Jeremiah 9
1 I wish that my head was [like] [MET] a spring of water, and that my eyes were [like] a fountain of tears. Then I would cry night and day for all of my people who have been killed [by our enemies].
Oo, ɖe nye ta anye tsidzɔƒe eye nye ŋkuwo anye aɖatsivudo la, mafa avi zã kple keli na nye dukɔ ƒe ame siwo wowu.
2 I wish that I could leave my people and forget them, and go and live in a shack/shelter in the desert, because they have not remained faithful [MET] [to Yahweh]; they are a mob of people who deceive others.
Oo, ɖe dzeƒe le asinye le gbegbe na mɔzɔlawo, anye ne magblẽ nye dukɔ ɖi adzo le wo gbɔ, elabena wo katã wonye ahasiwɔlawo, ameha siwo nye nu tovo wɔlawo sɔŋ.
3 [Yahweh replied to me], “They use their tongues [to tell] [MET] lies like people shoot [arrows] with bows. It is because they tell lies that they have become more powerful in this land, and they do not know me.
Yehowa be, “Wovua woƒe aɖewo abe dati ene ne woada alakpaŋutrɔ. Menye nyateƒee wotsɔ le dzi ɖum le anyigba la dzi o. Wotsoa nu vɔ̃ ɖeka gbɔ yia bubu gbɔ eye womenyam o.
4 Do not trust your neighbors and [even] your brothers! They all are as deceitful [as Jacob was]. They slander [each other] and tell lies [about each other].
Kpɔ nyuie le xɔlɔ̃wòwo ŋu. Megaka ɖe nɔviwò ŋutsuwo dzi o, elabena nɔvi ɖe sia ɖe nye ameblela eye xɔlɔ̃ ɖe sia ɖe nye ameŋugblẽla.
5 They deceive their friends and never tell the truth. They lie continually and, because of that, they have become skilled liars; they do one oppressive thing after another, and are unable to stop doing it.
Xɔlɔ̃ blea xɔlɔ̃ eye ame aɖeke metoa nyateƒe o. Wofia aʋatsokaka woƒe aɖewo eye woɖea fu na wo ɖokuiwo vevie kple nu vɔ̃ wɔwɔ.
6 They habitually lie and deceive [each other], and no one will admit/say that I am God.
Amebeble le gã dom ɖe edzi. Le woƒe amebeble ta la, wogbe sidzedzem.” Yehowae gblɔe.
7 Therefore [I], the Commander of the armies of angels, say this: Listen carefully to what I say: I will [cause my people to experience great afflictions, ] [like a metalworker puts metal in a hot fire] [MET] to completely burn out the impure bits. Because of all [the evil things] that my people have done, there is absolutely nothing else [RHQ] that I can do.
Eya ta ale Yehowa, Dziƒoʋakɔwo ƒe Aƒetɔ la gblɔe nye esi: “Kpɔ ɖa malolõ wo ado wo akpɔ, elabena nu bubu ka mawɔ le nye dukɔ ƒe nu vɔ̃ ta?
8 What they say [MTY] [injures people like] [MET] poisoned arrows do. They say to their neighbors, ‘I hope things will go well for you,’ while they are planning to kill them.
Woƒe aɖe le abe aŋutrɔ si nu aɖi vɔ̃ɖi le la ene, elabena woƒoa nu bebletɔe, ame sia ame tsɔa eƒe nu ƒoa nu na ehavi bubutɔe, gake le eƒe dzi me la, etre mɔ ɖi nɛ.
9 Should I not punish them for doing that [RHQ]? Yes, I should certainly (get revenge on/give what they deserve to) [the people of] a nation that does things like that!”
Yehowa be, ‘Ɖe mele be mahe to na wo le esia ta oa? Ɖe mele be mabia hlɔ̃ dukɔ sia tɔgbi oa?’
10 So, I will weep and wail for [the people who live in] the mountains and in the (pastures/places where the livestock eat the grass), because those areas will be desolate, and no one will live there. There will be no cattle there to call to each other, and all the birds and wild animals will have fled [to other places].
“Mafa avi ado ɣli na towo, eye madzi konyifaha ɖe gbegbelãnyiƒewo ŋu. Elabena wozu gbegbe, ame aɖeke mato afi ma ayi o eye womagase nyiwo ƒe xɔxlɔ̃ le afi ma o, dziƒoxewo gɔ̃ hã si dzo eye gbemelãwo hã si.
11 [Yahweh also says], “I will cause Jerusalem to become a heap of ruins, and [only] jackals/wolves will live there. I will destroy the towns of Judah, with the result that they will be completely deserted; no one will live there.”
“Mawɔ Yerusalem wòazu glikpo gbagbã si woli kɔe kple nɔƒe na amegaxiwo, eye mawɔ Yuda duwo woazu aƒedo ale be ame aɖeke manɔ wo me o.”
12 [I said], “Only people who are very wise [RHQ] can understand these things. Only those who have been taught by Yahweh can [RHQ] explain these things to others. The wise people are [RHQ] the only ones who can explain why the land will be completely ruined with the result that everyone [RHQ] will be afraid to travel through it.”
Ame kae nye nunyala si ase nu sia gɔme? Ame kae Yehowa fia nu eye wòate ŋu aɖe eme? Nu ka ta anyigba gblẽ eye wowɔe wòle abe gbegbe si ame aɖeke mate ŋu ato ayi o la ene?
13 Yahweh replied, “[These things will happen] because my people have rejected my laws which I gave to them; they have not obeyed me or my instructions.
Yehowa be, “Elabena wogblẽ nye se si metsɔ ɖo woƒe ŋkume la ɖi. Womeɖo tom alo wɔ nye se dzi o.
