Lododowo 12
1 Ame si lɔ̃ amehehe la lɔ̃a sidzedze, ke ame si lé fu mokaname la, bometsilae.
Those who want to know [what is right to do] want to be (disciplined/corrected) when they do what is wrong; it is foolish to not want to be (corrected/told that what you did is wrong).
2 Yehowa vea ame nyui la nu, ke ebua fɔ ayemenuwɔla ya.
Yahweh is pleased with good people, but he condemns those who plan to harm [others].
3 Womatsɔ vɔ̃ɖivɔ̃ɖi aɖo ame gɔme anyii o gake womate ŋu aho ame dzɔdzɔe ya o.
People do not become secure/safe by doing what is wicked; righteous [people] will be very safe and secure [LIT] like [MET] a tree that has deep roots.
4 Srɔ̃nyɔnu zazɛ̃ nye fiakuku na srɔ̃ŋutsua, ke srɔ̃nyɔnu ŋukpenanuwɔla nye ŋuɖui le ƒu tome na srɔ̃a.
A good wife is one who causes her husband to be greatly honored, but a wife who does things that cause her husband to be ashamed [will destroy him] like [SIM] cancer [destroys] his bones.
5 Ame dzɔdzɔe ƒe ɖoɖowo toa mɔ ɖeka, ke ame vɔ̃ɖi ƒe aɖaŋuɖoɖo nye beble.
What righteous [people] want to do is [to treat people] fairly; what wicked [people] want to do is to deceive people.
6 Ame vɔ̃ɖiwo ƒe nyawo le lalam na ʋu gake dzɔdzɔetɔwo ƒe nuƒoƒo ɖea wo.
What wicked [people] say is like a trap [MET] that kills [MTY] people [who pass by], but what righteous [people] say [MTY] rescues those whom [wicked people threaten to harm].
7 Wotutua ame vɔ̃ɖiwo ƒua anyi eye womeganɔa anyi o, ke ame dzɔdzɔe ƒe aƒe lia ke ɖaa.
Wicked [people] will die [before they become old and we will see] them no more, but righteous people will live [for many years] and have many descendants.
8 Wokafua ame le nunya si le esi la ta, ke wodoa vlo ŋutsu tagbɔ kuku tɔwo.
[People will] praise those who have good sense, but [people will] despise those (who are always thinking about doing evil things/whose thinking is twisted).
9 Enyo be nànye ame tsɛ aɖe ko eye subɔla nanɔ asiwò, wu be nàwɔ ɖokuiwò amegãe eye nuɖuɖu manɔ asiwò o.
It is better to be a humble/ordinary person who has only one servant than to think that you are very important while you have nothing to eat.
10 Ame dzɔdzɔe léa be na eƒe lãwo ke dɔmenyo siwo ame vɔ̃ɖiwo ya wɔna la nye ŋutasesẽ.
Righteous people take care of their domestic animals, but wicked people act cruelly [toward their animals].
11 Ame si ŋlɔ eƒe agble la akpɔ nuɖuɖu geɖe, ke ame si kplɔa blezibledi ɖo la, numanyalae.
Farmers who work hard in their fields will [produce good crops] that will give them plenty to eat, but those who waste their time working on worthless projects are foolish.
12 Ame vɔ̃ɖiwo ƒe nu siwo woha la le ŋutasẽlawo dzrom, ke ame dzɔdzɔewo ƒe ke ƒona ɖe to sesĩe.
Wicked [people] desire to take away what [other] evil people have, but [Yahweh] enables righteous/godly [people] to be steadfast and productive [MET].
13 Ame vɔ̃ɖi ƒe nu vlo ƒoƒo zua mɔ ɖenɛ, ke ame dzɔdzɔe dona le fu me.
Evil people are trapped by the evil things that they say [MTY], but righteous [people] escape from trouble.
