ǁŌb
1 ǁŌtse, tarexas kha ǃgâiǃō khoe-i, ǂkhîb ǃnâ ǁî-i di ūhâxūn ǀkha ûi hâ i, ǂâiǂhansende xu ǃnorasa tsî ǁî-i di ǂû-e ǃgâise ra ǂû-i ǃaroma sats xa ǂâisa au.
2 ǁŌtse, sa ǀgoraǃgâs ge ǀgâsib ǃnâ ûi hâ khoe-i, ǂurusiba khao-oa, kaise kaira, ǂâiǂhansendi ǀkha ǃnao-aisa, ǂgī tsî ǃâubasenoǃnâ-i ǃaroma ǁkhoreǁharesa.
3 ǃKhūb, Elob Hoan xa ǀGapib ge ûitsama kurusabe-i hoa-i nî ǁō ǃkhaisa ge mîmā. Sada ge ǁîb di ǁkhoreb ǀkha da nî ǂnoagu soas ǃnâ hâ tama hâ 4 ǃKhūb ge ǁnāsa mâ ûitsama kurusabe-i hoa-i ǃaroma ge mîmā. Satsa tari, ots Hoan xa ǀGapib ra ǁkhore-e ra mâǃoa? ǁŌhân Hâǃkhaib ǃnâ i ge ǀgui-i tsîna nēsits ga disikaidisi tamas ka io ǀoadisi kuriga ûi xawes tsîna ǁnās xa dî tide.
Eloxoresan di ûiǃgomsib
5 ǁOre-aon di ôan ge eloxoresa omdi ǃnân ge kaikaihe xui-ao a ui-uisa. 6 ǀUmin ge xūn hoanan ge nî ǂoaǃnâ tsî ǁîn di ôananôagub ge hâhâ ra ǃharaxūb ǃnâ nî ûi. 7 ǁGûn ga ǃKhūba ǃharaxū, on ge ǁîn ôana nî tao tsî ǁîn îna nî ǀhapimā.
8 Hoan xa ǀGapi Elob ge sadu hîa ǁîba ǃgôaǃgâ tamado nî ǁkhara, sadu hîa ǁîb di ǂhanuba ǁnâuǀnamsa ra ǂkhādo. 9 ǀGôana du ga ūhâ, on ge ǁîna tsūǃgân ǃnâ nî ǁō tsî du ge ǁîn ǁōb ǂama nî ǃoa. Sadu ǂûdu tsîn ge ǀnî dīsān hîa nî ǃgam duna nî dī. Tsî du ga ǁîna dī, on ge khoena kaise nî ǃgâiaǂgao. Sadu ga ǁōs khaoǃgân ge khoena ǁîn ra ǂâi ǁae-i hoa-e tsū xūna sadu xa nî ǃhoa. 10 ǃHūba xu ra hā xū-i hoa-i ge ǃhūba ǃoa nî oa. Ûitsaman a hîan ge ǀâxarehe, on ge eloxoresa khoena nî hîkākāhe.
11 Khoe-i ga ǁō, on ra ǃoa, xawen ge khoena ǂkhaba khoe-i di ǀons tsî ǂanǂansasib tsîna ǁî-i di ǁōb khaoǃgâ hoaragase nî ǀuru. 12 Sa ǂanǂansasib ge sa ǀkha ǁō tama hâ tsî hoaraga ǃhuniǀurib ǃhūbaib ǃnâ hâb xa gaxuse ra hâ. 13 ǃGâi ûib ge ǃnubu ǁaeb kōse ǀgui ra hâ, xawe ǃgâi ǂanǂansasib ge ǀamos kōse ra hâ.
ǃGâiǂūxasib di hōǃâs
14 Ti ôado, tita ra ǁgauǃnâ du khami dī, î ǂkhîb ǃnâ ûi. Gā-aisib hîa ûiǂuihe tamab ge sâusa ǁuib khami ī; hoakha ge harebeoǃnâ. 15 Gâ khoe-i hîa ǁî-i di gâsiba ǂhaisa kai tama i ge gā-ai khoe-i ǁî-i di gā-aisiba ǁî-i ǃaroma ǀgui ra ūhâ i ǃgâ-ai a ǃgâi.
