< Exodus 5 >

1 Then Aaron and Moses/I went to the king and [one of them/us] said, “Yahweh God, whom [we] Israeli people [worship], says this [to you]: ‘Let my people go to the desert, in order that they may have a feast to [honor] me!’”
Le takpekpe wɔwɔ kple Israel ƒe dumegãwo vɔ megbe la, Mose kple Aron woyi Farao gbɔ. Wogblɔ nɛ be, “Ale Yehowa, Israel ƒe Mawu la gblɔe nye esi: ‘Ɖe asi le nye amewo ŋu woayi gbedzi aɖaɖu ŋkekenyui nam.’”
2 But the king said, “Who is Yahweh? Why should I pay attention to what he says and let the Israeli [people] [MTY] go? I do not know Yahweh! And furthermore, I will not let the Israeli [people] go!”
Farao bia be, “Ame kae nye Yehowa be maɖo toe, eye maɖe asi le Israel ŋu? Nyemenya Yehowa o, eye nyemaɖe asi le Israel ŋu o.”
3 They/we replied, “Yahweh God, the one we Hebrews [worship], has (revealed himself/appeared) to us [and told us what to tell you]. So we ask you to [please] let us go on a three day journey into the desert. We must offer sacrifices to Yahweh God [there]. [If we do] not do that, he will cause us to die [IDM] from diseases or from attacks [by our enemies] [MTY].”
Mose kple Aron woƒoe ɖe Farao nu be, “Hebritɔwo ƒe Mawu la do go mí, ele be míayi aɖanɔ gbedzi ŋkeke etɔ̃, eye míasa vɔ na Yehowa, míaƒe Mawu la le afi ma. Ne míeɖo to eƒe gbe o la, dɔvɔ̃ awu mí alo míatsi futɔwo ƒe yi nu.”
4 But the king of Egypt said to them/us, “Moses and Aaron, (stop trying to keep the Israeli people from working/why are you preventing the Israeli people from working?) [RHQ] [Tell those slaves] to return to work!”
Ke Egipte fia gblɔ be, “Mose kple Aron, nu ka ta miele ameawo ɖem ɖa tso woƒe dɔ gbɔ? Mitrɔ yi miaƒe dɔ gbɔ!”
5 The king also said, “Listen [to me! You] people [who now live] in this land are now [more] numerous, and you want them [to stop working and] rest!”
Farao gagblɔ be, “Kpɔ ɖa, amewo sɔ gbɔ le anyigba la dzi, eye miele wo ɖem ɖa le woƒe dɔwo gbɔ.”
6 That same day the king commanded the Egyptian slave bosses and the [Israeli] men supervising the slaves,
Gbe ma gbe la, Farao ɖe gbe na dɔdzikpɔla kple dɔnunɔla siwo le ameawo nu be,
7 “Do not continue to give the [Israeli] people straw for making bricks, as you have done previously. Make them go [into the fields] and gather straw for themselves.
“Migana gbe ƒuƒu Israelviwo azɔ na anyikpeawo meme o; mina woayi aɖadi woawo ŋutɔ ƒe gbe ƒuƒu.
8 But require them to make the same number of bricks that they did before. Do not decrease the number at all. They (are lazy/do not have enough work to do). That is the reason they are asking me to let them go [into the desert] to offer sacrifices to their god.
Ke mina woagame anyikpe xexlẽme si womena tsã la; migaɖe edzi na wo o. Kuviatɔwo wonye, eya ta wole ɣli dom be, ‘Mina míayi aɖasa vɔ na míaƒe Mawu’
9 Force the men to work harder, so that they will not [have time] to listen to lies [from their leaders]!”
Mina woƒe dɔ nagasẽ na wo wu tsã ale be woagayi dɔwɔwɔ dzi. Migaɖo to woƒe alakpanyawo o.”
10 So the slave bosses and supervisors of the slaves went to where the [Israeli] people were and said to them, “The king has said that he will no longer give you any straw.
Ale dɔdzikpɔlawo kple dɔnunɔlawo yi ɖagblɔ na ameawo be, “Nya si Farao gblɔe nye, ‘Nyemagana gbe ƒuƒu mi azɔ o.
11 [So] you yourselves must go and get straw wherever you can find it. But you must still keep working to make the same number of bricks as before.” [LIT]
Miyi ne miawo ŋutɔ miadi gbe ƒuƒu le afi sia afi si miakpɔe le, ke womaɖe miaƒe dɔ dzi kpɔtɔ le go aɖeke me o.’”
