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.
Dandalaaroo musu jeenelaa la kuwo to
1 N diŋo, m fokumoolu muta,
aduŋ i ye n na yaamaroolu tu i kono.
2 N na yaamaroolu tu i sondomoo kono, wo to le i si baluu,
n na karandiroo kanta ko i ka i ñaakesoo kanta ñaameŋ.
3 Ì ke ñaroo ti i bulukondiŋolu ye,
i ye ì safee i sondomoo bala.
4 A fo ñaameŋo ye ko, “Ite le mu m baarimmusoo ti.”
I ye fahaamuroo ke i baadiŋo ti.
5 Ì be i tankandi la musu jeenelaa ma le,
aniŋ musu tulunnaa meŋ na kumoo ka neeneeroo ke.
6 N na buŋo palanteeroo bala,
ŋa yoofiiroo ke niŋ palanteeri huwo la,
7 ŋa moolu je mennu maŋ kalamutari ke,
wo moolu kono, ŋa fondinkewo je, meŋ mu hakilintaŋo ti.
8 A ka taa niŋ mbeedoo tonkoŋo maafaŋo le la,
jeenelaa la buŋo be daameŋ to,
9 wulaara maafaŋo, niŋ tiloo pareeta boyi la,
aniŋ diboo be duŋ kaŋ suutoo.
10 Bituŋ musoo naata finti a kaŋ,
a ye i paree komeŋ cakoo, a niŋ a la feere jawoo.
11 Ñiŋ musoo maakaŋo be warariŋ,
a maloo be dooyaariŋ,
a buka sabati suwo kono,
12 mbeedoolu kaŋ niŋ bantabaalu to,
tonkoŋ-wo-tonkoŋ a si tara jee.
13 Kabiriŋ ñiŋ musoo ye fondinkewo je,
a ye a muta, a ye a sumbu,
a malubalimaa ko a ye ko,
14 “Ŋa sadaa* bo le, subu jamaa le be suwo kono,
kaatu bii ŋa n na kaloo timmandi le.
15 Bituŋ n naata ka i benduŋ.
Ŋa i ñini le, saayiŋ ŋa i je le.
16 Ŋa n na laaraŋo feenee,
laaraŋ kaŋ faani ñiimaa le la, meŋ bota Misira.
17 Ŋa n na laaraŋo seerandi niŋ miiri* munkoo la,
alowe munkoo, aniŋ sinnamoni munkoo.
18 Naa, ŋà kanoo diyandi fo fanoo ye ke.
Ŋà m̀ faŋolu niyolu seewondi kanoo la karoo la.
19 N keemaa maŋ tara suwo kono,
a taata taama jaŋ ne la.
20 A ye a la kalipewo fandi kodoo la le,
aduŋ a te seyi la naŋ fo kari maloo.”
21 Neeneeri kumoolu, a ka a filindi niŋ wolu le la,
aniŋ ka a marisa kuma diyaariŋo la.
22 Kataba kiliŋ a si bula a nooma,
komeŋ niŋ ninsituuraa ka taa kanateyi dulaa to,
komeŋ minaŋo meŋ ye a faŋo duŋ suruntoo daa,
23 fo niŋ kalabeñe fayilaa ye a jusoo soo,
komeŋ kunoo meŋ ka taa duŋ kutindiŋo daa,
a maŋ a loŋ ko, wo le be a kasaara la.
24 Wo to saayiŋ, n diŋolu, ali i lamoyi n na,
ali ye ali hakiloo tu n na kumakaŋolu to.
25 Ali kana bula ñiŋ musoo la kuwolu kono,
waraŋ ka taama niŋ a la siloolu la.
26 Moo jamaa be jee le, mennu bulata a la mantooroo kono,
aduŋ a ye moolu mennu fondi ì niyo la, ì siyaata le.
27 A la buŋo mu saayaa dinkiraa le ti,
aduŋ a ka ì samba kaburoo le kono.
