Engero 24
1 Teweegombanga bakozi ba bibi era tobeesemberezanga.
Do not envy evil people; do not desire to associate with them,
2 Kubanga emitima gyabwe giteesa kukola bya butemu, era akamwa kaabwe koogera ku kukola bya ffujjo.
because they are [constantly] thinking about acting violently, and whenever they speak [MTY], they talk about (causing trouble/hurting someone).
3 Amagezi ge gazimba ennyumba, n’okutegeera kwe kugiggumiza.
People make good houses (OR, families) by doing what is wise, and they make their houses (OR, families) strong by [heeding] good advice.
4 Olw’amagezi ebisenge by’ayo bijjula ebintu ebirungi, eby’obugagga ebitalabikalabika eby’omuwendo omungi.
By using good sense, [they are able to buy] valuable and beautiful things and put them in the rooms of their houses.
5 Omuntu ow’amagezi aba n’obuyinza, n’omuntu alina okumanya yeeyongera amaanyi.
Being wise is better than being strong/powerful; those who know [many things can accomplish more] than those who are [very] strong.
6 Kubanga okulwana olutalo weetaaga okuluŋŋamizibwa, n’okuluwangula, weetaaga abawi b’amagezi bangi.
Leaders can fight battles if they have wise advisors, and they win those battles if they have many good advisors.
7 Amagezi gasukkirira nnyo omusirusiru, talina ky’asobola kwogera mu lukuŋŋaana olw’oku wankaaki.
Foolish people cannot understand wise sayings/talk; at public meetings they are not [able to] say anything [that is useful].
8 Oyo asala enkwe ez’okukola ebibi, aliyitibwa mukujjukujju.
Those who are [always] planning to do evil things will be called troublemakers.
9 Entegeka ez’obusirusiru muvaamu kwonoona, abantu beetamwa omukudaazi.
It is sinful to plan to do foolish things, and people hate those who make fun of [everything that is good].
10 Bw’oyongobera mu kiseera eky’ebizibu, olwo ng’olina amaanyi matono!
If you [act as though] you are helpless when you have troubles, you are [truly very] weak.
11 Odduukiriranga n’owonya abo abatwalibwa okuttibwa, n’abo abali ku njegoyego z’okuttibwa, obawonye okuttirwa obwemage.
[If it is unjustly decided] that someone must be executed, [try hard to] rescue them [DOU].
12 Bw’ogambanga nti, “Laba kino twali tetukimanyi,” oyo akebera emitima aba talaba? Oyo akuuma obulamu bwo takimanyi? Talisasula buli muntu ng’omulimu gwe bwe guli?
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 wange olyanga omubisi gw’enjuki kubanga mulungi, omubisi oguva mu bisenge byagwo guwoomerera.
My child/son, eat honey, because it is good [for you]; the honey that drips from honeycombs tastes [very] sweet.
14 Era manya nti amagezi gawoomera emmeeme yo, bw’onoogafuna onoobeera n’essuubi mu bulamu obw’omu maaso, n’essuubi lyo teririkoma.
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 Toteeganga, ng’omunyazi bw’akola ku nnyumba y’omutuukirivu, tonyaganga maka ge.
Do not be like wicked people who [hide and] wait to break into the houses of righteous/good [people] and rob/steal things.
16 Omuntu omutuukirivu ne bw’agwa emirundi omusanvu, addamu n’ayimuka, naye abakozi b’ebibi basuulibwa mu mitawaana.
[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 Tosanyukanga ng’omulabe wo agudde, bwe yeesittalanga omutima gwo gulemenga okujaguza.
Do not be happy when something bad happens to one of your enemies; do not rejoice when he stumbles and falls,
18 Si kulwa nga Mukama akiraba ne kitamusanyusa, n’amusunguwalira.
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 Teweeraliikiriranga olw’abo abakola ebibi, so abakozi b’ebibi tobakwatirwanga buggya.
Do not become angry/upset about those who do what is evil, and do not [SYN] envy them,
20 Kubanga omuntu omubi talina ssuubi mu maaso, ettabaaza y’abakozi b’ebibi erizikizibwa.
because [nothing good] will happen to wicked people; they are [like] a lamp that will soon be extinguished [MET].
21 Mwana wange otyanga Mukama, ne kabaka, era teweetabanga na bajeemu.
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 Kubanga obusungu bwabwe bulibuubuukira ku bajeemu era ani amaanyi akabi akalibatuukako?
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 Bino nabyo era bigambo by’abalina amagezi. Okwekubiira ng’osala emisango si kirungi.
Here are more things that wise [people] have said: It is wrong for judges to decide matters unfairly [IDM].
24 Kale oyo agamba azizza omusango nti, “Toliiko ky’ovunaanibwa,” abantu banaamukolimiranga, n’amawanga ganaamwetamwanga.
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 Naye abo abasalira omusobya omusango ne gumusinga banaabanga n’essanyu, n’omukisa omulungi gulibatuukako.
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 Eky’okuddamu eky’amazima, kiri ng’okunywegerwa.
Those who answer others honestly show that they are truly their friends [IDM].
27 Malirizanga omulimu gwo ogw’ebweru, oteeketeeke ennimiro zo, n’oluvannyuma olyoke weezimbire ennyumba 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 Towanga bujulizi bwa bulimba ku muliraanwa wo, so akamwa ko tekalimbanga.
[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 Toyogeranga nti, “Omuntu oyo ndimukola nga bw’ankoze, era ndimusasuza nga bw’ampisizza.”
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 Nayita ku nnimiro ey’omugayaavu, ne mpita ne ku nnimiro y’emizabbibu ey’oyo atalina kutegeera.
One day I walked by the vineyards of a lazy man, a man who did not have good sense.
31 Kale laba, ng’ennimiro eyo ebunye amaggwa, wansi wonna nga wabikkiddwa omuddo, n’olukomera lwayo olw’amayinja nga lugudde.
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 Ne neekaliriza ne ntegeera ne nfuna ekyokuyiga mu bye nalaba.
When I saw that, I thought about it, and I learned this:
33 Otulo otutonotono, n’okusumagira akatono, n’okufunya emikono okuwummulako,
[If you spend a lot of time] sleeping and napping and folding your hands while you rest,
34 obwavu bulikutuukako ng’omutemu, era n’obwetaavu ng’omutemu.
[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].
