Isaiah 29

29 ¹Woe to Ariel, Ariel, di city wey David camp! Add year to year; make di feasts continue to dey come round. ²But I go press Ariel hard, and mourning and cry go dey; she go become to me like altar fire-place. ³I go camp against you for every side; I go siege you with wall and raise siege-works against you. ⁴Dem go bring you low; from di ground you go talk, and your words go dey low low inside di dust. Your voice go come from di earth like ghost own, and your talk go whisper comot from di dust. ⁵But di crowd of your enemies go become like fine dust, and di crowd of di wicked people like chaff wey wind dey blow. And e go happen just one time, sudden sudden. ⁶Papa wey be Oga of di armies for heaven go visit you with thunder and earthquake and big roar, with whirlwind and storm and di flame of fire wey dey chop everything. ⁷And di crowd of all di nations wey dey fight war against Ariel, all wey dey fight against her and her stronghold and dey press her hard, go be like dream, vision for di night. ⁸E go be like when hungry man dream say im dey chop, and wake up but hunger still dey do am; or like when thirsty man dream say im dey drink, and wake up weak, thirst still dey do am. Na so e go be for di crowd of all di nations wey dey fight against Mount Zion. ⁹Make una dey confuse and shock; blind unaself and be blind! Dem drunk, but no be with wine; dem dey stagger, but no be because of strong drink. ¹⁰Because our Papa don pour on una spirit of deep sleep; e don close una eyes, di prophets, and cover una heads, di seers. ¹¹Di whole vision be to una like words of scroll wey dem seal. When dem give am to person wey fit read, dem say, “Abeg read dis one,” e go say, “I no fit; dem seal am.” ¹²When dem give di scroll to person wey no fit read, dem say, “Read dis one,” e go say, “I no sabi read.”

¹³Di Papa wey be Oga over all talk say: “Because dis people dey come near with dem mouth and dey honour me with dem lips, but dem heart dey far from me; di way wey dem dey fear me na just rule wey people teach dem, ¹⁴so, look, I go do wonders again with dis people, wonder on top wonder; di wisdom of dem wise men go perish, and di understanding of dem sabi people go disappear.” ¹⁵Woe to dem wey dey go deep to hide dem plans from our Papa, wey dey do dem work for darkness, wey dey say, “Who dey see us? Who know us?”

¹⁶See how una dey turn everything upside down! Dem go treat di potter like im clay—as if di thing wey dem make fit tell di one wey make am, “Na im no make me,” or di thing wey dem shape fit tell di one wey form am, “E no sabi anything”?

¹⁷No be small time remain before Lebanon go turn to field wey dey bear plenty fruit, and di field wey dey bear plenty fruit go count like forest? ¹⁸For dat day di deaf go hear di words of scroll, and comot from gloom and darkness di eyes of di blind go see. ¹⁹Di humble people go find fresh joy for our Papa, and di poor people among mankind go rejoice for di Holy One of Israel, our Papa. ²⁰Because di wicked people no go dey again and di person wey dey mock go finish; all wey dey set dem mind for evil go dey cut off, ²¹dem wey with just word dey make man look like sinner, wey dey set trap for di one wey dey defend justice for di gate, and with empty argument dey push aside di one wey dey right. ^a a v21 Di city gate na di old-time court house where dem dey hear case matter and give judgment.

²²So na dis one our Papa talk, di one wey redeem Abraham, concerning di house of Jacob: “Jacob no go shame again, im face no go turn pale again. ²³Because when e see im children, di work of my hands among dem, dem go keep my name holy; dem go hold di Holy One of Jacob as holy and go dey stand in awe of our Papa. ^b b v23 When our Papa see im children — wey im own hands form — dem dey honour im name. Restoration dey start when di children wey e make turn come to am. ²⁴Dem wey dey wander for spirit go come reach understanding, and dem wey dey grumble go accept instruction.”