Mithali 27
1 Usijisifu kwa ajili ya kesho, kwa kuwa hujui ni nini kitakachozaliwa kwa siku moja.
Boast not thyself of to-morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.
2 Mwache mwingine akusifu, wala si kinywa chako mwenyewe; mtu mwingine afanye hivyo na si midomo yako mwenyewe.
Let another man praise thee, and not thy own mouth; a stranger, and not thy own lips.
3 Jiwe ni zito na mchanga ni mzigo, lakini kukasirishwa na mpumbavu ni kuzito kuliko vyote viwili.
A stone [is] heavy, and the sand weighty; but a fool's wrath [is] heavier than both.
4 Hasira ni ukatili na ghadhabu kali ni gharika, lakini ni nani awezaye kusimama mbele ya wivu?
Wrath [is] cruel, and anger [is] outrageous; but who [is] able to stand before envy?
5 Afadhali karipio la wazi kuliko upendo uliofichika.
Open rebuke [is] better than secret love.
6 Majeraha kutoka kwa rafiki yaonyesha uaminifu, bali kubusu kwa adui ni kwingi sana.
Faithful [are] the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy [are] deceitful.
7 Yeye aliyeshiba huchukia kabisa asali, bali kwa mwenye njaa hata kile kilicho kichungu kwake ni kitamu.
The full soul lotheth a honey-comb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.
8 Kama ndege atangatangavyo mbali na kiota chake, ndivyo alivyo mtu atangatangaye mbali na nyumbani mwake.
As a bird that wandereth from her nest, so [is] a man that wandereth from his place.
9 Manukato na uvumba huleta furaha moyoni, nao uzuri wa rafiki huchipuka kutoka kwenye ushauri wake wa uaminifu.
Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so [doth] the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel.
10 Usimwache rafiki yako wala rafiki wa baba yako, tena usiende nyumbani mwa ndugu yako wakati umepatwa na maafa. Bora jirani wa karibu kuliko ndugu aliye mbali.
Thy own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; neither go into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity: [for] better [is] a neighbor [that is] near, than a brother far off.
11 Mwanangu, uwe na hekima, nawe ulete furaha moyoni mwangu, ndipo nitakapoweza kumjibu yeyote anitendaye kwa dharau.
My son, be wise, and make my heart glad, that I may answer him that reproacheth me.
12 Mtu mwenye busara huona hatari na kujificha, bali mjinga huendelea mbele nayo ikamtesa.
A prudent [man] foreseeth the evil, [and] hideth himself; [but] the simple pass on, [and] are punished.
13 Chukua vazi la yule awekaye dhamana kwa ajili ya mgeni; lishikilie iwe dhamana kama anafanya hivyo kwa ajili ya mwanamke mpotovu.
Take his garment that is surety for a stranger, and take a pledge of him for a strange woman.
14 Kama mtu akimbariki jirani yake kwa sauti kuu asubuhi na mapema, itahesabiwa kama ni laana.
He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it shall be counted a curse to him.
15 Mke mgomvi ni kama matone yasiyokoma ya siku ya mvua.
A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike.
16 Kumzuia yeye ni kama kuuzuia upepo au kukamata mafuta kwa kiganja cha mkono.
Whoever hideth her hideth the wind, and the ointment of his right hand [which] bewrayeth [itself].
17 Kama vile chuma kinoavyo chuma, ndivyo mtu amnoavyo mwenzake.
Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
18 Yeye autunzaye mtini atakula tunda lake, naye amtunzaye bwana wake ataheshimiwa.
He that keepeth the fig-tree shall eat the fruit of it: so he that waiteth on his master shall be honored.
19 Kama uso uonekanavyo kwenye maji, ndivyo hivyo moyo wa mtu humwonyesha alivyo.
As in water face [answereth] to face, so the heart of man to man.
Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied. (Sheol h7585)
21 Kalibu ni kwa ajili ya fedha na tanuru kwa ajili ya dhahabu, bali mtu hupimwa kwa sifa azipokeazo.
[As] the fining-pot for silver, and the furnace for gold; so [is] a man to his praise.
22 Hata ukimtwanga mpumbavu kwenye kinu, ukimtwanga kama nafaka kwa mchi, hutauondoa upumbavu wake.
Though thou shouldst bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle, [yet] his foolishness will not depart from him.
23 Hakikisha kuwa unajua hali ya makundi yako ya kondoo na mbuzi, angalia kwa bidii ngʼombe zako.
Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks, [and] look well to thy herds.
24 Kwa kuwa utajiri haudumu milele, nayo taji haidumu vizazi vyote.
For riches [are] not for ever: and doth the crown [endure] to every generation?
25 Wakati majani makavu yameondolewa na mapya yamechipua, nayo majani toka milimani yamekusanywa,
The plant appeareth, and the tender grass showeth itself, and herbs of the mountains are gathered.
26 wana-kondoo watakupatia mavazi na mbuzi thamani ya shamba.
The lambs [are] for thy clothing, and the goats [are] the price of the field.
27 Utakuwa na maziwa mengi ya mbuzi kukulisha wewe na jamaa yako, na kuwalisha watumishi wako wa kike.
And [thou shalt have] goats milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household, and [for] maintenance for thy maidens.
