Jeremiah 2

¹ God tell me say

² Make I proclaim this message on everyone for Jerusalem. “I remember how faithful una be when una dey young, how una love me when we first marry; una follow me through desert, through land wey dem never use for farmland before.

³ Israel, una belong to me alone; una be my holy possession. I send suffering and disaster on top everybody wey hurt una. I, God, don speak/”

⁴ Make una listen to message of God, una descendant of Jacob, una tribe of Israel.

⁵ God talk say: “Which kind accuse una ancestors bring against me? Wetin make dem run from me? Dem worship idols wey no get value and dem become useless themselves.

⁶ Them no care about me, even though I rescue them commot for Egypt and lead them through wilderness: wey be land of desert, dry and dangerous land, where nobody dey live and no one dey even travel.

⁷ I bring them come fertile land, make dem enjoy hin harvest and hin good things. But instead, dem destroy my land: dem make the land wey I don give them unholy.

⁸ The priest no ask, ‘Wey God dey? My own priest no know me. Rulers no obey me; the prophet dey speak in the name of Baal and dey worship useless idols.

⁹ “And so I, God, go state my case against my people again. I go bring charges against their descendant.

¹⁰ Go west to island of Cyprus and send someone go eastward go land of Kedar. Una go see say, this kind thing never happen before.

¹¹ No other nation don change their god before, even though dem no real. But my people don exchange me, the God wey bring honour to them, for the god wey no fit do anything for them.

¹² Naso I command the sky make e shake with horror, to dey amazed and surprised.

¹³ For my people don commit two sin: dem don turn away from me, wey be spring of fresh water and dem don dig reservoir, crack reservoir wey no fit hold water at all.

¹⁴ “Israel no be slave; dem no born am into slavery. Why him enemy con hunt am down?

¹⁵ Dem don shout at him like lion; dem don make his land a desert and don destroy him town, and don abandon am completely.

¹⁶ Yes, those Memphis and Tahpanhes don crack him skull.

¹⁷ Na una bring this on top unaself, Israel! Una leave me, wey be the LORD una God, while I dey lead una along the way

¹⁸ Wetin una think say una go gain if una go Egypt go dring water from Nile? Wetin una think say una go gain if una go Assyria go drink water from Euphrates?

¹⁹ Una own evil go punish una, una turning away from me go condemn una. Una go learn how bitter and wrong e be to abandon me, wey be the LORD una God, and no longer remain faithful to me. I the Almighty God, don speak.”

²⁰ The Almighty God talk say, “Israel, long ago una don reject my authority; una no gree obey and worship me. Una worship fertility god on top every high hill and for under every green tree.

²¹ I plant una like special vine from best seed. But see wetin una don become! Una be like bad, useless vine.

²² Even if una wash with strongest soap, I go still see stain of una sin.

²³ How una fit talk say, una never make unaself unclean, that una never worship Baal? See how una don sin for valley; see wetin una don do. Una be like wild camel on heat, wey don loose and dey run up and down,

²⁴ E dey rush dey go desert, when she dey on heat, who fit control her? No male wey want her go trouble himself; she dey always dey available for mating time.

²⁵ Israel, no make una feet wear out, or make una throat dry from chasing other god. But una talk say, No! I no fit turn back. I don love foreign god and I go run after them.’”

²⁶ God talk say, “Just as dem dey disgrace thief when dem catch am, naso all of una people of Israel go be disgraced - una king and official, una priest and prophet.

²⁷ All of una go be disgraced - una wey talk say tree na una father and rock na una mother. This go happen because una turn away from me instead make una turn to me. But when una dey for trouble, una ask me make I come save una.

²⁸ Where the gods wey una make for unaself? When una dey for trouble, make dem save una - if dem fit! Judah, una get plenty gods as una get cities.

²⁹ Wetin be una complain? Why una don turn against God?

³⁰ I punish una but e no do any good, una no dey allow me make I correct una. Una don kill una prophet like dangerous lion.

³¹ Listen to wetin I dey say, people of Israel. Shey I don be like desert to una, like dark and dangerous land? Why una con talk say una go do as una like, say una no go ever come back to me?

³² Shey young woman dey forget her jewelry, or bride dey forget her wedding dress? But my people don forget me pass days wey person fit count.

³³ Una know to dey chase after lover. Even the worst woman dey learn from una.

³⁴ Blood of the poor and innocent don stain una cloth, no be with blood of burglars. “But upon all this,

³⁵ Una talk say, ‘I be innocent, sure God no dey vex with me again.’ But I, God, go punish una because una deny una sin.

³⁶ Una don make unaself cheap as una dey turn to other god of other nation. Egypt go disappoint una, just as Assyria don disappoint una.

³⁷ Una go turn away from Egypt , hanging una head in shame. I, God, don reject those wey una trust; una no go gain anything from them.”