Thimo 24
1 Tiga kũiguĩra andũ arĩa aaganu ũiru, na ndũkanerirĩrie thiritũ yao,
Don't be jealous of evil people; don't long to spend time with them,
2 nĩgũkorwo ngoro ciao ithugundaga o haaro, na mĩromo yao yaragia ũhoro wa kũrehere andũ thĩĩna.
for they think up cruel plans and discuss how to cause trouble.
3 Nyũmba yakagwo na ũũgĩ, naguo ũtaũku nĩguo ũtũmaga ĩĩhaande;
A house is built by wisdom; its foundation is made secure through understanding.
4 ũmenyo nĩguo ũiyũragia tũnyũmba twayo, ũgatũiyũria na indo cia bata, na ũtonga mwega.
Its rooms are filled by knowledge with all kinds of valuable and beautiful objects.
5 Mũndũ mũũgĩ arĩ ũhoti mũnene, na mũndũ ũrĩ ũmenyo nĩakĩragĩrĩria kũgĩa na hinya;
If you have wisdom, you are strong; if you have knowledge, your power increases,
6 ũgĩthiĩ mbaara-inĩ nĩũbatarĩtio nĩgũtaarwo, na nĩgeetha ũhootane nĩũbatarĩtio nĩ aheani kĩrĩra aingĩ.
for with wise guidance you can go to war; you will be victorious by having many good advisors.
7 Ũũgĩ ũrĩ igũrũ mũno, ndũngĩkinyĩrĩka nĩ mũndũ mũkĩĩgu; rĩrĩa kwagomanwo kĩhingo-inĩ, ndangĩona wa kuuga.
Wisdom goes over the heads of stupid people; they have nothing to contribute when important matters are discussed.
8 Mũndũ ũrĩa ũthugundaga ũũru-rĩ, andũ mamwĩtaga mungumania.
Anyone who plans to do evil will be seen as a troublemaker.
9 Mathugunda ma ũrimũ nĩ mehia, na mũnyũrũrania nĩ kĩndũ kĩrĩ magigi harĩ andũ.
Plans thought up by stupid people are sinful. Everyone hates those who are scornful of others.
10 Ũngĩtuĩka wa kũũrwo nĩ hinya hĩndĩ ya thĩĩna, hinya waku kaĩ nĩ mũnini-ĩ!
If you give up in times of trouble, it shows how weak you are.
11 Honokia arĩa maratwarĩrĩrio gĩkuũ-inĩ; girĩrĩria arĩa maratũgũũga merekeire gĩthĩnjĩro.
Rescue those who are being led away to be executed; save those who are stumbling on their way to be slaughtered.
12 Ũngiuga atĩrĩ, “Ũhoro ũcio tũtiraũmenyete,” githĩ ũrĩa ũthimaga ngoro tiwe ũmenyaga? Ũrĩa ũrangagĩra muoyo waku-rĩ, githĩ ndooĩ kana nĩguo? Githĩ ndakaarĩha o mũndũ kũringana na ũrĩa ekĩte?
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 Mũrũ wakwa, rĩa ũũkĩ, nĩgũkorwo nĩ mwega; ũũkĩ uumĩte magua-inĩ ũrĩ mũrĩo ũkĩũcama.
My son, eating honey is good for you; the honeycomb tastes sweet.
14 Ningĩ menya atĩ ũũgĩ ũrĩ mũrĩo harĩ ngoro yaku; ũngĩgĩa naguo, nĩũkagĩa na kĩĩrĩgĩrĩro, na kĩĩrĩgĩrĩro gĩaku gĩtigaathira.
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 Ndũkanoohie mũndũ mũthingu njĩra-inĩ ũtharĩkĩre nyũmba yake ta mũitũ, ndũkanahithũkĩre gĩikaro gĩake;
Don't be like a criminal waiting to ambush the home of good people; don't attack the place where they live.
16 nĩgũkorwo mũndũ mũthingu o na angĩgũa maita mũgwanja, agũũaga o agĩũkagĩra, no andũ arĩa aaganu marũndagwo nĩ mũtino.
Those who do right may fall down seven times, and still get up again; but the wicked are brought down by disaster.
