Isaiah 41
1 Keep silence before me, O isles; and let the people renew [their] strength: let them come near; then let them speak: let us come near together to judgment.
“Mi ƒukpowo, mizi ɖoɖoe le ŋkunye me! Ŋusẽ yeye neɖo dukɔwo ŋu! Mina woava ŋgɔ hafi woaƒo nu. Mina miado go le ʋɔnudrɔ̃ƒe.
2 Who raised up the righteous [man] from the east, called him to his foot, gave the nations before him, and made [him] rule over kings? he gave [them] as the dust to his sword, [and] as driven stubble to his bow.
“Ame kae de dzo lãme na ame si tso ɣedzeƒe, heyɔe le dzɔdzɔenyenye me be wòatsɔ dɔ nɛ? Etsɔ dukɔwo de asi nɛ, eye wòfanya fiawo le eŋkume. Etsɔ eƒe yi wɔ wo wozu kewɔ, eye wòtsɔ eƒe aŋutrɔ wɔ wo wozu abe atsa si ya ƒo ene.
3 He pursued them, [and] passed safely; [even] by the way [that] he had not gone with his feet.
Eti wo yome, eye wòƒu du to teƒe siwo meto kpɔ o, gake naneke mewɔe o.
4 Who hath wrought and done [it], calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I [am] he.
Ame kae wɔ esia hekpɔ egbɔ be ede go, eye wòyɔ dzidzimewo tso gɔmedzedzea me ke? Nye, Yehowa, si nɔ kple gbãtɔwo, eye nenema ke mele kple mamlɛawo hã, Nyee.”
5 The isles saw [it], and feared; the ends of the earth were afraid, drew near, and came.
Ƒukpowo kpɔe, eye wovɔ̃. Anyigba ƒe mlɔenuwo dzo kpekpekpe, woƒo ƒu, eye wozɔ ɖe ŋgɔgbe;
6 They helped every one his neighbor; and [every one] said to his brother, Be of good courage.
ɖe sia ɖe kpe ɖe nɔvia ŋu, eye wogblɔ na wo nɔewo be, “Lé dzi ɖe ƒo.”
7 So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, [and] he that smootheth [with] the hammer him that smote the anvil, saying, It [is] ready for the sodering: and he fastened it with nails, [that] it should not be moved.
Aɖaŋudɔwɔla de dzi ƒo na sikanutula, ganutrela de dzi ƒo na zudala. Egblɔ tso nu si wotre la ŋu be, “Wotree nyuie.” Tete wòƒo gatagbadzɛ ɖe aklamakpakpɛ la be magaʋã o.
8 But thou, Israel, [art] my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.
“Ke wò, Israel, nye dɔla, Yakob, ame si metia. Mi, xɔ̃nye, Abraham ƒe dzidzimeviwo.
9 [Thou] whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said to thee, Thou [art] my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.
Wò, ame si mekplɔ tso anyigba ƒe mlɔenuwo, meyɔ wò tso eƒe dzogoewo dzi ke. Megblɔ be, ‘Nye dɔlae nènye.’ Metia wò, eye nyemegbe wò o,
10 Fear thou not; for I [am] with thee: be not dismayed; for I [am] thy God: I will strengthen thee; yes, I will help thee; yes, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.
eya ta mègavɔ̃ o, elabena meli kpli wò. Ŋɔ megadzi wò o, elabena nyee nye wò Mawu. Mali ke wò, eye makpe ɖe ŋuwò; matsɔ nye dzɔdzɔenyenye ƒe nuɖusibɔ alé wò ɖe te.
11 Behold, all [they that were] incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that contend with thee shall perish.
“Kpɔɖa, ŋukpe kple vlododo ava ame siwo katã do dɔmedzoe ɖe ŋuwò la dzi, ame siwo tsi tsitre ɖe ŋuwò la atsrɔ̃, eye wo nu ava ayi.
12 Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, [even] them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of naught.
Àdi wò ketɔwo, gake màkpɔ wo o. Ame siwo ho aʋa ɖe ŋuwò la azu tofloko ƒe tofloko,
13 For I the LORD thy God will hold thy right hand, saying to thee, Fear not; I will help thee.
elabena nyee. Nye Yehowa, wò Mawu, ame si lé wò nuɖusibɔ ɖe asi hele gbɔgblɔm na wò be ‘Mègavɔ̃ o, makpe ɖe ŋuwò.’
14 Fear not, thou worm Jacob, [and] ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.
Mègavɔ̃ o. O! Ŋusẽmanɔsitɔ, Yakob, O! Israel beli, elabena nye ŋutɔ makpe ɖe ŋuwò.” Yehowa, wò Ɖela, Israel ƒe Kɔkɔetɔ lae gblɔe.
15 Behold, I will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth: thou shalt thresh the mountains, and beat [them] small, and shalt make the hills as chaff.
“Kpɔ ɖa, matsɔ wò awɔ luƒomɔ yeye ɖaɖɛ si ƒe aɖuwo sɔ gbɔ fũu. Àfanya towo, agbã wo gudugudu, eye àwɔ togbɛwo woazu fufu.
