Nehemiah 5

5 ¹Now di people and dem wives begin cry big cry against dem fellow Jews. ²Some talk say, "We, our sons and our daughters, we plenty; make we get grain chop so we go fit live." ³Others talk say, "We dey put our farms, our vineyards, and our houses for mortgage so we go fit get grain for dis hunger time." ⁴Others talk say, "We don borrow money to pay di king tax on top our farms and our vineyards. ⁵We na flesh of our own brothers, our children be like dem own—but see, we dey force our sons and our daughters enter slavery. Some of our daughters don already turn slave, and we no get power to do anytin: our farms and our vineyards don belong to other people."

⁶I vex well well wen I hear dem cry and dis wetin dem talk. ⁷I tink am well for my mind, den I face di big men and di officials talk say, "Every one of una dey collect interest on top di loan wey una give una own brothers!" So I gather big assembly against dem. ⁸I tell dem say, "We don do all wetin we fit do to buy back our Jewish brothers wey dem sell to other nations. But now na una dey sell una own brothers, so dat we go come buy dem back again!" Dem keep quiet, dem no get anytin to talk. ⁹So I talk say, "Wetin una dey do no good. Abi una no suppose waka for fear of our Papa, so dat our enemy nations no go take us do yanga? ¹⁰Me, my brothers, and my servants, we sef dey lend dem money and grain. Make we stop dis interest. ¹¹Give dem back dem farms, dem vineyards, dem olive gardens, and dem houses today, plus di interest wey una don collect from dem on top money, grain, new wine, and oil."

¹²Dem answer say, "We go give am back and we no go ask dem for anytin again. We go do as you talk." So I call di priests come and make di big men swear say dem go keep dis promise.

¹³I sef shake comot di front of my cloth and talk say, "Make our Papa shake comot, from im house and im property, every man wey no keep dis promise—make dem shake am comot make e empty." Di whole assembly talk say, "Amen," and dem praise our Papa. And di people do as dem promise.

¹⁴From di day wey dem make me governor of Judah—from King Artaxerxes twentieth year go reach im thirty-second year, twelve years—me and my brothers no chop di food wey dem dey give governor. ¹⁵But di governors wey dey before me put heavy load on top di people, dem dey collect food and wine from dem, plus like one pound of silver. Even dem servants dey rule over di people. But me, I no do dat one, because I dey fear our Papa. ¹⁶I sef hold tight for di work on top dis wall; we no buy any land. All my servants gather for there to do di work. ¹⁷150 Jews and officials sef dey chop for my table, apart from di people wey come from di nations wey surround us. ¹⁸Wetin dem dey prepare each day be: one ox, six correct sheep, and birds—na my own pocket dey pay for all of am; and every ten days, plenty wine of every kind. Even so, I no collect di food wey dem dey give governor, because di work don heavy well well on top dis people. ¹⁹Remember me for good, my Papa, for all di tin wey I don do for dis people.