Isaiah 49:1-26
49 Listen to me, una wey de stay for the islands,And put mind for wetin I want talk, una wey dey for nations wey dey far place.
Jehovah don call me before them born me.*
From the time wey I dey my mama belle, e don talk about my name.
2 E make my mouth be like sharp sword;E don hide me for the shadow of im hand.
E make me be like arrow wey them polish;E hide me for inside wetin e de use carry arrows.
3 E tell me say: “You be my servant, O Israel,Wey I go use show my glory.”
4 But I talk say: “I don work hard for nothing.
I don use my power finish for wetin no dey real, for nothing.
But true-true, na Jehovah go judge me,*And na my God go pay* me.”
5 And now Jehovah, the Person wey form me from belle as im servant,Don tell me to bring Jacob back to-am,So that I fit gather Israel come meet-am.
I go get value for Jehovah eye,And my God go don be my power.
6 And e talk say: “You no go only be my servantTo raise the tribes of Jacob upAnd to bring back the people for Israel wey them save their life.
But I don still give you as light to the nations,So that I fit save people for every part of the earth.”
7 This one na wetin Jehovah, the Person Wey Buy Israel Back, wey be the Holy One of Israel, de tell the person wey them no respect,* the person wey the nation hate, the servant of people wey de rule, say:
“Kings go see and them go stand up,And leaders* go bow downBecause of Jehovah wey dey faithful,The Holy One of Israel, wey don choose you.”
8 This one na wetin Jehovah talk:
“For time of favor* I answer you,And for day of salvation, I help you;I continue to protect you to give you as agreement for the people,To make the land dey as e dey before,To make them take back their property wey them be don abandon,
9 To tell the prisoners say, ‘Make una come out!’
And to tell people wey dey darkness say, ‘Make una show unaself!’
Them go chop for the side of the roads,Them go feed their animals near all the roads wey plenty people de waka pass.*
10 Them no go hungry, and their throat no go dry,And strong heat or sun no go beat them.
Because the Person wey de show them mercy go lead them,And e go lead them go near place them wey water de come from.
11 I go make all my mountains turn to road,And make my roads raise go up.
12 See! People de come from far place,And see! some de come from north and from west,And other ones de come from the land of Siʹnim.”
13 Make the heavens shout with joy, and make the earth de happy.
Make the mountains de happy and de shout with joy.
Because Jehovah don comfort im people,And e de show mercy to im own people wey them de suffer.
14 But Zion continue to talk say:
“Jehovah don abandon me, and Jehovah don forget me.”
15 Woman fit forget im pikin wey still de suckOr no get feeling for pikin wey e be carry for belle?
Even if this women forget, I no go ever forget you.
16 See! I don carve you for the palms of my hands.
Your walls always dey my front.
17 Your sons go rush come back.
The people wey scatter you and destroy you go leave you.
18 Raise your eyes and look everywhere.
All of them de gather together.
Them de come meet you.
Jehovah talk say, “As I surely dey alive,You go wear all of them like things wey them de wear for body to make person fine,And you go wear them for your body the way woman wey want marry de do.
19 Even though say your place them be scatter and nobody de live there and your land na heap of stones before,Now e go too small for people wey de stay there,And the people wey swallow you go dey far place.
20 The sons wey them born after your children don die, go talk make you hear say,‘This place too small for me.
Make space for me to stay here.’
21 And you go talk for inside your heart say,‘Who be the papa of this children wey them give me,Since I be woman wey im children don die and I no fit born,Woman wey them drive comot and take as prisoner?
Who don train this ones?
See! Them be leave only me for here,So where this ones come from?’”
22 This one na wetin Jehovah the Lord Wey High Pass talk:
“See! I go raise my hand up for the nations to see,And I go raise my sign* up for the people to see.
Them go carry your sons for their hands* comeAnd them go carry your daughters ontop their shoulders.
23 Kings go be your caretakers,And their princess them go be your nurse them.
Them go bow face ground for youAnd lick the dust wey dey your leg,And you go know say I be Jehovah;People wey de put their hope for me no go shame.”
24 Them fit free people wey them don already catch as prisoners from the hand of strong man,Or them fit save people wey them don already carry as slaves from the hand of harsh person?
25 But this one na wetin Jehovah talk:
“Them go free the people wey even the strong man carry as slaves,And them go save the people wey the harsh person catch as prisoners.
I go dey against people wey dey against you,And I go save your own sons.
26 I go make people wey no de treat you well to chop their own flesh,And like sweet wine, their own blood go make them drunk.
And everybody* go come know say I be Jehovah,The Person Wey De Save You and the Person Wey Buy You Back,The Powerful One of Jacob.”
Footnotes
^ For Hebrew na, “from belle.”
^ Or “na Jehovah go give me correct judgment.”
^ Or “reward.”
^ Or “wey them hate with their soul.”
^ Or “prince them.”
^ Or “For the correct time.”
^ Or e fit be, “the hills wey nothing de grow ontop.”
^ Or “sign pole.”
^ For Hebrew na, “near their chest.”
^ For Hebrew na, “every flesh.”
