Jeremiah 44

¹ God follow me talk about all the Israelites wey dey live in Egypt, for city of Migdol, Tahpanhes, and Memphis, and for southern part of the country

² The LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, talk say, “Una don see the destruction wey I bring on top Jerusalem and all other cities of Judah. Even now dem still dey decay, and nobody dey live inside them

³ Because their people don do evil and dem don make me vex. Dem offer sacrifice give other god and dem serve god wey them or you or their ancestor never worship before.

⁴ I continue dey send my servants the prophets, wey tell una make una no do terrible things wey I hate.

⁵ But una no gree listen or pay any attention. Una no gree stop una evil way to dey offer sacrifice give other gods.

⁶ Naso I pour out my anger on top the towns of Judah and on streets of Jerusalem, and I set them on fire. Dem don destroy and dem become horrible sight, as dem dey today.

⁷ “And so I, the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, now ask say why una dey do this kind evil thing to unaselves. Shey una wan bring destruction on top women and men, children and small pikin, so that none of una people go remain?

⁸ Why una dey make me vex as una dey worship idols and dey sacrifice give other gods for here in Egypt, where una don come to live? Shey una just dey do this to destroy unaselves, so that every nation on earth go mock una and use una name as curse?

⁹ Shey una don forget all the wicked things wey una don do in the towns of Judah and on the streets of Jerusalem by una ancestor, by king of Judah and him wives, and by una and una wives?

¹⁰ But una never humble unaselves till today. Una never honour me or live according to the laws wey I don give una and una ancestors.

¹¹ “So then, I, the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, go turn against una and destroy all Judah.

¹² As for people of Judah wey remain and don determine to go dey live for Egypt, I go look the matter and see say all of them perish. All of them, great and small, go die for Egypt, maybe for war or by hunger. Dem go be horrible thing to see, people go mock them and dem go use their name as curse.

¹³ I go punish those wey live for Egypt, just as I don punish Jerusalem – with war, hunger, and disease.

¹⁴ None of people of Judah wey remain and wey don come to Egypt to live go escape or survive. Not even one of them go return to Judah, where dem wan go dey live again. No one go return except few of the people wey war don pursue before.”

¹⁵ Then all the men wey know say their wives don offer sacrifice to other god, and all the women wey dey stand for there, including Israelites wey dey live for southern Egypt -where people plenty - tell me say,

¹⁶ “We no gree listen to wetin you don tell us in the name of God.

¹⁷ We go do everything wey we talk say we go do. We go offer sacrifice give our goddess, the queen of Heaven, and we go pour out wine offering to her, just as we and our ancestors, our king and our leaders, dey do in the town of Judah and for the streets of Jerusalem. That time we get plenty food, we prosper, and we no get trouble.

¹⁸ But ever since we don stop to dey offer sacrifice to the Queen of Heaven and stop to dey pour out wine offering to her, we no get anything, and our people don die for war and die of hunger.”

¹⁹ And the woman also talk say, “When we bake cake in shape of Queen of Heaven, offer her sacrifice, and pour out wine offering give her, our husband agree to wetin wey dey do.”

²⁰ Then I tell all the men and women wey don answer me for this way say,

²¹ “As for the sacrifice wey una and una ancestors, una king, and una leaders, and the people of the land don offer for towns of Judah and for streets of Jerusalem - shey una think say God no know about them or una think say he don forget them?

²² This very day una land don perish and nobody dey live inside am. E don become shock to people and people dey use hin name as a curse because God no fit endure una wicked and evil ways again.

²³ This present disaster don come on top una because una don offer sacrifice to other god and una don sin against God as una no dey obey him command.”

²⁴ I tell all the people, especially the women, wetin the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, dey tell people of Judah wey dey live for Egypt:

²⁵ “Both una and una wives don make serious promise to the Queen of Heaven. Una promise say una go offer sacrifice to her and pour out wine offering to her, and una don keep una promise. Very well! Make una keep una promise! Make una carry out una vows!

²⁶ But now make una listen to the vow wey I, the LORD, don make in my mighty name to all you Israelites wey dey Egypt : I no go allow any of una use my name to make vow again by saying, ‘I dey swear by the living Almighty LORD!’

²⁷ I go make sure say una no prosper, but una go perish. All of una go die, una fit die for war or die of disease, until none of una remain.

²⁸ But few of una go escape death and go return from Egypt go Judah. Then the survivors go know the words of who don come true, my own or their own.

²⁹ I, the LORD, go give una proof say I go punish una for this place and say my promise to bring destruction on top una go come true.

³⁰ I go hand over king Hophra of Egypt give him enemy wey wan kill him, just as I don hand over king Zedekiah of Judah give king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia, wey be him enemy wey wan kill him.”