< Jeremiah 18 >

1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying:
Esiae nye Yehowa ƒe gbe si va na Yeremia,
2 “Rise up and descend into the house of the potter, and there you will hear my words.”
“Tso nàyi ɖe zemela ƒe aƒe me, eye le afi ma matsɔ nye gbedeasi na wo.”
3 And I descended into the house of the potter, and behold, he was making a work on the wheel.
Ale meyi ɖe zemela ƒe aƒe me eye mekpɔe wònɔ dɔ wɔm le zemenu dzi.
4 And the vessel, which he was making with his hands out of clay, broke. And turning away, he made another vessel, for it had been pleasing in his eyes to make it.
Ke ze si mem wòle la gbã ɖe eƒe asiwo me, eya ta zemela la tsɔ anyi la me ze bubu ale si dze eya zemela la ŋu.
5 Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
Tete Yehowa ƒe gbe va nam bena,
6 “Am I not able to do with you, O house of Israel, just as this potter has done, says the Lord? Behold, like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel.
“Yehowa be O Israel ƒe aƒe, ɖe nyemate ŋu awɔ na wò abe ale si zemela sia wɔ ene oa? O Israel ƒe aƒe, abe ale si anyi nɔa zemela ƒe asi me ene la, nenema miele nye asimee.
7 Suddenly, I will speak against a nation and against a kingdom, so that I may uproot, and destroy, and scatter it.
Ne ɣe aɖe ɣi meɖe gbeƒã be maho dukɔ alo fiaɖuƒe aɖe kple ke, agbãe, ahatsrɔ̃e,
8 If that nation, against which I have spoken, will repent from their evil, I too will repent from the evil that I have decided I would do to them.
eye dukɔ si ŋu megblɔ nya la ɖo la trɔ le eƒe mɔ vɔ̃wo dzi vavã la, ekema matrɔ susu eye nyemagahe gbegblẽ si meɖo ɖe eŋuti la ava edzi o.
9 And soon, I will speak about a nation and about a kingdom, so that I may build and plant it.
Ke ne meɖe gbeƒã ɣe bubu ɣi be maɖo dukɔ alo fiaɖuƒe aɖe te, ahade eƒe agunu to
10 If it does evil in my sight, so as not to listen to my voice, I will repent of the good that I have said I would do to it.
gake wòwɔ nu si nye vɔ̃ le nye ŋkume eye meɖo tom o la, ekema matrɔ susu le nu nyui si meɖo be mawɔ nɛ hafi la ŋuti.
11 Now, therefore, speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying: Thus says the Lord: Behold, I am forming an evil against you, and I am considering a plan against you. Let each one of you return from his evil way, and direct your ways and your intentions well.”
“Azɔ gblɔ na ame siwo le Yuda kple Yerusalem be, ‘Ale Yehowa gblɔe nye esi: Kpɔ ɖa, meɖo gbegblẽ ɖe mia ŋu eye mele nugbe ɖom ɖe mia ŋu. Mia dometɔ ɖe sia ɖe netrɔ le eƒe mɔ vɔ̃wo dzi eye miaɖɔ miaƒe mɔwo kple wɔnawo ɖo.’
12 And they said: “We have lost hope. And so we will follow our own thoughts, and each of us will act according to the depravity of his own evil heart.”
Gake woaɖo eŋu be, ‘Mehiã o; miayi edzi awɔ miaƒe lɔlɔ̃nu eye mia dometɔ ɖe sia ɖe adze eƒe dzi vɔ̃ɖi kple aglãdzenuwo yome.’”
13 For this reason, thus says the Lord: “Inquire among the Gentiles. Who has heard of such horrible things as the virgin of Israel has done to excess?
Eya ta ale Yehowa gblɔe nye esi: “Mibia le dukɔwo dome be, ame kae se esia tɔgbi kpɔ mahã? Ɖetugbi dzadzɛ, Israel, wɔ ŋunyɔnu si teƒe mekɔ o.
14 Do the snows of Lebanon fail to fall on the rocks of the field? Or are the cold waters, which burst forth and flow down, able to be rooted out?
