Thimo 20
1 Ndibei nĩ mũnyũrũrania, na njoohi nĩ mũndũ wa ngũĩ; mũndũ ũrĩa ũhĩtithagio nĩcio ti mũũgĩ.
Drinking a lot of wine or [other] strong drinks causes people to start fighting; it is foolish to become drunk/intoxicated.
2 Mangʼũrĩ ma mũthamaki nĩ ta mũraramo wa mũrũũthi; ũrĩa ũmũrakaragia nĩ muoyo wake ateaga.
Being afraid of a king when he is angry is like [SIM] being afraid of a lion when it growls/roars; if you cause the king to become angry, he may execute you.
3 Gwĩtheema ngũĩ kũrehagĩra mũndũ gĩtĩĩo, no mũndũ o wothe mũkĩĩgu ahiũhaga kũũgitana.
[People] respect those who stay away from disputes/arguments; foolish people [love to] quarrel.
4 Kĩgũũta gĩticimbaga hĩndĩ ya irĩma; nĩ ũndũ ũcio hĩndĩ ya magetha gĩathiĩ kũmaatha gĩtirĩ kĩndũ kĩonaga.
[If] a lazy man does not plow [his fields at the right/proper time], he will look for [crops] at harvest [time], but there will be nothing there.
5 Muoroto wa ngoro ya mũndũ nĩ ta maaĩ ma ndia ndiku, no mũndũ ũrĩ na ũtaũku nĩamatahaga.
[Just] as it is difficult to bring up water from a deep well, it is difficult to know what people are thinking, but someone who has good sense/insight will be able to find out what people are thinking.
6 Andũ aingĩ metuaga marĩ na wendo ũtangĩthira, no mũndũ mwĩhokeku-rĩ, nũũ ũngĩmuona?
Many people proclaim that they can be trusted [to do what they say that they will do], but it is very difficult to find [RHQ] someone who can really be trusted.
7 Mũndũ mũthingu atũũraga mũtũũrĩre ũtarĩ ũcuuke; kũrathimwo-rĩ, nĩ ciana ciake iria atigaga.
If parents conduct their lives as they should, [God] blesses their children (OR, their children are very happy/fortunate).
8 Rĩrĩa mũthamaki aikarĩra gĩtĩ gĩake kĩa ũnene atue ciira, maitho make mathũngũrũraga ũũru wothe.
A king who sits on his throne to judge people can [easily] [MTY] find out what things that people have done are good and what things are evil.
9 Nũũ ũngiuga atĩrĩ, “Nĩnjigĩte ngoro yakwa ĩrĩ theru; ndĩ mũtheru, na ndirĩ na mehia”?
There is no one [RHQ] who can truthfully say, “I do not know of any wrong things that I have done; I have (gotten rid of all my sinful behavior/quit doing what is sinful).”
10 Mahiga ma ratiri mataiganainie ũritũ, o na ithimi itaiganĩte: cierĩ nĩ indo irĩ magigi harĩ Jehova.
Yahweh detests people who use weights that are not right and measures that are not correct.
11 O na kaana kamenyekaga nĩ ũndũ wa ciĩko ciako, gakamenyeka kana mĩtugo yako nĩ mĩtheru, na kana nĩ mĩagĩrĩru.
Even children show by what they do whether they are good or not; they show whether (what they do/their behavior) is honest and right [or not].
12 Matũ marĩa maiguaga na maitho marĩa monaga-rĩ, cierĩ nĩ Jehova waciũmbire.
Two of the things that Yahweh has created [for us] are ears to hear things and eyes to see things.
13 Tiga kwenda toro, ndũkae gũthĩĩna; ikaraga wĩiguĩte, na nĩũrĩrĩĩaga irio ũkahũũna.
If you want to sleep [all the time], you will become poor; if you stay awake [and work], you will have plenty of food.
14 Mũgũri akĩgũra oigaga atĩrĩ, “Kĩndũ gĩkĩ ti kĩega, ti kĩega!” Agacooka agathiĩ akĩĩrahaga ũrĩa oĩ kũgũra.
People [look at things that they are about] to buy, [and in order to get it for a lower price sometimes they] say, “(It is no good/It is poor quality),” but [after they buy it], they go and boast [about having bought it for a cheap price].
15 Thahabu nĩ kũrĩ, o na ruru no nyingĩ, no mĩromo ĩrĩa yaragia ũmenyo nĩ ithaga rĩa goro rĩrĩa rĩtonekaga.
Gold and precious stones are [valuable], but wise words [MTY] are more valuable.
