Sickness and Medicine
1 Give doctors the honor they deserve, for the Lord gave them their work to do. 2 Their skill came from the Most High, and kings reward them for it. 3 Their knowledge gives them a position of importance, and powerful people hold them in high regard.
4 The Lord created medicines from the earth, and a sensible person will not hesitate to use them. 5 Didn't a tree once make bitter water fit to drink, so that the Lord's power might be known? 6 He gave medical knowledge to human beings, so that we would praise him for the miracles he performs. 7-8 The druggist mixes these medicines, and the doctor will use them to cure diseases and ease pain. There is no end to the activities of the Lord, who gives health to the people of the world.
9 My child, when you get sick, don't ignore it. Pray to the Lord, and he will make you well. 10 Confess all your sins and determine that in the future you will live a righteous life. 11 Offer incense and a grain offering, as fine as you can afford. 12 Then call the doctor—for the Lord created him—and keep him at your side; you need him. 13 There are times when you have to depend on his skill. 14 The doctor's prayer is that the Lord will make him able to ease his patients' pain and make them well again. 15 As for the person who sins against his Creator, he deserves to be sick.
Mourning for the Dead
16 My child, when someone dies, you should mourn. Weep and wail to show how deeply you feel the loss. Prepare the body in the proper way, and be present at the burial. 17 Weep bitterly and passionately; observe the proper period of mourning for the person. Mourn for a whole day or maybe two, to keep people from talking, but then pull yourself together and reconcile yourself to the loss. 18 Grief can undermine your health and even lead to your own death. 19 Grief lingers on after the death of a loved one, but it is not wise to let it lead you into poverty.
20 Don't lose yourself in sorrow; drive it away. Remember that we must all die sometime. 21 There is no way to bring the dead person back. All your sorrow does him no good, and it hurts you. Don't forget that. 22 You will die, just as he did. Today it was his turn; tomorrow it will be yours. 23 When the dead have been laid to rest, let the memory of them fade. Once they are gone, take courage.
Scholarship and Other Occupations
24 Scholars must have time to study if they are going to be wise; they must be relieved of other responsibilities. 25 How can a farm hand gain knowledge, when his only ambition is to drive the oxen and make them work, when all he knows to talk about is livestock? 26 He takes great pains to plow a straight furrow and will work far into the night to feed the animals.
27 It is the same with the artist and the craftsman, who work night and day engraving precious stones, carefully working out new designs. They take great pains to produce a lifelike image, and will work far into the night to finish the work.
28 It is the same with the blacksmith at his anvil, planning what he will make from a piece of iron. The heat from the fire sears his skin as he sweats away at the forge. The clanging of the hammer deafens him as he carefully watches the object he is working take shape. He takes great pains to complete his task, and will work far into the night to bring it to perfection.
29 It is the same with the potter, sitting at his wheel and turning it with his feet, always concentrating on his work, concerned with how many objects he can produce. 30 He works the clay with his feet until he can shape it with his hands; then he takes great pains to glaze it properly, and will work far into the night to clean out the kiln.
31 All of these people are skilled with their hands, each of them an expert at his own craft. 32 Without such people there could be no cities; no one would live or visit where these services were not available. 33 These people are not sought out to serve on the public councils, and they never attain positions of great importance. They do not serve as judges, and they do not understand legal matters. They have no education and are not known for their wisdom. You never hear them quoting proverbs. 34 But the work they do holds this world together. When they do their work, it is the same as offering prayer.
ǀAesenni tsî sōǀôan
1 ǃKhūb ge sōǀôadī-aona ge kuru, xuige ǁîna ǁîn di sîsenni ǃaroma ǃgôasiba mā. 2 ǃKhūb, Hoan xa ǀGapib ge ǁîna ǂuruǂurus di ǁkhāsiba ge mā tsî gu ge gao-aoga ǁîna ǁnās ǃaroma ra mādawa-am. 3 ǁÎn di sîsenǁkhāsib ge khoen xan nî ǃgôahe ǃkhaisa ra ǃaroma. ǁKhātin ge ǁkhāsiba ūhâ khoena ǁîna ǃgôasiba ra mā.
