Jeremiah 37

¹ King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia make Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah to replace Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim.

² But Zedekiah and him official and the people no obey the message wey God don give me.

³ King Zedekiah send Jehucal son of Shelemiah and the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah to ask me make I pray to the LORD our God on behalf of the nation.

⁴ Dem never put me for prison and I still dey move around freely among people.

⁵ The Babylonian army don dey attack Jerusalem, but when dem hear say Egyptian army don cross the Egyptian border, dem surrender.

⁶ Then the LORD, the God of Israel, tell me

⁷ Make I tell Zedekiah say, “The Egyptian army don dey come to help una, but dem go return home.

⁸ Then the Babylonians go come back, attack the city, capture am, and burn am down.

⁹ I, the LORD, warn una make una no deceive unaselves to dey think say the Babylonians no go come back, because dem go come back for sure.

¹⁰ Even if una defeat all Babylonian army, so that na only men wey get wound wey dey lie down for their tent remain, those men go still stand up and burn this city to ground.”

¹¹ The Babylonian army withdraw from Jerusalem because the Egyptain army don dey near.

¹² Naso I start to dey leave Jerusalem and go to territory of Benjamin to take my share of the family property.

¹³ But when I reach Benjamin Gate, the officer wey dey in charge of soldiers on duty for there, the man wey him name be Irijah, son of Shelemiah and grandson of Hananiah, stop me and talk say, “You dey run go Babylonia!”

¹⁴ I answer say, “No be so! I no dey run go.” But Irijah no gree listen to me. Instead, he arrest me and take me go meet the officials.

¹⁵ Dem vex with me and order say make dem beat me and make dem lock me up inside house of Jonathan, the court secretary, dem don turn the whole house to prison.

¹⁶ Dem put me for underground cell and dem keep me there for long time.

¹⁷ Later on king Zedekiah send for me, and he ask me in private inside palace say, “Shey any message dey from God?” I answer say, “Message dey, he talk say dem go carry you give king of Babylonia.”

¹⁸ Then I ask say, “Which crime I don commit against you or your officials or this people, wey make una put me for prison?

¹⁹ Wetin happen to your prophets wey tell you say king of Babylonia no go attack you or the country?

²⁰ And now, your Majesty, I beg you make you listen to me and do wetin I ask. Abeg make you no send me back to the prison for Jonathan house. If you send me, I go die for there.”

²¹ Naso King Zedekiah order say make dem lock me up inside palace courtyard. I stay for there, and each day dem dey give me a loaf of bread from bakeries until all the bread wey dey the city finish.