< Soakas 23 >
1 Kom fin wi sie mwet fulat muta mongo, esam akwoya lah su el uh.
When you sit down to eat a meal with a (government official/king), think carefully about what (OR, who) is in front of you.
2 Kom finne ke mongo yohk, kom eis na lupa fal.
[Even] if you (have a big appetite/want to eat a lot of food), restrain yourself.
3 Nimet oasroasr nu ke mwe mongo yuyu el kite kom kac. Sahp el oru in mwe srike kom.
Do not want to eat [a lot of] his fine food, because he may be trying to trick you.
4 Kom in lalmwetmet, ac tia kemkatula in suk mwe kasrup.
Do not [cause yourself to become very tired by] working very hard to become rich; be wise and stop doing that,
5 Mani lom uh ku in wanginla ke kitin pacl na — oana in oasr posohksok kac, na sohkla oana sie eagle.
because as soon as you look [MTY] at [all the money that you have acquired], it will be gone; it will [disappear as if it] suddenly grew wings [SIM] and flew up into the sky like an eagle.
6 Nimet mongo yurin sie mwet srowohsr, ku mwel mwe mongo yuyu el oru.
[If] someone who is stingy [invites you to a meal], do not eat [a lot of] his fine food,
7 El ac fahk mu, “Fahsru eis pac kutu mongo uh,” tusruktu el tia fahk ke inse pwaye. Nunak lal siena.
because he will be thinking about how much [the food cost that you are eating]. He [will] say to you, “Eat and drink all that you want!”, but that is not what he [will] really be thinking.
8 Kom ac wihtacla ma kom kangla, ac kusen eyeinse lom uh wanginla sripa.
[When you realize what he is really thinking, it will cause you to want to] vomit what you have eaten; and your kind words [telling him that you are enjoying the meal] will be wasted.
9 Nimet srike in sramsram in lalmwetmet nu sin sie mwet lalfon; el tia ku in eis in nunku kac.
(Do not [waste time by]/It is useless) talking to foolish people; they will [only] despise the wise things that you say.
10 Nimet mokle sie masrol matu, ku eisla acn lun mwet mukaimtal.
Do not [steal someone’s property by] removing a boundary marker that has been there for a long time, and do not take for yourself the land that belongs to orphans,
11 LEUM GOD El ac loangelos ke ku lal, ac aolulos in sramsram lain kom.
because Yahweh is strong, and he is [like] a relative that has the responsibility to defend them, he will [stand up in court and] argue for them and against you.
12 Porongo mwet luti lom, ac sang kuiyom in lutlut.
Pay attention to what [your teachers] teach you, and try to learn from the wise things that they say.
13 Nimet alolo in kai sie tulik. Sie sringsring fal ac tia unilya,
Do not refuse to discipline your children; if you punish/spank them, it will not cause them to die,
14 a ma ac molela moul lal. (Sheol )
and it may save them from [going to] the place where dead people are. (Sheol )
15 Tulik nutik, kom fin sun lalmwetmet, nga ac arulana insewowo.
My son/child, if you [SYN] become wise, I [SYN] will be very happy.
16 Nga ac arulana engan ke nga lohng kom fahk kas lalmwetmet.
I [SYN] will rejoice when I hear you [SYN] say what is right/wise.
17 Nimet sok sin mwet koluk, a kom in akfulatye LEUM GOD pacl nukewa.
Do not envy sinful people; instead, revere Yahweh all of your life.
18 Fin ouinge, kom ac fah sun finsrak nukewa lom.
[If you do that], you will be happy in the future, and [God] will certainly [do for you what you are] confidently expecting him to do.
19 Tulik nutik, porongeyu. Kom in lalmwetmet ac nunak akloalya ke ouiyen moul lom.
My son/child, listen carefully to me and become wise, and think about (all that you do/your behavior).
