Masese 25
1 Tala masese mosusu ya Salomo oyo bato ya Ezekiasi, mokonzi ya Yuda, bakomaki.
Here are more wise sayings/words that Solomon [wrote]. Some men who worked for Hezekiah, the king of Judah, copied them [from a scroll that Solomon had written].
2 Nzambe azwaka nkembo mpo ete asalaka makambo oyo bato bayebaka te, mpe bakonzi bazwaka nkembo mpo ete balukaka kososola tina ya makambo.
[We consider] God to be great because he (acts in mysterious ways/does things that we cannot understand); [we consider] kings to be great because they explain things.
3 Ndenge bakokaka te komeka bosanda ya Lola to bozindo ya mabele, ndenge wana mpe bakoki te kososola mitema ya bakonzi.
[It is not possible for anyone to measure] how high the sky is or how deep the earth/ocean is; likewise [SIM], it is not possible for us to know [all] that kings are thinking.
4 Soki olongoli mbindo na palata, ekobimisa mbeki mpo na monyangwisi bibende na moto.
[If workers] burn out the impure bits that are in silver, a man who makes things from silver can make something beautiful from the silver.
5 Soki olongoli moto mabe liboso ya mokonzi, kiti na ye ya bokonzi ekolendisama na bosembo.
[Similarly, if] wicked [advisors] are taken away from a king, his government will remain secure, because [the king will be able to] act justly.
6 Komikumisaka te liboso ya mokonzi, mpe komivandisaka te na esika ya bato minene;
When you stand in front of a king, do not try to (impress him/honor yourself) and do not (act like you are important/ask to sit where important people sit; )
7 pamba te eleki malamu ete baloba na yo: « Yaka kovanda na esika oyo ya lokumu, » na esika ete bayokisa yo soni na miso ya mokonzi.
it is better if someone tells you to sit closer [to the king] than for [someone to tell you], while the king is listening, to sit further away in order that someone who is more important [may sit closer to the king].
8 Kowelaka te kokende kofunda epai ya basambisi makambo oyo osili komona na miso, pamba te okosala nini na suka soki moninga na yo asukisi yo?
Do not quickly go to a court [to tell the judge about] something that you have seen, because another witness may later [say something that proves that you are wrong, and as a result] you will be disgraced/ashamed. If that happens, (what will you do?/you will not know what to do.) [RHQ]
9 Soki ozali kowelana na moninga na yo, kobimisa sekele ya moto mosusu te,
If you and someone else think differently about some matter, settle it between yourselves, and do not tell others any secret [that he has told you].
10 noki te ayoka yango mpe ayokisa yo soni, boye okosambwa mpo na libela.
If others find out that you have told secrets, you will be ashamed, and from that time on, (you will have a bad reputation/people will think badly about you).
11 Liloba oyo elobami na tango oyo ekoki ezali lokola wolo oyo basangisi na palata.
Something that is said that is [very] appropriate is [as delightful as seeing] [SIM] gold apples/ornaments in a silver bowl.
12 Pamela ya moto ya bwanya epai ya moto oyo ayokaka ezali lokola wolo ya peto mpe sheneti ya wolo.
When a wise person rebukes/warns someone [SYN] who is willing to listen, that is [as valuable as] [SIM] a gold ring or a gold chain.
13 Motindami ya sembo azalaka lokola mopepe ya malili ya mvula ya pembe na tango ya kobuka bambuma, asalaka esengo ya mokonzi na ye.
A messenger who (is reliable/tells someone else exactly what he was told to say) refreshes [the spirits of] his bosses who sent him like [SIM] (snow/cold water) refreshes [the ground] at the time that [people] harvest crops.
14 Moto oyo amikumisaka ete akabaka, nzokande apesaka na ye eloko te, azali lokola mapata mpe mopepe oyo ezangi mvula.
When someone promises to give a gift to us but never gives it, [that disappoints us] as much as [SIM] clouds and wind that come but do not bring any rain.
15 Moto oyo akangaka motema akoki kobongola makanisi ya mokonzi, mpe maloba ya malamu ebukaka mikuwa.
If someone keeps requesting a ruler long enough to do something, he will [often] agree to do it; similarly, by speaking [MTY] gently we can [often] convince [others that what we say is right] [IDM].
16 Soki omoni mafuta ya nzoyi, lia oyo ekoki na yo, pamba te soki olie yango na lokoso, okosanza yango.
If you find some honey, do not eat a lot of it, because doing that may cause you to vomit.
17 Kokendaka pamba-pamba te na ndako ya moninga na yo, noki te akotonda yo mpe akolemba yo.
Do not go to your neighbor’s house very often [to talk with him]; if you go [very] often, he will get tired of listening to you and start to hate you.
18 Moto oyo apesaka matatoli ya lokuta mpo na kosala moninga na ye mabe azali lokola marto, mopanga mpe mbanzi ya songe.
To falsely accuse others [in court] is like [SIM] [attacking them with] a war-club or a sword or a sharp arrow.
19 Kotia elikya na zoba na tango na pasi ezali lokola lino ebukani mpe lokolo elembi.
Depending on unreliable people when you have troubles is [as bad] as [trying to eat when] you have a bad/hurting tooth or [trying to walk when] your foot is crippled.
20 Koyembela moto oyo azali na mawa banzembo ya esengo ezali lokola kolongola ye kazaka na tango ya malili to kotia masanga ya ngayi na pota.
Singing to someone who is depressed [just causes him to feel worse]; it is like [SIM] taking off clothes on a very cold day or like putting vinegar on a wound.
21 Soki monguna na yo azali na nzala, pesa ye bilei; soki azali na posa ya mayi, pesa ye mayi ya komela.
If your enemies are hungry, give them something to eat; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink;
22 Pamba te, soki osali bongo, okotondisa makala ya moto na likolo ya moto na ye, mpe Yawe akofuta yo.
doing that will cause them to feel ashamed [IDM], and Yahweh will reward you for doing that.
23 Mopepe oyo ewutaka na ngambo ya nor, ebetisaka mvula, mpe lolemo oyo etongaka ekomisaka bilongi kanda-kanda.
When wind blows from the right direction, it will rain; [similarly] [SIM], if we gossip about others, that causes them to look at us very angrily.
24 Kovanda na songe ya ndako ezali malamu koleka kovanda elongo na mwasi oyo aswanaka-swanaka.
It is better to live ([alone/by yourself]) in the corner of an attic/housetop than to live inside the house with a wife who is [always] nagging.
25 Basango ya malamu oyo ewuti na mokili ya mosika ezali lokola mayi ya pio kati na motema ya moto oyo azali na posa ya mayi.
Receiving good news from a country far away refreshes our spirits like [SIM] cold water refreshes us when we are very thirsty.
26 Moto ya sembo oyo asopanaka liboso ya moto mabe azali lokola liziba ya potopoto mpe etima oyo ebimisaka mayi ya mabe.
When a righteous/good person (gives in/yields) to wicked [people], that is [as bad] as [SIM] a spring that becomes muddied or a fountain that becomes polluted.
27 Ezali malamu te kolia mafuta ya nzoyi ebele, mpe ezali malamu te koluka lokumu na yo moko.
It is not good to eat too much honey, and trying to get people to praise you is also not good.
28 Moto oyo akokaka te kokonza molimo na ye azali lokola engumba oyo ebukana mpe ezanga bamir.
People who (cannot control their tempers/quickly become very angry) [are unable to defend their behavior]; that is like [having] a city without a wall around it, [with the result that no one can defend it].
