Nehemiah 1

¹ Na the account of wetin Nehemial son of Hacaliah do be this. In the month of Kislev for twentieth year wey Artaxerxes be emperor of Persia, I, Nehemiah, I dey for Susa, the capital city.

² Hanani, wey be one of my brothers, come back from Judah with another group, and I ask him about Jerusalem and our fellow-Jews wey don return from strange land for Babylonia.

³ Dem tell me say those wey don survive and come back to the homeland dey for serious trouble and foreigners wey dey stay near by dey look down on them. Dem also tell me say the wall of Jerusalem still dey broken down and dem never rebuild the gates since the time wey dem burn them.

⁴ When I hear all this, I con siddon and cry. I dey sad for several days and I no chop. I dey pray to God,

⁵ “LORD God of Heaven! You be great God, and we dey stand in fear of you. You dey keep your covenant with those wey love you and do wetin you command.

⁶ LORD, look at me and hear my prayer, as I dey pray day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess say, we people of Israel, don sin. My ancestors and I don sin.

⁷ We don act wicked against you and we never do wetin you don command. We never keep the laws wey you don give us through Moses, your servant.

⁸ Remember wetin you tell Moses now: ‘If una people of Israel no dey faithful to me, I go scatter una among other nations.

⁹ But then if una turn back to me and una do wetin I don command una, I go bring una back to the place wey I don choose say make una dey worship me, even though say una don scatter go ends of the earth.’

¹⁰ “Lord, na your servants be this, wey be your own people. Na your great power and strength you take rescue them.

¹¹ Hear my prayers and the prayers of all your other servants wey wan honor you. Make you give me success today and allow the emperor get mercy on me.” For that time, na be the wine servant for emperor.