Lea Fakatātā 12
1 Ko ia ʻoku manako ki he ako ʻoku manako ki he poto: ka ko ia ʻoku fehiʻa ki he valoki ʻoku anga fakamanu ia.
Those who want to know [what is right to do] want to be (disciplined/corrected) when they do what is wrong; it is foolish to not want to be (corrected/told that what you did is wrong).
2 ʻOku finangalo lelei ʻa Sihova ki he tangata angalelei: ka ʻe fakamaau ʻe ia ʻae tangata ʻoku filioʻi kovi.
Yahweh is pleased with good people, but he condemns those who plan to harm [others].
3 ʻE ʻikai fokotuʻumaʻu ha tangata ʻe he angahala: ka ʻe ʻikai ngaue ʻae aka ʻoe māʻoniʻoni.
People do not become secure/safe by doing what is wicked; righteous [people] will be very safe and secure [LIT] like [MET] a tree that has deep roots.
4 Ko e fefine angalelei ko e tatā ia ki hono husepāniti: ka ko ia ʻoku fakamā ʻoku hangē ia ko e popo ki hono ngaahi hui.
A good wife is one who causes her husband to be greatly honored, but a wife who does things that cause her husband to be ashamed [will destroy him] like [SIM] cancer [destroys] his bones.
5 ʻOku totonu ʻae ngaahi mahalo ʻae māʻoniʻoni: ka ko e ngaahi fakakaukau ʻae angahala ko e kākā ia.
What righteous [people] want to do is [to treat people] fairly; what wicked [people] want to do is to deceive people.
6 ʻOku alea ʻae angahala ke tatali toitoi ke lilingi toto: ka ʻoku fakamoʻui ʻakinautolu ʻe he ngutu ʻoe angatonu.
What wicked [people] say is like a trap [MET] that kills [MTY] people [who pass by], but what righteous [people] say [MTY] rescues those whom [wicked people threaten to harm].
7 ʻOku tulaki hifo ʻae angahala, pea ʻikai ʻakinautolu: ka ʻe tuʻumaʻu ʻae fale ʻoe māʻoniʻoni.
Wicked [people] will die [before they become old and we will see] them no more, but righteous people will live [for many years] and have many descendants.
8 ʻE fakamālōʻia, ʻae tangata ʻo fakatatau ki heʻene poto: ka ʻe manukiʻi ia ʻaia ʻoku loto talangataʻa.
[People will] praise those who have good sense, but [people will] despise those (who are always thinking about doing evil things/whose thinking is twisted).
9 Ko ia ʻoku fehiʻanekina, ka ʻoku tauhi ia ʻe ia pe, ʻoku lelei lahi hake ia ʻiate ia ʻoku fakaongoongolelei ia, ʻe ia pe, kae masiva meʻakai.
It is better to be a humble/ordinary person who has only one servant than to think that you are very important while you have nothing to eat.
10 ʻOku tokangaʻi ʻe he tangata māʻoniʻoni ʻae moʻui ʻa ʻene manu: ka ko e manavaʻofa ʻae angahala ko e fakamālohi pe ia.
Righteous people take care of their domestic animals, but wicked people act cruelly [toward their animals].
11 Ko ia ʻoku faʻa keli hono potu kelekele ʻe mākona ia ʻi he meʻakai: ka ko ia ʻoku muimui ki he kakai vale ʻoku masiva ia ʻi he ʻilo.
Farmers who work hard in their fields will [produce good crops] that will give them plenty to eat, but those who waste their time working on worthless projects are foolish.
12 ʻOku manako ʻae angahala ki he kolo ʻae kakai angakovi: ka ʻoku tupu ʻae fua mei he aka ʻoe māʻoniʻoni.
Wicked [people] desire to take away what [other] evil people have, but [Yahweh] enables righteous/godly [people] to be steadfast and productive [MET].
13 ʻOku tauheleʻi ʻae angahala ʻe he talangataʻa ʻa hono loungutu: ka ʻe hao mai ʻae angatonu mei he kovi.
Evil people are trapped by the evil things that they say [MTY], but righteous [people] escape from trouble.
14 ʻE fakamākona ʻae tangata ʻaki ʻae lelei ʻi he fua ʻo hono ngutu: pea ʻe ʻomi ki he tangata ʻae tupu ʻoe ngāue ʻa hono nima.
People are rewarded for [the good things] that they say [to others], and people are [also] rewarded for the good work that they do [MTY].
