Mmebusɛm 12
1 Obiara a ɔpɛ ahohyɛso no pɛ nimdeɛ, na nea okyi nteɛso no yɛ ogyimifo.
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 Nnipa pa nya Awurade nkyɛn adom, na Awurade bu amumɔyɛfo fɔ.
Yahweh is pleased with good people, but he condemns those who plan to harm [others].
3 Amumɔyɛsɛm rentumi mma onipa ase ntim, na wɔrentumi ntu ɔtreneeni ase.
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 Ɔyere a ɔwɔ suban pa yɛ ne kunu ahenkyɛw, nanso ɔyere nimguasefo te sɛ porɔwee wɔ ne kunu nnompe mu.
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 Atreneefo nhyehyɛe yɛ pɛ, na amumɔyɛfo afotu yɛ nnaadaa.
What righteous [people] want to do is [to treat people] fairly; what wicked [people] want to do is to deceive people.
6 Amumɔyɛfo nsɛm da hɔ twɛn mogya, na ɔtreneeni kasa yi wɔn fi mu.
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 Wotu amumɔyɛfo gu na wɔyera, nanso atreneefo fi gyina pintinn.
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 Wɔkamfo onipa sɛnea ne nyansa te na nnipa a wɔn adwene yɛ kɔntɔnkye de, wobu wɔn animtiaa.
[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 Eye sɛ wobɛyɛ wo ho sɛ ɔteta nanso wowɔ ɔsomfo, sen sɛ wobɛyɛ wo ho sɛ obi, nanso wunni aduan.
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 Ɔtreneeni ma ne nyɛmmoa nea wɔpɛ, na amumɔyɛfo nneyɛe a eye pa ara yɛ atirimɔden.
Righteous people take care of their domestic animals, but wicked people act cruelly [toward their animals].
11 Nea ɔyɛ nʼasase so adwuma no benya aduan bebree, na nea odi nsɛm huhuw akyi no nni adwene.
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 Amumɔyɛfo pɛ abɔnefo asade, nanso ɔtreneeni ase dɔ.
Wicked [people] desire to take away what [other] evil people have, but [Yahweh] enables righteous/godly [people] to be steadfast and productive [MET].
13 Ɔbɔnefo anosɛm yi no sɛ afiri, nanso ɔtreneeni nya ne ho tetew wɔ ahohia mu.
Evil people are trapped by the evil things that they say [MTY], but righteous [people] escape from trouble.
14 Nneɛma pa fi onipa anom aba mu hyɛ no ma sɛnea ne nsa ano adwuma ma no akatua no.
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 Ɔkwasea akwan teɛ nʼani so, na onyansafo tie afotu.
Foolish people [always] think that what they are doing is right; wise people heed [other people when they give them good] advice.
16 Nkwaseafo bo nkyɛ fuw, nanso mmadwemma bu wɔn ani gu animka so.
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 Ɔdanseni nokwafo di adanse turodoo, na nea odi adansekurum no twa nkontompo.
[In the courtroom], honest people say what is true, but untruthful/dishonest people tell [nothing but] lies.
18 Nsɛm hunu keka wowɔ te sɛ afoa nanso onyansafo tɛkrɛma ma abodwo.
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 Ano a ɛka nokware no tim hɔ daa, na atoro tɛkrɛma renkyɛ koraa.
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 Nnaadaa hyɛ wɔn a wodwen bɔne ho no koma mu, na wɔn a wɔpɛ asomdwoe nya ahosɛpɛw.
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 Ɔhaw biara rento ɔtreneeni, nanso amanehunu mee amumɔyɛfo.
Bad things [usually] [HYP] do not happen to righteous [people], but wicked [people] always have troubles.
22 Awurade kyi ano a etwa atoro, na nʼani gye nnipa a wodi nokware ho.
Yahweh detests those [MTY] who tell lies, but he is delighted with those who faithfully do what they promise that they will do.
23 Ɔtreneeni mmɔ ne nimdeɛ ho dawuru nanso ɔkwasea koma da agyimisɛm adi.
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 Nsa a ɛyɛ adwuma no bedi tumi, nanso akwadworɔ wie nkoasom mu.
Those [SYN] who work hard become rulers [of others]; those who are lazy become slaves [of others.]
25 Koma a ɛpere ade ho ma onipa botow, nanso nkuranhyɛsɛm bi hyɛ no den.
When people are anxious/worried, they become depressed/dejected, but when others speak kindly to them, it causes them to be cheerful again.
26 Ɔtreneeni wɔ ntoboase wɔ ayɔnkofa mu, nanso amumɔyɛfo kwan ma wɔfom.
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 Onihawfo ntoto ne hanam, nanso nsiyɛfo ahonyade som bo ma wɔn.
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 Trenee kwan mu wɔ nkwa; na owu nni saa kwan no so.
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).
