Jeremiah 3

3 ¹Dem talk say: If man divorce im wife and she comot from am go marry another man, di man go still come back to her again? No be say dat land go dirty finish? You don sell yourself for many lovers— but you still wan come back to me? na so your Papa talk.

²Raise your eyes go di bare high places and look: which place dem never spoil you? For di roadside you sidon dey wait for lovers, like person wey dey waka for desert. You don dirty di land with your ashawo work and your wickedness. ³Na im make dem hold di rain, and di spring rain no come. But your face hard like ashawo face; you no gree make shame catch you. ⁴No be just now you call me say, 'My Papa, na you be di friend of my young days'? ⁵“Im go vex forever? Im go keep im anger reach di end?” Na so you dey talk, but you dey do all di evil wey you fit do.

Two Sisters Wey Forget Their Papa

⁶Our Papa talk to me for King Josiah time say: “You don see wetin unfaithful Israel do? She climb every high hill, under every tree wey spread, and she do ashawo work for there. ⁷I think say after she do all dis one she go come back to me, but she no come back, and her sister Judah wey dey betray see am. ⁸She see say because of all di adultery wey unfaithful Israel do, I send her comot and give her divorce paper. But her sister Judah wey dey betray no get fear; she too go do ashawo work. ⁹Because she take her ashawo work like small tin, she make di land dirty, dey commit adultery with stone and tree. ¹⁰Even with all dis, her unfaithful sister Judah no come back to me with her whole heart, na only pretend she dey pretend, na so your Papa talk.”

¹¹Our Papa talk to me say: Unfaithful Israel show say she correct pass Judah wey dey betray.

¹²Go announce am face di north say: Come back, unfaithful Israel, na so your Papa talk. I no go look you with vex, because I get mercy, na so your Papa talk; I no go vex forever. ¹³Only gree say you get guilt—say you rebel against your Papa, share your love give strangers under every tree wey spread, and you no obey my voice, na so your Papa talk. ¹⁴Come back, una pikin wey no get faith, na so your Papa talk, because na I be una husband. I go take una—one from one city and two from one family—and bring una come Zion. ¹⁵Den I go give una shepherds wey dey follow my own heart, wey go feed una with knowledge and understanding.

¹⁶When una don multiply and plenty for di land, for those days, na so your Papa talk, nobody go talk again say, 'Di ark of di Covenant of our Papa.' E no go come inside person mind, nobody go remember am, or miss am, and dem no go make another one.

¹⁷“Den dem go call Jerusalem di Throne of our Papa, and all di nations go gather for there to honour our Papa name. Dem no go follow their stubborn, evil heart again. ¹⁸For those days di house of Judah go join di house of Israel, and together dem go come from di north land go di land wey I give una grandfathers as inheritance. ¹⁹Na me myself talk say, 'With how much joy I go put you among my pikin and give you sweet land, di most beautiful inheritance wey any nation get!' And I think say you go call me 'My Papa' and you no go ever turn comot from following me. ²⁰But like wife wey no faithful to her husband, na so you no faithful to me, house of Israel, na so your Papa talk.

²¹Dem dey hear one voice for di bare high places—di crying and begging of Israel pikin—because dem don spoil their way and forget their Papa.

²²“Come back, una pikin wey no get faith; I go heal di way wey una no get faith.” “See us, we dey come to you, because na you be our Papa. ²³For true, di noise for di hills and mountains na lie; for true, na inside our Papa di salvation of Israel dey. ²⁴From our young days dat shameful tin don chop di fruit of our grandfathers work—their sheep and cattle, their sons and daughters. ²⁵Make we lie down inside our shame, and make our disgrace cover us. Because we don sin against our Papa—us and our grandfathers—from our young days reach today, and we no obey di voice of our Papa.”