1 Boast not thyself of to morrow;
For thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.
Usijisifu kwa ajili ya kesho; Kwa maana hujui yatakayozaliwa na siku moja.
2 Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth;
A stranger, and not thine own lips.
Mwingine na akusifu wala si kinywa chako mwenyewe; Mtu mgeni wala si midomo yako wewe.
3 A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty;
But a fool's wrath is heavier than them both.
Jiwe ni zito, na mchanga hulemea; Lakini ghadhabu ya mpumbavu ni nzito kuliko hivi vyote viwili.
4 Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous;
But who is able to stand before envy?
Ghadhabu ni kali, na hasira ni gharika; Lakini ni nani awezaye kusimama mbele ya wivu.
5 Open rebuke is better
Than secret love.
Lawama ya wazi ni heri, Kuliko upendo uliositirika.
6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend;
But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
Jeraha utiwazo na rafiki ni amini; Bali kubusu kwa adui ni kwingi sana.
7 The full soul loatheth an honeycomb;
But to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.
Nafsi iliyoshiba hukinai sega la asali; Bali nafsi yenye njaa huona kila kitu kichungu kuwa kitamu.
8 As a bird that wandereth from her nest,
So is a man that wandereth from his place.
Kama ndege aendaye huko na huko mbali na kitundu chake; Ndivyo alivyo mtu aendaye huko na huko mbali na mahali pake.
9 Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart:
So doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel.
Marhamu na manukato huufurahisha moyo; Kadhalika utamu wa rafiki ya mtu utokao katika kusudi la moyo wake.
10 Thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not;
Neither go into thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity:
For better is a neighbour that is near than a brother far off.
Usimwache rafiki yako mwenyewe, wala rafiki ya baba yako, Wala usiende nyumbani mwa ndugu yako siku ya msiba wako. Afadhali jirani aliye karibu kuliko ndugu aliye mbali.
11 My son, be wise, and make my heart glad,
That I may answer him that reproacheth me.
Mwanangu, uwe na hekima na kunifurahisha moyo wangu; Ili nipate kumjibu anilaumuye.
12 A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself;
But the simple pass on, and are punished.
Mwenye busara huyaona mabaya na kujificha; Bali wajinga huendelea mbele wakaumia.
13 Take his garment that is surety for a stranger,
And take a pledge of him for a strange woman.
Twaa nguo yake amdhaminiye mgeni; Mtoza rehani aliye mdhamini wa malaya.
14 He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning,
It shall be counted a curse to him.
Mtu ambarikiye mwenzake kwa sauti kuu asubuhi na mapema; Itahesabiwa kuwa ni laana kwake.
15 A continual dropping in a very rainy day
And a contentious woman are alike.
Kutona-tona daima siku ya mvua nyingi, Na mwanamke mgomvi ni sawasawa;
16 Whosoever hideth her hideth the wind,
And the ointment of his right hand, which bewrayeth itself .
Atakaye kumzuia huyo huuzuia upepo; Na mkono wake wa kuume hukuta mafuta.
17 Iron sharpeneth iron;
So a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.
Chuma hunoa chuma; Ndivyo mtu aunoavyo uso wa rafiki yake.
18 Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the fruit thereof:
So he that waiteth on his master shall be honoured.
Yeye autunzaye mtini atakula matunda yake; Naye amhudumiaye bwana wake ataheshimiwa.
19 As in water face answereth to face,
So the heart of man to man.
Kama uso ufananavyo na uso katika maji; Kadhalika moyo wa mtu na mwenzake.
20 Hell and destruction are never full;
So the eyes of man are never satisfied.
Kuzimu na Uharibifu havishibi; Wala macho ya wanadamu hayashibi.
21 As the fining pot for silver, and the furnace for gold;
So is a man to his praise.
Kalibu ni kwa fedha, na tanuru kwa dhahabu; Na mtu hujaribiwa kwa sifa zake.
22 Though thou shouldest bray a fool in a mortar among wheat with a pestle,
Yet will not his foolishness depart from him.
Hata ukimtwanga mpumbavu kwa mchi kinuni pamoja na ngano; Upumbavu wake hautamtoka.
23 Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flocks,
And look well to thy herds.
Fanya bidii kuijua hali ya makundi yako; Na kuwaangalia sana ng'ombe zako.
24 For riches are not for ever:
And doth the crown endure to every generation?
Kwa maana mali haziwi za milele; Na taji je! Yadumu tangu kizazi hata kizazi?
25 The hay appeareth, and the tender grass sheweth itself,
And herbs of the mountains are gathered.
Manyasi huchukuliwa, na majani mabichi huonekana, Na maboga ya milimani hukusanyika.
26 The lambs are for thy clothing,
And the goats are the price of the field.
Wana-kondoo hufaa kwa mavazi yako; Na mbuzi ni thamani ya shamba
27 And thou shalt have goats' milk enough for thy food, for the food of thy household,
And for the maintenance for thy maidens.
Tena yatakuwapo maziwa ya mbuzi, Ya kukutosha kwa chakula chako, Na chakula cha watu wa nyumbani mwako, Na posho la vijakazi vyako.
