Lamentation Chapter 3

 Di Prophet Pain Plus Hope

1. Na me be di man wey don chop di punishment of Baba-God koboko.
2. He don pursue me komot, con make me waka inside darkness instead of light;
3. True-true, he don turn hin hand against me again and again, from morning till night.
4. He don make my skin and my flesh old and he don break my bones.
5. He don round me and he don cover me wit sadness and suffer-head.
6. He don make me live inside darkness like pipo wey don kpeme tey-tey.
7. He don fence round me sote I no fit escape; he don press me down wit chains.
8. Even wen I shout or cry for epp, he no dey listen to my prayer.
9. He don cover my road wit block of stones; he don turn my road to bend-bend road.
10. He be like bear wey dey wait for corner for me, like lion wey dey hide for corner.
11. He drag me from my way, he tear my to pieces, con finish me kpatakpata.
12. He set hin bow, con face hin arrow for my body.
13. He shuuk my heart wit arrow from hin bag-of-arrow.
14. All my pipo con dey laff me anyhow; dem dey yab me wit dia song from morning till night.
15. He don full me wit bitter tins, con give me bitter cup of sorrow to drink.
16. He don break my teeth wit gravel stone; he don cover me wit ashes.
17. He no gree let me see peace; I don forget wetin prosperity mean.
18. Naso I tok sey, “My pawa and my hope don finish for Baba-God.”
19. I remember my suffer-suffer plus my waka-waka, na bitter hard life.
20. I remember dem well-well, and my spirit kpanji.
21. But I still dey hope wen I remember dis tins:
22. becos Baba-God dey sorry-for pesin—nahin make us neva kpeme, hin soft-love no dey fail.
23. Dem dey fresh everi morning and hin faithfulness na ogbonge.
24. I tell mysef sey, “Baba-God nahin be my portion; so I go put my hope on am.”
25. Baba-God dey good to those pipo wey dey hope on am, to di pesin [soul] wey dey fyne am;
26. E dey good for man to hope, con keep quiet as you dey wait for Baba-God come save am.
27. E good for man to use patience carry heavy load wen he dey young.
28. Make he sidon alone wit silence, becos Baba-God don sama am.
29. Make he bury hin face for dust—hope fit still dey.
30. Make he carry hin cheek give pesin wey go nack am, and make he burku wit disgrace.
31. Becos Baba-God no dey fashi any pesin forever.
32. Even though he dey make yawa gas, he go still show love based-on how he take dey sorry-for pipo well-well.
33. Evensef, he no dey bring suffer-suffer just like dat, or bring sadness to man pikin,
34. to march prisoners for under hin leg,
35. to cut man from hin right for front of di Most High,
36. to carry justice from man. Baba-God no dey gree for all dis kain tins.
37. Who fit tok, and make e happun if Baba-God neva confam am?
38. Abi no be from di mouth of di Most High nahin both kasala and beta tins dey from come?
39. Why any man wey dey alive go dey complain wen he receive punishment for hin sins?
40. Make we check awa ways and make we test dem, con turn back go meet Baba-God.
41. Make we carry awa hearts plus awa hands go up to meet Baba-God for heaven, con tok sey:
42. “We don do bad tins, we no gree listen to you, and you neva forgive us.
43. “You don cover yoursef wit vex and you don show us pepper; you don kill us wit-out sorrying for us.
44. You don cover yousef wit cloud sote no prayer fit reach where you dey.
45. You don turn us to yama-yama and dirty among di nations.
46. “All awa enemies don open dia mouth wide against us.
47. Fear nahin full inside us, we dey inside trap, we don finish kpatakpata, and we don kpafuka.”
48. Water dey flow from awa eyes like river becos my pipo don scata.
49. My eyes no go stop to dey flow wit water, wit no rest,
50. Until Baba-God look down from heaven, con see.
51. Wetin I dey see dey make my soul feel sad, becos of all di women wey dey for my city.
52. Those pipo wey be my enemies for no reason dey hunt me like bird.
53. Dem try to end my life inside pit, con dey stone me;
54. di water con dey reach me for my head, and I con tink sey I go soon cut komot.
55. I call your name, chai Baba-God, from deep inside di pit.
56. You don hear my voice: “Make you no close your ears as I dey breath, or hide your ears from my cry for epp.”
57. You come near wen I call you, and you tok sey, “No let fear catch you.”
58. Oh Baba-God, you carry my mata for your head; you con save my life.
59. You don see, Oh Baba-God, di wrong tin wey dem dey do to me. Carry my case!
60. You don see as dem carry me for mind, plus all dia plans against me.
61. Chai Baba-God, you don hear dia insults, all dia plans against me—
62. Wetin my enemies dey tok small-small plus dia coded yarnings against me from morning till night.
63. See dem! As dem dey sidon and dey stand, dem dey yab me wit dia songs.
64. Pay dem back based-on wetin dem don do, Oh Baba-God, becos of wetin dia hands don do.
65. Use sometin take cover dia hearts [make dem get stubborn heart], and make your curse dey on dia head!
66. Pursue dem as you dey vex, con dabaru dem from under Baba-God heavens.