Jeremiah 1

1 ¹Di words of Jeremiah, Hilkiah im pikin, one of di priests wey dey Anathoth for Benjamin land. ²Di word of our Papa come reach am for di days of Josiah, Amon im pikin, di king of Judah, for di thirteenth year wey e dey rule. ³E come again for di days of Jehoiakim, Josiah im pikin, di king of Judah, reach di eleventh year of Zedekiah, Josiah im pikin, di king of Judah, until dem carry Jerusalem people go exile for di fifth month. ⁴Di word of our Papa come reach me, e talk say:

⁵“Before I mould you for belle I don know you, and before you born I don set you apart; I don choose you make you be prophet to di nations.”

⁶I talk say, “Ah, Sovereign Papa! I no sabi how to talk, because I be small boy.”

⁷But our Papa talk to me say, “No talk say, ‘I be small pikin,’ because you go go anywhere I send you and you go talk anything I command. ⁸No fear dem, because I dey with you to save you, na so di Papa talk.”

⁹Den our Papa stretch im hand, touch my mouth, and our Papa tell me say, “Look, I don put my words for your mouth. ¹⁰See, today I don put you over di nations and over di kingdoms, to pull comot and to break down, to destroy and to throway, to build and to plant.”

¹¹Di word of our Papa come reach me: “Jeremiah, wetin you dey see?” I talk say, “I dey see almond branch.”

¹²Den our Papa talk to me say, “You don see am well, because I dey watch over my word to make e happen.” ^a a v12 “Almond tree” and “watching” dey sound almost di same for di prophet im language — na play on words wey dey show say our Papa dey wide awake over im word to bring am to pass.

¹³Di word of our Papa reach me di second time: “Wetin you dey see?” I talk say, “Pot wey dey boil, wey turn im face comot from north.”

¹⁴And our Papa talk to me say, “From di north, wahala go burst on top everybody wey dey live for di land. ¹⁵I dey about to call all di clans of di northern kingdoms, na so di Papa talk; dem go come, each one go set im throne for di entrance of Jerusalem gates, against all di walls wey surround am and all di cities of Judah. ¹⁶And I go announce my judgments against dem for all di evil wey dem do, because dem abandon me, dem dey burn offerings to oda gods and dem dey bow down to idols wey dem make with dem own hand.”

¹⁷“Now, ready yourself, stand up and tell dem everything wey I command you. No let fear break you down for dem front, if not I go break you down for dem front. ¹⁸Look, today I don make you strong city wey get wall, iron pillar, bronze walls against di whole land: di kings of Judah, di officials, di priests, and di people of di land. ¹⁹Dem go fight you but dem no go win you; I dey with you to rescue you, na so di Papa talk.”