Gā-aisiba ǃkhōǀkhās
1 Gā-aisi tamaba ǂgaiǂui raba,
tsî ǁnâuǃā tamaba ǁîb domma ra ǁnâu kaiba?
2 ǁÎb ge daob xōǀkhā ǁgoe ǃnâugu ai,
tsî daogu ǀgoradi tawa mâǃhūs âba ra ū;
3 ǃās di ǂgâ-amdi tawa
tsî dao-amdi tawab ge mâ tsî ra ǂgaiǂui:
4 “Khoedo, sado ta ge ra ǂgai;
ûitsama khoen hoana ta ge ra ǂgai.
5 Sa ǁauxūdo, gā-aisiba hō re;
sa gâredo, ǁnâuǃāba hō re.
6 ǃGâ te re, ǃgâi xūna ta nî ǃhoa xuige,
tsî ǂhanu xūn ǀguin ge ti amǁgaukha-u nî ǂoaxa.
7 Ti ams ge amaba nî ǃhoa,
ti amǁgaukha ui-uisasiba ǁkhan hâ amaga.
8 Ti ams di mîdi hoadi ge a ǂhanu-ai;
ǂhumi-i tamas ka io ǀhôagaosi-i ge ǁîdi ǃnâ a ǀkhai.
9 ǁNâuǃāxa khoen ǃaroma di ge ǁîde a ǃgāsa
tsî ǂansa ūhân ǃaroma di ge a ǂhanu.
10 ǀHaiǀuribats nî ūs xa ti ǁgauǃnâsa ūǃoa,
ǃhuniǀurib ǃās ǃnâ ǂansa ǁhûibasen.
11 “Gā-aisib ǃgomǀgausa ǀuin xa ǂoaǂamsa xui-ao
tsî sats ra ǁkhore xūn hoan ge ǁîb ǀkha ǀguirohe ǁoa.
12 Tita gā-aisita ge ǁnâuǃāba ūhâ
tsî tita ge ǂans tsî ǀgoraǃgâǁkhāsib tsîra ūhâ.
13 ǃKhūba ǃaoǃgâs ge ǂkhababa ǁkhansa.
Tita ge ǁîǁâsens tsî ǁîǃgôasens,
ǂkhaba daogu tsî ǀhôagao ǃhoa-ain tsîna ǃhuisa.
14 Tita ge ǃgâi ǀapes tsî ǀoasa gā-aisib tsîra ūhâ;
tita ge ǁnâuǃāb tsî ǀgaib tsîkha ūhâ.
15 Tita ge gao-aoga ra ǂgaeǂgui kai
tsî ǂgaeǂgui-aoga ǂhanu-aisiba ra dī kai.
16 Tita ge gaoǀgôaga ra ǂgaeǂgui kai
tsî ǂamkhoegu tsî ǂgaeǂguigu hoaga.
17 Tita ǀnamna ta ge a ǀnam
tsî tita ra ôan ge amase nî hō te.
18 ǃKhūsib tsî ǃgôasib tsîkha ge tita tawa hâ,
hâhâ ra ǃkhūsib tsî ǁuib tsîkha.
19 Tita ra mā ǁuib ge ǂoaǂamsa ǃhuniǀurib xa a ǃgâi,
ǂoaǂamsasets ǁhûiǂui hâ ǀhaiǀurib xa.
20 ǂHanu-aisib daob ǃnâ ta ge ra ǃgû,
ǃgangu ǂhanu-ai khoen digu ǃnâ.
21 Tita a ǀnamna ta ge ra ǃkhū kai
tsî ta ge ǁîn sâuǃnâ-omga ra ǀoaǀoa.
22 “ǃKhūb ge kurus âb di tsoatsoas ǃnâ tita ge kuru,
kuru ge xūn hoan aiǃâb ge tita ge ǂnubi.
23 ǀNai ta ge tsoatsoas ǃnâ ge ǁgaumâihe,
ǃhūbaib di tsoatsoas aiǃâ.
24 Kai ǁgamgu nî hās aiǃâ ta ge ge hâ i,
ǀaudi ǁgam-i xa nî ǀoaǀoahes aiǃâ.
25 ǃHomgu nî kuruhes aiǃâ ta ge ge hâ i,
ǃnâugu nî ǃgaoǃgaohes aiǃâ ta ge ge ǃnae.
