11:1 a 1Bk 4:29-34 b Nge 10:1; 25:1; Mub 1:1Engero za Sulemaani, mutabani wa Dawudi, kabaka wa Isirayiri.
2Yaziwandiika okuyigiriza abantu okuba n’amagezi n’okuyiga,
era n’okutegeera ebigambo eby’obulabufu; eby’obulamu eby’amagezi n’empisa.
3Sulemaani yayagala abantu okuba n’empisa, n’obulamu obw’amagezi,
okukolanga ebituufu, n’okubeera abenkanya n’okugobereranga ensonga;
41:4 a Nge 8:5 b Nge 2:10-11; 8:12okuyigiriza amagezi abatalina bumanyirivu,
n’abavubuka okufuna okumanya n’okutegeera.
51:5 Nge 9:9N’abantu ab’amagezi nabo bwe bawulira beeyongere okuyiga
n’abategeevu beeyongere okubangulwa.
61:6 a Zab 49:4; 78:2 b Kbl 12:8Era engero zino zaawandiikibwa okutegeera engero,
enjogera n’ebikokyo.
71:7 Yob 28:28; Zab 111:10; Nge 9:10; 15:33; Mub 12:13Kale mu kutya Mukama amagezi mwe gasookera,
naye abasirusiru banyooma amagezi n’okulagirirwa.
Amagezi eri Abavubuka
81:8 a Nge 4:1 b Nge 6:20Mwana wange ossangayo omwoyo eri ebiragiro bya kitaawo,
era tolekanga kukuutira kwa maama wo;
91:9 Nge 4:1-9bijja kuba ngule eneeweesanga omutwe gwo ekitiibwa,
n’emikuufu mu bulago bwo.
101:10 a Lub 39:7 b Ma 13:8 c Nge 16:29; Bef 5:11Mwana wange abakozi b’ebibi bwe bakusendasendanga,
tokkirizanga.
111:11 Zab 10:8Bwe bakugambanga nti, “Tugende ffenna twesanyuse,
tunyage, tubbe n’okutta;
tokkirizanga;
121:12 Zab 28:1ng’entaana bw’emira abantu, naffe tubamire tutyo nga bakyali balamu,
era nga balamba, ng’abagenda mu bunnya obuwanvu;
13nga twefunira eby’obugagga bye tutakoleredde,
ne tujjuza amayumba gaffe obugagga obubbe;
14ng’ababi batuyita tubeegatteko,
tugabane kyenkanyi ebibbe n’ebinyage.”
151:15 a Zab 119:101 b Zab 1:1; Nge 4:14Mwana wange totambuliranga wamu nabo,
era ekigere kyo kiziyize okukwatanga ekkubo lyabwe:
161:16 Nge 6:18; Is 59:7Kubanga ebigere byabwe bidduka bunnambiro okukola ebibi,
era kibanguyira okuyiwa omusaayi.
17Nga kuba kumala biseera okutega omutego,
ng’ekinyonyi ky’oyagala okukwata kikulaba,
18naye abantu ng’abo baba beetega bokka,
baba beetega omutego ogunaabakwasa bo bennyini.
191:19 Nge 15:27Bwe lityo bwe libeera ekkubo lya buli muntu anoonya okugaggawalira mu bukyamu.
Obugagga obw’engeri eyo busaanyaawo obulamu bw’abo ababufuna.
Okulabula Eri Abanyooma Amagezi
201:20 Nge 8:1; 9:1-3, 13-15Amagezi galeekaanira waggulu mu nguudo;
gayimusa amaloboozi gaago, mu bifo ebigazi eby’omu bibuga.
21Ne galeekaanira waggulu, mu kifo enguudo ennene we zisisinkanira,
era gasinzira mu miryango gy’ekibuga ne googera:
221:22 Nge 8:5; 9:4, 16Mulituusa ddi mmwe ab’amagezi amatono obutayagala kweyongera kuyiga by’amagezi,
nammwe ab’amalala okunyoomanga eby’amagezi n’abasirusiru okukyawanga okumanya?
23Kale singa muwuliriza okunenya kwange,
laba, ndifuka omutima gwange
n’ebirowoozo byange mu mmwe.
