Mpitoriteny 12
1 Tiahio i nitsene azo an-tsan-kajalahi’o, aolo’ ty fivotraha’ o andron-kasotriañeo, naho ty hitotofa’ i taoñe hanoe’o ty hoe: Tsy mahafale ahiko irezay;
While you are still young, keep thinking about [God], who created you. Do that before [you are old] and you experience many troubles, during the years when you say “I no [longer] enjoy being alive.”
2 aolo’ ty fañamaieñañe ty hazava’ i àndroy naho i volañey vaho o vasiañeo, naho ty fibaliha’ o rahoñeo ie fa añe i orañey;
[When you become old], the light from the sun and moon and stars will [seem] dim [to you], and [it will seem that the rain] clouds [always] return [quickly] after it rains.
3 amy andro hihondrahondrà’ o mpañambeñ’ anjombao, naho hibokobokoha’ ondaty maozatseo, naho hitroara’ o mpandisañeo amy t’ie tsy ampe, vaho mihamaieñe tsy hahaisaha’ ondaty mitilihitse amo lalan-kedeo;
Then your [arms that you use to protect] [MET] your bodies will shake/tremble, and your [legs that support] [MET] your bodies will become weak. Many of your [teeth that you use to] grind/chew [your food] will fall out, and your [eyes that you use to] look out of windows will not see clearly.
4 ie mirindriñe o lalam-ban-dalam-beio, naho migeongeoñe avao o vato fandisanañeo, naho mahatsekake ondaty ty feom-boroñe, vaho hene namptsiñeñe o anak’ ampela mpibekoo;
Your [ears] [MET] will not hear the noise in the streets, and you will not be able to hear clearly the sound of people grinding grain with millstones. You will be awakened in the morning by hearing the birds singing/chirping, [but] you will not be able to hear well the songs that (the birds/people) sing.
5 eka, mahahembañe ondatio te an-kaboañe ey, mirevendreveñe t’ie an-damoke eo; mikò-foty o mahabiboo, fe mikozozotse avao i valalay, vaho milesa i vahen’ amaloy; amy te migodañe mb’añ’akiba’e nainai’e mb’eo ondatio, ie midraidraitse an-dalañeo o mpandàlao;
You will be afraid to be in high places and afraid of dangers on the roads that you walk on. [Your hair] will become [white like] [MET] the flowers of almond trees. [When you try to walk], you will drag yourself along like [MET] grasshoppers, and you will no longer desire [to have sex]. Then you will [die and] go to your eternal home, and people who will mourn for you will be in the streets.
6 aolo’ te tampake i fole volafotiy, naho foy i korobo volamenay, naho señak’ am-bava’ i vovoñey ty fitovy, naho nipozak’ an-kadaha eo i larom-pitarikey,
[Think much about God now, because] soon our lives will end, [like] [MET] silver chains or golden bowls that break easily, or like pitchers/jugs that are broken at the water fountain, or like broken pulleys at a well.
7 naho mibalike mb’an-tane niboaha’e ao i debokey, vaho mimpoly mb’ aman’Andrianamboatse azey i kofòkey.
Then our corpses will [decay and] become dirt again, and our spirits will return to God, the one who gave us our spirits.
8 Habibin-kakafoahañe izay, hoe t’i Mpañoke; kila kafoake.
[So] I say [again] that it is difficult to understand why everything happens; everything is mysterious.
9 Tovo i hihi’ey, nanare’ i Mpañokey hilala ondatio, ie nandanja naho nañotsohotso vaho nañity razan-tsaontsy maro.
I was considered to be a very wise man, and I taught the people many things. I assembled/collected and wrote down many proverbs, and I carefully thought about and studied them.
10 Nitsoeke fisaontsy mahafale i Mpañokey, vaho nanokitse tsara-to am-palangesañe.
I searched for the right words, and what I have written is reliable and true.
11 Hoe fitsipoke ty fisaontsi’ o mahihitseo, toe fati-by soa oreñe o razan-drehakeo, o natolo’ i Mpiarak’ añondriio.
The things that [I and other] wise people say [teach people what they should do]; they are like [SIM] (goads/sharp sticks that people use to strike animals to direct where they should go). They are like [SIM] nails that stick out of pieces of wood. They are given to us by [God, who is like] [MET] our shepherd.
12 Aa, le mitaoa ry anake amo mandikoatse irezaio, fa tsy ho modo ty fanoañe boke maro, vaho mahamamake o nofotseo ty halako-pihotsohotsoañe.
[So], my son, pay careful attention to what I have written, and choose carefully what you read that others have written, [because] writing proverbs/books is endless, and [trying to] study them all will cause you to become exhausted.
13 Ty figadoña’e, ie hene jinanjiñe: Mañeveña aman’Añahare, vaho ambeno o lili’eo; ho a’ ze kila ondaty izay.
[Now] you have heard all [that I have told you], and here is the conclusion: Revere God, and obey his commandments, because those commandments summarize everything that people should do.
14 Hendesen’ Añahare mb’an-jaka ze hene sata, ze he’e mietake, ndra t’ie soa ndra te raty.
And do not forget that God will judge everything that we do, good things and bad things, [even] things that we do secretly.
