My Pikin, Give Me Your Heart
Table manners, but something wey hard pass dey under am. Shine your eye for ruler im sweet food, and no tire yourself dey chase money wey go grow wing fly comot. E end with picture of drunkard wey dem beat but e no feel am, wey wake up only to find another drink.
23 1When you sidon to chop food with big-man wey dey rule, look wetin dey your front well-well, 2and put knife for your throat if na person wey belle dey control. 3No hungry im sweet-sweet chop, because na chop wey dey deceive person.
4No kill yourself to become rich; get sense to hold yourself back. 5The moment wey you look money, e don comot, because e dey grow wing sharp-sharp and fly go heaven like eagle.
6No chop di bread of stingy man, and no hungry im sweet-sweet chop, 7because na di kind man wey dey always count wetin e cost. E dey tell you say, “Chop and drink!” but im heart no dey with you. 8You go vomit di small wey you don chop, and you go waste your sweet words.
9No talk make foolish person hear, because e go despise di wisdom of your words.
10No move old boundary stone or enter di farm of pikin wey no get papa, 11because di One wey dey redeem dem strong; our Papa go fight their case against you. a a v11 When person do bad to di orphan wey no get anybody to defend am, our Papa imself go become the one wey dey defend am and go take their case as im own.
12Give your heart to correction, and give your ears to words of knowledge.
13No hold back correction from pikin; if you flog am with cane, e no go die. 14Flog am with cane, and you go save im soul from grave.
15My pikin, if your heart get wisdom, my own heart go happy too. 16The inside-inside of my belle go rejoice when your mouth talk wetin correct.
17No make your heart envy sinners, but continue to fear our Papa the whole day long. 18For true, tomorrow dey, and your hope no go cut.
19Hear, my pikin, and get wisdom, and keep your heart for di correct road. 20No dey among people wey dey drunk with wine or people wey dey chop meat too much, 21because di drunkard and di person wey dey chop anyhow go come poor, and sleep-sleep go dress dem with rag.
22Listen to your papa, wey born you, and no despise your mama when she don old. 23Buy truth and no sell am; buy wisdom, correction, and understanding. 24Di papa of correct-and-holy pikin go rejoice well-well; whoever born pikin wey get wisdom go take joy for am. 25Make your papa and mama happy; make di woman wey born you rejoice.
26My pikin, give me your heart, and make your eyes take joy for my ways. 27For prostitute na deep pit, and woman wey dey commit adultery na narrow well. 28She dey wait like tief and dey lead plenty men into unfaithful ways.
29Who get suffer-suffer? Who get sorrow? Who get quarrel? Who get complain? Who get wound wey no get reason? Who get eye wey red? 30Na people wey dey tey for wine side, people wey dey go taste bowl of mix wine. 31No dey look wine when e red, when e dey shine for cup and dey go down smooth. 32For di end e dey bite like snake and dey sting like viper. 33Your eyes go see strange things, and your heart go talk crooked things. 34You go be like person wey dey lie down for di middle of di sea, like person wey dey lie down for di top of ship pole. 35“Dem beat me, but I no feel pain; dem flog me, but I no know. When I go wake? I go find anoda drink.”
