Jeremiah 4

4 ¹"If you go return, Israel," na so our Papa talk, "then return come my side. If you comot di dirty things wey I hate from my front, and you no waka comot again, ²and if you swear say, 'As our Papa dey alive,' for truth, for correct judgement, and for correct-and-holy way, then di nations go find blessing through am, and na through am dem go take glory."

³Because na so our Papa talk to di people of Judah and to Jerusalem: Break di ground wey una never plough, and no plant seed for inside thorn. ⁴Circumcise una sef to our Papa; comot di foreskin wey dey una heart, una people of Judah and una wey dey stay Jerusalem—if not, my anger go burst out like fire and go burn wey nobody fit quench am, because of di evil wey una dey do.

Trouble Dey Come From Di North

⁵"Announce am for Judah, make dem hear am for Jerusalem, and talk say: 'Blow di trumpet for di whole land!' Shout loud and talk say: 'Make una gather together, make we run go di cities wey get strong wall!' ⁶Raise sign point Zion! Run go hide, no waste time! Because I dey bring trouble from di north, one big destruction."

⁷Lion don comot from im hiding place; one person wey dey destroy nations don start to dey move. Im don leave im place to make una land turn empty bush; una cities go scatter finish, wey nobody go remain to dey live inside. ⁸So make una wear cloth of mourning, cry well well and wail, because di fierce anger of our Papa never turn comot from us.

⁹"For dat day," na so our Papa talk, "di king and im officials go lose dia mind; di priests go dey shock, and di prophets go wonder."

¹⁰Then I talk say, "Ah, my Oga wey be di Papa wey rule ova all! You don deceive dis people and Jerusalem well well: 'Peace go be una own'—but sword don reach our throat."

¹¹"For dat time dem go tell dis people and Jerusalem: One hot wind from di bare high place for desert dey blow come my people pikin girl—no be to winnow, no be to sift. ¹²One wind wey too strong for dat kind work dey come by my command. Now na me dey talk out my judgement against dem."

¹³Look! Di enemy dey advance like cloud, im chariots be like whirlwind; im horses dey fast pass eagle. Wahala for us—we don finish! ¹⁴Jerusalem, wash di evil comot from your heart, so dat dem fit save you. Till wetin time your wicked thought go dey stay inside you? ¹⁵Because one voice dey announce am from Dan, dey proclaim trouble from di hills of Ephraim.

¹⁶Warn di nations, announce am to Jerusalem: "People wey go siege dey come from far land; dem dey raise dia war shout against di cities of Judah. ¹⁷Dem surround am like watchmen wey dey guard farm, because she don rebel against me," na so our Papa talk. ¹⁸Na your ways and your deeds bring dis thing come your head. Na your judgement be dis, and see as e bitter, because e dey pierce reach your very heart.

Di Prophet Dey Cry For Im People

¹⁹My pain, my pain! I dey twist for agony. Oh, di wall of my heart! My heart dey pound inside me; I no fit keep quiet, because I don hear di sound of di trumpet, di alarm of war. ²⁰Dem dey announce trouble on top trouble, because di whole land don turn empty. For one small moment my tents don scatter, my tent cloth for just one second. ²¹Till wetin time I go dey see di battle flag and dey hear di sound of di trumpet?

²²"Because my people na foolish people; dem no know me. Dem be pikin wey no get sense, wey no get understanding. Dem sabi well well to do evil, but dem no know how to do good."

²³I look di earth, and e no get shape, e empty; and I look di heavens, and dia light don go. ²⁴I look di mountains, and dem dey shake; all di hills dey sway. ²⁵I look, and nobody dey at all; every bird of di sky don fly comot. ²⁶I look, and di land wey dey bear plenty fruit don turn desert; all im cities don scatter for front of our Papa, for front of im fierce anger.

²⁷Because na so our Papa talk: Di whole land go turn empty, but I no go destroy am finish. ²⁸Because of dis, di earth go mourn and di heavens for up go turn dark, because I don talk, I don decide; I no go change my mind, and I no go turn back from am.

²⁹For di noise of horse riders and people wey dey shoot arrow, every town dey run. Dem dey run enter bush and dey climb up among di rocks; every town don empty, wey nobody dey live inside. ³⁰And you, you wey don scatter, wetin you dey do, as you dey wear red cloth, dey adorn yourself with gold ornament, dey paint your eyes? You dey make yourself fine for nothing. Di people wey love you don despise you; na to kill you dem want. ³¹Because I hear one cry like woman wey dey labour, agony like person wey dey born her first pikin—di cry of di daughter of Zion, wey dey gasp for breath, dey stretch out her hands: "Wahala for me! I dey die for front of di people wey dey kill." ^a a v31 Di 'daughter of Zion' na poetic name for Jerusalem.