Jeremiah 29

29 ¹Na dis be di words for di letter wey Jeremiah di prophet send comot from Jerusalem give di elders wey remain among di exiles, di priests, di prophets, and all di people wey Nebuchadnezzar carry comot from Jerusalem go Babylon. ²Dis one happen after King Jeconiah, di queen mama, di court officials, di officials of Judah and Jerusalem, and di craftsmen and metalworkers don comot Jerusalem. ³Him send am for hand of Elasah, Shaphan im pikin, and Gemariah, Hilkiah im pikin, wey Zedekiah king of Judah send go meet King Nebuchadnezzar for Babylon. Di letter talk say:

⁴Na dis be wetin di Papa wey be Oga of di armies for heaven, our Papa of Israel, talk give all di exiles wey I send comot from Jerusalem go Babylon: ⁵“Build houses and stay inside dem; plant gardens and chop di fruit wey dem produce. ⁶Marry; born sons and daughters. Find wives for una sons and give una daughters give husbands, so dat dem go born sons and daughters. Increase for there, no reduce. ⁷Seek di welfare of di city wey I send una go exile, and pray give me for am, because as di city dey fine, na so una own go fine.” ⁸Na dis be wetin di Papa wey be Oga of di armies for heaven, our Papa of Israel, talk: No make una prophets and una fortune-tellers wey dey among una deceive una; no listen to di dreams wey dem dey dream anyhow. ⁹Na lie dem dey prophesy give una for my name; I no send dem, na so una Papa talk. ¹⁰Because na dis your Papa talk: When di seventy years of Babylon don complete, I go come meet una and I go do wetin I promise, my good word, to bring una come back for here. ¹¹Because I sabi di plans wey I get for una, na so your Papa talk—plans for peace, no be for wahala, to give una future and hope. ¹²“Den una go call me, una go come, and una go pray give me, and I go listen to una. ¹³Una go seek me and find me, when una search for me with all una heart. ¹⁴Una go find me, na so your Papa talk. I go bring back wetin una lose and I go gather una comot from all di nations and all di places wey I scatter una go, na so your Papa talk, and I go bring una come back for di place wey I send una go exile.”

¹⁵Because una don talk say, “Our Papa don raise up prophets for us for Babylon,”

¹⁶na dis be wetin your Papa talk about di king wey dey for David im throne, and about all di people wey dey for dis city—una brothers wey no go exile with una,

¹⁷na dis be wetin di Papa wey be Oga of di armies for heaven talk: I dey send sword, famine, and plague come against dem, I go make dem be like rotten figs wey don spoil finish so dat person no fit chop am. ¹⁸I go pursue dem with sword, famine, and plague, I go make dem turn to something wey go scatter person mind for every kingdom of di earth—a curse, a place wey don become desert, something to laugh and to shame among all di nations wey I scatter dem go, ¹⁹because dem no listen to my words, na so your Papa talk—words wey I send give dem again and again through my servants di prophets—but una no gree listen, na so your Papa talk.

²⁰So una wey dey exile, hear di word of your Papa—all di people wey I send comot from Jerusalem go Babylon. ²¹Na dis be wetin di Papa wey be Oga of di armies for heaven, our Papa of Israel, talk about Ahab, Kolaiah im pikin, and Zedekiah, Maaseiah im pikin, wey dey prophesy lie give una for my name: I go hand dem over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and him go kill dem for una front. ²²Because of dem, all di exiles of Judah wey dey for Babylon go take dis curse: “May our Papa make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, wey di king of Babylon roast for fire,” ²³because dem do shameful things for Israel: dem commit adultery with dem neighbours wives and dem talk lie for my name, wey I no command dem to do. I sabi, and I be witness, na so your Papa talk.

Di Papa Correct Shemaiah

²⁴Talk dis one give Shemaiah di Nehelamite:

²⁵Na dis be wetin di Papa wey be Oga of di armies for heaven, our Papa of Israel, talk: For your own name you send letters give all di people wey dey for Jerusalem, and give Zephaniah, Maaseiah im pikin, di priest, and give all di priests:

²⁶“Oga don make you priest for di place of Jehoiada di priest, officer for di house of Oga, over every mad person wey dey play prophet, so dat you go put am for stocks and neck-iron.” ²⁷So why you no correct Jeremiah of Anathoth, wey dey pose as prophet give una? ²⁸Because him send message come meet us for Babylon say: “Di matter go tey. Build houses and stay inside dem; plant gardens and chop di fruit wey dem produce.”

²⁹Zephaniah di priest read dis letter loud give Jeremiah di prophet. ³⁰Den di word of our Papa come meet Jeremiah:

³¹Send message give all di exiles: Na dis your Papa talk about Shemaiah di Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah don prophesy give una, and I no send am, and him make una trust lie, ³²so na dis your Papa talk: I go punish Shemaiah di Nehelamite and im descendants. Nobody wey come from am go stay among dis people, and dem no go see di good wey I go do for my people, na so your Papa talk, because him preach rebellion against me.