Isaiah 41
1 Be silent [and hearken] unto me, O ye Coastlands, And let the Races of Men renew their strength, —Let them approach, then, let them speak, Together, for controversy, let us draw near: —
“Mi ƒukpowo, mizi ɖoɖoe le ŋkunye me! Ŋusẽ yeye neɖo dukɔwo ŋu! Mina woava ŋgɔ hafi woaƒo nu. Mina miado go le ʋɔnudrɔ̃ƒe.
2 Who roused up one from the East, In righteousness, called him to his feet, —Set before him nations And over kings, caused him to rule, His sword, made [them] like dust, His bow like driven chaff:
“Ame kae de dzo lãme na ame si tso ɣedzeƒe, heyɔe le dzɔdzɔenyenye me be wòatsɔ dɔ nɛ? Etsɔ dukɔwo de asi nɛ, eye wòfanya fiawo le eŋkume. Etsɔ eƒe yi wɔ wo wozu kewɔ, eye wòtsɔ eƒe aŋutrɔ wɔ wo wozu abe atsa si ya ƒo ene.
3 He pursued them passed along safely, —Upon the path of his own feet, entered he not?
Eti wo yome, eye wòƒu du to teƒe siwo meto kpɔ o, gake naneke mewɔe o.
4 Who hath wrought and performed, Calling the generations, in advance? I, Yahweh, [who am] First, And with them who are last, I, am the Same!
Ame kae wɔ esia hekpɔ egbɔ be ede go, eye wòyɔ dzidzimewo tso gɔmedzedzea me ke? Nye, Yehowa, si nɔ kple gbãtɔwo, eye nenema ke mele kple mamlɛawo hã, Nyee.”
5 Coastlands have seen, so they fear, The ends of the earth, are in dread, —They have drawn near, and have come:
Ƒukpowo kpɔe, eye wovɔ̃. Anyigba ƒe mlɔenuwo dzo kpekpekpe, woƒo ƒu, eye wozɔ ɖe ŋgɔgbe;
6 Every man, to his neighbour, giveth help, —And to his brother, saith Take courage!
ɖe sia ɖe kpe ɖe nɔvia ŋu, eye wogblɔ na wo nɔewo be, “Lé dzi ɖe ƒo.”
7 So, the carver, hath encouraged, the goldsmith, he that maketh smooth with the hammer, him that smiteth the anvil, —Saying of the welding, It is, good, Then hath he fastened it with nails—it must not totter!
Aɖaŋudɔwɔla de dzi ƒo na sikanutula, ganutrela de dzi ƒo na zudala. Egblɔ tso nu si wotre la ŋu be, “Wotree nyuie.” Tete wòƒo gatagbadzɛ ɖe aklamakpakpɛ la be magaʋã o.
8 But, thou, Israel, my Servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, —The seed of Abraham my loving one;
“Ke wò, Israel, nye dɔla, Yakob, ame si metia. Mi, xɔ̃nye, Abraham ƒe dzidzimeviwo.
9 Thou whom I have taken hold of from the ends of the earth, And from the extremities thereof, have called thee, —And said to thee, My Servant, thou! I have chosen thee and not cast thee off,
Wò, ame si mekplɔ tso anyigba ƒe mlɔenuwo, meyɔ wò tso eƒe dzogoewo dzi ke. Megblɔ be, ‘Nye dɔlae nènye.’ Metia wò, eye nyemegbe wò o,
10 Do not fear, for with thee, I am! Look not around, for, I, am thy God, —I have emboldened thee, Yea I have helped thee, Yea I have upheld thee with my righteous right-hand.
eya ta mègavɔ̃ o, elabena meli kpli wò. Ŋɔ megadzi wò o, elabena nyee nye wò Mawu. Mali ke wò, eye makpe ɖe ŋuwò; matsɔ nye dzɔdzɔenyenye ƒe nuɖusibɔ alé wò ɖe te.
11 Lo! they shall turn pale and be ashamed—All they who have been incensed against thee, —They shall become as nothing and perish—The men who have been thine accusers:
“Kpɔɖa, ŋukpe kple vlododo ava ame siwo katã do dɔmedzoe ɖe ŋuwò la dzi, ame siwo tsi tsitre ɖe ŋuwò la atsrɔ̃, eye wo nu ava ayi.
12 Thou shalt seek them, but shalt not find them—The men who have contended with thee, They shall become as nothing, and as a thing of nought—The men who have warred against thee;
Àdi wò ketɔwo, gake màkpɔ wo o. Ame siwo ho aʋa ɖe ŋuwò la azu tofloko ƒe tofloko,
13 For I, Yahweh thy God am firmly grasping thy right-hand, —Who am saying unto thee Do not fear! I, have become thy helper!
elabena nyee. Nye Yehowa, wò Mawu, ame si lé wò nuɖusibɔ ɖe asi hele gbɔgblɔm na wò be ‘Mègavɔ̃ o, makpe ɖe ŋuwò.’
14 Do not fear, Thou worm Jacob, Ye men of Israel, —I, have become thy helper, Declareth Yahweh, And thy redeemer The Holy One of Israel.
Mègavɔ̃ o. O! Ŋusẽmanɔsitɔ, Yakob, O! Israel beli, elabena nye ŋutɔ makpe ɖe ŋuwò.” Yehowa, wò Ɖela, Israel ƒe Kɔkɔetɔ lae gblɔe.
