Nehemiah

13 That day, them read the book of Moses make the people hear and them see wetin them write for inside say make no Amʹmon person or Moʹab person ever enter the congregation of the true God, 2 because them no give Israel people bread and water, instead, them hire Baʹlaam say make e curse them. But, our God change the curse to blessing. 3 As them just hear wetin the Law talk, them start to separate all the people of other nations* from among Israel people.

4 Before this one happen, the priest wey dey in charge of the storerooms* for the house* of our God na E·liʹa·shib, wey be To·biʹah family member. 5 E·liʹa·shib be don arrange one big storeroom* for To·biʹah, and na this room them be de keep the grain offering, the frankincense, the things wey them de use work, and the tenth part* of the grain, the new wine, and the oil. And na this things them de give the Levites, the singers, and the gatemen. Na for this room them still de keep the contribution for the priests.

6 When all this things de happen, I no dey for Jerusalem, because I be go meet King Ar·ta·xerxʹes wey be the king of Babylon, for the 32nd year wey e de rule, and after some time, I beg the king say make e allow me comot from work for some time. 7 When I reach Jerusalem, I see say E·liʹa·shib don do something wey really bad because of To·biʹah. E give-am one storeroom for the compound wey dey the house of the true God. 8 This one really vex me, so I carry all To·biʹah things* wey dey inside the storeroom,* and I troway them for outside. 9 After this one, I give the command and them clean the storerooms,* and I carry the things wey them de use work for the house of the true God together with the grain offering and the frankincense, and put them back for the storerooms.*

10 I still see say them don stop to give the Levites the things wey them suppose de give them, and because of this one, the Levites and the singers wey de do the work don comot, each of them don go their own farm. 11 So I shout for the assistant rulers and I talk say: “Why them abandon the house of the true God like this?” Then I gather all the people wey be don comot and I send them back to their posts make them go do their work. 12 Then all Judah people bring the tenth part of the grain, the new wine, and the oil come the storerooms. 13 Then I choose Shel·e·miʹah wey be the priest, Zaʹdok wey be person wey de copy book,* and Pe·daiʹah wey be one of the Levites to dey in charge of the storerooms. I still choose Haʹnan wey be the son of Zacʹcur the son of Mat·ta·niʹah as their assistant, because them be men wey people fit trust. Their work na to de share things for their brothers.

14 Abeg, remember me, O my God, for this matter, and the things wey I don do to show love wey no de fail for the house of my God and for the work wey them de do for inside,* make you no forget-am.

15 That time, I see people for Judah wey de match grapes to make wine* for Sabbath day. Them de carry bundle of grain and de load them ontop donkeys. Them still de bring wine, grapes, figs, and every kind of load come inside Jerusalem for Sabbath day. So I warn them say make them no sell anything for that day.* 16 And Tyre people wey de live for the city de carry fish and every kind of market things come sell to the people of Judah and Jerusalem for Sabbath day. 17 So I shout for the important men for Judah and tell them say: “Wetin be this bad thing wey una de do, wey una de even spoil the Sabbath day? 18 No be the same thing wey una papa-papa them do be this wey make our God punish us like this and still punish our city? Now, una de add join the vex wey e don already de vex, wey de burn against Israel people, as una de spoil the Sabbath day.”

19 So the day before the Sabbath day, as day don de dark for the gates of Jerusalem, I give command say make them close the doors. I still talk say make them no open the doors until after the Sabbath day, and I put some of my own servants for the gates so that nobody go carry any load enter for Sabbath day. 20 So the business people and the people wey de sell every kind of market things sleep outside Jerusalem one or two times. 21 Then I warn them and I tell them say: “Why una de sleep for front of the wall? If una do-am again, I go pursue una comot with force.” So from that time go, them no come for Sabbath day again.

22 And I tell the Levites say make them de always make theirself clean and make them come guard the gates to make the Sabbath day holy. Abeg my God, still remember this one as part of the good things wey I don do, and make you pity me because of your love wey no de fail wey plenty well-well.

23 That time, I still see Jew people wey don marry women wey come from Ashʹdod, Amʹmon, and Moʹab.* 24 Half of their sons de speak the language of Ashʹdod people and half de speak the language of different-different nations, but no one among them sabi speak Jew people language. 25 So I shout for them and curse them, and I hit some of the men and pull their hair comot and I make them use the name of God swear and I talk say: “Una no go give una daughters to their sons and una no go accept any of their daughters for una sons or for unaself. 26 No be because of this kind things Solʹo·mon wey be king of Israel sin? E no get any king wey be like-am among all the nations, and im God love-am, sotey God make-am king to rule all Israel people. But the wives wey come from other nations make even Solʹo·mon sin. 27 How e even be for ear to hear say una do this thing wey really bad to sin against our God, as una go de marry women from other nations?”

28 One of the sons of Joiʹa·da the son of E·liʹa·shib wey be high priest don be son-in-law of San·balʹlat wey be Horʹo·nite person. So I pursue-am comot from my side.

29 Abeg remember them, O my God, because them don dirty the work wey priests de do and the agreement of the priests and the Levites.

30 And I make them clean from everything wey come from other nations, wey de make them dirty, and I give the priests and the Levites work. Each one de do im own work. 31 I still arrange say make people de carry wood come for the correct time and say make them bring the first ripe fruits.

Abeg remember me, make you bless me,* O my God.