Jeremiah 4
1 Yahweh says, “You Israeli [people], come back to me! If you get rid of those detestable idols and do not turn away from me [again],
Men sa Seyè a di ankò: -Nou menm pèp Izrayèl, si nou vle chanje vre, se tounen pou nou tounen vin jwenn mwen. Si nou wete vye zidòl nou yo devan je m', si nou sispann lage kò nou nan raje,
2 and if you declare, ‘Just as surely as Yahweh lives, what he says is true,’ and if you [start to] always say what is true and act justly/fairly and righteously, then the [people in the other] nations [of the world] will request that I bless them [as I have blessed you], and they will [all come and] honor/praise me.”
si nou pran non mwen, non mwen menm Bondye vivan an, pou fè sèman, si nou pa bay manti, si nou pa fè lenjistis, si nou fè sa ki dwat, lè sa a, tout nasyon yo va mande m' pou beni yo, y'a fè lwanj mwen.
3 This is what Yahweh says to the people of Jerusalem and [the other cities in] Judah: “[Prepare yourselves to receive my messages] like farmers plow up hard ground [in order that they can plant seed in it]. Just as farmers do not [waste good seed by] sowing seeds among thorny plants, [I do not want to waste my time telling you messages that you are not ready to receive].
Men sa Seyè a di moun peyi Jida yo ak moun lavil Jerizalèm yo: Fè bwa nèf. Pa plante nan pikan.
4 Purify your inner beings and your minds for me. If you do not do that, my being angry with you [MTY] because of [all] the sins that you have committed will be like a fire that will be impossible to extinguish.”
Nou menm ki pote mak kontra m' lan nan kò nou, kenbe kontra nou fè avè m' lan. Louvri kè nou ban mwen, nou menm moun peyi Jida ak moun Jerizalèm. Si nou pa fè sa, m'ap fè kòlè. Tankou yon dife, m'ap boule nou, poutèt tout move bagay nou fè yo. Lè sa a, pesonn p'ap ka sove nou anba men m'.
5 “Declare this [DOU] to [all the people in] Jerusalem and [the rest of] Judea; blow the trumpets everywhere in the land [to warn the people]. Tell them that they should flee to the cities that have high walls around them.
Mache pale tout moun nan peyi Jida a. Fè moun Jerizalèm yo konn sa. Avèti yo! Kònen twonpèt nan tout peyi a. Rele byen fò. Di yo pou yo sanble, pou yo kouri ale nan lavil ki gen ranpa yo.
6 Shout to the people of Jerusalem, ‘Run away [now]! Do not delay, because I am about to cause you to experience a terrible disaster [DOU] that will come from the north.
Ba yo direksyon mòn Siyon an! Kouri al kache! Pa mize sou wout! Mwen menm, Seyè a, m' ap fè yon malè soti nan nò. Li pral fè gwo dega.
7 [An army] that has destroyed [many] nations will attack you [like] [MET] a lion that comes out of its den [to attack other animals]. [The soldiers of that army] have taken down their tents and they are ready to march toward your land. They will destroy your cities and leave them without any people still living in them.’
Tankou yon lyon ki soti nan kachèt li anba raje, moun ki pral detwi nasyon yo derape. Li kite lakay li, l'ap vin devaste peyi Jida a. L'ap boule lavil peyi Jida yo, li p'ap kite yon moun ladan yo.
8 So, put on sackcloth/rough clothes and weep and beat your chests [to show that you are very sorry for what you have done], because Yahweh is still very angry with us.
Se poutèt sa, mete rad sak sou nou! Kriye! Plenn sò nou! Paske se pa ti move Seyè a move, li p'ap fè pa nou!
9 Yahweh said that at the time [he punishes you], the King of Judah and [all his] officials will be very afraid. The priests and the prophets will be terrified.
Seyè a di konsa: -Jou sa a, wa a ansanm ak chèf li yo ap pèdi kouraj. Prèt yo pral sezi, pwofèt yo p'ap konn sa pou yo di.
