Ilu 20
1 Mmanya bụ onye na-akwa emo. Onye mkpọtụ ka ihe ọṅụṅụ na-aba nʼanya bụ. Onye ọbụla kwere ka ha duhie ya bụ onye nzuzu.
Drinking a lot of wine or [other] strong drinks causes people to start fighting; it is foolish to become drunk/intoxicated.
2 Ọnụma eze na-emenye oke ụjọ nʼahụ dịka mbigbọ nke ọdụm; ndị na-akpasu ya iwe ga-atụfu ndụ ha.
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 Ọ bụ ihe nsọpụrụ nye onye na-ezere okwu na ụka, ma onye nzuzu ọbụla na-eme ngwa ise okwu.
[People] respect those who stay away from disputes/arguments; foolish people [love to] quarrel.
4 Onye umengwụ adịghị arụ ọrụ ubi nʼoge ya. Nʼoge owuwe ihe ubi ọ pụghị ịchọta ihe oriri.
[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 Nzube niile nke dị mmadụ nʼobi bụ mmiri dị omimi, ma onye nwere nghọta na-adọpụta ha.
[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 Ọtụtụ mmadụ na-asị na ha nwere ịhụnanya na-adịghị agharịpụ, ma onye kwesiri ntụkwasị obi, onye pụrụ ịchọta ya?
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 Onye ezi omume nke na-ejegharị nʼizuoke, ndị ihe na-agara nke ọma ka ụmụ ga-anọchi ya ga-abụ.
If parents conduct their lives as they should, [God] blesses their children (OR, their children are very happy/fortunate).
8 Mgbe eze na-anọkwasị nʼocheeze ya ikpe ikpe, ọ na-eji anya ya abụọ afụchapụ ihe ọjọọ niile.
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 Onye pụrụ ị sị, “Emeela m ka obi m dị ọcha; Abụ m onye dị ọcha, mmehie adịghịkwa nʼime m?”
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 Ihe ọtụtụ aghụghọ na ihe ọtụtụ nghọgbu, ha niile bụ ihe arụ nʼihu Onyenwe anyị.
Yahweh detests people who use weights that are not right and measures that are not correct.
11 Ọbụladị ụmụntakịrị ka a na-amata site nʼomume ha niile, nke a ọ pụtara nʼomume ha dị ọcha nʼezie a, bụrụkwa ihe ziri ezi?
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 Ntị nke na-anụ ihe na anya nke na-ahụ ụzọ, ọ bụ Onyenwe anyị mere ha abụọ.
Two of the things that Yahweh has created [for us] are ears to hear things and eyes to see things.
13 Ahụla ịrahụ ụra nʼanya, ka ị ghara ịghọ onye ụkpa. Bilie, mụrụ anya, rụsie ọrụ ike, ka i nweekwa ihe oriri.
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 “Lee, ihe a jọrọ njọ, ọ baghị uru,” ka onye na-azụ ahịa na-asị, ma mgbe ọ pụrụ ọ na-anya isi nʼihi ihe ọ zụtara.
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 Ọlaedo dị, na ọtụtụ rubi nʼebe ọ bara ụba, ma egbugbere ọnụ nke na-ekwupụta ihe ọmụma bụ ọla dị oke ọnụahịa.
Gold and precious stones are [valuable], but wise words [MTY] are more valuable.
16 Chiri uwe onye ahụ naara onye mba ọzọ nʼaka mbe. Jichiekwa ihe mbe ahụ o nyere nʼihi onye mba ọzọ ọ nara na mbe.
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 Nri e nwetara nʼụzọ aghụghọ na-atọ mmadụ ụtọ. Ma nʼikpeazụ aja ga-eju ya ọnụ.
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 Buru ụzọ nata ndụmọdụ tupu i mee ihe ọbụla ị chọrọ ime; ebula agha ma i bubeghị ụzọ pịa ọpịpịa.
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 Agwala onye na-akpa asịrị ihe nzuzo gị, nʼihi na ọ ga-akụ ya nʼekwe nye ụwa niile.
Those who go around telling gossip are [always] telling secrets to [others]; so stay away from people who foolishly talk [too much].
20 Oriọna onye ahụ na-akọcha nne ya na nna ya ka Chineke na-afụnyụ.
If someone curses his father or his mother, his life will be ended, [just] like a lamp is extinguished.
21 Ihe nketa nke anatara nʼoke ọsịịsọ, agaghị agọzi ya nʼikpeazụ.
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 A sịkwala, “Aga m akwụghachi gị nʼihi ihe ọjọọ a.” Chere Onyenwe anyị, ọ ga-abọrọ gị ọbọ.
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 Onyenwe anyị kpọrọ ihe ọtụtụ gbara iche iche asị, ihe ọtụtụ aghụghọ adịghị atọ ya ụtọ.
Yahweh detests [those who use] dishonest scales and weights that are not accurate/correct.
24 Onyenwe anyị na-eduzi nzọ ụkwụ niile nke mmadụ. Olee otu onye ọbụla ga-esi ghọta ụzọ ha?
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 Ime ngwangwa doo ihe nsọ, bụ ịma nʼọnya ma mesie tụgharịwa uche banyere imezu nkwa ahụ.
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 Eze maara ihe na-afụchapụ ndị ajọ omume, ọ na-eji wịịlu ịfụcha mkpụrụ gaa nʼelu ha.
Wise kings find out [MET] which people have done what is wrong, and they punish them very severely [IDM].
27 Akọnuche mmadụ bụ ọkụ Onyenwe anyị ji enyocha mmụọ ya, ọ na-egwupụta ala ala obi ya, igosi anyị ihe anyị bụ.
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 Ịhụnanya na ikwesi ntụkwasị obi na-echebe eze, site nʼịhụnanya ka ocheeze ya na-eguzo chịm.
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 Ugwu a na-akwanyere ụmụ okorobịa bụ nʼihi ịdị ike ha, ma isi awọ bụ nsọpụrụ ndị okenye.
We honor/admire young people because they are strong, but we respect [MTY] old people more because they are wise.
30 Ọkpọ na mmerụ ahụ na-ehichapụ ihe ọjọọ, ụtarị na-asachapụ ime ime nke ahụ mmadụ.
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.
