Mpitoriteny 10
1 Mampitrotrotse ty menam-pañemboke ty laletse mate; le mavesatse te ami’ty hihitse naho ty asiñe, ty hagegeañe kede.
[A few] dead flies in [a bottle of] perfume cause [all] the perfume to stink. Similarly [SIM], a small amount of acting foolishly can have a greater effect than acting wisely.
2 Mitolike mb’an-kavàna ty arofo’ i mahihitsey, mb’ankavia ka ty tro’ i dagolay.
If people think sensibly, it will lead them to do what is right; if they think foolishly, it causes them to do what is wrong.
3 Ndra te mijelanjelañe an-dalañe eo ty derendereñe, kanao po-hilala, aboa’e amy màroy ty hagegea’e.
Even while foolish people walk along the road, they show that they do not have good sense; they show everyone that they are not wise.
4 Naho miforoforo ama’o ty haviñera’ ty mpifehe, ko apo’o ty toe’o, amy te mañafa-tsirìka-mena ty hamora-fo.
Do not quit working for a ruler when he is angry with you; if you remain calm, he will [probably] stop being angry.
5 Eo ty haratiañe nitendrek’ahy ambane’ i àndroy, hoe lilatse aboa’ ty mpifehe.
There is something [else] that I have seen here on this earth, something that rulers sometimes do that is wrong/inappropriate:
6 Onjoneñe mb’an-toetse ambone ty seretse maro, ie mitozoke ambane eo o mpañalealeo.
They appoint foolish people to have important positions, while they appoint rich [people] to have unimportant positions.
7 Nahatrea ondevo miningi-tsoavala iraho, vaho ty ana-donake mañavelo an-tane eo hoe ondevo.
They allow slaves [to ride] on horses [like rich people usually do], [but] they force officials to walk [like slaves usually do].
8 Mete hivariñe ama’e ao ty mihaly koboñe; naho mete hehere’ ty mereñe ze misorodidy kijoly.
[It is possible that] those who dig pits will fall into one of those pits. [It is possible that] someone who tears down a wall will be bitten by a snake [that is in that wall].
9 Mete joie’ ty vato ty mihaly aze; le mete hizo fere ty mampitserake hatae.
If you work in a quarry, [it is possible that] a stone [will fall on you and] injure you. [It is possible that] men who split logs will be injured by one of those logs.
10 Naho malomo ty viñe, ie tsy sioña’e ty lela’e, le añ’ozatse ambone ty ifanehafa’e; lombolombo’e ty hihitse mahatafetetse.
If your axe is not sharp [DOU], you will need to work harder [to cut down a tree], but by being wise, you will succeed.
11 Ie hehere’ ty mereñe tsy nampipendreñeñe; le an-koheke i mpitroboy.
If a snake bites a man before he charms/tames it, his ability to charm snakes will not benefit him.
12 Matarike o entam-palie’ i mahihitseio, fe mampibotseke ty dagola o soñi’eo.
Wise people say [MTY] what is sensible, and because of that, people honor them; but foolish people are destroyed by what they say [MTY].
13 Mifototse an-kagegeañe o fivolam-bava’eo, naho migadon-ko haratian-dagola;
When foolish people start to talk, they say things that are foolish, and they end by saying things that are both wicked and foolish.
14 mangaradadak’ avao ty minè. Tsy fohi’ ondatio ty ho zoeñe, ia ty mahatalily ama’e ty hanonjohy aze?
They talk (too much/without ceasing). None of us knows what will happen in the future, or what will happen after we die.
15 Akore ty hamokora’ i dagolay amy fitromaha’ey, kanao tsy fohi’e ty homba’e mb’an-drova mb’eo.
Foolish people become [so] exhausted by the work that they do that they are unable to find the road to their town/homes.
16 Hoy hoy ty ama’o, ry tane, naho ajaja ty mpanjaka’o vaho mpanao bedidake maraindray o ana-dona’oo!
Terrible things will happen to the people of a nation whose ruler is a foolish young man, and whose [other] leaders continually eat, all day long, every day.
17 Haha irehe ry tane, te roandriañe ty mpanjaka’o, vaho mikama ami’ty evae’e o ana-dona’oo hihaozara’e fa tsy ty himamoa’e!
[But] a nation will prosper if its ruler is from a (noble/well-educated) family, and if its [other] leaders feast [only] at the proper times, and [if they eat and drink only] to be strong, not to become drunk.
18 Havotroañe ty mahakolemake tafo; tañañe ledra’e ty mahatsopatsopake traño.
Some men are very lazy [and do not repair the rafters], with the result that the rafters sag [and collapse]; and if they do not repair the roof, water will leak into the house [when it rains].
19 Natao hampiankahake ty sabadidake; te hahafale fiay ty divay, vaho te hamale ze he’e ty drala.
Eating food and drinking wine causes us to laugh and be happy, [but] we are able to enjoy those things only if we have money [to buy them].
20 tovo’e: Ko mamatse ty mpanjaka am-pitsakorea’o ao, naho ty mpiefoefo an-trañom-pandrea’o ao; ke hinday ty feo’o i voron-tiokey, hera haboele’ i amañ’elatsey i enta’oy.
Do not even think about cursing the king, or cursing rich [people, even] when you are [alone] in your bedroom, because [it is possible that] a little bird will hear [what you are saying], [and] tell those people what you said [about them].
