Pledge and Promise Wey Person Make

Four warning wey no connect. Comot from quick guarantee wey you stand for your neighbor sharp-sharp. Look ant if you no fit comot for bed. Watch out for troublemaker wey dey wink and dey signal. Seven things wey our Papa hate. Then adultery again, like fire wey person carry inside im shirt.

Chapter 6.

My pikin, if you don stand as guarantor for your neighbour, if you don shake hand as pledge for stranger, na di words wey comot for your mouth don trap you, na di words for your mouth don catch you. Den do dis one, my pikin, and free yourself, because you don enter your neighbour hand now: go, humble yourself, and beg your neighbour well well. No let sleep enter your eye, no let slumber touch your eyelid. Free yourself like gazelle wey comot for hand, like bird wey comot for di hand of di person wey dey set trap.

Go meet di ant, you lazy person; look how e dey do im tin and learn sense. Even as e no get any chief, or officer, or ruler, e dey prepare im food for dry season and dey gather im chop for harvest time.

How long you go lie down for there, you lazy person? Wetin time you go wake up from your sleep? Small sleep, small slumber, small folding of hand to rest, and poverty go come meet you like robber, and lack go come like man wey carry weapon.

Person wey no get use, wicked man, dey waka up and down with crooked mouth, e dey wink im eye, e dey signal with im leg, e dey point with im finger, with heart wey don spoil e dey plan bad tin, e dey sow quarrel all di time; na why trouble go come meet am sharp sharp; for one moment e go break finish wey no fit heal again.

Six tins dey wey our Papa hate, seven tins wey e no fit stand at all: eye wey full of pride, tongue wey dey lie, and hand wey dey pour innocent blood, heart wey dey plan wicked tin, leg wey dey hurry run go do bad tin, false witness wey dey breathe out lie, and person wey dey sow quarrel among brothers.

Your Papa Words, Na Your Shield

My pikin, keep your papa commandment, and no throway your mama teaching. Tie dem for your heart all di time; hang dem for your neck. When you dey waka, dem go lead you; when you lie down, dem go watch over you; and when you wake up, dem go talk with you. Because di commandment na lamp and di teaching na light, and di correction wey dey teach sense na di way of life, to keep you far from di bad woman, from di sweet mouth of di woman wey dey commit adultery.

No hunger for her fine face for your heart, and no let her catch you with di way she dey blink her eye; because di price of ashawo na just one loaf of bread, but married woman dey hunt down precious life. Person fit carry fire put for im chest and im cloth no go burn? Abi person fit waka for hot coal and im feet no go burn? Na so e be for di man wey dey sleep with im neighbour wife;

People no dey despise thief if e thief to satisfy imsef when hunger dey catch am, but if dem catch am, e go pay seven times; e go give all di property for im house. Man wey dey commit adultery no get sense; di person wey dey do am dey destroy imself. E go get wound and shame, and di disgrace wey e get no go clean comot.

Because jealousy dey make man vex well well, and e no go show mercy for di day of pay-back. E no go collect any settlement; e go refuse am no matter how big di bribe be.