Aguri di mîdi
1 Nēdi ge Jakeb ôab Aguri di mîde:
“Ti Elotse, tsau ta hâ, tani ǁoa ta a;
ti Elotse, tsau ta hâ, ǃaruǀî ta a tani ǁoa.
2 Amase, tita ge nau khoen hoan xa a gâre
tsî khoesi ǁnâuǃāba ūhâ tama hâ.
3 Gā-aisib xa ta ǁkhāǁkhāsen tama,
tamas ka io ta ǃAnu Elob xa ǂan-e ūhâ tama.
4 Tari-e ǀhommi ǃoa ǃapa tsî ge ǁnāpa xu ǁgôaxa-e?
Tari-e ǂoaba ge ǃoms â-i ǀkha ǃkhōtsâ-e?
Tari-e ǁgam-e ge saraǃâ-i ǃnâ tanitsâ-e?
Tari-e ǃhūbaib di ǀamdi hoade ge ǃgaoǃgao-e?
ǁÎ-e mâti ǀon hâ tsî ǁî-i ôaba mâti ǀon hâ?
5 “Mâ mîs Elob dis hoas ge a ǃanu; ǁîb ge ǁîb ǃoa ra ǁhaiǁhâ-i hoa-e ǁkhaukhōse ība. 6 Tā ǁîb ge mî xūn ai xū-e ǀaro, tamas ka iob ge ǁîba nî ǂgōǀau tsi tsîts ge ǂhumi-aose nî hōhe.”
ǃAruǀî hâ ǂkhoamîdi
7 ǀGam xūna ta ge ge ǂgan tsi; tā ǁîna ǁō ta nîs aiǃâ ǂkhā te: 8 ǂHumib tsî ǂhumiǃhoab tsîkha tita xu ūbē; tā ta ǀgâsa tamas ka io ǃkhū. Xawe tita ǂâu hâ ǂû-i ǀgui-e mā te. 9 ǃNāsase ta ga ūhâ o ta ge ǃharaxū tsi tsî nî mî: “Tariba ǃKhūba?” Tamas ka io ta ga ǀgâsa, o ta ge nî ǃnari tsî Elob ǀonsa nî ǀuriǀuri.
10 Tā ǃgā-e ǁî-i ǀhonkhoe-i ai mîǁgaiǁgai, ǁnā tamas ka io i ge ǃgā-e nî ǀâxare tsi, tsîts ge ǀhapixase nî ūhâhe.
11 Khoen ge hâ ǁîn îga ǀâxare tsî ǁîn îde ǀkhae tamana.
12 Khoen ge hâ ǁîn mûǁae a ǃanuna, xawen ǁoreb xa ǂae-aihe hâ hîa.
13 Khoen ge hâ ǁîn ǂûn xa ǀgapise ra ǂâi tsî ǁî-aitsama ra ǀgapiǃgôasenna.
14 Khoen ge hâ ǁgûgu ân gôagu khami ǀāna, ǀgâsa khoen tsî ǂhâsib ǃnâ hânan ǃhūbaiba xu nî ōtoase.
15 ǀAoǀgomao-i ge ǀgam ǀgôara ūhâ: “Mā! Mā!” ti ra ǂgaiǂuira.
ǃNona xūn, ā hakan ge hâ tātsē ǁâ taman “ǂÂu go,” ti mî tamana:
16 ǁŌhân Hâǃkhaib,
ǀgôao ǁhās,
ǂnâsa ǃhūǃâs
tsî ǀariheǁoasase ra ǂhubi ǀaeb tsîna.
17 ǁNā mûs ǁîs îba ra ǃhōs tsî ǁîs îsa ǁnâuǀnamsa ga ǃharaxūs ge goragu xa ǁhopeǂuihe tsî ǂkham kai-anidi xa nî hapuhe.
18 ǃNona xūn ge hâ buruxaba tena; hakan ǁnâuǃā tama ta hâna:
19 ǃAriǃkhās ra ǀgapise ǀhomaib ai ǁkhana ǀgaus,
ǀaob ra ǃgareǀuib ai ǂhana ǀgaus,
doe-oms ra hurib ai ǃnari ǀgaus
tsî aorekhoeb tsî ǂkham khoes tsîra di ǀnamgub tsîna.
20 ǃGamekhôaxa taras ge nēti ra dī: ǁÎs ge ǂû tsî ǀomanam tsî “Tsū xū-e ta dī tama” ti ra mî.
