Mmɛbusɛm 6
1 Me ba, sɛ woadi akagyinamu ama ɔyɔnko bi, sɛ wode wo biribi asi awowa ama obi,
My son! If you have been guarantor for your friend, Have struck your hand for a stranger,
2 sɛ deɛ wokaeɛ ayi ka ama wo na sɛ wʼano asɛm afidie ayi wo a,
Have been snared with sayings of your mouth, Have been captured with sayings of your mouth,
3 ɛnneɛ yɛ yei, me ba, na fa tete wo ho, sɛ ɔyɔnko nsa aka woɔ no nti: fa ahobrɛaseɛ kɔ nʼanim; na kɔ so pa wo yɔnko no kyɛw!
Do this now, my son, and be delivered, For you have come into the hand of your friend. Go, trample on yourself, and strengthen your friend,
4 Mma wʼani nkum na nntɔ nko.
Do not give sleep to your eyes, And slumber to your eyelids,
5 Gye wo ho, sɛdeɛ ɔforoteɛ dwane firi ɔbɔmmɔfoɔ nsam anaa sɛdeɛ anomaa dwane firi fidisumfoɔ afidie mu.
Be delivered as a roe from the hand, And as a bird from the hand of a fowler.
6 Ɔkwadwofoɔ, kɔ atɛtea nkyɛn; hwɛ nʼakwan, na hunu nyansa!
Go to the ant, O slothful one, See her ways and be wise;
7 Ɔnni ɔsahene, ɔnni ɔhwɛfoɔ anaa sodifoɔ bi,
Which has no captain, overseer, and ruler,
8 nanso, ɔde aduane sie wɔ ahuhuro ɛberɛ mu ɔboaboa nnuane ano wɔ twaberɛ.
She prepares her bread in summer, She has gathered her food in harvest.
9 Wo, ɔkwadwofoɔ, wobɛda akɔsi da bɛn? Wɔbɛnyane ɛberɛ bɛn?
Until when, O slothful one, do you lie? When do you arise from your sleep?
10 Nna kakra, nkotɔ kakra, nsa a woabobɔ de rehome kakra,
A little sleep, a little slumber, A little clasping of the hands to rest,
11 ɛbɛma ohia aba wo so sɛ ɔkwanmukafoɔ na ahokyere ato ahyɛ wo so sɛ deɛ ɔkura tuo.
And your poverty has come as a traveler, And your want as an armed man.
12 Onipa teta ne ohuhuni a ɔde atorɔ kyini,
A man of worthlessness, a man of iniquity, Walking [with] perverseness of mouth,
13 deɛ ɔbu nʼani, na ɔde ne nan yɛ nsɛnkyerɛnneɛ na ɔde ne nsateaa kyerɛkyerɛ adeɛ,
Winking with his eyes, speaking with his feet, Directing with his fingers,
14 deɛ ɔde nʼakoma mu nnaadaa bɔ ɛpɔ bɔne, na ɔde mpaapaemu ba ɛberɛ biara.
Contrariness [is] in his heart, devising evil at all times, He sends forth contentions.
15 Ɛno enti amanehunu bɛba ne so prɛko pɛ; wɔbɛsɛe no mpofirim, a wɔrenya ano aduro.
Therefore his calamity comes suddenly, He is broken instantly—and no healing.
16 Nneɛma nsia na Awurade mpɛ, nneɛma nson na ɛyɛ nʼakyiwadeɛ:
These six has YHWH hated, Indeed, seven [are] abominations to His soul:
17 ani a ɛtra ntɔn, atorɔ tɛkrɛma, nsa a ɛka mogya a ɛdi bem guo,
High eyes, False tongues, And hands shedding innocent blood,
18 akoma a ɛdwene amumuyɛ ho, nan a ɛtutu mmirika kɔyɛ bɔne,
A heart devising thoughts of vanity, Feet hastening to run to evil,
19 Ɔdansekurumni a ɔdi atorɔ ne onipa a ɔde mpaapaemu ba anuanom mu.
A false witness [who] breathes out lies, And one sending forth contentions between brothers.
20 Me ba, tie wʼagya ahyɛdeɛ na nnyaa wo maame nkyerɛkyerɛ mu.
Keep, my son, the command of your father, And do not leave the law of your mother.
21 Fa kyekyere wʼakoma ho daa; na fa kyekyere wɔ kɔn mu.
Bind them on your heart continually, Tie them on your neck.
22 Wonante a, ɛbɛkyerɛ wo ɛkwan; sɛ woda a, ɛbɛwɛn wo; sɛ wonyane a, ɛbɛkasa akyerɛ wo.
In your going up and down, it leads you, In your lying down, it watches over you, And you have awoken—it talks [with] you.
23 Na saa ahyɛdeɛ yi yɛ kanea; saa nkyerɛkyerɛ yi yɛ hann, na ahohyɛsoɔ ntenesoɔ yi yɛ nkwa kwan,
For the command [is] a lamp, And the Law a light, And a way of life [are] reproofs of instruction,
24 ɛtwe wo firi ɔbaa a ɔnni suban pa no ho, firi ɔbaawarefoɔ sansani tɛkrɛmadɛ ho.
To preserve you from an evil woman, From the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.
25 Mma wo kɔn nnɔ nʼahoɔfɛ mma nʼani akyideda no ntwetwe wo,
Do not desire her beauty in your heart, And do not let her take you with her eyelids.
26 ɛfiri sɛ, odwamanfoɔ de animguaseɛ bɛbrɛ wo, na obi yere gyegye wo kɔ owuo mu.
For a harlot consumes to a cake of bread, And an adulteress hunts the precious soul.
27 Obi bɛtumi asɔ ogya agu ne srɛ so a ɛnhye nʼatadeɛ anaa?
Does a man take fire into his bosom, And are his garments not burned?
28 Obi bɛtumi anante gyasramma so a mpumpunnya mmobɔ ne nan ho anaa?
Does a man walk on the hot coals, And are his feet not scorched?
29 Saa na ɔbarima a ɔne ɔbarima foforɔ yere da no teɛ obiara a ɔde ne nsa bɛka noɔ no remfa ne ho nni da.
So [is] he who has gone in to the wife of his neighbor, None who touches her is innocent.
30 Nnipa mmu ɔkorɔmfoɔ a wakɔwia adeɛ animtiaa sɛ ɛkɔm de no na ɔde rekɔdwodwo ano enti.
They do not despise the thief, When he steals to fill his soul when he is hungry,
31 Mmom sɛ wɔkyere no a, ɛsɛ sɛ ɔtua ka mmɔho nson; sɛ ɛhia sɛ wɔtɔn ne fie agyapadeɛ nyinaa mpo a, ɛsɛ sɛ wɔtɔn.
And being found he repays sevenfold, He gives all the substance of his house.
32 Ɔbarima a ɔsɛe awadeɛ no nni adwene; obiara a ɔyɛ saa no sɛe ne ho.
He who commits adultery [with] a woman lacks heart, He who does it is destroying his soul.
33 Ɔboro ne animguaseɛ na ɔbɛnya, na nʼahohora rempepa da.
He finds a stroke and shame, And his reproach is not wiped away,
34 Ninkunutweɛ hwanyane okunu abufuo na sɛ ɔtɔ were a, ahummɔborɔ biara nni mu.
For jealousy [is] the fury of a man, And he does not spare in a day of vengeance.
35 Ɔrennye mpata biara; na ɔbɛpo adanmudeɛ, sɛ ɛso sɛ ɛdeɛn mpo a.
He does not accept the appearance of any atonement, Indeed, he does not consent, Though you multiply bribes!
