Lea Fakatātā 1
1 Ko e ngaahi lea fakatātā ʻa Solomone ko e foha ʻo Tevita, ko e tuʻi ʻo ʻIsileli;
These are the (proverbs/wise sayings) that come from Solomon, the King of Israel, who was the son of [King] David.
2 Ke ʻilo ai ʻae poto mo e akonaki; pea ongoʻi ʻae ngaahi lea ʻoe faʻa ʻilo;
(These proverbs [PRS] can teach people/By studying these proverbs, people can learn) how to be wise and how to obey what these proverbs teach them. They will [also] help people to understand which teachings are wise.
3 Ke maʻu ʻae akonaki ʻoe poto, mo e angatonu, mo e fakamaau, pea mo e fai totonu;
These proverbs [PRS] will teach you how to discipline/control yourselves, how to conduct your lives, and how to do what is right and just [DOU].
4 Ke foaki ʻae ʻiloʻilo ki he taʻepoto, pea ki he tangata talavou ʻae ʻilo mo e faʻa fakakaukau.
They will show [people] who do not [yet] know much how to do things that are smart. They will show young people how to become wise and how to make good plans/decisions.
5 ʻE fie fanongo ʻe he tangata poto, pea ʻe tupulekina ai a ʻene poto; pea ʻe maʻu ai ʻe he tangata faʻa ʻilo ʻae ngaahi fakakaukau lelei:
Those who are wise should also pay attention [to these proverbs], in order to become more wise, and those who understand [these teachings] will receive good advice/guidance.
6 Ke ʻiloʻi ʻae lea fakatātā, pea mo hono fakamatala; ʻae ngaahi lea ʻae poto, mo ʻenau ngaahi tala ʻilongataʻa.
Then they will be able to understand the meaning of proverbs and parables/metaphors, these wise sayings and (riddles/sayings that are difficult to understand).
7 Ko e manavahē kia Sihova ko e kamataʻanga ia ʻoe ʻilo: ka ʻoku fehiʻa ʻae vale ki he poto mo e akonaki.
If [you want to be] wise, you must begin by revering Yahweh. [Only] foolish people despise wisdom and good advice/discipline.
8 ʻE hoku foha, fanongo ki he akonaki ʻa hoʻo tamai, pea ʻoua naʻa ke liʻaki ʻae fekau ʻa hoʻo faʻē:
My son, pay attention to what [I], your father, am teaching you. And do not reject what your mother teaches you.
9 Koeʻuhi ʻe hoko ia ko e teunga lelei ki ho ʻulu, mo e kahoa ke tautau ki ho kia.
What we teach you [will make you respected like having] a lovely turban around your head and [like] a [beautiful] necklace to put around your neck.
10 ʻE hoku foha, kapau ʻe fakatauveleʻi koe ʻe he kau angahala, ʻoua naʻa ke loto ki ai.
My son, if sinners tempt/entice you [to do what is wrong], say “No” to them.
11 Kapau te nau pehē, “Haʻu ke tau ō, ke tau tatali ʻo toitoi ke lilingi ʻae toto, ke tau lama fakafufū taʻehanoʻuhinga ki he taʻehalaia:
They may say, “Come with us! Join us! We will hide and then kill [MTY] someone [who passes by]. We will ambush some helpless/innocent people.
12 Ke tau folo moʻui hifo ʻakinautolu ʻo hangē ko e faʻitoka; pea kātoa pe, ʻo hangē ko kinautolu ʻoku ʻalu hifo ki he luo: (Sheol h7585)
We will kill them [HYP] and get rid of them completely, [just] like [people who are buried in] graves are gone forever. While they are in good health, we will send them to the place where dead people are. (Sheol h7585)
13 Te tau ʻilo ai ʻae koloa kehekehe kotoa pē, te tau fakafonu hotau ngaahi fale ʻaki ʻae koloa:
And we will seize all the things that they own. We will fill our houses with these things!
14 Ke tau ʻinasi fakataha pe mo koe; pea te tau kau taha pe ʻi he kato paʻanga:”
[So], come with us! Join our group! We will share with you the things that we steal.”
15 ʻE hoku foha, ʻoua naʻa ke ʻalu ʻi he hala mo kinautolu; taʻofi ho vaʻe mei honau hala:
My son, do not accompany them! Do not walk on the roads with them!
16 He ʻoku lele honau vaʻe ki he kovi, ʻonau fakatoʻotoʻo ke lilingi ʻae toto.
They rush to do evil deeds! They hurry to murder [MTY] people.
17 Ko e moʻoni ʻoku tautau taʻeʻaonga ʻae kupenga ʻi he ʻao ʻo ha manupuna.
It is useless to put out a (trap/net to catch a bird) because when a bird sees it, [it stays away from it].
