Ohabolana 23
1 Ie miambesatse hitrao-pikama ami’ty mpifehe, biribirio ty añatrefa’o eo,
When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider well him that is before thee;
2 vaho tohoro meso ty tretra’o naho mpanao avetse irehe.
And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite.
3 Ko lelalelae’o o raha mafiri’eo, fa mahakama mahatsikapy.
Be not desirous of his dainties; seeing they are deceitful food.
4 Ko mamokotse vatañe ho mpañaleale, ijihero am-pisafiri’o.
Weary not thyself to be rich; cease from thine own wisdom.
5 Ampihelañe’o fihaino hao ty tsy eo? fa toe mitsene elatse manahake ty vantio ty vara mitiliñe mb’an-dindiñe eñe.
Wilt thou set thine eyes upon it? it is gone; for riches certainly make themselves wings, like an eagle that flieth toward heaven.
6 Ko kamae’o ty hàne’ o matitio, ko irie’o o aze mafirio;
Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainties;
7 Fa hambañe ami’ty fañereñere’e añ’ova’e ao ty ie: hoe re ama’o; Mikamà naho minoma! fe tsy ama’o ty tro’e.
For as one that hath reckoned within himself, so is he: 'Eat and drink', saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.
8 Hilañe’o i pilipito’e nitsopehe’oy, vaho hianto i fañandriaña’oy.
The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words.
9 Ko misaontsy am-pitsanoña’ ty seretse, fa ho sirikae’e ty hihi’ o enta’oo.
Speak not in the ears of a fool; for he will despise the wisdom of thy words.
10 Ko avi’o ty nifaritsohañe haehae, vaho ko miaribañe ty tanem-bode-rae,
Remove not the ancient landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless;
11 amy te maozatse ty mpijeba’ iareo; hitohaña’e ty ama’o.
For their Redeemer is strong; He will plead their cause with thee.
12 Ampiantofo filie-batañe ty arofo’o, vaho volan-kilàla o ravembia’oo.
Apply thy heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.
13 Ko ahànkañe ami’ty ana’o ty lilo; fa tsy mahavetrake ty lafan-kobaiñe.
Withhold not correction from the child; for though thou beat him with the rod, he will not die.
Thou beatest him with the rod, and wilt deliver his soul from the nether-world. (Sheol h7585)
15 O anako, naho mahihitse ty tro’o, ho ehake ty troko,
My son, if thy heart be wise, my heart will be glad, even mine;
16 vaho hirebeke ty añ’ovako ao naho mahafivolañe ty hiti’e o soñi’oo.
Yea, my reins will rejoice, when thy lips speak right things.
17 Ko apo’o ho tsikirihen-tro’o ty mpandilatse, fe imaneo lomoñandro ty fañeveñañe am’ Iehovà.
Let not thy heart envy sinners, but be in the fear of the LORD all the day;
18 Toe ey ty ho avy, vaho tsy haitoañe ty fisalalà’o.
For surely there is a future; and thy hope shall not be cut off.
19 O anako, mitsanoña naho mahihira, vaho avantaño mb’amy lalañey ty tro’o.
Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thy heart in the way.
20 Ko mitraok’ amo mpitolom-pitrini-divaio, ndra amo mpamotseke henao;
Be not among winebibbers; among gluttonous eaters of flesh;
21 fa songa hivarin-ko rarake ty mahake naho i jike; vaho hisikin-tsirodea ty poie.
For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty; and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.
22 Tsendreño ty rae nisamak’ azo, vaho ko injè’o ty rene’o t’ie bey.
Hearken unto thy father that begot thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old.
23 Vilio ty hatò le ko aletake; ikalò hihitse naho anatse vaho hilala.
Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.
24 Handia taroba ty rae’ i mahitiy; vaho hifalea’e i ana-dahy karafito nampiareñe’ey.
The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; and he that begetteth a wise child will have joy of him.
25 Ampiehafo ty rae’o naho i rene’o; hampinembanembañ’ i nisamak’ azoy.
Let thy father and thy mother be glad, and let her that bore thee rejoice.
26 O anake, atoloro ahiko ty tro’o, le ampifaleo amo satakoo o maso’oo.
My son, give me thy heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.
27 Kadaha laleke ty tsimirirañe, vaho vovoñe maifitse ty karapilo.
For a harlot is a deep ditch; and an alien woman is a narrow pit.
28 Mivoñoñe ao re hoe malaso, vaho ampitomboe’e am’ondatio ty hatsivokarañe.
She also lieth in wait as a robber, and increaseth the faithless among men.
29 Ia ty mioremèñe, ia ty mihontoke? Ia ty ampoheke? Ia ty mitoreo? Ia ty vinonotroboke tsy amam-poto’e; Ia ty ama-maso mandofiry?
Who crieth: 'Woe'? who: 'Alas'? who hath contentions? who hath raving? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?
30 O mihenekeneke an-divaio, o mitolom-pitsopeke divay linaroo.
They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to try mixed wine.
31 Ko hentea’o ty hamena’ ty divay, ty fimilomilo’e am-pitovy ao, ty falamam-pioriha’e.
Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth its colour in the cup, when it glideth down smoothly;
32 Ie am-para’e mitifatse hoe lapetake vaho mihehetse hoe fandrefeala.
At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like a basilisk.
33 Hahaoniñe sahàtse o maso’oo, vaho hivolan-kamengohañe ty ron-doha’o.
Thine eyes shall behold strange things, and thy heart shall utter confused things.
34 Le hanahake ty mitsalalampatse aivo’ i riakey irehe, naho ty mandre ambone’ ty bodan-dain-dakañe eo.
Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.
35 Namofok’ ahy iereo, fe tsy manaintaiñe; linafa’e fe tsy nireiko! Ombia te ho tsekake hipaiako indraike?
'They have struck me, and I felt it not, they have beaten me, and I knew it not; when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.'
