हितोपदेश 23
1 तँ खानलाई शासकसित बस्दा तेरो सामु राखिएको खानेकुरालाई होसियारीपूर्वक अवलोकन गर् ।
When thou shalt sit to eat with a prince, consider diligently what is set before thy face.
2 तँ धेरै खाने खन्चुवा हो भने तेरो घाँटीमा चक्कु राख् ।
And put a knife to thy throat, if it be so that thou have thy soul in thy own power.
3 तिनको स्वादिष्ट खानेकुराको लालसा नगर्, किनकि यो झुटको खाना हो ।
Be not desirous of his meats, in which is the bread of deceit.
4 धन-सम्पत्ति कमाउन धेरै नघोट्टी । कहिले बन्द गर्ने भनी थाहा पाउन बुद्धिमानी बन् ।
Labour not to be rich: but set bounds to thy prudence.
5 के यसमाथि तेरो आँखाको ज्योति चम्कन दिन्छस्? यो बितेर जाने छ, किनकि गरुडका झैँ यसका पखेटाहरू पलाउने छन् र यो आकाशमा उडेर जाने छ ।
Lift not up thy eyes to riches which thou canst not have: because they shall make themselves wings like those of an eagle, and shall fly towards heaven.
6 दुष्ट आँखा भएको मानिसको भोजन नखा, र त्यसको स्वादिष्ट खानेकुराको लालसा नगर् ।
Eat not with an envious man, and desire not his meats:
7 किनकि त्यो भोजनको मूल्य गिन्ती गर्ने मानिस हो । त्यसले भन्छ, “खाऊ र पिऊ ।” तर त्यसको हृदय तँसित हुँदैन ।
Because like a soothsayer, and diviner, he thinketh that which he knoweth not. Eat and drink, will he say to thee: and his mind is not with thee.
8 तैँले खाएको थोरै खानेकुरा पनि तैँले बान्ता गर्ने छस्, र तैँले तेरो तारिफलाई त्यसै खेर जान दिनेछस् ।
The meats which thou hadst eaten, thou shalt vomit up: and shalt loose thy beautiful words.
9 मूर्खले सुन्ने गरी नबोल्, किनकि त्यसले तेरा वचनहरूको बुद्धिलाई तुच्छ ठान्ने छ ।
Speak not in the ears of fools: because they will despise the instruction of thy speech.
10 प्राचीन साँध-सिमानाको ढुङ्गो नहटा वा अनाथहरूको खेतबारी नमिच् ।
Touch not the bounds of little ones: and enter not into the field of the fatherless:
11 किनभने तिनीहरूका उद्धारकर्ता शक्तिशाली हुनुहुन्छ, र उहाँले तेरो विरुद्धमा तिनीहरूको मुद्दा लड्नुहुने छ ।
For their near kinsman is strong: and he will judge their cause against thee.
12 तेरो हृदयलाई अर्तीतिर लगा, र तेरा कानलाई ज्ञानका वचनहरूमा लगा ।
Let thy heart apply itself to instruction: and thy ears to words of knowledge.
13 बच्चाबाट अर्तीलाई नरोक्, किनकि तैँले त्यसलाई अनुशासनमा राखिस् भने त्यो मर्ने छैन ।
Withhold not correction from a child: for if thou strike him with the rod, he shall not die.
Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and deliver his soul from hell. (Sheol h7585)
15 हे मेरो छोरो, तेरो हृदय बुद्धिमानी छ भने मेरो हृदय पनि प्रसन्न हुने छ ।
My son, if thy mind be wise, my heart shall rejoice with thee:
16 तेरो ओठले जे ठिक छ, त्यही बोल्दा मेरो अन्तस्करण रमाउने छ ।
And my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips shall speak what is right.
17 तेरो हृदयलाई पापीहरूको ईर्ष्या गर्न नदे, तर दिनैभरि परमप्रभुको भयमा लागिराख् ।
Let not thy heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the Lord all the day long:
18 निश्चय नै एउटा भविष्य छ, र तेरो आशा निराश हुने छैन ।
Because thou shalt have hope in the latter end, and thy expectation shall not be taken away.
