Lamentations 3
1 I [, the one who am writing this, ] am a man who has been afflicted/punished [MTY] by Yahweh because he was angry.
Nyee nye ŋutsu si kpe fu le eƒe dziku ƒe ameƒoti te.
2 [It was as though] he caused me to walk in a very dark place without any light [at all].
Enyam ɖe nu eye wòna mezɔ viviti me, menye kekeli me o;
3 He has punished [IDM] me many times, all day, [every] day.
Vavã etrɔ eƒe asiwo ɖe ŋutinye atraɖii le ŋkeke blibo la me.
4 He has caused my skin and my flesh to become old. He has broken my bones.
Ena be nye ŋutilã kple nye ŋutigbalẽ do xoxo eye wògbã ƒu ɖe lãme nam.
5 He has surrounded me [DOU] with bitterness and suffering.
Eva dze dzinye eye wòtsɔ veve helĩhelĩ kple fukpekpe tɔ kpɔ ɖe ŋunye.
6 [It is as though] he has buried me in a dark place like [SIM] [the graves of] those who have been dead for a long time.
Ena menɔ viviti me abe ame siwo ku gbe aɖe gbe ke ene.
7 [It is as though] [MET] he has built a wall around me, and fastened/tied me with heavy chains, and I cannot escape.
Etɔ kpɔ ƒo xlãm ale be nyemate ŋu asi o, eɖom anyi kple gakɔsɔkɔsɔ.
8 Although I call out and cry out for him to help me, he does not pay attention to my prayers.
Ne meyɔe alo do ɣli be wòaxɔ nam gɔ̃ hã la, edoa ʋɔ ɖe nye gbedodoɖa nu.
9 [It is as though] he has blocked my path with a [high] stone [wall] and has caused my path to become crooked.
Etsɔ kpe gãwo xe mɔ me nam eye wòglɔ̃ nye mɔwo.
10 He has waited to attack me like [SIM] a bear or a lion hides and waits [to attack other animals].
Abe sisiblisi si de xa ɖi kple dzata si le adeklo dzi ene la,
11 [It is as though] he has dragged me off the path and (mauled me/torn me into pieces), and left me without help.
ehem ɖa le mɔ me eye wòvuvum, hegblẽm ɖi kpeɖeŋutɔmanɔsitɔe.
12 [It is as though] [MET] he bent his bow and caused me to become the target [at which he shot] his arrows.
Evu eƒe da me eye wòdzidze eƒe dati ɖe dzinye.
13 [It is as though] he shot his arrows deep into my body.
Etsɔ aŋutrɔwo le eƒe daku me tsɔ ŋɔ nye dzi.
14 All my relatives laugh at me; all day, [every] day they sing songs that make fun of me.
Mezu nu ɖikokoe le nye amewo katã dome, woɖua fewu le ŋunye to hadzidzi me ŋkeke blibo la katã.
15 He has filled me with (bitterness/great suffering), [like] [MET] someone who drinks a very bitter liquid suffers.
Etsɔ ama veve ɖi ƒo nam eye wòkpe veve nam meno.
16 [It is as though] he has caused me to chew gravel that broke my teeth, and he has trampled me in the dirt.
Etsɔ kpe ŋe aɖu nam eye wòfanyam ɖe kewɔ me.
17 Things no longer go well for me; I no longer remember being prosperous.
Woxɔ ŋutifafa le asinye, meŋlɔ nu si dzɔgbenyui nye la be.
18 I [continued to] say [to myself], “I no longer expect to live much longer; I no longer confidently expect [to receive good things] from Yahweh!”
Eya ta megblɔ be, “Nye atsyɔ̃nu yi eye nu siwo katã mele mɔ kpɔm na tso Yehowa gbɔ la hã nu va yi.”
19 When I think about my suffering and my wandering [away from home], [it is like drinking] a very bitter [DOU] liquid.
Meɖo ŋku nye hiã, tsaglalãtsatsa, dzigbagbã kple vevesese dzi.
20 I will never forget this time when I feel very depressed/discouraged [IDM].
Meɖo ŋku wo katã dzi nyuie eye nye luʋɔ bɔbɔ eɖokui le menye.
21 However, I confidently expect [Yahweh to do good things for me again] when I think about this:
Ke esia dzi meɖo ŋkue eye mɔkpɔkpɔ ɖo asinye:
22 Yahweh never stops faithfully loving [us], and he never stops being kind to us.
Le Yehowa ƒe lɔlɔ̃ deto la ta wometsrɔ̃ mí o elabena eƒe nublanuikpɔkpɔ mevɔna o.
