Mithali 23
1 Unapoketi kula pamoja na mtawala, angalia kwa uangalifu kilichopo mbele yako,
When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, thou shalt consider well, what is before thee;
2 na kama ni mtu unayependa kula chakula sana weka kisu kooni.
And shalt put a knife to thy throat, if, of great appetite, thou art:
3 Usitamani vinono vyake maana ni chakula cha uongo.
Do not crave his dainties, for, the same, are deceitful food.
4 Usifanye kazi sana ili kupata mali; uwe na busara ya kutosha ili ujue wakati wa kuacha.
Do not toil to get wealth, of thine own understanding, forbear:
5 Je utaruhusu macho yako yaangaze juu yake? Itaondoka, maana itawaa mabawa kama tai na kuruka angani.
Wilt thou let thine eye fly thereupon, when it is nothing? for it will, surely make, itself wings, Like an eagle, will it wing its way across the heavens.
6 Usile chakula cha yule mwenye jicho baya- na usiwe na shauku ya vinono vyake,
Do not eat the food of him that hath a begrudging eye, neither crave thou his dainties;
7 maana ni mtu mwenye kuhesabu gharama ya chakula. “Kula na kunywa!” anakuambia, lakini moyo wake haupo pamoja nawe.
For, just as he hath thought in his own mind, so, he is: Eat and drink! he may say to thee, but, his heart, is not with thee.
8 Utatapika kiasi kidogo ulichokula na utakuwa umepoteza sifa zako njema.
As for thy morsel thou hast eaten, thou shalt vomit it, so shalt thou waste thy things so sweet.
9 Usiongee katika usikivu wa mpumbavu, maana atadharau hekima ya maneno yako.
In the ears of a dullard, do not speak, for he will despise the good sense of thy words.
10 Usihamishe jiwe la mpaka wa kale au kunyang'anya mashamba ya yatima,
Do not move back the ancient boundary, and, into the fields of the fatherless, do not enter;
11 maana Mkombozi wao ni imara na atatetea kesi yao dhidi yako.
For, their near of kin, is strong, he, will plead their cause with thee.
12 Elekeza moyo wako katika mafundisho na masikio yako kwenye maneno ya maarifa.
Bring, to correction, thy heart, and thine ears, to the sayings of knowledge.
13 Usizuie kuadilisha mtoto, maana ukimchapa kwa fimbo, hatakufa.
Do not withhold, from a child, correction, When thou smitest him with the rod, he shall not die:
Thou, with the rod, shalt smite him, and, his soul from hades, shalt thou deliver. (Sheol h7585)
15 Mwanangu, kama moyo wako una busara, basi moyo wangu utafurahi pia;
My son! if thy heart be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine.
16 sehemu zangu ndani kabisa zitafurahi sana midomo yako inaponena haki.
So shall my reins exult, when thy lips speak the things that are right.
17 Usiruhusu moyo wako kuwahusudu wenye dhambi, lakini endelea kumcha Yehova siku zote.
Let not thy heart be envious of sinners, only of the reverence of Yahweh, all day long;
18 Hakika tumaini lako halitaondolewa na siku zako za hapo baadaye.
For surely there is a future, and, thine expectation, shall not be cut off.
19 Sikia- wewe! - mwanangu, na uwe mwenye busara na uelekeze moyo wako katika njia.
Hear, thou, my son, and be wise, and lead forward, in duty, thy heart.
20 Usishirikiane pamoja na walevi, au pamoja na walaji wa nyama walafi,
Do not be among them who tipple with wine, —among them who are gluttons;
21 maana mlevi na mlafi wanakuwa masikini na usingizi utawavika kwa matambara.
For, the tippler and the glutton, shall come to poverty, and, rags, shall Slumber put on!
22 Msikilize baba yako ambaye alikuzaa na usimdharau mama yako wakati akiwa mzee.
Hearken to thy father here, who begat thee, and despise not, when she is old, thy mother.
23 Inunue kweli, lakini usiiuze; nunua hekima, nidhamu, na ufahamu.
Truth, buy thou, but do not sell, wisdom, and correction, and understanding.
24 Baba yake mwenye haki atafurahia sana, na yule amzaaye mtoto mwenye busara atamfurahia.
Greatly shall exult, the father of a righteous man, and, he that begetteth a wise son, shall rejoice in him:
25 Mfurahishe baba yako na mama yako na yule aliyekuzaa afurahie.
Rejoice shall thy father and thy mother, yea she, shall exult, who bare thee.
26 Mwanangu, nipe moyo wako na macho yako yachunguze njia zangu.
Oh give, my son, thy mind unto me, and let, thine eyes, observe, my ways;
27 Maana malaya ni shimo refu, na mke wa mume mwingine ni kisima chembamba.
For, a deep chasm, is the unchaste woman, and, a narrow pit, the female unknown;
28 Anavizia kama mnyang'anyi na huongeza idadi ya wadanganyifu miongoni mwa wanadamu.
Yea, she, as for prey, lieth in wait, and, the treacherous among mankind, she causeth to abound.
29 Nani mwenye taabu? Nani mwenye huzuni? Nani mwenye mapigano? Nani mwenye malalamiko? Nani mwenye majeraha bila sababu? Nani mwenye macho mekundu?
Who hath woe? Who hath outcry of pain? Who hath contentions? Who hath complaining? Who hath needless wounds? Who hath dullness of eyes?
30 Ni wale ambao huzengea kwenye mvinyo, wale wanaojaribu kuchanganya mvinyo.
They who tarry over wine, they who go in to search for mixed wine.
31 Usiutazame mvinyo ukiwa mwekundu, wakati unametameta kwenye kikombe na kutelemka kwa uraini.
Do not look on wine when it becometh red, when it giveth in the cup its sparkle, glideth down smoothly.
32 Mwisho wake unauma kama nyoka na sumu yake kama kifutu.
Its after effect, is that, like a serpent, it biteth, and, like a viper, it doth sting.
33 Macho yako yataona vitu vigeni na moyo wako utatamka vitu vya ukaidi.
Thine eyes, will see strange women, and, thy heart, will speak perverse things:
34 Utakuwa kama anayelala kwenye bahari au anayelala juu ya mlingoti. “
So shalt thou become, as one lying down in the heart of the sea, —or as one lying down on the top of the mastgear:
35 Wamenipiga,” utasema, “lakini sikuumia. Wamenichapa, lakini sikuwa na hisia. Nitaamka lini? Nitatafuta kinywaji kingine.”
They smote me—I felt no pain, They struck me down—I noticed it not, —When shall I wake up? I will go on, I will seek it, again!