18 Pea ʻoku nau toitoi ki honau toto ʻonautolu pe; mo nau lama fakafufū ki heʻenau moʻui ʻanautolu pe.
But those wicked people are not like the birds, [because they do not realize] that when they prepare to ambush someone to kill him, they will be killed themselves!
19 He ʻoku pehē pe ʻae hala ʻokinautolu ʻoku manumanu ki he koloa; ʻaia ʻoku ne fakaʻosi ʻae moʻui ʻanautolu ʻoku nau maʻu ia.
That is what happens to people who eagerly try to get things [by violently attacking others]. They will only destroy themselves!
20 ʻOku kalanga ʻituʻa ʻae poto; ʻoku ne hiki hake hono leʻo ʻi he ngaahi hala.
Wisdom [PRS] shouts to people in the streets, and calls out to people in the (plazas/town squares).
21 ʻOku kalanga ia ʻi he potu lahi ʻoe fakatahaʻanga, mo e ava ʻoe ngaahi matapā: pea ʻi he loto kolo ʻoku ne ʻai mai ʻene lea, ʻo pehē,
Wisdom calls out in noisy places, and at the entrances to cities.
22 “ʻAkimoutolu ʻae kau vale, ʻe fēfē hono fuoloa ʻo hoʻomou manako ki he vale? Pea fiefia ʻae kau manuki ʻi heʻenau manuki, mo e fehiʻa ʻae kau vale ki he poto?
[Wisdom says], “How long will you stupid people continue to enjoy doing foolish things [RHQ]? How long will you people who ridicule God enjoy doing that [RHQ]? How long will you foolish people refuse to know [what things are right] [RHQ]?
23 Mou tafoki ʻi heʻeku valoki: vakai, te u huaʻi hoku laumālie kiate kimoutolu, te u fakahā ʻeku ngaahi lea kiate kimoutolu.
If you pay attention to me when I rebuke you, I will tell you what I am thinking in my inner being; I will give you some good advice.
24 Koeʻuhi kuo u ui, pea naʻe ʻikai te mou tali; kuo u mafao atu hoku nima, kae ʻikai tokangaʻi ʻe ha taha;
But when I called to you, you refused to listen. I beckoned to you to come to me, but you ignored me.
25 Pea kuo mou liʻaki ʻeku akonaki, pea naʻe ʻikai te mou loto ki heʻeku valoki:
I tried to advise you, but you refused to listen to me. I tried to correct you, but you rejected what I told you.
26 Ko ia te u kata foki au ʻi hoʻomou malaʻia; te u manuki ʻi he tō mai ʻa hoʻomou manavahē;
So [now], when you are experiencing troubles/disasters, I will laugh at you. When things happen that cause you to be afraid, I will make fun of you.
27 ʻIo, ʻoka hoko mai hoʻomou manavahē ʻo hangē ko e fakaʻauha, mo hoʻomou malaʻia ʻo hangē ko e ʻahiohio; ʻoka hoko mai ʻae mamahi mo e feinga kiate kimoutolu.
When calamities strike you like a big storm, when disasters hit you like a violent wind, when [all kinds of things] distress you and give you trouble, [I will ridicule you!]
28 Pea te nau toki ui kiate au, ka ʻe ʻikai te u tali; te nau kumi toʻotoʻo kiate au, ka ʻe ʻikai te nau ʻilo au:
[Wisdom also says], “When foolish people call to me [to help them], I will not answer them. They will search for me diligently/everywhere, but they will not find me.
29 Koeʻuhi naʻa nau fehiʻa ki he ʻilo, pea naʻe ʻikai te nau loto ke manavahē kia Sihova:
They refused to know [what things are right], and they decided not to revere Yahweh.
30 Naʻe ʻikai te nau maʻu ʻeku ngaahi akonaki, pea naʻa nau manukiʻi ʻa ʻeku valoki kotoa pē.
They would not accept my advice, and they did not pay attention when I tried to correct them.
31 Ko ia te nau kai ai ʻi he fua ʻo ʻenau faianga, pea fakamākona ʻaki ʻenau ngaahi filioʻi pe ʻanautolu.
So they will endure what will result [MET, DOU] from the evil way they have lived/behaved and the evil things they have planned to do.
32 He ko e tafoki atu ʻoe taʻepoto te ne tāmateʻi ʻakinautolu, pea ʻe ʻauha ʻae vale ʻi heʻenau fakafiemālie.
Those who turn away from me are stupid/foolish; they will die because of doing that.
33 Ka ko ia kotoa pē ʻoku fanongo kiate au ʻe nofo fiemālie pe ia, pea ʻe ʻataʻatā ia mei he manavahē ki he kovi.”
But those who pay attention to me will live peacefully and safely, and they will not be afraid that something will harm them.”
