Nehemiah 13

¹ On that day, dem read the book of Moses loud, so that all the people fit hear. Dem find this law there: make una no allow any Ammonite or Moabite join the meetings with God.

² Dem write that law because those people no give Israelites food and water. And dem don pay Balaam make he curse the Israelites. But our God change that curse and make am blessing for us.

³ So when the Israelites hear that law, dem obey am. Dem separate themselves from the people wey be descendants of foreigners.

⁴ But, before that one happen, Eliashib don give Tobiah a room in the Temple. Na Eliashib be the priest wey dey in charge of the storerooms in our God Temple. And he be close friend of Tobiah.

⁵ Dem been dey use that room to store grain offerings, incense, and the Temple dishes and things. Dem also keep the gift for priests for that room. But Eliashib give Tobiah that room.

⁶ I no dey Jerusalem when all this dey happen. I don go back to the king of Babylon. I don go back to Babylon in the 32nd year wey Artaxerxes be king of Babylon. Later, I con ask the king for permission to go back to Jerusalem.

⁷ Naso I come back Jerusalem. Na for there I hear about the sad thing wey Eliashib don do. He don give Tobiah a room for the Temple of God!

⁸ I dey vex for wetin Eliashib don do, naso I throway all of Tobiah things out of the room.

⁹ I give command say make dem make the room pure and clean. Then I con put the Temple dishes and things, the grain offerings, and the incense back inside the rooms.

¹⁰ I also hear say the people never give the Levites their share. So the Levites and the singers don go back to work for their own fields.

¹¹ So I tell the officials say dem dey wrong. I ask them say, “Why una no take care of Temple of God?” Then I call the Levites together and tell them make dem go back to their place and duties for the Temple.

¹² Then everybody for Judah bring their tenth of grain, new wine, and oil to the Temple. Dem put this thing for storerooms.

¹³ I put these men in charge of the storerooms: Shelemiah the priest, Zodak the teacher, and a Levite wey him name na Pedaiah. And I make Hanan son of Zaccur, son of Mattaniah, their helper. I know say I fit trust these men. Na them dey give supplies to their relatives.

¹⁴ My God, abeg remember me for these things wey I don do. Make you no forget all the things wey I don faithfully do for the Temple of my God and for the services.

¹⁵ For those days in Judah, I see people dey work on Sabbath day. I see people dey press grape to make wine. I see people dey bring grains and dey load am on top donkeys. I see people dey carry grapes, figs, and all kind things for the city. Dem dey bring all these things enter Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, naso I warn them about am. I tell them make dem no dey sell food on Sabbath day.

¹⁶ E get some men from the city of Tyre wey dey live for Jerusalem. Dem dey bring fish and all kind things to Jerusalem and dey sell them on Sabbath day. And the Jews dey buy them.

¹⁷ I tell the important people of Judah say dem dey wrong. I talk say, “Na very bad thing una dey do. Una dey destroy the Sabbath day.

¹⁸ Una know say una ancestors do the same things. Na the reason why God bring all the troubles and disasters to us and to the city be that. Now una dey make that mistake so that plenty bad things go happen to Israel. Dem dey do this because una dey break the Sabbath as una dey treat am just like say na any other day.”

¹⁹ So na wetin I do be this: For Every Friday evening, just before e don dark, I command the gatekeepers make dem close and lock the gates to Jerusalem. Make dem no open am until Sabbath day don pass. I put some of my own men for the gates. I command them make dem make sure say dem no bring any load enter Jerusalem on Sabbath day.

²⁰ One or two times, traders and merchants dey spend night outside Jerusalem.

²¹ But I warn them say, “Make una no spend the night for front of the wall. If una do am again, I go arrest una.” So dem no come on the Sabbath day to sell again from that day.

²² Then I command the Levites make dem make themselves pure. After dem don do that, make dem go guard the gates. I do this to make sure say dem keep the Sabbath day holy. My God, abeg make you remember me for this thing wey I don do. Make you dey kind to me and make you show me your great love!

²³ For those day I also notice say some Jewish men don marry women from the countries of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab.

²⁴ And half of the children from those marriage no know how to dey speak Jewish language. Na language of Ashdod, Ammon, or Moab dem dey speak.

²⁵ So I tell the men say dem dey wrong. I tell them bad things. I hit some of them, I commot their hair. I force them make dem make promise in the name of God. I tell them say, “Make una no marry the daughters of these foreigners. Make una no allow your daughters marry the sons of these foreigners.

²⁶ Una know say na this kind marriage make Solomon sin. For all plenty nations, no king wey great like Solomon. God love him and make him king over the whole of Israel. But dem make Solomon sin because of foreign women.

²⁷ And now, we hear say una also dey do these terrible things. Una no dey true to God. Una dey marry foreign women.”

²⁸ Na Joiada be the son of Eliashib the high priest. One of the son of Joiada na son-in-law of Sanballat from Horon. I force him make he leave this place. I force him make he run away.

²⁹ My God, make you punish these people. Dem make office of the priest unclean. Dem treat am like say e no dey important. Dem no obey the agreement wey you make with the priests and Levites.

³⁰ So I don make the priests and Levites clean and pure. I take away all the foreigners and the strange things wey dem dey teach. And I con give the Levites and the priests their own duties and work.

³¹ And I make sure say people go bring gifts of wood and the first part of their harvest at the right times. My God, make you remember me for these good things wey I do.