< Jeremiah 3 >

1 “If a man divorces his wife and she goes from him and becomes another man's wife, will he return to her again? Would that land not be greatly polluted? You have lived as a prostitute who has many lovers; and would you return to me?—this is Yahweh's declaration.
“Ne ŋutsu aɖe gbe srɔ̃a, eye nyɔnu la dzo ɖaɖe ŋutsu bubu ɖe, ɖe wòle be ŋutsu gbãtɔ nagatrɔ ayi ɖe nyɔnu la gbɔa? Ɖe womagblẽ kɔ ɖo na anyigba la keŋkeŋ oa? Ke wò la, ènɔ agbe abe gbolo ene kple lɔlɔ̃tɔ geɖewo. Ɖe nàtrɔ ava gbɔnye azɔa?” Yehowae gblɔe.
2 Lift up your eyes to the barren heights and look! Is there any place where you have not had illicit sex? By the roadsides you sat waiting for your lovers, as an Arab in the wilderness. You have polluted the land with your prostitution and wickedness.
“Wu mo dzi ɖe to ƒuƒluwo ŋu eye nàkpɔ ɖa. Teƒe aɖe li si womedɔ kpli wò le oa? Ènɔ anyi ɖe mɔto henɔ ŋutsuwo lalam. Ènɔ anyi abe Arabiatɔwoe nɔ anyi ɖe gbegbe ene. Ètsɔ wò gbolowɔwɔ kple vɔ̃ɖivɔ̃ɖi do gu anyigba la.
3 So the showers have been withheld and the spring rains have not come; yet you have the forehead of a prostitute; you refuse to be ashamed.
Eya ta woɖo asi tsidzadza dzi eye kelemetsi gɔ̃ hã medza o. Ke wò la, gbolo ƒe mo ŋanɛ li na wò eye ŋu gbe wò kpekpe.
4 Have you not just now called to me: 'My father! My closest friend even from my youth!
Menye fifi laa koe nèyɔm be, ‘Fofonye kple xɔ̃nye, tso nye ɖekakpuime ke’ oa?
5 Will he always be angry? Will he always keep his wrath to the end?' Look! This is what you have said, but you do all the evil you can!”
‘Ɖe nàkpɔ dziku ɖaa? Ɖe wò dɔmedzoe helĩhelĩ anɔ anyi tegbea?’ Aleae nèƒoa nu gake hewɔa nu tovo siwo katã nàte ŋui.”
6 Then Yahweh said to me in the days of Josiah the king, “Do you see what faithless Israel has done? She has gone up every high hill and under every leafy tree, and there she has acted like a prostitute.
Esi Fia Yosia nɔ fia ɖum la, Yehowa gblɔ nam be, “Èkpɔ nu si Israel nuteƒemawɔla la wɔa? Eyi ɖe togbɛ kɔkɔ ɖe sia ɖe dzi eye wòyi ɖe ati dama ɖe sia ɖe te hewɔ ahasi le afi ma.
7 I said, 'After she does all these things, she will return to me,' but she did not return. Then her faithless sister Judah saw these things.
Mebui be esi wòwɔ esiawo katã vɔ la, atrɔ ava gbɔnye gake mewɔe o eye nɔvia nyɔnu godzela, Yuda hã kpɔe.
8 So I saw that, in the same way that faithless Israel had committed adultery and I had sent her away and had given a bill of divorce against her, her faithless sister Judah did not fear; she also went out and acted like a prostitute.
Metsɔ srɔ̃gbegbalẽ na nuteƒemawɔla Israel henyae ɖe eƒe ahasiwɔwɔwo katã ta, gake mekpɔ be nɔvia godzela Yuda mevɔ̃ o; eya hã yi ɖawɔ ahasi.
9 Her prostitution was nothing to her; she defiled the land, and she committed adultery with stones and trees.
Esi Israel ƒe ŋunyɔnuwɔwɔ nye nu tsɛ aɖe ko le eya gbɔ ta la, edo gu anyigba la eye wòwɔ ahasi kple ati kple kpe.
10 Then after all of this, her faithless sister Judah returned to me, not with all her heart, but with a lie—this is Yahweh's declaration.”
Le esiawo katã megbe hã la, nɔvia nyɔnu, Yuda, godzela, metrɔ va gbɔnye kple eƒe dzi blibo o, ke boŋ ewɔ alakpanu.” Yehowae gblɔe.
11 Then Yahweh said to me, “Faithless Israel has been more righteous than faithless Judah!
Yehowa gblɔ nam be, “Nuteƒemawɔla Israel le dzɔdzɔe wu Yuda, godzela la.
12 Go and proclaim these words to the north. Say, 'Return, faithless Israel!—this is Yahweh's declaration—I will not always be angry with you. Since I am faithful—this is Yahweh's declaration—I will not stay angry forever.
Yi, nàɖe gbeƒã nya sia ɖo ɖe anyiehe gome. Yehowa be, “‘Xɔsemanɔsitɔ Israel trɔ gbɔ. Nyemagahe nya ɖe ŋuwò azɔ o elabena nublanuikpɔlae menye eye nyemado dziku tegbee o.’ Yehowae gblɔe.
13 Acknowledge your iniquity, for you have transgressed against Yahweh your God; you have shared your ways with strangers under every leafy tree! For you have not listened to my voice!—this is Yahweh's declaration.
