Jeremiah 12
1 Yahweh, whenever I tell you that I am unhappy [about what is happening to me], you [always] act justly/fairly. So now allow me to ask about one more thing [that I do not understand]: Why are wicked people [often] very prosperous? Why do things go very well for dishonest/wicked people?
Oo, Yehowa, ne metsɔ nya ɖe ŋutiwò la, wò nya dzɔna ɣe sia ɣi. Gake mahe nya kpli wò tso wò ʋɔnudɔdrɔ̃ ŋuti. Nu ka ta ame vɔ̃ɖiwo ƒe mɔ dzea edzi na wo ɖo? Nu ka ta dzimaxɔsetɔwo nɔa agbe le dziɖeɖi me?
2 You allow them to prosper like [MET] trees that grow tall and bear [a lot of] fruit. They [always] say [MTY] good things about you, but their hearts are [really] far from you.
Èdo wo, woto ke eye wotsi hetse ku. Wò ŋkɔ le nu na wo gake woƒe dziwo le adzɔge tso gbɔwò.
3 But Yahweh, as for me, you know what is in my inner being. You see what I [do] and you are able to know what I am thinking. So drag away those [wicked] people, like [people drag away] sheep that they are going to butcher. Set them aside like sheep that are about to be slaughtered!
Oo, Yehowa, ke wò la ènyam, èkpɔm eye nèdo nye susuwo kpɔ tso ŋutiwò. Eya ta he wo abe alẽwo ene nàkplɔ yi wuwuƒee! Ɖe wo ɖe aga hena wuwuŋkeke la!
4 This land is [RHQ] becoming very dry and even the grass is withering. The wild animals and the birds have [all] died because the people are [very] wicked. [All that has happened] because the people have said, “Yahweh does not know what we are doing (OR, what will happen to us)!”
Va se ɖe ɣe ka ɣie ku naɖi le anyigba dzi eye gbewo naƒu ase ɖo? Esi edzinɔlawo nye ame vɔ̃ɖiwo ta la, xewo kple lãwo siaa tsrɔ̃. Gawu la, amewo le gbɔgblɔm be, “Makpɔ nu si dzɔ ɖe mía dzi o.”
5 [Then to show me that I needed to be prepared to endure even greater difficulties, Yahweh said to me], [“It is as though] you have become exhausted from racing against men; so how will you be able to race against horses? If you [stumble and] fall when you are running on open/bare/smooth ground, what will happen to you when you are running through the thornbushes near the Jordan [River]?
“Ne èke duɖime kple amegbetɔwo kple afɔ eye nu te ŋuwò la, aleke nàte ŋu ake duɖime kple sɔwo? Ne èle nu klim le anyigba si dzi kɔ nyuie dzi la, aleke nàhawɔ le Yɔdan ƒe avekawo me?
6 [Already] your brothers and [other members of] your own family oppose you. They (plot against/plan to do evil things to) you and they say bad things about you. So even if they say nice things about you, do not trust them!
Nɔviwò kple wò ŋutɔ wò ƒometɔwo gɔ̃ hã de wò asi eye wodo ɣli sesĩe ɖe tawò. Togbɔ be woƒo nu nyuie le ŋutiwò hã la, mègaɖo dzi ɖe wo ŋu o.
7 I have abandoned my [Israeli] people, the people whom I chose to belong to me. I have allowed their enemies to conquer the Israeli people, whom I love.
“Magbe nu le nye aƒe gbɔ eye magble nye domenyinu ɖi. Matsɔ ame si melɔ̃ la ade asi na eƒe futɔwo.
8 My people have become to me like [SIM] a lion in the forest. [It is as though] they roar at me like a lion, so now I hate them.
Nye domenyinu va le nam abe dzata si le ave me ene. Ele gbe tem ɖe ŋutinye, eya ta melé fui ɖo.
