Wisdom and Bad Friends
1 My child, you must follow
and treasure my teachings
and my instructions.
2 Keep in tune with wisdom
and think what it means
to have common sense.
3 Beg as loud as you can
for good common sense.
4 Search for wisdom
as you would search for silver
or hidden treasure.
5 Then you will understand
what it means to respect
and to know the Lord God.
6 All wisdom comes from the Lord,
and so do common sense
and understanding.
7 God gives helpful advice
to everyone who obeys him
and protects those
who live as they should.
8 God sees that justice is done,
and he watches over everyone
who is faithful to him.
9 With wisdom you will learn
what is right
and honest and fair.
10 Wisdom will control your mind,
and you will be pleased
with knowledge.
11 Sound judgment and good sense
will watch over you.
12 Wisdom will protect you
from evil schemes
and from those liars
13 who turned from doing good
to live in the darkness.
14 Most of all they enjoy
being mean and deceitful.
15 They are dishonest themselves,
and so are all their deeds.
Wisdom and Sexual Purity
16 Wisdom will protect you
from the smooth talk
of a sinful woman,
17 who breaks her wedding vows
and leaves the man she married
when she was young.
18 The road to her house leads
down
to the dark world
of the dead.
19 Visit her, and you will never
find the road to life again.
20 Follow the example
of good people
and live an honest life.
21 If you are honest and innocent,
you will keep your land;
22 if you do wrong
and can never be trusted,
you will be rooted out.
Ondaya younongo
1 Muatje wandje, yakura imbi mbi me ku hongo, nu o zembi ko imbi mbi me ku raere okutjita. 2 Puratena ku imbi mbi ri ovyounongo, nu u kondje okuvizuva nomutima auhe. 3 Ii, ningira ondjiviro, nu u riyarikaṋe ozondunge! 4 Paha ounongo tjinene otja tjotjo kondja okusa osilveri kehi yehi poo otja tjotjo paha otjihuze tjorive tji tja horekwa, 5 nove otji mo tjiwa kutja ondira ku Muhona mai hee tjike, nu otji mo yenene okukara nondjiviro ya Ndjambi. 6 Muhona ongu yandja ounongo; ku ye ku za ondjiviro nozondunge.
7 Eye onguri ombwiro yombatero noyondjamo kovandu ovasemba na ku imba ovaṱakame. 8 Eye u yama imba mbe tjita ousemba kovakwao, nu u tjevera ondjira yaimba mbe riyameka ku ye.
9 Tjinangara mo puratene ku ami, mo tjiwa ousemba nokutjita ousemba nouatjiri. Mo tjiwa ondjira ndji twara kouṋingandu. 10 Ove mo rire omunaunongo, nondjiviro yoye mai ku pe ondjoroka. 11 Oukengeze nozondunge zoye mavi ku tjevere navi ku yama, 12 nu mavi ku tjaere kourunde. Ovyo mavi ku yepisa novandu mba mbe tjita oumba nomahungi wawo wovizeze, 13 na imba mba isa ongarero ombwa nave kakara monḓorera youvi, 14 na imba mbe muna ondjoroka mokutjita ouvi nu mbe yorokera ouvi, 15 na imba mbe ryanga mozondjira ozongoko zotjiwova nave twara ozondjira zoposyo.
16 Ove mo yenene okupenga omukazendu womukweṋu ngu ma kondjo okukupopa nomambo omawa, 17 omukazendu ngu hi nouṱakame momurumendu we omuini, nu ngu zemba oruyano rwe rworukupo ndwa tjita komurungu wa Ndjambi. 18 Tji mo i kondjuwo ye, pa sana nokuyenda konḓiro. Okuyenda ngo oko okuryama popezu notjovakoke. 19 Avehe mbe yenda ku ye, kape na umwe wawo ngu kotoka; eye ka roro okukotoka kondjira yomuinyo. 20 Ove otji mo sokuhorera kotjikaro tjovandu ovawa nokukara mondjira yovasemba. 21 Orondu ovandu ovasemba, ovandu ovehinandjo, ombu mave tura mehi retu ndi. 22 Nungwari Ndjambi ma hakana ovarunde mehi, nu ma zukura ovanauvi mu ro otja ovihape mehi.
