Matama a Aguri
1 Matama a Aguri nkololo wa Jake we Masa.
Nthu unoti kuna Itiyeli, kuna Itiyeli ne kuna Ukali:
2 Malebeswa wose ndi tjilengwesa kuti ndibe nthu.
Andina hwisiso ye nthu.
3 Andizozwidiya butjenjedu,
naiko kuziba ngekwa iye Wakayengemala.
4 Ndiyani wakatathila kudzimu kabuya ka delukila pasi?
Ndiani wakafumbatila phepo mu mbaka dzidze?
Ndiyani wakapetela vula nge tjiambalo?
Ndiyani wakasika mbizho dzose dze shango?
Zina lile ndiani, ne zina le nkololo uwe ndiani?
Nge malebeswa unoziba!
5 Dama limwe ne limwe le Ndzimu lakanatshiwa;
ndiwo tjivikiso kuna banotizhila kuwuli.
6 Usitongo paphidza matama awo,
ungadwa ukakutjemela, udwa uwangwa uli nnyepi.
7 Zwithu zwibili zwandinokumbila kumuli,
musindilambile izo ndisathu afa,
8 Dusilani kule nami zwisiyizo ne manyephwa,
musindipe bushayi kene fumwa,
mundigutshe ne zojiwa zwandinosheta,
9 ndingadwa ndi guta, ndibe ndimuzwilandula,
nditi, “Yahwe ndiyani?”
Kene ndidwa ndibe nshayi ndibe ndikwiba,
ndibe nditjinya zina le Ndzimu wangu.
10 Usitongo nyeya nlanda kuna tetshi uwe,
asidwe ekulonga bhiso, ubouwang'wa uli nlandu.
11 Kuna ibabo banolonga botate babo bhiso,
basingakombolele bomme babo.
12 Kuna ibabo babuya mu mesho abo,
koga basakangudziwa shambgwa yabo.
13 Kuna ibabo be mesho anozwikudza,
anolingila pezhugwi!
14 Kuna ibabo bana meno anopitsha
be meno e mipanga,
kuponda bashayi mu shango,
bashayi kubadusa mu bathu.
15 Munyopi tjina bakololokadzi babili;
“Mundipe, mundipe,” banolila.
Kuna zwithu zwitatu zwisingafe zwa gutshika,
zwinna azwitotongoti, “Kwa lizana”:
16 ikumbu, mbeleko isingazwale,
shango inogala ina nyota ye vula,
ne moto usingatongoti, “Kwa lizana.”
17 Zhisho linodadila tate,
linolingila kuhwa mme balo pasi
lowokopogwa nge makungubo e nkuku
likanojiwa nge magola.
18 Zwithu zwitatu zwinonditjenamisa,
zwinna anditozwihwisisa,
19 zila ye dzu mu makole,
zila ye nyoka mu shongwe,
zila ye ikepe mu makungwa,
ne zila ye nlume ne nsikana.
20 Ndiyo zila ye phombgwekadzi,
unoja, ebe bukusha nlomo,
ebuya eti, “Hakuna tja ndatjinya.”
21 Zwithu zwitatu zwinozunguza shango,
zwinna zwaisingatubule kumilana nazo,
22 nlanda ha ebe mambo,
ne tjilengwe ha tjakaguta zojiwa,
23 nkadzi usingadiwe ha ewana nlume,
ne nlandakadzi ha etolela tetshikadzi uwe nlume.
24 Zwithu zwinna mu shango zwitukununu,
koga zwakatjenjela kwazo,
25 ntjenje ludzi gusakasima,
ngono unozwikubunganyila zojiwa mu zhizha,
26 mbila ludzi gusakasima,
ngono dzothama mizi yadzo mu shongwe,
27 phashu adzina mambo,
ngono dzoyenda dzili nlunda,
28 tjibululu ungatjibhata ne luboko,
koga tjogala mu ng'umba dza bomambo.
29 Zwithu zwitatu zwinotshamba tjimambo,
zwinna zotshamba sa bomambo,
30 shumba, iyo yakasima kupinda zwibandana zose,
akuna tjainotja,
31 gukurume linotanyaila, phoko ye mbudzi,
na mambo unotanyayila mbeli kwe bathu babe.
32 Ha wakabe uli tjilengwe, uzwikudza,
kene wakabe uluka bubi,
bhata nlomo uwo.
33 Ngoti nkaka ha unonubugwa unodusa mafuta,
kutshamba tjimilo kodusa malopa,
ne kushoka kugwadzamoyo ko zhisa kukwebakwebana.
The Words of Agur
1 These are the solemn words of Agur son of Jakeh:
“God is not with me, God is not with me,
and I am helpless.
2 I am more like an animal than a human being;
I do not have the sense we humans should have.
3 I have never learned any wisdom,
and I know nothing at all about God.
4 Have any ever mastered heavenly knowledge?
Have any ever caught the wind in their hands?
Or wrapped up water in a piece of cloth?
Or fixed the boundaries of the earth?
Who are they, if you know? Who are their children?
5 “God keeps every promise he makes. He is like a shield for all who seek his protection. 6 If you claim that he said something that he never said, he will reprimand you and show that you are a liar.”
More Proverbs
7 I ask you, God, to let me have two things before I die: 8 keep me from lying, and let me be neither rich nor poor. So give me only as much food as I need. 9 If I have more, I might say that I do not need you. But if I am poor, I might steal and bring disgrace on my God.
10 Never criticize servants to their master. You will be cursed and suffer for it.
11 There are people who curse their fathers and do not show their appreciation for their mothers.
12 There are people who think they are pure when they are as filthy as they can be.
13 There are people who think they are so good—oh, how good they think they are!
14 There are people who take cruel advantage of the poor and needy; that is the way they make their living.
15 A leech has two daughters, and both are named “Give me!”
There are four things that are never satisfied:
16 the world of the dead,
a woman without children,
dry ground that needs rain,
and a fire burning out of control.
17 If you make fun of your father or despise your mother in her old age, you ought to be eaten by vultures or have your eyes picked out by wild ravens.
18 There are four things that are too mysterious for me to understand:
19 an eagle flying in the sky,
a snake moving on a rock,
a ship finding its way over the sea,
and a man and a woman falling in love.
20 This is how an unfaithful wife acts: she commits adultery, takes a bath, and says, “But I haven't done anything wrong!”
21 There are four things that the earth itself cannot tolerate:
22 a slave who becomes a king,
a fool who has all he wants to eat,
23 a hateful woman who gets married,
and a servant woman who takes the place of her mistress.
24 There are four animals in the world that are small, but very, very clever:
25 Ants: they are weak, but they store up their food in the summer.
26 Rock badgers: they are not strong either, but they make their homes among the rocks.
27 Locusts: they have no king, but they move in formation.
28 Lizards: you can hold one in your hand, but you can find them in palaces.
29 There are four things that are impressive to watch as they walk:
30 lions, strongest of all animals and afraid of none;
31 goats, strutting roosters,
and kings in front of their people.
32 If you have been foolish enough to be arrogant and plan evil, stop and think! 33 If you churn milk, you get butter. If you hit someone's nose, it bleeds. If you stir up anger, you get into trouble.