241:24 Is 65:12; 66:4; Yer 7:13; Zek 7:11Kubanga na bayita ne mugaana okuwuliriza,
ne ngolola omukono ne wataba n’omu afaayo,
25era ne mutafaayo ku magezi ge nabawa,
era ne mugaana okubuulirira kwange kwonna,
261:26 a Zab 2:4 b Nge 6:15; 10:24kale nange ndibasekerera nga muli mu nnaku,
era mbakudaalire ng’entiisa ebagwiridde.
27Entiisa bw’eribajjira ng’omuyaga omungi,
ennaku n’okubonaabona, okulumwa n’obubalagaze,
281:28 a 1Sa 8:18; Is 1:15; Yer 11:11; Mi 3:4 b Yob 27:9; Nge 8:17; Ez 8:18; Zek 7:13kale balinkoowoola, naye siriyitaba;
balinnoonya obutaweera naye ne batandaba.
291:29 Yob 21:14Kubanga baakyawa okuyigirizibwa, n’okumanya,
era ne bamalirira obutatya Mukama.
301:30 nny 25; Zab 81:11Ne bagaana okuwuliriza amagezi gange;
ne banyooma okunenya kwange kwonna.
311:31 Yob 4:8; Nge 14:14; Is 3:11; Yer 6:19Kyebaliva balya ebibala eby’ekkubo lyabwe ebbi,
era ne bajjula ebibala eby’enkwe zaabwe.
321:32 Yer 2:19Obusirusiru bulitta ab’amagezi amatono
n’obutafaayo bulizikiriza abasirusiru,
331:33 a Zab 25:12; Nge 3:23 b Zab 112:8naye buli ampuliriza anaabeeranga mirembe,
ng’agumye nga talina kutya kwonna.
Purpose and theme
1The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:
2for gaining wisdom and instruction;
for understanding words of insight;
3for receiving instruction in prudent behaviour,
doing what is right and just and fair;
4for giving prudence to those who are simple,1:4 The Hebrew word rendered simple in Proverbs denotes a person who is gullible, without moral direction and inclined to evil.
knowledge and discretion to the young –
5let the wise listen and add to their learning,
and let the discerning get guidance –
6for understanding proverbs and parables,
the sayings and riddles of the wise.1:6 Or understanding a proverb, namely, a parable, / and the sayings of the wise, their riddles
7The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools1:7 The Hebrew words rendered fool in Proverbs, and often elsewhere in the Old Testament, denote a person who is morally deficient. despise wisdom and instruction.
Prologue: exhortations to embrace wisdom
Warning against the invitation of sinful men
8Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction
and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.
9They are a garland to grace your head
and a chain to adorn your neck.
10My son, if sinful men entice you,
do not give in to them.
11If they say, ‘Come along with us;
let’s lie in wait for innocent blood,
let’s ambush some harmless soul;
12let’s swallow them alive, like the grave,
and whole, like those who go down to the pit;
13we will get all sorts of valuable things
and fill our houses with plunder;
14cast lots with us;
we will all share the loot’ –
15my son, do not go along with them,
do not set foot on their paths;
16for their feet rush into evil,
they are swift to shed blood.
17How useless to spread a net
where every bird can see it!
18These men lie in wait for their own blood;
they ambush only themselves!
19Such are the paths of all who go after ill-gotten gain;
it takes away the life of those who get it.
Wisdom’s rebuke
20Out in the open wisdom calls aloud,
she raises her voice in the public square;
21on top of the wall1:21 Septuagint; Hebrew / at noisy street corners she cries out,
at the city gate she makes her speech:
22‘How long will you who are simple love your simple ways?
How long will mockers delight in mockery
and fools hate knowledge?
23Repent at my rebuke!
Then I will pour out my thoughts to you,
I will make known to you my teachings.
24But since you refuse to listen when I call
and no-one pays attention when I stretch out my hand,
25since you disregard all my advice
and do not accept my rebuke,
26I in turn will laugh when disaster strikes you;
I will mock when calamity overtakes you –
27when calamity overtakes you like a storm,
when disaster sweeps over you like a whirlwind,
when distress and trouble overwhelm you.
28‘Then they will call to me but I will not answer;
they will look for me but will not find me,
29since they hated knowledge
and did not choose to fear the Lord.
30Since they would not accept my advice
and spurned my rebuke,
31they will eat the fruit of their ways
and be filled with the fruit of their schemes.
32For the waywardness of the simple will kill them,
and the complacency of fools will destroy them;
33but whoever listens to me will live in safety
and be at ease, without fear of harm.’
