Exodus 17
1 Obeying what Yahweh commanded, all the Israeli people moved from the Sin Desert. They/We traveled from one place to another. They/We camped at [a place named] Rephidim, but there was no water there for (the people/us) to drink.
Azɔ la, le Yehowa ƒe gbeɖeɖe nu la, Israelviwo dzo le Sin gbegbe la. Wonɔ tɔtɔm ɖe teƒeteƒewo va se ɖe esime woɖo Refidim. Ke esi woɖo afi ma la, tsi aɖeke menɔ anyi o!
2 So the people complained to Moses/me again, saying, “Give us water to drink!” Moses/I replied to them, “Why are you (criticizing/arguing with) me [RHQ]? And why are you trying to determine whether Yahweh [has the power to provide for you]?”
Esia ta Israelviwo he nya ɖe Mose ŋu be, “Na tsi mi!” Mose blu ɖe wo ta be, “Mizi ɖoɖoe! Ɖe miele didim be yewoado Yehowa ƒe dzigbɔɖi na mi akpɔa?”
3 But the people were very thirsty, and they continued to complain to Moses/me. They were saying things like “Why did you bring us out of Egypt?”, and “Did you bring us here to cause us and our children and livestock to die (from thirst/because we had no water to drink) [RHQ]?”
Ke le tsikɔwuame la ƒe sesẽ ta la, dukɔ la lĩ Mose ŋu gblɔ be, “Nu ka tututue na nèkplɔ mí dzoe le Egipte? Nu ka ta nèkplɔ mí va afi sia be míaku kple mía viwo kple míaƒe lãwo?”
4 So Moses/I prayed earnestly to Yahweh. He/I said, “(How shall I deal with these people?/I do not know how to deal with these people!) [RHQ] They are almost ready to [kill me by throwing] stones at me!”
Mose ɖe kuku na Yehowa be, “Nu ka mawɔ? Wole klalo be yewoaƒu kpem.”
5 Yahweh replied to Moses/me, “Take some of the elders/leaders of the Israeli people with you and [tell the rest of] the people to follow you [to Sinai Mountain]. Take along the stick with which you struck the Nile [River].
Yehowa ɖo eŋu na Mose be, “Dze ŋgɔ na dukɔ la, kplɔ Israel ƒe ametsitsi aɖewo ɖe asi. Tsɔ atikplɔ si netsɔ ƒo Nil tɔsisi la ɖe asi, eye nàyi.
6 Listen carefully: I will stand in front of you on top of a [large] rock at the foot of the mountain. Strike the rock with your stick. [When you do that], water for the people to drink will flow out of the rock.” [When they/we arrived at the mountain], Moses/I did that while the Israeli elders were watching, [and water flowed from the rock].
Mado go wò le agakpe la gbɔ le Horeb. Ƒo agakpe la kple wò atikplɔ si nètsɔ ƒo Nil tɔsisi lae. Tsi ado bababa, asu na ame sia ame.” Mose wɔ abe ale si Mawu gblɔ nɛ ene le Israel ƒe ametsitsiawo ƒe ŋkume.
7 Moses/I gave that place two names [in the Hebrew language: ] Massah, [which means ‘testing’], and Meribah, [which means ‘complaining’]. He/I gave it the name Massah because the Israeli people were testing Yahweh, saying “Is Yahweh really among us [and able to help us], or not?”, and he/I gave it the name Meribah because they were [continually] complaining.
Mose na ŋkɔ teƒe la be Masa si gɔmee nye “Míete Yehowa kpɔ be wòawu mí.” Woyɔnɛ hã be Meriba si gɔmee nye “Nyahehe” kple “Dzrewɔwɔ,” elabena afi mae Israelviwo he nya ɖe Yehowa ŋu le, eye wotee kpɔ be wòawu yewo esi wogblɔ be, “Ɖe Yehowa le mía dzi kpɔ ge loo alo agblẽ mí ɖia?”
8 Then the descendants of the Amalek people-group came and fought against the Israeli people at Rephidim.
Azɔ la, Amalekitɔwo ho aʋa ɖe Israelviwo ŋu le Refidim.
9 Moses/I said to Joshua, [who was one of our army/Israeli leaders], “Choose some men to go out and fight against the Amalek people-group tomorrow. I will stand on the top of the hill, holding the stick that God told me to carry.”
Mose gblɔ na Yosua be wòana Israelviwo nadzra ɖo, akpe aʋa kple Amalekitɔwo. Mose gblɔ nɛ be, “Etsɔ la, matsi tsitre ɖe togbɛ la dzi. Mawu ƒe atikplɔ anɔ asinye!”
10 So Joshua did what Moses/I told him to do. He took some men to fight against the Amalek people-group. [While they were fighting], Aaron, Hur, and Moses/I went up to the top of the hill [so that they/we could see the whole battle area].
Ale Yosua kple eƒe amewo yi be yewoawɔ aʋa kple Amalekitɔwo ƒe aʋakɔ le esime Mose, Aron kple Hur woyi to la dzi.
11 Whenever Moses/I lifted up his/my arms, the Israeli men started to win [the battle]. And whenever he/I lowered his/my arms, the Amalek people-group started to win.
Ne Mose kɔ atikplɔ la ɖe dzi ko la, Israelviwo ɖua futɔwo dzi. Ke ne eɖiɖi abɔ be yeadzudzɔ sẽe ko la, Amalekitɔwo ɖua Israelviwo dzi.
12 But his/my arms became tired. So Aaron and Hur [rolled] a [large] stone for Moses/me to sit on. [While he/I was sitting on it], those two held up his/my arms, [one on one side and the other on the other side]. In that way, they kept his/my arms lifted up, and his/my arms held steady until the sun went down.
Abɔwo va ku ɖe Mose ŋu ale gbegbe be, magate ŋu alé atikplɔ la ɖe dzi azɔ o. Ale Aron kple Hur womli kpe aɖe vɛ, eye Mose nɔ edzi. Ame ɖeka nɔ Mose ƒe miame, eye evelia nɔ eƒe ɖusime. Wolé Mose ƒe abɔwo do ɖe dzi va se ɖe esime ɣe ɖo to.
13 So Joshua and the men with him completely defeated the Amalek people-group, using their swords [to fight against them].
Le esia ta Yosua kple eƒe aʋakɔ la ɖu Amalekitɔwo ƒe aʋakɔ dzi kple yi.
14 Then Yahweh said to Moses/me, “Write an account of this battle, and then read it to Joshua. [Also write that some day] I will completely get rid of the Amalek people-group.”
Yehowa gblɔ na Mose be, “Ŋlɔe da ɖi, wòanɔ anyi ɖaa, woaɖo ŋku edzi tegbetegbe, eye nàɖe gbeƒã na Yosua be matutu Amalekitɔwo ƒe ŋkɔ ɖa keŋkeŋ.”
15 Then Moses/I built a [stone] altar there and named it ‘Yahweh is [like] my flag’.
Mose tu vɔsamlekpui aɖe ɖe afi ma, eye wòna ŋkɔe be “Yehowa Nisi” si gɔmee nye “Yehowae nye nye aflaga.”
16 He/I said, “Hold high Yahweh’s flag! Yahweh will continue to fight against the Amalek people-group (forever/in all future generations)!”
Mose gblɔ be, “Elabena wodo aflaga ɖe dzi le Yehowa ƒe fiazi la ŋgɔ, Yehowa anɔ aʋa wɔm kple Amalekitɔwo tso dzidzime yi dzidzime.”
