Mmɛbusɛm 24
1 Mma wʼani mmerɛ amumuyɛfoɔ, mfa wo ho mmɔ wɔn;
Do not envy evil people; do not desire to associate with them,
2 Ɛfiri sɛ, wɔn akoma dwene atirimuɔdensɛm ho, na wɔn ano ka deɛ ɛde basabasayɛ ba ho asɛm.
because they are [constantly] thinking about acting violently, and whenever they speak [MTY], they talk about (causing trouble/hurting someone).
3 Wɔde nyansa na ɛsi efie, na nhunumu mu na wɔma ɛtim;
People make good houses (OR, families) by doing what is wise, and they make their houses (OR, families) strong by [heeding] good advice.
4 ɛnam nimdeɛ so na wɔnya ademudeɛ a ɛho yɛ na na ɛyɛ fɛ hyehyɛ nʼadan mu.
By using good sense, [they are able to buy] valuable and beautiful things and put them in the rooms of their houses.
5 Onyansafoɔ wɔ tumi a ɛso, na onimdefoɔ nyini ahoɔden mu;
Being wise is better than being strong/powerful; those who know [many things can accomplish more] than those who are [very] strong.
6 deɛ ɔretu sa hia akwankyerɛ, deɛ ɔrepɛ nkonimdie no hia afotufoɔ pii.
Leaders can fight battles if they have wise advisors, and they win those battles if they have many good advisors.
7 Nyansa wɔ akyiri dodo ma ɔkwasea; wɔ apono ano dwabɔ mu no ɔnni hwee ka.
Foolish people cannot understand wise sayings/talk; at public meetings they are not [able to] say anything [that is useful].
8 Onipa ɔbɔ pɔ bɔne no wɔbɛfrɛ no ɔkɔtwebrɛfoɔ.
Those who are [always] planning to do evil things will be called troublemakers.
9 Ogyimifoɔ nhyehyɛeɛ yɛ bɔne, nnipa kyiri ɔfɛdifoɔ.
It is sinful to plan to do foolish things, and people hate those who make fun of [everything that is good].
10 Sɛ wʼabamu go wɔ ɔhaw mu a, na wʼahoɔden sua!
If you [act as though] you are helpless when you have troubles, you are [truly very] weak.
11 Gye wɔn a wɔde wɔn rekɔ akɔkum wɔn no nkwa; na sianka wɔn a wɔtɔ ntintan kɔ akumiiɛ.
[If it is unjustly decided] that someone must be executed, [try hard to] rescue them [DOU].
12 Sɛ woka sɛ, “Na yɛnnim yei ho hwee a,” deɛ ɔkari akoma hwɛ no nhunu anaa? Deɛ ɔbɔ wo nkwa ho ban no nnim anaa? Ɔrentua deɛ obiara ayɛ so ka anaa?
If you say, “I did not know anything about it, [so (it is not my concern/I did not try to help him)],” remember that God knows what we have done, and he knows what we were thinking [IDM, RHQ], and he will certainly [RHQ] repay us as we deserve for what we have done or for not doing what we should have done.
13 Me ba, di ɛwoɔ, ɛfiri sɛ ɛyɛ; ɛwokyɛm mu woɔ yɛ wʼanomu dɛ.
My child/son, eat honey, because it is good [for you]; the honey that drips from honeycombs tastes [very] sweet.
14 Hunu nso sɛ nyansa yɛ wo kra dɛ; sɛ wonya a, wowɔ anidasoɔ ma daakye, na wʼanidasoɔ renyɛ kwa.
Similarly, being wise is good for your soul; if you become wise, you will be [happy in] the future, and [God] will certainly [do for you what you are] confidently expecting him to do [LIT].
15 Nkɔtɛ ɔteneneeni fie sɛ ɔkwanmukafoɔ, na ɛnkɔto nhyɛ nʼatenaeɛ so,
Do not be like wicked people who [hide and] wait to break into the houses of righteous/good [people] and rob/steal things.
16 Ɛwom sɛ ɔteneneeni hwe ase mpɛn nson deɛ, nanso ɔsɔre bio, na amumuyɛfoɔ deɛ, amanehunu baako ma wɔhwe ase.
[Even if] good people fall down seven/many times, they [always] stand/get up again, but when a disaster happens to wicked [people], it ruins/destroys them.