14 Instead, they have stubbornly done the things that they wanted to do. They have worshiped the idols that represent the god Baal, which is what their ancestors did.
Ke boŋ wodze woƒe dzi dzeaglãwo yome hekplɔ Baalwo ɖo abe ale si wo fofowo fia woe ene.”
15 So now listen to what [I], the Commander of the armies of angels, the God of the Israelis, say: [What I will do will be like] [MET] giving these people bitter things to eat and poison to drink:
Eya ta ale Yehowa, Dziƒoʋakɔwo ƒe Aƒetɔ la, Israel ƒe Mawu la gblɔe nye esi: “Kpɔ ɖa, mana dukɔ sia naɖu nu veve, eye woano aɖitsi.
16 I will scatter them to many nations which neither they nor their ancestors have known [anything about]; I will [enable their enemies to] strike them with swords until I have destroyed them.”
Makaka wo ɖe dukɔwo dome, dukɔ siwo woawo ŋutɔ alo wo fofowo menya o eye mati wo yome kple yi va se ɖe esime metsrɔ̃ wo keŋkeŋ.”
17 This is also what the Commander of the armies of angels says: “Think [about what is happening], [then] summon those women who mourn [when someone has died].
Ale Yehowa, Dziƒoʋakɔwo ƒe Aƒetɔ la gblɔe nye esi: “Mibu eŋuti azɔ! Miyɔ nyɔnu avihadzilawo vɛ. Miyɔ esiwo tea ŋu dzinɛ nyuie.
18 Tell them to come quickly and start to wail, with the result that tears will stream down from your(pl) eyes.
Mina woava kaba ne woadzi aviha na mí va se ɖe esime aɖatsi nalolõ ɖe ŋku dzi na mí, eye aɖatsi nado bababa tso míaƒe ŋku me.
19 Listen to [the people of] Jerusalem crying/lamenting, saying, ‘We have been ruined/destroyed! We have experienced a terrible disaster! Now we are very ashamed, because our houses have been destroyed [by our enemies], and we [are being forced to] leave our land.’”
Wose aviɣli le Zion. ‘Aleke wohetsrɔ̃ mí ale! Aleke míaƒe ŋukpe lolo ale! Ele be míadzo le míaƒe anyigba dzi, elabena míaƒe aƒewo zu aƒedo!’”
20 You women, listen to what Yahweh says [MTY]. Pay attention to his words [DOU]. Teach your daughters to wail. Teach each other how to sing funeral songs,
Azɔ la, Oo nyɔnuwo, mise Yehowa ƒe nya, mike miaƒe towo ɖe eƒe numenyawo ŋuti. Mifia mia vinyɔnuwo ale si woado ɣlii. Mifia konyifaha mia nɔewo
21 because people will be dying [PRS] in your houses and in palaces. There will be no more children playing in the streets, there will be no more young men [gathering] in the city squares/marketplaces.
Ku to míaƒe fesrewo nu ge ɖe mía dzi. Ege ɖe míaƒe mɔ sesẽwo me. Ekplɔ ɖeviwo dzoe le mɔtatawo dzi eye wòɖe ɖekakpuiwo ɖa le dua ƒe ablɔ me.
22 There will be corpses scattered across the fields like dung; their dead bodies will lie there like [SIM] grain that has been cut by reapers/farmers, and there will be no one [still alive] to bury them.
Gblɔ be, “Ale Yehowa gblɔe nye esi: “‘Amegbetɔwo ƒe ŋutilã kukuwo akaka abe gbeɖuɖɔ wolɔ kɔ ɖe agble dzi ene. Woanɔ abe nukue nuŋela ŋe ƒo ɖi, eye ame aɖeke meli afɔ wo o ene.’”
23 Yahweh says this: “Wise men should not boast about their being wise, strong men should not boast about their being strong; and rich people should not boast about their being rich.
Ale Yehowa gblɔe nye esi: “Nunyala megatsɔ eƒe nunya ƒo adegbee alo ŋusẽtɔ natsɔ eƒe ŋusẽ aƒo adegbee alo kesinɔtɔ natsɔ eƒe kesinɔnuwo aƒo adegbee o,
24 Instead, those who want to boast should boast about their knowing me and about understanding that I am Yahweh, that I am kind and just and righteous, that I faithfully love [people], and that I am delighted with [people who act] that way.
ke boŋ ame si aƒo adegbe la, neƒo adegbe tso nu sia ŋu be, yenyam hese gɔnyeme nyuie be nyee nye Yehowa, ame si nye dɔmenyotɔ, ʋɔnu dzɔdzɔe drɔ̃la kple dzɔdzɔetɔ le anyigba dzi eye esiawo mee medzɔa dzi le,” Yehowae gblɔe.
25 There will be a time when I will punish all those people of Egypt and of the Moab people-group and of the Edom [people-group] and of the Ammon [people-group], all those people who live close to desert areas (OR, who cut their hair short [to please their gods]) far from Judah, all those people who have [changed their bodies by] circumcising them [MET] but who have not [changed] their inner beings. I will punish the people of Judah also, because they have not changed their inner beings, [either].”
Yehowa be, “Ŋkekewo li gbɔna, esi mahe to na ame siwo tso aʋa le ŋutilã me ko.
Woawoe nye Egipte, Yuda, Edom, Amon, Moab kple ame siwo katã le dzogbenyigba siwo le didiƒe la dzi, elabena le nyateƒe me la, dukɔ siawo katã metso aʋa o. Israel ƒe aƒe blibo la gɔ̃ hã metso aʋa le dzi me o.”
