Proverbs 22

¹ If you suppose choose between good name and great wealth, make you choose good name.

² Na the rich and the poor get this in common: na God make both of them.

³ People wey get sense go see trouble dey come and dem go escape am, but person wey no dey think go waka go inside am and he go regret am later.

⁴ Obey God, be humble, and you go get riches, honor, and long life.

⁵ If you love your life, make you stay away from the traps wey dey catch the wicked along the way.

⁶ Teach children how dem suppose dey live, and dem go remember am all their lives.

⁷ Poor people na slave to the rich. Borrow money and you be slave to the person wey borrow you.

⁸ If you dey plant seeds of corruption, na disaster go grow up and your oppression of others go stop.

⁹ Make you dey generous and share your food with the poor. You go get blessing for that.

¹⁰ Free proud person wey dey laugh at right thing, and then argument no go dey, quarrelling no go dey, or to dey call names no go dey.

¹¹ If you love pure heart and kind words, the king go be your friend.

¹² God dey see say the truth dey safe to dey deny words of the people wey dey lie.

¹³ Lazy people dey stay at home; dem talk say lion fit get them if dem go out.

¹⁴ Adultery na trap- e dey catch those wey God dey vex for.

¹⁵ Children dey do silly, careless things naturally, but a good slap go teach them how to behave.

¹⁶ You go become poor, if you dey give gift to rich people or you dey oppress the poor to become rich.

¹⁷ Hear me well, and I go teach you wetin the wise don talk. Make you study their teachings

¹⁸ And you go dey happy if you remember them and get them ready when you need them.

¹⁹ I wan make you put your trust in God; na why I go teach you these things now.

²⁰ I don write down thirty sayings for you. Na knowledge and good advice dey for there,

²¹ And dem go tell you wetin truth really be. Then when dem send you say make you find out something, you go come back with the right answer.

²² No take advantage of the poor just because you fit take am; no take advantage of those wey no get help for court.

²³ God go argue their case for them and he go threaten the life of anyone wey threaten their lives.

²⁴ No make friends with people wey get hot, violent tempers.

²⁵ If you do, you fit learn to be like them. Then you go get the same problem wey dem get.

²⁶ No promise to dey responsible for another person debts.

²⁷ If you no fit pay, dem go even take your bed away.

²⁸ No move the mark of the old boundary wey your ancestors don establish.

²⁹ Skilled workers go always serve kings. Dem no go ever need to work for person wey no dey important.