17 Sɛ wo ɔtamfoɔ hwe ase a mma ɛnyɛ wo dɛ; na sɛ ɔsunti a mma wʼakoma nni ahurisie,
Do not be happy when something bad happens to one of your enemies; do not rejoice when he stumbles and falls,
18 ɛfiri sɛ Awurade bɛhunu wʼadwene na ɔrempɛ na ɔbɛyi nʼabufuhyeɛ afiri ne so.
because Yahweh will know what you are thinking, and he will not like it, and [as a result] he will not punish that enemy of yours.
19 Ɛnha wo ho wɔ abɔnefoɔ enti na ɛmma wʼani mmere amumuyɛfoɔ nso,
Do not become angry/upset about those who do what is evil, and do not [SYN] envy them,
20 ɛfiri sɛ, ɔbɔnefoɔ nni anidasoɔ biara daakye, na wɔbɛdum amumuyɛfoɔ kanea.
because [nothing good] will happen to wicked people; they are [like] a lamp that will soon be extinguished [MET].
21 Me ba, suro Awurade ne ɔhene, na mfa wo ho mmɔ adɔnyɛfoɔ ho,
My child/son, revere Yahweh and [also] honor the king, and do not associate with people who want to rebel against either of them,
22 ɛfiri sɛ saa baanu yi de ɔsɛeɛ bɛba wɔn so mpofirim, na hwan na ɔnim amanehunu ko a wɔbɛtumi de aba?
because those people will suddenly experience disasters; and no one knows [RHQ] what great disasters that God or the king can cause to happen to them.
23 Yeinom nso yɛ anyansafoɔ Nsɛnka: Atemmuo a animhwɛ wɔ mu no nyɛ:
Here are more things that wise [people] have said: It is wrong for judges to decide matters unfairly [IDM].
24 Obiara a ɔbɛka akyerɛ deɛ ɔdi fɔ sɛ, “Wo ho nni asɛm” no nnipa bɛdome no na amanaman remmɔ no din pa.
If they say to people who are guilty, “You (are innocent/have not done something that is wrong),” [even] people in other nations will curse and despise them,
25 Na wɔn a wɔbu afɔdifoɔ fɔ no ɛbɛsi wɔn yie, na nhyira bɛba wɔn so.
but if judges say that guilty people must be punished, things will go well for those judges, and (they will receive blessings/God will bless them).
26 Mmuaeɛ pa te sɛ mfeano.
Those who answer others honestly show that they are truly their friends [IDM].
27 Wie wo mfikyidwuma na siesie wo mfuo; ɛno akyi, si wo fie.
First, do the work [that needs to be done] outside [your house], and prepare your fields, [and then plant things], and after you finish doing that, build your house.
28 Nni adanseɛ ntia ɔyɔnko a ɔnyɛɛ wo hwee, na mfa wʼano nnaadaa.
[In the courtroom] do not testify against someone when you have no reason to do that, and do not [try to] deceive [people] by what you say [MTY].
29 Nka sɛ, “Deɛ wayɛ me no me nso mɛyɛ no bi; deɛ ɔyɛeɛ no metua ne so ka.”
Do not say, “I will do to him what he did to me; I will pay him back for [the bad things that] he did to me.”
30 Menante faa onihafoɔ afuo ho twaa mu wɔ deɛ ɔnni adwene bobefuo nso ho;
One day I walked by the vineyards of a lazy man, a man who did not have good sense.
31 nkasɛɛ afu wɔ baabiara, wira afu akata asase no so, na aboɔ afasuo no nso abubu.
I was surprised to see that the fields were full of all kinds of thorny bushes, and the stone wall [around the garden] had (collapsed/fallen down).
32 Mede mʼadwene kɔɔ deɛ mehunuiɛ no so na mesuaa biribi firii mu:
When I saw that, I thought about it, and I learned this:
33 nna kakra, nkotɔ kakra, nsa a woabobɔ de rehome kakra,
[If you spend a lot of time] sleeping and napping and folding your hands while you rest,
34 bɛma ohia aba wo so sɛ ɔkwanmukafoɔ na nneɛma ho nna bɛba wo so sɛ obi a ɔkura akodeɛ. Na ohia bɛto akyere wo sɛ ɔkwanmukafoɔ; ahokyere bɛtoa wo sɛ ɔkorɔmfoɔ.
[soon] you will become poor; [it will be as though] [PRS, SIM] a bandit who had a weapon in his hand [attacked you and stole all that you had].
