Ohabolana 26
1 Hoe fanala añ’asara, ndra orañe an-tsam-pitatahañe, ty tsy fañevà’ i dagolay fiasiañe.
Just [like] [SIM] [it is not appropriate for] snow [to fall] in summer time, or rain [to fall] at harvest time, it is not appropriate to praise/honor foolish people.
2 Hoe ty fikepakepaha’ ty hitikitike naho ty fitiliñam-polinjà, ty tsy ipetaham-patse te tsy amam-bente’e.
Like [SIM] birds that fly by [and do not alight/land on anything], if someone curses you, it cannot hurt you if you (do not deserve them/have not done to him what is wrong).
3 Ty fikiso ho ami’ty soavala, naho ty laboridy ho ami’ty borìke, vaho ty kobaiñe ho an-dambosi’ i dagola.
It is necessary to whip a horse and to put a bridle on a donkey [to force them to go where we want them to go], and similarly [SIM] [it is often necessary to strike] foolish people with a stick [to cause them to do what is right].
4 Ko toiñe’o ami’ty hanè’e i seretse, hera hanahak’ aze.
If a foolish person asks a foolish question, [do not answer him], because [if you answer his question], you are just as foolish as he is.
5 Valeo mañeva’ i hagegea’ey ty dagola, tsy mone hahihitse ami’ty maso’e.
If you give a foolish answer to someone who asks a foolish question, he will realize that he is (not very wise/foolish).
6 Hoe mañitsike tomboke naho migenoke voreke, ty mampisangitrike taratasy am-pitàn-dagola.
Anyone who asks a foolish person to take a message to someone [is himself doing something as foolish as] cutting off his own feet or drinking poison.
7 Maletraletra ty fandia’ i kepeke, naho ty razan-drehak’ am-bava’ o seretseo.
A lame man cannot use his legs, and similarly [SIM] [it is useless for] a foolish person to speak [MTY] (proverbs/wise sayings).
8 Hoe mañombe vato am-piletse, ty miasy i gegegege.
Tying a stone in a sling [so that it cannot be thrown at a target] is [as foolish as] [SIM] honoring a foolish person.
9 Hoe fatike mipok’ an-taña’ i jike, ty razan-drehak’ am-bava’ i dagola.
If a drunk person waves some thorns/brambles with his hand, [he is not able to accomplish anything useful by doing that] (OR, [he does not feel it when a thorn sticks in his hand]); similarly, if foolish people speak [MTY] proverbs, [they do not help anyone who hears them].
10 Ie mampitoloñe ty seretse, le manahake te mañeke mpandrioñe.
A man who shoots arrows [to try] to wound everybody who is near [is foolish]; similarly, anyone who hires a foolish person [who passes by is very foolish].
11 Hoe amboa mimpoly ami’ty loa’e, ty dagola mamereñe ty hagegea’e.
A foolish person will foolishly do something stupid a second time; it is [like] [SIM] a dog returning to [eat] what it has vomited.
12 Tsy fa nahaisake ondaty mahihitse am-pihaino’e hao irehe? bey ty fitamà’ i seretsey ta ty aze.
[God] can help/bless foolish people more easily than he can help/bless people who are not wise [RHQ], but think that they are wise.
13 Hoe ty votro, Inao liona ty an-damoke eo! Midada an-dalañe ey ty liona!
Lazy people [just stay inside their houses and do nothing]; [they keep] saying “[I think] there is a lion in the street!”
14 Manahake ty figavingavin-dalañe amo soavili’eo, ty tembo am-pandrea’e eo.
A door [continually] swings back and forth on its hinges [and does not go anywhere]; similarly [SIM], lazy people [just continually turn over] in their beds [and never do anything].
15 Ajo’ i votro am-po finga ao ty taña’e, fe tsy lefe’e ty minday aze mb’am-bava’e.
Some people are extremely lazy; they put their hand in a dish [to get some food] but do not [even] lift the food up to their mouths.
16 Mahihitse ami’ty maso’e ty tembo, te ami’ty fito-lahy manoiñe an-kavantañañe.
Lazy people think that they are wiser than seven/several people who can answer [others’ questions] with good sense.
17 Hambañ’ ami’ty mitsepak’ amboa an-tsofi’e, ty mpandrioñe mihilintsioñe ami’ty aly tsy aze.
Anyone who (meddles/involves himself) in a quarrel that does not concern him is [as foolish as] [SIM] someone who tries to grab a passing dog by its ears.
18 Hoe ty derendereñe mañiririñe raha mibelañe, naho ana-pale, vaho fampihomahañe,
Crazy people who shoot burning arrows to kill people
19 ty mamitake ondaty ami’ty hoe: Nisolesole avao iraho.
are as foolish as those who deceive someone else and [then] say, “I was only joking.”
20 Mate ty afo tsy aman-katae, modo ka ty dabasida tsy aman-tsikotsiko.
If there is no [more] firewood [to put on the fire], the fire will go out; similarly [SIM], if there are no people who (gossip/tell people things that are not true), quarreling will end.
21 Hoe sarebò ami’ty foroha mirekake, naho hatae ami’ty afo, ty famiaña’ i mpanao tsikoniy hañolaña’e aiñe.
[Putting] charcoal on burning coals or [putting] wood on a fire [causes the fire to keep burning]; similarly, people who like to quarrel cause people to keep arguing.
22 Hoe kenoke mafiry ty fivolam-pitàngogo, ie migodoñe mb’añ’ova lalek’ ao.
People [enjoy listening to what gossips say about others just like] [SIM] they enjoy tasty food; they [enjoy listening to what gossips tell them like] they enjoy swallowing tasty food.
23 Hoe valàñe-tane nihamineñe taim-piram-bolafoty ty fameleke ampirehetan- kelok’ an-troke ao.
People who say nice things when they are thinking about doing evil things are like a nice glaze/covering on a [cheap] clay pot.
24 Añonohonoa’ ty famele’e i falaiña’ey, fe añaja’e famañahiañe ty an-tro’e ao.
Those who hate someone and are saying [MTY] something very different from what they are thinking are hypocrites; they are only planning [to harm that person].
25 Ndra t’ie mirehake fañisohañe, ko iantofa’o, fa pea tiva fito ty an-tro’e ao.
When they say nice things, do not believe them, because in their inner beings are many things that [Yahweh] hates.
26 Aeta’e am-pitake ty halò-tsere’e, fe hiboak’ am-pivory ao ty haloloa’e.
They try to deceive people to cause them to think that they do not hate [that person], but in a public meeting, the people will find out the evil things [that they have done].
27 Higodoñe an-koboñe ao ty nihaly aze, himpoly ama’e ty vato navarimbari’e.
Those who dig a deep pit [for other people to fall into] will fall into it themselves; rocks will roll down on those who start to cause rocks to roll down [to crush someone].
28 Heje ty famele’ i remborake o jinoi’eo, mampianto ka ty falie manao kabeake.
Those [MTY] who tell lies to others [really] hate them, and those who deceive [others] ruin them.
