False Friends
1 Anyone can claim to be your friend, but some people are friends in name only. 2 The grief caused when a close friendship turns sour is as bad as death. 3 This evil impulse we have! Why was it ever formed? How did it manage to cover the earth with deceit? 4 Some people will be your friend as long as things are going well, but they will turn against you when trouble comes. 5 A real friend will help you against your enemies and protect you in the fight. 6 Never forget such companions in battle; share the results of your victory with them.
Caution in Taking Advice
7 Anyone can give advice, but some people do so only in their own interest. 8 Be careful when somebody offers you advice. Find out first what his interest in the matter is, because you can be sure that he is thinking primarily of himself. Why should he come out on top instead of you? 9 He will assure you that things look good, and then stand back to watch what happens to you.
10 Don't ask advice of anyone who doesn't trust you, and don't give advice to anyone who is jealous of you.
11 Don't ask a woman for advice about a rival of hers,
a coward about war,
a merchant about a bargain,
a buyer about selling,
a stingy person about gratitude,
a cruel person about kindness,
a lazy person about work,
a casual worker about finishing a job,
a lazy slave about a difficult task.
Pay no attention to any advice they may give.
12 Instead, rely on someone who is religious and known to keep the Lord's commands, someone who is sympathetic with you, who will be sorry to see you fail. 13 And trust your own judgment; no one's advice is more reliable. 14 Sometimes your own intuition can tell you more than seven watchmen on a high tower. 15 Above all, pray to the Most High that he will show you the right thing to do.
Wisdom and Confidence
16 Planning and thought lie behind everything that is done. 17-18 The mind concerns itself with four things: these are good and evil, life and death. They all begin in the mind, but the tongue is their absolute ruler.
19 Someone may have the ability to teach, but still not be of much use to himself. 20 He may be clever with words, but end up starving because people hate him. 21 This may happen if he doesn't have good sense, if the Lord has not given him tact. 22 Someone may consider himself wise and let you know that he is certain about what he knows. 23 Anyone who really is wise will be the teacher of his people, and they can be certain that what he teaches is the truth. 24 Everyone will praise such a person and speak of him as fortunate. 25 A person's life has only a limited number of days, but the life of Israel cannot be measured in days at all. 26 The wise will win the confidence of others, and will be remembered forever.
Controlling the Appetite
27 My child, as you go through life, keep your appetite under control, and don't eat anything that you know is bad for you. 28 All food doesn't agree with everyone, and everyone doesn't like the same kinds of food. 29 Don't feel that you just have to have all sorts of fancy food, and don't be a glutton over any food. 30 If you eat too much, you'll get sick; if you do it all the time, you'll always have stomach trouble. 31 Gluttony has been the death of many people. Avoid it and live longer.
ǂKhaba ǀhōsan tsî ama ǀhōsan
1 ǂGui khoen ge “Tita tsîn ge sa ǀhōsa” ti nî mî, xawen ge amaba ǃhoa tama hâ. 2 ǀGū ǀhōsa-i ga khākhoe kai, ob ge tsûaǂgaoba ǃgamsents nî ǃkhaisa ǃaroma ǁkhā. 3 Nē ǂkhaba ǂâisa, mâpa xus ra hā tsî ǃhūbaiba ǂhumib ǀkha ǃgū-ai? 4 ǀNî ǀhōsan ge xūn ra ǃgâise ra aiǃgûs kōse ǀgui a sa ǀhōsa, xawe ǃgomsib ga hā, o sa ǃoagu ra dabaǂnûisen. 5 Ama ǀhōsa-i ge sa khākhoen ǃoagu hui tsî ra ǁkhauba tsi. 6 Tā ǁnāti ī ǀhōsanna ǀuru, î ǁîn ona hōts ka ǃkhūsi-i ǃnâ amǃnâxa kai.
ǀApemā-aon
7 Mâ ǀapemā-ao-i hoa-i ge ǁî-i ǀapes a ǃgâi ti ra ǂâi, xawen ge ǀnîna satsa xu hōǂgā-e ǃâubasen hâse ra ǀapemā. 8 Khoe-i ga tare-ets nî ǂanǂansa ǀgaub ǃnâ dī ǃkhaisa ǀapemā tsi, o aibe ǃgâise ǂâiǃgâ. ǁÎ-i ra mî xū-ets nî dīs aiǃâ kōkō, ǁî-i xa i ǂgurose ra ǂâi ǃkhaisa. Tare-i ǃaromas ǁî-i di ǀapemāsa ǁî-i di aiǂhanu-i ase nî sîsen? 9 ǁÎ-i ge “ǂHanusets ra dī” ti mî tsî mâ-oa tsî mâtits ūts hâ-i hoa-e ra ǂoaǃnâ ǃkhaisa nî kō.
