Lamentations 1
1 Jerusalem was [once] full of people, but now it is deserted. [Once] it was honored by people all over the world, but now it is [grieving/abandoned] like [SIM] a widow. [Once] it was [honored like] [MET] a princess [is honored] among the nations, but now [we who live here] have become slaves.
“Aleke du si yɔ fũu kple amewo tsã la ɖi gbɔlo ale! Du si nye du gã le duwo dome la le azɔ abe ahosi ene! Duwo ƒe Fianyɔnu zu kluvi egbe.
2 We [PRS] weep bitterly [all] night long, with tears flowing down our cheeks. Among [the people in] all [the nations] that loved Jerusalem there are none that comfort us [now]. All [the rulers of those nations that were previously] our allies have betrayed us, and they are all now enemies [of the people of Jerusalem].
“Ele avi fam hehehe le zã me eye aɖatsi tsi alɔgo dzi nɛ. Eƒe ahiãvi gbogboawo dometɔ aɖeke meli afa akɔ nɛ o. Xɔlɔ̃ lɔlɔ̃wo katã trɔ le eyome hezu eƒe futɔwo.
3 [The people of] Judah have been (exiled/forced to go to other countries) and caused to suffer greatly as slaves. They live in [other] nations where they do not have peace/safety. Their enemies seized them, and there was no way for them to escape.
“Le teteɖeanyi kple dzizizidɔ sesẽwo megbe la, Yuda yi ɖe aboyo me. Ele dukɔwo dome gake mekpɔ gbɔɖemeƒe o. Ame siwo katã le eyome tim la ke ɖe eŋu le xaxa me.
4 The roads to Zion [Hill] are empty [PRS] because no one comes [here] to [celebrate] the sacred festivals. The city gates are deserted, and the priests groan. The young women [of Jerusalem] cry [because] they are suffering greatly.
“Zion mɔwo le konyi fam elabena ame aɖeke megazɔa wo dzi yina ɖe eƒe azãwo ɖuƒe o. Eƒe agbowo gbã, eye eƒe nunɔlawo le hũu ɖem. Eƒe ɖetugbiwo le konyi fam eye eya ŋutɔ le veve helĩhelĩ me.
5 Our enemies have conquered the city, and [now] they prosper. Yahweh has punished [the people of] Jerusalem because of all the sins that they have committed. The children [of Jerusalem] have been captured and taken [to other countries].
“Eƒe futɔwo zu edziɖulawo eye eƒe ketɔwo ɖe dzi ɖi. Yehowa do hiã nɛ le eƒe nu vɔ̃ gbogboawo ta. Viawo yi ɖe aboyo me, eye wozu aʋaléleawo le futɔwo ŋgɔ.
6 Jerusalem was a beautiful city, but it is not beautiful now. The leaders [of the city] are like [SIM] deer that are starving because of being unable to find any grass [to eat]. They are very weak, with the result that they are unable to run from their enemies.
“Zion vinyɔnu ƒe atsyɔ̃wo katã dzo le eŋu. Eƒe dumegãwo le abe zi siwo mekpɔ gbeɖuƒe aɖeke o, eye le gbɔdzɔgbɔdzɔ me wosi le wo yometilawo ŋgɔ ene.
7 [The people of] Jerusalem are sad and scattered, and they think about the previous greatness of the city. [But now] our enemies have captured the city, and there is no one to help the people. Our enemies destroyed the city and laughed while they were doing that.
“Yerusalem ɖo ŋku eƒe kesinɔnu siwo nɔ esi le blemaŋkekewo me la dzi, le eƒe xaxa kple tsaglalãtsatsa ƒe ŋkekewo me. Esi eƒe amewo dze futɔwo ƒe asi me la, ame aɖeke meli akpe ɖe eŋu o. Eƒe futɔwo nye kɔ kpɔe eye wokoe le eƒe aƒedozuzu ta.