17 Hĩndĩ ĩrĩa thũ yaku yagũa-rĩ, ndũkanamĩkenerere; hĩndĩ ĩrĩa yahĩngwo-rĩ, ndũkareke ngoro yaku ĩkene,
Don't celebrate when your enemies fall; don't be glad when they trip up,
18 nĩguo Jehova ndakone ũndũ ũcio arakare, akĩhũndũre marakara make kuuma kũrĩ thũ ĩyo.
otherwise when the Lord sees it, he'll be unhappy with you and won't punish your enemies as he planned.
19 Ndũkanathĩĩnĩke ngoro nĩ ũndũ wa andũ arĩa ooru, kana wĩrirĩrie kũhaanana na arĩa aaganu,
Don't get all upset over the wicked, or be jealous of those who do wrong,
20 nĩgũkorwo mũndũ ũrĩa mũũru ndarĩ na mwĩhoko wa thuutha-inĩ, na tawa wa ũrĩa mwaganu nĩũkahorio.
for evil people have no future—the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.
21 Mũrũ wakwa, wĩtigĩre Jehova na wĩtigĩre mũthamaki, na ndũkagĩe na ngwatanĩro na andũ arĩa aremi,
My son, honor the Lord and the king, and don't join those who are rebellious,
22 nĩgũkorwo acio eerĩ no mamũrehithĩrie mwanangĩko wa narua, na nũũ ũngĩmenya nĩ mĩtino ĩrĩkũ mangĩrehe?
for disaster will suddenly fall on them. Who knows how the Lord and king will punish them?
23 O na ici no thimo cia andũ arĩa oogĩ: Kwenda mwena ũmwe gũkĩra ũrĩa ũngĩ ciira-inĩ ti ũndũ mwega:
These are more sayings of the wise: Showing favoritism when passing judgment is wrong.
24 Ũrĩa wothe wĩraga mũndũ ũrĩa ũrĩ na mahĩtia atĩrĩ, “Wee ndũrĩ na mahĩtia,” kĩrĩndĩ nĩgĩkamũruma, na athũũrwo nĩ ndũrĩrĩ.
Those who tell the guilty, “You're innocent,” will be cursed by the people and hated by the nation,
25 No arĩa matuagĩra andũ arĩa aaganu ciira, nĩmakona wega, na magĩe na kĩrathimo kĩega.
while those who convict the guilty will be appreciated, and will receive a rich blessing.
26 Icookio rĩa wĩhokeku nĩ ta kĩmumunyano kĩa mĩromo.
An honest answer is a kiss on the lips.
27 Rĩĩkia wĩra wa gũtua mwako na nja, na ũhaarĩrie mĩgũnda yaku; thuutha ũcio cooka wĩakĩre nyũmba.
Do the work you need to do outside first, then prepare and sow your fields, and only after that start building your house.
28 Ndũkanarute ũira ũigĩrĩre mũndũ wa itũũra rĩaku kĩgeenyo, kana ũheenanie na mĩromo yaku.
Don't testify against your neighbors without having a good reason, and don't tell lies.
29 Ndũkanoige atĩrĩ, “Ngũmwĩka o ta ũrĩa anjĩkĩte; ngwĩrĩhĩria harĩ mũndũ ũcio kũringana na ũrĩa eekire.”
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 Ndaahĩtũkĩire mũgũnda-inĩ wa kĩgũũta, ngĩhĩtũkĩra mũgũnda-inĩ wa mĩthabibũ wa mũndũ ũtooĩ gũkũũrana maũndũ;
I walked past the field of a lazy man, past a vineyard of someone with no sense.
31 na rĩrĩ, mĩigua yamerete kũndũ guothe, na mũgũnda ũkaiyũra riya, naruo rũthingo rwa mahiga rũkamomoka.
It was all overgrown with thorns, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall had fallen down.
32 Nĩndacũũranirie na ngoro yakwa maũndũ macio ndonire, na ngĩĩruta ũndũ kuumana na ũrĩa ndonire:
As I looked I thought about it, and what I saw taught me a lesson:
33 Mũtugo wa gũkoma hanini, gũcooka toro hanini, gũkũnja moko hanini ũhurũke;
You may say, “Please, just a little more sleep, a little longer snooze, a little more folding of the arms to rest”—
34 naguo ũthĩĩni ũgaagũkorerera ta mũitũ, na wagi ũgũkorerere ta mũndũ wĩohete indo cia mbaara.
and poverty will attack you like a robber, destitution like an armed warrior.
