Mmebusɛm 6
1 Me ba, sɛ woadi akagyinamu ama ɔyɔnko bi, sɛ wode wo biribi asi awowa ama obi,
My son, if someone has borrowed money from a friend or a stranger, and if you have promised that you will pay the money back if that person is unable to pay back the money he borrowed,
2 sɛ nea wokae ayi ka ama wo na sɛ wʼano asɛm afiri ayi wo a,
you may be trapped by what you have agreed to do, [because if the one who borrowed the money is not able to pay it back, you will have to pay it]. What you have said that you will do will be like a snare to you.
3 ɛno de yɛ eyi, me ba, na fa tetew wo ho, sɛ ɔyɔnko nsa aka wo no nti: fa ahobrɛase kɔ nʼanim; na kɔ so pa wo yɔnko no kyɛw!
So, my son, I will tell you what you should do to escape from your difficulty, so that the moneylender does not get control over your [wealth: ] Humbly go to your friend and plead with him [to cancel the agreement]!
4 Mma wʼani nkum na ntɔ nko.
Do not wait until tomorrow; [go immediately]! Do not rest until you [go and talk with him].
5 Gye wo ho, sɛnea ɔforote guan fi ɔbɔmmɔfo nsam anaa sɛnea anomaa guan fi ofirisumfo afiri mu no.
Save yourself, like a deer that escapes from a deer hunter [or] like a bird that flees from a bird hunter.
6 Ɔkwadwofo, kɔ ɔtɛtea nkyɛn; hwɛ nʼakwan, na hu nyansa!
You lazy individual, learn something from [watching] the ants. Become wise from observing what they do.
7 Onni ɔsahene, onni ɔhwɛfo anaa sodifo bi,
They do not have a king or a governor or any [other] person who rules them [and forces them to work],
8 nanso ɔde aduan sie wɔ ahuhurubere mu, ɔboaboa nnuan ano wɔ twabere.
[but] they work hard [all] during the summer, gathering and storing food to eat during the winter.
9 Wo, ɔkwadwofo, wobɛda akosi da bɛn? Wubenyan bere bɛn?
[But], you lazy loafer, how long will you [continue to] sleep [RHQ]? Are you never going to get up from sleeping [and go to work]?
10 Nna kakra, nkotɔ kakra, nsa a woabobɔw de rehome kakra,
You sleep a for a little time; [you say, “I will take] just a short nap.” You lie down and fold/lay your hands [across your chest] and rest;
11 ɛbɛma ohia aba wo so sɛ ɔkwanmukafo na ahokyere atow akyere wo sɛnea okura otuo.
and suddenly you will become poor. It will be as though a bandit suddenly comes and takes all that you have.
12 Onipa teta ne ohuhuni a odi atoro kyin,
[I will describe for you what] worthless and evil people [are like]. They constantly lie;
13 nea obu nʼani, na ɔde ne nan yɛ nsɛnkyerɛnne na ɔde ne nsateaa kyerɛkyerɛ ade,
by winking their eyes and moving their feet and making signs with their fingers, they signal [to their friends what they are intending/planning to do].
14 nea ɔde ne koma mu nnaadaa bɔ pɔw bɔne, na ɔde mpaapaemu ba bere biara.
They plan to do evil things. They constantly cause strife/trouble.
15 Ɛno nti amanehunu bɛba no so prɛko pɛ; wɔbɛsɛe no mpofirim, a wɔrenya ano aduru.
But disasters will hit them suddenly; they will be crushed/ruined and nothing will be able to heal them.
16 Nneɛma asia na Awurade mpɛ, nneɛma ason na ɛyɛ nʼakyiwade:
There are six, [maybe] seven, kinds of people that Yahweh hates. [They are]:
17 ani a ɛtra ntɔn, atoro tɛkrɛma, nsa a ɛka mogya a edi bem gu,
People who show by their eyes that they are very proud; people who lie [MTY]; people [SYN] who kill others [SYN] who have done nothing wrong;
18 koma a edwen amumɔyɛ ho, anan a etutu mmirika kɔyɛ bɔne,
people who plan to do evil deeds; people [SYN] who run quickly to do wrong things;
19 ɔdansekurumni a odi atoro ne onipa a ɔde mpaapaemu ba anuanom mu.
people who easily tell lies in court; and people who cause strife between family members.