10 Then I replied, “Yahweh [my] God, you completely deceived the people by telling them that there would be peace in Jerusalem, but now [our enemies] [PRS] are ready to slaughter us with their swords!”
Lè sa a, mwen di: Aaa! Seyè, Bondye! Ou twonpe moun lavil Jerizalèm yo nèt. Ou te di yo yo pa t'ap gen pwoblèm menm, epi se yon nepe ou voye pou touye yo.
11 When that happens, [Yahweh] will say to the people of Jerusalem, [“A huge army will come to attack you]. They will not [be like a gentle breeze that] separates wheat from chaff. [They will be like] a very hot wind [that blows in] from the desert [MET].
Yon jou ap vini. Lè sa a, y'a di pèp lavil Jerizalèm lan: Men yon van byen cho k'ap soufle soti nan dezè a. L'ap desann sou moun pèp Jida yo. Se pa yon ti van pou vannen, ni pou netwaye grenn.
12 [They will be like] [MET] a strong blast that I will send. Now I am declaring that I will punish/destroy you.”
Men se yon gwo van m'ap fè soti laba a. Koulye a se mwen menm, Seyè a, ki pral ba yo santans yo.
13 [Our enemies] are about to rush down on us; their chariots are like [SIM] whirlwinds. Their horses are faster than eagles. It will be terrible for us!
Gade! Men lènmi yo ap vini tankou nwaj nan syèl la. Cha lagè yo tankou yon van siklòn. Chwal yo pi rapid pase malfini. Zafè nou pa bon! Y'ap fini ak nou!
14 [You people of] Jerusalem [APO], purify your hearts/inner beings, in order that Yahweh will rescue you. How long will you continue to think about [doing] evil things?
Moun Jerizalèm, lave mechanste ki nan kè nou pou nou ka sove. Kilè n'a sispann fè move lide nan tèt nou?
15 From Dan [city in the far north] to the hills of Ephraim [a few miles/kilometers north of Jerusalem] messengers are proclaiming that disasters are coming.
Depi lavil Dann y'ap bay nouvèl la. Depi sou mòn Efrayim lan y'ap anonse malè a.
16 Tell this to the [people in other] nations [but also] announce it in Jerusalem: [Yahweh says], “An army is coming to Jerusalem from far away; they will shout [a battle-cry] against the cities in Judah.
Y'ap avèti tout nasyon yo. Y'ap fè lavil Jerizalèm konnen sa k'ap rive l'. Lènmi ap soti nan yon peyi byen lwen. Y'ap rele byen fò, y'ap kouri sou lavil Jida yo.
17 They will set up tents around Jerusalem like people set up temporary shelters [SIM] around a field [at harvest time]. That will happen because the people of Judah have rebelled against me.
Yo pral sènen lavil Jerizalèm tankou moun k'ap veye jaden, paske moun li yo te refize obeyi Seyè a. Se Seyè a menm ki di sa.
18 You will be punished very severely; it will [be as though a sword] has stabbed your inner beings. But you are causing those things to happen to you because of the evil things that you have done.”
Jida, se lenkondite ou ak move lajisman ou ki lakòz tou sa. Se mechanste ou ki fè sa rive ou. Sa pa dous menm! Li frape ou nan kè.
19 I am extremely anguished/sad; the pain in my inner being is very severe. My heart beats wildly. But I cannot remain silent because I have heard [our enemies] blowing their trumpets to announce that the battle [against Judah will start immediately].
Ay! Vant mwen! Vant mwen! Tout anndan m' ap fè m' mal! Kè mwen ap bat byen fò. M' pa ka pa pale. Mwen tande twonpèt lagè a ansanm ak rèl moun k'ap atake yo.
20 Disasters will occur one after another until the whole land is ruined. Suddenly [all] our tents will be destroyed; [even] the curtains [inside the tents] will be ripped apart.
Y'ap anonse malè sou malè! Y'ap fini ak tout peyi a. Nou rete konsa, nou wè yo kraze tout tant nou yo. Yo demoli tout kay andeyò nou yo.
