Fiawo 1 12
1 Rehoboam yi Sekem elabena Israelviwo katã yi afi ma be woaɖoe fiae.
All [HYP] the people of [northern] Israel went to Shechem [city] in order to appoint Rehoboam to be their king. So Rehoboam also went there.
2 Esi Yeroboam, Nebat ƒe viŋutsu se nya sia la, etrɔ gbɔ tso Egipte, afi si wòsi le Fia Solomo nu yi ɖabe ɖo.
When Jeroboam, who was still in Egypt, heard about that, he returned from Egypt [to Israel].
3 Ale woɖo du ɖe Yeroboam eye eya kple Israel blibo la yi Rehoboam gbɔ ɖagblɔ nɛ be,
The [leaders of the northern tribes] summoned him, and they went together [to talk] to Rehoboam. They said to him,
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 [Solomon] forced us to work very hard [MET] for him. If you (lighten these loads/do not force us to work that hard), and if you charge us less taxes than we were paying to him, we will serve you [faithfully].”
5 Rehoboam ɖo eŋu na wo be, “Miyi ne miatrɔ gbɔ le ŋkeke etɔ̃ megbe.” Ale ameawo trɔ dzo.
He replied, “Go away, and come back three days from now [and I will give you my answer].” So those leaders and Jeroboam 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?”
Then King Rehoboam consulted the older men who had advised his father Solomon while he was still living. He asked them, “What shall I say to answer those men?”
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 want to serve your people well, speak kindly to those men when you reply to them. If you do that, your people will always serve you faithfully.”
8 Ke Rehoboam gbe mexɔ aɖaŋu si dumemetsitsiawo ɖo nɛ la o ke boŋ eyi ɖade aɖaŋu kple ehati siwo nɔ esubɔm
But he ignored what the older men advised him to do. Instead, he consulted the younger men who had grown up with him, who were now (his advisors/the ones who told him what would be good to do).
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 said to them, “What should I say to the men who are asking me to reduce the [work and taxes] that my father required from them?”
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.
They replied, “This is what you should tell 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.’”
What I mean is that my father required you [to work hard and pay high taxes]. But I will make those loads heavier. [It was as though] my father whipped you, but [it will be as though] I will whip you with whips that have pieces of metal in them.’”
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.”
So three days later, Jeroboam and all the leaders came to Rehoboam again, as he had told them to do.
13 Fia la ɖo nya la ŋu na wo kple adã eye mewɔ ɖe ametsitsiawo ƒe aɖaŋuɖoɖo dzi o.
The king ignored the advice of the older men and spoke harshly to the Israeli leaders.
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 told them what the younger men had advised.] He said, “My father put heavy burdens [of work and taxes] on you, but I will put heavier burdens on you. [It was as though] he beat you with whips, but I will beat you with whips that have pieces of metal in them!”
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.
So the king did not pay any attention to the Israeli leaders. But this happened in order that what Yahweh wanted would occur, what he had told the prophet Ahijah about Jeroboam [becoming king of the ten tribes].
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 the Israeli leaders realized that the king did not pay any attention to what they said, they shouted, “We do not [RHQ] want anything to do with this descendant of King David! We will not pay attention to what this grandson of Jesse says! You people of Israel, let’s go home! As for this descendant of David [MTY], he can rule his own kingdom [MTY]!” So the Israeli leaders returned to their homes.
17 Ke hena Israelvi siwo nɔ Yuda ƒe duwo me la, Rehoboam gaɖu fia ɖe wo dzi ko.
And [after that, ] the [only Israeli] people whom Rehoboam ruled over were those who lived in the territory of [the tribe of] 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 Adoniram [to talk to the Israeli people]. Adoniram was the man who supervised [all the men who were] forced to work [for Rehoboam]. But the Israeli people killed him by throwing stones at him. When that happened, King Rehoboam quickly got in his chariot and escaped to Jerusalem.
