Izaga 24
1 Ungabi lamhawu ngabantu ababi, ungaloyisi ukuba labo.
Do not envy evil people; do not desire to associate with them,
2 Ngoba inhliziyo yabo iceba udlakela, lezindebe zabo zikhuluma uhlupho.
because they are [constantly] thinking about acting violently, and whenever they speak [MTY], they talk about (causing trouble/hurting someone).
3 Ngenhlakanipho indlu iyakhiwa, langokuqedisisa iqiniswe.
People make good houses (OR, families) by doing what is wise, and they make their houses (OR, families) strong by [heeding] good advice.
4 Langolwazi amakamelo agcwaliswa ngempahla zonke eziligugu lezimnandi.
By using good sense, [they are able to buy] valuable and beautiful things and put them in the rooms of their houses.
5 Umuntu ohlakaniphileyo ulamandla, lomuntu ololwazi uqinisa amandla.
Being wise is better than being strong/powerful; those who know [many things can accomplish more] than those who are [very] strong.
6 Ngoba ngezeluleko ezihlakaniphileyo ungalawula impi yakho, lokukhululwa kusebunengini babeluleki.
Leaders can fight battles if they have wise advisors, and they win those battles if they have many good advisors.
7 Inhlakanipho enkulu iphakeme esiwuleni; esangweni kasivuli umlomo waso.
Foolish people cannot understand wise sayings/talk; at public meetings they are not [able to] say anything [that is useful].
8 Oceba ukwenza okubi, bazambiza ngokuthi ngumnikazi wamacebo amabi.
Those who are [always] planning to do evil things will be called troublemakers.
9 Umcabango wobuwula yisono, lesideleli siyisinengiso emuntwini.
It is sinful to plan to do foolish things, and people hate those who make fun of [everything that is good].
10 Uba uzitshengisa uxega ngosuku lokuhlupheka, amandla akho mancinyane.
If you [act as though] you are helpless when you have troubles, you are [truly very] weak.
11 Bophule abasiwa ekufeni, labatatalikela ekubulaweni, kungathi ungabanqanda.
[If it is unjustly decided] that someone must be executed, [try hard to] rescue them [DOU].
12 Uba usithi: Khangela besingakwazi lokhu; ohlola izinhliziyo yena kayikukunanzelela yini? Olondoloza umphefumulo wakho yena kakwazi yini? ngitsho ubuyisela emuntwini njengokomsebenzi wakhe?
If you say, “I did not know anything about it, [so (it is not my concern/I did not try to help him)],” remember that God knows what we have done, and he knows what we were thinking [IDM, RHQ], and he will certainly [RHQ] repay us as we deserve for what we have done or for not doing what we should have done.
13 Dlana uluju, ndodana yami, ngoba lulungile, lohlanga loluju lumnandi elwangeni lwakho.
My child/son, eat honey, because it is good [for you]; the honey that drips from honeycombs tastes [very] sweet.
14 Lunjalo ulwazi lwenhlakanipho emphefumulweni wakho; uba uluthola, kuzakuba lomvuzo, lethemba lakho kaliyikuqunywa.
Similarly, being wise is good for your soul; if you become wise, you will be [happy in] the future, and [God] will certainly [do for you what you are] confidently expecting him to do [LIT].
15 Wena okhohlakeleyo, ungacathameli umuzi wolungileyo; ungachithi indawo yakhe yokuphumula.
Do not be like wicked people who [hide and] wait to break into the houses of righteous/good [people] and rob/steal things.
16 Ngoba olungileyo uzakuwa kasikhombisa, avuke futhi; kodwa abakhohlakeleyo bazakhubeka ebubini.
[Even if] good people fall down seven/many times, they [always] stand/get up again, but when a disaster happens to wicked [people], it ruins/destroys them.
