1Mma wʼani mmere amumɔyɛfo,
mfa wo ho mmɔ wɔn;
2Efisɛ wɔn koma dwene atirimɔdensɛm ho,
na wɔn ano ka nea ɛde basabasayɛ ba ho asɛm.
3Wɔde nyansa na esi fi,
na nhumu mu na wɔma etim;
4ɛnam nimdeɛ so na wonya ademude a ɛho yɛ na
na ɛyɛ fɛ hyehyɛ nʼadan mu.
5Onyansafo wɔ tumi a ɛso,
na onimdefo nyin ahoɔden mu;
6nea ɔretu sa hia akwankyerɛ,
nea ɔrehwehwɛ nkonimdi no hia afotufo pii.
7Nyansa wɔ soro dodo ma ɔkwasea;
wɔ apon ano aguabɔ mu no, ɛnsɛ sɛ wobue wɔn ano.
8Onipa a ɔbɔ pɔw bɔne no,
wɔbɛfrɛ no ɔkɔtwebrɛfo.
9Ogyimifo nhyehyɛe yɛ bɔne,
nnipa kyi ɔfɛwdifo.
10Sɛ wʼaba mu gow wɔ ɔhaw mu a,
na wʼahoɔden sua!
11Gye wɔn a wɔde wɔn rekɔ akokum wɔn no nkwa;
na sianka wɔn a wɔtɔ ntintan kɔ akumii.
12Sɛ woka se, “Na yennim eyi ho hwee a,”
nea ɔkari koma hwɛ no nhu ana?
Nea ɔbɔ wo nkwa ho ban no nnim ana?
Ɔrentua nea obiara ayɛ so ka ana?
13Me ba, di ɛwo, efisɛ eye;
ɛwokyɛm mu wo yɛ wʼanom dɛ.
14Hu nso sɛ nyansa yɛ wo kra dɛ;
sɛ wunya a, wowɔ anidaso ma daakye,
na wʼanidaso renyɛ ɔkwa.
15Nkɔtɛw ɔtreneeni fi sɛ ɔkwanmukafo,
na nkɔtow nhyɛ nʼatenae so,
16Ɛwɔ mu sɛ ɔtreneeni hwe ase mpɛn ason de, nanso ɔsɔre bio,
na amumɔyɛfo de amanehunu baako ma wɔhwe ase.
17Sɛ wo tamfo hwe ase a mma ɛnyɛ wo dɛ;
na sɛ ohintiw a mma wo koma nni ahurusi,
18efisɛ Awurade behu wʼadwene na ɔrempɛ
na obeyi nʼabufuwhyew afi no so.
19Nhaw wo ho wɔ abɔnefo nti,
na mma wʼani mmere amumɔyɛfo nso,
20efisɛ, ɔbɔnefo nni anidaso biara daakye,
na wobedum amumɔyɛfo kanea.
21Me ba, suro Awurade ne ɔhene,
na mfa wo ho mmɔ atuatewfo ho,
22efisɛ saa baanu yi de, ɔsɛe bɛba wɔn so mpofirim;
na hena na onim amanehunu ko a wobetumi de aba?
Anyansafo Nsɛnka A Ɛkeka Ho
23Eyinom nso yɛ anyansafo Nsɛnka:
Atemmu a nhwɛanim wɔ mu no nye:
24Obiara a ɔbɛka akyerɛ nea odi fɔ se, “Wo ho nni asɛm” no,
nnipa bɛdome no na amanaman remmɔ no din pa.
25Na wɔn a wobu afɔdifo fɔ no, ebesi wɔn yiye,
na nhyira bɛba wɔn so.
26Mmuae pa
te sɛ mfewano.
27Wie wo mfikyidwuma
na siesie wo mfuw;
ɛno akyi, si wo fi.
28Nni adanse ntia ɔyɔnko a ɔnyɛɛ wo hwee,
na mfa wʼano nnaadaa.
29Nka se, “Nea wayɛ me no me nso mɛyɛ no bi;
nea ɔyɛe no mitua no so ka.”
30Menantew faa onihawfo afuw ho,
twaa mu wɔ nea onni adwene bobeturo nso ho;
31nsɔe afuw wɔ baabiara,
wura afuw akata asase no so,
na abo afasu no nso abubu.
32Mede me koma kɔɔ nea mihuu no so
na misuaa biribi fii mu:
33nna kakra, nkotɔ kakra,
nsa a woabobɔw de rehome kakra
34bɛma ohia aba wo so sɛ ɔkwanmukafo,
na nneɛma ho nna bɛba wo so sɛ obi a okura akode. Na ohia bɛtow akyere wo sɛ ɔkwanmukafo; ahokyere bɛtoa wo sɛ ɔkorɔmfowerɛmfo.
Saying 20
1Do not envy the wicked,
do not desire their company;
2for their hearts plot violence,
and their lips talk about making trouble.
Saying 21
3By wisdom a house is built,
and through understanding it is established;
4through knowledge its rooms are filled
with rare and beautiful treasures.
Saying 22
5The wise prevail through great power,
and those who have knowledge muster their strength.
6Surely you need guidance to wage war,
and victory is won through many advisors.
Saying 23
7Wisdom is too high for fools;
in the assembly at the gate they must not open their mouths.
Saying 24
8Whoever plots evil
will be known as a schemer.
9The schemes of folly are sin,
and people detest a mocker.
Saying 25
10If you falter in a time of trouble,
how small is your strength!
11Rescue those being led away to death;
hold back those staggering towards slaughter.
12If you say, ‘But we knew nothing about this,’
does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not he who guards your life know it?
Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done?
Saying 26
13Eat honey, my son, for it is good;
honey from the comb is sweet to your taste.
14Know also that wisdom is like honey for you:
if you find it, there is a future hope for you,
and your hope will not be cut off.
Saying 27
15Do not lurk like a thief near the house of the righteous,
do not plunder their dwelling-place;
16for though the righteous fall seven times, they rise again,
but the wicked stumble when calamity strikes.
Saying 28
17Do not gloat when your enemy falls;
when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice,
18or the Lord will see and disapprove
and turn his wrath away from them.
Saying 29
19Do not fret because of evildoers
or be envious of the wicked,
20for the evildoer has no future hope,
and the lamp of the wicked will be snuffed out.
Saying 30
21Fear the Lord and the king, my son,
and do not join with rebellious officials,
22for those two will send sudden destruction on them,
and who knows what calamities they can bring?
Further sayings of the wise
23These also are sayings of the wise:
To show partiality in judging is not good:
24whoever says to the guilty, ‘You are innocent,’
will be cursed by peoples and denounced by nations.
25But it will go well with those who convict the guilty,
and rich blessing will come on them.
26An honest answer
is like a kiss on the lips.
27Put your outdoor work in order
and get your fields ready;
after that, build your house.
28Do not testify against your neighbour without cause –
would you use your lips to mislead?
29Do not say, ‘I’ll do to them as they have done to me;
I’ll pay them back for what they did.’
30I went past the field of a sluggard,
past the vineyard of someone who has no sense;
31thorns had come up everywhere,
the ground was covered with weeds,
and the stone wall was in ruins.
32I applied my heart to what I observed
and learned a lesson from what I saw:
33a little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest –
34and poverty will come on you like a thief
and scarcity like an armed man.