23 [He is the one whom we can] always trust/lean on. Every morning he is merciful [to us again].
Wozua yeye ŋdi sia ŋdi, wò nuteƒewɔwɔ lolo ŋutɔ.
24 [So] I say to myself, “Yahweh is all that I need; so I will confidently wait for him [to do good things for me].”
Megblɔ na ɖokuinye be, “Yehowae nye nye gomekpɔkpɔ, eya ta manɔ esinu kpɔm.”
25 Yahweh is good to [all] those who depend on him, to those who seek his [help].
Yehowa ƒe dɔ me nyo na ame siwo tsɔ woƒe mɔkpɔkpɔ da ɖe edzi, kple ame siwo dinɛ vevie.
26 [So] it is good for us to wait quietly for Yahweh to save/rescue [us].
Enyo be woalala le ɖoɖoezizi me na Yehowa ƒe ɖeɖe.
27 And it is good for us to [patiently] endure [suffering] while we are young.
Enyo na ame be wòatsɔ kɔkuti le ɖekakpuime.
28 Those [who seek his help] should sit by themselves, silently, [knowing that] it is Yahweh who has allowed/caused them to suffer.
Nenɔ anyi le ɖoɖoezizi me elabena Yehowae tsɔ kɔkuti la da ɖe edzi.
29 They should lie in the dirt, with their faces on the ground, [because] they can still hope [that Yahweh will help them].
Netsɔ eƒe mo ƒo ɖe ke me, ɖewohĩ mɔkpɔkpɔ gali.
30 If someone strikes us on one cheek, we should turn the other cheek toward that person [in order that he may strike it, too], and accept/endure it when we are insulted.
Neɖo to me anyi na ame si le eƒo ge eye ŋukpe neyɔe fũu.
31 Yahweh does not abandon [us his people] forever.
Elabena Aƒetɔ la metsɔa ame ƒua gbe ɖikaa o
32 Sometimes he causes us to suffer, but sometimes he is kind [to us] because he continually and faithfully loves [us].
Togbɔ be ehea nuxaxa vɛ hã la, egakpɔa nublanui na ame, eye eƒe lɔlɔ̃ si nu metsina gbeɖe o la de to ŋutɔ.
33 And he is not happy about causing human beings to suffer or to be sad.
Elabena mehea fukpekpe kple nuxaxa vaa amegbetɔviwo dzi ɖe dzidzɔ teƒe o.
34 If people (mistreat all the prisoners/crush all the prisoners under their feet)
Woafanya anyigbadzigamenɔlawo katã kple afɔ.
35 or if they rebel against God by refusing to give to people the things that it is right for them [to receive],
Ne woagbe nu si nye ame tɔ la tsɔtsɔ nɛ le Dziƒoʋĩtɔ la ŋkume,
36 or if they cause judges to decide matters unjustly, (does Yahweh not see all those things?/Yahweh certainly sees all those things!) [RHQ]
eye wotrɔ gbo ame dzɔdzɔe ƒe nya; ɖe Aƒetɔ la makpɔ esiawo oa?
37 No one can [RHQ] command something to happen [and then cause it to happen] if Yahweh has not already decided that it should happen.
Ame ka aƒo nu eye wòava eme, ne menye Aƒetɔ lae ɖe gbe o?
38 God in heaven [MTY] is [RHQ] the one who causes disasters to happen, and he [also] causes good things to happen.
Ɖe menye Dziƒoʋĩtɔ la ƒe nu mee dzɔgbevɔ̃enyawo kple dzidzɔnyawo siaa doa go tsona oa?
39 [So] it is certainly not [RHQ] right for us, who are only humans, to complain when he punishes us for the sins that we have committed.
Nu ka ta amegbetɔ ahe nya ne wohe to nɛ ɖe eƒe nu vɔ̃wo ta?
40 Instead, we should (examine/think carefully about) our behavior; we should turn back to Yahweh.
Mina míalé ŋku ɖe míaƒe zɔzɔme ŋu ne míado wo akpɔ eye mina míatrɔ ɖe Yehowa ŋu.
41 We should pray [IDM] sincerely and lift up our arms toward God in heaven, [and say, ]
Mina míado míaƒe dziwo kple asiwo ɖe Mawu gbɔ le dziƒo ahagblɔ bena:
42 “We have sinned and rebelled [against you], and you have not forgiven [us].
“Míewɔ nu vɔ̃ hedze aglã eye mètsɔe ke mi o.
