John 12

12 ¹Six days before Passover, Jesus come Bethany, di place wey Lazarus—di man wey Jesus wake from death—dey stay. ²For there dem prepare dinner give am; Martha dey serve, and Lazarus na one of di people wey sidon for table with am. ³Mary carry about one pint of pure nard perfume, di costly one, come rub am for Jesus feet, den she use her hair clean im feet. Di sweet smell of di perfume fill di whole house.

⁴But Judas Iscariot, one of im disciples, di one wey wan betray am, talk say, ⁵“Why dem no sell dis perfume for money wey reach one year work, come give di poor people?” ⁶Na no be say e care about di poor people make e talk dis one, but na because e be tief wey dey hold di money bag, and e dey take di money wey dem dey put inside.

⁷So Jesus talk say, “Leave am alone. She keep dis one for di day wey dem go bury me. ⁸Di poor people go dey with una all di time, but I no go dey with una all di time.”

⁹Plenty Jews hear say Jesus dey there come, no be only because of am, but so dem go fit see Lazarus too, di man wey e wake from death. ¹⁰So di chief priests plan say dem go kill Lazarus sef, ¹¹because na because of am plenty Jews dey comot go dey believe for Jesus.

Di King Come Dey Ride

¹²Di next day, di plenty crowd wey come for di feast hear say Jesus dey come Jerusalem. ¹³Dem carry palm branches comot go meet am, dey shout say, “Hosanna! Blessing dey for di one wey dey come for di name of our Papa—di King of Israel!” ^a a v13 Hosanna mean “Save now!”—na di cry wey di crowd shout from Psalm 118 as dem dey welcome Jesus as di King wey dem don dey wait tey.

¹⁴Jesus see one young donkey come ride am, just as dem don write am say: ¹⁵“No fear, pikin-woman of Zion; look, your king dey come, e sidon on top young donkey.” ¹⁶Im disciples no understand dis things for di beginning; but wen dem don glorify Jesus, dem come remember say na about am dem write dis things, and say na dis things dem do give am. ¹⁷Di crowd wey dey with am wen e call Lazarus comot for di grave and wake am from death, no gree stop to dey tok wetin dem see. ¹⁸Na so di crowd waka go meet am because dem hear say e do dis sign. ¹⁹So di Pharisees talk to demself say, “See, una no dey achieve anytin—di whole world don follow am go.”

Di Greek People Dey Find Jesus

²⁰Now some Greek people dey among di people wey go up to worship for di feast. ²¹Dis ones come meet Philip, wey come from Bethsaida for Galilee, come beg am say, “Oga, we wan see Jesus.” ²²Philip go tell Andrew; den Andrew and Philip go tell Jesus.

²³Jesus answer dem say, “Di hour don reach make dem glorify di Pikin of Man. ²⁴True-true, I dey tell una, if wheat seed no fall for ground die, e go dey alone; but if e die, e go bring plenty fruit. ²⁵Anybody wey love im life go lose am; anybody wey hate im life for dis world go keep am for life wey no dey end. ²⁶Anybody wey dey serve me must follow me, so my servant go dey wia I dey. Anybody wey dey serve me, my Papa go honor am.”

²⁷“Now my soul dey trouble. Wetin I go talk—‘Papa, save me from dis hour’? But na because of dis I take come dis hour. Papa, glorify your name.”

²⁸Den one voice come from heaven say: “I don glorify am, and I go glorify am again.”

²⁹Di crowd wey stand there hear am come talk say na thunder; oda people talk say na angel tok to am.

³⁰Jesus talk say, “Dis voice come because of una, no be because of me. ³¹Now na di time wey dem go judge dis world; now dem go throway di ruler of dis world comot. ³²And me, wen dem lift me up from di earth, I go draw all people come to myself.”

³³E tok dis one to show di kind death wey e go take die.

³⁴Di crowd answer say, “We don hear from di Law say di Christ go dey forever. How you fit talk say dem must lift di Pikin of Man up? Who be dis Pikin of Man?”

³⁵So Jesus talk say, “Di light go dey with una small time again. Waka wen you still get light, so darkness no go catch you. Anybody wey dey waka for darkness no sabi wia e dey go. ³⁶Wen you still get light, believe for di light, so you go become pikin of light.” As e don tok dis one, Jesus comot go hide from dem.

Waka Wen You Still Get Di Light

³⁷Even sef as e don do so plenty signs for dem front, dem still no gree believe for am,

³⁸so dat di word wey Isaiah di prophet tok go come pass, di word wey e talk say: “Papa, na who believe our message? And na who our Papa arm show?”

³⁹Na dis make dem no fit believe, because Isaiah tok again say: ⁴⁰“E don blind dem eyes and make dem heart hard, so dat dem no go see with dem eyes, or understand with dem heart, or turn back —and I go heal dem.”

⁴¹Isaiah tok dis things because e see Jesus glory come tok about am. ^b b v41 John tell us plain-plain: wen Isaiah see di throne for di temple and di seraphim cry “Holy, holy, holy,” na Jesus glory e dey see. ⁴²Even so, plenty—even among di rulers—believe for am, but dem no gree tok am open because of di Pharisees, so dem no go drive dem comot from di synagogue, ⁴³because dem love di glory wey dey come from people pass di glory wey dey come from our Papa.

⁴⁴Jesus shout say, “Anybody wey believe for me no dey believe for me alone, but for di one wey send me. ⁴⁵And anybody wey see me don see di one wey send me. ⁴⁶I come inside di world as light, so dat anybody wey believe for me no go stay for darkness. ⁴⁷If anybody hear my words come no keep dem, I no dey judge am—I no come to judge di world, but to save di world. ⁴⁸Anybody wey reject me come no accept my words don already get judge: di word wey I tok go judge am for di last day. ⁴⁹Na no be my own I dey tok; but di Papa wey send me, na im command me wetin I go talk and how I go tok am. ⁵⁰I sabi say im commandment na life wey no dey end, so na only wetin di Papa tell me make I talk I dey tok.”