Proverbs 1
1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel;
Dawid babarima Salomo, Israelhene, mmɛbusɛm nie:
2 To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;
Ne botaeɛ ne sɛ ɛbɛkyerɛ nnipa nyansa ne ahohyɛsoɔ; ne sɛ ɛbɛboa ma wɔate nsɛm a emu dɔ ase;
3 To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity;
sɛ wɔbɛnya ahohyɛsoɔ na wɔabɔ ɔbra pa, a ɛbɛma wɔayɛ ade pa, deɛ ɛtene na ɛho nni asɛm;
4 To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion.
sɛ ɛbɛma deɛ nʼadwene mu nnɔ anya nyansa na mmabunu anya nimdeɛ ne adwene.
5 A wise [man] will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain to wise counsels:
Anyansafoɔ ntie na wɔmfa nka deɛ wɔnim ho, na deɛ ɔwɔ nhunumu nya akwankyerɛ a
6 To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
ɛbɛma woate mmɛ ne akasabɛbuo, anyansafoɔ nsɛnka ne aborɔme ase.
7 The fear of the LORD [is] the beginning of knowledge: [but] fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Awurade suro yɛ nimdeɛ ahyɛaseɛ, na nkwaseafoɔ bu nyansa ne ahohyɛsoɔ animtiaa.
8 My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother:
Me ba, tie wʼagya akwankyerɛ na mpo wo maame nkyerɛkyerɛ.
9 For they [shalt be] an ornament of grace to thy head, and chains about thy neck.
Ɛbɛyɛ wo tiri animuonyam abotire ne wo kɔn mu ntweaban.
10 My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not.
Me ba, sɛ nnebɔneyɛfoɔ daadaa wo a, mma wɔn ho ɛkwan.
11 If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause:
Sɛ wɔka sɛ, “Bra ma yɛnkɔ; ma yɛnkɔtetɛ na yɛnkum obi, ma yɛnkɔtɛ ntwɛn mmɔborɔni bi;
12 Let us swallow them up alive as the grave; and whole, as those that go down into the pit: (Sheol h7585)
ma yɛmmemmene wɔn anikann sɛ ɛda, yɛmmene wɔn sɛ wɔn a wɔkɔ damena mu; (Sheol h7585)
13 We shall find all precious substance, we shall fill our houses with spoil:
yɛbɛnya nneɛma a ɛsom bo ahodoɔ na yɛde afodeɛ ahyɛ yɛn afie ma;
14 Cast in thy lot among us; let us all have one purse:
enti, fa wo ho bɛhyɛ mu, na wobɛnya wo kyɛfa wɔ ahonyadeɛ no mu” a,
15 My son, walk not thou in the way with them; refrain thy foot from their path:
Me ba, wo ne wɔn nnante, mfa wo nan nsi wɔn akwan so;
16 For their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood.
Wɔn nan de ntɛmpɛ kɔ bɔne mu, na wɔde ahoɔherɛ ka mogya gu.
17 Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.
Ɛho nni mfasoɔ sɛ obi bɛsum nnomaafidie wɔ ɛberɛ a nnomaa nyinaa hwɛ!
18 And they lay wait for their [own] blood; they lurk privily for their [own] lives.
Saa nnipa yi tetɛ pɛ wɔn ankasa mogya; wɔtetɛ wɔn ankasa wɔn ho!
19 So [are] the ways of every one that is greedy of gain; [who] taketh away the life of its owners.
Saa na wɔn a wɔdi korɔnodeɛ akyi no awieeɛ teɛ; ɛma wɔhwere wɔn nkwa!
20 Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets:
Nyansa team wɔ mmɔntene so, ɔma ne nne so wɔ adwaberem,
21 She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, [saying],
ɔteaam wɔ afasuo no atifi, ɔkasa wɔ kuropɔn no apono ano sɛ,
22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
“Mo adwenemherɛfoɔ, mobɛyɛ adwenemherɛ akɔsi da bɛn? Fɛdifoɔ bɛdi fɛ akɔsi da bɛn? Nkwaseafoɔ bɛkyiri nimdeɛ akɔsi da bɛn?
23 Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit to you, I will make known to you my words.
Sɛ motiee mʼaninka a, anka mekaa mʼakoma mu nsɛm nyinaa kyerɛɛ mo maa mo hunuu me nsusuiɛ.
24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;
Nanso, sɛ moyii mo aso ɛberɛ a mefrɛɛ mo na amfa obiara ho ɛberɛ a metenee me nsa mu,
25 But ye have set at naught all my counsel, and rejected my reproof:
sɛ mopoo mʼafotuo, na moampɛ mʼanimka enti,
26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;
me nso mɛsere mo wɔ mo amanehunu mu; sɛ abɛbrɛsɛ bi bu fa mo so a, medi mo ho fɛw,
27 When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.
sɛ abɛbrɛsɛ bi bu fa mo so te sɛ ahum, na amanehunu bi bɔ fa mo so sɛ twahoframa, na awerɛhoɔ ne ɔhaw mene mo a,
28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me:
“Afei mobɛfrɛ me, nanso meremmua mo; mobɛhwehwɛ me, nanso morenhunu me.
29 For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:
Esiane sɛ wɔkyirii nimdeɛ na wɔampɛ sɛ wobɛsuro Awurade.
30 They rejected my counsel: they despised all my reproof.
Esiane sɛ w ɔpoo mʼafotuo, na wɔbuu me ntenesoɔ animtiaa enti,
31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.
wɔbɛdi wɔn akwan so aba na wɔn nhyehyɛeɛ mu aduane bɛmee wɔn.
32 For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them.
Na ntetekwaafoɔ asoɔden bɛkum wɔn, na nkwaseafoɔ tirimudɛ bɛsɛe wɔn;
33 But whoever hearkeneth to me shall dwell in safety, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.
Nanso, obiara a ɔbɛtie me no, ɔbɛtena ase asomdwoeɛ mu na ne ho bɛtɔ no a ɔrensuro ɔhaw biara.”
