1Mfa ɔkyena nhoahoa wo ho,
na wunnim nea ɛda bi de bɛba.
2Ma ɔfoforo nkamfo wo; na ɛnyɛ wo ankasa;
ma emfi ɔfoforo anom na ɛnyɛ wo.
3Ɔbo mu yɛ duru, na nwea yɛ adesoa,
nanso ɔkwasea abufuwhyew yɛ duru sen emu biara.
4Abufuw tirim yɛ den, na abufuwhyew sɛe ade,
na hena na obetumi agyina ninkutwe ano?
5Animka a ɛda gua
ye sen ɔdɔ a asuma.
6Apirakuru a efi adamfo nkyɛn no ye
sen ɔtamfo mfewano bebrebe.
7Ɛwo nyɛ nea wamee akɔnnɔ,
nanso nea ɛyɛ nwen mpo yɛ nea ɔkɔm de no no nʼanom dɛ.
8Onipa a wayera ne fi kwan,
te sɛ anomaa a wafi ne berebuw mu rekyinkyin.
9Ngo ne aduhuam ma koma ani gye,
adamfo ho anigye fi nʼafotu pa a ɔma.
10Nnyaa wʼadamfo ne wʼagya adamfo mu,
nkɔ wo nuabarima fi bere a ɔhaw ato wo,
na ɔyɔnko a ɔbɛn wo no ye sen onuabarima a ɔwɔ akyirikyiri.
11Me ba, hu nyansa na ma me koma ani nnye;
ɛno na ɛbɛma manya mmuae ama obiara a obu me animtiaa.
12Mmadwemma hu asiane na wohintaw,
nanso ntetekwaafo kɔ wɔn anim kɔtɔ mu.
13Fa atade a ɛhyɛ obi a odi ɔhɔho akagyinamu;
sɛ ɔregyina ɔbea huhufo akyi a, fa si awowa.
14Sɛ obi teɛ mu hyira ne yɔnko anɔpahema a,
wɔbɛfa no sɛ ɛyɛ nnome.
15Ɔyere tɔkwapɛfo te sɛ
ahumtuda nsusosɔ wɔ ɔdan a enwin so;
16sɛ wopata no a, ɛte sɛ nea wopata mframa
anaa wode wo nsa beso ngo mu.
17Dade sew dade,
saa ara na onipa sew ɔfoforo.
18Nea ɔhwɛ borɔdɔma dua so no bedi so aba,
na nea ɔsom ne wura no, wɔbɛhyɛ no anuonyam.
19Sɛnea nsu yi animdua kyerɛ no,
saa ara na onipa koma da onipa no adi.
20Sɛnea Owu ne Ɔsɛe bo ntɔ da no,
saa ara, na onipa ani nso bo ntɔ da.
21Kyɛmfɛre wɔ hɔ ma dwetɛ na fononoo wɔ hɔ ma sikakɔkɔɔ,
nanso wɔnam nkamfo a onipa nya so na ɛsɔ no hwɛ.
22Sɛ wowɔw ɔkwasea wɔ ɔwaduru mu,
sɛ wode ɔwɔma wɔw no te sɛnea wusiw aburow a,
worentumi nyi agyimisɛm mfi ne ho.
23Ma ɛnyɛ wo asɛnhia sɛ wubehu wo nguankuw tebea,
na ma wʼani nkɔ wo anantwikuw so;
24efisɛ, ahonya ntena hɔ daa,
na ahenkyɛw ntena hɔ mma awo ntoantoaso nyinaa.
25Sɛ wotwa sare no na foforo fifi,
na wɔboaboa nkoko so sare no ano a,
26ɛno de, nguantenmma no bɛma wo ntama,
na mmirekyi ama sika a ɛtɔ mfuw.
27Wubenya mmirekyi nufusu bebree
ama wo ne wʼabusuafo adi
ne aduan ama wo mmaawa.
1Don’t brag about tomorrow.
You don’t know what a day will bring.
2Let another person praise you, and not your own mouth.
Let an outsider praise you, and not your own lips.
3Stones are heavy, and sand weighs a lot.
But letting a foolish person make you angry is a heavier load than both of them.
4Anger is mean, and great anger overpowers you.
But who can face jealousy?
5Being warned openly is better
than being loved in secret.
6Wounds from a friend can be trusted.
But an enemy kisses you many times.
7When you are full, you even hate honey.
When you are hungry, even what is bitter tastes sweet.
8Anyone who runs away from home
is like a bird that flies away from its nest.
9Perfume and incense bring joy to your heart.
And the sweetness of a friend comes from their honest advice.
10Don’t desert your friend or a friend of your family.
And don’t go to your relative’s house when trouble strikes you.
A neighbor nearby is better than a relative far away.
11My son, be wise and bring joy to my heart.
Then I can answer anyone who makes fun of me.
12Wise people see danger and go to a safe place.
But childish people keep on going and suffer for it.
13Take the coat of one who puts up money for what a stranger owes.
Hold it until you get paid back if it is done for an outsider.
14Suppose you loudly bless your neighbor early in the morning.
Then you might as well be cursing him.
15A nagging wife is like the dripping
of a leaky roof in a rainstorm.
16Stopping her is like trying to stop the wind.
It’s like trying to grab olive oil with your hand.
17As iron sharpens iron,
so one person sharpens another.
18A person who guards a fig tree will eat its fruit.
And a person who protects their master will be honored.
19When you look into water, you see a likeness of your face.
When you look into your heart, you see what you are really like.
20Death and the Grave are never satisfied.
People’s eyes are never satisfied either.
21Fire tests silver, and heat tests gold.
But people are tested by the praise they receive.
22Suppose you could grind a foolish person in a mill.
Suppose you could grind them as you would grind grain with a tool.
Even then you could not remove their foolishness from them.
23Be sure you know how your flocks are doing.
Pay careful attention to your herds.
24Riches don’t last forever.
And a crown is not secure for all time to come.
25The hay is removed, and new growth appears.
The grass from the hills is gathered in.
26Then your lambs will provide you with clothes.
And the money from selling your goats will buy you a field.
27You will have plenty of goats’ milk to feed your family.
It will also feed your female servants.
