1It isn’t proper to honor a foolish person.
That’s like having snow in summer or rain at harvest time.
2A curse given for no reason is like a wandering bird or a flying sparrow.
It doesn’t go anywhere.
3A whip is for a horse, and a harness is for a donkey.
And a beating is for the backs of foolish people.
4Don’t answer a foolish person in keeping with their foolish acts.
If you do, you yourself will be just like them.
5Answer a foolish person in keeping with their foolish acts.
If you do not, they will be wise in their own eyes.
6Sending a message in the hand of a foolish person
is like cutting off your feet or drinking poison.
7A proverb in the mouth of a foolish person
is like disabled legs that are useless.
8Giving honor to a foolish person
is like tying a stone in a slingshot.
9A proverb in the mouth of a foolish person
is like a thorn in the hand of someone who is drunk.
10Anyone who hires a foolish person or someone who is passing by
is like a person who shoots arrows at just anybody.
11Foolish people who do the same foolish things again
are like a dog that returns to where it has thrown up.
12Do you see a person who is wise in their own eyes?
There is more hope for a foolish person than for them.
13A person who doesn’t want to work says, “There’s a lion in the road!
There’s an angry lion wandering in the streets!”
14A person who doesn’t want to work turns over in bed
just like a door that swings back and forth.
15A person who doesn’t want to work leaves his hand in his plate.
He acts as if he is too tired to bring his hand back up to his mouth.
16A person who doesn’t want to work is wiser in his own eyes
than seven people who give careful answers.
17Don’t be quick to get mixed up in someone else’s fight.
That’s like grabbing a stray dog by its ears.
18Suppose a crazy person shoots
flaming arrows that can kill.
19Someone who lies to their neighbor
and says, “I was only joking!” is just like that crazy person.
20If you don’t have wood, your fire goes out.
If you don’t talk about others, arguing dies down.
21Coal glows, and wood burns.
And a person who argues stirs up conflict.
22The words of anyone who talks about others are like tasty bites of food.
They go deep down inside you.
23Warm words that come from an evil heart
are like a shiny coating on a clay pot.
24Enemies use their words as a mask.
They hide their evil plans in their hearts.
25Even though what they say can be charming, don’t believe them.
That’s because seven things God hates fill that person’s heart.
26Their hatred can be hidden by lies.
But their evil plans will be shown to everyone.
27Whoever digs a pit will fall into it.
If someone rolls a big stone, it will roll back on them.
28A tongue that tells lies hates the people it hurts.
And words that seem to praise you destroy you.
1Ngati chisanu choti mbee nthawi yachilimwe kapena mvula nthawi yokolola,
ndi momwe zilili ndi ulemu wowulandira chitsiru.
2Ngati timba wokhalira kuwuluka kapena namzeze wokhalira kuzungulirazungulira,
ndi mmenenso limachitira temberero lopanda chifukwa, silichitika.
3Mkwapulo ndi wokwapulira kavalo, chitsulo ndi cha mʼkamwa mwa bulu,
choncho ndodo ndi yoyenera ku msana wa chitsiru.
4Usayankhe chitsiru monga mwa uchitsiru wake,
kuopa kuti ungadzakhale ngati chitsirucho.
5Koma nthawi zina umuyankhe monga mwa uchitsiru wake,
kuopa kuti angamadziyese yekha wanzeru.
6Kutuma chitsiru kuti akapereke uthenga
kuli ngati kudzidula mapazi ndipo kumakuyitanira mavuto.
7Monga miyendo ya munthu wolumala imene ilibe mphamvu
ndi mmene ulili mwambi mʼkamwa mwa chitsiru.
8Kupereka ulemu kwa chitsiru
zili ngati kukulunga mwala mʼlegeni.
9Monga umachitira mtengo waminga wobaya mʼdzanja la chidakwa
ndi mmene ulili mwambi mʼkamwa mwa chitsiru.
10Munthu amene amalemba ntchito chitsiru chongoyendayenda,
ali ngati woponya mivi amene angolasa anthu chilaselase.
11Chitsiru chimene chimabwerezabwereza uchitsiru wake
chili ngati galu amene amabwerera ku masanzi ake.
12Munthu wa uchitsiru aliko bwino popeza pali chiyembekezo
kuposana ndi munthu amene amadziyesa yekha kuti ndi wanzeru.
13Munthu waulesi amati, “Mu msewu muli mkango,
mkango woopsa ukuyendayenda mʼmisewu!”
14Monga chitseko chimapita uku ndi uku pa zolumikizira zake,
momwemonso munthu waulesi amangotembenukatembenuka pa bedi lake.
15Munthu waulesi akapisa dzanja lake mu mʼbale;
zimamutopetsa kuti alifikitse pakamwa pake.
16Munthu waulesi amadziyesa yekha wanzeru
kuposa anthu asanu ndi awiri amene amayankha mochenjera.
17Munthu wongolowera mikangano imene si yake
ali ngati munthu wogwira makutu a galu wongodziyendera.
18Monga munthu wamisala amene
akuponya sakali zamoto kapena mivi yoopsa,
19ndi momwe alili munthu wonamiza mnzake,
amene amati, “Ndimangoseka chabe!”
20Pakasowa nkhuni, moto umazima;
chomwechonso pakasowa anthu amiseche mkangano umatha.
21Monga alili makala pa moto wonyeka kapena mmene zimachitira nkhuni pa moto,
ndi mmene alili munthu wolongolola poyambitsa mikangano.
22Mawu a munthu wamiseche ali ngati chakudya chokoma;
chimene chimatsikira mʼmimba mwa munthu.
23Monga mmene chiziro chimakutira chiwiya chadothi
ndi mmene mawu oshashalika amabisira mtima woyipa.
24Munthu wachidani amayankhula zabwino
pamene mu mtima mwake muli chinyengo.
25Ngakhale wotereyu mawu ake ali okoma, koma usamukhulupirire,
pakuti mu mtima mwake mwadzaza zonyansa.
26Ngakhale amabisa chidani mochenjera,
koma kuyipa kwakeko kudzaonekera poyera pa gulu la anthu.
27Ngati munthu akumba dzenje, adzagweramo yekha;
ngati munthu agubuduza mwala, udzamupsinja iye mwini.
28Munthu wonama amadana ndi amene anawapweteka,
ndipo pakamwa poshashalika pamabweretsa chiwonongeko.