21 ǃNona xūn ge hâ ǃhūbaiba ra ǂgubi kaina; hakan hîab a tani ǁoana:
22 ǃGā-i gao-ao kai ra-i,
gâre khoe-i kaise ǂûǁâ hâ-i,
23 ǀnamhe tama ǃgametaras,
tsî ǃgās hîa ge ǁîs ǀhonkhoes soasa ra ūǃkhunis tsîna.
24 Haka xūn kaise a ǂkhariron ge ǃhūbaib ai hâ, xawe kaise a gā-aina:
25 ǂGoberun ge ǀgaio, xawen ge ǁîna soreb ǃnâ ǂûna ra ǀhaoǀhaobasen;
26 ǃâun ge ǂkhabusa, xawe ǁîn omde ǃgareǀuigu ǃnâ ra kuru;
27 ǂhomn ge gao-ao-e ūhâ tama, xawen ge ǁîna ǃamkuse ra saogu;
28 ǂnobos ge ǃoms ǀkha ǃkhōhe ǁkhā, xawe gao-aogu gao-omgu ǃnâs tsîna ra hōhe.
29 ǃNona xūn ge hâ ǀō-aisa ǀgaub ai ra ǃgûna; hakan ge anuse ra dāna:
30 Xammi, hoa ǀgurun xa a ǀgaisab, tātsē xū-e mâ-oaba tamab;
31 ǂnīsa anib,
pirib
tsî gao-aob ǁîb toroǂnubis xa hâǂnamihe hâb tsîna.
32 Aitsama ǀgapiǀgapisens ǀkhats ga gâre, tamas ka io ǂkhababa ǀape, o sa ǃomma sa ams ai ǁgui! 33 Dai-e ǁnubus ra gomasam-e kuru tsî ǂguis ai ǂnauhes ra dora kais ǁkhās khamis ge khoe-e ǁaiǁaisa ǃkhamsa ra ǃaroma.
The Words of Agur
1 These are the solemn words of Agur son of Jakeh:
“God is not with me, God is not with me,
and I am helpless.
2 I am more like an animal than a human being;
I do not have the sense we humans should have.
3 I have never learned any wisdom,
and I know nothing at all about God.
4 Have any ever mastered heavenly knowledge?
Have any ever caught the wind in their hands?
Or wrapped up water in a piece of cloth?
Or fixed the boundaries of the earth?
Who are they, if you know? Who are their children?
5 “God keeps every promise he makes. He is like a shield for all who seek his protection. 6 If you claim that he said something that he never said, he will reprimand you and show that you are a liar.”
More Proverbs
7 I ask you, God, to let me have two things before I die: 8 keep me from lying, and let me be neither rich nor poor. So give me only as much food as I need. 9 If I have more, I might say that I do not need you. But if I am poor, I might steal and bring disgrace on my God.
10 Never criticize servants to their master. You will be cursed and suffer for it.
11 There are people who curse their fathers and do not show their appreciation for their mothers.
12 There are people who think they are pure when they are as filthy as they can be.
13 There are people who think they are so good—oh, how good they think they are!
14 There are people who take cruel advantage of the poor and needy; that is the way they make their living.
15 A leech has two daughters, and both are named “Give me!”
There are four things that are never satisfied:
16 the world of the dead,
a woman without children,
dry ground that needs rain,
and a fire burning out of control.
17 If you make fun of your father or despise your mother in her old age, you ought to be eaten by vultures or have your eyes picked out by wild ravens.
18 There are four things that are too mysterious for me to understand:
19 an eagle flying in the sky,
a snake moving on a rock,
a ship finding its way over the sea,
and a man and a woman falling in love.
20 This is how an unfaithful wife acts: she commits adultery, takes a bath, and says, “But I haven't done anything wrong!”
21 There are four things that the earth itself cannot tolerate:
22 a slave who becomes a king,
a fool who has all he wants to eat,
23 a hateful woman who gets married,
and a servant woman who takes the place of her mistress.
24 There are four animals in the world that are small, but very, very clever:
25 Ants: they are weak, but they store up their food in the summer.
26 Rock badgers: they are not strong either, but they make their homes among the rocks.
27 Locusts: they have no king, but they move in formation.
28 Lizards: you can hold one in your hand, but you can find them in palaces.
29 There are four things that are impressive to watch as they walk:
30 lions, strongest of all animals and afraid of none;
31 goats, strutting roosters,
and kings in front of their people.
32 If you have been foolish enough to be arrogant and plan evil, stop and think! 33 If you churn milk, you get butter. If you hit someone's nose, it bleeds. If you stir up anger, you get into trouble.
