Letter to di People wey Dey Exile

One messenger reach Babylon, dust full im body after months of journey. E carry one scroll from Jerusalem. Plenty people wey dey exile gather. Somebody open di scroll, and e begin read. And di first words make everybody hold dem breath.

Na about five hundred and ninety-seven years before Christ. Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon don capture Jerusalem, and e don carry thousands of im people go: di young king Jehoiachin, im mama, di officials, di craftsmen and di people wey dey work metal. Jerusalem still dey stand, for now, with one new king wey dem dey call Zedekiah. But di people wey dey exile dey far, for strange land. And some prophets for Babylon dey tell dem wetin dem wan hear. No unpack una load, dem talk. For two years, all of us go don reach house. Back for Jerusalem, di prophet Jeremiah know say dat one no true. So when King Zedekiah send two officials, Elasah and Gemariah, go Babylon, Jeremiah give dem one letter to carry.

Di letter start like dis: Na wetin Di Lord of hosts, di God of Israel, talk to all di people wey I send from Jerusalem go exile for Babylon. And then di instructions come. Make una build houses, and live inside; make una plant gardens, and chop di fruit. Marry. Born children. Make una children marry and born their own children too. Make una multiply for there, no reduce. Di people look each other face. Build house? Plant garden? E be like say we go stay here. Jeremiah dey tell dem: dis one no go be short journey. No spend una life dey sit down on top una box, dey wait. Live. Even for here.

And then di line wey surprise dem pass come. Make una look for di peace of di city wey I make dem carry una go as captives, and pray to Di Lord for am; because for im peace, una go get peace. Pray for Babylon? Di city of di people wey conquer us? Yes, God talk. Work for im good. Pray for am. When e dey do well, una go do well too. And no listen to di prophets and fortune-tellers wey dey among una, God talk, wey dey tell una di dreams wey una wan hear. Na lie dem dey prophesy for my name. No be me send dem.

But di letter no leave dem without hope. When seventy years don complete for Babylon, God talk, I go come meet una, and I go keep my good promise to bring una back to dis place. And then di words wey people don dey write for cards and walls since dat time. Because I know di thoughts wey I dey think about una, na so Di Lord talk, thoughts of peace, no be of evil, to give una di end wey una dey hope for. Plans for good, no be for harm. Future, and hope. Then una go call me, una go come pray to me, and I go listen to una. And una go look for me, and una go find me, when una look for me with all una heart. Una go find me, God talk, and I go gather una from all di nations and bring una back house. God never forget dem for Babylon. E dey right there with dem, and e get plan.

Di people wey dey exile really settle down and build house? Old clay tablets show say dem do am. One group of more than one hundred tablets, wey dem write for Babylonian language and publish for two thousand and fourteen, come from one village for Babylonia wey dem dey call Al-Yahudu, wey mean di town of Judah. Dem record ordinary business, like rent, buying and selling, and loans, among families wey get Hebrew names, for many generations of di exile.

You go find dis letter for Jeremiah chapter twenty-nine, verse one reach fourteen. Letter wey tell di people wey dey exile make dem plant garden, pray for di city of dem enemies, and hold God plans tight. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. Where God put you now, and how you fit look for di good of dat place?