26 ǃHūbaib ǂgāgu âb ǀkhab nî kuruhes aiǃâ,
tamas ka io ǂguro ǃhū-eb nî kurus aiǃâ.
27 ǀHommab ge ǂnubi, o ta ge ǁnāpa ge hâ i,
ǃāǂuisabab ge hurib ǂamai a ǃāǂuis tsîna.
28 ǃĀǂuisabab ge ǀgapise ǁaposase a ǂnubio,
hurib di ǀaudeb ge ǀgaisase dâuǂoaxa kaio.
29 Huribab ge ǁkhaeǂnamib âba kuruba, o ta ge ge hâ i,
ǁgamgu ǁîb tawa ǃkharu tidese;
ǃhūbaib ǃgaoǃgaogab ge ǁgui ǁaeb ai.
30 Tita ge dana xūkuru-aob khami ǁîb ǀgūse ge hâ i,
tsēkorobe ta ge ge ǁîb ǃgâiaǂgao i,
hoaǁae ǁîb aiǃâ ra dâse.
31 Hoaraga ǃhūbaib ǃnâ ra dâse
tsî khoesib ǂama ra ǃgâiaǂgaose.
32 “Xawe nēsi ti ôado ǃgâ te re,
ǀkhaehen ge hâ ǁnān ti daoga ra ǃkhōǀgaipena.
33 Ti ǁgauǃnâsa ǁnâuǀnam, î gā-ai
î ǁîsa tā ǁnāxū.
34 ǀKhaehe i ge hâ, ǁnā-i tita ra ǃgâ-e;
tsēkorobe ti ǂgâ-amdi tawa ra hâ-i,
ti dao-amdi tawa ra ǃâu-e.
35 Tita ra hō-i ge ûiba ra hō
tsî ǃKhūba xu ǀkhomma nî ǃkhōǃoa.
36 Xawe tita ga ǂoaǃnâ-i ge aitsama ra ǂkhôasen,
tita ǁkhan hân hoan ge ǁōba a ǀnam.”
In Praise of Wisdom
1 Listen! Wisdom is calling out.
Reason is making herself heard.
2 On the hilltops near the road
and at the crossroads she stands.
3 At the entrance to the city,
beside the gates, she calls:
4 “I appeal to all of you;
I call to everyone on earth.
5 Are you immature? Learn to be mature.
Are you foolish? Learn to have sense.
6 Listen to my excellent words;
all I tell you is right.
7 What I say is the truth;
lies are hateful to me.
8 Everything I say is true;
nothing is false or misleading.
9 To those with insight, it is all clear;
to the well-informed, it is all plain.
10 Choose my instruction instead of silver;
choose knowledge rather than the finest gold.
11 “I am Wisdom, I am better than jewels;
nothing you want can compare with me.
12 I am Wisdom, and I have insight;
I have knowledge and sound judgment.
13 To honor the Lord is to hate evil;
I hate pride and arrogance,
evil ways and false words.
14 I make plans and carry them out.
I have understanding, and I am strong.
15 I help kings to govern
and rulers to make good laws.
16 Every ruler on earth governs with my help,
officials and nobles alike.
17 I love those who love me;
whoever looks for me can find me.
18 I have riches and honor to give,
prosperity and success.
19 What you get from me is better than the finest gold,
better than the purest silver.
20 I walk the way of righteousness;
I follow the paths of justice,
21 giving wealth to those who love me,
filling their houses with treasures.
22 “The Lord created me first of all,
the first of his works, long ago.
23 I was made in the very beginning,
at the first, before the world began.
24 I was born before the oceans,
when there were no springs of water.
25 I was born before the mountains,
before the hills were set in place,
26 before God made the earth and its fields
or even the first handful of soil.
27 I was there when he set the sky in place,
when he stretched the horizon across the ocean,
28 when he placed the clouds in the sky,
when he opened the springs of the ocean
29 and ordered the waters of the sea
to rise no further than he said.
I was there when he laid the earth's foundations.
30 I was beside him like an architect,
I was his daily source of joy,
always happy in his presence—
31 happy with the world
and pleased with the human race.
32 “Now, young people, listen to me.
Do as I say, and you will be happy.
33 Listen to what you are taught.
Be wise; do not neglect it.
34 Those who listen to me will be happy—
those who stay at my door every day,
waiting at the entrance to my home.
35 Those who find me find life,
and the Lord will be pleased with them.
36 Those who do not find me hurt themselves;
anyone who hates me loves death.”