14 Ame ƒe nu ƒe kutsetse hea nu nyuiwo vɛ nɛ taŋtaŋtaŋ, eye enye nyateƒe be dɔ si ame tsɔ eƒe asi wɔ lae hea viɖe vɛ nɛ.
People are rewarded for [the good things] that they say [to others], and people are [also] rewarded for the good work that they do [MTY].
15 Bometsila ƒe mɔ dzɔna le eya ŋutɔ ƒe ŋkume, ke ame dzɔdzɔe xɔa aɖaŋuɖoɖo.
Foolish people [always] think that what they are doing is right; wise people heed [other people when they give them good] advice.
16 Bometsila ɖea eƒe dziku fiana zi ɖeka, ke nunyala doa toku dzudzu.
Foolish people quickly become angry when someone does something that they don’t like; but those who have good sense ignore it when others insult them.
17 Ɖasefo nyateƒetɔ gblɔa nya si le eteƒe le ʋɔnu, ke aʋatsoɖasefo daa alakpa le ʋɔnu.
[In the courtroom], honest people say what is true, but untruthful/dishonest people tell [nothing but] lies.
18 Nya vlowo ƒona ɖe ame abe yi ene, ke ame dzɔdzɔe ƒe aɖe hea dɔyɔyɔ vɛ.
What some people say [hurts people badly], as much as [SIM] a sword can; but what wise [people] say (heals [others’ souls]/comforts others).
19 Nyateƒenuyiwo nɔa anyi ɖikaa, ke alakpaɖe nu mesena yina o.
When people tell [MTY] lies, others soon realize that what they said is not true [IDM]; but when people say what is true, others will remember that forever.
20 Beble le ame siwo ɖoa nu vɔ̃ɖi la ƒe dzi me, ke dzidzɔ nɔa ame siwo hea ŋutifafa vɛ la ƒe dzi me.
Those who plan to do what is evil are always wanting to deceive [others], but things will go well for those who plan [to do] good things.
21 Dzɔgbevɔ̃e medzɔna ɖe ame dzɔdzɔe dzi o, ke ame vɔ̃ɖiwo la, xaxa yɔa wo me fũu.
Bad things [usually] [HYP] do not happen to righteous [people], but wicked [people] always have troubles.
22 Yehowa lé fu alakpanuyiwo, ke ekpɔa dzidzɔ ɖe ame siwo toa nyateƒe la ŋu.
Yahweh detests those [MTY] who tell lies, but he is delighted with those who faithfully do what they promise that they will do.
23 Nunyala mekɔa nu le sidzedze si su esi la dzi o, ke bometsilawo ƒe dzi ɖea gbeƒã woƒe bometsitsi.
Those with good sense do not reveal [all] that they know; foolish people show [clearly] by what they say that they (are ignorant/have not learned much).
24 Asi si doa vevi nu la aɖu fia, ke kuviawɔwɔ kplɔa ame ɖona ɖe dɔ sesẽ me.
Those [SYN] who work hard become rulers [of others]; those who are lazy become slaves [of others.]
25 Nuxaxa le dzi me tea ame ɖe anyi, ke amenuvenya dea dzi ƒo na ame.
When people are anxious/worried, they become depressed/dejected, but when others speak kindly to them, it causes them to be cheerful again.
26 Ame dzɔdzɔe ɖoa ŋu ɖo le xɔlɔ̃wɔwɔ me, ke ame vɔ̃ɖiwo ƒe mɔ kplɔa wo tranae.
Godly/Righteous people try to [give good advice to] their friends (OR, try to make friends with others), but the manner in which wicked [people] live misleads their friends.
27 Kuviatɔ memea eƒe adelã o, ke nunyala léa be na eƒe nunɔamesiwo.
Lazy people do not even [cook the meat of] the animals that they catch/kill, but those who work hard will acquire (OR, are like) a valuable treasure.
28 Agbe le dzɔdzɔenyenye ƒe mɔ me, makumaku le mɔ ma dzi.
Those who (live righteously/continually do what is right) are [walking] on the road to a long life; (it is not a road to death/they will not die when they are still young).
