Mmɛbusɛm 26
1 Sɛdeɛ sukyerɛmma te ahuhuro berɛ anaasɛ osutɔ te wɔ otwa berɛ no saa ara na animuonyam mfata ɔkwasea.
Just [like] [SIM] [it is not appropriate for] snow [to fall] in summer time, or rain [to fall] at harvest time, it is not appropriate to praise/honor foolish people.
2 Sɛdeɛ apatuprɛ tuo anaasɛ asomfena tu danedane ne ho no, saa ara na nnuabɔ hunu nsi hwee.
Like [SIM] birds that fly by [and do not alight/land on anything], if someone curses you, it cannot hurt you if you (do not deserve them/have not done to him what is wrong).
3 Ɔkafoɔ abaa wɔ hɔ ma ɔpɔnkɔ, nnareka wɔ hɔ ma afunumu, na abaa wɔ hɔ ma nkwaseafoɔ akyi.
It is necessary to whip a horse and to put a bridle on a donkey [to force them to go where we want them to go], and similarly [SIM] [it is often necessary to strike] foolish people with a stick [to cause them to do what is right].
4 Nhwɛ ɔkwasea agyimisɛm so mma no mmuaeɛ, anyɛ saa a wo nso bɛyɛ sɛ ɔno.
If a foolish person asks a foolish question, [do not answer him], because [if you answer his question], you are just as foolish as he is.
5 Gyina ɔkwasea agyimisɛm so ma no mmuaeɛ anyɛ saa a ɛbɛyɛ no sɛ ɔnim nyansa.
If you give a foolish answer to someone who asks a foolish question, he will realize that he is (not very wise/foolish).
6 Sɛ wode nkra bi soma ɔkwasea a, ɛte sɛ woatwa wʼankasa nan anaasɛ woafrɛ basabasayɛ.
Anyone who asks a foolish person to take a message to someone [is himself doing something as foolish as] cutting off his own feet or drinking poison.
7 Apakye nan a awu na ɛsensɛn hɔ no, yɛ abɛbusɛm a ɛda ɔkwasea ano.
A lame man cannot use his legs, and similarly [SIM] [it is useless for] a foolish person to speak [MTY] (proverbs/wise sayings).
8 Ɛboɔ a wɔakyekyere afam ahwimmoɔ so, te sɛ animuonyam a wɔde ama ɔkwasea.
Tying a stone in a sling [so that it cannot be thrown at a target] is [as foolish as] [SIM] honoring a foolish person.
9 Nkasɛɛ dua a ɛkura ɔkɔwensani no te sɛ abɛbusɛm a ɛda ɔkwasea ano.
If a drunk person waves some thorns/brambles with his hand, [he is not able to accomplish anything useful by doing that] (OR, [he does not feel it when a thorn sticks in his hand]); similarly, if foolish people speak [MTY] proverbs, [they do not help anyone who hears them].
10 Deɛ ɔbɔ ɔkwasea anaa obi hunu paa no te sɛ agyantoni a ɔpira nnipa kwa.
A man who shoots arrows [to try] to wound everybody who is near [is foolish]; similarly, anyone who hires a foolish person [who passes by is very foolish].
11 Sɛdeɛ ɔkraman sane kɔ ne feɛ ho no, saa ara na ɔkwasea ti nʼagyimisɛm mu.
A foolish person will foolishly do something stupid a second time; it is [like] [SIM] a dog returning to [eat] what it has vomited.
12 Woahunu obi a ɔyɛ onyansafoɔ wɔ nʼankasa ani so? Anidasoɔ pii wɔ ɔkwasea mu sene no.
[God] can help/bless foolish people more easily than he can help/bless people who are not wise [RHQ], but think that they are wise.
13 Ɔkwadwofoɔ ka sɛ, “Gyata wɔ ɛkwan no mu, gyata nenam mmɔntene no so!”
Lazy people [just stay inside their houses and do nothing]; [they keep] saying “[I think] there is a lion in the street!”
