Mmɛbusɛm 27
1 Mfa ɔkyena nhoahoa wo ho, na wonnim deɛ ɛda bi de bɛba.
Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day brings forth.
2 Ma ɔfoforɔ nkamfo wo; na ɛnyɛ wʼankasa; ma ɛmfiri ɔfoforɔ anomu na ɛnyɛ wo.
Let another praise you, and not your own mouth, A stranger, and not your own lips.
3 Ɛboɔ mu yɛ duru, na anwea yɛ adesoa, nanso ɔkwasea abufuhyeɛ yɛ duru sene emu biara.
A stone [is] heavy, and the sand [is] heavy, And the anger of a fool Is heavier than them both.
4 Abufuo tirim yɛ den, na abufuhyeɛ sɛe adeɛ, na hwan na ɔbɛtumi agyina ninkuntwe ano?
Fury [is] fierce, and anger [is] overflowing, And who stands before jealousy?
5 Animka a ɛda edwa yɛ sene ɔdɔ a asuma.
Better [is] open reproof than hidden love.
6 Apirakuro a ɛfiri adamfo nkyɛn no yɛ sene ɔtamfoɔ mfeano bebrebe.
The wounds of a lover are faithful, And the kisses of an enemy [are] abundant.
7 Ɛwoɔ nyɛ deɛ wameeɛ akɔnnɔ, nanso deɛ ɛkɔm de noɔ no, deɛ ɛyɛ nwono yɛ nʼanom dɛ.
A satiated soul treads down a honeycomb, And every bitter thing [is] sweet [to] a hungry soul.
8 Onipa a wayera ne fie ɛkwan, te sɛ anomaa a wafiri ne pirebuo mu rekyinkyini.
As a bird wandering from her nest, So [is] a man wandering from his place.
9 Ngo ne aduhwam ma akoma ani gye, adamfo ho anigyeɛ firi nʼafotu pa a ɔma.
Perfume and incense make the heart glad, And the sweetness of one’s friend—from counsel of the soul.
10 Nnyaa wʼadamfo ne wʼagya adamfo mu, nkɔ wo nuabarima fie ɛberɛ a ɔhaw ato woɔ, na ɔyɔnko a ɔbɛn woɔ no yɛ sene onuabarima a ɔwɔ akyirikyiri.
Do not forsake your own friend and the friend of your father, And do not enter the house of your brother in a day of your calamity, A near neighbor [is] better than a brother far off.
11 Me ba, hunu nyansa na ma mʼakoma ani nnye; ɛno na ɛbɛma manya mmuaeɛ ama obiara a ɔbu me animtiaa.
Be wise, my son, and make my heart glad, And I return a word [to] my reproacher.
12 Mmadwemma hunu asiane na wɔhinta, nanso ntetekwaafoɔ kɔ wɔn anim kɔtɔ mu.
The prudent has seen the evil, he is hidden, The simple have passed on, they are punished.
13 Fa atadeɛ a ɛhyɛ obi a ɔdi ɔhɔhoɔ akagyinamu; sɛ ɔregyina ɔbaa huhufoɔ akyi a, fa si awowa.
Take his garment when a stranger has been guarantor, And pledge it for a strange woman.
14 Sɛ obi team hyira ne yɔnko anɔpahema a, wɔbɛfa no sɛ ɛyɛ nnome.
Whoever is greeting his friend with a loud voice, Rising early in the morning, It is reckoned a light thing to him.
15 Ɔyere ntɔkwapɛfoɔ te sɛ osutɔ da nsusosɔ a ɛnnyae da;
A continual dropping in a day of rain, And a woman of contentions are alike,
16 sɛ wopata no a, ɛte sɛ deɛ wopata mframa anaa wode wo nsa bɛsɔ ngo mu.
Whoever is hiding her has hidden the wind, And the ointment of his right hand calls out.
17 Dadeɛ se dadeɛ, saa ara na onipa se ɔfoforɔ.
Iron is sharpened by iron, And a man sharpens the face of his friend.
18 Deɛ ɔhwɛ borɔdɔma dua so no bɛdi ɛso aba, na deɛ ɔsom ne wura no, wɔbɛhyɛ no animuonyam.
The keeper of a fig tree eats its fruit, And the preserver of his master is honored.
19 Sɛdeɛ nsuo yi animdua kyerɛ no, saa ara na onipa akoma da onipa no adi.
As [in] water the face [is] to face, So the heart of man to man.
Sheol and destruction are not satisfied, And the eyes of man are not satisfied. (Sheol h7585)
21 Kyɛmferɛ wɔ hɔ ma dwetɛ na fononoo wɔ hɔ ma sikakɔkɔɔ, nanso wɔnam nkamfo a onipa nya so na ɛso no hwɛ.
A refining pot [is] for silver, and a furnace for gold, And a man according to his praise.
22 Sɛ wowɔ ɔkwasea wɔ ɔwaduro mu, sɛ wode ɔwɔma wɔ no te sɛ deɛ wosi aburoo a, worentumi nnyi agyimisɛm mfiri ne ho.
If you beat the foolish in a mortar, Among washed things—with a pestle, His folly does not turn aside from off him.
23 Ma ɛnyɛ wo asɛnhia sɛ wobɛhunu wo nnwankuo tebea, na ma wʼani nkɔ wʼanantwikuo so;
Know the face of your flock well, Set your heart to the droves,
24 ɛfiri sɛ, ahonya ntena hɔ daa, na ahenkyɛ ntena hɔ mma awoɔ ntoantoasoɔ nyinaa.
For riches [are] not for all time, Nor a crown to generation and generation.
25 Sɛ wotwa ɛserɛ no na foforɔ fifiri na wɔboaboa nkokoɔ so ɛserɛ no ano a,
The hay was revealed, and the tender grass seen, And the herbs of mountains gathered.
26 ɛnneɛ nnwammaa no bɛma wo ntoma, na mpɔnkye ama sika a ɛtɔ mfuo.
Lambs [are] for your clothing, And the price of the field [are] male goats,
27 Wobɛnya mmirekyie nufosuo bebree ama wo ne wʼabusuafoɔ adi ne aduane ama wo mmaawa.
And a sufficiency of goats’ milk [is] for your bread, For bread to your house, and life to your girls!
