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.
1 Ti ôatse, ti mîde ǃkhōǀgaipe, î ti mîmāde ǁuib ase ūbasen. 2 Ti mîmādets ga ǃkhōǀgaipe, ots ge nî ûi, î ti ǁkhāǁkhāde sats ǂûts a ǀnamsen khami ūhâbasen. 3 ǁÎde sa ǀkhunugu ai ǃgae; ǁîde sa ǂgaob ai xoamâi. 4 Gā-aisib ǃoa mî re: “Sats ge a ti ǃgâsa,” î ǁnâuǃāba sa ǀgū ǀaokhoeb ase ǀonǂgai. 5 Nēs ge ǁgoeǃnâ tarasa xu nî sâu tsi tsî ǂgaeǂhapuxa ǀai-aos di ǂkhanu mîde xu.
ǂGaeǂhapu-aos
6 Ti oms mûǂuidaosa xu ta ge kō, 7 o ta ge ǂan-e ūhâ tama ǂkham khoegu ǁaegu, ǁnâuǃāoǃnâ ǂkham khoeba ge mû. 8 ǁÎb ge tarekhoes ra hâ ǁhôas ǀgūse ǃkharu tsî ǁîs hâǃkhaisǀî garu daob ai ge ǃgû. 9 Nēs ge ǃuikarab aisa, tsuxuǃkhaenab ra tsēsa ǃgū-ai ǁaeb ai. 10 Tsî mû, tarekhoes ge ǁîba ra ǀhao-ū, ǀai-aos khami ana tsî ǂgaeǂhapus ǀapede ūhâsa. 11 ǁÎs ge ǂkhupixa tsî a mâǃoaxa; ǁîs ǂaira ge oms âs ǃnâ a hâ ǁoa; 12 nēsi ǃganni ǃnâ, nēsi ǂharuguǃkhaib ai tsî mâ ǁhôas ǃganni dis hoas tawas ge ra ǃâuǁgoe. 13 ǁÎs ge ǁîba ǁnamǂgā tsî ra ǁoa, tsî ǁîba tao-oǃnâse mûra ǃnâ kō tsî ra mî: 14 “Ti ǁguibade ta ge nî ǁguiba, tsî ta ge nētse ti mîmâide go dīǀoaǀoa. 15 ǁNā-amaga ta ge satsa ta nî ǀhao-ūse go hā, ǁkhorexase ta ge goro ôa tsi tsî go ǀhao-ū tsi. 16 Ti kharoba ta ge Egipteb di tsaura lapib, ǂguiǃnâgu ǀûga ūhâb ǀkha go ǀgâi-ai. 17 Ti kharoba ta ge mire-i, aukore-i tsî kanel-i tsîn ǀkha go tsoro-ai, ǃgâiseb nî hamse. 18 Hā îm ǁgoas kōse ǀnamma ǀhuru; am ǀnammi ǃnâ ǁgoe-ūgu tsî ǃgâiǃgâisen, 19 ti aob oms tawa a ǀkhai xuige; ǁîb ge ǃnū daoba ǃgû hâ. 20 ǁÎb ge ǁgarubǀoa mariba go ūsao tsî ǀoasa ǁkhâb khaoǃgâ ǀgui nî oahā.” 21 ǁÎs di ǂgaeǂhapuxa mîdi ǀkhas ge ǁîb ǂâisa ra ūǁnâ; ǁîs ǂkhanu nams ǀkhas ge ra ǂgaeǂhapu bi. 22 ǁNātimîsib ge ǁîsa ra sao, ǂāheb nîse garu gomab khami tamas ka io, ǁkhamab hîa ǃnuis ǃnâ ra ǃgûǂgâb khami. 23 ǁNāpab ge ǂāba ǂgaob âba ra ǁhâiǃganu; aniro-i hîa ǁnoas ǃnâ ra ǁkhanaǂgâ-i khami, nēs ǁîb di ûiba nî ū ǃkhaisa ǀūse.
24 Ti ôago, nēsi ǃgâ te, î ti mîde ǂōrisase ǃgaoǃgâ. 25 Tāb sa ǂgaoba ǁîsa ǁnāba; tā ǁîs daogu ǃnâ kāǁhapu. 26 ǁÎs ge ǂgui khoega ge ǂgaeǂhapu, ǂgui ǀgaisa aogas ge ge hîkākā. 27 ǁÎs oms tawa sīs ge ǁŌhân Hâǃkhaib tawa sīs khami ī; nēs ge ǃhaese ǁōǃgûs khami ī.