8 [The people of] [PRS] Jerusalem have sinned very much; [it is as though] [MET] the city has become [like] a filthy [rag]. All those who [previously] honored the city [now] despise it, because they see that it has become very disgraced [MET]. Now [the people of] the city groan, and they cover their faces [because they are very ashamed].
“Yerusalem ƒe nu vɔ̃wo lolo eya ta wòzu ame makɔmakɔ. Ame siwo dea bubu eŋu tsã la le vlo domi, elabena wokpɔ eƒe amame, eya ŋutɔ ɖe hũu hetrɔ dzo.
9 The city has become filthy because of [PRS] the sins that the people have committed; they did not think about what could happen to the city. [Now] the city has been destroyed, and there is no one to comfort [the people]. [The people cry out saying], “Yahweh, look at how we are suffering because our enemies have defeated us!”
“Eƒe ɖiƒoƒo lé ɖe eƒe avɔto, elabena mebu etsɔ me kpɔ o. Eƒe anyidzedze wɔ nuku eye ame aɖeke meli si afa akɔ nɛ o. “O, Yehowa, nye kɔ, kpɔ nye vevesese ɖa elabena ketɔ la ɖu dzi.”
10 Our enemies have taken away all our treasures, all the valuable things that we owned. We have seen [soldiers from other] nations, [men who do not worship Yahweh], enter our sacred temple, [the place] where foreigners/non-Israelis were (forbidden/not allowed) to enter.
Futɔ la do asi ɖe eƒe kesinɔnuwo katã gbɔ; ekpɔ trɔ̃subɔdukɔwo, ame siwo mèɖe mɔ be woage ɖe wò asaɖa me o la ge ɖe wò kɔkɔeƒe la.
11 The people of the city groan while they search for food; they have given their treasures to get food [to eat] to remain alive. [They say], “Yahweh, look [at us], and see that we are despised!”
Eƒe amewo katã le tsatsam le abolo dim kple ŋeŋe, wotsɔa woƒe kesinɔnu veviwo ɖɔa li nuɖuɖu be woanɔ agbe. “O, Yehowa, kpɔ ale si wodo vlom la ɖa.”
12 You people who pass by, you do not [RHQ] seem to care at all [about what has happened to us]. Look around and see that there are no other [RHQ] people who are suffering like we are. Yahweh has caused us to suffer because he was extremely angry [with us].
“Mi ame siwo katã to afi ma yi, ɖe mewɔ naneke na mi oa? Mitsa ŋku miakpɔe ɖa! Ɖe fukpekpe aɖe le abe esi wohe va dzinye, esi Yehowa he va dzinye le eƒe dziku helĩhelĩ ƒe ŋkekewo me la enea?
13 [It is as though] he sent a fire from heaven [MTY] that burned in our bones; [it is as though] [MET] he has placed a trap for our feet, and has prevented us from walking any further. He has abandoned us; we are weak/miserable [every day], all day long.
“Eɖo dzo ɖa tso dziƒo, ena wòɖiɖi ɖe nye ƒuwo me. Eɖo ɖɔ na nye afɔwo eye wògbugbɔm ɖe megbe. Ewɔm mezu gbegbe heku ƒenyi ŋkeke blibo la katã.
14 He caused the sins that we have committed to be [like] a heavy load for us to carry; [it is as though] [MET] he tied them around our necks. Previously we were strong, but he has caused us to become weak. He has allowed our enemies to capture us, and we were not able to do anything to resist them.
“Ebla nye nu vɔ̃wo abe kɔkuti ene, etsɔ eƒe asiwo lɔ̃e wode nu wo nɔewo me. Woɖiɖi ɖe nye kɔʋume eye Aƒetɔ la ɖe nye ŋusẽ ɖa. Etsɔm de asi na ame siwo nu nyemate ŋu anɔ te ɖo o.
15 Yahweh looked at our mighty soldiers and laughed at them. He has summoned a great army to [come and] crush our young soldiers. [It is as though] [MET] Yahweh has trampled on [us] people of Judah like [SIM] [people trample] on grapes in a pit [to make wine].
