Solomon Im Proverbs

Na collection of wise talk for everyday life—about how person dey talk, work, money, friendship, and the fear of the LORD wey be the beginning of all wisdom. Na practical teaching wey papa dey give im pikin.

Chapter 1.

Di proverbs of Solomon, son of David, king of Israel:

To sabi wisdom and correction, to understand words wey get sense, to collect correction for wise living, for correct-and-holy way, for justice, and for fairness, to give sense to person wey no sabi, knowledge and mind wey dey watch road to di young ones, make di wise person too hear and grow for learning, and make di person wey understand gain direction, to understand proverb and parable, di words of di wise people and dia hard-hard sayings.

To fear our Papa na di beginning of knowledge; foolish people dey despise wisdom and correction.

One Papa Voice to Im Son

Hear, my son, your papa im correction, and no turn comot from your mama im teaching, because dem be fine crown for your head and beads for your neck.

My son, if sinners dey pull you go bad, no gree. If dem talk say, “Come with us, make we hide dey wait for blood, make we ambush innocent person for nothing; like grave make we swallow dem alive, and complete, like people wey dey go down inside pit; we go find all kind precious property, we go fill our houses with di things wey we thief; put your own share join us; all of us go share one purse,” my son, no waka for di road with dem; hold your leg back from dia paths, because dia legs dey run go bad thing, and dem dey rush to pour blood. Because net wey dem spread for front of any bird eye no dey catch anything; but dis ones dey hide dey wait for dia own blood; dem dey ambush dia own life. Na so di ways of everybody wey greedy for gain wey no correct be; e dey carry di life of di ones wey get am comot.

Wisdom for di Streets

Wisdom dey shout loud for di street; for di open squares she dey raise her voice. For di head of di noisy streets she dey call out; for di entrance of di city gates she dey talk:

“How long, una wey no sabi, una go love to dey without sense? How long mockers go dey enjoy dia mocking and foolish people go dey hate knowledge? If una answer my correction, Me, Wisdom, go pour my spirit on una; I go make my words known to una. ^a Because I don call and una refuse, I stretch out my hand and nobody pay attention, and una ignore all my advice and reject all my correction, Me too go laugh when trouble catch una; I go mock when fear come rush una, when fear rush una like storm and una trouble come like whirlwind, when suffer and pain come fall on una.

Den dem go call me, but I no go answer; dem go look for me well-well but dem no go find me, because dem hate knowledge and dem no choose to fear our Papa, dem reject my advice and despise all my correction. So dem go chop di fruit of dia own way and belle-full with dia own plans. Because di wayward-wayward of di people wey no sabi go kill dem, and di careless mind of foolish people go destroy dem; but whoever dey hear me go stay safe and rest, without fear of any disaster.”