Ezra 9

¹ After dem don do all this, some leaders of the people of Israel come tell me say people, the priests, and the Levites never separate themselves from the people wey dey the countries of Ammon, Moab, and Egypt or from the Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Jebusites, and Amorites wey dey around them. Dem dey do bad things wey those people do.

² Jewish men dey marry foreign women, and holy people of God don become unclean. Na the leaders and official dey commit the offence pass.

³ When I hear am, I take vex tear my clothes, I commot hair from my beard, and I con siddon in sorrow. And I dey vex

⁴ I sit down for there dey cry until e don reach the time to offer evening sacrifice, and people start to dey gather around me - all those wey dey fear because of wetin the God of Israel don talk about the sins of those wey don return from foreign land.

⁵ When e reach time for evening sacrifice, I stand up for where I dey cry, and I still dey wear my clothes wey tear, I knee down for prayers and I stretch my hands to the LORD my God.

⁶ I talk say, "O God, shame dey catch me to raise my head for your presence. Our sins plenty, e high pass our heads; dem high reach heavens.

⁷ We, your people, don sin too much, from the days of our ancestors till now. Because of our sins we, our kings, and our priests don fall into the hands of foreign kings, and dem don slaughter us, rob, and carry us away as prisoners. Shame don catch us totally, as we still dey today.

⁸ Now for a short time, O LORD our God, you don dey kind to us and you don allow some of us escape from slavery and live safe for this holy place. You don free us from slavery and you don give us new life.

⁹ Na slaves we be before, but you no leave us for slavery. You make the emperors of Persia favor us and permit us to go dey live and rebuild your Temple, wey don spoil, and to find safety for here in Judah and Jerusalem.

¹⁰ "But now, O God, wetin we fit talk after all wey don happen? We don disobey the commands again

¹¹ wey you give us through your servants, the prophets. Dem tell us say the land wey we dey go na land wey no pure because the people wey live inside am fill am with bad, dirty actions from one end to another.

¹² Dem tell us say make we no marry those people and make we no help them, if we wan enjoy the land and pass am to our descendants forever.

¹³ Even after everything wey don happen to us in punishment for our sins and, we know say you, our God, don punish us less pass wetin we deserve and you don allow us to survive.

¹⁴ Then how we fit ignore your commandments again and con marry these wicked people? If we do, you go vex so tey you go destroy us completely and you no go allow any one survive.

¹⁵ LORD God of Israel, you be good God, and you still don allow us survive. We dey confess our sin to you; we no get right to come stand for your front."