Mithali 27
1 Usijisifu kwa ajili ya kesho, maana hujui siku italeta nini.
Do not boast about [what you will do] tomorrow, because you do not know what will happen [PRS] on any day.
2 Mtu mwingine akusifu na wala si kinywa chako mwenyewe, mgeni na wala si midomo yako mwenyewe.
Do not praise yourself [MTY, PRS]; allow others to praise you. If someone else praises you, that is okay.
3 Fikiria uzito wa jiwe na uzito wa mchanga- uchokozi wa mpumbavu ni mzito zaidi kuliko hivyo vyote.
[It causes pain to our bodies to carry heavy] stones or [a pail full of] sand, but doing something stupid/foolish [can cause] great [pain to other people’s spirits.]
4 Kuna ukatili wenye ghadhabu kali na mafuriko ya hasira, lakini ni nani anayeweza kusimama mbele ya wivu?
It is cruel to be angry [with others], and our being angry sometimes destroys [others], but being jealous of someone is [RHQ] often more cruel than that.
5 Ni bora karipio la wazi kuliko upendo uliofichwa.
It is better to correct someone openly than to show that you l don’t love that person [by not correcting him].
6 Mwaminifu ni jeraha zilizosababishwa na rafiki, lakini adui anaweza kukubusu kwa kuomba radhi mno.
If a friend criticizes you, [he is a good friend and] you can trust him; but if one of your enemies kisses you, he is [probably wanting to] deceive you.
7 Mtu aliyekula na kushiba hulikataa hata sega la asali, bali kwa mtu mwenye njaa, kila kitu kichungu ni kitamu.
When someone’s stomach is full, he does not want to eat honey; but when someone is [very] hungry, he thinks that [even] bitter things taste sweet.
8 Ndege anayezurura kutoka kwenye kiota chake ni kama mtu anayepotea sehemu ambayo anaishi.
Anyone who wanders [far] from his home/family is like [SIM] a bird that is far from its nest.
9 Pafumu na manukato huufanya moyo ufurahi, lakini utamu wa rafiki ni bora kuliko ushauri wake.
[Putting olive] oil and perfume on a person’s skin causes him to feel good, but having a friend [who gives] good advice [is even better].
10 Usimwache rafiki yako na rafiki wa baba yako, na usiende kwenye nyumba ya ndugu yako katika siku ya msiba wako. Ni bora rafiki ambaye yupo karibu kuliko ndugu ambaye yupo mbali.
Do not neglect your friends or your parents’ friends; and at a time when you are experiencing a disaster, do not go to a relative [who lives far away to request his help]; someone who lives near you can help you more than relatives who live far away.
11 Mwanangu, uwe na busara, moyo wangu ufurahi; kisha nitamjibu yule anayenidhihaki.
My child/son, cause me to be happy by becoming wise, in order that I will [know how to] reply to those who would criticize me [about your behavior].
12 Mtu mwenye busara huiona taabu na kujificha mwenyewe, lakini mjinga huendelea mbele na kuteseka kwa ajili ya taabu.
Those who have good sense will realize that there is something dangerous ahead, and they will hide; those who do not have good sense [just] keep going, and later they will suffer because of [doing] that.
13 vazi kama mwenyewe anaweka pesa kama dhamana kwa deni la mgeni; lichukue kama anaweka dhamana kwa malaya.
[You deserve to] have your property taken from you if you [foolishly] promise to a stranger (OR, a strange woman) that you will pay what she owes if she is unable to pay it [DOU].
14 Anayempa jirani yake baraka kwa sauti ya juu mapema asubuhi, baraka hiyo itafikiriwa kuwa laana!
If you rise early in the morning and call out a greeting to your neighbor [while he is still sleeping], he will consider it to be a curse, [not a blessing].
15 Mke mgomvi ni kama siku ya manyunyu ya mvua ya daima;
[Having] a wife that is [constantly] nagging is as [bad as listening] to rain continually dripping on a rainy day.
16 kumzuia ni kama kuuzuia upepo, au kujaribu kushika mafuta kwa mkono wako wa kulia.
[Trying] to restrain/stop her [from doing that] is as [difficult] [SIM] [as trying] to stop the wind or [trying] to hold oil in your hand.
17 Chuma hunoa chuma; kwa njia ile ile; mtu humnoa rafiki yake.
[We can use one] iron tool to sharpen [another] iron [tool]; similarly [SIM], [when one person shares] what he is thinking, it can help other people [to think more clearly].
18 Yule anayeutunza mtini atakula matunda yake, na yule mwenye kumlinda bwana wake ataheshimiwa.
Those who take care of fig trees will have figs to eat; [similarly], servants who protect their master will be honored [by him].
19 Kama maji yanavyoakisi taswira ya sura ya mtu, ndivyo hivyo moyo wa mtu humwaksi mtu.
[When a person looks] in the water, he sees his own face; similarly [SIM], [when we look at] a person’s behavior, we know what he is thinking.
20 Kama kuzimu na Uharibifu havitosheki, ndivyo yalivyo macho ya mtu hayawezi kutosheka. (Sheol h7585)
[It is as though] the place where the dead people are is always wanting more people to [die and] come there; and humans [SYN] are always wanting to acquire more things, [too]. (Sheol h7585)
21 Kalibu ni kwa fedha na tanuru ni kwa dhahabu; na mtu hujaribiwa anaposifiwa.
[Workers put] silver and gold in a very hot furnace [to burn out what is impure], and [SIM] people learn [what we are really like when they see how we react when people] praise us.
22 Hata kama utamponda mpumbavu kwa mchI- pamoja na nafaka- bado upumbavu wake hautatoka.
Even if you beat/crush a fool severely [like] [MET] you pulverize grain with a pestle, you [probably] will not be able to cause him to stop (being foolish/doing foolish things).
23 Hakikisha unajua hali ya makundi yako na ujishughulishe juu ya makundi yako,
Take good care of your flocks of sheep and herds of cattle,
24 maana utajiri haudumu daima. Je taji hudumu kwa vizazi vyote?
because the money [that you acquired from selling animals previously] will not (last/stay with you) forever; similarly [SIM], governments [MTY] certainly do not [RHQ] last forever.
25 Majani huondoka na ukuaji mpya huonekana na milima ya chakula cha mifugo hukusanywa ndani.
After you cut the hay [DOU] and [store it to feed the animals in the winter while] a new crop of hay is growing,
26 Wanakondoo watakupatia mavazi yako na mbuzi watakupatia gharama ya shamba.
you will be able to [shear the sheep and] make clothes from the wool, and you will get money from selling [some of] the goats to buy [more] land,
27 Kutakuwa na maziwa ya mbuzi kwa chakula chako- chakula kwa kaya yako- na chakula kwa watumishi wako wasichana.
and you will get enough milk from the [other] goats for you and your family and your female servants.