14 Sɛdeɛ ɛpono di akɔneaba wɔ ne mponterɛ so no, saa ara na ɔkwadwofoɔ twa ne ho wɔ ne mpa so.
A door [continually] swings back and forth on its hinges [and does not go anywhere]; similarly [SIM], lazy people [just continually turn over] in their beds [and never do anything].
15 Ɔkwadwofoɔ de ne nsa si aduane mu, na ɛyɛ no aniha sɛ ɔbɛyi akɔ nʼano.
Some people are extremely lazy; they put their hand in a dish [to get some food] but do not [even] lift the food up to their mouths.
16 Ɔkwadwofoɔ yɛ onyansafoɔ wɔ ɔno ankasa ani so sene nnipa baason a wɔdwene asɛm ho na wɔabua.
Lazy people think that they are wiser than seven/several people who can answer [others’ questions] with good sense.
17 Obi a ɔsɔ ɔkraman aso twe noɔ no te sɛ obi a ɔretwam na ɔde ne ho kɔfra ntɔkwa a ɛmfa ne ho mu.
Anyone who (meddles/involves himself) in a quarrel that does not concern him is [as foolish as] [SIM] someone who tries to grab a passing dog by its ears.
18 Ɔbɔdamfoɔ a ɔtoto atuo anaa agyan kɔdiawuo no
Crazy people who shoot burning arrows to kill people
19 te sɛ obi a, ɔdaadaa ne yɔnko na ɔka sɛ, “Na mede redi agorɔ!”
are as foolish as those who deceive someone else and [then] say, “I was only joking.”
20 Yensin hi a, ogya dum; nsekuro nni hɔ a ntɔkwa toɔ twa.
If there is no [more] firewood [to put on the fire], the fire will go out; similarly [SIM], if there are no people who (gossip/tell people things that are not true), quarreling will end.
21 Sɛdeɛ gyabidie dane gyasramma na anyina dane ogya no, saa ara na ntɔkwapɛfoɔ hyɛ ntɔkwa mu kutupa.
[Putting] charcoal on burning coals or [putting] wood on a fire [causes the fire to keep burning]; similarly, people who like to quarrel cause people to keep arguing.
22 Osekuni anom asɛm te sɛ mfremfremadeɛ; ɛwurawura kɔ onipa akwaa mu nyinaa.
People [enjoy listening to what gossips say about others just like] [SIM] they enjoy tasty food; they [enjoy listening to what gossips tell them like] they enjoy swallowing tasty food.
23 Sɛdeɛ wɔde dwetɛ fi adura asankago ho no saa ara na anoɔdɛ kata amumuyɛ akoma so.
People who say nice things when they are thinking about doing evil things are like a nice glaze/covering on a [cheap] clay pot.
24 Onipa bɔne kasa te sɛ deɛ ɔyɛ, nanso nnaadaa ahyɛ nʼakoma ma.
Those who hate someone and are saying [MTY] something very different from what they are thinking are hypocrites; they are only planning [to harm that person].
25 Ɛwom sɛ ne kasa yɛ dɛ deɛ, nanso ɛnnye no nni, ɛfiri sɛ akyiwadeɛ nson ahyɛ nʼakoma ma.
When they say nice things, do not believe them, because in their inner beings are many things that [Yahweh] hates.
26 Ebia nnaadaa bɛkata nʼadwemmɔne so, nanso nʼamumuyɛsɛm bɛda adi wɔ badwa mu.
They try to deceive people to cause them to think that they do not hate [that person], but in a public meeting, the people will find out the evil things [that they have done].
27 Sɛ onipa tu amena a, ɔbɛto mu; sɛ onipa pire ɔboɔ a, ɛbɛsane aba ne so.
Those who dig a deep pit [for other people to fall into] will fall into it themselves; rocks will roll down on those who start to cause rocks to roll down [to crush someone].
28 Atorɔ tɛkrɛma kyiri wɔn a ɔgu wɔn ho fi, na nnaadaa ano de ɔsɛeɛ ba.
Those [MTY] who tell lies to others [really] hate them, and those who deceive [others] ruin them.