“Aƒetɔ la gbe nu le kalẽtɔ siwo katã le donyeme la gbɔ, eɖo aʋakɔ ɖa be woato nye ɖekakpuiwo nyanyanya. Le eƒe wainfiaƒe, Aƒetɔ la fanya Yuda Vinyɔnuwo.
16 I weep because of [all] those things; my eyes are filled with tears. There is no one to comfort me; those who could encourage me are far away. Our enemies have conquered [us], so our children have nothing good to (hope for/expect to happen).
“Esia ta mefa avi eye nye ŋkuwo fa aɖatsi blobloblo. Ame aɖeke metsɔ ɖe gbɔnye afa akɔ nam o eye ame aɖeke meli si agbɔ agbe nye luʋɔ o. Vinyewo zu hiãtɔwo elabena futɔ ƒe alɔ yi dzi.”
17 [We people of] [PRS] Jerusalem reach out our hands [to get help], but there is no one to comfort us. Yahweh has decided concerning [us descendants of] Jacob that the people in nearby nations will become our enemies; so they consider that Jerusalem has become [like] [MET] a filthy rag.
Zion ke eƒe abɔwo me gake ame aɖeke meli si afa akɔ nɛ o. Yehowa gblɔ nya ɖi ɖe Yakob ŋu be eƒe aƒelikawo nanye eƒe futɔwo eye Yerusalem va zu ŋunyɔnu le wo dome.
18 But what Yahweh has done [to us] is fair, because we have rebelled against obeying the commands that he gave [us]. You people everywhere, listen [to us]; [look and] see that we are suffering [greatly]. We had [many] sons and daughters, but they have been captured and forced to go to distant countries.
“Yehowa le dzɔdzɔe, gake metsi tsitre ɖe eƒe se la ŋu. Miɖo to, mi amewo katã, mikpɔ nye fukpekpewo ɖa. Nye ɖekakpuiwo kple ɖetugbiwo katã yi aboyo me.
19 We pleaded with our allies [to help us], but they [all] refused. Our priests and our leaders have died [from hunger] in the city while they were searching for food [to eat] to remain alive.
“Meyɔ xɔ̃nyewo gake woflum. Nye nunɔlawo kple dumegãwo siaa tsrɔ̃ le dua me esime wonɔ tsatsam le nuɖuɖu dim be woaɖu atsi agbe.
20 Yahweh, see that we are suffering very much. [It is as though] our inner beings are tormented. We are sad [SYN] because we have rebelled [against you]. Our enemies kill people in the streets with their swords; people are dying [because they have no food to eat].
“O Yehowa, kpɔ ale si metsi dzodzodzoe ɖa! Nye ameti blibo la metɔtɔ eye nye dzi hã le fu ɖem nam elabena medze aglã vevie. Yi le nu gblẽm le gota; eye le eme la, ku koe li.
21 People have heard us while we groaned, but no one [came to] comfort us. [Yahweh, ] you caused us to experience this [disaster], and our enemies are happy to see what you have done [to us]. But cause it soon to be the time that you have promised, when our enemies will suffer like we have suffered!
“Amewo se nye ŋeŋe gake ame aɖeke meli afa akɔ nam o. Nye futɔwo katã se nye dzɔgbevɔ̃eŋkɔ eye wodzɔ dzi le nu si nèwɔ ta. Na be ŋkeke si ƒe gbeƒã nèɖe la nava be woawo hã nanɔ abe nye ene.
22 [Yahweh, ] see all the evil things that they have done and punish them! [Punish them] like you have punished us for all the sins that we committed! [We say this to you] because we suffer and groan very much, and we (faint/are very sad).
“Na be woƒe nu vɔ̃ɖi wɔwɔwo katã nava ŋkuwò me; wɔ na wo abe ale si nèwɔm le nye nu vɔ̃wo katã ta la ene. Nye hũuɖeɖe sɔ gbɔ eye nu te nye dzi ŋuti.”
