1 Zemburuka imbi mbi me hungire, muatje wandje, nu o zembi ko imbi mbi me ku raere. 2 Kara nonḓuviro komambo wandje nove mo hupu orure. Panḓera pomahongero wandje nu u ye ṱakamise otja ombuma yeho roye. 3 Ṱiza omahongero wandje oruveze aruhe; ye tjanga momutima woye. 4 Ounongo ngau kare otja omuṱena kwoye, nondjiviro otja epanga roye ropopezu. 5 Ovyo mavi ku tjaere kovakazendu vovarumendu varwe, na kovakazendu ovanarombe.
Omukazendu omuhakohoke mongarero
6 Otjikando tjimwe ee tarerere moruiho rwondjuwo yandje, 7 notji mba muna ovarumendu ovengi omitanda mbe hi nondjiviro, nungwari mu wo mba muna mo omundu umwe ngu ha ri nozondunge. 8 Eye aa ka wondja meṋe yomuvanda popezu notjikoro pu pa turire omukazendu worive, eye tjandje ma varama nondjuwo yomukazendu ngwi 9 ngurova konḓorera. 10 Omukazendu ngwi otje mu tjakanena, tjandje wa zara otja omukorondu, narire tja tungu ondunge. 11 Eye wa ri omukazendu omuhaori, ngu ha ri nohoṋi, nu aruhe ngwaa ryanga momivanda 12 poo ngwaa undama povikoro, rumwe momivanda, rumwe poruveze romarandero. 13 Narire tja pukata omurumendu ingwi omutanda, e mu hupite ne mu tara osemba nomurungu na tja: 14 “Ami mba punguha ozombunguhiro zandje zokutja okuhepa ndinondi, nu mba sutu omakwizikiro wandje, 15 otji mba piti mbi ku pahe. Mba vanga okukumuna, nu oove ngwi! 16 Ami mba yara ombete yandje novirare ovimbonde vya Engipte. 17 Mbe i tjatja nomira notjizumba tjotjindombo, notjorupapa. 18 Indjo tu rare amatu nyanda orombe, tu yoroke morusuvero atwa pukatasana. 19 Omurumendu wandje ke mo monganda. Eye wa ya mouyenda oure. 20 Wa twaerera ovimariva ovingi, nu ma kotoka kombunda yovivike vivari.” 21 Omukazendu ngwi otje mu rora nouwa we, nomurumendu arire tje riyandja komapopa womukazendu ngwi. 22 Mokamanga omurumendu ngwi we mu kongorera tjimuna onduwombe ndji mai kaṱa, tjimuna ongoṱu ndji mai kawira mongwehe, 23 otjiku mu matji katuvakaṋena omutima wayo. Eye wa ri otja onḓera ndji mai tukire mongwehe ai hi nokutjiwa kutja omuinyo wayo u ri moumba.
24 Nambano, vanatje vandje, purateneye ku ami. Yandja ko ombango komambo wandje. 25 Amu yandjere ko omukazendu ngwa sana ngo kutja a hakane omitima vyeṋu; amu mu kongorere ko. 26 Eye onguri onyoneno yovarumendu ovengi, nu wa zepaisa ovengi tjinene mbe hi notjivaro. 27 Tji mwa i kondjuwo ye, okutja nao mamu i kotjovakoke. Oyo ondji ri ondjira osupi ndji twara konḓiro.
The Foolishness of Unfaithfulness
1 My son, pay close attention
and don't forget
what I tell you to do.
2 Obey me, and you will live!
Let my instructions be
your greatest treasure.
3 Keep them at your fingertips
and write them
in your mind.
4 Let wisdom be your sister
and make common sense
your closest friend.
5 They will protect you
from the flattering words
of someone else's wife.
6 From the window of my house,
I once happened to see
7 some foolish young men.
8 It was late in the evening,
sometime after dark.
9 One of these young men
turned the corner
and was walking by the house
of an unfaithful wife.
10 She was dressed fancy
like a woman of the street
with only one thing in mind.
11 She was one of those women
who are loud and restless
and never stay at home,
12 who walk street after street,
waiting to trap a man.
13 She grabbed him and kissed him,
and with no sense of shame,
she said:
14 “I had to offer a sacrifice,
and there is enough meat
left over for a feast.
15 So I came looking for you,
and here you are!
16 The sheets on my bed
are bright-colored cloth
from Egypt.
17 And I have covered it
with perfume made of myrrh,
aloes, and cinnamon.
18 “Let's go there
and make love all night.
19 My husband is traveling,
and he's far away.
20 He took a lot of money along,
and he won't be back home
before the middle
of the month.”
21 And so, she tricked him
with all of her sweet talk
and her flattery.
22 At once he followed her
like an ox on the way
to be slaughtered,
or like a fool on the way
to be punished
23 and killed with arrows.
He was no more than a bird
rushing into a trap,
without knowing
it would cost him his life.
24 My son, pay close attention
to what I have said.
25 Don't even think about
that kind of woman
or let yourself be misled
by someone like her.
26 Such a woman has caused
the downfall and destruction
of a lot of men.
27 Her house is a one-way street
leading straight down
to the world of the dead.
