Akuru la kumoolu
1 Ñinnu le mu Yake dinkewo Akuru Masankoo la kuma kotoomaalu ti.
Ñiŋ keendiŋo ko:
“Alla, m bataata le, Alla, n korita le,
aduŋ n te feŋ ke noo la.
2 Nte le hakiloo kuyaata moolu bee ti.
M maŋ hadamadiŋolu la fahaamuroo soto noo.
3 M maŋ ñaameŋo karaŋ, sako ka londi soto
Mansa Senuŋo la kuwo to.”
4 Jumaa le taata fo Arijana, a muruta naŋ?
Jumaa le nene ye foñoo muta noo a buloo kono?
Jumaa le ye jiyo fudi noo a la dendikoo kono?
Jumaa le ye duniyaa tonkoŋ naanoo bee loo?
A too ndii, aniŋ a dinkewo fanaa too ndii?
A fo n ye, niŋ i ye a loŋ!
5 Alla la kumoo bee mu tooñaa le ti,
a mu koteeroo* le ti moolu ye,
mennu ka tankoo ñini a bulu.
6 Kana feŋ lafaa a la kumoo kaŋ, niŋ wo nte a be i jalayi la le,
a ye a yitandi i la ko, faniyaa folaa le mu i ti.
7 M Maarii, ŋa kuu fula le daani i bulu,
kana balaŋ n ye wolu la, janniŋ m be faa la:
8 Tilimbaliyaa niŋ faniyaa jamfandi n na,
kana m fuwaareyandi,
aduŋ i kana n ke naafulutiyo ti,
bari i si n na baluwo dammaa dii n na.
9 Niŋ wo nte, a si siyaa m bulu noo le,
ŋa ñina i la kuwo la, ŋa a fo ko, “Jumaa le mu Yaawe* ti?”
Waraŋ n si ke noo fuwaaroo ti le,
ŋa suuñaaroo ke,
aduŋ n te n na Alla too horoma la.
10 Kana dookuulaa too tiñaa a la keebaa ye,
niŋ wo nte a be i danka la le,
aduŋ i be duŋ na bataa le kono.
11 Doolu be jee le, mennu ka ì faañolu danka,
ì buka neema ì baañolu ma.
12 Doolu be jee, mennu ye a miira ko, ì maŋ sootaari soto,
wo ye a tara, ì be nooriŋ ì la kuu jawoo kono.
13 Doolu be jee, mennu ka ì faŋo wara,
aniŋ mennu ka jutu moolu la.
14 Doolu be jee, mennu ñiŋolu mu hawusaroolu* ti,
aniŋ mennu ŋaaŋaalu ka munta ko muroolu,
ka fuwaaroolu bondi duniyaa kono,
aniŋ mennu ka fentaŋolu bondi moolu kono.
15 Nuuroo ye dimmusu fula le soto,
ì ko: “A dii ǹ na! A dii ǹ na!”
Kuu naani le be jee mennu buka wasa muumeeke,
ì buka a fo ko, a kaañanta:
16 Kaburoo,
musoo meŋ maŋ diŋo soto,
bankoo meŋ jiyo buka sii,
aniŋ dimbaa meŋ buka daañini noo.
17 Moo meŋ ka a faamaa ñaawali,
aniŋ ka balaŋ a baamaa horoma la,
kaanaalu le be a ñaa copiŋ-copiŋ na,
aduŋ duwoolu le be a domo la.
18 Kuu naani le be jee mennu ye nte jaakali,
m maŋ ì fahaamu noo:
19 Seeliŋo ka maañaa meŋ ke, niŋ a be yaayoo kaŋ santo,
saa ka kuruntu beroo kaŋ ñaameŋ,
kuluŋo ka bori noo fankaasoo kono ñaameŋ,
aniŋ kambaanoo niŋ sunkutoo ka ñoo kanu ñaameŋ.
20 Ñiŋ ne mu musu jeenelaa daajikoo ti:
A ka kuwo ke le, a ye a daa moosi,
a ye a fo ko, “M maŋ kuu jawu ke.”
21 Kuu naani le ka bankoo jarajarandi,
a buka ì muña noo:
22 Joŋo meŋ keta mansa ti,
toolee baa meŋ ye domoroo ke fo a konoo faata,
23 moolu ye musoo meŋ daajikoo koŋ, a ye kewo soto,
aniŋ dookuulaa sunkutoo meŋ ye a maarii musu noo taa.
24 Feŋ naani le be ñiŋ duniyaa kono mennu dooyaata,
hani wo ì ñaamenta baake le:
25 Menemeneŋo mu niilamaa feŋ sembe dooyaariŋo le ti,
hani wo a ka a la domoroo maabo le, sanjaanoo kono.
26 Konkokono saŋo mu niilamaa feŋ ne ti, meŋ semboo maŋ wara,
hani wo a ka a la suwo loo berehuwo kono.
27 Kuntiŋolu maŋ mansa soto,
bari ì ka a loŋ ne ì ka taa ñoo la ñaameŋ.
28 Moo si taaliŋo muta noo niŋ a buloo la le,
bari hani wo a ka tara mansabuŋolu kono le.
29 Feŋ naani le be jee mennu taamañaa ñiiñaata,
ì la taamoo, mansakeemaa le mu:
30 Jatoo meŋ saŋarata daafeŋolu bee kono,
aduŋ a buka bori feŋ na,
31 baakotoŋo, siiseeduntuŋo meŋ ka a dampaŋolu kosi,
aniŋ mansa meŋ ka tara a la moolu ñaato.
32 Niŋ i ye i faŋo tooleeyandi, ka i faŋo sikandi,
waraŋ i ye kuu jawoo feeroo siti,
i buloo biti i daa kaŋ.
33 Niŋ i ye feenewo kosi, a ka yelema ninsituloo ti ñaameŋ,
aniŋ niŋ i ye nuŋo ñopoti, yeloo ka bo ñaameŋ,
kamfaa meŋ jawuyaata, ka fitinoo saabu wo le ñaama.
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.
