Jeremiah 5

5 ¹"Waka go round for di streets of Jerusalem, look now and take note! Search her open squares—if you fit find one person, one wey dey do justice and dey find truth, den I go pardon her. ²Even when dem talk say, 'As our Papa dey alive,' na lie dem dey swear."

³Our Papa, no be faithfulness your eyes dey look for? You strike dem, but dem no feel pain; you finish dem, but dem refuse to take correction. Dem make dem face hard pass rock; dem refuse to turn back. ⁴Den I talk say, 'Na only di poor people be dis; dem be foolish, because dem no know di way of our Papa, di just ways of dia Papa.' ⁵I go go meet di big-big people and talk to dem, because for sure dem know di way of our Papa, di just ways of dia Papa.' But dem too, all of dem, don break di yoke; dem don burst di chain. ⁶Na why lion from di forest go strike dem, wolf of di desert go tear dem. Leopard dey lie down dey watch dia cities; anybody wey comot from dem go tear to pieces—because dia rebellion plenty, dia backsliding no get number.

⁷"Why I go pardon you? Your children don forsake me and swear by dem wey no be gods. I give dem belleful, but still dem commit adultery and troop go di houses of prostitutes. ⁸Dem be like well-fed, hot stallions, every one dey neigh for im neighbor wife.' ⁹Abi I no suppose punish dem for dis things? na so our Papa talk. Abi I no suppose bring justice on a nation like dis? ¹⁰Go up through her rows of vines and destroy, but no finish dem completely; strip commot her branches, because dem no be our Papa own. ¹¹Because di house of Israel and di house of Judah don totally betray me, na so our Papa talk."

¹²Dem don talk lie about our Papa; dem talk say, 'E no go do anything! No trouble go come on us; we no go see sword or hunger.' ¹³Di prophets na only wind; di word no dey inside dem. So make e happen to dem!

¹⁴Na why, dis na wetin di Papa of heaven army talk: Because you don talk dis word, I dey make my words for your mouth turn fire, and dis people turn di firewood, and e go consume dem. ¹⁵Look, I dey bring one nation from far come against you, O house of Israel, na so our Papa talk—one nation wey dey last, one ancient nation, one nation wey you no know dia language, wey you no fit understand dia talk. ¹⁶"Dia quiver be like open grave; all of dem na mighty warriors. ¹⁷Dem go devour your harvest and your bread; dem go devour your sons and your daughters; dem go devour your flocks and your herds; dem go devour your vines and your fig trees. With sword dem go beat down your strong cities wey you dey trust."

¹⁸But even for those days, na so our Papa talk, I no go finish you completely. ¹⁹When dem ask, 'Why our Papa don do all dis to us?' tell dem: 'As you abandon me and serve foreign gods for your land, na so you go serve strangers for a land wey no be your own.'

²⁰"Announce dis for di house of Jacob; proclaim am for Judah: ²¹Hear dis, O foolish and senseless people, wey get eyes but no dey see, wey get ears but no dey hear:" ²²You no dey fear me? na so our Papa talk. You no dey shake for my front? I put sand as boundary for di sea, one everlasting decree wey e no fit pass. Even as di waves dey toss, dem no fit win; even as dem dey roar, dem no fit cross am. ²³But dis people get stubborn and rebellious heart; dem don turn comot and follow dia own way. ²⁴Dem no dey talk for dia heart say, 'Make we fear our Papa, wey dey give di rain—di autumn and di spring rain for im season—wey dey keep for us di appointed weeks of di harvest.' ²⁵"Your wrongdoings don turn dis blessings comot, and your sins don hold di good thing from you. ²⁶Because among my people dem dey find wicked men; dem dey hide like bird-hunters wey dey wait; dem set trap, and na people dem dey catch. ²⁷Like cage wey full of birds, dia houses full of deceit; na why dem don grow big and rich. ²⁸Dem don grow fat and shine; dem full of evil deeds. Dem no dey defend di case of di fatherless, so dat dem go prosper, and di rights of di needy dem no dey uphold." ²⁹Abi I no suppose punish dem for dis things? na so our Papa talk. Abi I no suppose bring justice on a nation like dis? ³⁰"One thing wey dey shock and dey horrible don happen for di land: ³¹di prophets dey prophesy lie, and di priests dey rule by dia own authority; and my people love am so. But wetin you go do when di end come?"