< Isaiah 41 >
1 Keep silent towards Me, O isles, And the peoples pass on [to] power, They come nigh, then they speak, 'Together — to judgment we draw near.'
“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 stirred up from the east a righteous one? He calleth him to His foot, He giveth before him nations, And kings He causeth him to rule, He giveth [them] as dust [to] his sword, 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 pursueth them, he passeth over in safety A path with his feet he entereth not.
Eti wo yome, eye wòƒu du to teƒe siwo meto kpɔ o, gake naneke mewɔe o.
4 Who hath wrought and done, Calling the generations from the first? I, Jehovah, 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 Seen have isles and fear, ends of the earth tremble, They have drawn near, yea, they come.
Ƒukpowo kpɔe, eye wovɔ̃. Anyigba ƒe mlɔenuwo dzo kpekpekpe, woƒo ƒu, eye wozɔ ɖe ŋgɔgbe;
6 Each his neighbour they help, And to his brother he saith, 'Be strong.'
ɖe sia ɖe kpe ɖe nɔvia ŋu, eye wogblɔ na wo nɔewo be, “Lé dzi ɖe ƒo.”
7 And strengthen doth an artisan the refiner, A smoother [with] a hammer, Him who is beating [on] an anvil, Saying, 'For joining it [is] good,' And he strengtheneth it with nails, it is not 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 — And thou, O Israel, My servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, Seed of Abraham, My lover,
“Ke wò, Israel, nye dɔla, Yakob, ame si metia. Mi, xɔ̃nye, Abraham ƒe dzidzimeviwo.
9 Whom I have taken hold of, from the ends of the earth, And from its near places I have called thee, And I say to thee, My servant Thou [art], I have chosen thee, and not rejected thee.
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 Be not afraid, for with thee I [am], Look not around, for I [am] thy God, I have strengthened thee, Yea, I have helped thee, yea, I upheld 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 Lo, all those displeased with thee, They are ashamed and blush, They are as nothing, yea, perish Do the men who strive with thee.
“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 seekest them, and findest them not, The men who debate with thee, They are as nothing, yea, as nothing, The men who war with thee.
Àdi wò ketɔwo, gake màkpɔ wo o. Ame siwo ho aʋa ɖe ŋuwò la azu tofloko ƒe tofloko,
13 For I, Jehovah thy God, Am strengthening thy right hand, He who is saying to thee, 'Fear not, I have helped 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, O worm Jacob, ye men of Israel, I helped thee, an affirmation of Jehovah, Even 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 Lo, I have set thee for a new sharp threshing instrument, Possessing teeth, thou threshest mountains, And beatest small, and hills as chaff thou makest.
“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 winnowest them, and a wind lifteth them up, And a whirlwind scattereth them, And thou — thou rejoicest in Jehovah, In the Holy One of Israel dost boast thyself.
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 The poor and the needy are seeking water, And there is none, Their tongue with thirst hath failed, I, Jehovah do answer them, The God of Israel — I forsake them not.
“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 open on high places rivers, And in midst of valleys fountains, I make a wilderness become a pond of water, And a dry land become 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 give in a wilderness the cedar, Shittah, and myrtle, and oil-tree, I set in a desert the fir-pine and box-wood together.
Mana sedati, logoti, gboti kple amiti namie ɖe gbegbe, eye mana xeti, fɔfɔli, kple sesewu namie ɖe dzogbe.
20 So that they see, and know, And regard, and act wisely together, For the hand of Jehovah hath done this, And the Holy One of Israel hath prepared 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 Bring near your cause, saith Jehovah, Bring nigh your mighty ones, 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 They bring nigh, and declare to us that which doth happen, The first things — what they [are] declare ye, And we set our heart, and know their latter end, Or the coming things cause us to hear.
“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 Declare the things that are coming hereafter, And we know that ye [are] gods, Yea, ye may do good or do evil, And we look around and see [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 Lo, ye [are] of nothing, and your work of nought, An abomination — it fixeth on 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 stirred up [one] from the north, And he cometh, From the rising of the sun he calleth in My name, And he cometh in [on] prefects as [on] clay, And as a potter treadeth down mire.
“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 first, and we know? And beforetime, and we say, 'Righteous?' yea, there is none declaring, Yea, there is none proclaiming, Yea, there is none hearing your sayings.
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 First to Zion, Behold, behold them, And to Jerusalem one proclaiming tidings I give,
Nyee nye ame gbãtɔ si gblɔe na Zion be, ‘Kpɔ ɖa, wole afii!’ Meɖo nyanyuigblɔla ɖe Yerusalem.
28 And I see that there is no man, Yea, of these that there is no counsellor, And I ask them, and they return 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 'Lo, all of them [are] vanity, Nought [are] their works, Wind and emptiness their molten images!'
Kpɔ ɖa, wo katã wonye tofloko! Woƒe dɔwɔwɔwo mele ɖeke me o. Woƒe legbawo hã nye ya kple tofloko ko.