Nehemiah 4

¹ When Sanballat hear say we Jews don start to dey rebuild the wall, he dey vex and start to dey use us crack joke.

² For front of him partners and the Samaritan troops he talk say, “Wetin these useless Jews think say dem dey do? Shey dem wan rebuild the city? Shey dem think say dem fit finish the work one day by offering sacrifice? Shey dem fit make building stones out of plenty stones wey don catch fire?”

³ Tobiah dey stand for there beside him, and he add say, “Which kind wall dem wan even build? Even a fox fit knock am down!”

⁴ I con pray say, “hear as dem dey use us crack joke, O God! Make their joke fall for their own heads. Make dem rob them of everything wey dem get, and allow them make dem become prisoners for foreign land.

⁵ No forgive the evil wey dem don do and no forget their sins, because dem don insult us wey dey build.”

⁶ Naso we continue to dey rebuild the wall, and soon e don reach half of the full height, because the people dey ready to work.

⁷ Sanballat, Tobiah, and the people of Arabia, Ammon, and Ashdod hear say we dey make progress to dey rebuild the wall of Jerusalem and say the gap wey dey the wall don dey close, and dem dey vex.

⁸ Naso all of them plan together to come attack Jerusalem and cause trouble,

⁹ But we pray to our God and we keep men on guard against them day and night.

¹⁰ E get a song wey people of Judah dey sing: “We dey tire as we dey carry burdens; plenty stones dey our way. How we go fit build the wall today?”

¹¹ Our enemies think say we no go see them or know wetin dey happen until dem reach us, to dey kill us and end our work.

¹² But time after time the Jews wey dey live among our enemies dey come warn us about the plans wey our enemies dey make against us.

¹³ Naso I arm the people with swords, spears, bows, and I don position them by clan behind the wall, anywhere we still never finish.

¹⁴ I see say the people dey worry, naso I tell them and their leaders and official say, “Make una no fear our enemies. Make una remember how great and terrible God be, and fight for una fellow countrymen, una children, una wives, and una homes.”

¹⁵ Our enemies hear say we don know wetin dem dey plan, and dem know say God don defeat their plans. Then all of us con go to dey rebuild the wall.

¹⁶ Na half of my men dey work and half dey stand guard, dey wear coats of armor and dem get with them weapon of spears, shields, and bows. And our leaders self give full support to the people

¹⁷ wey dey rebuild the wall. Even those wey dey carry building material dey work with one hand and dey keep weapon for the other,

¹⁸ and everyone wey dey build dey keep a sword for him waist. The man wey suppose sound the alarm with trumpet dey stay with me.

¹⁹ I tell the people and their officials and leaders say, “The work don spread far for the kind distance wey be say we dey separated from one another on top the wall.

²⁰ If una hear the trumpet, make una gather round me. Our God go fight for us.”

²¹ So for everyday, from morning until the stars come out for night, half of us go work on the wall, and the other half go stand guard with spears.

²² I tell the men wey dey in charge during this time say make dem and all their helpers stay for Jerusalem for night, so that we fit guard the city for night and work for daytime.

²³ I no commot my clothes even for night, even any of my companions or my servant or my bodyguard. And we all keep our weapon for hand.