17 Ungathokozi ngokuwa kwesitha sakho, lekukhubekeni kwaso inhliziyo yakho kayingajabuli;
Do not be happy when something bad happens to one of your enemies; do not rejoice when he stumbles and falls,
18 hlezi iNkosi ikubone, kube kubi emehlweni ayo, iphendule ulaka lwayo ilususe kuso.
because Yahweh will know what you are thinking, and he will not like it, and [as a result] he will not punish that enemy of yours.
19 Ungazikhathazi ngenxa yabenzi bobubi, ungabi lamhawu ngabakhohlakeleyo;
Do not become angry/upset about those who do what is evil, and do not [SYN] envy them,
20 ngoba omubi kayikuba lomvuzo; isibane sabakhohlakeleyo sizacitshwa.
because [nothing good] will happen to wicked people; they are [like] a lamp that will soon be extinguished [MET].
21 Ndodana yami, yesaba uJehova lenkosi; ungahlanganyeli labaguquguqukayo;
My child/son, revere Yahweh and [also] honor the king, and do not associate with people who want to rebel against either of them,
22 ngoba incithakalo yabo izavuka masinyane; njalo ngubani owazi ukuchitheka kwabo bobabili?
because those people will suddenly experience disasters; and no one knows [RHQ] what great disasters that God or the king can cause to happen to them.
23 Lala ngawabahlakaniphileyo. Ukunaka ubuso kusahlulelo kakulunganga.
Here are more things that wise [people] have said: It is wrong for judges to decide matters unfairly [IDM].
24 Othi kokhohlakeleyo: Wena ulungile; abantu bazamqalekisa, izizwe zizamthukuthelela.
If they say to people who are guilty, “You (are innocent/have not done something that is wrong),” [even] people in other nations will curse and despise them,
25 Kodwa kulabo abamkhuzayo kuzakuba lentokozo, lesibusiso esihle sizabehlela.
but if judges say that guilty people must be punished, things will go well for those judges, and (they will receive blessings/God will bless them).
26 Ophendula ngamazwi aqondileyo uzakwanga indebe.
Those who answer others honestly show that they are truly their friends [IDM].
27 Lungisa umsebenzi wakho ngaphandle, uzilungiselele wona ensimini, emva kwalokho wakhe indlu yakho.
First, do the work [that needs to be done] outside [your house], and prepare your fields, [and then plant things], and after you finish doing that, build your house.
28 Ungabi ngumfakazi umelene lomakhelwane wakho kungelasizatho, kumbe ukhohlise ngendebe zakho.
[In the courtroom] do not testify against someone when you have no reason to do that, and do not [try to] deceive [people] by what you say [MTY].
29 Ungathi: Njengokwenza kwakhe kimi ngizakwenza njalo kuye; ngizaphindisela emuntwini njengokomsebenzi wakhe.
Do not say, “I will do to him what he did to me; I will pay him back for [the bad things that] he did to me.”
30 Ngedlula ensimini yevila, lesivinini somuntu oswele ingqondo;
One day I walked by the vineyards of a lazy man, a man who did not have good sense.
31 khangela-ke, konke kwakumile ameva, imbabazane yayisibekele ubuso bakho, lomthangala wakho wamatshe udilikile.
I was surprised to see that the fields were full of all kinds of thorny bushes, and the stone wall [around the garden] had (collapsed/fallen down).
32 Mina-ke ngakukhangela, ngakubeka enhliziyweni yami; ngakubona, ngemukela imfundiso.
When I saw that, I thought about it, and I learned this:
33 Ubuthongo obuncinyane, ukuwozela okuncinyane, ukusonga izandla okuncinyane ukuthi kulalwe,
[If you spend a lot of time] sleeping and napping and folding your hands while you rest,
34 besebusiza ubuyanga bakho njengesihambi, lenswelo zakho njengomuntu ohlomileyo.
[soon] you will become poor; [it will be as though] [PRS, SIM] a bandit who had a weapon in his hand [attacked you and stole all that you had].
