Masese 24
1 Kolulaka te bato oyo basalaka mabe mpe kolukaka te kozala elongo na bango,
Do not envy evil people; do not desire to associate with them,
2 pamba te mitema na bango ekanisaka kaka kosala mabe, mpe bibebu na bango eyeisaka kaka mobulu soki elobi.
because they are [constantly] thinking about acting violently, and whenever they speak [MTY], they talk about (causing trouble/hurting someone).
3 Ndako etongamaka na nzela ya bwanya, mpe elendisamaka na nzela ya mayele.
People make good houses (OR, families) by doing what is wise, and they make their houses (OR, families) strong by [heeding] good advice.
4 Bashambre ekotondisama na biloko nyonso ya talo mpe ya kitoko na nzela ya boyebi.
By using good sense, [they are able to buy] valuable and beautiful things and put them in the rooms of their houses.
5 Moto ya bwanya atondi na nguya, moto oyo azalaka na boyebi alendisaka nguya na ye.
Being wise is better than being strong/powerful; those who know [many things can accomplish more] than those who are [very] strong.
6 Pamba te kolonga na etumba esengaka bwanya, mpe lobiko ezalaka kati na motango ebele ya bapesi toli.
Leaders can fight battles if they have wise advisors, and they win those battles if they have many good advisors.
7 Bwanya ezalaka likolo mingi mpo na zoba, yango wana azalaka te na likambo ya koloba kati na mayangani oyo esalemaka pembeni ya ekuke.
Foolish people cannot understand wise sayings/talk; at public meetings they are not [able to] say anything [that is useful].
8 Moto oyo asalaka mabongisi ya kosala mabe akokende sango lokola moteki baninga.
Those who are [always] planning to do evil things will be called troublemakers.
9 Mabongisi ya bozoba ezali masumu, mpe bato bayinaka motioli.
It is sinful to plan to do foolish things, and people hate those who make fun of [everything that is good].
10 Soki omilembisi na mokolo ya pasi, makasi na yo ekozala pamba.
If you [act as though] you are helpless when you have troubles, you are [truly very] weak.
11 Kangola bato oyo bazali komema bango na kufa, mpe bikisa bato oyo bazali kokende na kufa lokola bato oyo balangwe masanga.
[If it is unjustly decided] that someone must be executed, [try hard to] rescue them [DOU].
12 Soki olobi: « Tala, toyebaki likambo moko te kati na makambo oyo nyonso; » boni, Ye oyo amekaka mitema asosolaka yango te? Ye oyo abatelaka molimo na yo ayebaka yango te? Afutaka te moto na moto kolanda misala na ye?
If you say, “I did not know anything about it, [so (it is not my concern/I did not try to help him)],” remember that God knows what we have done, and he knows what we were thinking [IDM, RHQ], and he will certainly [RHQ] repay us as we deserve for what we have done or for not doing what we should have done.
13 Mwana na ngai, lia mafuta ya nzoyi, pamba te ezalaka kitoko! Mwa ndambo ya mafuta ya nzoyi ekozala elengi na lolemo na yo.
My child/son, eat honey, because it is good [for you]; the honey that drips from honeycombs tastes [very] sweet.
14 Yeba lisusu ete bwanya ezali elengi mpo na molimo na yo; soki ozwi yango, yeba ete lobi na yo ekozala malamu, mpe elikya na yo ekozala ya pamba te.
Similarly, being wise is good for your soul; if you become wise, you will be [happy in] the future, and [God] will certainly [do for you what you are] confidently expecting him to do [LIT].
15 Yo moto mabe, komeka te kotia mitambo kati na ndako ya moto ya sembo, mpe komeka te kopanza yango,
Do not be like wicked people who [hide and] wait to break into the houses of righteous/good [people] and rob/steal things.
16 pamba te ata soki moto ya sembo akweyi mbala sambo, akotelema kaka; nzokande pasi ekweyisaka moto mabe.
[Even if] good people fall down seven/many times, they [always] stand/get up again, but when a disaster happens to wicked [people], it ruins/destroys them.
