Ohabolana 17
1 Hàmake ty pilipito’e maike am-pianjiñañe, ta ty anjomba lifo-takataka mitraoke falaiñañe.
It is better [to eat] a dry piece [of bread] and not have strife/quarrels than to have a big feast in a house where [everyone] is quarreling.
2 Ty ondevo mitoloñ’ an-kahiti’e ty hifehe ty anake mahasalatse, ie hifanjara lova aman-droahalahy.
A slave who acts wisely will [some day] be the boss of his master’s disgraceful son and when his master dies, the slave will receive part of his master’s possessions.
3 Tranaheñe an-tsinihara ty volafoty naho an-daforo ty volamena, vaho Iehovà ro mpitsòk’ arofo.
[Workers put] silver and gold in a very hot furnace [to burn out what is impure], and Yahweh [similarly] examines people’s inner beings [to see if they are pure].
4 Mañaon-tsoñin-tsereheñe ty lo-tsereke, tsatsihe’ i remborake ty lela manivetive.
Those who do what is evil pay attention to people who say [MTY] what is evil, and liars pay attention to [other people’s] lies.
5 Mañìnje i Andrianamboatse aze t’ie mañinje o rarakeo; tsy ho po-lafa ty mitohàke ami’ty hankàñe.
Those who make fun of poor [people] insult God, the one who made the poor [people], [and] those who are happy when [someone else has] troubles will certainly be punished [LIT] [by God].
6 Sabakan-engen-droanjia o afe’eo, vaho enge’ o anakeo o rae’eo.
Old [people] are [usually] proud of [MET] their grandchildren, [just like] children are [usually] proud of their parents.
7 Tsy mañeva i dagola ty enta-soa-fehe; lombolombo izay ty soñy vìlañe an-droandriañe.
Fine/Eloquent speech is not suitable for foolish people to say, just like lies are not suitable for rulers [to say].
8 Vatosoa am-pihainom-pahazo aze ty falalàñe, mampitombo mb’atia mb’aroa.
People think that a bribe is like a magic stone [to persuade someone to do what they want him to do]; they think that because of the bribe, that person will do whatever they want him to do.
9 Mpipay hatea ty mpanaroñe fiolàñe, fe mampiria rañetse te mamereñ’ indroe.
If you want people to like/love you, forgive them for the wrong things that they do to you. If you continue to remind them about those wrong things, they will no longer be your friends.
10 Laleke ty itrofaha’ ty endake ami’ty mahihitse, ta ty lafa zato ami’ty dagola.
Rebuking people who have good sense will accomplish more for them than hitting them 100 times [with a stick].
11 Mipay fiodiañe avao ty mpiola, aa le hañitrifañe irake masiake.
[Because] wicked people are always trying to cause trouble, someone will be sent to severely punish them.
12 Hàmake hifanampe ami’ty lambon’ala nalàeñ-anake, te ami’ty dagola aman-kagegea’e.
A mother bear whose cubs have been taken away from her is dangerous, but it is more dangerous to confront a foolish person who is doing something foolish.
13 Tsy ho po-hekoheko ty akiba’ ty mamereñe raty ami’ty soa.
If someone does something evil in return for something good being done to him, evil/trouble will never leave that person’s family.
14 Hoe mampipororoake rano ty fifotoram-pifandierañe, aa le apoho i lietsey tsy hiforehetse ho aly.
Starting a quarrel is like allowing water to start to leak out of a dam; they both need to be stopped before they get worse.
15 Songa tiva am’ Iehovà ty mañatò ty lo-tsereke naho ty mamàtse ty vantañe.
There are two things that Yahweh hates: (Condemning innocent [people]/Saying that people who have done nothing wrong must be punished), and declaring that people who have done wicked things should not be punished.
16 Aia ty dagola te hinday drala an-taña’e hikaloa’e hihitse kanao tsy an-tro’e ao ty hilala.
It is useless to allow foolish people [RHQ] to try to become wise by paying for it, because they do not have enough good sense to become wise.
17 Mikoko nainai’e ty rañetse, fe nasamake ho an-tsam-poheke ty rahalahy.
Friends love [others] all the time, and relatives are able to help us when we have troubles.
18 Miroe-rano ty manò-taña hiantofa’e ty songon-drañetse.
[If someone borrows money from another person], it is foolish for you to promise [IDM] that you will pay the money back if that other person is unable to pay back the money that he borrowed.
19 Mpitea fiolàñe ty mpikoko lietse, vaho mikai-rotsake ty mandranjy lalambey abo.
Those who like to sin [also] like to cause strife/trouble; [and] those who build fancy doors in their houses [to show that they are very wealthy] (OR, speak proudly) are inviting disaster.
20 Tsy mahatrea hasoa ty mengok’ an-troke; vaho mihotrak’ an-kaloviloviañe ao ty aman-dela mamañahy.
Those who (have perverse minds/are always thinking about doing evil things) will not prosper, and disasters will happen to those who always tell lies.
21 Ho aman’anahelo ty misamake ty minè; vaho tsy aman-kaehake ty rae’ i gegey.
Children who are foolish [soon] cause their parents to be very sad; their parents will not be joyful at all.
22 Aoly soa ty arofo mifale, fe mahamain-taolañe ty hafola-po.
Being cheerful is [like swallowing] good medicine; being discouraged/gloomy [all the time will] (drain away your energy/cause you to become weak) [MTY].
23 Mandrambe vokañe boak’am-pisafoa ty lahiaga, hampikelokeloke ty lalam-bantañe.
Wicked people/judges accept bribes that are given to them secretly, and as a result they do not decide matters justly/fairly.
24 Añatrefa’ ty mahatsikarake ty hihitse, fe mihilohilo mb’añ’olo-tane añe ty maso’ i dagola.
Those who have good sense determine to do what is wise, but foolish people are always thinking about many different things [and never decide what they should do].
25 Mañembetse an-drae ty hagegean’ana-dahy, vaho hafairañe amy nitoly azey.
Children who are foolish cause their father to be sad and [also] cause their mother to be very sorrowful.
26 Tsy mahasoa te liloveñe ty malio-tahiñe, naho ty andafañe roandriañe ty amy havañona’ey.
It is not right to force someone who has done nothing wrong to pay a fine; it is wrong to punish good/respected people.
27 Malea fisaontsy ty mahilala, mahalie-troke t’indaty maharendreke.
Those who have good sense do not talk a lot, and those who (control their tempers/keep themselves from becoming very angry) are [truly] wise.
28 Ndra i seretsey ro atao mahihitse naho mahafianjiñe, mbore atao hendre t’ie mahatan-tsoñy.
People [may] think that foolish people who do not say anything are wise; if foolish people (do not say anything/keep their mouths shut), others will think that they are [very] intelligent.
