Mmɛbusɛm 23
1 Sɛ wo ne ɔhene bi to nsa didi a, hwɛ deɛ ɛsi wʼanim no yie,
When you sit to eat with a ruler, Diligently consider that which [is] before you,
2 Sɛ woyɛ adidibrada a, hyɛ wo ho so.
And you have put a knife to your throat, If you [are] a man of appetite.
3 Nni nʼaduane akɔnnɔ akɔnnɔ no akyi, ɛfiri sɛ saa aduane no daadaa nnipa.
Have no desire to his delicacies, seeing it [is] lying food.
4 Mmiri wo mogya ani mpɛ sika; hunu nyansa na to wo bo ase.
Do not labor to make wealth, Cease from your own understanding, Do you cause your eyes to fly on it? Then it is not.
5 Wʼani bɔɔ sika so ara pɛ, na atu ayera, ampa ara ɛbɛfu ntaban na atu akɔ ewiem sɛ ɔkɔdeɛ.
For wealth makes wings to itself, It flies to the heavens as an eagle.
6 Nni obi a ɔyɛ pɛpɛɛ aduane nni nʼakɔnnɔ aduane akyi;
Do not eat the bread of an evil eye, And have no desire to his delicacies,
7 ɛfiri sɛ ɔyɛ obi a ɛberɛ biara ɔdwene sika ho. Ɔka sɛ, “Didi na nom,” nanso ɛnyɛ nʼakoma mu.
For as he has thought in his soul, so he [is]. “Eat and drink,” he says to you, And his heart [is] not with you.
8 Kakra a woadi no wobɛfe na ɛno enti wo nkamfo ho remma mfasoɔ.
You vomit up your morsel you have eaten, And have marred your words that [are] sweet.
9 Nkasa nkyerɛ ɔkwasea, ɛfiri sɛ ɔremfa nyansa a ɛwɔ wo kasa mu no.
Do not speak in the ears of a fool, For he treads on the wisdom of your words.
10 Ntutu tete aboɔ a wɔde ato hyeɛ ngu, na ntra hyeɛ nkɔ nwisiaa mfuo mu,
Do not remove a border of ancient times, And do not enter into fields of the fatherless,
11 ɛfiri sɛ, wɔn Gyefoɔ yɛ den, na ɔbɛdi wɔn asɛm ama wɔn.
For their Redeemer [is] strong, He pleads their cause with you.
12 Ma wʼakoma mmra nkyerɛkyerɛ so na wɛn wʼaso tie nimdeɛ.
Bring your heart to instruction, And your ear to sayings of knowledge.
13 Ntwentwɛne abɔfra ntenesoɔ so; sɛ wode abaa tene no a, ɔrenwu.
Do not withhold discipline from a youth, When you strike him with a rod he does not die.
You strike him with a rod, And you deliver his soul from Sheol. (Sheol h7585)
15 Me ba, sɛ wʼakoma hunu nyansa a, ɛnneɛ mʼakoma ani bɛgye;
My son, if your heart has been wise, My heart rejoices, even mine,
16 sɛ wʼano ka deɛ ɛtene a me mu adeɛ nyinaa ani bɛgye.
And my reins exult when your lips speak uprightly.
17 Mma wʼani mmerɛ abɔnefoɔ, mmom bɔ Awurade suro ho mmɔden ɛberɛ biara.
Do not let your heart be envious at sinners, But—in the fear of YHWH all the day.
18 Ampa ara anidasoɔ wɔ hɔ ma wo daakye, na wʼanidasoɔ renyɛ ɔkwa.
For is there a posterity? Then your hope is not cut off.
19 Me ba, tie, na hunu nyansa, ma wʼakoma mfa ɛkwan tenenee so.
Hear, my son, and be wise, And make your heart blessed in the way,
20 Mfa wo ho mmɔ akɔwensafoɔ anaasɛ wɔn a wɔpɛ ɛnam mmorosoɔ,
Do not become drunk with wine, Among gluttonous ones of flesh,
21 ɛfiri sɛ, akɔwensafoɔ ne adidibradafoɔ bɛyɛ ahiafoɔ, na anikum fira wɔn ntomago.
For the drunkard and glutton become poor, And drowsiness clothes with rags.
22 Tie wʼagya a ɔwoo woɔ no, na sɛ wo maame bɔ aberewa a, mmu no animtia.
Listen to your father, who begot you, And do not despise your mother when she has become old.
23 Tɔ nokorɛ na ntɔn da; nya nyansa, ahohyɛsoɔ ne nhunumu.
Buy truth, and do not sell, Wisdom, and instruction, and understanding,
24 Ɔteneneeni agya wɔ anigyeɛ bebree; deɛ ɔwɔ ɔba nyansafoɔ no anigye ne ho.
The father of the righteous rejoices greatly, The begetter of the wise rejoices in him.
25 Ma wʼagya ne wo maame ani nnye; ma ɔbaa a ɔwoo woɔ no nnya ahosɛpɛ.
Your father and your mother rejoice, Indeed, she bearing you is joyful.
26 Me ba, fa wʼakoma ma me na ma wʼani nkɔ mʼakwan ho,
Give, my son, your heart to me, And let your eyes watch my ways.
27 na odwamanfoɔ yɛ amena donkudonku ɔyere sansani yɛ ɔdaadaafoɔ.
For a harlot [is] a deep ditch, And a strange woman [is] a narrow pit.
28 Ɔtɛ, twɛn, te sɛ ɔkwanmukafoɔ na ɔma mmarima mu atorofoɔ dɔɔso.
She also, as catching prey, lies in wait, And she increases the treacherous among men.
29 Hwan na wɔadome no? Hwan na ɔdi awerɛhoɔ? Hwan na ɔdi apereapereɛ? Hwan na ɔnwiinwii? Hwan na wapirapira hunaa? Hwan na mogya ada nʼani so?
Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaint? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes?
30 Wɔn a wɔkyɛre nsã ho, na wɔka nsã a wɔafrafra hwɛ.
Those lingering by the wine, Those going in to search out mixed wine.
31 Nhwɛ nsã ani kɔkɔɔ no haa, ɛberɛ a ɛretwa yerɛ yerɛ wɔ kuruwa mu, na ɛkɔ yɔɔ no.
Do not see wine when it shows itself red, When it gives its color in the cup, It goes up and down through the upright.
32 Awieeɛ no ɛka te sɛ ɔwɔ na ɛwɔ borɔ te sɛ ahurutoa.
Its latter end—it bites as a serpent, And it stings as a viper.
33 Wʼani bɛhunu nneɛma a wonhunuu da, na woadwene nneɛma basabasa ho.
Your eyes see strange women, And your heart speaks perverse things.
34 Wobɛtɔ ntintan te sɛ hyɛn mu dwumayɛni a, ɔkura ɛhyɛn dua a, ɛrehinhim mu den, na ɛdenkye denkye wɔ ɛpo so.
And you have been as one lying down in the heart of the sea, And as one lying down on the top of a mast.
35 Na wobɛka sɛ, “Wɔbɔ me, nanso mempira. Wɔboro me, nanso mente ɔyea biara. Ɛberɛ bɛn na menyane akɔpɛ nsã anom bio?”
“They struck me, I have not been sick, They beat me, I have not known. When I awake—I seek it yet again!”
