʻoku ʻalu ke kumi ʻae uaine kuo felingiʻaki.
31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth its colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.
‌ʻOua naʻa ke sio ki he uaine ʻi heʻene kulokula, ʻi heʻene tuku hono lanu ʻi he ipu, pea ʻoku mālie hono inu.
32 At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.
Koeʻuhi ʻe uʻu ia ʻamui ʻo hangē ha ngata, pea huhu foki ʻo hangē ko e ngata kona.
33 Thy eyes shall behold strange things, and thy heart shall utter perverse things.
‌ʻE sio ho mata ki he kau fefine anga kehe, pea ʻe fakahā mei ho loto ʻae ngaahi meʻa fakafufū.
34 And thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.
‌ʻIo, te ke hangē ha taha ʻoku tokoto hifo ʻi loto tahi, pe ha taha ʻoku mohe ʻi ha funga fanā.
35 They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not: when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.
Te ke pehē ʻe koe, “Kuo nau taaʻi au, ka ʻoku ʻikai te u mamahi; pea kuo nau haha au, ka ʻoku ʻikai te u ongoʻi ia: te u ʻā ʻafē? Te u toe kumi pe ki ai.”

< Proverbs 23 >