Masese 27
1 Komikumisa te mpo na mokolo ya lobi, pamba te oyebi te likambo nini mokolo ekoki kobota.
Do not boast about [what you will do] tomorrow, because you do not know what will happen [PRS] on any day.
2 Tika ete moto mosusu akumisa yo, kasi monoko na yo moko te; tika ete mopaya akumisa yo, kasi bibebu na yo moko te.
Do not praise yourself [MTY, PRS]; allow others to praise you. If someone else praises you, that is okay.
3 Libanga mpe zelo ezalaka kilo, kasi kanda ya zoba ezalaka kilo koleka nyonso mibale.
[It causes pain to our bodies to carry heavy] stones or [a pail full of] sand, but doing something stupid/foolish [can cause] great [pain to other people’s spirits.]
4 Kotomboka ememaka makambo ya somo, mpe kanda ebebisaka; kasi nani akoki kotelema liboso ya zuwa?
It is cruel to be angry [with others], and our being angry sometimes destroys [others], but being jealous of someone is [RHQ] often more cruel than that.
5 Pamela oyo epesami na polele ezali malamu koleka moto oyo aboyi kopamela mpo na bolingo.
It is better to correct someone openly than to show that you l don’t love that person [by not correcting him].
6 Bapota oyo molingami azokisi ezali malamu koleka babeze ebele ya monguna.
If a friend criticizes you, [he is a good friend and] you can trust him; but if one of your enemies kisses you, he is [probably wanting to] deceive you.
7 Moto oyo atondi aboyaka ata mafuta ya nzoyi, kasi moto oyo azali na nzala ayokaka ata bilei ya bololo elengi.
When someone’s stomach is full, he does not want to eat honey; but when someone is [very] hungry, he thinks that [even] bitter things taste sweet.
8 Moto oyo ayengaka-yengaka mosika ya mokili na ye azali lokola ndeke oyo ezali koyengayenga mosika ya zala na yango.
Anyone who wanders [far] from his home/family is like [SIM] a bird that is far from its nest.
9 Mafuta mpe malasi esepelisaka motema, mpe molingami malamu apesaka toli na motema ya esengo.
[Putting olive] oil and perfume on a person’s skin causes him to feel good, but having a friend [who gives] good advice [is even better].
10 Kosundola te molingami na yo to molingami ya tata na yo, mpe kokende te na ndako ya ndeko na yo tango ozali na pasi; kozala na molingami ya pembeni ezali malamu koleka kozala na ndeko ya mosika.
Do not neglect your friends or your parents’ friends; and at a time when you are experiencing a disaster, do not go to a relative [who lives far away to request his help]; someone who lives near you can help you more than relatives who live far away.
11 Mwana na ngai, zala moto ya bwanya mpe sepelisa motema na ngai, mpo ete nazala na eyano ya kopesa na moto oyo akoluka kotiola ngai.
My child/son, cause me to be happy by becoming wise, in order that I will [know how to] reply to those who would criticize me [about your behavior].
12 Moto ya mayele amonaka likama na mosika mpe amibombaka, kasi moto oyo azangi mayele alekaka kaka wana mpe akutanaka na pasi.
Those who have good sense will realize that there is something dangerous ahead, and they will hide; those who do not have good sense [just] keep going, and later they will suffer because of [doing] that.
13 Kamata elamba ya moto oyo alapi ndayi mpo na niongo ya moto mosusu; bomba yango lokola ndanga soki alapi ndayi mpo na mwasi mopaya.
[You deserve to] have your property taken from you if you [foolishly] promise to a stranger (OR, a strange woman) that you will pay what she owes if she is unable to pay it [DOU].
14 Soki moto moko ayei kopambola molingami na ye, na mongongo makasi mpe na tongo-tongo, bakozwa yango lokola elakeli mabe.
If you rise early in the morning and call out a greeting to your neighbor [while he is still sleeping], he will consider it to be a curse, [not a blessing].
15 Mwasi oyo alinga koswana azali lokola ndako oyo etangaka na tango ya mvula.
[Having] a wife that is [constantly] nagging is as [bad as listening] to rain continually dripping on a rainy day.
16 Kokanga ye ezali lokola koluka kokanga mopepe to mafuta na loboko.
[Trying] to restrain/stop her [from doing that] is as [difficult] [SIM] [as trying] to stop the wind or [trying] to hold oil in your hand.
17 Ndenge kaka ebende epelisaka ebende mosusu, ndenge wana mpe moto abongaka soki akutani na moto mosusu.
[We can use one] iron tool to sharpen [another] iron [tool]; similarly [SIM], [when one person shares] what he is thinking, it can help other people [to think more clearly].
18 Moto oyo abongisaka nzete na ye ya figi aliaka mpe mbuma na yango, mpe moto oyo abatelaka mokonzi azwaka lokumu.
Those who take care of fig trees will have figs to eat; [similarly], servants who protect their master will be honored [by him].
19 Ndenge mayi ezalaka lokola kitalatala mpo na elongi, ndenge wana mpe motema ya moto elakisaka bomoto na ye moko.
[When a person looks] in the water, he sees his own face; similarly [SIM], [when we look at] a person’s behavior, we know what he is thinking.
20 Ndenge lifelo mpe mboka ya bakufi etondaka te, ndenge wana mpe miso ya moto etondaka te. (Sheol h7585)
[It is as though] the place where the dead people are is always wanting more people to [die and] come there; and humans [SYN] are always wanting to acquire more things, [too]. (Sheol h7585)
21 Bapetolaka palata na kikalungu, mpe bapetolaka wolo na fulu ya moto makasi, kasi bamekaka moto na nzela ya lokumu na ye.
[Workers put] silver and gold in a very hot furnace [to burn out what is impure], and [SIM] people learn [what we are really like when they see how we react when people] praise us.
22 Ata soki otuti moto ya liboma na liboka elongo na mbuma, liboma na ye ekotikala te kolongwa kati na ye.
Even if you beat/crush a fool severely [like] [MET] you pulverize grain with a pestle, you [probably] will not be able to cause him to stop (being foolish/doing foolish things).
23 Yeba malamu ndenge bibwele na yo ezali, mpe kengela yango malamu,
Take good care of your flocks of sheep and herds of cattle,
24 pamba te bomengo ewumelaka seko na seko te, motole mpe ewumelaka te mpo na libela.
because the money [that you acquired from selling animals previously] will not (last/stay with you) forever; similarly [SIM], governments [MTY] certainly do not [RHQ] last forever.
25 Soki bakati matiti ya bibwele, matiti ya sika ekobota mpe bakolokota matiti ya bangomba;
After you cut the hay [DOU] and [store it to feed the animals in the winter while] a new crop of hay is growing,
26 bameme ekopesa yo bilamba, mpe bantaba ekosunga yo mpo na kosomba elanga.
you will be able to [shear the sheep and] make clothes from the wool, and you will get money from selling [some of] the goats to buy [more] land,
27 Okozala na miliki ebele ya bantaba mpo na koleisa ndako na yo mpe basali na yo ya basi.
and you will get enough milk from the [other] goats for you and your family and your female servants.
