Lododowo 25
1 Esiawoe nye Solomo ƒe lododo bubu siwo Yuda fia Hezekia ƒe dɔdzikpɔlawo ŋlɔ da ɖi.
Here are more wise sayings/words that Solomon [wrote]. Some men who worked for Hezekiah, the king of Judah, copied them [from a scroll that Solomon had written].
2 Enye Mawu ƒe ŋutikɔkɔe be wòaɣla nya; eye fiawo ƒe bubue nye be woaku nya me.
[We consider] God to be great because he (acts in mysterious ways/does things that we cannot understand); [we consider] kings to be great because they explain things.
3 Abe ale si dziƒo kɔe eye anyigba gogloe ene la, nenemae womate ŋu adzro fiawo ƒe dzi me o.
[It is not possible for anyone to measure] how high the sky is or how deep the earth/ocean is; likewise [SIM], it is not possible for us to know [all] that kings are thinking.
4 Ɖe ɖi ɖa le klosalo ŋu, ekema klosalonutula kpɔ dɔwɔnu.
[If workers] burn out the impure bits that are in silver, a man who makes things from silver can make something beautiful from the silver.
5 Ɖe ame vɔ̃ɖi ɖa le fia la ŋkume ekema eƒe fiazikpui ali ke to dzɔdzɔenyenye me.
[Similarly, if] wicked [advisors] are taken away from a king, his government will remain secure, because [the king will be able to] act justly.
6 Mègado ɖokuiwò ɖe dzi le fia la ŋkume o eye mègaʋli nɔƒe le amegãwo dome o.
When you stand in front of a king, do not try to (impress him/honor yourself) and do not (act like you are important/ask to sit where important people sit; )
7 Enyo be wòagblɔ na wò be, “Va dzime le afii” wu be wòaɖiɖi wò le bubumewo ŋkume. Nu si nèkpɔ kple wò ŋkuwo la,
it is better if someone tells you to sit closer [to the king] than for [someone to tell you], while the king is listening, to sit further away in order that someone who is more important [may sit closer to the king].
8 mègatsɔ dzitsitsi ahee va ʋɔnui o elabena nu ka nàwɔ le nuwuwua ne hawòvi la do ŋukpe wò?
Do not quickly go to a court [to tell the judge about] something that you have seen, because another witness may later [say something that proves that you are wrong, and as a result] you will be disgraced/ashamed. If that happens, (what will you do?/you will not know what to do.) [RHQ]
9 Ne èle nya hem kple hawòvi la, mègaʋu go ame bubu ƒe nya ɣaɣla o,
If you and someone else think differently about some matter, settle it between yourselves, and do not tell others any secret [that he has told you].
10 ne menye nenema o la, ame si see la ado ŋukpe wò eye ŋkɔ baɖa si le ŋuwò la maɖe ɖa akpɔ gbeɖe o.
If others find out that you have told secrets, you will be ashamed, and from that time on, (you will have a bad reputation/people will think badly about you).
11 Nya si wogblɔ dedie la, le abe “sikaplu” le klosalogba me ene.
Something that is said that is [very] appropriate is [as delightful as seeing] [SIM] gold apples/ornaments in a silver bowl.
12 Ŋutsu nunyala ƒe mokaname le na to si le esem la abe sikatogɛ alo sikatsyɔ̃ɖonu aɖe ene.
When a wise person rebukes/warns someone [SYN] who is willing to listen, that is [as valuable as] [SIM] a gold ring or a gold chain.
13 Dɔla nuteƒewɔla le na ame siwo dɔe la abe ale si sno fanae le nuŋeɣi ene; enana eƒe aƒetɔwo ƒe gbɔgbɔ gbɔna ɖe eme.
A messenger who (is reliable/tells someone else exactly what he was told to say) refreshes [the spirits of] his bosses who sent him like [SIM] (snow/cold water) refreshes [the ground] at the time that [people] harvest crops.
14 Ŋutsu si ƒoa adegbe le nunana siwo mena o ŋu la le abe lilikpododo kple ya si medzaa tsi o la ene.