43 You have surrounded us with your anger and pursued us; you have slaughtered [us] without pitying us.
“Ètsɔ dziku tsyɔ ɖokuiwò dzi eye nèti mía yome hewu mí nublanuimakpɔmakpɔtɔe.
44 You have hidden yourself in a cloud, with the result that you do not hear [us] when we pray.
Ètsɔ lilikpo tsyiɔ ɖokuiwò dzi ale be, gbedodoɖa aɖeke mate ŋu aɖo gbɔwò o.
45 You have caused [the people of other] nations to consider us to be only garbage [DOU].
Ètsɔ mí wɔ ŋunyɔnu kple gbeɖuɖɔe le dukɔwo dome.
46 All our enemies have insulted us.
“Míaƒe futɔwo katã ke nu baa ɖe mía ŋuti.
47 We are constantly afraid [DOU], [because] we have experienced disasters and ruin [DOU].”
Ŋɔdzi lé mí; míedze ʋe me eye tsɔtsrɔ̃ kple gbegblẽ va mía dzi.”
48 I cry a lot because my people have been destroyed.
Nye ŋkuwo le aɖatsi fam yoyoyo elabena wotsrɔ̃ nye amewo.
49 My tears continually flow; they will not stop
Nye ŋkuwo le aɖatsi fam ɖaa, enu gbe tsotso,
50 until Yahweh looks down from heaven and sees [us].
va se ɖe esime Yehowa aɖo ŋku anyi tso dziƒo akpɔe.
51 I am very grieved because of [what has happened to] the women of my city.
Nu si mekpɔ la na nye luʋɔ xa nu ɖe nyɔnu siwo katã le nye dua me la ta.
52 Those who are my enemies hunted for me like [SIM] [people hunt for] a bird [to kill it] [even though] there was no reason [for them to do that].
Ame siwo nye nye futɔwo madzemadzee la ɖem ɖe nu abe xevi ene.
53 They threw me into a pit to kill me, and they threw stones on top of me.
Wodze agbagba be woatso nye agbe nu le vudo me eye wofɔ kpe ƒum.
54 The water [in the pit] rose above my head, and I said [to myself], “I am about to die/drown!”
Tsi fie le tanye eye mesusu be evɔ nam.
55 But from the bottom of the pit I cried out to you [MTY], “Yahweh, [help me]!”
O Yehowa, wò ŋkɔe meyɔ le vudoa ƒe gogloƒe ke.
56 I pleaded with you, “Do not refuse to heed [MTY] me while I cry out to you!”
Èse nye kukuɖeɖe be, “Mègado toku nye ɣlidodo eye nàgbe akɔfafa nam o.”
57 Then you answered me and said, “Do not be afraid!”
Ète va gbɔnye esi meyɔ wò eye nègblɔ be, “Mègavɔ̃ o.”
58 Yahweh, you defended me; you did not allow me to die.
O, Aƒetɔ, èxɔ nye nya ɖe akɔ eye nèɖe nye agbe.
59 [Now], Yahweh, you have seen the evil things that my enemies have done to me, [so] decide my case [and show that I am right]!
Wò ŋutɔ èkpɔ, O Yehowa, vɔ̃ si wowɔ ɖe ŋutinye. Na nye nya nadzɔ!
60 You know the evil things that they have planned to do to me.
Èkpɔ woƒe hlɔ̃biabia ƒe kpekpeme kple nugbe siwo woɖo ɖe ŋunye.
61 Yahweh, you have heard them insult [me] and what they have planned to do to me.
O Yehowa, èse woƒe dzudzuwo kple nu siwo katã woɖo ɖe ŋunye
62 Every day they whisper and mutter things about me, all day long.
kple nye futɔwo ƒe dalĩdodo kple nuƒoƒo le ŋunye ŋkeke blibo la.
63 Look at them! Whether they are standing or sitting they make fun of me with the songs that they sing.
Nye kɔ nàkpɔ wo ɖa! Wole anyinɔƒe o, wole tsitrenu o, woɖua fewu le ŋunye le woƒe hadzidziwo me.
64 Yahweh, cause them to suffer in return for their causing [me] to suffer!
O Yehowa, xe fe si dze wo la na wo, ɖe nu siwo woƒe asiwo wɔ la ta.
65 Curse them [IDM] [for] their being very stubborn [IDM].
Tsɔ nutsyɔnu tsyɔ woƒe dziwo dzi eye nàna be wò fiƒode nanɔ wo dzi!
66 Because you are angry with them, pursue them and get rid of them, [until none of them remain] on the earth.
Ti wo yome kple dziku eye nàtsrɔ̃ wo le Yehowa ƒe dziƒo te.