‘Wò ya, dze si wò vodada elabena èdze aglã ɖe Yehowa, wò Mawu la ŋu; ètsɔ wò nunyonamewo ma na dzromawuwo le ati dama ɖe sia ɖe te eye mèɖo tom o.’” Yehowae gblɔe.
14 Return, faithless people!—this is Yawheh's declaration—I am your husband! I will take you, one from a city and two from a family, and I will bring you to Zion!
Yehowa be, “Mi xɔsemanɔsitɔwo, mitrɔ gbɔ, elabena nyee nye mia srɔ̃. Matia mi, ame ɖeka tso du ɖe sia ɖe me, ame eve tso to ɖe sia ɖe me ahaƒo ƒu mi ɖe Zion.
15 I will give you shepherds after my heart, and they will shepherd you with knowledge and insight.
Ekema mana kplɔlawo mi ɖe nye dzi ƒe didi nu, ame siwo akplɔ mi le nunya kple nugɔmesese me.
16 Then it will happen that you will increase and bear fruit in the land in those days—this is Yahweh's declaration-they will no longer say, “The ark of the covenant of Yahweh!” This matter will no longer come up in their hearts or be remembered; it will not be missed, and another one will not be made.'
Le ŋkeke mawo me, ne miedzi ɖe edzi fũu le anyigba dzi la, amewo magagblɔ azɔ be, ‘Yehowa ƒe nubablaɖaka o. Mage ɖe woƒe susu me alo woaɖo ŋku edzi o; womagabia eta ase alo awɔ bubu o.’ Yehowae gblɔe.
17 In that time they will proclaim about Jerusalem, 'This is Yahweh's throne,' and all the other nations will gather at Jerusalem in Yahweh's name. They will no longer walk in the stubbornness of their wicked hearts.
Le ɣe ma ɣi la, woayɔ Yerusalem be, Yehowa Ƒe Fiazikpui eye dukɔwo katã aƒo ƒu ɖe Yerusalem be woade bubu Yehowa ƒe ŋkɔ ŋu. Womagadze woƒe dzi vɔ̃ɖiwo ƒe tamesesẽ yome o.
18 In those days, the house of Judah will walk with the house of Israel. They will come together from the land of the north to the land that I gave your ancestors as an inheritance.
Le ɣe ma ɣi me la, Yuda ƒe aƒe awɔ ɖeka kple Israel ƒe aƒe la eye wo kple eve la woatso dzigbemenyigba aɖe dzi ava, anyigba si metsɔ na mia fofowo be wòanye woƒe domenyinu.”
19 As for me, I said, 'How I want to treat you as my son and give you a pleasant land, an inheritance more beautiful than what is in any other nation!' I would have said, 'You will call me “my father”.' I would have said that you would not turn from following me.
Yehowa be, “Nye ŋutɔe gblɔ be, “‘Matsɔ dzidzɔ alé be na mi abe viŋutsuwo ene eye matsɔ anyigba nyui aɖe ana mi, domenyinu nyuitɔ kekeake si dukɔ aɖe ate ŋu akpɔ.’ Mebu be miayɔm be, ‘Fofonye’ eye miatrɔ le yonyeme o.
20 But like a woman faithless to her husband, you have betrayed me, house of Israel—this is Yahweh's declaration.”
Gake, abe nyɔnu si meto nyateƒe na srɔ̃a o ene la, nenemae miawo hã mieto nyateƒe nam o, O Israel ƒe aƒe.”
21 A voice is heard on the plains, the weeping and pleading of the people of Israel! For they have changed their ways; they have forgotten Yahweh their God.
Wose avi le to ƒuƒluwo dzi, Israelviwo ƒe avifafa kple kokoƒoƒoe elabena woglɔ̃ woƒe mɔwo eye woŋlɔ Yehowa, woƒe Mawu la be.
22 “Return, faithless people! I will heal you of treachery!” “Behold! We will come to you, for you are Yahweh our God!
“Mitrɔ gbɔ, mi megbedelawo, mayɔ dɔ mi tso miaƒe megbedede me.” “Ɛ̃, míava gbɔwò, elabena wòe nye Yehowa, míaƒe Mawu.
23 Surely lies come from the hills, a confusing noise from the mountains; surely Yahweh our God is the salvation of Israel.
Vavãe, legbasubɔsubɔ ƒe hoowɔwɔ le togbɛwo dzi kple towo tame nye beble sɔŋ ko. Enye nyateƒe be Yehowa, míaƒe Mawu lae nye Israel ƒe xɔnametɔ.
24 Yet shameful idols have consumed what our ancestors have worked for— their flocks and cattle, their sons and daughters!
Tso míaƒe ɖekakpuime ke, ŋukpenamawuwo ɖu mía fofowo ƒe agbagbadzedze ƒe kutsetsewo, woƒe alẽhawo, woƒe nyihawo, wo viŋutsuwo kple wo vinyɔnuwo.
25 Let us lie down in shame. May our shame cover us, for we have sinned against Yahweh our God! We ourselves and our ancestors, from the time of our youthfulness to this present day, have not listened to the voice of Yahweh our God!”
Mina míamlɔ míaƒe ŋukpe me eye míaƒe vlododo netsyɔ mía dzi. Míewɔ nu vɔ̃ ɖe Yehowa, míaƒe Mawu la ŋu, míawo kple mía fofowo siaa, tso míaƒe ɖekakpuime va se ɖe egbe sia, míeɖo to Yehowa, míaƒe Mawu la o.”

< Jeremiah 3 >