Proverbs Chapter 6

Warning Make You No Be Mugu

1. My son, if you don stand as guarantor for
   your padi, if you don agree to be guarantor
   for jjc,
2. if wetin you tok don hold-you-for-work,
   or your mouth don catch you,
3. make you do dis tin my son, and free
   yoursef—becos you don fall inside your padi
   hand. Go, con humble yoursef. Beg your
   padi!
4. No close your eyes con sleep, no let sleep
   carry you go.
5. Free yoursef, like bush- meat from hunter
   hand, and like bird from hunter hand.
6. Chai lazy man; go meet ant, reason dem and make you get- sense!
7. Dem no get oga, chairman, or oba wey dey
   rule dem,
8. but dem dey keep dia food for dry season,
   and dem dey gada dia food for harvest.
9. How long you go dey sleep, chai lazy
   man? Wen you go stand up from your sleep?
10. Make I sleep small, make I chill small,
    make I fold my hand rest small—
11. and poverty go come meet you like tiff,
    and your bills go hook you like armed
    robber.
12. Useless pesin and wicked man dey waka
    about wit bad-mouth,
13. he dey cut bad-eyes, he dey use leg give
    sign, and he dey point wit hin finger.
14. Wuru-wuru dey for hin heart, he dey
    always plan evil, and he dey always cos
    kwanta.
15. Naso wahala go just carry am go sharp-
    sharp; kpakpakpa he go scata and notin go fit
    save am again.
16. Na six tins Baba-God no-like;
    eehn…seven tins na tufiakwa to am:
17. eyes wey dey feel-big, tongue wey dey
    lie, hand wey dey shed innocent blood,
18. heart wey dey plan evil tins, leg wey dey
    sharp-sharp rush enta evil,
19. fake witness wey dey tok lie, and pesin
    wey dey cos kwanta among brodas.
    Warning Make You No Climb Pesin Wife
20. My pikin, keep wetin your papa tell you,
    and no fashi wetin your mama teach you.
21. Tie dem join your heart forever; tie dem
    for your neck.
22. Dem go lead you wen you dey waka; dem
    go watch you wen you dey sleep, wen you
    wake up, dem go reason wit you.
23. Di commandment na lamp, and di law na
    light; and di correction of teaching na di way
    to life,
24. . wey go keep you from
    wicked woman—and from di sweet-
    mouth of ashawo.
25. No trip for her for your heart becos she
    fine, no let her use her eyes hold you for
    work.
26. Ashawo go turn man to bread, and anoda
    man wife go kill am.
27. Abi man fit carry faya for body—wey hin
    cloth no go burn?
28. Abi man fit waka on top of
    charcoal—wey hin leg no go burn?
29. Naso e be for man wey climb anoda man
    wife, Baba-God go punish any-pesin wey
    touch her.
30. Nnaa, make una no hate tiff if he steal
    from you to chop, as hungry dey kill am.
31. But if dem catch am, he must pay seven
    times, even if he go pay wit everitin wey he
    get for hin house.
32. But man wey climb anoda pesin wife no
    get-sense; any-pesin wey do am dey kill hin
    own soul.
33. Wound and disgrace nahin he go get, and
    hin shame no go ever komot.
34. Na jealousy dey make pesin husband
    para, and he no go sorry-for pesin wen he dey
    revenge.
35. He no go gree make you settle am; even
    plenty gift no go fit cool am down.