Fiawo 1 12
1 Rehoboam yi Sekem elabena Israelviwo katã yi afi ma be woaɖoe fiae.
Rehoboam went to Shechem because that is where the whole of Israel had gone to make him king.
2 Esi Yeroboam, Nebat ƒe viŋutsu se nya sia la, etrɔ gbɔ tso Egipte, afi si wòsi le Fia Solomo nu yi ɖabe ɖo.
Jeroboam, son of Nebat, was still in Egypt when he heard about this. (He had run away to Egypt to escape from King Solomon and was living there.)
3 Ale woɖo du ɖe Yeroboam eye eya kple Israel blibo la yi Rehoboam gbɔ ɖagblɔ nɛ be,
The Israelite leaders sent for him. Jeroboam and the whole assembly of Israelites went to talk with Rehoboam.
4 “Fofowò da kɔkuti kpekpe aɖe ɖe mía dzi. Ke azɔ la, wò la, ɖe dɔ sesẽ wɔwɔ kple kɔkuti kpekpe si wòda ɖe mía dzi la dzi na mí ekema míasubɔ wò.”
“Your father placed a heavy burden on us,” they told him. “But now if you lighten the load when we served your father and the heavy demands he put on us, we will serve you.”
5 Rehoboam ɖo eŋu na wo be, “Miyi ne miatrɔ gbɔ le ŋkeke etɔ̃ megbe.” Ale ameawo trɔ dzo.
Rehoboam answered, “Go away and come back in three days time.” So the people left.
6 Tete Fia Rehoboam de aɖaŋu kple ametsitsi siwo nɔ fofoa Solomo ŋu le eƒe agbemeŋkekewo me. Ebia wo be, “Ŋuɖoɖo kae miesusu be mana ame siawo?”
King Rehoboam asked for advice from the elders who had served his father Solomon when he was alive. “How do you advise me to reply to these people about this?” he asked.
7 Woɖo eŋu nɛ be, “Ne egbe ànye dɔla na ame siawo, asubɔ wo eye nàna ŋuɖoɖo nyui aɖewo la, woanye wò dɔlawo tegbee.”
They replied, “If you are a servant to these people today, if you serve them and answer them, by speaking kindly to them, they will always serve you.”
8 Ke Rehoboam gbe mexɔ aɖaŋu si dumemetsitsiawo ɖo nɛ la o ke boŋ eyi ɖade aɖaŋu kple ehati siwo nɔ esubɔm
But Rehoboam dismissed the advice of the elders. He instead asked advice from the young men who he had grown up with, and who were close to him.
9 Ebia wo be, “Nu ka miesusu? Aleke míagblɔ na ame siawo esi wova biam be, ‘Ɖe kɔkuti si fofowò tsɔ da ɖe mía dzi la dzi kpɔtɔ na mí’ mahã?”
He asked them, “What response do you advise that we send back to these people who have told me, ‘Lighten the burden your father put on us’?”
10 Ɖekakpuiawo, ame siwo nye ehatiwo la gblɔ nɛ be, “Gblɔ na ame siawo, esi wogblɔ na wò be, ‘Fofowò da kɔkuti kpekpe aɖe ɖe mía dzi eya ta wɔ wò kɔkuti la wodzoe’ la be, ‘Nye asibidɛ kɔtoetɔ lolo wu fofonye ƒe alime.
The young men who he had grown up with told him, “This is what you have to tell these people who said to you, ‘Your father made our burden heavy, but you should make it lighter.’ This is what you should answer them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father's waist!
11 Fofonye tsɔ kɔkuti kpekpe ɖo mia dzi. Nye ya mawɔe wòagakpe ɖe edzi. Fofonye ƒo mi kple ameƒoti, ke nye ya maƒo mi kple ahɔ̃.’”
My father placed a heavy burden on you, and I will make it even heavier. My father punished you with whips; I will punish you with scorpions.’”
12 Le ŋkeke etɔ̃ megbe la, Yeroboam kple ameawo katã trɔ va Rehoboam gbɔ abe ale si fia la gblɔ ene be, “Mitrɔ gbɔ va gbɔnye le ŋkeke etɔ̃ megbe la ene.”
