Proverbs 8

¹ Wisdom dey call out, make una listen! Understanding dey shout for us.

² E dey stand for crossroad and on top hilltops near road.

³ E dey call for the entrance of the city, beside the gates:

⁴ “I dey beg all of una; I dey call everyone on earth.

⁵ Shey una never mature? Make una learn to dey mature. Shey una dey foolish? Make una learn to get sense.

⁶ Make una listen to my wise words; na right thing I dey tell una.

⁷ Wetin I talk na true; I no like lie.

⁸ Everything I talk na true; nothing dey difficult for there.

⁹ E dey clear to people wey get understanding; everything dey clear to people wey get sense.

¹⁰ Make una choose my instruction instead of silver; make una choose knowledge instead of gold wey fine.

¹¹ “I be wisdom, I better pass jewels; nothing wey una fit dey compare with me.

¹² I be wisdom, and I get understanding; I get knowledge and I get sound judgement.

¹³ To honor God na to hate evil; I hate pride and strong-head, I hate evil ways and lies.

¹⁴ I dey make plans and carry them out. I get understanding, and I dey strong.

¹⁵ I dey help kings dey rule and I dey help rulers to dey make good laws.

¹⁶ Na my help every ruler for earth dey take rule, even official and richmen too.

¹⁷ I love those wey love me; anybody wey look for me fit find me.

¹⁸ I get riches and honor to give, and even prosperity and success to give.

¹⁹ Wetin una get from me better pass gold wey fine pass, e better pass silver wey pure pass.

²⁰ I dey waka for way of righteousness; I dey follow the way of justice,

²¹ I dey give wealth to those wey love me, I dey fill their house with treasures.

²² “Na me God create first among all, na me be the first of him work, long ago.

²³ Na for the very beginning he don make me, for the first, before the world don begin.

²⁴ Dem don born me before the oceans, when springs of water no dey.

²⁵ Dem don born me before the mountains, before the hills don dey in place.

²⁶ When God never make earth, or fields or part of dust of the world wey high pass.

²⁷ I dey there when he dey set up the sky, and when he dey draw circle inside oceans to make place for the land.

²⁸ I dey there when he dey place the cloud for sky, when he dey open the springs of ocean,

²⁹ And command the water of the sea say make e no rise pass as he don talk. I dey there when he dey lay foundations of the earth.

³⁰ I dey beside him like architect, I be him everyday source of joy, always happy for him presence-

³¹ I dey always dey happy with the world and human race.

³² “Now, young people, make una listen to me. Make una do as I talk, and una go dey happy.

³³ Make una listen to wetin dem teach una and get wisdom; no abandon wetin I don talk.

³⁴ Those wey listen to me go dey happy - those wey stay for my door everyday, wey dey wait for entrance to my house.

³⁵ Those wey find me find life, and God go dey happy with them.

³⁶ Those wey no find me dey hurt themselves; anyone wey hate me dey love death.”