15 Lo! I have made of thee a new pointed threshing sledge, owning teeth, —Thou shalt thresh mountains and crush them, And, hills—like chaff, shalt thou make:
“Kpɔ ɖa, matsɔ wò awɔ luƒomɔ yeye ɖaɖɛ si ƒe aɖuwo sɔ gbɔ fũu. Àfanya towo, agbã wo gudugudu, eye àwɔ togbɛwo woazu fufu.
16 Thou shalt fan them and, a wind, shall carry them away, And, a whirlwind, scatter, them, —But, thou, shalt exult in Yahweh, And, in the Holy One of Israel, shalt thou boast thyself.
Àgbɔ wo, ya aƒo wo adzoe, eye ahomuya alɔ wo ɖe nu, ke wò ya, àdzɔ dzi ɖe Yehowa ŋu, eye àtso aseye ɖe Israel ƒe Kɔkɔetɔ la ŋu.
17 As for the oppressed and the needy. Seeking water when there is none, Their tongue with thirst being parched I—Yahweh, will answer them, The God of Israel, I will not forsake them:
“Ame dahewo kple hiãtɔwo le tsatsam le tsi dim, ke womekpɔ ɖeke o. Woƒe aɖewo dzi ƒu kplakplakpla le tsikɔwuame ta. Ke nye Yehowa, matɔ na wo; nye Israel ƒe Mawu la nyemagble wo ɖi o.
18 I will open, On bare hills rivers, and In the midst of plains, fountains, —I will make The desert, a lake of water, and Parched land, springs of water;
Mana tɔsisiwo nasi ato to ƒuƒluwo tame, eye tometsiwo nasi to balimewo. Mana gbegbewo nazu tɔʋuwo, eye kuɖiɖinyigba nazu tsidzɔƒewo.
19 I will set in the desert! Cedar, acacia, and myrtle, and oil-tree, —I will place, in the waste plain, Cypress, holm-oak, and sherbin-cedar, together
Mana sedati, logoti, gboti kple amiti namie ɖe gbegbe, eye mana xeti, fɔfɔli, kple sesewu namie ɖe dzogbe.
20 That men may see and observe and consider and understand at once, That, the hand of Yahweh, hath done this, That the Holy One of Israel hath created it.
Ale be amewo nakpɔe, anyae, abu eŋu, eye woase egɔme be, Yehowa ƒe asie wɔ esia, eye Israel ƒe Kɔkɔetɔ lae na wòva eme.”
21 Bring near your contention, Saith Yahweh, —Advance your defences, Saith the King of Jacob:
Yehowa be, “Ɖe wò nyawo to. Ƒo nu le nya siwo nètsɔ vɛ la ŋu.” Yakob ƒe fia lae gblɔe.
22 Let them advance them, and tell us, What shall happen, —Things known in advance—what they were, tell ye, That we may lay them to our heart and mark the after-story of them, Or, things yet to come, let us hear:
“Mitsɔ miaƒe legbawo vɛ ne woava agblɔ nu si ava dzɔ la na mí. Migblɔ nu siwo nɔ anyi tsã la na mí be míabu wo ŋuti, eye míanya woƒe metsonu alo migblɔ nu siwo ava dzɔ la na mí.
23 Tell ye the events which shall be here-after, That we may perceive that gods, ye are, —Surely ye must do something—good or bad, That we may be amazed and behold it, at once.
Nya kae le etsɔ si na mí ne mianya be mawuwoe mienye. Wɔ nane, eɖanye nyui alo vɔ̃, ale be míaƒe mo nawɔ yaa, eye vɔvɔ̃ naɖo mí.
24 Lo! ye, are, of nought, And your work is a puff of breath, —An abomination, he that chooseth you!
Ke miele naneke hã me o, eye miaƒe dɔwɔwɔwo mele ɖeke me kura o. Ame si tia mi la zu ŋunyɔnu.
25 I have roused up one from the North, and he hath come, From the rising of the sun, calleth he on my Name, —And he hath come, on deputies, as though they were mortar, And as a potter treadeth clay.
“Menyɔ ame aɖe tso anyiehe eye wòle mɔ dzi gbɔna. Ame si tso afi si ɣe dzena tsoe, eye wòyɔa nye ŋkɔ. Ame si fanya dziɖulawo abe anyi ene, efanya wo abe zemelae le anyi nyam ene.
26 Who hath told in advance, that we might know, And beforetime, that we might say Right! Nay, there is none who can tell. Nay, there is none who can let us hear, Nay, there is none who can understand what ye utter.
Ame kae ƒo nu tso ame sia ŋuti tso gɔmedzedzea, ne mienyae do ŋgɔ, ne miate ŋu agblɔ be, ‘Eƒe nya dzɔ?’ Ame aɖeke megblɔ esia o. Ame aɖeke megblɔe da ɖi o; ame aɖeke mese nya aɖeke tso gbɔwò o.
27 He who is First, [can say], To Zion, Lo! there they are! And to Jerusalem, A herald of good-tidings, do I give.
Nyee nye ame gbãtɔ si gblɔe na Zion be, ‘Kpɔ ɖa, wole afii!’ Meɖo nyanyuigblɔla ɖe Yerusalem.
28 So I look, And there is not, a Man! Even among these And there is none to advise, —That, when I ask them, can answer a word.
Metsa ŋku, ke ame aɖeke meli o, ame aɖeke mele wo dome aɖo aɖaŋu o. Ame aɖeke mele wo dome aɖo nya si mebia wo la ŋu nam o.
29 Lo! as to all of them, Vanity—nothingness, are their works, Wind and emptiness, their molten images!
Kpɔ ɖa, wo katã wonye tofloko! Woƒe dɔwɔwɔwo mele ɖeke me o. Woƒe legbawo hã nye ya kple tofloko ko.
