Ilu 27
1 Anyala isi banyere echi, nʼihi na ị maghị ihe echi ga-abụ.
Do not boast about [what you will do] tomorrow, because you do not know what will happen [PRS] on any day.
2 Ka onye ọzọ too gị, ọ bụghị ọnụ gị. Ka onye ọzọ too gị, ka egbugbere ọnụ gị abụọ ghara ito gị.
Do not praise yourself [MTY, PRS]; allow others to praise you. If someone else praises you, that is okay.
3 Nkume dị arọ, aja bụkwa ibu arọ, ma mkpasu iwe nke onye nzuzu dị arọ karịa ha abụọ.
[It causes pain to our bodies to carry heavy] stones or [a pail full of] sand, but doing something stupid/foolish [can cause] great [pain to other people’s spirits.]
4 Iwe na-emebi ihe, ma ekworo jọrọ njọ karịa iwe.
It is cruel to be angry [with others], and our being angry sometimes destroys [others], but being jealous of someone is [RHQ] often more cruel than that.
5 Mba abara nʼihe ka mma karịa ịhụnanya ezoro ezo.
It is better to correct someone openly than to show that you l don’t love that person [by not correcting him].
6 Ihe kwesiri ntụkwasị obi ka mmerụ ahụ nke sitere nʼaka enyi bụ, ma onye iro na-eme ka isutu ọnụ mụbaa.
If a friend criticizes you, [he is a good friend and] you can trust him; but if one of your enemies kisses you, he is [probably wanting to] deceive you.
7 Mmanụ aṅụ adịghị atọ onye rijuru afọ ụtọ; ma mgbe agụụ ji ya, ọ ga-eri ọ bụladị ihe dị ilu.
When someone’s stomach is full, he does not want to eat honey; but when someone is [very] hungry, he thinks that [even] bitter things taste sweet.
8 Nwoke na-akpafu site nʼụlọ ya dị ka nnụnụ na-amakwaghị akwụ ya.
Anyone who wanders [far] from his home/family is like [SIM] a bird that is far from its nest.
9 Mmanụ isi ụtọ na ihe nsure ọkụ na-esi isi ụtọ na-eme ka obi ṅụrịa, otu a ka ụtọ enyi dị, site na ndụmọdụ nke mkpụrụobi ha.
[Putting olive] oil and perfume on a person’s skin causes him to feel good, but having a friend [who gives] good advice [is even better].
10 Ahapụla enyi gị maọbụ ndị enyi nna gị. Mgbe ị nọ na mkpa arịọla nwanne gị ka o nyere gị aka. Onye agbataobi nọ gị nso nwere ike inyere gị aka karịa nwanne gị nọ ebe dị anya.
Do not neglect your friends or your parents’ friends; and at a time when you are experiencing a disaster, do not go to a relative [who lives far away to request his help]; someone who lives near you can help you more than relatives who live far away.
11 Nwa m, obi ga-atọ m ụtọ nke ukwuu ma a sị na ị ga-amụta ihe! Mgbe ahụ, aga m enwe ihe m ga-asa ndị na-akọcha m.
My child/son, cause me to be happy by becoming wise, in order that I will [know how to] reply to those who would criticize me [about your behavior].
12 Onye nwere uche na-ahụ nsogbu nke na-abịa nʼihu ma zobe onwe ya. Ma onye na-enweghị uche anaghị ele anya, ọ na-adaba nʼime nsogbu ahụ taa ahụhụ so ya.
Those who have good sense will realize that there is something dangerous ahead, and they will hide; those who do not have good sense [just] keep going, and later they will suffer because of [doing] that.
13 Chịrị uwe onye ahụ nke naara onye mba ọzọ na mbe. E, chiri ya ma ọ bụrụ nwanyị na-abụghị nwunye ya ka o nara na mbe.
[You deserve to] have your property taken from you if you [foolishly] promise to a stranger (OR, a strange woman) that you will pay what she owes if she is unable to pay it [DOU].
