Jeremiah 4

¹ God talk say, “People of Israel, make una turn to me, if una wan turn. If una dey faithful to me and remove the idols wey I hate,

² E go dey right for una make una swear by my name. Then all the nations go ask me say make I bless them, and dem go praise me.”

³ God tell people of Judah and Jerusalem say, “make una farm una field wey una never farm; make una no sow una seed among thorns.

⁴ Make una keep una covenant with me, una God, and make una dedicate unaself to me, una people of Judah and Jerusalem. If una no do am, my vex go burn like fire because of the evil wey una don do. E go burn and no one go fit stop am.

⁵ “Blow trumpet throughout the land! Make you shout loud and clear! Tell people Judah and Jerusalem make dem run go strong city.

⁶ Make una point way for Zoin! Make una run for safety! Make una no delay! God dey bring disaster and great destruction from north.

⁷ Like lion wey dey come from where hin hide, a destroyer of nation don set out. He dey come to destroy Judah. The city of Judah go destroy and no one go live inside them.

⁸ So make una wear sackcloth, and weep and wail because the anger of God never go away from Judah.

⁹ God talk say, “On that day kings and official go lose their courage; priest go shake and prophet go surprise.”

¹⁰ Then I talk say, “Almighty God, you don deceive people of Jerusalem completely! You don talk say peace go dey, but sword dey their throat.”

¹¹ The time dey come when dem go tell people of Jerusalem say hot wind dey blow towards them from the desert. E no go be gentle wind wey dey only blow seed case away-

¹² The winds wey dey come as God command go dey much stronger pass that one! Na God dey pronounce judgement on top him people.

¹³ Look, the enemy dey come like cloud. Their war chariot be like whirlwind, and their horse fast pass eagle. We don loss! We don enter trouble!

¹⁴ Jerusalem, make una wash the evil from una heart, so that una fit save. How long una go dey think of sin?

¹⁵ Messenger from city of Dan and from hill of Ephraim go announce the bad news.

¹⁶ Dem don come to warn nation and tell Jerusalem say enemy dey come from far away country. These enemy go shout against city of Judah

¹⁷ And dem go surround Jerusalem like men wey dey guard field, because her people don rebel against God. God don talk.

¹⁸ Judah, una don bring this on top unaself by the way wey una don live and by the things wey una don do. Una sin don cause this suffering; e don stab una for heart.

¹⁹ The pain! I no fit bear the pain! My heart! My heart dey beat wildly! I no fit keep quiet; I don hear the trumpet and the shout of battle.

²⁰ One disaster dey follow another; the whole country don destroy. Our tent don destroy suddenly; dem don tear their curtain to pieces.

²¹ How long I go see the battle dey rage and hear blast of trumpet?

²² God say, “My people stupid; dem no know me dem be like foolish children, dem no get understanding. Dem be expert to dey do evil, but failure to dey do good.”

²³ I look the earth- but na barren waste; I look the sky- and light no dey.

²⁴ I look the mountain- but dem dey shake and the hill dey rock to and fro.

²⁵ I see say people no dey; even the birds don fly away.

²⁶ The fertile land don become desert, hin city don destroy, because God dey vex.

²⁷ {God don talk say the whole earth go become wilderness, but say he no go destroy am completely.}

²⁸ The earth go mourn; the sky go turn dark. God don speak, and he no go change him mind. He don make him decision and no go turn back.

²⁹ For the noise of horsemen and bowmen everyone go run away. Some go run go forest, others go climb up among rock. Every town go empty and nobody go live inside them again.

³⁰ Jerusalem, you don enter trouble! Why you put on your best red dress? Why you dey put on jewelry and paint your eyes? Why you dey make yourself beautiful for nothing! Your lovers don reject you and even wan kill you.

³¹ I hear cry, like woman wey dey labour, a scream like woman wey dey bear her first pikin. Na cry of Jerusalem dey try to breathe; stretching out her hand and dey talk say, “I don enter trouble! Dem dey come to kill me!”