Jeremiah 16

¹ God speak to me again and talk say,

² “Make you no marry or get children for this kind place.

³ I go tell you wetin go happen to the children wey dem born here and their parents.

⁴ Na terrible disease go kill them and nobody go mourn them or bury them. Their body go lie for ground like fertilizer. Na for war dem go die or make hunger kill them, and their body go be food for bird and wild animal.

⁵ “Make you no enter house where dem dey mourn. Make you no mourn for anybody. I no go bless my people with peace or show them love and mercy again.

⁶ The rich and poor go die for this land, but nobody go bury or mourn them. But no one go cut himself or shave him head to show say he dey mourn.

⁷ No one go eat or drink with anyone to comfort am when the person wey he love die. Nobody go pity am, no be even for person wey don lost him father and mother.

⁸ No enter a house where people dey chop and flex. Make you no siddon with them to dey eat and drink.

⁹ Listen to wetin I, the LORD, Almighty, God of Israel, wan say. I go stop sound of joy, gladness, and happiness sound for wedding party. The people wey dey here go live to see this thing happen.

¹⁰ “When you tell them all this, dem go ask you why I punish them so bad like this. Dem go ask you say wetin be their crime and which kind sin dem don commit against the LORD their God.

¹¹ Then tell them God don say, “Una ancestor turn against me and dem start to dey worship and serve other gods. Dem abandon me and dem no obey my teachings.

¹² But una don even worse pass una ancestor. All of una get strong head and una be evil, and una no obey me.

¹³ So then, I go throw una out of this land go a land wey una or una ancestor no know before. And una go serve other gods day and night for there, and I no go show mercy on una.’”

¹⁴ God talk say, “The time dey come when people no go swear by me as the living God wey bring people of Israel commot for land of Egypt.

¹⁵ Instead, dem go dey swear by me as the living God, wey bring people of Israel commot for northern land and out of other countries wey I don scatter them. I go bring them come back their own country, the land wey I give their ancestors. I, the LORD, don talk.”

¹⁶ God talk say, “I dey call plenty fishermen make dem come con catch these people. Then I go send for plenty hunter make dem hunt them down on top every mountain and hill and inside cave among rocks.

¹⁷ I see everything wey dem do. Nothing dey hide from me; I dey see all their sin.

¹⁸ I go make them pay double for their sin and wickedness, because dem don make my land unclean with idol wey no get life like dead body, and dem don fill am with their false gods.”

¹⁹ God, na you be the one wey dey protect me and give me strength; you dey help me when I dey for trouble. Nation go come to you from end of the earth and talk say, “Our ancestors no get anything pass false god, dem no get anything pass useless idols.

²⁰ Shey people fit make their own gods? No, if dem do, dem no go be gods for real.”

²¹ So, God talk say, “Once and for all I go make nations know my power and my strenght; dem go know say I be the LORD.”