12 So the Israeli people went all over Egypt to find straw.
Ale Israelviwo kaka ɖe Egiptenyigba la katã dzi henɔ gbe ƒuƒu dim.
13 The slave bosses kept telling them insistently, “Finish the work you are required to do each day, [making the same amount of bricks] as you did [before, when we gave you] straw!”
Dɔdzikpɔlawo sẽa ŋuta le wo ŋu, woɖea gbe na wo be, “Mime anyikpewo woasɔ gbɔ gbe sia gbe abe tsã ene.”
14 [When they were not able to do that], the slave bosses had the [Israeli supervisors] beaten [with sticks], and they asked them, “Why have [all the men you are supervising] not been able to make [the same number] of bricks today/now as [they did] before [RHQ]?”
Woƒoa Israelviwo ƒe dɔnunɔla siwo Farao ɖo wo nu, eye wobluna ɖe wo ta be, “Nu ka ta mieme anyikpe xexlẽme si wòle be miame etsɔ alo egbe abe tsã ene o?”
15 Then the Israeli supervisors went to the king and complained, saying “[Your Majesty], why are you treating us this way?
Ale Israelviwo ƒe dɔnunɔlawo yi Farao gbɔ heƒo koko nɛ be, “Nu ka ŋuti nèle wò dɔlawo wɔm alea?
16 [Now] they are not giving us any straw [for making bricks], but they keep commanding us to make bricks. And now sometimes they beat us. But it is the fault of your own slave bosses [that we cannot make as many bricks as before]!”
Womeganaa gbe ƒuƒu wò dɔlawo o, ke wobia tso mía si be, ‘Mime anyikpewo!’ Woƒoa wò dɔlawo le esime vodada la tso wò ŋutɔ wò amewo gbɔ, wònye miaƒe dɔdzikpɔlawoe le dɔ manyatanu ɖom na mí.”
17 But the king said, “You are lazy and do not [want to] work! That is why you keep saying, ‘Allow us to go [to the desert] and offer sacrifices to Yahweh.’
Farao ɖo eŋu be, “Kuviatɔwo mienye, eya ta miele gbɔgblɔm be, ‘Mina míayi aɖasa vɔ na Yehowa.’
18 So go and get back to work! [We] are not going to give you any straw, but you must keep making the same number of bricks!”
Mitrɔ yi miaƒe dɔwo gbɔ, womana gbe ƒuƒu aɖeke mi o, gake ele be miame anyikpe xexlẽme si miemena gbe sia gbe tsã la kokoko!”
19 The Israeli supervisors realized that they were in a difficult situation, because they had been told, “We are not going to decrease the number of bricks [you must make] each day.”
Israelviwo ƒe dɔnunɔlawo kpɔe be nu sesẽwo ɖi kpe yewo nyateƒe be womaɖe yewoƒe gbe sia gbe kpememe la dzi na yewo o.
20 As they left the king’s [palace], they met Aaron and Moses/me, who were waiting for them [there].
Mose kple Aron wonɔ wo lalam le fiasã la godo esi me wodzo le Farao gbɔ. Esi wodo go wo la,
21 They said to Aaron and Moses/me, “Yahweh has seen [what] you two [have done] He will punish you [MTY], because you have caused the king and his officials to despise us! You have given them an excuse [MTY] to kill us!”
wogblɔ na Mose kple Aron be, “Yehowa nadrɔ̃ ʋɔnu mi be miena míeɖi nu ʋeʋĩwo le Farao kple eŋumewo ŋkume, eye be miena mɔnukpɔkpɔ wo be woawu mí.”
22 Moses/I left them and prayed to Yahweh again, saying, “O Yahweh, why have you caused all these evil things to happen to your people [RHQ]? And why did you send me [here] [RHQ]?
Tete Mose gatrɔ yi Yehowa gbɔ hegblɔ nɛ be, “O, Yehowa, nu ka ta nèhe fukpekpe sia va ame siawo dzii? Esia tae nèdɔm ɖoa?
23 Ever since I went to the king and told him what you told me to say [MTY], he has treated your people very cruelly, and you have not done anything to help/rescue them!”
Tso esime megblɔ wò gbedeasi la na Farao ko la, ɖeko wògale ŋuta sẽm le ameawo ŋu wu tsã; mèɖe wo tso woƒe fukpekpewo me kura o!”

< Exodus 5 >