1 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler,
Consider diligently what is before thee:
Utakapoketi kwa chakula pamoja na mtawala, Mwangalie sana yeye aliye mbele yako.
2 And put a knife to thy throat,
If thou be a man given to appetite.
Tena ujitie kisu kooni, Kama ukiwa mlafi.
3 Be not desirous of his dainties:
For they are deceitful meat.
Usivitamani vyakula vyake vya anasa; Kwa maana ni vyakula vya hila.
4 Labour not to be rich:
Cease from thine own wisdom.
Usijitaabishe ili kupata utajiri; Acha kuzitegemea akili zako mwenyewe.
5 Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not?
For riches certainly make themselves wings;
They fly away as an eagle toward heaven.
Je! Utavikazia macho vile ambavyo si kitu? Maana bila shaka mali hujifanyia mabawa, Kama tai arukaye mbinguni.
6 Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye,
Neither desire thou his dainty meats:
Usile mkate wa mtu mwenye husuda; Wala usivitamani vyakula vyake vya anasa;
7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he:
Eat and drink, saith he to thee;
But his heart is not with thee.
Maana aonavyo nafsini mwake, ndivyo alivyo. Akuambia, Haya, kula, kunywa; Lakini moyo wake hauwi pamoja nawe.
8 The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up,
And lose thy sweet words.
Tonge lile ulilokula utalitapika, Na maneno yako matamu yatakupotea.
9 Speak not in the ears of a fool:
For he will despise the wisdom of thy words.
Usiseme masikioni mwa mpumbavu; Maana atadharau hekima ya maneno yako.
10 Remove not the old landmark;
And enter not into the fields of the fatherless:
Usiiondoe alama ya mpaka wa zamani; Wala usiingie katika mashamba ya yatima;
11 For their redeemer is mighty;
He shall plead their cause with thee.
Kwa sababu mkombozi wao ana nguvu; Atawatetea juu yako.
12 Apply thine heart unto instruction,
And thine ears to the words of knowledge.
Elekeza moyo wako kusikiliza mafundisho; Tega masikio yako kusikia maneno ya maarifa.
13 Withhold not correction from the child:
For if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die.
Usimnyime mtoto wako mapigo; Maana ukimpiga kwa fimbo hatakufa.
14 Thou shalt beat him with the rod,
And shalt deliver his soul from hell.
Utampiga kwa fimbo, Na kumwokoa nafsi yake na Kuzimu.
15 My son, if thine heart be wise,
My heart shall rejoice, even mine.
Mwanangu, kama moyo wako una hekima, Moyo wangu utafurahi, naam, moyo wangu;
16 Yea, my reins shall rejoice,
When thy lips speak right things.
Naam, viuno vyangu vitafurahi, Midomo yako inenapo maneno mema.
17 Let not thine heart envy sinners:
But be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long.
Moyo wako usiwahusudu wenye dhambi; Bali mche Bwana mchana kutwa;
18 For surely there is an end;
And thine expectation shall not be cut off.
Maana bila shaka iko thawabu; Na tumaini lako halitabatilika.
19 Hear thou, my son, and be wise,
And guide thine heart in the way.
Sikia, mwanangu, uwe na hekima, Na kuuongoza moyo wako katika njia njema.
20 Be not among winebibbers;
Among riotous eaters of flesh:
Usiwe miongoni mwao wanywao mvinyo; Miongoni mwao walao nyama kwa pupa.
21 For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty:
And drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.
Kwa maana mlevi na mlafi huingia umaskini, Na utepetevu humvika mtu nguo mbovu.
22 Hearken unto thy father that begat thee,
And despise not thy mother when she is old.
Msikilize baba yako aliyekuzaa, Wala usimdharau mama yako akiwa mzee.
23 Buy the truth, and sell it not;
Also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.
Inunue kweli, wala usiiuze; Naam, hekima, na mafundisho, na ufahamu.
24 The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice:
And he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him.
Baba yake mwenye haki atashangilia; Naye amzaaye mtoto mwenye hekima atamfurahia.
25 Thy father and thy mother shall be glad,
And she that bare thee shall rejoice.
Na wafurahi baba yako na mama yako; Na afurahi aliyekuzaa.
26 My son, give me thine heart,
And let thine eyes observe my ways.
Mwanangu, nipe moyo wako; Macho yako yapendezwe na njia zangu.
27 For a whore is a deep ditch;
And a strange woman is a narrow pit.
Kwa maana kahaba ni shimo refu; Na malaya ni rima jembamba.
28 She also lieth in wait as for a prey,
And increaseth the transgressors among men.
Naam, huotea kama mnyang'anyi; Huwaongeza wenye hila katika wanadamu.
29 Who hath woe? Who hath sorrow?
Who hath contentions? Who hath babbling?
Who hath wounds without cause?
Who hath redness of eyes?
Ni nani apigaye, Yowe? Ni nani aliaye, Ole? Ni nani mwenye ugomvi? Ni nani mwenye mguno? Ni nani aliye na jeraha zisizo na sababu? Ni nani aliye na macho mekundu?
30 They that tarry long at the wine;
They that go to seek mixed wine.
Ni wale wakaao sana kwenye mvinyo; Waendao kutafuta divai iliyochanganyika.
31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red,
When it giveth his colour in the cup,
When it moveth itself aright.
Usiitazame mvinyo iwapo ni nyekundu; Iitiapo bilauri rangi yake, ishukapo taratibu;
32 At the last it biteth like a serpent,
And stingeth like an adder.
Mwisho wake huuma kama nyoka; Huchoma kama fira.
33 Thine eyes shall behold strange women,
And thine heart shall utter perverse things.
Macho yako yataona mambo mageni; Na moyo wako utatoa yaliyopotoka.
34 Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea,
Or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast.
Naam, utakuwa kama alalaye katikati ya bahari; Au kama yeye asinziaye juu ya mlingoti.
35 They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick;
They have beaten me, and I felt it not:
When shall I awake?
I will seek it yet again.
Utasema, Wamenichapa wala sikuumia; Wamenipiga wala sina habari; Nitaamka lini, nitazidi kuitafuta tena.