20 Me ba, tie wʼagya ahyɛde na nnyaa wo na nkyerɛkyerɛ mu.
My son, obey my commands, and do not ignore what your mother has taught you.
21 Fa kyekyere wo koma ho daa; na fa kyekyere wɔ kɔn mu.
Remember the things that we have said. Those things should be [like a beautiful necklace] around your neck.
22 Wonantew a, ɛbɛkyerɛ wo kwan; sɛ woda a, ɛbɛwɛn wo; sɛ wunyan a, ɛbɛkasa akyerɛ wo.
[If you follow our advice, it will be as though] what we have taught you [PRS] will lead you, wherever you go. When you sleep, they will protect you. And when you wake up in the morning, they will teach/instruct you.
23 Na saa ahyɛde yi yɛ kanea saa nkyerɛkyerɛ yi yɛ hann, na ahohyɛso nteɛso yi yɛ nkwa kwan,
These commands and what we teach you [will be like] a lamp to light your path [MET]. When we rebuke you and correct/punish you, we will be showing you the road to having [a good] life.
24 ɛtwe wo fi ɔbea a onni suban pa no ho, fi ɔbeawarefo huhuni tɛkrɛmadɛ ho.
Heeding [PRS] these commands and things that we have taught you will enable you to keep away from immoral women and from [listening to] the enticing words of an adulterous woman.
25 Mma wo kɔn nnɔ nʼahoɔfɛ, mma nʼani akyideda no ntwetwe wo,
[Even] if such a woman is beautiful and has lovely eyes, do not desire to go with her. Do not let her persuade you to go with her (with her eyes/by the way she looks at you).
26 efisɛ oguamanfo ma wʼanuonyam yɛ sɛ brodosin, na obi yere gyigye wo kɔ owu mu.
[Do not forget that] you can hire a prostitute for only a loaf of bread, but [if you sleep with] another man’s wife, (it may cost you/you may lose) your life.
27 Obi betumi asɔ gya agu ne srɛ so a nhyew nʼatade ana?
Can you carry hot coals in your pocket and not be burned [RHQ]?
28 Obi betumi anantew nnyansramma so a mpumpunnya mmobɔ nʼanan ho ana?
Can you walk on burning coals and not scorch/burn your feet?
29 Saa na ɔbarima a ɔne ɔbarima foforo yere da no te; obiara a ɔde ne nsa bɛka no no, remfa ne ho nni da.
[No]! And in the same way, anyone who (sleeps with/has sex with) another man’s wife will [suffer for doing that]. [He will certainly] [LIT] be punished severely.
30 Nnipa mmu ɔkorɔmfo a wakowia ade animtiaa sɛ ɔkɔm de no na ɔde rekodwudwo ano nti.
We do not despise a thief if he steals some food because he is very hungry.
31 Mmom, sɛ wɔkyere no a, ɛsɛ sɛ otua mmɔho ason; sɛ ɛbɛma wahwere ne fi agyapade nyinaa mpo a.
But [if he steals something and then] is caught [by the police], he will have to pay back (seven times as much as/much more than) he stole. He may need to sell everything that is in his house [to get enough money to pay it back].
32 Ɔbarima a ɔsɛe aware no nni adwene; obiara a ɔyɛ saa no sɛe ne ho.
[But] a man who commits adultery with some woman is very foolish, [because] he is destroying his own self/soul [by what he is doing].
33 Ɔhwe ne animguase na obenya, na nʼahohora rempepa da.
[That woman’s husband] will wound him badly, and [other people] will despise him. His shame will never end.
34 Ninkutwe hwanyan okunu abufuw na sɛ ɔtɔ were a, ahummɔbɔ biara nni mu.
Because that woman’s husband will (be jealous/not want anyone else to sleep with her), he will become furious, and when he gets revenge, he will not act mercifully [toward the man who slept with his wife].
35 Ɔrennye mpata biara; na ɔbɛpo adanmude, sɛ ɛso sɛ dɛn mpo a.
And he will not accept any bribe/money, even if it is a big bribe, to (appease him/cause him to stop being angry).
