Lamentations 1

1 ¹See as di city wey people bin full am before, now dey sit down lonely! She don turn like widow, she wey bin big among di nations. She wey bin be princess among di provinces don turn person wey dem dey force do slave work. ^a a v1 Lamentations chapter 1, 2, and 4 na acrostic — every verse dey start with di next letter for di Hebrew alphabet, complete 'A to Z' of sorrow; chapter 3 triple di pattern. Di structure lost for English, but di shape of di grief still dey. ²For night she dey cry with bitter belle, tears dey her cheek. Among all her lovers, she no get anybody wey go comfort am; all her friends don betray am, dem don turn her enemies. ³Judah don go exile under suffering and hard slavery; she dey live among di nations but she no fit find place wey she go rest. All di people wey dey chase am don catch am for inside her wahala. ⁴Di roads wey dey go Zion dey mourn, because nobody dey come di feasts wey dem set. All her gates don empty, her priests dey groan, her young girls dey grieve, and she herself dey inside bitter pain. ⁵Her enemies don turn her masters, her enemies dey enjoy rest, because our Papa don punish am because of di plenty times wey she rebel. Her pikin dem don comot go, dem carry dem go as captive for di enemy front. ^b b v5 Lamentations hold two true-true things wey di heart no wan join together: our Papa dey correct im pikin dem, and im correction no be di last word. Di same book talk say he 'no go throway person forever; even if he bring sorrow, im belle go dey pain am' (Lam 3:31-32). ⁶All her glory don comot from di daughter of Zion. Her princes don turn like deer wey no fit find grass wey dem go chop; dem dey run without strength for front of di people wey dey chase dem. ⁷For di days of her suffering and wandering, Jerusalem dey remember all di precious things wey be hers from before before. When her people fall enter di hand of di enemy, and nobody dey to help am, di enemies just dey look and dey laugh as she fall. ⁸Jerusalem don sin bad bad; na im make she turn something wey people dey despise. All di people wey bin dey honour am now dey scorn am, because dem don see her nakedness; she herself dey groan and dey turn her face comot. ⁹Her dirtiness stick for di edge of her cloth; she no think about wetin go happen tomorrow. Her fall shock person well well, and nobody dey to comfort am. "Look, my Papa, my suffering, because di enemy don win!" ^c c v9 Her 'skirts' na di edge and fold of her robe — di ritual dirtiness wey stick for there na something wey everybody fit see, wey show say she don defile openly and she no even try hide am. ¹⁰Di enemy don stretch im hand over all her precious things; she don watch as di nations enter her holy place—di people wey you bin talk say make dem no enter your assembly. ¹¹All her people dey groan as dem dey find bread; dem dey exchange dem treasure for food just so dem go fit stay alive. "Look, my Papa, and see, because I don turn person wey dem despise. ¹²E no mean anything to una, all una wey dey pass by? Look and see if any sorrow dey wey resemble my own sorrow, di one wey dem put for my head, wey our Papa bring for di day of im hot anger. ¹³From up for high he send fire enter my bones, and e overpower dem. He spread net for my leg and turn me back; he don leave me empty, weak di whole day. ¹⁴Dem tie my rebellions together make e turn yoke; im hand weave dem together, dem put am for my neck, and he pull comot my strength. Di Oga Papa hand me over give di people wey I no fit stand gidigba. ¹⁵Di Oga Papa don reject all di strong men wey dey among me; he call assembly against me make dem crush my young men. Di Oga Papa don step for di virgin daughter of Judah like say na inside winepress. ^d d v15 Di word wey dem use for 'assembly' na di same word wey dem dey use for holy feast gathering — as dem use am here for army wey dey destroy, e carry bitter irony wey dem do on purpose. ¹⁶Na because of dis things I dey cry; my eyes, my eyes dey pour tears, because person wey go comfort me, wey go bring my spirit back to life, dey far from me. My pikin dem don empty, because di enemy don win." ¹⁷Zion stretch her hands, but nobody dey to comfort am. Our Papa don decree say di people wey dey near Jacob go turn im enemies; Jerusalem don turn dirty thing among dem. ¹⁸Our Papa na correct-and-holy Papa, because I don rebel against im word. Hear, all una people, and look my suffering; my young girls and my young men don go captivity. ¹⁹I call my lovers, but dem deceive me. My priests and my elders die for inside di city as dem dey find food just so dem go fit stay alive. ²⁰Look, my Papa, because I dey inside trouble; my belle dey turn, my heart don turn upside down inside me, because I don rebel well well. For street, sword dey cut people down; for house, e be like death. ²¹Dem don hear how I dey groan, and nobody dey to comfort me. All my enemies don hear about my trouble; dem dey happy say na you do am. Bring di day wey you don talk, make dem too come be like me. ²²Make all dem evil come reach your front, and deal with dem as you don deal with me for all my rebellions; because my groans plenty, and my heart don weak.