16 Oya nguo ya mũndũ ũrĩa ũngĩrũgamĩrĩra thiirĩ wa mũndũ wa kũngĩ; mĩige ĩrũgamĩrĩre thiirĩ ũcio wa mũndũ wa kũngĩ.
If you foolishly promise to a stranger that you will pay what he owes if he is unable to pay it [DOU], [you deserve to] have someone take your coat from you.
17 Irio cionekete na njĩra ya kũheenania irĩ cama harĩ mũndũ, no thuutha kanua gake kaiyũraga o mũthanga.
People [may] think that food that they acquire by doing what is dishonest will taste very good, but later [they will not enjoy what they have done any more than they would enjoy] eating gravel/sand.
18 Mĩbango ĩgaacagĩra nĩ ũndũ wa kũhooya kĩrĩra, ũngĩtua gũthiĩ mbaara-inĩ, heo ũtaaro.
When people give you good advice, [if you do what they suggest], your plans will succeed; so be sure to get good advice from wise people before you start fighting a war.
19 Mũndũ wa mũhuhu nĩoimagia ndeto cia ndundu nja, nĩ ũndũ ũcio wĩthemage mũndũ waragia mũno.
Those who go around telling gossip are [always] telling secrets to [others]; so stay away from people who foolishly talk [too much].
20 Mũndũ angĩruma ithe kana nyina, tawa wake ũkaahorera nduma-inĩ ĩrĩa ndumanu.
If someone curses his father or his mother, his life will be ended, [just] like a lamp is extinguished.
21 Igai rĩrĩa rĩoneka narua kĩambĩrĩria-inĩ, marigĩrĩrio-inĩ rĩtituĩkaga rĩa kĩrathimo.
If you very quickly take the property that your parents promise will be yours after they die, you will not receive any good/blessing from it.
22 Ndũkoige atĩrĩ, “Nĩngerĩhĩria ũũru ũyũ!” Eterera Jehova nake nĩegũkũhonokia.
Do not say, “I will do evil to those who do evil to me;” wait for Yahweh [to do something about it], and he will (help you/[do what is right]).
23 Mahiga ma ratiri mataiganainie ũritũ nĩ kĩndũ kĩrĩ magigi harĩ Jehova, nacio ratiri itarĩ cia ma itimũkenagia.
Yahweh detests [those who use] dishonest scales and weights that are not accurate/correct.
24 Makinya ma mũndũ matongoragio nĩ Jehova. Mũndũ-rĩ, angĩkĩhota atĩa kũmenya njĩra yake mwene?
Yahweh is the one who has decided what will happen to us, so (how can we (understand/know) what will happen before it happens?/we humans certainly cannot (understand/know) what will happen before it happens.) [RHQ]
25 Nĩ mũtego harĩ mũndũ kwamũrĩra Ngai kĩndũ na ihenya, acooke gwĩcũũrania ũhoro wa mĩĩhĩtwa yake thuutha-inĩ.
You should think carefully before you solemnly promise to dedicate something to God, because later you might be sorry you have promised to do it.
26 Mũthamaki mũũgĩ nĩathũngũrũraga andũ arĩa aaganu; ageragĩria kĩgaragari gĩa gũkonyora ngano igũrũ rĩao.
Wise kings find out [MET] which people have done what is wrong, and they punish them very severely [IDM].
27 Roho wa mũndũ nĩ tawa wa Jehova, ũthuthuuragia o nginya tũturi tũrĩa tũrĩ thĩinĩ mũno.
Our consciences are [like] lamps that Yahweh [has given to us to enable us to know what we are thinking] [MET]; they reveal what is hidden deep in our (minds/inner beings).
28 Wendo na wĩhokeku nĩcigitagĩra mũthamaki; ũtugi nĩũtũmaga gĩtĩ gĩake kĩa ũnene kĩrũme.
Kings will continue to rule as long as they faithfully love their people and are loyal to them and as long as they rule righteously/fairly.
29 Hinya wa andũ ethĩ nĩguo riiri wao, nacio mbuĩ nĩcio riiri wa arĩa akũrũ.
We honor/admire young people because they are strong, but we respect [MTY] old people more because they are wise.
30 Mahũũra na nguraro nĩitheragia ũũru wa mũndũ, nacio iboko itheragia o nginya tũturi twa thĩinĩ mũno.
When we are beaten or whipped, it [can] cause us to quit doing what is evil in our lives; when someone wounds us [by punishing us], it [can] cause our behavior to become good.
