Fiawo 1 21
1 Le ɣeyiɣi aɖewo megbe la, nya aɖe va dzɔ ku ɖe Nabɔt, Yezreltɔ ƒe waingble ŋuti. Waingble la nɔ Yezreel eye wòte ɖe Samaria fia, Ahab ƒe fiasã ŋu.
King Ahab had a palace in Jezreel [city]. Near the palace was a vineyard owned by a man from that city whose name was Naboth.
2 Gbe ɖeka la, Fia Ahab bia Nabɔt be wòadzra anyigba la na ye. Fia la ɖe eme nɛ be, “Medi be mawɔ abɔ aɖe ɖe anyigba sia dzi elabena ete ɖe nye fiasã la ŋu. Egblɔ be yeaxe ga ɖe eta gake ne elɔ̃ la, yeatsɔ anyigba bubu si nyo wu etɔ la aɖo eteƒe nɛ.”
One day, Ahab [went to] Naboth and said to him, “Your vineyard is close to my palace. I would like to buy it, so that I can plant some vegetables there. In exchange, I will give you a better vineyard [somewhere else], or if you prefer, I will pay you for your vineyard.”
3 Ke Nabɔt ɖo eŋu be, “Anyigba sia nye tɔgbuinyigba na mí. Naneke mana maɖe asi le eŋu na wò o.”
But Naboth replied, “That land belonged to my ancestors, [so I want to keep it]. I hope that Yahweh will never allow me to give that land to you!”
4 Ale Ahab tsɔ dɔmedzoe kple moyɔyɔ trɔ yi eƒe fiasã me. Egbe nuɖuɖu, eye wòɖamlɔ anyi hetrɔ mo ɖo ɖe gli ŋu!
So Ahab became very sullen and angry because of what Naboth had said. He went home and lay down on his bed. He turned his face toward the wall, and he refused to eat anything.
5 Srɔ̃a, Yezebel biae be, “Nya kae dzɔ ɖe dziwò? Nu kae na nètɔtɔ eye nèdo dɔmedzoe ale?”
His wife Jezebel came in and asked him, “Why are you so depressed? Why are you refusing to eat anything?”
6 Ahab ɖo eŋu nɛ be, “Mebia Nabɔt be wòadzra eƒe anyigba nam alo wòaɖɔ lii kple tɔnye aɖe, ke egbe!”
Ahab replied, “I talked to Naboth, that man from Jezreel. I told him that [I wanted] his vineyard. [I said, ] ‘I will buy it from you, or I will give you another vineyard for it.’ But he refused [to let me have it].”
7 Yezebel biae be, “Wòe nye Israel fia loo alo menye wòe o? Fɔ, nàɖu nu, mègatsi dzimaɖeɖi le nya sia ŋu kura o. Maxɔ Nabɔt ƒe waingble la na wò bɔbɔe!”
His wife replied, “You are [RHQ] the king of Israel, [so you can get whatever you want] Get up, and eat some food and do not worry [about what Naboth said]. I will get Naboth’s vineyard for you.”
8 Ale Yezebel ŋlɔ agbalẽwo ɖe Fia Ahab ƒe ŋkɔ me, tre enu kple Ahab ƒe ŋkɔsigɛ eye wòɖo wo ɖe Yezreel ƒe dumegã siwo nɔ teƒe ɖeka kple Nabɔt.
Then Jezebel wrote some letters, and she signed Ahab’s name on them. She used his official seal to seal them. Then she sent them to the older leaders and other important men who lived in Naboth’s town.
9 Eɖe gbe na wo le agbalẽawo me be, “Miƒo ƒu dua me tɔwo hena nutsitsidɔ kple gbedodoɖa. Emegbe la, miayɔ Nabɔt
This is what she wrote in the letters: “Proclaim a day when all the people will [gather together and] (fast/abstain from eating food). Give to Naboth an important place to sit among them.
10 eye miadi ame vlo eve siwo aka aʋatso ɖe Nabɔt si, atso enu be eƒo fi de Mawu kple fia la. Ekema miakplɔe do goe le dua me eye miaƒu kpee wòaku.”
Then find two men who always cause trouble. Give them places to sit opposite/facing him. Tell these men to testify that they heard Naboth say things that criticized God and the king. Then take Naboth out of the city and kill him by throwing stones at him.”
11 Dumegãwo kple bubume siwo le dua me la wɔ nu si Yezebel ŋlɔ ɖo ɖa wo be woawɔ la.
The leaders [received the letters and] did what Jezebel had written in the letters for them to do.
12 Woƒo ƒu ameawo eye wodrɔ̃ ʋɔnu Nabɔt.
They declared a day on which the people would all (fast/abstain from food). And they gave Naboth a seat in a place where honored people sat, in front of the people.
13 Ame eve aɖe siwo si dzitsinya nyui menɔ o la ka aʋatso ɖe Nabɔt si be eƒo fi de Mawu kple fia la. Ale wohee yi dua godo eye woƒu kpee wòku.
Two men who always caused trouble sat opposite/facing Naboth. While everyone was listening, they stated that they had heard Naboth say things that criticized God and the king. So the people seized Naboth. They took him outside the city and killed him [by throwing] stones at him.
14 Le esia megbe la, dumegãwo ɖo du ɖe Yezebel be Nabɔt ku.
Then those leaders sent a message to Jezebel, saying “We have executed Naboth.”
