Jeremiah 23

23 ¹“Woe to di shepherds wey dey destroy and scatter di sheep for my pasture!’ na so our Papa talk. ²So our Papa of Israel talk about di shepherds wey dey mind my people say: ‘Una don scatter my flock and drive dem comot, and una no care for dem. Now I go hold una accountable for di evil wey una don do, na so our Papa talk. ³Den I go gather di remnant of my flock from all di lands wey I drive dem go, bring dem back to dia pasture, and dem go born plenty and multiply. ⁴I go raise up shepherds ontop dem wey go mind dem; dem no go fear again nor dey shake, none go go missing, na so our Papa talk. ⁵Look, di days dey come, na so our Papa talk, wen I go raise up for David one correct-and-holy Branch, and e go reign as king and act with wisdom, and e go bring justice and correct-and-holy way for di land. ⁶For im days Judah go save, and Israel go dwell safe. And na dis be di name wey dem go call am: Oga Our Correct-and-Holy Way.’

⁷“So di days dey come, na so our Papa talk, wen dem no go talk again say, ‘As sure as your Papa dey alive, wey bring di people of Israel comot from Egypt,’ ⁸but instead, ‘As sure as your Papa dey alive, wey bring up and lead back di descendants of di house of Israel from di land of di north and all di lands wey e bin drive dem go.’ Den dem go live for dia own ground.”

Papa Expose Di Fake Prophets

⁹About di prophets: My heart don break; all my bones dey shake. I be like drunk man, like person wey wine don overcome, because of our Papa and im holy words. ¹⁰For di land full with people wey dey commit adultery; because of di curse di land dey mourn, and di pastures of di wilderness don dry. Dia ways dey evil, and dem dey abuse dia power.

¹¹“Both prophet and priest no get God for dem; even for my house I don find dia evil, na so our Papa talk. ¹²Because of dat dia way go turn to dem like slippery paths for di darkness, wey dem go drive dem enter and dem go fall; for I go bring disaster ontop dem for di year of dia punishment, na so our Papa talk. ¹³Among di prophets of Samaria I see one thing wey make belle turn: dem prophesy by Baal and lead my people Israel go astray. ¹⁴But among Jerusalem im prophets I don see something wey shock me: dem dey commit adultery, dem dey live by lies, dem dey back di hands of people wey dey do evil, so nobody dey turn from im evil. Dem all don turn to me like Sodom, im people like Gomorrah.’

¹⁵So na dis be wetin di Papa of heaven im armies talk about di prophets: I go feed dem bitter food and give dem poison water, for godlessness don spread through di whole land from Jerusalem im prophets.’

¹⁶Na dis be wetin di Papa of heaven im armies talk: No listen to di prophets wey dey prophesy to una; dem dey fill una with fake hope, dey talk visions from dia own mind, no be from my mouth. ¹⁷Dem dey continue dey talk to di people wey dey despise my word say, ‘Una go get peace,’ and to every person wey dey stubbornly follow im own heart dem dey talk say, ‘No disaster go come ontop una.’”

¹⁸For who among dem don stand for di council of our Papa to see and to hear im word? Who don pay attention to im word and listen? ¹⁹Look, di storm of our Papa don go out for anger, one whirling tempest; e go burst ontop di heads of di wicked people. ²⁰Di anger of our Papa no go cool until e don fully carry out di purposes of im heart. For di days wey dey come una go understand am clear.

²¹“I no send dis prophets, but dem run; I no talk to dem, but dem prophesy. ²²But if dem bin stand for my council, dem for don proclaim my words to my people and turn dem back from dia evil way and from di evil of dia deeds. ²³Abi I be your Papa wey dey near only, na so our Papa talk, and no be your Papa wey dey far too? ²⁴Person fit hide for secret places wey I no fit see am? na so our Papa talk. Abi I no dey fill heaven and earth? na so our Papa talk.’

²⁵“I don hear di prophets wey dey prophesy lies for my name, dey claim say, ‘I dream! I dream!’ ²⁶How long lies go continue dey fill di hearts of prophets wey dey prophesy di deceit of dia own hearts? ²⁷Dem plan to make my people forget my name through di dreams wey dem dey tell each other, as dia ancestors bin forget my name for Baal. ²⁸Make di prophet wey get dream tell am, but make di one wey get my word talk my word with faith. Wetin straw be to wheat? na so our Papa talk. ²⁹Abi my word no be like fire, na so our Papa talk, and like hammer wey dey shatter rock?’

³⁰“Because of dat, look, I dey against di prophets, na so our Papa talk, wey dey steal my words from one another. ³¹Look, I dey against di prophets, na so our Papa talk, wey dey wag dia tongues but dey declare, ‘God don talk.’ ³²I dey against dem wey dey prophesy lying dreams, na so our Papa talk; dem dey tell dem and dey mislead my people with dia lies and reckless boasting. I no send or command dem, and dem no dey do dis people any good at all, na so our Papa talk.’

Na Una Be Di Burden

³³“Wen dis people, one prophet, or one priest ask say, ‘Wetin be our Papa im burden?’ talk to dem say, ‘Na una be di burden! I go cast una off, na so our Papa talk.’ ^a a v33 Di word for “oracle” also mean “burden.” Di people dey demand message; our Papa answer say na dia own faithlessness be di burden wey e go set down. ³⁴Di prophet, priest, or person wey talk say, ‘Di burden of our Papa,’ I go punish dat man and im household. ³⁵Each of una suppose talk to im neighbor and brother say: ‘Wetin our Papa don answer?’ or ‘Wetin our Papa don talk?’ ³⁶But no ever talk again say ‘di burden of our Papa,’ for each man im own word go turn to im burden; una don twist di words of di living Papa of heaven im armies.’ ³⁷Talk dis to di prophet: ‘Wetin our Papa don answer you?’ or ‘Wetin our Papa don talk?’ ³⁸But if una talk say, ‘Di burden of our Papa,’ den our Papa talk say: Because una talk dis words, ‘Di burden of our Papa,’ even though I send word tell una say, ‘No talk, Di burden of our Papa,’ ³⁹so look, I go surely lift una up like burden and throw una comot from my presence—una and di city wey I give una and una ancestors. ⁴⁰And I go bring ontop una everlasting disgrace and shame wey go last wey dem no go ever forget.’”