4 ǃKhūb ge ǃhūbaib ai sōǀôahaina ge kuru tsî ǁnâuǃāxats ka, ots ge ǁîna nî sîsenū. 5 Haiǃâro-i ge ǀnî ǃnā-i ai au ǁgam-e, āhe ǁkhā i nîse ge dī tsî nēs ge ǃKhūb di ǁkhāsiba ra ǁgauǂui. 6 ǁÎb ge khoena ǀaedīs di ǂansa ge mā, ǁîba da dīb ge buruxa xūn ǃaroma nî koase. 7-8 Sōǀôahaba-aob ge nē sōǀôana ra haba, tsîb ge sōǀôadī-aoba ǀaega ǂuruǂuru tsî tsûba ra ǃopoǃopo. ǃKhūb ge hugaǀgui ǃhūbaib di khoena ǂurusiba mās di sîsenni ǀkha ra aiǃgû.
9 Ti ôatse, ǀaesents ka o, tā ǁnāsa ǁnāti hâ-ū, xawe ǃKhūb ǃoa ǀgore, ob ge ǁîba nî ǂgauǂgau tsi. 10 Sa ǁorena ǁguiǁnâ, î ǂhanusets nî dī ǃkhaisa mîǁgui. Mâ ǁore-i hoa-e xu xoresen. 11 ǃGâihamxūna ǁguiba; ǃhoroǁguibasa dī, î oli-i ǀkha ǂnâ-ai. 12 Ab sōǀôadī-aoba hā hui tsi. ǂÂis ǃnâ ūhâ, ǃKhūb ge ǁîba ge kuru. Sats ge ǁîb huiba ǂhâba hâ, ǁnā-amaga sa tawa ūhâ bi. 13 Sa ǂurusib sōǀôadī-aob ǃomǁae nî hâ ǁaegu ge nî hā. 14 Sōǀôadī-aob ge ǃKhūb ǃoa nî ǀgore, îb ǁîb ǀaekhoen di tsûba ǃopoǃopo tsî ǁîn di ûiba sâus ǃaroma ǂgauǂgausa hōba. 15 ǁÎ-i di sōǀôadī-aob ǃoagu ǀgapiǂâixa khoe-i ge ǁî-i di Kuru-aob ǃoagu ra ǁore.
ǁŌ hân ǃaroma ǃoas
16 Ti ôatse, khoe-i ga ǁō, ots ge nî ǃoa. Matikōsets ǃoa hâ ǃkhaisa ās tsî ǃgaes ǀkha ǁgau. ǁÎ-i sorosa anusa ǀgaub ai ǁkhōs ǃaroma aiǂhomi, î ǁî-i di ǁkhōs tawa hâ. 17 ǁŌ hâ-i di ǃgôasiba ǁgaus ǃaroma tsûsase ā. Ūǃoahesa ǁaeb ǃnâ nē khoe-e āba. Nēsa ǀnî tsēde dī, în khoena tā ǂhanusets ǃoa tama ti ǀau tsi, î ǁnās khaoǃgâ nē khoe-i ǃaroma ǃoaǀû. 18 ǃOaǀû tamats ga i, ots ge ǂkhabu tsî ǁō ǁkhās tsîna i. 19 ǁKhōs ǀkhab ge ǃoaba nî ǃkharu; ûib di tsūǀkhāb ge ǂgaob di ǃoatsâsi.
20 Tā ǃoab ǃnâ māǁnâsen, î ǃoaǀû. Sada hoada ǀguitsē nî ǁō ǃkhaisa ǂâis ǃnâ ūhâ. 21 ǁŌ hâ khoe-ets ûiba ǁkhawa hō-oa kai ǁoa ǃkhaisa tā ǀuru. ǃOab ǀkhats ge sats ǀguitsa ra tsûtsûsen; sats ge ǁō hâ-e hui tama hâ. 22 ǂÂis ǃnâ ūhâ, nētsē i ge ǁî-e ǁō hâ tsî ǁarits ge sats tsîna a ǁō ǁkhā. 23 ǁŌ hânats ga ǁkhō tsîn go sâ, o ǁîn xa ǂâiǀû. ǁÎn ga ǁō, o an nauna ǁkhaeǂgao tsi.
