1 ǁŌ hâ ǀgînan ra ǃgâihamxū-e ǀō kais ǁkhās khamib ge
ǂkhari gâsiba gā-aisib tsî ǂkhaisiba a īǂam ǁkhā.
2 Gā-ai khoe-i di ǂgaob ge amǀkhāb ai hâ,
xawe gâ khoe-i dib ge ǁareǀkhāb ai hâ.
3 Gâ khoe-i ga ǃganni ǃnâ ǃgû
xawes ge ǁî-i a gâre ǃkhaisa a ǃgāsa,
tsî-i ge mâ khoe-i hoa-e mâtikōse i a gâre ǃkhaisa ra ǂan kai.
4 Sa ǂgaeǂgui-ao-i ga sa ǃoagu ǁaixao,
tā hâǃnâts a mâsi-i tamas ka io ǃkhai-e xu ǃgûbē.
Sa sâsase hâs ǁî-i di ǁaiba a ǃgamǃgam ǁkhā xuige.
5 ǂKhabab ǃhūbaib ai hâb,
ǂgaeǂgui-ao-i di tsūdība xu hâ khami ība ta ge ge mû.
6 Gâ khoena ǀgapi ǃharodi ǀgaib didi ǃnâ mâihe
tsîn ge ǃkhū hâ khoena ǃnakab ǃharode ra māhe.
7 Tita ge khobon, hāgu ai ra ǃgapin
tsî gaoǀgôan hîa khobon khami ǃhūb ai ra ǃgûna ge mû.
8 Tsau-e ga khao-i ge ǁî-i ǃnâ nîra ǁnā
tsî ǁnā-i hîa ǂnubiǂgoa-e ga khôaǃkhopa-i ge ǀao-i xa nîra nâhe.
9 ǀUina ra ǀhaoǀhao-i ge ǁîn xa ra tsûtsûhe;
ǀaena ra ǁhā-i ge ǁîn xa nî tsûtsûhe.
10 Sîsenūhe ra ǃōs ga
khoe-i xas ǀāǀāhe tama xui-ao a ǂubu,
ots ge ǃnāsa ǀgaiba nî sîsenū,
xawe gā-aisib ge khoe-e ra aiǃgû kai.
11 Mâtits nî ǀaoba ǂauǂau ǃkhaisa ǂans ge hui tama,
ǀaob nî ǂguro nâ tsi ǃkhaisats ga mā-amo.
12 Gā-ain ra mî xūn ge ǁîna ǃgôasiba ra hā-ūba,
xawe di ge gâ khoe-i di mîde ǁî-e ra hapu.
13 ǁÎn di ǃhoatsoatsoas ge a gâ,
tsîs ge ǃhoaǀûs âna a ǂkhaba.
14 Gâ khoe-i ge ǂgui ǃhoaxūna ūhâ.
Khoe-i xare-i ge tare-i nîra ī ǃkhaisa a ǀū.
Tari-e tare-i nî sada ga ǁōs khaoǃgâ ī ǃkhaisa a mî ǁkhā?
15 Sîsenni ge gâ khoe-e ra tsau kai,
î-i tā ǃās ǃoa i nî ǁaru ǀgaus tsîna ǂan.
16 ǃHūb ge kai ǃgomsib ǃnâ hâ, ǁîb di ǂgaeǂgui-ao-i ga a ǂkham
tsîn ga ǁîb di ǂgaeǂgui-aona hoaraga tsuxuba ǂûǂkhaio.
17 Xawe ǁî-i di ǂhunuma mîǁguiga ra ū gao-i tsî mîǁguisa,
ǂhanu ǁaegu ai ǂû,
ǃkhō-oasen tsî ǀhoro tama ǂgaeǂgui-aon xa ra ǂgaeǂguihe ǃhū-i ge a ǃgâiǃgâ.
18 Khoe-i ga oms â-i ǂamǃnâba dī-unus ǃaroma kaise a ǀopesa,
os ge omsa nî ǂnâ tsîb ge oms ǂamǃnâba nî ǁnāǂgâ.
19 ǃGâi ǂû-i ge khoe-e ra ǃgâiaǂgao kai,
tsî ǂauxûi-i ge khoe-e ra ǃgâiǃgâisen kai,
xawes ge marisa a hoaraga xūn di ǃeream.
20 Tā ǂâis ǀkha ǀguis ka xawe gao-aoba ǀâxare
tsî sa ǃnā-omdi ǃnâ ǃkhū hâ-e ǃharaxū.
ǀHommi di ani-i sa domma nî tani
tamas ka io i nî ǁgaboxa ǀguru-e nē ǂhôasa nî ǃhoa xuige.
1 Dead flies can make a whole bottle of perfume stink, and a little stupidity can cancel out the greatest wisdom.
2 It is natural for the wise to do the right thing and for fools to do the wrong thing. 3 Their stupidity will be evident even to strangers they meet along the way; they let everyone know that they are fools.
4 If your ruler becomes angry with you, do not hand in your resignation; serious wrongs may be pardoned if you keep calm.
5 Here is an injustice I have seen in the world—an injustice caused by rulers. 6 Stupid people are given positions of authority while the rich are ignored. 7 I have seen slaves on horseback while noblemen go on foot like slaves.
8 If you dig a pit, you fall in it; if you break through a wall, a snake bites you. 9 If you work in a stone quarry, you get hurt by stones. If you split wood, you get hurt doing it. 10 If your ax is dull and you don't sharpen it, you have to work harder to use it. It is smarter to plan ahead. 11 Knowing how to charm a snake is of no use if you let the snake bite first. 12 What the wise say brings them honor, but fools are destroyed by their own words. 13 They start out with silly talk and end up with pure madness. 14 A fool talks on and on.
No one knows what is going to happen next, and no one can tell us what will happen after we die.
15 Only someone too stupid to find his way home would wear himself out with work.
16 A country is in trouble when its king is a youth and its leaders feast all night long. 17 But a country is fortunate to have a king who makes his own decisions and leaders who eat at the proper time, who control themselves and don't get drunk.
18 When you are too lazy to repair your roof, it will leak, and the house will fall in.
19 Feasting makes you happy and wine cheers you up, but you can't have either without money.
20 Don't criticize the king, even silently, and don't criticize the rich, even in the privacy of your bedroom. A bird might carry the message and tell them what you said.
