Ezra 9

9 ¹When dem don do dis one finish, di officials come meet me: “Di people of Israel, di priests, and di Levites no separate demsef from di people wey dey around dem with dia detestable things—di Canaanite people, Hittite people, Perizzite people, Jebusite people, Ammonite people, Moabite people, Egyptian people, and Amorite people. ²Dem don take some of dia daughters make wives for demsef and for dia sons, dey mix di holy offspring with di people wey dey around dem. And na di officials and leaders lead di way for dis unfaithfulness.”

³As I hear dis one, I tear my cloth and my robe, pull hair comot for my head and my beard, and I sit down, my mind just scatter. ⁴Den everybody wey dey shake for di words of Israel God, our Papa, gather come meet me because of di unfaithfulness of di people wey dem carry go exile, and I sit down, my mind just scatter, until di time for evening offering. ^a a v4 Di evening offering na di regular daily sacrifice wey dem dey make around three for afternoon.

⁵For di time of di evening offering I rise up from my humbling, with my cloth and my robe wey I don tear, and I fall down for my knees, spread my hands to my Papa, ⁶and I talk say: “My Papa, shame and disgrace dey catch me to raise my face look you, my Papa, because our sins don rise pass our head, and our guilt don grow reach heaven. ⁷From di days of our ancestors until now we dey inside deep guilt, and because of our sins we—we and our kings and priests—dem hand us over to di kings of di lands, to di sword, to captivity, to plunder, and to open shame for our face, as e still be today. ⁸But now, for small small moment, grace don come from our Papa, wey leave remnant for us and give us firm place to stand for im holy place, so as to brighten our eyes and give us small reviving inside our slavery. ⁹We na slaves; but still our Papa no abandon us inside our slavery. He stretch im covenant love come reach us for front of di kings of Persia, revive us so we fit raise up di house of our Papa, repair di places wey scatter, and give us wall of protection for Judah and Jerusalem.

¹⁰And now, our Papa, wetin we fit talk after dis one? For we don forsake your commandments,

¹¹wey you command through your servants di prophets: ‘Di land wey una dey enter go possess don defile with di impurity of di people wey dey there, wey dia detestable practices don fill am from one end reach di oda end with dia uncleanness. ¹²So now no give your daughters to dia sons or take dia daughters for your sons, and no ever seek dia peace or dia prosperity, so una fit strong, chop di good things of di land, and leave am as inheritance for una children forever.’

¹³After everything wey don happen to us because of our evil deeds and our great guilt—even so you, our Papa, hold back, punish us less pass wetin our sins deserve, and give us remnant like dis, ¹⁴we go still break your commands again and marry with di people wey dey do dese detestable things? You no go vex with us until you finish us, so dat no remnant or survivor go remain? ¹⁵Our Papa, God of Israel, you dey righteous, for we remain as surviving remnant, as e still be today. See us for your front inside our guilt, even though nobody fit stand for your front because of am.”