Jeremiah 3

¹ God say, if man divorce him wife, and she leave am and become another man wife, he no fit take her back. This go make the land unclean completely. But, Israel, una don get plenty lover, and now una wan turn back to me!

² Look up for hilltop. Shey any place dey wey una never act like prostitute? Una wait for lovers for roadside, as Arab dey wait for victim for desert. Una don make the land unclean with una prostitution.

³ Na the reason why rain no fall, and spring shower no come. Una even look like prostitute, and una no shame.

⁴ “And now, una tell me say, “You be my father, and you don love me ever since I be pikin.

⁵ You no go always dey vex; You no go vex with me forever.’ Na wetin una talk be this, Israel, but una do all evil wey una fit do.”

⁶ When Josiah be king, God tell me say, “Shey una don see wetin Israel, that woman wey no dey faithful, don do? She don turn away from me, and she don act like prostitute on top high hill and for under every green tree.

⁷ I think say after she don do all this, she go surely turn back to me. But she no turn back and her sister Judah wey no dey faithful see everything.

⁸ Judah also see say I divorce Israel and send her away because she don turn from me and she don become prostitute. But Judah, wey be Israel unfaithful sister, no fear. She too become prostitute

⁹ And she no shame at all. She make the land unclean, she dey commit adultery by worshipping stones and trees.

¹⁰ After all this, Judah, wey be Israel unfaithful sister, only dey pretend to me, she no dey sincere. I, the Almighty God, don talk.”

¹¹ Then God tell me say, even though Israel don turn away from him, she don prove better pass Judah we no dey faithful.

¹² He tell me make I go tell Israel say, “Unfaithful Israel, make una come back to me. I dey merciful and I no go vex; I no go vex with una forever.

¹³ Only agree say una dey guilty and say una don rebel against the LORD, una God. Make una confess say una don give foreign god una love for under every green tree and that una never obey my command, I, God, don speak.

¹⁴ Make una come back, una belong to me ‘Unfaithful people.’ I go take one of una from each town and I go take two from each clan, and I go bring una come back Mount Zion.

¹⁵ I go give una rulers wey obey me, and dem go rule una with wisdom amd understanding.

¹⁶ Then when una don plenty for that land, people no go talk about my covenant box again. Dem no go think about am or remember am; dem no go even need am, or dem no go make another one.

¹⁷ When that time come, dem go dey call Jerusalem “God throne,’ and all nation go gather for there to worship me. Dem no go do wetin their stubborn and evil heart tell them again.

¹⁸ Israel go join Judah, and them go come from foreign country together from country for north and go return go land wey I give una ancestor as permanent possession.”

¹⁹ God talk say, I wan accept una as my pikin and give una good land, the land wey beautiful pass for world. I wan make una call me father, and make una no run from me again.

²⁰ But like wife wey no dey faithful, una never dey faithful to me. I, God, don talk.”

²¹ Dem hear noise from hill top, na people of Israel dey cry and beg, because dem don live sinful live and don forget the LORD their God.

²² Return, all of una wey don turn away from God; he go heal una and go make una dey faithful. Una talk say, “Yes, we dey come to God, because he be our God.

²³ All our pagan worship for hilltop no help us. Israel help dey only come from the LORD our God.

²⁴ But worship of Baal, god of shame, don make us lose flocks and herd, son and daughter - everything wey our ancestor don work for since ancient time.

²⁵ Make we lie down in shame and make our disgrace cover us. We and our ancestors dey always sin against the LORD our God, we no dey ever obey him command.”