Mithali 14
1 Mwanamke mwenye hekima huijenga nyumba yake, bali mpumbavu huibomoa nyumba yake kwa mikono yake mwenyewe.
Wise women [PRS] hold their families together [by the wise things that they do], but foolish women ruin their families by the foolish things that they do.
2 Yeye ambaye njia zake ni nyofu humcha Bwana, bali yeye ambaye njia zake zimepotoka humdharau Mungu.
By [continually] behaving/acting righteously, [people show that they] greatly revere Yahweh; those who (walk on crooked paths/always deceive others) [show that they] despise him.
3 Mazungumzo ya mpumbavu huleta fimbo mgongoni mwake, bali mwenye hekima hulindwa na maneno ya midomo yake.
Foolish people will be punished [MTY] for what they say, but wise [people] will be protected by what they say [MTY].
4 Pale ambapo hakuna mafahali, hori ni tupu, bali kutokana na nguvu za fahali huja mavuno mengi.
If [a man has] no oxen [to plow his field], he does not [need to put] grain [in their feedbox], but if [he has] oxen, they will enable [him to produce] an abundant crop.
5 Shahidi mwaminifu hadanganyi, bali shahidi wa uongo humimina uongo.
Witnesses who are reliable [always] say what (is true/really happened), but witnesses who are not reliable constantly tell lies [about what happened].
6 Mwenye mzaha huitafuta hekima na haipati, bali maarifa huja kwa urahisi kwa anayepambanua.
Those who make fun [of being wise] will never become wise, but those who understand [what is right] learn things easily.
7 Kaa mbali na mtu mpumbavu, kwa maana hutapata maarifa katika midomo yake.
Stay away from foolish people, because they will not be able to teach you anything [useful].
8 Hekima ya mwenye busara ni kufikiria njia zake, bali upumbavu wa wapumbavu ni udanganyifu.
Those who have good sense are wise, so they know what they should do [and what they should not do]; foolish people do not know what is right to do, but because they think that they do, they are deceiving themselves.
9 Wapumbavu hudhihaki kujirekebisha kutoka dhambi, bali wema hupatikana miongoni mwa wanyofu.
Foolish people make fun of their committing sins; but God is pleased with those who do what is right.
10 Kila moyo hujua uchungu wake wenyewe, wala hakuna yeyote awezaye kushiriki furaha yake.
If you are very sad or if you are joyful, only you know what you are experiencing; no one else [can] know what you are feeling.
11 Nyumba ya mwovu itaangamizwa, bali hema la mnyofu litastawi.
Houses built by wicked [people] will be destroyed, but houses built by good/righteous [people] will last for a long time.
12 Iko njia ionekanayo kuwa sawa kwa mtu, bali mwisho wake huelekeza mautini.
There are some kinds of behavior [MET] that [some] people [falsely] think are right, but (walking on those roads/continually doing those things) causes [those people] to die.
13 Hata katika kicheko moyo waweza kuuma, nayo furaha yaweza kuishia katika majonzi.
[Sometimes] when people laugh, they are [really] sad, and when they stop laughing, they are still sad.
14 Wasio na imani watapatilizwa kikamilifu kwa ajili ya njia zao, naye mtu mwema atapewa thawabu kwa ajili ya njia yake.
Those who stubbornly continue to do what is wrong will get what they deserve, and those who continually do what is good will [also] get what they deserve.
15 Mtu mjinga huamini kila kitu, bali mwenye busara hufikiria hatua zake.
Foolish people believe everything [that people tell them]; those who have good sense think carefully about what will be the result of their actions.
16 Mtu mwenye hekima humcha Bwana na kuepuka mabaya, bali mpumbavu hukasirika kwa hamaki na uzembe.
Wise people are careful and avoid [doing things that will give them] trouble; foolish people are careless and act (too quickly/without thinking).
17 Mtu anayekasirika kwa haraka hufanya mambo ya upumbavu, naye mtu wa hila huchukiwa.
Those who quickly become angry [IDM] do foolish things; [people] hate those who plan to do wicked things (OR, those who have good sense remain calm/patient).