10 Tā ǂgomǃgâ tsi tama khoe-i tawa ǀape-ôa, tsî tā i satsa ra suri khoe-e sa ǀapede ǂan.
11 Tā khoes di mûǂgāǀgauba ǁîs ra tau khoes ǂama dî,
tamas ka io ǃaoǃnâkhoeba mâtib nî ǃkham ǃkhaisa,
tamas ka io ǂharugu-aoba mâtikō ǁkhāsiba i xū-e amase anusa,
tamas ka io ǁama-aoba ǂhanu ǂganǀgaub xū-i diba,
tamas ka io surixa khoe-e ǁî-i di ganganxasib xa,
tamas ka io karosaǂgao khoe-e mâti i nî khoexaǃnâ ǃkhaisa,
tamas ka io ǀopesa khoe-e mâti i nî sîsen ǃkhaisa,
tamas ka io ǁaerob ǀguib di sîsenao-e mâtikō ǁaeba i sîsenna toa i nîs kōse nî ū ǃkhaisa,
tamas ka io ǀopesa ǃgāba ǃgom sîsenni xa.
Tā ǁîn nî mā tsi ǀapemādi di ǀguis xawes ai ǂâisa ǂnûi.
12 ǀApemā-ets ga ǂhâbao, khoe-i hîa ǃKhūba ǀgoreǀî tsî ǁîb di mîmāde ra ǁnâuǀnam-i ai ǂgomǃgâ. Sats ǀkha ǂoaǃnâts ka, o nî tsâbaǁhao khoe-i ai ǂgomaiǂnûi. 13 Sa ǂhunuma ǀgoraǃgâs ai ǂgomaiǂnûi, nau khoe-i di ǀapemās ge ǃnāsase ǂgomǂgomsa tama hâ. 14 Sa ǂhunuma ǂâiǀgaub ai ǂgomǃgâs ge hû ǃûi-aogu, ǀgapi ǃûiǂgō-ommi ai hâgu xa ǃnāsase mîba tsi ǁkhā. 15 Hoan ǂamai, Hoan xa ǀGapib ǃoa ǀgore, îb ǂhanu xū-ets nî dī ǃkhaisa ǁgau tsi.
Gā-aisib tsî ǂgomǃgâs
16 Sîsenni ǀkhats nî tsoatsoas aiǃâ, ǂōrisase ǀapeǁgui tsî ǀape-ôa. 17 Ûib di ǂgaeǂguis hoas ge ǁnâuǃāb ǃnâ ra tsoatsoa. 18 ǁÎb ge haka xūn ai ǃgaoǃgaohe hâ, ǃgâib tsî ǂkhabab, ûib tsî ǁōb; xawe ǀunis ai da ra ǃhoa xū-i ǀgui-i ge ra harebe.
19 Khoeb ge kaise gā-ai tsî ǂoaǂamsa ǁgauǃnâ-ao ǁkhā, xawe ǁîb di ǂhunuma ǁhōgu tsîna ǁkhāba tama ra i. 20 ǀNî khoeb ge gā-aise a ǃhoa ǁkhā, xaweb ge ǀunis ai, khoen xab ǃhuisahe xui-ao nî ǃâǁō. 21 Nēs ge ǃKhūb ga sîsen-e mā bi tama i, tamas ka io ǁnâuǃā-i xare-eb ga ūhâ tama io a īǁkhā. 22 Khoeb ga ǁîb di ǂhunuma ǁhōgab nî mâti ǂgaeǂgui ǃkhaisa ǂan, on ge khoena ǃgâi ǁnâuǃābab ūhâ xui-ao nî koa bi. 23 Gā-ai khoeb ga ǁîb khoena ǁgauǃnâ-aose ǃoaba, ob ge ǃhoa ǁkhā tsîn ge khoena ǁîb di ǃgâi ǁnâuǃāb ai nî ǂgomaiǂnûi. 24 Mâ khoe-i hoa-i ge nēti ī khoeba koa tsî ǁîb ǃaroma ǃKhūba nî gangan. 25 Mâ-i sada di-i hoa-i di ûib ga ǀam, xaweb ge Israelǁîn di ûiba nî aiǃgû. 26 Xawe khoen ge ǁnān hîa sada ǁaegu gā-aina ǀamose ǃgôasiba mā tsî ǂâis ǃnâ nî ūhâ.
Tā kaise ǂûna
27 Ti ôado, ûi du hâs kōse tare-e du ra ǂû ǃkhaisa ǂanbasen. Mâ ǂû-i sats ǃaroma ǃgâi tama ǃkhaisa ǂanǂui, î ǁî-e tā ǂû. 28 ǀNî ǂûn ge ǀaesase nî tsâ kai tsi. Mâ khoe-i hoa-i ge mâ ǂûǃnôa-i hoa-i xa ǃgâibahe tama hâ. 29 ǂÛnasib tsî kaise ǁkhoaxa ǂûna, mâ ǂûs hoas tawa ǂûǃnāsa ǃûisen. 30 Mâ ǁaeb hoabats ga kaise ǂû, ots ge nî ǀae tsî ǂûǃnāts ka, ots ge hoaǁae nî uixa. 31 ǂAnbasen! ǂÛnab ge ǂgui khoen di ǁōba ge ǃaroma. ǁÎba xu ǂgōsen, î gaxuse ûi.
