Jeremiah 23

¹ God judgement go dey terrible on those rulers wey destroy and scatter him people!

² Na wetin the LORD, God of Israel talk about the rulers wey suppose take care of him people be this: “Una never take care of my people; una don scatter them and drive them away. Now I go punish una for the evil wey una don do.

³ I go gather the rest of my people from the land wey I don scatter them, and I go bring them come back their homeland. Dem go get plenty children and increase in number.

⁴ I go appoint rulers to take care of them. My people no go fear again, and I no go punish them again. I, the LORD, don talk.”

⁵ God talk say, “The time dey come when I go chose a righteous descendant of David as king. That king go rule with wisdom and do wetin dey right and good throughout the land.

⁶ When he be king, the people of Judah go dey safe, and the people of Israel go dey live in peace. Dem go call him “The LORD our salvation.’

⁷ God talk say, “The time dey come, when people no go dey swear by me as the living God wey bring people of Israel out of the land of Egypt again.

⁸ Instead, dem go dey swear by me as the living God wey bring people of Israel out of a northern land and out of other countries where I don scatter the. Then dem go live in their own land.”

⁹ My heart don break and I dey shake. Because of God, because of him holy word, I be like man wey don high, a man wey don drink too much wine.

¹⁰ The land dey full of people wey no dey faithful to God; dem dey live wicked lives and dem dey misuse their power. The grass don dry and the land dey mourn because God don curse am.

¹¹ God talk say, “The prophet and the priest no get god; I don see them dey do evil for inside Temple self.

¹² The way wey dem dey follow go dey slippery and dark; I go make them stagger and fall. I go bring disaster on them; the time of their punishment dey come. I, the LORD, don talk.

¹³ I don see the sin of Samaria prophets: dem don speak in the name of Baal and dem don mislead my people.

¹⁴ But I don see prophet for Jerusalem dey do bad pass them: dem dey commit adultery and dem dey lie; dem dey help people to do wrong, so that nobody go stop to dey do evil. To me, all of them be bad people like people of Sodom and Gomorrah.

¹⁵ “So, na wetin I, the LORD Almighty, say about prophet of Jerusalem be this: I go give them bitter plant make dem chop and give them poison make dem drink, dem don spread ungodliness throughout the land.”

¹⁶ Almighty God tell people of Jerusalem say, “Make una no listen to wetin the prophet dey say; dem dey give una hope wey no real. Na wetin dem dey think for their mind dem dey tell una, no be wetin I don say..

¹⁷ To the people wey no gree listen to wetin I say, dem dey talk say all go dey well with them. And dem dey tell everyone wey get strong head say disaster no go ever touch him.”

¹⁸ I talk say, “None of these prophets know wetin God dey think for secret. None of them don hear or understand him message, or don listen or pay attention to wetin he dey say before.

¹⁹ Him anger na storm, a terrible wind wey go blow off the head of the wicked,

²⁰ And e no go end until he don finish everything wey e wan do. In days to come him people go understand this clearly.”

²¹ God talk say, “I no send these prophets, but dem go on their own. I no give them any message, but still dem dey speak in my name.

²² If dem know wetin I dey think for secret, then dem for don give my message to my people and dem for don make them stop to dey do evil and stop the wicked things wey dem dey do.

²³ “I be God wey dey for everywhere and no be for one place only.

²⁴ No one fit hide for place where I no go see him. Shey una no know say I dey everywhere for heaven and on top earth?

²⁵ I know wetin those prophet don say who dey lie in my name and dey talk say I don give them my message for their dream.

²⁶ How long those prophet go mislead my people with lie wey dem don create?

²⁷ Dem think say the dream wey dem tell go make my people forget me, just as their ancestor forget me and turn to Baal.

²⁸ Make prophet wey don dream talk say na only dream, but make the prophet wey don hear my message talk am truly. Shey na good thing to compare straw with wheat?

²⁹ My message na like fire, and like hammer wey dey break rock to pieces.

³⁰ I dey against those prophet wey take each other words and announce them shey na my message.

³¹ I also dey against those prophet wey dey speak their own word and claim say dem come from me.

³² Make una listen to wetin I, the LORD, dey say! I dey against those prophet wey dey tell their dreams wey dey full of lies. Dem tell these dreams and mislead my people with their lie and their pride. I no send them or order them shey make dem go, and dem no dey useful to the people at all. I, the LORD, don talk.”

³³ God tell me say, “Jeremiah, when of my people or prophet or priest ask you say, “Wetin be the message of God?’ make you tell them say, ‘ Una be burden to God, and he go destroy una.’

³⁴ If any of my people or prophet or priest even use the word say ‘burden of God,’ I go punish them and their family.

³⁵ Instead, make dem ask their friend and relative say, ‘Wetin be answer wey God don give?’

³⁶ So make dem no use the word ‘burden of God’ again, because if anyone use am, I go make my message be real burden to him. The people don twist the word of their God, the living God, the LORD Almighty.

³⁷ Jeremiah, ask the prophet say, ‘Wetin be the answer wey God give you? Wetin the LORD talk?’

³⁸ And if them disobey me and con use the word ‘burden of God’, then tell them say I go pick them up for sure

³⁹ and I go throw them far away from me, both them and the city wey I give them and their ancestors.

⁴⁰ I go bring everlasting shame on them and disgrace wey them no go ever forget.”