20 Nimet kupasr nu sin mwet nim wain yokla ac kainmongo.
Do not associate with those who drink a lot of (wine/strong drink) or with those who (are gluttons/eat more than they should),
21 Mwet lungse nimnim ac mwet kainmongo elos ac sukasrup. Fin pwayena ma kom oru pa mongo ac motul, ac tia paht na kom nukum nuknuk mihsasa.
because drunkards and gluttons will become poor; and if all that you do is eat and sleep, you will [soon] (be wearing rags/not have any money to buy clothes).
22 Porongo papa tomom — funu tia el, kom lukun wangin. Ke pacl se nina kiom el matuoh, akkalemye srui lom nu sel.
Pay attention to what your father tells you, and (do not neglect/take care of) [LIT] your mother when she is old.
23 Pwaye, lalmwetmet, lutlut, ac etauk — ma inge kewa fal kom in moli, tusruktu kom in tia kukakunla, mweyen ma inge arulana saok.
Try to know/learn what is wise, and get good instruction and understanding; and do not throw those things away.
24 Mwe insewowo nu sin sie papa tulik natul fin lalmwetmet ac moul suwohs.
Righteous [children] will cause their parents to be very happy; those whose children are wise are proud of them.
25 Oru ma ac akinsewowoye papa tomom ac nina kiom. Kom fin oru ouinge, nina kiom el ac arulana engan.
[Do what will] cause your father to be glad and enable your mother [also] to be happy.
26 Wen nutik, lohang akwoya, ac lela moul luk in mwe srikasrak nu sum.
My son, heed what I say to you, and allow what I do to be an example for you.
27 Mutan kosro su eis molin kosro lalos, ac mutan koluk uh, elos sie kwasrip nu ke misa.
Prostitutes and immoral women [DOU] are [like] [MET] a deep pit or a well [that you may fall into].
28 Elos soanekom oana mwet pisrapasr, ac oru mukul puspis in tia pwaye nu sin mutan kialos.
They wait [for you] like robbers [SIM], and they cause many men to (be unfaithful to/have sex with women who are not) their wives.
29 Su oasr ongoiya yoro? Su oasr asor yoro? Su amei ac lungse anwuk finne wangin sripa? Su srusrala atronmuta?
I will tell you [RHQ] what kind of people are always miserable and sad. I will tell you [RHQ] which people are always causing arguments/quarrels and who are always complaining. I will tell you [RHQ] who are injured in fights and whose eyes are always red/bloodshot.
30 Elos su muta paht ke wain uh, ac elos su kar mwe nim ku.
[It is] those who drink a lot of wine, who try drinking other kinds of strong drinks.
31 Nimet lela wain uh in srifekomla, finne srusra ac saromrom in cup uh, ac arulana wo emah ke kom ac ukumya uh.
Do not look with pleasure at red wine that looks nice, and which sparkles when it is [poured out] into cups, and which tastes good as you drink it,
32 Ke lotutang tok ah, kom ac pula mu oana soko wet pwasin el ngaliskomi.
because the next morning [you will feel like] you have been bitten by a poisonous snake [DOU].
33 Motom ac liye ma sakirik, ac nunak lom ac kaskas lom ac fah tia kalem.
You [SYN] will [think that you are] seeing strange/weird things, and you [SYN] will not be able to think clearly or speak clearly.
34 Kom ac pula mu kom kalkal meoa — ikwot ikme oana ke kom muta elucng ke kwesu in oak uh.
You will think you are in a ship that is tossing on the sea; you be like [SIM] someone who is trying to sleep when the ship is rolling from one side to the other.
35 Na kom ac fahk, “Oasr mwet puokyu, nga tia pula. Oasr mwet uniyu tuh nga tiana esam. Efu ku nga kofla in tukakek? Nga enenu sie pac mwe nim ah.”
You will say, “[I think that] someone struck me, but he did not hurt me; he hit me, but I did not feel it. When will I (wake up/feel normal again) in order that I can drink some more wine?”