Nehemiah 9

¹ People of Israel don gather to fast on the 24th day of the same month in order to show sorrow for their sins.

² Dem don already separate themselves from all foreigners. Dem wear sackcloth and dem put dust on top their heads as sign of pain. Then dem stand and begin dey confess their sins wey them and their ancestors don commit.

³ Dem read the law of God to them for about three hours, and for the next three hours dem confess their sins and worship the LORD their God.

⁴ Platform dey for the Levites, and Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Buni, Sherebiah, Bani, and Chenani stand on top am. Dem pray loud to the LORD their God.

⁵ The following Levites dey lead call to worship: Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah, and Pethahiah. Dem say: “Make una stand up and praise the LORD una God; Make una praise him forever and ever! Make everyone praise him holy name, although no human praise dey great enough.”

⁶ And then the people of Israel con pray this prayer: “You, LORD, na you alone be LORD; na you make the heavens and the stars of the sky. Na you make the land and sea and everything wey dey inside them; na you give life to all. The power wey dey for heaven dey bow down and worship you.

⁷ Na you, LORD God, chose Abram and lead him out of Ur for Babylonia; na you change him name to Abraham.

⁸ You find out say he dey faithful to you, and you con make covenant with him. You promise him say you go give him the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Jebusites, and Girgashites, to be the land where him descendant go dey live. You keep your covenant because you be faithful God.

⁹ “You see how our ancestors don suffer for Egypt; you hear their call for help for the Red Sea.

¹⁰ Na you work amazing miracles against the king, against him officials and the people of him land, because you know how dem oppress your people. You win the fame wey you still get today.

¹¹ Na you make way for your people through the sea and lead them through on top the dry ground. Those wey pursue them deep water cover them, like stone dey sink for terrible sea.

¹² Na with cloud you lead them for daytime, and you light their way with fire for night.

¹³ Na for Mount Sinai you come down from heaven; you con speak to your people and you give them good laws and teachings.

¹⁴ You teach them make dem dey keep your Sabbath day holy, and you give them your laws through your servant Moses.

¹⁵ You give them bread from heaven when hunger dey wire them, and you give them water from a rock when dem wan drink water. You tell them make dem take control of the land wey you don promise to give them.

¹⁶ But our ancestor con grow pride and strong-head and dem refuse to obey your commands.

¹⁷ Dem refuse to obey; dem forget everything wey you do; dem forget the miracles wey you don perform. Dem chose a leader in their pride to take them go back to slavery for Egypt. But you be God wey dey forgive; you dey kind and loving, you dey slow to vex. Your mercy dey great; you no abandon them.

¹⁸ Dem make idol in the shape of a bull calf and dem talk say na the god wey lead them from Egypt! Dem insult you, LORD!

¹⁹ But you no abandon them there for the desert, because your mercy dey great. You no take away the cloud or the fire wey dey show them way by day or night.

²⁰ In your goodness you tell them wetin make dem do; you give them manna to chop and give them water to drink.

²¹ You provide everything wey dem need through the forty years for the desert; their cloth no tear, and pains no make their leg swell.

²² “You make them defeat nations and kingdoms, lands wey border their own. Dem defeat the land of Heshbon, where Sihon rule, and the land of Bashan, where Og be king.

²³ You give them plenty children like stars wey dey for the sky, and you allow them defeat and dey live for the land wey you don promise their ancestors to give them.

²⁴ Dem take the land of Canaan; you overcome the people wey dey live for there. You give your people the power make dem do as dem want with the people and kings of Canaan.

²⁵ Your people don defeat strong cities, fertile land, house wey wealth full am, reservoir wey dem don already dig, olive trees, fruit trees, and vineyards. Dem chop everything wey dem want and dem grow fat; dem enjoy all the good things wey you give them.

²⁶ “But your people rebel and disobey you; dem turn their back on your law. Dem kill the prophet wey warn them, wey tell them say make dem turn back to you. Dem insult you time after time,

²⁷ Naso you allow their enemies defeat and rule them. Dem call you for help in their trouble, and you dey answer them from heaven. You send them leaders wey rescue them from their enemies in your great mercy.

²⁸ When peace don return, dem sin again, and again you let their enemies defeat them. Yet when dem repent and ask you make you save them, you hear for heaven, and time after time you dey rescue them in your great mercy.

²⁹ You warn them make dem obey your teachings, but dem reject your laws with pride, although to dey keep your laws na the way to life. Dem get strong-head, dem no gree obey.

³⁰ Year after year you dey patiently warn them. You inspire your prophets make dem speak, but your people deaf, naso you allow other nations defeat them.

³¹ And yet, because your mercy dey great, you no abandon or destroy them. You be gracious and merciful God!

³² “O LORD, our God, you be great God! You dey terrible, you dey powerful! You dey keep your covenant promise. From the time when Assyrian king dey oppress us, even till now, we don suffer well! Our kings, our leaders, our priests and prophets, our ancestors, and all our people don suffer. Make you remember how much we don suffer!

³³ You don do right to punish us; you don dey faithful, even though we don sin.

³⁴ Our ancestors, our kings, leaders, and priests never keep your laws. Dem no listen to your commands and warnings.

³⁵ Kings dey rule your people with blessings when dem live for large area, fertile land wey you give them; but dem no gree turn from sin and serve you.

³⁶ And now we be slaves for the land wey you give us, this fertile land wey dey give us food.

³⁷ Wetin the land produce dey go to the kings wey you put on top us because we don sin. Dem do as dem like with us and our animals, and we dey for deep pain!”

³⁸ Because of everything wey don happen, we, the people of Israel, wey dey make solemn agreement, and our leaders, our Levites, and our Priests don sign am.