1 Apa butjenjedu aguto danilila wali,
apa kuhwisisa akutomilidza hwi lako kene?
2 Mu matuthu hwunde ne zila,
mu zijana kotola mamo ako,
3 kubapa ne mikoba inongina mu nzi nkulu,
panongingwa ndipo kodanilila kuti,
4 “Ku muli, imwi balume, ndodanilila,
ngono kudanilila kwangu kwakalingisana ne bakololo be bathu.
5 Imwi basakatjenjela, muzwidiye butjenjedu,
imwi zwilengwe, teedzani.
6 Ihwani, ngoti ndowoleba zwina mongo,
mu milomo yangu kowobhuda zwakatambunuka,
7 ngobe nlomo wangu unowoleba lebeswa,
ngobe ndo shema manyepkhwa.
8 Matama wose anodwa mu nlomo wangu akalulwama,
akuna tjimwe tjakakombama kene tjakapeyama muali.
9 Akatambunuka wose kuna unohwisisa,
kakale akalulwamila kuna banowana luzibo.
10 Amutjila kulaya kwangu pana kushaka siliva,
ne luzibo pana kushalula golide,
11 ngobe butjenjedu gopinda maseka,
ngono kose kwaungayemula kube nako akungafanidzanyiwe nago,
12 imi, butjenjedu, ndogala ne hwisiso,
kakale ndowana luzibo ne nkumbulo wakalulwama.
13 Kutja Yahwe hwubenga mbipo.
Ndoshima mazwikudzo ne kuzwida ne zila yakabipa
ne ndebo dzakaleleka.
14 Ndina mano ne butjenjedu gwakati piti,
ndina hwisiso, ndina matatabuko.
15 Bomambo ba buse ndimi,
ne babusi banothama milayo yakatambununuka,
16 ne bakololo ba bomambo banobusa ndimi,
ne makombgwa banobusa shango.
17 Ndoda ibabo banondida,
ne banondishaka kwe malebeswa banondiwana.
18 Fumwa ne gudzo zwinami,
fumwa isingapele ne dwililombeli.
19 Ntjelo wangu unopinda golide yakakuyungiwa,
ne zwizwalo zwangu zo pinda siliva.
20 Ndoyenda yenda mu zila ye ndulamo,
mu zila dze kutambunuka,
21 ndikobela fumwa ibabo banondida,
kuti bazhadze matula abo.
22 Yahwe bakandisika mu kutangisa kwe nshingo wabo,
ndili mbano ye mishingo yabo ya ntolo.
23 Ndaka bigwa ntolo ntolo,
kutanga kusathu kukasikwa shango.
24 Ndakazwagwa kusathu kukabe ne makungwa,
kusathu kukabe ne misenya inoma vula.
25 Ndakazha kusathu kukasikwa matombo
ndakabe po matuthu asathu kasikwa,
26 basathu bakasika shango ne mituthu yayo,
kene naiyo hwuluba ye kutanga ye shango.
27 Bakati besika kudzimu, ndakabe ndilipo, ha bethama makungwa,
28 pa baka simisa zhuzhugwi,
pa bakabakilila makungwa,
29 pa bakabigila gungwa n'gathu
kuti vula isitongo pindilila,
pa bakatala thiwa dze shango,
30 ipapo ndakabe ndinabo, ndili phizha,
ndibashathisa zhuba ne zhuba,
ndipembela mbeli kwabo misi yose,
31 ndipembela mu shango yabo,
kakale ndishathila bakololo be bathu.
32 Ndizo, bakololo bangu, mu ndi teedze:
bakakombolegwa banolondolodza zila dzangu.
33 Ihwani ndayo dzangu mu tjenjele,
musitongo dzilashilila.
34 Wakakombolegwa nthu unondihwilila,
akalinda mazhuba wose pa mikoba yangu,
akalinda pawunde ye mikoba yangu.
35 Ngobe iye wandiwana unowana butjilo,
ngono unowana ludo muna Yahwe,
36 koga iye usingandiwane unozwikubadza;
bose banondibenga banoda lufu.”
In Praise of Wisdom
1 Listen! Wisdom is calling out.
Reason is making herself heard.
2 On the hilltops near the road
and at the crossroads she stands.
3 At the entrance to the city,
beside the gates, she calls:
4 “I appeal to all of you;
I call to everyone on earth.
5 Are you immature? Learn to be mature.
Are you foolish? Learn to have sense.
6 Listen to my excellent words;
all I tell you is right.
7 What I say is the truth;
lies are hateful to me.
8 Everything I say is true;
nothing is false or misleading.
9 To those with insight, it is all clear;
to the well-informed, it is all plain.
10 Choose my instruction instead of silver;
choose knowledge rather than the finest gold.
11 “I am Wisdom, I am better than jewels;
nothing you want can compare with me.
12 I am Wisdom, and I have insight;
I have knowledge and sound judgment.
13 To honor the Lord is to hate evil;
I hate pride and arrogance,
evil ways and false words.
14 I make plans and carry them out.
I have understanding, and I am strong.
15 I help kings to govern
and rulers to make good laws.
16 Every ruler on earth governs with my help,
officials and nobles alike.
17 I love those who love me;
whoever looks for me can find me.
18 I have riches and honor to give,
prosperity and success.
19 What you get from me is better than the finest gold,
better than the purest silver.
20 I walk the way of righteousness;
I follow the paths of justice,
21 giving wealth to those who love me,
filling their houses with treasures.
22 “The Lord created me first of all,
the first of his works, long ago.
23 I was made in the very beginning,
at the first, before the world began.
24 I was born before the oceans,
when there were no springs of water.
25 I was born before the mountains,
before the hills were set in place,
26 before God made the earth and its fields
or even the first handful of soil.
27 I was there when he set the sky in place,
when he stretched the horizon across the ocean,
28 when he placed the clouds in the sky,
when he opened the springs of the ocean
29 and ordered the waters of the sea
to rise no further than he said.
I was there when he laid the earth's foundations.
30 I was beside him like an architect,
I was his daily source of joy,
always happy in his presence—
31 happy with the world
and pleased with the human race.
32 “Now, young people, listen to me.
Do as I say, and you will be happy.
33 Listen to what you are taught.
Be wise; do not neglect it.
34 Those who listen to me will be happy—
those who stay at my door every day,
waiting at the entrance to my home.
35 Those who find me find life,
and the Lord will be pleased with them.
36 Those who do not find me hurt themselves;
anyone who hates me loves death.”