18 Mjinga hurithi upumbavu, bali wenye busara huvikwa maarifa kichwani kama taji.
Foolish people get what they deserve for doing foolish things; those with good sense are rewarded [MET] by being able to learn a lot.
19 Watu wabaya watasujudu mbele ya watu wema, nao waovu kwenye malango ya wenye haki.
[Some day] evil [people] will bow down in front of righteous [people to show that they respect them]; they [will humbly stand] at the gates of [the houses of] righteous [people and request their help].
20 Maskini huepukwa hata na majirani zao, bali matajiri wana marafiki wengi.
[No one likes] poor [people]; even their friends/neighbors do not like them; rich [people] have many friends, but [only while the rich people still have money].
21 Yeye anayemdharau jirani yake hutenda dhambi, bali amebarikiwa yeye aliye na huruma kwa mhitaji.
It is sinful to despise your [poor] neighbors; [God] is pleased with those who do kind things for the poor.
22 Je, wale wanaopanga ubaya hawapotoki? Bali wale wanaopanga kilicho chema hupata upendo na uaminifu.
Those who plan to do things that are evil/wrong are walking on the wrong road; people faithfully love, respect and are loyal to those who plan to do what is good.
23 Kazi zote zinazofanywa kwa bidii huleta faida, bali mazungumzo matupu huelekea umaskini tu.
If you work hard, you will (accomplish something good/get a good income), but if all you do is to talk [and not work], you will remain poor.
24 Utajiri wa wenye hekima ni taji yao, bali upumbavu wa wapumbavu huzaa upumbavu.
One of the rewards [MET] of being wise is to become rich; the reward of acting foolishly is to become more foolish.
25 Shahidi wa kweli huokoa maisha, bali shahidi wa uongo ni mdanganyifu.
By saying [in court] what is true, you [can] save the life [of the one who is being falsely accused]; if you tell lies, you are abandoning someone who needs your help [to defend him].
26 Yeye amchaye Bwana ana ngome salama, na kwa watoto wake itakuwa kimbilio.
Those who revere Yahweh are confident [that he will protect them], and their family will [also] be protected.
27 Kumcha Bwana ni chemchemi ya uzima, ili kumwepusha mtu na mitego ya mauti.
Having an awesome respect for Yahweh is [like] [MET] [having] a fountain that gives life; it will help you to escape when something dangerous is threatening to kill you [MET].
28 Wingi wa watu ni utukufu wa mfalme, bali pasipo watu mkuu huangamia.
If a king rules over many people, many people will [be able to] honor him; if he has only a few people in his kingdom, he will have very little [HYP] power.
29 Mtu mwenye subira ana ufahamu mwingi, bali anayekasirika haraka huonyesha upumbavu.
Those who do not quickly become angry are very wise; by quickly becoming angry, people show that they are foolish.
30 Moyo wenye amani huupa mwili uzima, bali wivu huozesha mifupa.
Having a mind that is peaceful results in having a healthy body; having a mind that is [often] in turmoil is [like] [MET] cancer in [a person’s] bones.
31 Yeye amwoneaye maskini huonyesha dharau kwa Muumba wao, bali yeyote anayemhurumia mhitaji humheshimu Mungu.
Those who oppress poor people are insulting God, the one who made those poor people, but acting kindly toward them is respecting God.
32 Waovu huangamizwa kwa matendo yao maovu, bali hata katika kifo wenye haki hupata kimbilio.
Wicked [people] ruin themselves by the evil things that they do, but righteous/good [people] are kept safe/protected even when they die (OR, because of their continually doing what is right).
33 Hekima hukaa katika moyo wa mwenye ufahamu bali haijulikani miongoni mwa wapumbavu.
Those who have good sense always think what is wise; foolish people do not know anything about being wise.
34 Haki huinua taifa, bali dhambi ni aibu kwa watu wote.
[When] the people of a nation [continually act] righteously, it causes that nation to be great; [continually doing what is] evil causes a nation to be disgraced.
35 Mfalme hupendezwa na mtumishi mwenye hekima, bali ghadhabu yake humwangukia mtumishi mwenye kuaibisha.
Kings are pleased with officials who do their work competently/skillfully, but they punish [MTY] those who [do their work in a manner that] causes the kings to be disgraced.
