Loans and Repayment
1 Be kind enough to lend to your neighbor when he needs help. You are keeping the Lord's commands if you help him. 2 If he needs something, lend it to him. And when you are in debt, pay it back as soon as you can. 3 If you meet your obligations, you will always be able to borrow what you need. 4 Many people treat a loan as something they found and can keep, causing embarrassment to those who helped them. 5 Some people will speak politely, bow, and scrape until they get the loan they want, but when the time comes to pay it back, they'll put it off, say that it's inconvenient, and make a lot of worthless excuses. 6 If the lender insists on being paid, he can count himself lucky to get back half. If he doesn't insist, the borrower has robbed him and made an unnecessary enemy. All the lender will get from him are curses, insults, and disrespect, but never any gratitude.
7 Many people refuse to lend at all, not because they are stingy, but because they don't want to be cheated if they can avoid it.
Generosity
8 Nevertheless, be understanding with those who are poor. Don't keep them waiting for your generosity. 9 The Lord has commanded us to help the poor; don't refuse them the help they need. 10 It is better to lose your money by helping a relative or a friend than to lose it by letting it rust away under a rock somewhere. 11 Use your wealth as the Most High has commanded; this will do you more good than keeping your money for yourself. 12 Count among your treasures the fact that you give to the poor. It will save you from all kinds of trouble 13 and will be a better defense against your enemies than the strongest shield or stoutest spear.
Guaranteeing Debts
14 A good man is willing to guarantee his neighbor's debts. Only someone who has lost all sense of decency would refuse to do so. 15 If someone does this favor for you, don't forget it; he has risked his good name for you. 16 There are some ungrateful sinners who abandon those who stand behind them, and they cause them loss of property. 17 Guaranteeing loans has ruined many prosperous people and caused them unsettling storms of trouble. 18 Influential people have lost their homes over it and have had to go wandering in foreign countries. 19 A sinner who hopes to make a profit by guaranteeing a loan is going to find himself involved in lawsuits. 20 So help your neighbor as much as you can, but protect yourself against the dangers involved.
Home and Hospitality
21 The necessities of life are water, food, clothing, and a home where you can have privacy. 22 It is better to be poor and live under your own crude roof than to enjoy lavish banquets in other people's homes. 23 Be happy with what you have, even if it isn't very much, and don't listen to anyone who would insult your home and family. 24 Going from house to house is a miserable way to live. Anywhere you go, you don't dare speak. 25 You welcome the guests and pour the drinks, and nobody thanks you. Instead, people humiliate you by saying things like: 26 “Stranger! Come here and set the table! I want to eat what you've got there! Give it here! 27 Go away, stranger! I've got an important guest! My brother is coming to visit, and I need the room!”
28 Being denied hospitality or having a moneylender hound you—these are hard things for any sensitive person to endure.
Mari-e ǀkhupis tsî mā-oas
1 ǁNātikōse ǃgâi, î sa ǀgūkhoeba ǂhâbab ka, o mari-e ǀkhupi. ǁÎbats ga hui, ots ge ǃKhūb di mîmāde ra ǃkhōǀgaipe. 2 Xū-eb ga ǂhâba, o ǀkhupi bi. Surude bits ga hâ, o īǁkhā i kao ǃhaeǁaeb ǃnâ matare-oa. 3 Sa mîmâisa ǃkhōǀgaipe tsîts ga surudets hâ-e mā-oa, on ge khoena hoaǁae ǂhâbats hâ-e nî ǀkhupi tsi. 4 ǂGui khoen ge ǀkhupimari-e, hō tsîn ūhâbasen ǁkhān a xū-i ase ra ǃgapaǀî tsî ǁnās ǀkha ǁîna ra hui khoena ǃgomsib ǃnâ ra ǂgā. 5 ǁÎn ge khoena ǃgamǃgamsens ǀkha ǂgan, ǁgoasen tsî ra ǀkhoma, ǀkhupihen nîga. Xawen ge mari-e mā-oas di ǁaeb ga hāo, “Toxopa ǃnāsa ǁaeba mā te re” ti ra mî. ǁÎn ge ǂgui ǃnāde ǀûbade dī tsî “Nēsisa i ge ǂhanu ǁae tama” ti ra mî. 6 ǀKhupiǂui-aob ga khoeb hîa mari-e ra ǀkhupib nî matare-oasa ǂgaoǀkhā, ob ge ǃkhare ǃâ-i ǀkhupiǂuib ge mari-i di-eb ga hō-oao, a ǃgâiǃgâxa. ǂGaoǀkhā tamab ka i, ob ge ǀkhupi-aoba go ǁkhâu bi tsî ǂhâbasa tama khākhoesiba ra ǃaroma. ǀKhupi-aob nî ǁîba xu hōn ge ǀâxaregu, ǃkhāǃkhādi tsî ǃgôaoǃnâsib tsîna, xawe i ge ganganxasi-i xare-e a ǀkhai.