16 ǁÎn xats nî taose ī tama xūǃnôan ge hâ, mâ khoe-i hoa-i, nēn a tare ǃkhaisa ǃkhō-am tama xawe. Ti ǀapemāsa ǁkhōǁkhōsase ū.
17 Nēn ge xūn ǁîn xats nî taona:
ǁGoe-ūgus ǁorebats ga dī, tsîn ga sa îna ǁnāsa ǂanǂuio.
ǂHumits ka tsî i ga ǂanǂansa khoe-e, ǂhumits go ǃkhaisa ǂanǂuio.
18 ǀGoraǃgâ-aob aiǃâts ga mâ, o dīts ge ǁoreb ǂama tao.
Gagasi ǀhaos aiǃâts ga mâ, o ǂkhabadīb xa tao.
ǂHaruguhoresan tamas ka io ǀhōsanats ga gāxaǃnâ, o tao.
19 ǀGūkhoen di xū-ets ga ǃnari, o tao.
Mîmāsats ga ǃûǂam, o tao,
ǃunikha ǀkhats ga ǂûtāb ai ǃgâbasen,
tsî xū-ets ga ǂganheo ǀgîxa,
20 tsî tawede-oa tamats ka i,
ǀai-aos ǁgats ga kō,
21 sa ǀgūkhoe-i di ǂgansats ga ǂhara,
khoe-ets ga amase a ǁî-i di-e ǀhana,
ǀnî khoeb taras ǁgats ga kō,
22 sa khobos ǀkhats ga ǀnûirogu,
sa ǀhōsanats ga ǃkhāǃkhā,
ǀgoraǃgâ rasets ga ǀkhaexūna mā,
23 ǂganǃgâsigats ga ǀhoeba.
Nēgu ge ǁaega taots nîse īga, on ge khoena nēs ǃaroma ǃgôasiba nî mā tsi.
Death
1 Death! The very thought of it is bitter to someone who is prosperous, living peacefully with his possessions, free of worries, and still able to enjoy his food.
2 Death! Its sentence is welcome to someone living in poverty, with failing health, very old, burdened with worries, blind, and without hope.
3 Do not be afraid of death's decree. Remember that it came to those before you and will come to those after you. 4 The Lord has decreed it for every living creature. Who are you to object to what the Most High wishes? In the world of the dead no one will care whether you lived ten years, a hundred, or a thousand.
The Fate of the Wicked
5 The children of sinners, brought up in ungodly surroundings, turn out to be hateful people. 6 They will lose whatever they inherit, and their own descendants will live in permanent disgrace. 7 The children will put the blame for their disgrace on their ungodly parents.
8 You are doomed, you irreligious people who have abandoned the Law of the Most High God. 9 When you have children, disaster will strike them and you will be left with nothing but sorrow. There will be great joy whenever you stumble, and even after your death you will be cursed. 10 What comes into being from nothing will return to nothing; so it will be with the godless, doomed to extinction.
11 A person's body amounts to nothing, but a good reputation will last forever. 12 Protect your reputation; it will outlive you and last longer than a thousand treasures of gold. 13 A good life lasts only so long, but a good reputation will last forever.
A Sense of Decency
14 My children, do as I teach you and live at peace. Wisdom that is not expressed is like a treasure that has been hidden—both are useless. 15 A person who covers up his foolishness is better than one who keeps his wisdom to himself.
16 My children, listen and I will teach you the circumstances when it is proper to be ashamed. Sometimes it is entirely out of place.
17 Before your parents, be ashamed of immoral behavior.
Before a ruler or an important person, be ashamed of a lie.
18 Before a judge, be ashamed of criminal behavior.
Before a public assembly, be ashamed of breaking the law.
Before a friend or partner, be ashamed of dishonesty.
19 Before your neighbors, be ashamed of theft.
Be ashamed of breaking a promise,
of leaning on the dinner table with your elbows,
of stinginess when you are asked for something,
20 of not returning a greeting,
of staring at a prostitute,
21 of turning down a relative's request,
of depriving someone of what is rightly his,
of staring at another man's wife,
22 of playing around with his slave woman (keep away from her bed!)
of insulting your friends,
of following up your gifts with criticism,
23 of betraying secrets.
These are times when it is proper for you to be ashamed, and people will respect you for it.
