Jeremiah 5

¹ People of Jerusalem, make una run through una street! Look around! See for unaself! Make una search the market place! Shey una fit see one person wey dey do right thing and dey try dey faithful to God? If una fit see, then God go forgive Jerusalem.

² Even though una dey claim to worship God, una no mean wetin una say.

³ Surely God dey look for faithfulness. He hit una, but una no pay attention; he crush una, but una no gree learn. Una dey stubborn and no go turn from una sin.

⁴ Then I think say, “These na only poor and ignorant people. Dem dey behave foolishly, them no know wetin their god require, wetin God want make dem do.

⁵ I go con go meet people wey dey power, and I go follow them talk. Surely dem know wetin their God want, and wetin God want make dem do.” But all of them don reject authority of God and no gree obey him.

⁶ Na why lion from forest go kill them be that; wolves from desert go tear dem to pieces and leopard go waka through their town. If those people go out, e go tear them apart because their sin plenty and dem don turn against God time after time.

⁷ God ask say, “Why I go forgive sin of my people? Dey don abandon me and they don worship gods wey no real. I feed my people until dem full, but them commit adultery and spend their with prostitute.

⁸ Dem be like wild horse wey don chop bellefull with wetin he want, each of them wan take him neighbor wife.

⁹ Shey make I no punish them for these things and take revenge on top this kind nation?

¹⁰ I go send enemy make them cut down my people vineyards, but no be to destroy them completely. I go tell them say make dem carry the branches commot, because those branches no be my own.

¹¹ People of Judah and Jerusalem don betray me completely. I, God, don talk.”

¹² People of God don deny him and dey talk say, “He no go really do anything. We no go get hard time, we no go get war or hunger.”

¹³ Dem don talk say prophet no be anything but windbag and say dem no get message from god.

¹⁴ The Almighty God tell me say, “Jeremiah, because these people don say this kind thing, I go make my words dey like fire for your mouth. The people go be like wood, and the fire go burn them.”

¹⁵ People of Israel, God dey bring nation from far make dem attack una, na strong and ancient nation, the nation wey una no sabi their language.

¹⁶ Their bowmen na mighty soldier wey dey kill without mercy.

¹⁷ Dem go destroy una crop and food; dem go kill una sons and daughter. Dem go slaughter una flock and herds and go destroy una vine and fig trees. The army go destroy the strong city wey una trust.

¹⁸ God talk say, “Yet, even on those days I no go destroy my people completely.

¹⁹ When dem ask why I do all these things, tell them, Jeremiah, say, as dem turn away from me and serve foreign god for their own land, naso dem go serve stranger for the land wey no be their own.”

²⁰ God talk say, “Tell descendant of Jacob, and make you tell people of Judah say:

²¹ Pay attention, una foolish and stupid people, wey get eyes, but no fit see, and get ear, but no fit hear.

²² I be God; why una no fear me? Why una no shake before me? I put sand for boundary of sea, a permanent boundary wey the water no fit cross. The sea fit throw go up, but no go fit go beyond am; the wave fit shout, but dem no fit break through.

²³ But you people! Una stubborn and una no dey obey; una don turn aside and una don leave me.

²⁴ Una never think to honour me, even though I send autumn rain and spring rain and give houna harvest season for each year.

²⁵ Instead, una sin don keep these away from una.

²⁶ “Evildoers dey live among my people; dem dey wait like those wey spread their net to catch bird, but na people dem set their trap to catch.

²⁷ Just as hunter fill him cage with birds, naso dem don fill their house with things wey dem steal from people. Na why dem get power and rich.,

²⁸ Why dem fat and eat well. Their evil no get limit. Them no dey give orphan their right or show justice to oppressed.

²⁹ “But I, the Almighty God, go punish them for these things; I go take revenge on this nation.

³⁰ Terrible and shocking things don happen for the land:

³¹ Prophet no dey talk anything but lie; Priest dey rule as prophet don command, and my people no dey go against am. But wetin dem go do, when everything end?”