Zion Glory Wey Turn to Ashes
Gold don dull, princes wey before dey whiter pass snow, now nobody sabi dem for street, mama wey hunger dey kill dey cook dia own pikin. Di poet blame di prophets and priests wey shed innocent blood, and e talk say di fire wey burn Zion foundation na our Papa vexation wey e pour out.
4 1See as di gold don loss im shine, see as di purest gold don change! Dem don scatter di sacred stones for every street corner. 2Di precious pikin dem of Zion, wey before dem worth like fine gold, see as dem don count dem now as clay pot, di work wey potter im hand make! 3Even jackal dem dey give dia pikin breast, dey feed dia young ones, but di daughter of my people don turn wicked, like ostrich for wilderness. a a v3 For di old world, dem know ostrich as bird wey dey leave im egg and im young ones — na im dem take talk about person wey dey wicked to im own pikin. 4Di tongue of di baby wey still dey suck breast dey stick for di roof of im mouth becos of thirst; di pikin dem dey beg for bread, but nobody dey give dem even small piece. 5Dem wey before dey chop sweet food now dey lie for street with nothing; dem wey grow up dey wear fine purple cloth now dey hold ashes tight. 6Di guilt of di daughter of my people big pass di sin of Sodom, wey God overthrow for one moment, even though no human hand touch am. 7Her princes clean pass snow, white pass milk; dia body red-fine pass coral, dia shape be like sapphire. 8But now dia face don black pass soot; nobody fit recognize dem for street. Dia skin don shrink for dia bone; e don dry like wood. 9Dem wey sword kill better pass dem wey hunger kill, wey waste away, wey hunger pierce becos food no dey from di field. 10Di hand of women wey get tender mercy wey dey pain belle boil dia own pikin; dem become dia food when dem destroy di daughter of my people. 11Our Papa pour out im vex finish; e pour out im hot anger and e light fire for Zion wey burn her foundation. 12Di kings of di earth no believe, and nobody wey dey live for earth believe, say enemy or opponent fit enter di gate of Jerusalem. 13Na becos of di sin of her prophet dem and di crime of her priest dem, wey pour di blood of di correct-and-holy people for her middle. 14Dem waka like blind people for di street, dem dirty with blood, so tay nobody fit touch dia cloth. 15“Comot! Una dirty!” people dey shout give dem. “Comot! Comot! No touch!” So dem run, dem waka about, and among di nations dem talk say, “Dem no fit stay here again.” 16Our Papa im presence don scatter dem; e no go look dem again. Dem no show di priest dem any honor, dem no show di elder dem any favor. 17Our eye don tire as we dey look for help wey no come; from our watchtower we dey watch for one nation wey no fit save us. 18Dem dey follow our footstep so tay we no fit waka for our street. Our end don near, our days don count, becos our end don reach. 19Di people wey dey chase us fast pass eagle wey dey fly for sky; dem chase us go over di mountains and dem hide dey wait for us for wilderness. 20Di very breath of our life, our Papa im anointed one, dem catch am for dia pit—di one wey we talk about say, “Under im shadow we go live among di nations.” b b v20 “Under im shadow” na Hebrew picture of shelter — to live for di king shadow mean to live under im protection. 21Rejoice and make merry, daughter of Edom, you wey dey live for di land of Uz; but di cup of im anger go reach you too—you go drunk and go strip yourself naked. 22Your punishment don complete, daughter of Zion; e no go make your exile long again. But your guilt, daughter of Edom, e go punish; e go open your sin dem bare.
