Ata Agura ro
1 Kwoi ni ata lämu'duro Agura ŋgwa Jake ro ro owo ekye:
Lu ko orivoya tro mabe, Lu ko orivoya tro mabe
ago ma te mbaraako.
2 Endaro ma ni mano se cu amama ro owo. Ma teinye tavouni lidri ro ako.
3 Mäni ta a'doro tavouni be kote,
ago mäni ta aza kote cu alona ta Lu rota.
4 A'di oyini ndi vo'buyakuru ya ago egogo vuru niya?
A'di amo oli ni drì ndaro ya ya?
Kode a'di ni ni gyi baṛine boŋgo siya?
Kode si kishwe 'bädri ro niya?
Ävuru ndaro ni a'di ya, ago ävuru ŋgwa ndaro ro ni a'di ya?
Mamabe mini te!
5 Lu äti tao'ba se cini nda ko'babe te. Nda orivoya oso ŋga 'digagaro ronye ànya se cini kabe ŋgagaga ndaro uṛina ri. 6 Nyadro ta aza ko ata ndaro dri, ukyi nda luku mi 'da ago ka'da mi 'da kowe'ba ro.
Taoni Azaka
7 Meji mi, Lu, ta ŋga ritu kwoi rota, mi'ba märi a'done sina teinye märi odra ako: 8 Nyagaga ma ni kowe ogavoya, ago mi'ba ma'do ko ŋgadriamba be ago ma'do kpa ko lemeri'ba ro. Nyozo ŋgaonya märi toto oso se malebe ronye. 9 Tana ukyi ma'dote sina ndra, ago mata 'da makye male mi ko. Ago kode ma'dote lemeri'ba ro, 'dooko mukuguna ŋga ago mezina liku kozi ndi mi Lu maro dri.
10 Nyikicu ruindu'ba ko kowe si 'desi ndaro ri alona, ukyi nda otri mi 'da ago nyezaruna ndi tana ro.
11 'Diazaka orivoya se kayi täpii ànyaro otrina ago räṛuyi endrei ànyaro kote.
12 'Diazaka kayi tausu ekye iyi orivoya wäṛiro oko se ànya orivoya pari undiro.
13 'Diazaka kusuyibe ekye iyi ni orivoya kadopara, ànya kayi usuna ekye iyi ni kadopara ndra!
14 Lidri azaka orivoya drikyitri'bai ago siomba'bai ànya leyi ati'bai anane ni 'bädri yasi, ago lemeri'bai onane ni wari yasi.
15 Andrwi orivoya ndiriŋwa be ritu; äzi ànya te riti Azamäri'ba!
Ŋga su orivoya se ŋga ojo ànya ko ko:
16 'bädri avo ro,
toko se teinye ŋgàga ako,
gyini se forokotiro se le 'bu ri u'dine kigye,
ago asi se ka ugu vouje teinye edreako 'do.
17 'Dise aza kabe oji täpi ndaro si kode endre ndaro si 'do, si koyi ri ni onyane ago si ni korogaà ri mikeci ndaro eŋgyene.
18 Ŋga azaka orivoya su se tana laro mate tu tana mäni tazevona ko.
19 Ägyiribi kabe oŋga vokuru yasi,
ini kabe udi luutu jaraŋgala drisi,
toŋbo kabe ugu udi gyi'desi yasi,
ago manoago aza ndi ŋguti aza be kayibe iyi lu 'do.
20 Toko se ta'diriako ka taoye oso nonye: anya ye ronyi gwo ago drisi, kyi lasa gwo, ago ata ṛo ekye: Oko maye ŋga aza ko cu koziro!
21 Ŋga su azaka orivoya se 'bädri modo leko cu alona:
22 iyeäṛi ri a'done 'bädri'ba ro,
amama ri a'done ŋgase cini nda kolebe onyane be,
23 ŋguti se ya osoro lomvoigye ri ago urune,
ago ruindu'ba se ŋguti ro ri vo 'desi anyaro se tokoro ro urune.