9 My chosen people have [RHQ] become like speckled hawks that are surrounded by vultures [waiting to eat their flesh after they are dead]. Tell all the wild animals to come and eat [the flesh of their corpses].
Ɖe nye domenyinu mezu xeƒonu ŋɔŋɔe si xeƒonu bubuwo ƒo xlãe eye wodze edzi oa? Yi nàƒo lã wɔadãwo katã nu ƒu vɛ ne woava vuvu nu.
10 Many rulers [from other countries have come with their armies and] devastated/destroyed my people [whom I care for like a farmer takes care of his] vineyard. They have caused my beautiful land to become a barren desert where no one lives.
Alẽkplɔla geɖewo agblẽ nye waingble eye woanye avuzi le nye agble dzi. Wole nye agble veviwo wɔ ge woazu gbegbe ɖeɖe sɔŋ.
11 They have caused it to become completely empty; [it is as though] I hear the land crying sadly/mournfully. The whole land is desolate, and no one (worries about/pays any attention to) it.
Wole ewɔ ge wòazu gbegbe kple kuɖiɖinyigba si manyo na naneke le ŋkunye me o. Anyigba la katã azu aƒedo elabena ame aɖeke manɔ anyi si atsɔ ɖe le eme o.
12 The soldiers [of our enemies] have marched across all the barren hilltops. But [I], Yahweh, am using those armies [MTY] to punish your land from one end to the other, and no one will escape.
Nugblẽlawo ava ƒo ɖe to ƒuƒluwo dzi le gbedzi elabena Yehowa ƒe yi agblẽ nu tso anyigba ƒe go sia dzi ayi ekemɛ dzi eye ame aɖeke mato le eme o.
13 [It is as though] my people planted wheat, but now they are harvesting thorns. They have become very tired [because of much hard work], but they have gained nothing [from all that work]. They will be very disappointed because their harvests [will be very small], [and that will happen] because [I], Yahweh, am extremely angry [with them].”
Woaƒã ƒo gake woaxa ŋu, woaku kutri gake womakpɔ naneke tso eme o. Eya ta, nuku siwo miexa la nakpe ŋu na mi le Yehowa ƒe dziku helĩhelĩ la ta.”
14 This is [also] what Yahweh said to me: “[I will punish] the evil nearby nations that have been trying to take away the land that I gave to my Israeli people, and I will force them to leave their own land. But I will throw the people of Judah out of their land, also.
Ale Yehowa gblɔe nye si, “Ke hena nye aƒelika vɔ̃ɖi siwo xɔ domenyinu si metsɔ na nye dukɔ Israel sesẽtɔe la, maho wo le woƒe anyigbawo dzi eye maho Yuda ƒe aƒe la le wo dome.
15 But later I will act mercifully toward those nations again, and I will bring them back to their own lands again. Each [clan] will come back to its own land.
Ne meho wo vɔ la, magakpɔ nublanui na wo, eye makplɔ wo dometɔ ɖe sia ɖe va eƒe domenyinu gbɔ kple eya ŋutɔ ƒe anyigba dzi.
16 And if the people [of the other nations whose armies have invaded Israel] learn the [religious] customs of my people, and if they learn that I [am listening] when they solemnly promise that they will do something good, like they taught my people to believe that [their god] Baal [was listening] when they made solemn promises, I will cause them to become prosperous, and they also will be my people.
Ne wosrɔ̃ nye dukɔ ƒe mɔwo nyuie abe ale si woawo hã fia nye dukɔe be woayɔ Baal ata nui, eye wota nye ŋkɔ hegblɔ be, ‘Zi ale si Yehowa le agbe’ ene la, ekema maɖo wo te le nye dukɔ la dome.
17 But I will expel any nation whose people refuse to obey me, and I will destroy that nation and its people. [That will surely happen because I], Yahweh, have said it.”
Ke ne dukɔ aɖe meɖo to o la, mahoe keŋkeŋ, eye matsrɔ̃e gbidii.” Yehowae gblɔe.