Three days later, Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam, because the king had told them, “Come back in three days time.”
13 Fia la ɖo nya la ŋu na wo kple adã eye mewɔ ɖe ametsitsiawo ƒe aɖaŋuɖoɖo dzi o.
The king answered the people sharply. Dismissing the advice of the elders,
14 Ewɔ ɖe ɖekakpuiawo ƒe aɖaŋuɖoɖo boŋ dzi eye wògblɔ be, “Fofonye na miaƒe kɔkuti kpe; nye ya mana kɔkuti la nagakpe wu. Fofonye ƒo mi kple ameƒoti; nye ya maƒo mi kple ahɔ̃.”
he replied using the advice of the young men. He said, “My father placed a heavy burden on you, and I will make it even heavier. My father punished you with whips; I will punish you with scorpions.”
15 Ale fia la meɖo to ameawo o elabena nuwo ƒe yiyi me alea tso Yehowa gbɔ be woawu nya si Yehowa gblɔ ɖi ɖe Yeroboam, Nebat ƒe vi ŋuti to Silonitɔ, Ahiya dzi la nu.
The king did not listen to what the people said, for this change in circumstances was from the Lord, to fulfill what the Lord had told Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah the Shilonite.
16 Esi Israel katã kpɔ be fia la gbe toɖoɖo yewo la, woɖo eŋu na fia la be, “Gomekpɔkpɔ kae le mía si le David me eye domenyinu kae míaxɔ tso Yese vi la gbɔ? Oo Israel, miyi miaƒe agbadɔwo me! Oo David, kpɔ wò ŋutɔ wò aƒe gbɔ!” Ale Israelviwo dzo yi aƒe me.
When all the Israelites saw that the king wasn't listening to them, they told the king: “What share do we have in David, and what part do we have in the son of Jesse? Go home, Israel! You're on your own, house of David!” So all the Israelites went home.
17 Ke hena Israelvi siwo nɔ Yuda ƒe duwo me la, Rehoboam gaɖu fia ɖe wo dzi ko.
However, Rehoboam still ruled over the Israelites who lived in Judah.
18 Fia Rehoboam dɔ Adoram, ame si kpɔa dzizizidɔwo ƒe nyawo gbɔ la ɖe Israel gake Israel katã ƒu kpee wòku. Ke hã la, Fia Rehoboam dze agbagba ge ɖe eƒe tasiaɖam me eye wòsi yi Yerusalem.
Then King Rehoboam sent out Hadoram, who was in charge of forced labor, but the Israelites stoned him to death. King Rehoboam quickly jumped into his chariot and raced back to Jerusalem.
19 Ale Israel dze aglã ɖe David ƒe aƒe la ŋu va se ɖe egbe.
As a result, Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.
20 Esi Israel ƒe to bubu me tɔwo se be Yeroboam gbɔ tso Egipte la, woyɔe be wòava do go ameawo katã. Woɖoe fiae ɖe Israel dzi le afi ma. Yuda kple Benyamin ƒe towo koe nɔ fia siwo nye David ƒe dzidzimeviwo la te.
When all the Israelites heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent for him, summoning him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah was left to the house of David.
21 Esi Rehoboam va ɖo Yerusalem la, eƒo aʋawɔla akpe alafa ɖeka blaenyi nu ƒu hewɔ aʋakɔ tɔxɛ aɖe be wòazi Israel ƒe to bubuawo dzi be woaxɔ ye abe woƒe fia ene.
When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he gathered the men from the households of Judah and Benjamin— 180,000 chosen warriors—to go and fight against Israel to bring the kingdom back to Rehoboam, son of Solomon.
