Isaiah 42
1 [Yahweh says, “I want you people to know about] my servant, whom I encourage. I have chosen him, and I am pleased with him. I have given him my Spirit, and he will make certain that all the people-groups do what is right/just.
“Kpɔ ɖa esiae nye nye dɔla si melé ɖe te, nye ame tiatia si ŋu mekpɔa ŋudzedze le; matsɔ nye gbɔgbɔ kɔ ɖe eya amea dzi ne wòadrɔ̃ ʋɔnu dzɔdzɔe na dukɔwo.
2 He will not [show his power by] shouting [DOU] or by talking very loudly.
Mafa avi alo ado ɣli alo woase eƒe ŋkɔ le mɔtata dzi o.
3 He will not get rid of [anyone who is weak like] [MET] a smashed reed, and he will not [end the life of anyone who is helpless like] [MET] someone would extinguish a dimly burning wick [of an oil lamp]. He will faithfully/continually make sure that judges decide cases justly.
Maɖe aƒla ŋeŋe la ɖa o, eye matsi akaɖimeɖovu si le bibim ɖɔɖɔɖɔ la o. Adrɔ̃ ʋɔnu le nyateƒe me.
4 He will not become exhausted or discouraged all during the time that he is causing things to be done justly throughout the earth. Even [people living on the islands in] [MTY] the oceans will confidently wait for [him to teach them] his laws.”
Maʋuʋu alo dzi naɖe le eƒo o va se ɖe esime wòɖo dzɔdzɔenyenye ƒe ʋɔnudrɔ̃ƒe anyi ɖe anyigba dzi, eye ƒukpowo ada woƒe mɔkpɔkpɔwo ɖe eƒe se la dzi.”
5 Yahweh our God created the sky and spread it out. He also created the earth and everything on it. He gives breath to all the people on the earth; he causes them to live [DOU]. [And he is the one who says to his special servant],
Ale Yehowa, Mawu, ame si wɔ dziƒo, eye wòhe eme, ame si keke anyigba kple nu siwo katã doa go tso eme, ame si na agbegbɔgbɔ edzinɔlawo, eye wòna agbe ame siwo zɔna le edzi la gblɔe nye esi.
6 “I, Yahweh, have chosen you to show people that I always act righteously/fairly. I will grasp your hand and protect you, and I will present you to [my Israeli] people to be the one who will put into effect my agreement with them. [You will be like] a light to the [other] nations.
“Nye, Yehowa, meyɔ wò le dzɔdzɔenyenye me. Malé wò alɔnu. Makpɔ tawò, ana nànye nubabla na amewo kple kekeli na dukɔwo,
7 You will enable blind [IDM] people to see, you will free those who are in prison (OR, who are bound [by the guilt of their sins]) [MET] and release those who are in dark dungeons.
be nàʋu ŋku na ŋkugbagbãtɔwo, be nàɖe ga gamenɔlawo, eye nàɖe ame siwo nɔ do globo me la tso viviti me.
8 I am Yahweh; that is my name. I will not allow anyone else to receive the honor that only I deserve. And I will not allow idols to be praised like only I should be praised.
“Nyee nye Yehowa, ŋkɔnyee ma! Nyematsɔ nye ŋutikɔkɔe alo kafukafu ana legbawo o.
9 Everything that I have prophesied has happened, and now I will tell about other things that will happen. I will tell you things that will happen before they happen.”
Kpɔ ɖa, blemanyawo va eme, eye megale yeyewo gblɔm. Hafi woava dzɔ la, meɖe gbeƒã tso wo ŋuti na mi xoxo.”
10 Sing a new song to Yahweh! Sing to praise him throughout the world! All you people who sail across the oceans, and all you creatures that live in the oceans, and all you people who live on islands far away, sing!
Mi ame siwo toa atsiaƒu dzi, mi nu siwo le atsiaƒu me, mi ƒukpowo kple ame siwo le wo dzi, midzi ha yeye na Yehowa. Midzi eƒe kafukafuha le anyigba ƒe mlɔenuwo ke.
11 You people who live in towns in the desert, sing loudly! You people who live in the Kedar [area in the north of Arabia], you rejoice also! You people in Sela [city in Edom], you also should sing joyfully; shout [to praise him] from the tops of your mountains!
Gbegbe kple du siwo le afi ma nekɔ woƒe gbe dzi. Kedar ƒe kɔƒewo me nɔlawo netso aseye. Ame siwo le Sela la nedzi ha kple dzidzɔ. Wonedo ɣli tso towo tame.
12 Even people who live on distant islands should honor Yahweh and sing to praise him.
Wonetsɔ ŋutikɔkɔe na Yehowa, eye woaɖe gbeƒã eƒe kafukafu le ƒukpowo dzi.
13 [It will be as though] Yahweh will march out like [SIM] a mighty soldier; he will show that he is very angry. He will shout a battle-cry, and [then] he will defeat all his enemies.
Yehowa ado abe kalẽtɔ ene. Ade dzo eɖokui me abe aʋawɔla ene. Atsɔ eƒe gbe ado aʋaɣli, eye wòaɖu eƒe futɔwo dzi.
