1 Koyita kuja ikwamu tje tjiwunga tjakawomelela
pana ng'umba izhele zojiwa koga kugwiwa.
2 Nlanda unoshinga ne butjenjedu unowobusa nkololo unoshinga zwinobhatisa shoni,
kakale unowobe ne gobe le thaka se mmwe we bakololo.
3 Bhisilo ngele siliva ne vutho ngeye golide,
ngono Yahwe banolika mimoyo.
4 Nthu unoshinga zwakabipa unoteedza milomo mibiibi,
ne n'nyepi unoteyedza kululimi gwakaleleka.
5 Iye unoseka nshayi unotuka Ndzimu uwe;
na iye unodadila bashayi unotuka mbumbi uwe.
6 Zwizekugwana tjiala tje kwegulu,
ne gudzo le bakololo ndi botate babo.
7 Bunyambi gwe ndebo agutofanila tjilengwe,
koga seleba manyephwa kusingafanile nlauli.
8 Tjizwimbanlomo tjonga bgwe lakanaka le masalamusi mu mesho e unolikoba,
pamwe ne pamwe paanotendebukila unobhudilila.
9 Nthu unozwiyibhatigwa mmwe unoshaka ludo,
koga iye unomusa ndebo unopaladza bazwalani.
10 Kutjemegwa kongina mu nthu unohwisisa,
kupinda shamu dzili zana mu tjilengwe.
11 Nthu mbi tjaanoshaka koga bupanduki,
ndizo unowotumigwa ntumwa una moyo nkukutu.
12 Koyita kuti nthu ashangane ne bhira latolegwa bana,
pana kushangana ne tjilengwe mu bulengwe gwatjo.
13 Ha nthu e bgwiliza bubi nge bubuya,
bubi agutowosiya nsha uwe.
14 Kutangisa kwe kukwebakwebana konga wazhulila vula ye damu,
ndizo misa kukwebakwebana kusathu kukatangisa.
15 Iye unobona mbi akatambunuka ebe e bona nlandu nlulwami,
bose banofanana nge kushimisa Yahwe.
16 Kobhatshani wali kuti tjilengwe tjibhate mari nge luboko tjitenga butjenjedu,
koga tjisina nkumbulo?
17 Nzwalani unoda muzwibaka zose,
ne nkololo wa tate wakazwaligwa nsi usakanaka.
18 Nthu usina nkumbulo unozwisunga nge kutuna,
eti unowolipila mbakidzani naye.
19 Unoda tjinya unoda kukwebakwebana,
iye unothama nkoba uwe eumilidzila pezhugwi unoshaka golomodzo.
20 Nthu una meya mbi aatobhudilila,
ne una lulimi gusakalulwama unowila mu mbatsha.
21 Nkololo we tjilengwe unozhisa shungu kuna tate babe,
tate be tjilengwe abana kushatha.
22 Moyo wakashatha nti unopodza,
koga moyo wakapuna unotema mafupa.
23 Nthu mbiimbi unoamutjila tjizwimba nlomo,
kupeyamisa tjakatambunuka.
24 Nlume una kuhwisisa unozwilingisanya ne butjenjedu,
koga mesho e tjilengwe aku phelelo dze shango.
25 Nkololo we tjilengwe unolonga tate babe shungu,
ne kuhwisa zogwadza mayi bakazwala.
26 Kulipisa nlulwani akuzolulwama;
kuloba makombgwa akuzolulwama.
27 Unoshalula matama una luzibo,
ne wakatebamisa meya nthu unohwisisa.
28 Naitjo tjilengwe tjinozwinyalalila tjotogwa se ntjenjedu,
ha emuma nlomo uwe unotogwa se wakatjenjela.
1 Better to eat a dry crust of bread with peace of mind than have a banquet in a house full of trouble.
2 A shrewd servant will gain authority over a master's worthless son and receive a part of the inheritance.
3 Gold and silver are tested by fire, and a person's heart is tested by the Lord.
4 Evil people listen to evil ideas, and liars listen to lies.
5 If you make fun of poor people, you insult the God who made them. You will be punished if you take pleasure in someone's misfortune.
6 Grandparents are proud of their grandchildren, just as children are proud of their parents.
7 Respected people do not tell lies, and fools have nothing worthwhile to say.
8 Some people think a bribe works like magic; they believe it can do anything.
9 If you want people to like you, forgive them when they wrong you. Remembering wrongs can break up a friendship.
10 An intelligent person learns more from one rebuke than a fool learns from being beaten a hundred times.
11 Death will come like a cruel messenger to wicked people who are always stirring up trouble.
12 It is better to meet a mother bear robbed of her cubs than to meet some fool busy with a stupid project.
13 If you repay good with evil, you will never get evil out of your house.
14 The start of an argument is like the first break in a dam; stop it before it goes any further.
15 Condemning the innocent or letting the wicked go—both are hateful to the Lord.
16 It does a fool no good to spend money on an education, because he has no common sense.
17 Friends always show their love. What are relatives for if not to share trouble?
18 Only someone with no sense would promise to be responsible for someone else's debts.
19 To like sin is to like making trouble. If you brag all the time, you are asking for trouble.
20 Anyone who thinks and speaks evil can expect to find nothing good—only disaster.
21 There is nothing but sadness and sorrow for parents whose children do foolish things.
22 Being cheerful keeps you healthy. It is slow death to be gloomy all the time.
23 Corrupt judges accept secret bribes, and then justice is not done.
24 An intelligent person aims at wise action, but a fool starts off in many directions.
25 Foolish children bring grief to their fathers and bitter regrets to their mothers.
26 It is not right to make an innocent person pay a fine; justice is perverted when good people are punished.
27 Those who are sure of themselves do not talk all the time. People who stay calm have real insight. 28 After all, even fools may be thought wise and intelligent if they stay quiet and keep their mouths shut.