15 ʻOku totonu ʻae hala ʻoe vale ʻi hono mata ʻoʻona: ka ko ia ʻoku ongoʻi ʻae akonaki ʻoku poto ia.
Foolish people [always] think that what they are doing is right; wise people heed [other people when they give them good] advice.
16 ʻOku ʻilo leva ʻae ʻita ʻoe vale: ka ʻoku ʻufiʻufi ʻe he tangata fakamākukanga ʻae fakamā.
Foolish people quickly become angry when someone does something that they don’t like; but those who have good sense ignore it when others insult them.
17 Ko ia ʻoku lea ʻaki ʻae moʻoni ʻoku fakahā ʻe ia ʻae māʻoniʻoni: ka ʻoku fakahā ʻae kākā ʻe he fakamoʻoni loi.
[In the courtroom], honest people say what is true, but untruthful/dishonest people tell [nothing but] lies.
18 ʻOku ai ʻaia ʻoka lea ʻoku hangē ko e tui ʻaki ha heletā: ka ko e meʻa fakamoʻui ʻae ʻelelo ʻoe poto.
What some people say [hurts people badly], as much as [SIM] a sword can; but what wise [people] say (heals [others’ souls]/comforts others).
19 ʻE fokotuʻumaʻu ʻo taʻengata ʻae loungutu ʻoku lea ʻaki ʻae moʻoni: ka ʻoku ʻosi ʻi he kemo pe taha ʻae ʻelelo ʻoku loi.
When people tell [MTY] lies, others soon realize that what they said is not true [IDM]; but when people say what is true, others will remember that forever.
20 ʻOku ai ʻae kākā ʻi he loto ʻonautolu ʻoku filioʻi kovi: ka ʻoku ai ʻae fiefia kiate kinautolu ʻoku alea ki he melino.
Those who plan to do what is evil are always wanting to deceive [others], but things will go well for those who plan [to do] good things.
21 ʻOku ʻikai ha kovi ʻe hoko ki he angatonu: ka ʻe fakafonu ʻaki ʻae kovi ʻae angahala.
Bad things [usually] [HYP] do not happen to righteous [people], but wicked [people] always have troubles.
22 Ko e meʻa fakalielia kia Sihova ʻae loungutu faʻa loi: ka ʻoku fiefia ia ʻiate kinautolu ʻoku fai fakamoʻomoʻoni.
Yahweh detests those [MTY] who tell lies, but he is delighted with those who faithfully do what they promise that they will do.
23 ʻOku fakafufū ʻe he tangata fakamākukanga ʻa ʻene ʻilo: ka ʻoku fakahā ʻe he loto ʻoe vale ʻae vale.
Those with good sense do not reveal [all] that they know; foolish people show [clearly] by what they say that they (are ignorant/have not learned much).
24 ʻE maʻu ʻae pule ʻe he nima ʻoe faʻa ngāue: ka ʻe moʻulaloa ki he tukuhau ʻaia ʻoku fakapikopiko.
Those [SYN] who work hard become rulers [of others]; those who are lazy become slaves [of others.]
25 Ko e māfasia ʻi he loto ʻoe tangata ʻoku mapelu ai ia: ka ʻoku fakafiefiaʻi ia ʻe he lea lelei.
When people are anxious/worried, they become depressed/dejected, but when others speak kindly to them, it causes them to be cheerful again.
26 ʻOku lelei hake ʻae māʻoniʻoni ʻi hono kaungāʻapi: ka ʻoku kākāʻia ʻae angahala ʻe honau hala.
Godly/Righteous people try to [give good advice to] their friends (OR, try to make friends with others), but the manner in which wicked [people] live misleads their friends.
27 ʻOku ʻikai ke taʻo ʻe he tangata fakapikopiko ʻae meʻa naʻa ne maʻu ʻi heʻene tuli: ka ʻoku mahuʻinga ʻae koloa ʻoe tangata faʻa ngāue.
Lazy people do not even [cook the meat of] the animals that they catch/kill, but those who work hard will acquire (OR, are like) a valuable treasure.
28 ʻOku ai ʻae moʻui ʻi he hala ʻoe māʻoniʻoni, pea ʻi hono ʻalunga ʻoku ʻikai ai ha mate.
Those who (live righteously/continually do what is right) are [walking] on the road to a long life; (it is not a road to death/they will not die when they are still young).