When someone promises to give a gift to us but never gives it, [that disappoints us] as much as [SIM] clouds and wind that come but do not bring any rain.
15 Dzigbɔɖie wotsɔna blea fia nue eye aɖe bɔbɔe ate ŋu agbã ƒu.
If someone keeps requesting a ruler long enough to do something, he will [often] agree to do it; similarly, by speaking [MTY] gently we can [often] convince [others that what we say is right] [IDM].
16 Ne èke ɖe anyitsi ŋu la, no esi sinu nàte ŋui ko, ne ènoe fũu akpa la, àdzɔe.
If you find some honey, do not eat a lot of it, because doing that may cause you to vomit.
17 Mègaƒo afɔɖi hawòvi ƒe aƒe me o, ne èle egbɔ dem kabakaba la, ava tsri wò.
Do not go to your neighbor’s house very often [to talk with him]; if you go [very] often, he will get tired of listening to you and start to hate you.
18 Ŋutsu si ɖi aʋatsoɖase ɖe ehavi ŋu la le abe kpo, yi alo aŋutrɔ ɖaɖɛ ene.
To falsely accuse others [in court] is like [SIM] [attacking them with] a war-club or a sword or a sharp arrow.
19 Dziɖoɖo ɖe nuteƒemawɔla ŋu le xaxaɣiwo le abe aɖu vovo alo afɔ tutu ene.
Depending on unreliable people when you have troubles is [as bad] as [trying to eat when] you have a bad/hurting tooth or [trying to walk when] your foot is crippled.
20 Ame si dzi ha na dzi kpekpe tɔ la le abe ame si ɖe awu kpekpe ɖi le vuvɔwɔgbe alo “vinigae” wokɔ ɖe “soɖa” dzi ene.
Singing to someone who is depressed [just causes him to feel worse]; it is like [SIM] taking off clothes on a very cold day or like putting vinegar on a wound.
21 Ne dɔ le wò ketɔ wum la, na nui wòaɖu, ne tsikɔ le ewum la, na tsii wòano.
If your enemies are hungry, give them something to eat; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink;
22 Ne èwɔ esia la, àƒo dzoka xɔxɔwo nu ƒu ɖe eƒe ta dzi, eye Yehowa ŋutɔ aɖo eteƒe na wò.
doing that will cause them to feel ashamed [IDM], and Yahweh will reward you for doing that.
23 Abe ale si anyieheya hea tsidzadza vɛ ene la, nenema amenyagblɔɖe dea adã mo na amee.
When wind blows from the right direction, it will rain; [similarly] [SIM], if we gossip about others, that causes them to look at us very angrily.
24 Enyo be woanɔ dzogoe dzi le xɔta wu be woanɔ aƒe ɖeka me kple srɔ̃nyɔnu dzrewɔla.
It is better to live ([alone/by yourself]) in the corner of an attic/housetop than to live inside the house with a wife who is [always] nagging.
25 Abe ale si tsi fafɛ faa akɔ na luʋɔ gbɔdzɔe ene la, nenema kee nya nyui tso duta hã nɔna.
Receiving good news from a country far away refreshes our spirits like [SIM] cold water refreshes us when we are very thirsty.
26 Ame dzɔdzɔe si na mɔ ame vɔ̃ɖi la le abe tsitsetse si me blu alo vudo si me wolɔ gbe kɔ ɖo la ene.
When a righteous/good person (gives in/yields) to wicked [people], that is [as bad] as [SIM] a spring that becomes muddied or a fountain that becomes polluted.
27 Menyo be woano anyitsi fũu alo wònye nu dzeame be ame nadi eya ŋutɔ ƒe bubu o.
It is not good to eat too much honey, and trying to get people to praise you is also not good.
28 Ame si meɖua eɖokui dzi o la le abe du si ŋu wogbã gli le la ene.
People who (cannot control their tempers/quickly become very angry) [are unable to defend their behavior]; that is like [having] a city without a wall around it, [with the result that no one can defend it].