22 Ke Mawu gblɔ nya siawo na Nyagblɔɖila Semaya be,
But a message from the Lord came to Shemaiah the man of God that said,
23 “Gblɔ na Rehoboam, Yuda fia Solomo ƒe vi kple Yuda kple Benyamin kple ame bubuawo katã be,
“Tell Rehoboam, son of Solomon, king of Judah, to Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people:
24 ‘Nu si Yehowa gblɔe nye esi: Migawɔ aʋa kple mia nɔviwo, Israelviwo o. Ame sia ame nayi eƒe aƒe me elabena nyee wɔ esia.’” Ale woɖo to Yehowa ƒe gbe eye wotrɔ yi woƒe aƒewo me abe ale si Yehowa ɖo na wo ene.
‘This is what the Lord says. Don't fight against your Israelite relatives. Every one of you, go home! For it was me that made this happen.’” So they obeyed what the Lord told them and went home, as the Lord had said.
25 Azɔ la, Yeroboam tu Sekem du la ɖe Efraim ƒe tonyigba dzi eye wòna wòzu eƒe fiadu. Etu Penuel du la emegbe.
Jeroboam strengthened the town of Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. From there he went and built Penuel.
26 Yeroboam bu be, “Ne nyemekpɔ nyuie o la, ameawo adi David ƒe dzidzimeviwo dometɔ aɖe abe woƒe fia ene.
Jeroboam said to himself, “The kingdom could easily return to the house of David.
27 Ne woyi Yerusalem be woasa vɔ le gbedoxɔ la me la, woadze xɔ̃ fia Rehoboam, ekema woawum eye woana wòazu woƒe fia ɖe tenyeƒe.”
When people from here go to offer sacrifices at the Lord's Temple in Jerusalem, they will transfer their loyalty back to Rehoboam, king of Judah. Then they will kill me and go back to King Rehoboam.”
28 Ale Yeroboam wɔ eƒe aɖaŋuɖolawo ƒe gbe dzi, wowɔ sikanyivi eve eye wògblɔ na eƒe amewo be, “Enye fukpekpe na mi akpa be miayi Yerusalem aɖasubɔ Mawu. Israel, kpɔ ɖa, sikanyivi siawoe anye miaƒe mawuwo; woawoe ɖe mi tso kluvinyenye me le Egipte!”
So after taking advice, the king had two golden calves made, and he told the people, “Don't bother going to Jerusalem any more. Look, Israel, here are your gods who led you out of the land of Egypt.”
29 Wotsɔ sikanyiviawo dometɔ ɖeka da ɖe Betel eye woda evelia ɖe Dan.
He placed one in Bethel, and the other in Dan.
30 Esia nye nu vɔ̃ vɔ̃ɖi aɖe elabena ameawo subɔ wo.
This action brought about sin, because the people went as far north as Dan to worship the idol there.
31 Etu trɔ̃xɔwo hã ɖe toawo dzi eye wòtsɔ ame siwo metso Levi ƒe ƒomea me gɔ̃ hã o la ɖo nunɔlawo.
In addition Jeroboam had shrines built on high places and appointed as priests all kinds of people who were not Levites.
32 Eɖo ŋkekenyui aɖe anyi da ɖe ɣleti enyilia ƒe ŋkeke wuiatɔ̃lia dzi abe ŋkekenyui siwo woɖuna le Yuda ene eye wòsaa vɔ le vɔsamlekpui la dzi. Ewɔ esia le Betel eye wosaa vɔ na nyivi siwo wòwɔ le Betel. Eɖo nunɔlawo na nuxeƒe siwo wòtu.
Jeroboam initiated a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, just like the festival held in Judah, and he offered sacrifices on the altar. He made this offering in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves he had made, and appointed priests in Bethel for the high places he had built.
33 Le ɣleti enyilia, ɣleti si eya ŋutɔ tia la ƒe ŋkeke wuiatɔ̃lia dzi la, esaa vɔwo le vɔsamlekpui si wòtu ɖe Betel la dzi. Ale wòɖo ŋkekenyui la anyi na Israelviwo eye wòyina ɖasaa vɔwo le vɔsamlekpui la dzi.
So on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a month he had chosen himself, Jeroboam offered sacrifices on the altar he had set up in Bethel. In this way he instituted a festival for the Israelites, offering sacrifices on the altar and burning incense.