7 ǂGui khoen ge ǃaruǀî khoe-e ǀkhupisa ra ǂkhā, xawe ǁnās ge ǀgîxan a xui-ao tamasa. ǁÎn ge gāxaǃnâhe ǂgao tama hâ tsî ra ǂgōsen. 8 ǁNāti iga ī xawes tsîna māǂgaoxa, î ǀgâsana mā re. Tā sa māǂgaoxasib ai khoena ǃâu kai. 9 ǀGâsana da nî hui ǃkhaisab ge ǃKhūba ge mîmā. ǁÎn ga sats ǃoa ǂhâsib ǀkha ǀkhī, o ǁîna huiǂui. 10 ǃGâi a ǃkhais ge sa mari-e sa ǃgâsab tamas ka io ǀhōsaba māsa. Tsî tā ǁî-e ǀuriǀgūb xa nî dītoahese ǀui-i ǃnaka sâu. 11 Sa mari-ets ga ǃKhūb Hoan xa ǀGapib ra mîmā khami ǀgâsana mā, os ge nē ǃkhaisa sa mari-e sats ǃaroma ǀgui ūhâs xa ǃnāsase nî ǃgâidī tsi. 12 ǀGâsana māǂgaoxase mā, nē māǂgaoxasib ge sa ǁuib hîats ra sâub khami ī. Tsūǀkhāb ga hā, ob ge nî huiǂui tsi. 13 ǀGaisa kai ǁkhaukhōs tsî ǁhâigôab tsîra xan ge ǃnāsase sa soas ǃnâ sa khākhoen ǃoagu nî ǃkham.
Surudega mâǂgâbas
14 ǃGâi khoeb ge ǀgūkhoeb di surudeb ǃaroma nî mâǂgâ, xawe ǂgaoǂansa ūhâ tama khoeb ge taosib ǃnâ mâi bi ǁkhā. 15 Khoe-i ga ǁnātikōse ǃgâi tsî nēsa dība tsio, tā ǀuru, ǁî-i ge hoa xūna sats ǃaroma dī ǃkhaisa. 16 Sats ga khoe-i hîa ge sa ǀkhupimarisa i nî matare-oa ǃkhaisa xoaǃgao-e kō-īǀkhā, o i ge ǁnā khoe-e sats xa ǃaromahe hâse marisi ǂoaǃnâsa nî hōǃâ. 17 Ganganoǃnâs ǀguisats ge ǁnāsa hî tama, xawe ǁore-aos tsîna ī. 18 ǃKhū hâ khoen ge ǀgâsa khoenan ǀkhupimaride ra xoaǃgaoba hîa ge ǀgâ. ǁÎn ge ǁgaoǂoas ǃnâ hâ ǂgaus khami ge ǁnubumahe. ǃGôahesa khoen ge omdi âna ǂoaǃnâ, ǁîn di ǃnaeǃhūga xu ge ǁgariǂuihe tsî ǃhao ǃhūgu ǃnâ sī ge hâma. 19 ǀAromarisab nî ǀkhupimarisab ga xoaǃgao, o hō ti ga ǂâi ǁore-aob ge ǃkhō-oms ǁkharab ǀguiba nî hō. 20 Hui ǁkhāts as kōse sa ǀgūkhoeba hui, xawe ǂanbasen, î tā ǀgâǀgâhe.
Oms tsî ǃgûkhoena ǃkhōǃoas
21 Ûib di ǂhâǂhâsa xūn ge ǁgam-i, ǂû-i, oms tsî ǂâusa saran ǃamkusets nî ǃgūǀkhāsenūn tsîna. 22 ǀGâsase sa ǂhunuma haire-oms ǃnâ hâs ge ǀnîn ǀkha ûiǁare tsî ǃgâi ǂûna ǂûs xa a ǃgâi. 23 ǂKhari i ka, xawe ūts hâ i ǀkha ǂkhî, on ge khoena sari-aots a ǃkhais ǃaroma ǃgabe tsi tide. 24 Sats ge hugaǀgui, ǀnî khoen aits ga ǂû-i tsî ǁgoeǃkhai-i ǃaroma mûmâinǃgâo, ǂkhîoǃnâts ka xawe mî-i xare-e mî ǁkhā tide. 25 Sats ge ǃkhū hâ khoeb di ǁkhausabena ǁkhoreǁhare tsî āxūna nî ǂnâba. ǁÎn ge gangan tsin nîs ǃās ǃnâ satsa ra tsûtsû mîde nî mî: 26 “ǃHaokhoetse! Tāba ǂhomi, î ǂûxū-e hā-ūba te, î ta ǂû.” 27 Tamas ka iob ge ǁkhauǂui-aoba nî mî: “ǃHaokhoetse ǂoaba te! Tita ge ǁnā ǃnā-omsa ǀō-aisa sari-ao-i ǃaroma ǂhâba hâ. Ti ǃgâsab ge hā ra sari tsî i ge sats ǃaroma ǃnā-om-e a ǀkhai.”
28 Nē xūn ge khoe-i hîa hōǃâsa ūhâ-i xa tanihe ǁoa: ǃHaokhoese ǃkhōǃoahe ǂgao tama is, tamas ka io mariǀkhupi-aob xa ôamahes tsîna.