17 Soki monguna na yo akweyi, kosepela te; mpe soki apengwi, tika ete motema na yo esepela te;
Do not be happy when something bad happens to one of your enemies; do not rejoice when he stumbles and falls,
18 noki te Yawe akomona, akosepela te mpe akokitisela yo kanda na Ye.
because Yahweh will know what you are thinking, and he will not like it, and [as a result] he will not punish that enemy of yours.
19 Kosilika te likolo ya bato oyo basalaka mabe, kolula te bato mabe;
Do not become angry/upset about those who do what is evil, and do not [SYN] envy them,
20 pamba te lobi ya malamu ekozala te mpo na moto oyo asalaka mabe, mpe mwinda ya bato mabe ekokufa.
because [nothing good] will happen to wicked people; they are [like] a lamp that will soon be extinguished [MET].
21 Mwana na ngai, tosaka Yawe mpe mokonzi, kosanganaka te na batomboki,
My child/son, revere Yahweh and [also] honor the king, and do not associate with people who want to rebel against either of them,
22 pamba te bango mibale bakoki kotindela batomboki pasi na pwasa. Bongo, nani ayebi pasi oyo bakoki kotinda?
because those people will suddenly experience disasters; and no one knows [RHQ] what great disasters that God or the king can cause to happen to them.
23 Makambo oyo mpe ezali toli ya bato ya bwanya: Kopona bilongi, kati na kosambisa, ezali malamu te.
Here are more things that wise [people] have said: It is wrong for judges to decide matters unfairly [IDM].
24 Moto oyo alobaka na moto mabe: « Ozali moto ya sembo, » bato bakolakela ye mabe, mpe bikolo ekotombokela ye.
If they say to people who are guilty, “You (are innocent/have not done something that is wrong),” [even] people in other nations will curse and despise them,
25 Kasi bato oyo bapamelaka moto mabe bakozala malamu mpe lipamboli ekozala likolo na bango.
but if judges say that guilty people must be punished, things will go well for those judges, and (they will receive blessings/God will bless them).
26 Eyano ya solo ezali lokola beze ya bibebu.
Those who answer others honestly show that they are truly their friends [IDM].
27 Bongisa libanda ya mosala na yo, bongisa bilanga na yo, bongo na sima, tonga ndako na yo.
First, do the work [that needs to be done] outside [your house], and prepare your fields, [and then plant things], and after you finish doing that, build your house.
28 Kotatola na pamba te mpo na kosala moninga na yo mabe; mpo na nini olingi kosalela bibebu na yo na lokuta?
[In the courtroom] do not testify against someone when you have no reason to do that, and do not [try to] deceive [people] by what you say [MTY].
29 Kolobaka te: « Nakosala ye ndenge asali ngai, nakozongisela ye kolanda makambo oyo ye asali. »
Do not say, “I will do to him what he did to me; I will pay him back for [the bad things that] he did to me.”
30 Nalekaki pembeni ya elanga ya moto ya goyigoyi, mpe pembeni ya elanga ya vino ya moto oyo azangi mayele;
One day I walked by the vineyards of a lazy man, a man who did not have good sense.
31 bongo, tala ndenge etondi na banzube, tala ndenge matiti mabe ezipi yango, mpe mir na yango ya mabanga ebukani.
I was surprised to see that the fields were full of all kinds of thorny bushes, and the stone wall [around the garden] had (collapsed/fallen down).
32 Tango natiaki makanisi na ngai kati na makambo oyo namonaki, nazwaki mayele oyo:
When I saw that, I thought about it, and I learned this:
33 mwa pongi moke, mwa kopema moke, mwa kokanga maboko moke mpo na kolala,
[If you spend a lot of time] sleeping and napping and folding your hands while you rest,
34 bobola ekoyela yo na pwasa lokola moleki nzela, mpe pasi ekoyela yo lokola moyibi.
[soon] you will become poor; [it will be as though] [PRS, SIM] a bandit who had a weapon in his hand [attacked you and stole all that you had].