21 How long will this battle continue? How long will I continue to see the enemy battle flags and hear the sound of their trumpets being blown?
Kilè m'a wè bout batay la? Kilè m'a sispann tande twonpèt lagè a?
22 [Yahweh says], “My people are [very] foolish! They do not have a relationship with me. They are [like] [MET] stupid children who do not understand [anything]. They very cleverly do what is wrong, but they do not know how to do what is good.”
Seyè a di konsa: Pèp mwen an sòt! Yo pa konnen m'! Se yon bann timoun, lespri yo bouche! Yo pa konprann anyen! Yo fò nan fè sa ki mal ase. Yo pa konn fè sa ki byen.
23 [God gave me a vision in which] I saw that the earth was barren and without form. I looked at the sky, and there was no light there.
Mwen gade tè a: Pa yon pyebwa! Anyen menm! Mwen gade syèl la: Pa yon ti limyè!
24 I looked at the mountains and hills, and they shook and moved from side to side.
Mwen gade mòn yo, yo t'ap tranble! Mwen gade ti bit yo, yo t'ap balanse adwat agoch!
25 I looked and saw that there were no [more] people, and all the birds had flown away.
Mwen gade, m' pa wè yon moun. Tout zwazo yo met deyò.
26 I looked and saw that the fields that previously were fertile had become a desert. The cities were all ruined; they had all been destroyed by Yahweh because he was extremely angry.
Bèl jaden yo tounen dezè. Tout lavil yo boule ratè. Se travay Seyè a, paske Seyè a move anpil.
27 This is what Yahweh is saying: “The entire land [of Judah] will be ruined, but I will not destroy it completely.
Men sa Seyè a di: Se pou tout tè a tounen dezè. Men, mwen p'ap fin detwi l' nèt.
28 I will do to my people what I said that I would do, and I will not change my mind. So [when that happens, it will be as though] the earth will mourn and the sky will become very dark.”
Tè a nan lapenn. Syèl la tou nwa. Seyè a pale, li p'ap tounen sou sa li di. Li fin pran desizyon l', li p'ap chanje lide.
29 [When the people hear] the sound of the [enemy] army marching, [they will be terrified as] they flee from their cities. Some of them will find places to hide in the bushes, and others will run toward the mountains/hills [to escape being killed by their enemies]. All the cities [in Judah] will be abandoned; not one person will remain in them.
Lè yo tande bri kavalye yo ak mesye k'ap tire flèch yo, tout moun nan lavil la pran kouri. Gen ki kouri al kache nan bwa. Gen ki kouri moute nan wòch yo. Tout lavil yo san moun ladan yo. Pa gen yon moun ki rete la ankò.
30 So you who will surely be destroyed, [why are you doing the things that you are doing now]? Why are you wearing beautiful clothes and jewelry? Why are you putting paint around your eyes? Doing those things will not help you, because the people [in other countries that you think] love you [actually] despise you, and they will try to kill you.
Ou menm, lavil Jerizalèm, ou fini! Kisa ou ka fè? W'ap mete bèl rad wouj sou ou? W'ap mete tout bijou ou yo? W'ap pentire po je ou? Ou mèt fè ou bèl, sa p'ap sèvi ou anyen. Se meprize moun ki te renmen ou yo ap meprize ou! Yo soti pou yo touye ou.
31 [It is as though] I already hear [the people in Jerusalem] crying very loudly, like [SIM] a woman cries when she is giving birth to her first child; she gasps for breath and pleads for someone to help her. [It is as though Jerusalem] is crying, “Something terrible is happening to me! They are about to murder me!”
Mwen tande yon rèl, tankou rèl fanm ki gen tranche, rèl fanm k'ap fè premye pitit li. Se rèl moun lavil Jerizalèm yo k'ap chache pran souf. Y'ap lonje men yo. Y'ap rele: -Anmwe! Nou pa kapab ankò! Men y'ap fin touye nou.
