The Sayings of Agur
1 These are the sayings
and the message
of Agur son of Jakeh.
Someone cries out to God,
“I am completely worn out!
How can I last?
2 I am far too stupid
to be considered human.
3 I never was wise,
and I don't understand
what God is like.”
4 Has anyone gone up to heaven
and come back down?
Has anyone grabbed hold
of the wind?
Has anyone wrapped up the sea
or marked out boundaries
for the earth?
If you know of any
who have done such things,
then tell me their names
and their children's names.
5 Everything God says is true—
and it's a shield for all
who come to him for safety.
6 Don't change what God has said!
He will correct you and show
that you are a liar.
7 There are two things, Lord,
I want you to do for me
before I die:
8 Make me absolutely honest
and don't let me be too poor
or too rich.
Give me just what I need.
9 If I have too much to eat,
I might forget about you;
if I don't have enough,
I might steal
and disgrace your name.
10 Don't tell a slave owner
something bad about one
of the slaves.
That slave will curse you,
and you will be in trouble.
11 Some people curse their father
and even their mother;
12 others think they are perfect,
but they are stained by sin.
13 Some people are stuck-up
and act like snobs;
14 others are so greedy
that they gobble up
the poor and homeless.
15 Greed has twins,
each named “Give me!”
There are three or four things
that are never satisfied:
16 The world of the dead
and a childless wife,
the thirsty earth
and a flaming fire.
17 Don't make fun of your father
or disobey your mother—
crows will peck out your eyes,
and buzzards will eat
the rest of you.
18 There are three or four things
I cannot understand:
19 How eagles fly so high
or snakes crawl on rocks,
how ships sail the ocean
or people fall in love.
20 An unfaithful wife says,
“Sleeping with another man
is as natural as eating.”
21 There are three or four things
that make the earth tremble
and are unbearable:
22 A slave who becomes king,
a fool who eats too much,
23 a hateful woman
who finds a husband,
and a slave who takes the place
of the woman who owns her.
24 On this earth four things
are small but very wise:
25 Ants, who seem to be feeble,
but store up food
all summer long;
26 badgers, who seem to be weak,
but live among the rocks;
27 locusts, who have no king,
but march like an army;
28 lizards, which can be caught
in your hand,
but sneak into palaces.
29 Three or four creatures
really strut around:
30 Those fearless lions
who rule the jungle,
31 those proud roosters,
those mountain goats,
and those rulers
who have no enemies.
32 If you are foolishly bragging
or planning something evil,
then stop it now!
33 If you churn milk
you get butter;
if you pound on your nose,
you get blood—
and if you stay angry,
you get in trouble.
Omambo wa Agur
1 Inga owo omambo omananḓengu wa Agur, omuzandu wa Jake. Omurumendu ngwi ma tja nai:
“Ami mba kondja na Ndjambi,
ami mba kondja na Ndjambi,
nambano mba pungara.
2 Tjiri, owami eyova tjinene, himundu,
hi nozondunge zomundu.
3 Ami hi rihongere ounongo,
nu mba kaera ondjiviro aihe yaingwi Omuyapuke.
4 Owaṋi ngwe tji rondere keyuru,
tjazumba a heruka rukwao?
Owaṋi ngwe tji wongere ombepo meke re?
Owaṋi ngwe tji kutire omeva mombanda ye?
Owaṋi ngwe tji zikamisire omaandero aehe wehi?
Ena re owaṋi? Nena romuna we owaṋi, ndoovazu mo ve tjiwa?
5 “Embo ngamwa arihe ra Ndjambi oro ouatjiri; eye oruvao ku imba mbe paha omaundiro mu ye. 6 O weza ko embo komambo we kutja eye e he ku tena ne he ku vara otja omunavizeze.”
Omiano omikwao
7 Ami me ku ningire oviṋa vivari, Ndjambi, o ndji rurupara ko ngunda ambi hiya koka: 8 Humburura ovineya novizeze kokure na ami, nu o ndji pe ousyona poo outumbe; ndji parura novikurya mbya yenena mbi me hepa, 9 orondu tji mbe kuta tjinene me ku pataṋa e tja: “Muhona owaṋi” nu tji mba rire omusyona tjapo me rire erunga ne yamburura ena ra Ndjambi wandje.
10 O yamburura omukarere komuhona we kokutja eye e he ku sengi, nove o havererwa otjiṋa hi.
11 Owee korukwato ndu senga ihe naru ha sere ina ondaya, 12 na korukwato ndu rivara oruini kutja orukohoke, nungwari tjandje karuya kohoka kondova yarwo, 13 na korukwato ndu ritongamisa oruini, nu ndu riyera, 14 na korukwato ndu nomayo otja omangaruvyo, notuyeo otja otuvyo okuseseta na vyo ovasyona nokuveramba mehi, nokuseseta na vyo ovahepe nokuveramba movandu.
15 Otjisepambinḓu tji novakazona vevari: “OoNdji pao!” na “Ndji pao!”
Pe noviṋa vitatu mbi he kuta, ii, vine mbi ha tja opuwo,
16 okutja otjovakoke,
nomukazendu ongandji,
nehi ndi ha munu omeva nga yenena,
nomuriro mbu hi na maau tja opuwo!
17 Eho ndi nyekerera ihe, nu nda nyengura ina ngwa kurupa, ra pwa pokutokorwa i omakwara woruronḓu, nokuriwa i ovikuvyona.
18 Pe noviṋa vitatu mbi ri ovihimise ku ami, ii, vine mbi mbi ha tjiwa:
19 Ondjira yonguvi mevaverwa,
nondjira yonyoka kombanda yoruuwa,
nondjira yondjuwoyomomeva mokuvare,
nongaro yorusuvero pokati komurumendu nomukazendu.
20 Ongaro yomukazendu ngu katuka orukupo ya sana ngwi: Tja zu nokukatuka orukupo, u rikoha morutu na tja: “Ami hi tjitire ouvi.”
21 Pe noviṋa vitatu mbi zezerisa ehi, ii, vine ehi mbi ri ha vanga:
22 Omukarere tji ma rire ombara,
neyova tji mari kara novikurya ovingi okurya,
23 nomuyarwakazendu tja kupwa,
nomukarere omukazendu tja yaruka moruveze rwomuhona we oserekaze.
24 Pe noupuka une ouṱiṱi kombanda yehi, nungwari owo ounongo tjinene poviutwa avihe:
25 Ozombuka, ozo kaze nomasa, nungwari mokuṋi ze pwika ovikurya vyazo.
26 Ozohere, ozo kaze nomasa, nungwari ze ungura omaturiro wazo momawe.
27 Ozombahu, ozo kaze nombara, nungwari ze kayenda mouhirona ouwa.
28 Otjikoko, mo yenene okukambura meke roye, nungwari tji kara mozondjuwo zouhona.
29 Pe noviṋa vitatu, mbi risera tji mavi kayenda, ii, vine, mbi risera tji mavi yata:
30 Ongeyama, ndji ri ombanḓe movipuka nu ndji hi notjiṋa i tira.
31 Ohunguriva ondwezu ndji ritongamisa mokati kozonḓenḓu,
nondwezu yongombo, ndji ri ohongora yorupanda,
nombara, ndji ri komurungu wotjimbumba tjayo tjovita.
32 Tji wa ri eyova mokuriyera kwoye, nu tji we ripura nokutjita ouvi, kurama nu ripura. 33 Orondu ove tji wa ṱuku onḓukwa, omaihi ye eta ongondivi; tji wa ṋiṋikiza eyuru, mu pita ombinḓu; nu tji wa pendura omazenge, mo eta ozombata.
