Lododowo 24
1 Mègabiã ŋu ame vɔ̃ɖiwo o, mègadi woƒe hamenɔnɔ o
Don't be jealous of evil people; don't long to spend time with them,
2 elabena woƒe dzi ɖoa nu tovo eye woƒe nuyiwo ƒoa nu tso nu gbegblẽ wɔwɔ ŋuti.
for they think up cruel plans and discuss how to cause trouble.
3 Nunya wotsɔna tua xɔe eye gɔmesese wotsɔna ɖoa egɔme anyie,
A house is built by wisdom; its foundation is made secure through understanding.
4 to sidzedze me wotsɔa nu nyui tɔxɛ siwo mebɔ o kple kesinɔnu nyuiwo yɔa woƒe xɔwo mee.
Its rooms are filled by knowledge with all kinds of valuable and beautiful objects.
5 Ŋusẽ gã aɖe le nunyala si eye ame si si gɔmesese le la dzia eƒe ŋusẽ ɖe edzi.
If you have wisdom, you are strong; if you have knowledge, your power increases,
6 Èhiã nufiame hafi adze aʋa eye hafi dziɖuɖu nava la, èhiã aɖaŋuɖola geɖewo.
for with wise guidance you can go to war; you will be victorious by having many good advisors.
7 Nunya kɔ boo na bometsila akpa; le amehawo dome, le agbo nu la, nya aɖeke mele esi wòagblɔ o.
Wisdom goes over the heads of stupid people; they have nothing to contribute when important matters are discussed.
8 Ame si ɖo vɔ̃ be yeawɔ lae woyɔna be ame vɔ̃ɖi.
Anyone who plans to do evil will be seen as a troublemaker.
9 Bometsinuwo ɖoɖo nye nu vɔ̃ eye amewo tsria fewuɖula.
Plans thought up by stupid people are sinful. Everyone hates those who are scornful of others.
10 Ne èʋuʋu le xaxaɣi la, aleke wò ŋusẽ mehele sue o?
If you give up in times of trouble, it shows how weak you are.
11 Ɖe ame siwo wokplɔ yina wuwu ge eye xɔ na ame siwo le yiyim sɔgɔsɔgɔ yina ɖe ku me.
Rescue those who are being led away to be executed; save those who are stumbling on their way to be slaughtered.
12 Ne ègblɔ be, “Míenya naneke tso nu sia ŋuti o” la, ɖe ame si daa dziwo kpɔ la menyae oa? Ɖe wòle nyanya na ame si kpɔa wò agbe ta? Ɖe maɖo eteƒe na ame sia ame ɖe nu si wòwɔ la nu oa?
If you say, “Look, we didn't know anything about this,” don't you think the God who judges your motives will see what's happening? He who watches over you knows, and he will pay people back for what they've done.
13 Vinye, no anyitsi elabena enyo; anyitsi tso anyito me avivi le wò nu me.
My son, eating honey is good for you; the honeycomb tastes sweet.
14 Nyae hã be, nunya avivi wò luʋɔ nu; ne èke ɖe eŋu la, mɔkpɔkpɔ li na wò hena etsɔ si gbɔna eye wò mɔkpɔkpɔ mazu dzodzro o.
In the same way, you should know that wisdom is good for you; if you find it, there will be a future for you, and your hope will not be crushed.
15 Mègade xa ɖe ame dzɔdzɔe ƒe aƒe ŋu o, mègava ha enɔƒe o
Don't be like a criminal waiting to ambush the home of good people; don't attack the place where they live.
16 elabena togbɔ be ame dzɔdzɔe adze anyi zi adre hã la, agafɔ gake ame vɔ̃ɖiwo ya la, dzɔgbevɔ̃e ahe wo aƒu anyi.
Those who do right may fall down seven times, and still get up again; but the wicked are brought down by disaster.
