Mmɛbusɛm 17
1 Aduane mmɔwe a asomdwoeɛ wɔ ho yɛ sene efie a apontoɔ ahyɛ no ma a nso basabasayɛ wɔ mu.
It is better [to eat] a dry piece [of bread] and not have strife/quarrels than to have a big feast in a house where [everyone] is quarreling.
2 Ɔsomfoɔ nyansafoɔ bɛdi ɔba nimguasefoɔ so, na ɔbɛnya ne kyɛfa wɔ agyapadeɛ no mu sɛ anuanom no mu baako.
A slave who acts wisely will [some day] be the boss of his master’s disgraceful son and when his master dies, the slave will receive part of his master’s possessions.
3 Kyɛmferɛ wɔ hɔ ma dwetɛ na fononoo wɔ hɔ ma sikakɔkɔɔ nanso Awurade na ɔsɔ akoma hwɛ.
[Workers put] silver and gold in a very hot furnace [to burn out what is impure], and Yahweh [similarly] examines people’s inner beings [to see if they are pure].
4 Omumuyɛfoɔ tie nsusuiɛ bɔne; ɔtorofoɔ yɛ aso ma adwen bɔne tɛkrɛma.
Those who do what is evil pay attention to people who say [MTY] what is evil, and liars pay attention to [other people’s] lies.
5 Deɛ ɔdi ahiafoɔ ho fɛ no bu wɔn Yɛfoɔ animtiaa; na deɛ ɔfoa amanehunu soɔ no bɛnya asotwe.
Those who make fun of poor [people] insult God, the one who made the poor [people], [and] those who are happy when [someone else has] troubles will certainly be punished [LIT] [by God].
6 Mmanananom yɛ mmasiriwa animuonyam, na awofoɔ yɛ wɔn mma ahohoahoa.
Old [people] are [usually] proud of [MET] their grandchildren, [just like] children are [usually] proud of their parents.
7 Anokrokro nyɛ mma ɔkwasea, saa ara na ano a ɛdi torɔ mfata ɔhene.
Fine/Eloquent speech is not suitable for foolish people to say, just like lies are not suitable for rulers [to say].
8 Kɛtɛasehyɛ daadaa deɛ ɔma; ɔgye sɛ ɛbɛma no nkonim.
People think that a bribe is like a magic stone [to persuade someone to do what they want him to do]; they think that because of the bribe, that person will do whatever they want him to do.
9 Deɛ ɔbu nʼani gu mfomsoɔ so no ma ɔdɔ ɛkwan, na deɛ ɔbɔ soɔ no tete nnamfonom ntam.
If you want people to like/love you, forgive them for the wrong things that they do to you. If you continue to remind them about those wrong things, they will no longer be your friends.
10 Nkaanim sɔ onipa a ɔwɔ nhunumu ani sene mmaa ɔha a wɔbɔ ɔkwasea.
Rebuking people who have good sense will accomplish more for them than hitting them 100 times [with a stick].
11 Onipa bɔnefoɔ ani wɔ atuateɛ nko ara so na wɔbɛsoma odwumayɛfoɔ tirimuɔdenfoɔ akɔ ne so.
[Because] wicked people are always trying to cause trouble, someone will be sent to severely punish them.
12 Ɛyɛ sɛ wobɛhyia sisire a wɔawia ne mma sene ɔkwasea a ɔregyimie.
A mother bear whose cubs have been taken away from her is dangerous, but it is more dangerous to confront a foolish person who is doing something foolish.
13 Sɛ obi de bɔne tua papa so ka a, bɔne rempa ne fie da.
If someone does something evil in return for something good being done to him, evil/trouble will never leave that person’s family.
14 Ntɔkwa ahyɛaseɛ te sɛ deɛ wɔretue suka; enti gyae ma ɛnka na ankɔfa ɔham amma.
Starting a quarrel is like allowing water to start to leak out of a dam; they both need to be stopped before they get worse.