16 Thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them: and thou shalt rejoice in the LORD, [and] shalt glory in the Holy One of Israel.
Àgbɔ wo, ya aƒo wo adzoe, eye ahomuya alɔ wo ɖe nu, ke wò ya, àdzɔ dzi ɖe Yehowa ŋu, eye àtso aseye ɖe Israel ƒe Kɔkɔetɔ la ŋu.
17 [When] the poor and needy seek water, and [there is] none, [and] their tongue faileth for thirst, I the LORD will hear them, [I] the God of Israel will not forsake them.
“Ame dahewo kple hiãtɔwo le tsatsam le tsi dim, ke womekpɔ ɖeke o. Woƒe aɖewo dzi ƒu kplakplakpla le tsikɔwuame ta. Ke nye Yehowa, matɔ na wo; nye Israel ƒe Mawu la nyemagble wo ɖi o.
18 I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water.
Mana tɔsisiwo nasi ato to ƒuƒluwo tame, eye tometsiwo nasi to balimewo. Mana gbegbewo nazu tɔʋuwo, eye kuɖiɖinyigba nazu tsidzɔƒewo.
19 I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah-tree, and the myrtle, and the oil-tree; I will set in the desert the fir-tree, the pine, and the box-tree together:
Mana sedati, logoti, gboti kple amiti namie ɖe gbegbe, eye mana xeti, fɔfɔli, kple sesewu namie ɖe dzogbe.
20 That they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the LORD hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it.
Ale be amewo nakpɔe, anyae, abu eŋu, eye woase egɔme be, Yehowa ƒe asie wɔ esia, eye Israel ƒe Kɔkɔetɔ lae na wòva eme.”
21 Produce your cause, saith the LORD; bring forth your strong [reasons], saith the King of Jacob.
Yehowa be, “Ɖe wò nyawo to. Ƒo nu le nya siwo nètsɔ vɛ la ŋu.” Yakob ƒe fia lae gblɔe.
22 Let them bring [them] forth, and show us what shall happen: let them show the former things, what they [are] that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare to us things to come.
“Mitsɔ miaƒe legbawo vɛ ne woava agblɔ nu si ava dzɔ la na mí. Migblɔ nu siwo nɔ anyi tsã la na mí be míabu wo ŋuti, eye míanya woƒe metsonu alo migblɔ nu siwo ava dzɔ la na mí.
23 Show the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye [are] gods: yes, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold [it] together.
Nya kae le etsɔ si na mí ne mianya be mawuwoe mienye. Wɔ nane, eɖanye nyui alo vɔ̃, ale be míaƒe mo nawɔ yaa, eye vɔvɔ̃ naɖo mí.
24 Behold, ye [are] of nothing, and your work of naught: an abomination [is he that] chooseth you.
Ke miele naneke hã me o, eye miaƒe dɔwɔwɔwo mele ɖeke me kura o. Ame si tia mi la zu ŋunyɔnu.
25 I have raised up [one] from the north, and he shall come: from the rising of the sun shall he call upon my name: and he shall come upon princes as [upon] mortar, and as the potter treadeth clay.
“Menyɔ ame aɖe tso anyiehe eye wòle mɔ dzi gbɔna. Ame si tso afi si ɣe dzena tsoe, eye wòyɔa nye ŋkɔ. Ame si fanya dziɖulawo abe anyi ene, efanya wo abe zemelae le anyi nyam ene.
26 Who hath declared from the beginning, that we may know? and before time, that we may say, [He is] righteous? verily, [there is] none that showeth, verily, [there is] none that declareth, verily, [there is] none that heareth your words.
Ame kae ƒo nu tso ame sia ŋuti tso gɔmedzedzea, ne mienyae do ŋgɔ, ne miate ŋu agblɔ be, ‘Eƒe nya dzɔ?’ Ame aɖeke megblɔ esia o. Ame aɖeke megblɔe da ɖi o; ame aɖeke mese nya aɖeke tso gbɔwò o.
27 The first [shall say] to Zion, Behold, behold them: and I will give to Jerusalem one that bringeth good tidings.
Nyee nye ame gbãtɔ si gblɔe na Zion be, ‘Kpɔ ɖa, wole afii!’ Meɖo nyanyuigblɔla ɖe Yerusalem.
28 For I beheld, and [there was] no man; even among them, and [there was] no counselor, that, when I asked of them, could answer a word.
Metsa ŋku, ke ame aɖeke meli o, ame aɖeke mele wo dome aɖo aɖaŋu o. Ame aɖeke mele wo dome aɖo nya si mebia wo la ŋu nam o.
29 Behold, they [are] all vanity, their works [are] nothing: their molten images [are] wind and confusion.
Kpɔ ɖa, wo katã wonye tofloko! Woƒe dɔwɔwɔwo mele ɖeke me o. Woƒe legbawo hã nye ya kple tofloko ko.
