Jeremiah 29

¹ I con write letter to the priests, the prophets, the leaders of the people, and all others wey Nebuchadnezzar don take away as prisoners from Jerusalem go Babylonia.

² I write am after dem don take king Jehoiachin, him mother, palace official, leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftmen, and the skilled workmen go foreign land.

³ I carry the letter give Elasah son of Shaphan and Gemariah son of Hilkiah, wey king Zedekiah of Judah dey send to king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia. E talk say:

⁴ “The LORD Almighty, the God of Israel tell all the people wey he allow Nebuchadnezzar to take away as prisoner from Jerusalem go Babylonia say:

⁵ ‘Make una build houses and settle down. Make una plant garden and chop wetin una don grow in them.

⁶ Make una marry and get children. Then let your chilfren marry, so that dem fit get children too. Una must increase in number and not decrease.

⁷ Work for good of the cities where I don make una go as prisioners. Make una pray on their behalf, because if dem prosper, una go prosper too.

⁸ I, the LORD, the God of Israel, warn una make una no allow the prophet wey dey live among una deceive una or any others wey dey claim say dem fit tell the future. Make una no pay attention to their dreams.

⁹ Dem dey use my name lie to una. I no send them. I, the LORD Almighty, don talk.’

¹⁰ God talk say, “When seventy years of Babylonia don finish, I go show una my concern and I go keep my promise to bring una back home.

¹¹ Na only me know the plans wey I get for una, plan to bring una blessings and no be disaster, plans to bring the future wey una dream about.

¹² Then una go call on me. Una go come and pray to me, and I go answer una.

¹³ Una go look for me and una go see me because una go look for me with all una heart.

¹⁴ Yes, I talk say, una go find me, and I go bring una back to una land. I go gather una from every country and from every place wey I don scatter una, and I go bring una back to the land wey I don send una away go foreign country. I, the LORD, don talk.”

¹⁵ “Una talk say God don give una prophet for Babylonia.

¹⁶ Make una listen to wetin God talk about the king wey dey rule the kingdom wey David don rule before and about the people of this city, wey be una relative wey dem no take away as prisioner with una.

¹⁷ Almighty God talk say, “I dey bring war, hunger, and disease on them, and I go make them be like fig wey don spoil wey nobody fit eat.

¹⁸ I go pursue them with war, hunger, and disease, and all nation of the earth go fear wetin dem see. Everywhere wey I scatter them fear and shock go grip people for wetin don happen to them. People go laugh them and use their name as curse.

¹⁹ This go happen to them because dem no gree obey the message wey I dey send to them through my servants the prophets. Dem no gree listen.

²⁰ All of una wey I send go foreign country for Babylonia, make una listen to werin I, the LORD, talk.’

²¹ “The LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, don talk about Ahab son Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, wey dey use him name lie to una. He don talk say he go hand them over to the power of king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia, wey go kill them for una front.

²² When people wey dem take away as prisoner from Jerusalem go Babylonia wan bring curse on someone, dem go say, “God go treat you like Zedekiah and Ahab, wey king of Babylonia roast alive!’

²³ Naso dem go die because dem dey guilty of terrible sin – dem don commit adultery and use name of God lie. This dey against the will of God; he know wetin dem don do, and him na witness against them. God don don talk.”

²⁴ The LORD Almighty, the God of Israel give me message for Shemiah of Nehelam,

²⁵ wey don send letter in him own name to all people of Jerusalem and to the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah and to all other priest. Shemaiah write to Zephaniah for this letter say:

²⁶ “God don make you priest in place of Jehoiada, and now you be the chief official in the Temple. Na your duty to see say you chain every madman wey dey pretend to be prophet with iron collar round him neck.

²⁷ Why you never do this to Jeremiah of Anathoth, wey don dey follow the people talk as a prophet?

²⁸ You must stop him because he don tell people for Babylonia say dem go be prisioner there for long time and make dem build houses, settle down, plant garden, and chop wetin dem grow.”

²⁹ Zephaniah con read the letter to me,

³⁰ And then God tell me

³¹ Make I send this message about Shemaiah to all prisioners for babylonia: “I, the LORD go punish Shemaiah and all him descendant. I no send him, but he follow una talk like say him be prophet, and he make una believe lie.

³² He no go get descendant among una. He no go live to see the good things wey I go do for my people, because he tell them make dem disobey me. I, the LORD, don talk.”