19 Ale Israel dze aglã ɖe David ƒe aƒe la ŋu va se ɖe egbe.
Ever since that time, the people of [the northern tribes of] Israel have been rebelling against the descendants [MTY] of [King] David.
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 the Israeli people heard that Jeroboam had returned [from Egypt], they invited him to come to a meeting, and there they appointed him to be the king of Israel. Only the people of the tribes of Judah [and Benjamin] continued to be loyal to [the kings descended from King] [MTY] 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 180,000 of the best soldiers from the tribes [MTY] of Judah and Benjamin. He wanted them to fight against the northern tribes of [MTY] Israel [and defeat them], in order that he could [rule all the tribes of] his kingdom again.
22 Ke Mawu gblɔ nya siawo na Nyagblɔɖila Semaya be,
But God spoke to the prophet Shemaiah and said this to him:
23 “Gblɔ na Rehoboam, Yuda fia Solomo ƒe vi kple Yuda kple Benyamin kple ame bubuawo katã be,
“Go and tell this to [Solomon’s son] Rehoboam, the king of Judah, and to all the people of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin and the people from the northern tribe who live in Judah:
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.
‘Yahweh says that you must not go to fight against your own relatives, the people of Israel. All of you must go home. What has happened is what Yahweh wanted to happen.’” [So Shemaiah went and told that to them, ] and they all paid attention to what Yahweh had commanded them to do, and they went home.
25 Azɔ la, Yeroboam tu Sekem du la ɖe Efraim ƒe tonyigba dzi eye wòna wòzu eƒe fiadu. Etu Penuel du la emegbe.
Then Jeroboam’s workers built [walls around] Shechem [city] in the hilly area [where the descendants] of Ephraim [lived], and he ruled from there for a while. He and his workers then left there and went to Peniel [town], and they built walls around that town.
26 Yeroboam bu be, “Ne nyemekpɔ nyuie o la, ameawo adi David ƒe dzidzimeviwo dometɔ aɖe abe woƒe fia ene.
Then Jeroboam said to himself, “If my people [continue to] go to Jerusalem and offer sacrifices to Yahweh at the temple there, soon they will again become loyal to Rehoboam, the king of Judah [DOU], and they will kill me.”
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.”
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 he consulted [his advisors, and then he did what they suggested]. He [told his workers to] make gold [statues of] two calves. Then he said to the people, “You have been going to Jerusalem [to worship] for a long time. It is a big trouble for you to continue going there. You people of Israel, look! These statues are the gods that brought our [ancestors] up from Egypt! [So you can worship these, here!]”
29 Wotsɔ sikanyiviawo dometɔ ɖeka da ɖe Betel eye woda evelia ɖe Dan.
He [told his workers to] place one of the statues in Bethel [city in the south] and one in Dan [city in the north].
30 Esia nye nu vɔ̃ vɔ̃ɖi aɖe elabena ameawo subɔ wo.
So [what Jeroboam did caused] the people [to] sin. Some of them went and worshiped the calf at Bethel, and others went and worshiped the other calf at Dan.
31 Etu trɔ̃xɔwo hã ɖe toawo dzi eye wòtsɔ ame siwo metso Levi ƒe ƒomea me gɔ̃ hã o la ɖo nunɔlawo.
[Moses had declared that only men from the tribe of Levi would be priests, but] Jeroboam also told his workers to build shrines on hilltops, and then he appointed men who were not from the tribe of Levi to be priests.
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.
He also appointed Adonijah and two priests, Elishama and Jehoram. They had a celebration at the end of October, like the celebration [of Living in Temporary Shelters] that occurred in Judah [each year]. On the altar [that they built] in Bethel, he offered sacrifices to the gold statues of calves that they had made, and he stationed the priests there at the shrines that his workers 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.
Jeroboam went up to that altar on that day in October which he himself had chosen. There on that altar he burned incense [to be a sacrifice]. And he declared that the people should celebrate that festival [on that same day every year].