Gā-aisib ǁgauǃnâ-aogu tsî ǀnî sîsengu
24 ǁKhāǁkhāsen ragu ge gā-ai ǂgao gu ka, o ǂâuna ǁaeba ǁkhāǁkhāsens ǃaroma ūhâ tsî nau sîsenǃnôana xu nî ǃnorasa. 25 Mâtib ǂgari-aoba ǂansa hō ǁkhā hoaraga ǁaebab ga ǁîb di tsaugomagu ǀkha ǀgui a sîseno? Hūs xū-i ǁîba ra ǂkhîǂkhî i ge mâtikō ǃgâiseb ǁîb di ǂgarisîsenna ra dī ǃkhais tsî ǂgaris xa ǃhoas ǀguisab ǂansa. 26 ǁÎb ge ǂâis âba ǂhanu ǁgaraga ǃhūǃgaos ai ra ǂnûi tsî tsuxub kōse ûitsama xūnab nî ǂûmāga ra sîsenǃkharu.
27 ǁNāti i ge ǃomsîsenaob ǀkha ī. ǁÎb ge ǂōrisase tsuxub tsî tsēs tsîna ra sîsen tsî kuruǃnôaga ǃgomǀgausa ǀkhunuǂnûidadi tsî ǀuidi ai ra ǃgaoǂui. ǁÎb ge mâ kuruǃnôa-i hoa-i nî nau-e xu ǃkharaga ǃkhais tsî ǀoasa aiǁgausa i ǂnuruǁnuib ǃnâ i ga ǁgâiǁnâheo ǁnāxū ǃkhais tsîna ra ǁapoǁapo. ǁÎb ge gaxuse tsuxub kōse, sîsennab nî dītoaga ra sîsen.
28 ǁNātib ge ǀurikuru-aob, hîa ǀurinab ra ǂnau-ai xūs tawa mâb tsî ǀuriǃâro-i sîsenūb ra-i xa ra ǂâib ǀkha ǁkhāti ī. ǁGanomsa xu ra ǂoaxa ǁhabub ge khōb âba ra dao tsîb ge ǁganoms di ǀgammi xa ra aosen kaihe. Hamers ǀkhab ra ǀuriba ǂnau tsî ǂōrisase ǀurib hîab ra sîsen aib garu ra ǀkhara ǀgausa kō hîab ge hamers di ǀōba ra ǂganaǂgae kai bi. ǁÎb ge tsuxub kōse ǁgui-aisase nî sîsen, îb kurub go xū-e ǀoasase dītoa.
29 ǁNāti i ge ǁkhāti sūǂnubi-aob, sîsenni âb tawa ǂnû tsî ǁîb ǂaira ǀkha ǀnūsa ra ǃkhoe kaib ǀkha ǁkhāti ī. ǁÎb ge ǁîb sîsenni ai ǂâisa ra ǂnûi tsî mâtikō xūnab kuru ǁkhā ǃkhais xa ra ǂâiǂhansen. 30 ǁÎb ge ǂgoa-e ǁîb ǂaira ǀkha ra dāǃnâ. ǁÎb ge sūsa ǁîb ǃomkha ǀkha ǂnubi tsî ǁîsa ǁnās khaoǃgâ ǃamkuse ra ǂkhanuǂkhanuǀkhā. ǁÎb ge ǁganomsab nî ǃanuǃanuse, tsuxub kōse ra sîsen.
31 Nē khoegu hoagu ge ǃomgu ǀkha sîsens ǁkhāsiba ūhâ, mâb hoab ge ǁîb ǃharib ai ǂhunuma kuruǁkhāsiba ūhâ. 32 ǁNāti ī khoegu ose di ge kai ǃāde hâ ǁkhā tide; khoe-i xare-i ge ǁnāti ī ǃkhai-i ai hâ ǂgao tide tamas ka io ǁnāpa sari tide. 33 Xawen ge khoena ǁîga ǃās di ǀapemāǃnans ǃnâ gu nî sîsen tamas ka io gu nî ǃās di ǂhâǂhâsa ǂgaeǂgui-ao kaise ǂgan tama hâ. ǁÎgu ge ǀgoraǃgâ-ao kai tama hâ tsî ǂhanusi ǁhōga ǁnâuǃā tama hâ. ǁÎgu ge ǁkhāǁkhāsen-i tamas ka io ǃgâi ǂūna ūhâ tama hâ tsîts ge ǁîga tātsē ǂansa khoen ǁaegu mû tide. 34 Xawe ǁîgu ra dī sîsenni ge mâ-i hoa-i ǃgâi ûiba nî ûiga ra hui. ǁÎgu di sîsenna gu ga dī, os ge ǁnāsa ǁguibaǀgores ǁkhās khami ī.
