Mmɛbusɛm 1
1 Dawid babarima Salomo, Israelhene, mmɛbusɛm nie:
The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, the king of Israel:
2 Ne botaeɛ ne sɛ ɛbɛkyerɛ nnipa nyansa ne ahohyɛsoɔ; ne sɛ ɛbɛboa ma wɔate nsɛm a emu dɔ ase;
To know wisdom and instruction; to comprehend the sayings of understanding;
3 sɛ wɔbɛnya ahohyɛsoɔ na wɔabɔ ɔbra pa, a ɛbɛma wɔayɛ ade pa, deɛ ɛtene na ɛho nni asɛm;
To accept the instruction of intelligence, righteousness, and justice, and equity;
4 sɛ ɛbɛma deɛ nʼadwene mu nnɔ anya nyansa na mmabunu anya nimdeɛ ne adwene.
To give to the simple prudence, to the youth knowledge and discretion.
5 Anyansafoɔ ntie na wɔmfa nka deɛ wɔnim ho, na deɛ ɔwɔ nhunumu nya akwankyerɛ a
The wise will hear, and will increase [his] information; and the man of understanding will obtain wise counsels:
6 ɛbɛma woate mmɛ ne akasabɛbuo, anyansafoɔ nsɛnka ne aborɔme ase.
To understand a proverb, and a sage sentence; the words of the wise, and their riddles.
7 Awurade suro yɛ nimdeɛ ahyɛaseɛ, na nkwaseafoɔ bu nyansa ne ahohyɛsoɔ 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 maame nkyerɛkyerɛ.
Hear, my son, the instruction of thy father, and cast not off the teaching of thy mother;
9 Ɛbɛyɛ wo tiri animuonyam abotire ne wo kɔn mu ntweaban.
For a wreath of grace are they unto thy head, and chains for thy throat.
10 Me ba, sɛ nnebɔneyɛfoɔ daadaa wo a, mma wɔn ho ɛkwan.
My son, if sinners wish to entice thee, consent thou not.
11 Sɛ wɔka sɛ, “Bra ma yɛnkɔ; ma yɛnkɔtetɛ na yɛnkum obi, ma yɛnkɔtɛ 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;
We will swallow them up like the grave alive; and the men of integrity, as those that go down into the pit; (Sheol h7585)
13 yɛbɛnya nneɛma a ɛsom bo ahodoɔ na yɛde afodeɛ ahyɛ yɛn afie ma;
We shall find all [kinds of] precious wealth, we will fill our houses with booty;
14 enti, fa wo ho bɛhyɛ mu, na wobɛnya wo kyɛfa wɔ ahonyadeɛ no mu” a,
Thy lot must thou cast in our midst; one purse shall be for us all:
15 Me ba, wo ne wɔn nnante, 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 nan de ntɛmpɛ kɔ bɔne mu, na wɔde ahoɔherɛ ka mogya gu.
For their feet run after evil, and they make haste to shed blood.
17 Ɛho nni mfasoɔ sɛ obi bɛsum nnomaafidie wɔ ɛberɛ a nnomaa nyinaa hwɛ!
For uselessly is the net spread out before the eyes of every winged bird:
18 Saa nnipa yi tetɛ pɛ wɔn ankasa mogya; wɔtetɛ 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 wɔdi korɔnodeɛ akyi no awieeɛ teɛ; 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 team wɔ mmɔntene so, ɔma ne nne so wɔ adwaberem,
Wisdom crieth loudly without; in the public places she uttereth her voice;
21 ɔteaam wɔ afasuo no atifi, ɔkasa wɔ kuropɔn no apono ano sɛ,
At the corner of noisy streets she calleth, at the entrances of gates; in the city she sayeth her speeches:
22 “Mo adwenemherɛfoɔ, mobɛyɛ adwenemherɛ akɔsi da bɛn? Fɛdifoɔ bɛdi fɛ akɔsi da bɛn? Nkwaseafoɔ bɛkyiri nimdeɛ akɔsi 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 motiee mʼaninka a, anka mekaa mʼakoma mu nsɛm nyinaa kyerɛɛ mo maa mo hunuu me nsusuiɛ.
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 moyii mo aso ɛberɛ a mefrɛɛ mo na amfa obiara ho ɛberɛ a metenee me nsa mu,
Whereas I called, and ye refused; I stretched out my hand, and no man was attentive;
25 sɛ mopoo mʼafotuo, na moampɛ mʼanimka enti,
And ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would not accept my admonition:
26 me nso mɛsere mo wɔ mo amanehunu mu; sɛ abɛbrɛsɛ bi bu fa mo so a, medi 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 twahoframa, na awerɛhoɔ 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 mobɛfrɛ me, nanso meremmua mo; mobɛhwehwɛ me, nanso morenhunu 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 wɔkyirii nimdeɛ na wɔampɛ sɛ wobɛsuro Awurade.
For the reason that they hated knowledge, and the fear of the Lord they did not choose;
30 Esiane sɛ w ɔpoo mʼafotuo, na wɔbuu me ntenesoɔ animtiaa enti,
[That] they would not attend to my counsel: [that] they rejected all my admonition.
31 wɔbɛdi wɔn akwan so aba na wɔn nhyehyɛeɛ mu aduane bɛmee wɔn.
Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and from their own counsels shall they be satisfied.
32 Na ntetekwaafoɔ asoɔden bɛkum wɔn, na nkwaseafoɔ 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 ɔbɛtie me no, ɔbɛtena ase asomdwoeɛ 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.