24 Ŋga su orivoya 'bädri ya se orivoya giṛiŋwà ro; oko orivoya tauni be amba ndra:
25 Leŋbere orivoya mbaraako, caoko ànya kayi ŋgaonya
ànyaro odrona nja duru si.
26 Kyira a'do kpa ko mbara ro,
oko ànya edeyi 'ba ànyaro te
le luutui lako.
27 Tombi teinye 'bädri'ba ako,
caoko ànya kayi aba ruoroororo.
28 Minina ndi alodi käbi ro urune mirigye,
caoko minina ndi azakana usune
zo'desi miriro 'bädri'ba ro yasi.
29 Ŋga su azaka orivoya kayi aba mäwu si:
30 Ibii, se ni mbaraekye ndrani koronyai cini drisi
ago turi ŋga aza ko;
31 gogo kabe aba penyepenye, tegoi,
ago 'bädri'ba kabe aba lidri anyaro milesi.
32 Ondro ka'do nya'dote pari amamaro mäwu be ago nyate taundiro orana ayani oko, nyedre ago nyusu ta! 33 Ondro ka'do nya leyi o'bi, nyusuna ido na ndi. Ondro ka'do mi'bi konvo 'diaza rote, karina orona ndi. Ondro ka'do nya ni kyila leru nya oci rriti ya.
The Words of Agur
1 These are the solemn words of Agur son of Jakeh:
“God is not with me, God is not with me,
and I am helpless.
2 I am more like an animal than a human being;
I do not have the sense we humans should have.
3 I have never learned any wisdom,
and I know nothing at all about God.
4 Have any ever mastered heavenly knowledge?
Have any ever caught the wind in their hands?
Or wrapped up water in a piece of cloth?
Or fixed the boundaries of the earth?
Who are they, if you know? Who are their children?
5 “God keeps every promise he makes. He is like a shield for all who seek his protection. 6 If you claim that he said something that he never said, he will reprimand you and show that you are a liar.”
More Proverbs
7 I ask you, God, to let me have two things before I die: 8 keep me from lying, and let me be neither rich nor poor. So give me only as much food as I need. 9 If I have more, I might say that I do not need you. But if I am poor, I might steal and bring disgrace on my God.
10 Never criticize servants to their master. You will be cursed and suffer for it.
11 There are people who curse their fathers and do not show their appreciation for their mothers.
12 There are people who think they are pure when they are as filthy as they can be.
13 There are people who think they are so good—oh, how good they think they are!
14 There are people who take cruel advantage of the poor and needy; that is the way they make their living.
15 A leech has two daughters, and both are named “Give me!”
There are four things that are never satisfied:
16 the world of the dead,
a woman without children,
dry ground that needs rain,
and a fire burning out of control.
17 If you make fun of your father or despise your mother in her old age, you ought to be eaten by vultures or have your eyes picked out by wild ravens.
18 There are four things that are too mysterious for me to understand:
19 an eagle flying in the sky,
a snake moving on a rock,
a ship finding its way over the sea,
and a man and a woman falling in love.
20 This is how an unfaithful wife acts: she commits adultery, takes a bath, and says, “But I haven't done anything wrong!”
21 There are four things that the earth itself cannot tolerate:
22 a slave who becomes a king,
a fool who has all he wants to eat,
23 a hateful woman who gets married,
and a servant woman who takes the place of her mistress.
24 There are four animals in the world that are small, but very, very clever:
25 Ants: they are weak, but they store up their food in the summer.
26 Rock badgers: they are not strong either, but they make their homes among the rocks.
27 Locusts: they have no king, but they move in formation.
28 Lizards: you can hold one in your hand, but you can find them in palaces.
29 There are four things that are impressive to watch as they walk:
30 lions, strongest of all animals and afraid of none;
31 goats, strutting roosters,
and kings in front of their people.
32 If you have been foolish enough to be arrogant and plan evil, stop and think! 33 If you churn milk, you get butter. If you hit someone's nose, it bleeds. If you stir up anger, you get into trouble.