Soakas 17
1 Wo in kang bread mahi ke inse misla, liki na in wi kufwa in sie lohm ma oasr akukuin we.
It is better [to eat] a dry piece [of bread] and not have strife/quarrels than to have a big feast in a house where [everyone] is quarreling.
2 Sie mwet kulansap su oaru ac lalmwetmet fah fulat liki sie wen sununta nutin mwet kacto lal, ouinge el ac wi usrui ma lun tulik nutin mwet kacto lal.
A slave who acts wisely will [some day] be the boss of his master’s disgraceful son and when his master dies, the slave will receive part of his master’s possessions.
3 Gold ac silver uh srikeyuk ke e, ac insien mwet uh srikeyuk sin LEUM GOD.
[Workers put] silver and gold in a very hot furnace [to burn out what is impure], and Yahweh [similarly] examines people’s inner beings [to see if they are pure].
4 Mwet koluk uh lohang nu ke nunak koluk, ac mwet kikiap lungse lohng kas kikiap.
Those who do what is evil pay attention to people who say [MTY] what is evil, and liars pay attention to [other people’s] lies.
5 Kom fin aksruksruki mwet sukasrup, kom aklusrongtenye God su oralosla. Ac fah kaiyuk kom, kom fin engankin ongoiya lun mwet ngia.
Those who make fun of poor [people] insult God, the one who made the poor [people], [and] those who are happy when [someone else has] troubles will certainly be punished [LIT] [by God].
6 Mwet matu uh engankin tulik nutin tulik natulos, oapana ke tulik uh engankin papa tumalos.
Old [people] are [usually] proud of [MET] their grandchildren, [just like] children are [usually] proud of their parents.
7 Sufal mwet leum in fahk kas kikiap, oayapa kas wo tia tuku sin sie mwet lalfon.
Fine/Eloquent speech is not suitable for foolish people to say, just like lies are not suitable for rulers [to say].
8 Kutu mwet uh nunku mu eyeinse uh oana mwenmen. Elos lulalfongi mu ku in sang ma nukewa nu selos.
People think that a bribe is like a magic stone [to persuade someone to do what they want him to do]; they think that because of the bribe, that person will do whatever they want him to do.
9 Kom fin lungse mwet in lungse kom, kom nunak munas nu selos ke ma koluk elos oru nu sum. Kom fin sikalani in sramsramkin, ac ku in kunauselik inmasrlon sie kawuk.
If you want people to like/love you, forgive them for the wrong things that they do to you. If you continue to remind them about those wrong things, they will no longer be your friends.
10 Kas in kaiyuk sefanna ku in aksuwosyela sie mwet lalmwetmet, a sringsring siofok tia ku in aksuwosyela sie mwet lalfon.
Rebuking people who have good sense will accomplish more for them than hitting them 100 times [with a stick].
11 Mwet koluk elos purakak akukuin pacl nukewa, na ac fah supweyukla sie mwet roso sulallal in lainulos.
[Because] wicked people are always trying to cause trouble, someone will be sent to severely punish them.
12 Kom fin osun nu sin soko bear ma pisrapasrla natu natul, ac srik sensen lom liki kom fin osun nu sin sie mwet lalfon kafofo ke orekma lusrongten lal.
A mother bear whose cubs have been taken away from her is dangerous, but it is more dangerous to confront a foolish person who is doing something foolish.
13 Kom fin eis ma wo ac folokin ke ma koluk, ma koluk fah tia ku in wanginla liki lohm sum.
If someone does something evil in return for something good being done to him, evil/trouble will never leave that person’s family.
14 Mutaweyen sie akukuin oana ke sie dam tufahna srasrelik, ke ma inge tulokinya akukuin sac meet liki ac yokelik.
Starting a quarrel is like allowing water to start to leak out of a dam; they both need to be stopped before they get worse.
15 Aksukosokye sie mwet koluk, ku kapriya sie mwet wangin mwata — lumah luo inge kewa srungayuk sin LEUM GOD.
There are two things that Yahweh hates: (Condemning innocent [people]/Saying that people who have done nothing wrong must be punished), and declaring that people who have done wicked things should not be punished.
16 Wangin sripa sie mwet lalfon in sisla mani nu ke lutlut, mweyen wangin etauk sel.
It is useless to allow foolish people [RHQ] to try to become wise by paying for it, because they do not have enough good sense to become wise.
17 Mwet kawuk uh akkalemye lungse lalos pacl nukewa. Ma kunen sou uh in akasrui ke pacl upa.
Friends love [others] all the time, and relatives are able to help us when we have troubles.
18 Mwet na wangin nunak la pa ac orek wulela in akfalye soemoul lun siena mwet.
[If someone borrows money from another person], it is foolish for you to promise [IDM] that you will pay the money back if that other person is unable to pay back the money that he borrowed.
19 Mwet su lungse ma koluk elos lungse orek lokoalok. Kom fin konkin mwe kasrup lom pacl nukewa, kom purakak lokoalok.
Those who like to sin [also] like to cause strife/trouble; [and] those who build fancy doors in their houses [to show that they are very wealthy] (OR, speak proudly) are inviting disaster.
20 Elos su nunak koluk ac kaskas koluk, ac fah wangin ma wo nu selos, a ongoiya mukena.
Those who (have perverse minds/are always thinking about doing evil things) will not prosper, and disasters will happen to those who always tell lies.
21 Mwe na asor ac toasr nu sin sie papa ma tulik natul uh oru ma lalfon.
Children who are foolish [soon] cause their parents to be very sad; their parents will not be joyful at all.
22 Inse engan mwe akkeye monum. A el su kwacna inse toasr, fah akmunasye manol.
Being cheerful is [like swallowing] good medicine; being discouraged/gloomy [all the time will] (drain away your energy/cause you to become weak) [MTY].
23 Mwet nununku sesuwos elos eis mwe eyeinse in lukma. Ke ouinge uh nununku suwohs tiana orekla.
Wicked people/judges accept bribes that are given to them secretly, and as a result they do not decide matters justly/fairly.
24 Mwet lalkung elos sulela in akwot nu ke soko inkanek lalmwetmet, a mwet lalfon uh takusrkusr ke inkanek puspis.
Those who have good sense determine to do what is wise, but foolish people are always thinking about many different things [and never decide what they should do].
25 Sie tulik lalfon el mwe toasr nu sin papa tumal, ac akmwenye insien nina kiyal.
Children who are foolish cause their father to be sad and [also] cause their mother to be very sorrowful.
26 Tia wo in sang kaiyuk nu sin mwet wangin mwata, ku kalyeiyuk mwet oru ma pwaye. Fin ouinge, nununku uh kihla.
It is not right to force someone who has done nothing wrong to pay a fine; it is wrong to punish good/respected people.
27 Mwet lalmwetmet na pwaye elos tia oalinkas. Mwet ma muta misla pa liyaten uh.
Those who have good sense do not talk a lot, and those who (control their tempers/keep themselves from becoming very angry) are [truly] wise.
28 Sie mwet lalfon fin muta misla ac tia sramsram, ku in nunkeyuk mu el lalmwetmet.
People [may] think that foolish people who do not say anything are wise; if foolish people (do not say anything/keep their mouths shut), others will think that they are [very] intelligent.
