Di Enemy Dem Mock di Work
Sanballat joke say even fox go push the wall fall, and the mockery turn plan to attack. Dem pray to our Papa and put guard: half of the men dey build while half stand with weapon, each person carry sword, dem dey work from early morning till stars come out.
4 1When Sanballat hear say we dey build di wall again, vex catch am well well, e dey boil with anger, and e begin dey laugh di Jew dem. 2For front of im brothers and di army of Samaria, e talk say, “Wetin dis weak Jew dem dey do? Dem go fit build back di wall for demsef? Dem go offer sacrifice? Dem go finish for just one day? Dem fit bring di stone dem come back to life from inside di heap of rubbish wey don burn like dis?”
3Tobiah di Ammonite person stay for im side, and e talk say, “Dat stone wall wey dem dey build—even if fox climb am, e go break am down!”
4Hear us, our Papa, because dem dey despise us. Turn dia insult back for dia own head, and hand dem over as loot go land of exile. 5No close eye for dia guilt, and no make dia sin comot from your sight, because dem don throw insult for di face of di people wey dey build.
6So we build di wall until all of am join togeda reach half of im height, because di people work with dia whole heart.
7But when Sanballat, Tobiah, di Arab dem, di Ammonite dem, and di Ashdod people hear say di repair for Jerusalem wall dey move forward and di open places don start to dey close, vex full dia belle. 8Dem all come plan togeda say dem go come fight against Jerusalem and put am for confusion.
9But we pray give our Papa and put guard against dem for day and for night.
10For dat same time, di people of Judah talk say, “Di workers strength dey finish, and rubbish plenty so tey we no fit build di wall again.” 11And our enemy dem talk say, “Before dem go know or see us, we go don dey inside dem; we go kill dem and stop di work.”
12Den di Jew dem wey dey live near dem come tell us ten times over say, “Anywhere wey una turn, dem go come against us.”
13So I put people for behind di lowest part of di wall, for di open places, and I arrange dem by family with dia sword, spear, and bow. 14After I don look everything well, I stand up talk to di big men, di officials, and di rest of di people say, “No dey fear dem. Remember di Papa wey be Oga over all, wey great and wey we suppose fear well well, and fight for una brothers, una sons and daughters, una wife dem and una house.”
15When our enemy dem hear say we don sabi dia plan and say our Papa don scatter am, we all come back to di wall, each person to im own work. 16From dat day, half of my men dey do di work while di oda half hold spear, shield, bow, and body armor. Di officers stay for behind all di people of Judah, 17wey dey build di wall. Di ones wey dey carry load dey do dia work with one hand and hold weapon with di oda hand, 18and each of di builders tie im sword for im waist as e dey work. But di man wey dey blow di trumpet stay near me. 19Den I talk to di big men, di officials, and di rest of di people say, “Di work big and e spread wide, and we scatter far from each oda along di wall. 20Anywhere wey una hear di trumpet sound, gather come meet us for there. Our Papa go fight for us!”
21So we continue to work, with half of di men dey hold spear, from wen morning break until wen star begin show for sky. 22For dat time I also tell di people say, “Make everybody and im helper stay inside Jerusalem for night, so dem go fit dey guard for night and dey work for day.” 23So me, my brothers, my men, or di guard dem wey dey follow me, we no ever comot our cloth; each person keep im weapon for im hand, even wen e dey go fetch water.