15 Esi Yezebel se be Nabɔt ku la, egblɔ na Ahab be, “Waingble si Nabɔt gbe be yemadzra na wò o la, fifia àte ŋu axɔe azɔ; Nabɔt ku!”
When Jezebel found out that Naboth had been killed, she told Ahab, “Naboth is dead. Now you can go and take possession of the vineyard that he refused to sell to you.”
16 Ale Ahab yi waingble la me be yeaxɔe wòazu ye tɔ.
When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up and went to the vineyard to claim that he now owned it.
17 Ke Yehowa gblɔ na Eliya, Tisbitɔ be,
Then Yahweh spoke to Elijah the prophet. He said,
18 “Yi Fia Ahab gbɔ le Samaria. Anɔ Nabɔt ƒe wainbɔ me, axɔe abe etɔe ene.
“Go to Samaria and talk to Ahab, the king of Israel. He is in the vineyard of a man named Naboth. He has gone there to claim that he now owns it.
19 Gblɔ nye nya siawo nɛ be, ‘Nabɔt wuwu mesɔ gbɔ na wò oa? Ɖe wòle be nàda adzoe hã? Esi nèwɔ esia ta la, avuwo ano wò ʋu le dua godo abe ale si wono Nabɔt tɔ ene!’”
Tell Ahab that this is what I, Yahweh, say to him: ‘You have murdered Naboth and taken his land.’ So I am telling you this: ‘In the same place where [Naboth died and] dogs came and licked up Naboth’s blood, [you will die and] the dogs will lick up your blood, too!’”
20 Ahab gblɔ na Eliya be, “Oo nye futɔ, èke ɖe ŋunye!” Eliya ɖo eŋu nɛ be, “Meke ɖe ŋuwò elabena ètsɔ ɖokuiwò dzra na nu vɔ̃ɖi wɔwɔ le Yehowa ŋkume.
So when Elijah met with Ahab, Ahab said to him, “You, my enemy, have found me!” [RHQ] Elijah answered, “Yes, I have found you. You have never stopped doing the things that Yahweh says are wrong.
21 Mahe dzɔgbevɔ̃e ava dziwò, matsrɔ̃ wò dzidzimeviwo eye maɖe ŋutsu ɖe sia ɖe ɖa le Ahab ŋu le Israel, eɖanye ablɔɖevi alo kluvi o.
So this is what Yahweh says to you: ‘I will soon get rid of you. I will kill you, and I will also kill every male in your household, including those who are slaves and those who are not slaves.
22 Mawɔ wò aƒe abe Yeroboam, Nebat ƒe vi tɔ ene eye abe Baasa, Ahiya ƒe vi tɔ ene elabena èdo dziku nam eye nèna Israel ge ɖe nu vɔ̃ me.
Your family will all be killed, just like the family of King Jeroboam and like the family of King Baasha were killed. I will get rid of you because you have caused me to become very angry, and you have also led the Israeli people to sin.’
23 “Azɔ la, Yehowa gblɔ nam ku ɖe Yezebel ŋuti be, ‘Avuwo aɖu Yezebel ƒe kukua le Yezreel ƒe gliwo gbɔ.’
Yahweh has also told me that [your wife] Jezebel [will be killed, and] dogs in Jezreel will eat her corpse.
24 “Avuwo aɖu Ahab ƒe aƒemetɔ siwo aku ɖe dua me eye dziƒoxeviwo aɖu esiwo aku ɖe gbedzi.”
The [dead bodies of the] members of your family who die in this city [will not be buried, they] will be eaten by dogs, and [the corpses of] those who die in the fields will be eaten by vultures.”
25 Ame aɖeke meganɔ anyi kpɔ abe Ahab ene, ame si tsɔ eɖokui dzra na nu vɔ̃ɖi wɔwɔ le Yehowa ŋkume o elabena srɔ̃a Yezebel ye do ŋusẽe.
There was no man no man like Ahab who always did things that Yahweh considered to be evil. His wife Jezebel incited/urged him to do [many of] those things.
26 Ewɔ ŋunyɔnu geɖewo to legbawo yomedzedze me abe Amoritɔ siwo Yehowa nya le Israel ŋgɔ la ene.
The most abominable/detestable thing that Ahab did was to worship idols, just like the Amor people-group had done. And that is why Yahweh took the Amor people’s land from them and gave it to the Israelis.
27 Esi Ahab se nya siawo la, edze eƒe awuwo heta akpanya eye wotsi nu dɔ. Enɔ akpanya me henɔ yiyim nublanuitɔe.
After Elijah finished talking to Ahab, Ahab tore his clothes [to show that he was sorry for all the sins that he had committed]. He put on rough clothes that were made from sacks, and he refused to eat anything. He even wore those rough clothes made from sacks when he slept, to show that he was sorry.
28 Tete Yehowa ƒe gbe va na Eliya, Tisbitɔ la be,
Then Yahweh said this to Elijah:
29 “Èkpɔ ale si Ahab bɔbɔ eɖokui le ŋkunye mea? Esi wòbɔbɔ eɖokui ta la, nyemahe dzɔgbevɔ̃e la vɛ le eƒe ŋkekewo me o, ke boŋ mahee va eƒe aƒe dzi le via ƒe ŋkekewo me.”
“I have seen [RHQ] that Ahab is now very sorry for all the evil things that he has done. So the things that I promised to do to his [family] will not happen while he is still alive. I will cause them to happen after his son becomes king. Then those things will happen to his family.” [MTY]
