< Mmebusɛm 1 >
1 Dawid babarima Salomo, Israelhene, mmebusɛm ni:
The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, the king of Israel:
2 Ne botae ne sɛ ɛbɛkyerɛ nnipa nyansa ne ahohyɛso; ne sɛ ɛbɛboa ama wɔate nsɛm a emu dɔ ase;
To know wisdom and instruction; to comprehend the sayings of understanding;
3 sɛ wobenya akwankyerɛ wɔ abrabɔ pa mu, a ɛbɛma wɔayɛ ade pa, nea ɛteɛ na ho nni asɛm;
To accept the instruction of intelligence, righteousness, and justice, and equity;
4 sɛ ɛbɛma nea nʼadwene mu nnɔ anya nyansa na mmabun anya nimdeɛ ne adwene,
To give to the simple prudence, to the youth knowledge and discretion.
5 anyansafo ntie na wɔmfa nka nea wonim ho, na nea ɔwɔ nhumu nya akwankyerɛ a
The wise will hear, and will increase [his] information; and the man of understanding will obtain wise counsels:
6 ɛbɛma wate mmɛ ne kasammebu, anyansafo nsɛnka ne abisaa ase.
To understand a proverb, and a sage sentence; the words of the wise, and their riddles.
7 Awurade suro yɛ nimdeɛ mfiase, na nkwaseafo bu nyansa ne ahohyɛso animtiaa.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: wisdom and instruction fools [alone] despise.
8 Me ba, tie wʼagya akwankyerɛ na mpo wo na nkyerɛkyerɛ.
Hear, my son, the instruction of thy father, and cast not off the teaching of thy mother;
9 Ɛbɛyɛ wo ti anuonyam abotiri ne wo kɔn mu atweaban.
For a wreath of grace are they unto thy head, and chains for thy throat.
10 Me ba, sɛ nnebɔneyɛfo twetwe wo a, mma wɔn ho kwan.
My son, if sinners wish to entice thee, consent thou not.
11 Sɛ wɔka se, “Bra ma yɛnkɔ; ma yɛnkɔtetɛw na yenkum obi, ma yɛnkɔtɛw ntwɛn mmɔborɔni bi;
If they should say, Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood, let us watch in concealment for the uselessly innocent;
12 ma yɛmmemene wɔn anikann sɛ ɔda, koraa, te sɛ wɔn a wɔkɔ ɔda mu; (Sheol )
We will swallow them up like the grave alive; and the men of integrity, as those that go down into the pit; (Sheol )
13 yebenya nneɛma a ɛsom bo ahorow na yɛde asade ahyɛ yɛn afi ma;
We shall find all [kinds of] precious wealth, we will fill our houses with booty;
14 fa wo ho bɛhyɛ mu, na wubenya wo kyɛfa wɔ ahonyade no mu.”
Thy lot must thou cast in our midst; one purse shall be for us all:
15 Me ba, wo ne wɔn nnantew, mfa wo nan nsi wɔn akwan so;
My son, walk not thou on the way with them; withhold thy foot from their path;
16 Wɔn anan de ntɛmpɛ kɔ bɔne mu, na wɔde ahoɔhare ka mogya gu.
For their feet run after evil, and they make haste to shed blood.
17 So nni mfaso sɛ obi besum nnomaafiri wɔ beae a anomaa biara hu!
For uselessly is the net spread out before the eyes of every winged bird:
18 Saa nnipa yi tetɛw pɛ wɔn ankasa mogya; wɔtetɛw wɔn ankasa wɔn ho!
While they lie in wait for their [own] blood; they watch in concealment for their [own] lives.
19 Saa na wɔn a wodi akorɔnne akyi no awiei te; ɛma wɔhwere wɔn nkwa!
So are the paths of every one that is greedy after [unlawful] gain; it taketh away the life of those that own it.
20 Nyansa teɛ mu wɔ mmɔnten so, ɔma ne nne so wɔ aguabɔbea,
Wisdom crieth loudly without; in the public places she uttereth her voice;
21 ɔteɛ mu wɔ afasu no atifi, ɔkasa wɔ kuropɔn no apon ano se,
At the corner of noisy streets she calleth, at the entrances of gates; in the city she sayeth her speeches:
22 “Mo adwenharefo, mobɛyɛ adwenhare akosi da bɛn? Fɛwdifo bedi fɛw akosi da bɛn? Nkwaseafo bekyi nimdeɛ akosi da bɛn?
How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners take their delight in scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
23 Sɛ mutiee mʼanimka a, anka mekaa me koma mu nsɛm nyinaa kyerɛɛ mo ma muhuu me nsusuwii.
Turn back to my admonition: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.
24 Nanso sɛ muyii mo aso, bere a mefrɛɛ mo na amfa obiara ho, bere a meteɛɛ me nsa mu,
Whereas I called, and ye refused; I stretched out my hand, and no man was attentive;
25 sɛ mopoo mʼafotu, na moampɛ mʼanimka nti,
And ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would not accept my admonition:
26 me nso mɛserew mo wɔ mo amanehunu mu; sɛ abɛbrɛsɛ bi bu fa mo so a, midi mo ho fɛw,
[Therefore] I also will truly laugh at your calamity; I will deride [you] when your terror cometh;
27 sɛ abɛbrɛsɛ bi bu fa mo so te sɛ ahum, na amanehunu bi bɔ fa mo so sɛ mfɛtɛ, na awerɛhow ne ɔhaw mene mo a,
When your terror cometh like the tempest-cloud, and your calamity hasteneth like a whirlwind; when there come upon you distress and affliction.
28 “Afei wɔbɛfrɛ me, nanso meremmua; wɔbɛhwehwɛ me, nanso wɔrenhu me.
Then will they call me, but I will not answer; they will seek me earnestly, but they shall not find me;
29 Esiane sɛ wokyii nimdeɛ na wɔampɛ sɛ wobesuro Awurade,
For the reason that they hated knowledge, and the fear of the Lord they did not choose;
30 sɛ wɔpoo mʼafotu, na wobuu me nteɛso animtiaa nti,
[That] they would not attend to my counsel: [that] they rejected all my admonition.
31 wobedi wɔn akwan so aba; na wɔn nhyehyɛe mu aduan bɛmee wɔn.
Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and from their own counsels shall they be satisfied.
32 Na ntetekwaafo asoɔden bekum wɔn, na nkwaseafo tirimudɛ bɛsɛe wɔn;
For the defection of the simple will slay them, and the prosperity of fools will cause them to be lost.
33 Nanso obiara a obetie me no, ɔbɛtena ase asomdwoe mu na ne ho bɛtɔ no a ɔrensuro ɔhaw biara.”
But he that hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be at rest from the dread of evil.