Jeremiah 42

¹ Then all the army leaders, with Johanan son of Kareah and Azariah son of Heshaiah, come with people of every class.

² And tell me say, “Abeg do wetin we ask you! Pray to the LORD our God for us. Pray for all of us wey don survive. We plenty before, but now na few of us remain, as you dey see am.

³ Pray make the LORD our God show us the way we go follow and wetin we suppose do.”

⁴ I answer say, “Very well. I go pray to the LORD our God, just as una don ask, and anything wey he talk, I go tell una. I no go keep anything away from una.”

⁵ Then dem tell me say, “Make God be true and faithful witness against us if we no obey all the commands wey the LORD our God give you make you give us.

⁶ Whether e please us or e no please us, we go obey the LORD our God, him wey we dey talk say make you pray to. All go dey well with us if we obey him.”

⁷ Ten days later God follow me talk;

⁸ Naso I call Johanan, all the army wey dey with him, and all other people together.

⁹ I tell them say, “The LORD, God of Israel, wey una send me make I go ask talk say,

¹⁰ “If una wan continue to dey live in this land, then I go build una up and I no go tear una down; I go plant una and no go pull una up. The destruction wey I bring on top una don bring me great sorrow.

¹¹ Make una stop to dey fear king of Babylonia. I dey with una, and I go rescue una from him power.

¹² Because I dey merciful, I go make him get mercy on una and he go allow una go back home. I, the LORD, don talk.’

¹³ “But make una people wey remain for Judah no disobey the LORD una God and make una no refuse to dey live in this land.

¹⁴ Make una no say, “No, we go move and live for Egypt, where we no go face war anymore or hear call to battle or go hungry.’

¹⁵ If una say this, then the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel talk say, “If una don determine to go dey live for Egypt,

¹⁶ Then the war wey una dey fear go overtake una, and the hunger wey una fear go follow una, and una go die for Egypt.

¹⁷ All the people wey deternine say dem wan go dey live for Egypt go die for war or hunger or disease. No one of them go survive, no one of them go escape the disaster wey I go bring on them.’

¹⁸ “The LORD, God of Israel talk say, “Just as I pour out my anger on top people of Jerusalem, naso I go pour out my anger on top una if una go Egypt. People go shock when dem see una, people go mock una and dem go use una name as curse. Una no go ever see this place again.’”

¹⁹ Then I continue, “The LORD don tell you people wey remain for Judah make una no go to Egypt. And so I dey warn una now say

²⁰ Una dey make big mistake. Una ask me say make I pray to the LORD our God for una, and una promise say una go do eveything wey he command.

²¹ And now I don tell una, but una dey disobey everything wey the LORD our God send me to tell una.

²² So, make una remember this: una go die for war or hunger or disease in the land wey una wan go and live.”