14 [He will say], “I have remained silent [DOU] for a long time; I have restrained myself [from doing what I need to do]. But now, like [SIM] a woman who is giving birth to a baby, I will cry out and gasp and pant.
“Mezi kpi eteƒe didi, mezi ɖoɖoe, eye melé ɖokuinye kpoo, ke azɔ la, abe nyɔnu si le ku lém ene la, mado ɣli, alɔ gbɔgbɔtsixe ɖe ƒo, eye manɔ gbɔgbɔm fuxefuxe.
15 I will level off the hills and mountains, and I will cause all the plants and trees to dry up. I will cause the rivers to become small streams, and little islands will appear in them, and I will cause all the pools to become dry.
Makaka towo kple togbɛwo, mana gbe damawo katã naƒu, mana tɔsisiwo nazu tɔdomekpowo, eye mana tɔʋuwo namie keŋkeŋ.
16 [My people who have been taken to Babylonia are like] [MET] blind people, [but] I will lead them along a road on which they have not walked before, on a road that they have not seen before. They have felt [very helpless, as though] they were walking in the darkness, but I will take away that darkness and I will make smooth the road that is in front of them. Those are the things that I will do for them; I will not abandon them.
Makplɔ ŋkugbagbãtɔwo ato mɔ si womenya tsã o la dzi, eye makplɔ wo to mɔ manyamanya dzi. Mana viviti nazu kekeli le wo ŋgɔ, eye mana toƒe tsakliwo nazu zɔzrɔ̃e na wo. Esiawoe nye nu siwo mawɔ, nyemagble wo ɖi o.
17 But those who trust in carved idols, and say to images, ‘You are our gods,’ will be completely humiliated/disgraced.”
Ke ame siwo ɖoa dzi ɖe aklamakpakpɛwo ŋu, ame siwo gblɔna na legbawo be, ‘Míaƒe mawuwoe mienye’ la, woagbugbɔ ɖe megbe kple ŋukpe gã.
18 You [Israeli people who have acted toward God like] deaf [people], listen [to what Yahweh says]! “You [who have been like] [MET] blind [people], look!
“Mi tokunɔwo, mise nu, mi ŋkugbagbãtɔwo, mifɔ mo dzi, miakpɔ nu!
19 No people are [RHQ] as blind as my people, who [should have been] serving me. No people are [RHQ] as much like [MET] deaf people as [the Israelis, who should have been] my messengers. No people are [RHQ] as much like [MET] blind people as those whom I chose to serve me.
Ame kae tsi ŋku, eye wòku to abe nye dɔla si medɔ la ene, ɖe menye nye dɔlae oa? Ame kae nye ŋkunɔ abe xɔ̃nye ene, eye wòtsi ŋku abe Yehowa ƒe dɔla ene?
20 You see and know what are the right things to do, but you do not do them. You hear [what I say to you], but you do not pay attention.”
Èkpɔ nu geɖe, gake mètsɔ wo de ta me o, wò towo le ʋuʋu ɖi, gake mèse naneke o.”
21 Because Yahweh is righteous, he has honored his glorious laws.
Edze Yehowa ŋu le eƒe dzɔdzɔenyenye ta be, wòade gãnyenye kple bubu eƒe se ŋu.
22 But [the armies of Babylon have destroyed Jerusalem] and have completely (plundered/taken away) [DOU] all the valuable things, and they have captured Yahweh’s people and taken them away and put them in prison. They have been captured easily, because there was no one to protect them; there was no one to say that they should be allowed to return home.
Ke esia nye ame siwo woda adzoe, eye woha wo; mɔ ɖe wo katã le dowo me, eye wobe ɖe gaxɔwo me. Wozu nuhaha, eye ame aɖeke meli axɔ na wo o. Wozu nu siwo woda adzoe, eye ame aɖeke meli agblɔ be, “Mitrɔ wo yii o.”
23 Who among you will listen carefully to these things? Who will pay attention from now on?
Mia dometɔ kae aɖo to nu sia alo alé to ɖe nu siwo gbɔna dzɔdzɔ ge la ŋu tsitotsito?
24 Who allowed the valuable possessions of the people of Israel to be stolen [RHQ, DOU]? It was Yahweh, because he is he one against whom we had sinned; we did not conduct our lives like he wanted us to, and we did not obey his laws.
Ame kae de Yakob asi be wòazu nuhaha, eye wòde Israel asi na adzodalawo? Ɖe menye Yehowa, ame si ŋu miewɔ nu vɔ̃ ɖo lae oa? Elabena wogbe eƒe mɔwo dzi toto, eye womewɔ ɖe eƒe sewo dzi o.
25 Therefore, he was extremely angry with us, and he caused our soldiers to be destroyed in battles. [It was as though] [MET] he lit a fire around us, but we did not understand [what he was trying to tell us]. [His being angry with us was like] a fire that would burn us up, but we did not pay attention [IDM].
Eya ta wòtrɔ eƒe dɔmedzoe helĩhelĩ la kple aʋawɔwɔ ƒe nu vlowo kɔ ɖe wo dzi. Ena dzo bi ƒo xlã wo, gake womese egɔme o. Dzo la fia wo, gake mede dzi gbɔ na wo o.