Ɖe tsikpe si dzana ɖe Lebanon ƒe agakpewo kɔgo la vɔna? Ɖe eƒe tsi fafɛ si sina toa dukɔ la me tso teƒe didiwo la nu tsona?
15 Yet my people have forgotten me, offering useless libations, and stumbling in their ways, in the paths of the world, so that they walk by these on an unmarked route.
Ke nye amewo ŋlɔm be hedoa dzudzɔ ʋeʋĩ na legba maɖinu siwo nana be woklia nu le woƒe toƒewo kple blemamɔwo dzi. Wonana be wozɔa mɔ siwo to duwo xa kple mɔ siwo menye mɔ dodowo o la dzi.
16 And so their land has been given over to desolation and to perpetual hissing. Each one who passes by will be astonished and will shake his head.
Woana woƒe anyigba nazu gbegbe, eye woazu alɔmeɖenu tegbee. Ame siwo katã ato afi ma ayi la, ƒe mo awɔ yaa, eye woaʋuʋu ta.
17 Like a burning wind, I will disperse them in the sight the enemy. I will show them the back, and not the face, in the day of their perdition.”
Makaka wo le woƒe futɔwo ŋgɔ abe ɣedzeƒeya ene. Matrɔ nye megbe ade wo le woƒe dzɔgbevɔ̃e ƒe ŋkeke la dzi, ke menye nye ŋkume o.”
18 And they said: “Come, and let us devise a plan against Jeremiah. For the law will not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor a sermon from the prophet. Come, and let us strike him with the tongue, and let us pay no attention to any of his words.”
Tete wogblɔ be, “Miva, mina míaɖo nugbe ɖe Yeremia ŋu, elabena mele be nunɔlawo ƒe se la fiafia, nunyalawo ƒe aɖaŋudede alo nyagblɔɖilawo ƒe nyawo nabu o, eya ta miva míawɔ avu kplii kple míaƒe aɖewo, eye míado toku nu sia nu si wòagblɔ.”
19 Attend to me, O Lord, and hear the voice of my adversaries.
Yehowa, ɖo tom, se nu si gblɔm nunyetsolawo le la ɖa!
20 Should evil be rendered for good? For they have dug a pit for my soul! Remember that I have stood in your sight, so as to speak on their behalf for good, and to avert your indignation from them.
Ɖe woatsɔ vɔ̃ aɖo nyui teƒea? Ke woɖe ʋe ɖi nam. Ɖo ŋku edzi be metsi tsitre ɖe ŋkuwòme ɖe kuku ɖe wo ta be nàtsɔ woƒe nu vɔ̃wo ake wo ne màgatrɔ wò dɔmedzoe akɔ ɖe wo dzi o.
21 Because of this, give their sons over to famine, and bring them to the hand of the sword. Let their wives be widows without children. And let their husbands be slain by death. Let their youths be stabbed with the sword in battle.
Eya ta tsɔ wo viwo de asi na dɔwuame, tsɔ wo de asi na yi ƒe ŋusẽ. Na be wo srɔ̃wo nazu konɔwo kple ahosiwo, na be woawu wo srɔ̃ŋutsuwo, eye woƒe ɖekakpuiwo natsi yi nu le aʋagbedzi.
22 Let an outcry be heard from their houses. For you will lead the robber upon them suddenly. For they have dug a pit, so that they may seize me, and they have hidden snares for my feet.
Na be avifafa naɖi le woƒe aƒewo me ne èkplɔ adzohawo va ƒo ɖe wo dzi kpoyi, elabena woɖe ʋe ɖi be mage ɖe eme ne yewoalém, eye woɖo mɔ ɖi na nye afɔwo.
23 But you, O Lord, know all their plans against me unto death. May you not forgive their iniquity, and do not allow their sin be taken away from your face. Let them be thrown down in your sight, in the time of your fury, so that you may destroy them.
O Yehowa, wò la, ènya nugbe si woɖo ɖe ŋunye be yewoawum. Mègatsɔ woƒe hlɔ̃dodowo ke alo nàtutu woƒe nu vɔ̃wo ɖa le ŋkuwòme o. Na be woatsɔ wo axlã ɖe anyi le ŋkuwòme, eye nàtu nu kpli wo le wò dzikudogbe.

< Jeremiah 18 >