19 हे मेरो छोरो, सुन् र बुद्धिमान् हो, अनि तेरो हृदयलाई सुमार्गमा लगा ।
Hear thou, my son, and be wise: and guide thy mind in the way.
20 मातेकाहरू वा धेरै मासु हुसर्नेहरूसित सङ्गत नगर्,
Be not in the feasts of great drinkers, nor in their revellings, who contribute flesh to eat:
21 किनकि मतवाला र घिचुवाहरू गरिब बन्छन्, र यस्तो लट्ठ्याइले तिनीहरूलाई झुत्रे बनाउँछ ।
Because they that give themselves to drinking, and that club together shall be consumed; and drowsiness shall be clothed with rags.
22 तँलाई जन्म दिने बुबाको कुरा सुन्, र तेरी आमा वृद्ध हुँदा उनलाई तुच्छ नठान् ।
Hearken to thy father, that beget thee: and despise not thy mother when she is old.
23 सत्यलाई किन्, र त्यसलाई नबेच् । बुद्धि, अर्ती र समझशक्तिलाई किन् ।
Buy truth, and do not sell wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.
24 धर्मात्माको बुबा अत्यन्तै आनन्दित हुने छ, र बुद्धिमान् छोरोलाई जन्म दिने मानिस त्यसमा प्रसन्न हुने छ ।
The father of the just rejoiceth greatly: he that hath begotten a wise son, shall have joy in him.
25 तेरा बुबा र आमा प्रसन्न होऊन्, अनि तँलाई जन्म दिने आनन्दित होऊन् ।
Let thy father, and thy mother be joyful, and let her rejoice that bore thee.
26 हे मेरो छोरो, मलाई तेरो हृदय दे, र तेरा आँखाले मेरा मार्गहरू हेरून् ।
My son, give me thy heart: and let thy eyes keep my ways.
27 किनभने वेश्या एउटा गहिरो खाडल हो, र अनैतिक स्त्री एउटा साँघुरो इनार हो ।
For a harlot is a deep ditch: and a strange woman is a narrow pit.
28 त्यो चोरझैँ ढुकिबस्छे, र त्यसले मानिसहरूका बिचमा विश्वासघातीहरूको सङ्ख्या बढाउँछे ।
She lieth in wait in the way as a robber, and him whom she shall see unwary, she will kill.
29 कोसित कष्ट छ? कोसित शोक छ? कोसित कलह छ? कोसित गुनासो छ? कोसित विनाकारण चोट छ? कसका आँखा राताराता छन्?
Who hath woe? whose father hath woe? who hath contentions? who falls into pits? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?
30 तिनीहरूकै जो धेरै मद्य पिउँछन्, जसले मिश्रित मद्य पिउँछन् ।
Surely they that pass their time in wine, and study to drink of their cups.
31 मद्य रातो हुँदा, कचौरामा त्यसको फिँज उठ्दा र त्यो सहजै उँधो जाँदा त्यसलाई नहेर् ।
Look not upon the wine when it is yellow, when the colour thereof shineth in the glass: it goeth in pleasantly,
32 अन्त्यमा त्यसले सर्पले झैँ डस्छ, र गोमनले झैँ विष हालिदिन्छ ।
But in the end, it will bite like a snake, and will spread abroad poison like a basilisk.
33 तेरा आँखाहरूले अनौठा कुराहरू देख्ने छन्, र तेरो मनले टेडा कुराहरू व्यक्त गर्ने छन् ।
Thy eyes shall behold strange women, and thy heart shall utter perverse things.
34 तँ महासमुद्रमा सुतिरहने व्यक्तिझैँ वा मस्तुलको डोरीको मास्तिर बस्नेझैँ हुने छ ।
And thou shalt be as one sleeping in the midst of the sea, and as a pilot fast asleep, when the stern is lost.
35 तैँले भन्ने छस्, “तिनीहरू मलाई हिर्काए, तर मलाई चोट लागेन ।” तिनीहरूले मलाई पिटे, तर मलाई यसको अनुभूति भएन । म कहिले ब्युँझने छु? म अर्को चुस्की खोज्ने छु ।”
And thou shalt say: They have beaten me, but I was not sensible of pain: they drew me, and I felt not: when shall I awake, and find wine again?