15 Sɛ wɔbɛgyaa deɛ ɔdi fɔ ne sɛ wɔbɛbu deɛ ɔdi bem kumfɔ no, Awurade kyiri ne mmienu.
There are two things that Yahweh hates: (Condemning innocent [people]/Saying that people who have done nothing wrong must be punished), and declaring that people who have done wicked things should not be punished.
16 Sika a ɛwɔ ɔkwasea nsam ho nni mfasoɔ, ɛfiri sɛ ɔnni botaeɛ biara sɛ ɔbɛhunu nyansa.
It is useless to allow foolish people [RHQ] to try to become wise by paying for it, because they do not have enough good sense to become wise.
17 Adamfo kyerɛ ɔdɔ ɛberɛ nyinaa mu, wɔwo onua barima ma ahokyere berɛ.
Friends love [others] all the time, and relatives are able to help us when we have troubles.
18 Obi a ɔnni adwene no na ɔde ne nsa hyɛ krataa ase di akagyinamu nam so de si awowa ma ne yɔnko.
[If someone borrows money from another person], it is foolish for you to promise [IDM] that you will pay the money back if that other person is unable to pay back the money that he borrowed.
19 Deɛ ɔpɛ ntɔkwa no dɔ bɔne; deɛ ɔsi ɛpono tentene no frɛfrɛ ɔsɛeɛ.
Those who like to sin [also] like to cause strife/trouble; [and] those who build fancy doors in their houses [to show that they are very wealthy] (OR, speak proudly) are inviting disaster.
20 Onipa a ɔwɔ akoma kontonkyi no nnya nkɔsoɔ; deɛ ne tɛkrɛma daadaa no tɔ amaneɛ mu.
Those who (have perverse minds/are always thinking about doing evil things) will not prosper, and disasters will happen to those who always tell lies.
21 Deɛ ɔwo ɔba kwasea no di awerɛhoɔ; ɔba kwasea agya nni anigyeɛ.
Children who are foolish [soon] cause their parents to be very sad; their parents will not be joyful at all.
22 Akoma mu anigyeɛ yɛ aduro ɛsa yadeɛ, nanso honhom a apɛkyɛ no wewe nnompe.
Being cheerful is [like swallowing] good medicine; being discouraged/gloomy [all the time will] (drain away your energy/cause you to become weak) [MTY].
23 Omumuyɛfoɔ gye adanmudeɛ wɔ esum ase de kyea atɛntenenee.
Wicked people/judges accept bribes that are given to them secretly, and as a result they do not decide matters justly/fairly.
24 Onipa a ɔwɔ nhunumu no ani kɔ nyansa so, na ɔkwasea toto nʼani kɔsi asase ano.
Those who have good sense determine to do what is wise, but foolish people are always thinking about many different things [and never decide what they should do].
25 Ɔba kwasea hyɛ nʼagya awerɛhoɔ, na ɔma deɛ ɔnyinsɛnee no no di yea.
Children who are foolish cause their father to be sad and [also] cause their mother to be very sorrowful.
26 Ɛnyɛ sɛ wɔtwe deɛ ɔdi bem aso, anaasɛ wɔtwa adwumayɛfoɔ mmaa wɔ wɔn nokorɛdie enti.
It is not right to force someone who has done nothing wrong to pay a fine; it is wrong to punish good/respected people.
27 Ɔnimdefoɔ dwene nʼanom kasa ho, na deɛ ɔwɔ nhunumu no wɔ abodwoɔ.
Those who have good sense do not talk a lot, and those who (control their tempers/keep themselves from becoming very angry) are [truly] wise.
28 Mpo sɛ ɔkwasea yɛ dinn a wɔbu no sɛ ɔnyansafoɔ, na sɛ ɔmua nʼano a wɔbu no sɛ ɔwɔ nhunumu.
People [may] think that foolish people who do not say anything are wise; if foolish people (do not say anything/keep their mouths shut), others will think that they are [very] intelligent.