14 Ọ bụrụ na onye ọbụla e jiri oke olu gọzie onye agbataobi ya nʼisi ụtụtụ a ga-agụ nke a dịka ịbụ ọnụ.
If you rise early in the morning and call out a greeting to your neighbor [while he is still sleeping], he will consider it to be a curse, [not a blessing].
15 Mmiri na-ata nʼime ụlọ mgbe mmiri na-ezo na nwanyị na-eso okwu bụ otu.
[Having] a wife that is [constantly] nagging is as [bad as listening] to rain continually dripping on a rainy day.
16 Onye nwere ike ịkwụsị ya nwere ike iji aka jide ifufe, maọbụ were aka jide mmanụ.
[Trying] to restrain/stop her [from doing that] is as [difficult] [SIM] [as trying] to stop the wind or [trying] to hold oil in your hand.
17 Dịka e si eji igwe amụ igwe ọzọ ka ọ dị nkọ, otu a ka mmadụ si enyere ibe ya aka ịdị nkọ.
[We can use one] iron tool to sharpen [another] iron [tool]; similarly [SIM], [when one person shares] what he is thinking, it can help other people [to think more clearly].
18 Onye na-eche osisi fiig nche ga-eri mkpụrụ ya, onye na-echebekwa nna ya ukwu ka a ga-asọpụrụ.
Those who take care of fig trees will have figs to eat; [similarly], servants who protect their master will be honored [by him].
19 Dịka e si ahụ ihu mmadụ nʼime mmiri otu a ka obi mmadụ si egosi ihe onye ahụ bụ.
[When a person looks] in the water, he sees his own face; similarly [SIM], [when we look at] a person’s behavior, we know what he is thinking.
[It is as though] the place where the dead people are is always wanting more people to [die and] come there; and humans [SYN] are always wanting to acquire more things, [too]. (Sheol h7585)
21 Ite eji anụcha ihe dịrị ọlaọcha, oke ọkụ dịkwara ọlaedo ma a na-anwale ndị mmadụ site nʼotuto a na-enye ha.
[Workers put] silver and gold in a very hot furnace [to burn out what is impure], and [SIM] people learn [what we are really like when they see how we react when people] praise us.
22 Nʼagbanyeghị na ị ga-egwepịa onye nzuzu nʼime ikwe, were aka odo gwee ha dịka mkpụrụ ọka, ị pụghị isite nʼahụ ha wepụ enweghị uche ha.
Even if you beat/crush a fool severely [like] [MET] you pulverize grain with a pestle, you [probably] will not be able to cause him to stop (being foolish/doing foolish things).
23 Lezie ọrụ gị anya nke ọma, marakwa ọnọdụ igwe ewu na atụrụ gị na anụ ụlọ ndị ọzọ,
Take good care of your flocks of sheep and herds of cattle,
24 nʼihi na akụnụba adịghị adịgide. Ọ bụladị okpueze nke onye eze na-emesịa gabiga.
because the money [that you acquired from selling animals previously] will not (last/stay with you) forever; similarly [SIM], governments [MTY] certainly do not [RHQ] last forever.
25 Mgbe e gbupụchara ahịhịa ochie, nke ọhụrụ na-epupụta, mgbe ahụ ka a na-achịkọbata ahịhịa sị nʼugwu.
After you cut the hay [DOU] and [store it to feed the animals in the winter while] a new crop of hay is growing,
26 Ụmụ atụrụ ga-enye gị uwe ị ga-eyi, ụmụ ewu ga-enyekwa gị ego ọnụahịa ala ubi gị.
you will be able to [shear the sheep and] make clothes from the wool, and you will get money from selling [some of] the goats to buy [more] land,
27 Ị ga-enwe mmiri ara ewu nke ga-ezuru gị na ndị ezinaụlọ gị nri, na nke ga-edozi ahụ ndị odibo nwanyị gị.
and you will get enough milk from the [other] goats for you and your family and your female servants.