17 Mègakpɔ dziɖuɖu ƒe dzidzɔ ne wò futɔ dze anyi o, eye ne ekli nu la, dzi megadzɔ wò o,
Don't celebrate when your enemies fall; don't be glad when they trip up,
18 elabena Yehowa akpɔe, eye madze eŋu o, eye wòaɖe eƒe dziku ɖa le edzi.
otherwise when the Lord sees it, he'll be unhappy with you and won't punish your enemies as he planned.
19 Mègadzo nyanyanya le ame vɔ̃ɖiwo ta alo aʋã ŋu ŋutasẽla o,
Don't get all upset over the wicked, or be jealous of those who do wrong,
20 elabena mɔkpɔkpɔ aɖeke meli na ame vɔ̃ɖi ɖe etsɔ si gbɔna ŋuti o eye woatsi ŋutasẽlawo ƒe akaɖi.
for evil people have no future—the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.
21 Vinye, vɔ̃ Yehowa kple fia la eye mègade aglãdzelawo dzi o
My son, honor the Lord and the king, and don't join those who are rebellious,
22 elabena ame eve mawo ana gbegblẽ naƒo ɖe wo dzi kpoyi eye ame kae nya dzɔgbevɔ̃e si woate ŋu ahe vɛ?
for disaster will suddenly fall on them. Who knows how the Lord and king will punish them?
23 Esiawo hã nye nunyalawo ƒe nyagbɔgblɔwo: Akpa ɖeka dzi dede le ʋɔnudɔdrɔ̃ me menyo o.
These are more sayings of the wise: Showing favoritism when passing judgment is wrong.
24 Ame si agblɔ na fɔɖila be, “Mèdze agɔ o” la, amewo ado ɖiŋu nɛ eye dukɔwo anyɔ ŋui.
Those who tell the guilty, “You're innocent,” will be cursed by the people and hated by the nation,
25 Ke eme anyo na ame siwo abu fɔ agɔdzela eye yayra gãwo ava wo ameawo dzi.
while those who convict the guilty will be appreciated, and will receive a rich blessing.
26 Nyaŋuɖoɖo ɖe ɖoɖo nu le abe nugbugbɔ ene.
An honest answer is a kiss on the lips.
27 Wu wò gotadɔwo nu eye nàdzra wò agble me ɖo, ema megbe la, tu wò xɔ.
Do the work you need to do outside first, then prepare and sow your fields, and only after that start building your house.
28 Mègaɖu ɖasefo ɖe hawòvi ŋu dzodzro alo atsɔ wò nuyiwo aka aʋatsoe o.
Don't testify against your neighbors without having a good reason, and don't tell lies.
29 Mègagblɔ be, “Mele ewɔ ge nɛ abe ale si wòwɔe ɖe ŋutinye ene, mele eteƒe ɖo ge na ŋutsu sia ɖe nu si wòwɔ la ta” o.
Don't say to yourself, “I'm going to do to him what he did to me! I'll pay him back for what he's done!”
30 Meto kuviatɔ kple ame manyanu ƒe waingble ŋu yi;
I walked past the field of a lazy man, past a vineyard of someone with no sense.
31 ŋu vu tsyɔ afi sia afi, gbe to ɖe eme katã eye kpekpɔ la kaka le eŋu.
It was all overgrown with thorns, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall had fallen down.
32 Metsɔ nye dzi ɖo nu si mekpɔ la ŋu eye mesrɔ̃ nu tso nu si mekpɔ la me.
As I looked I thought about it, and what I saw taught me a lesson:
33 Dɔ alɔ̃ vie, dɔ akɔlɔ̃e sẽe, ŋlɔ wò abɔwo nàdzudzɔ vie,
You may say, “Please, just a little more sleep, a little longer snooze, a little more folding of the arms to rest”—
34 tete ahedada aƒo ɖe dziwò abe adzodala ene, eye hiã abe aʋakalẽtɔ si bla akpa ene.
and poverty will attack you like a robber, destitution like an armed warrior.
