Fiawo 2 25
1 Ale, wòva eme le Zedekia ƒe fiaɖuɖu ƒe ƒe asiekɛlia me le ɣleti ewolia ƒe ŋkeke ewolia dzi be Babilonia fia Nebukadnezar kplɔ eƒe aʋakɔ blibo la va ɖe to ɖe Yerusalem du la. Woƒu asaɖa anyi ɖe du la godo eye woƒu kpo ƒo xlã du la.
On January 15 of the ninth year that Zedekiah had been ruling, King Nebuchadnezzar arrived with his whole army, and they surrounded Jerusalem. They built ramps [made of dirt against the walls of the city], so that they could climb up the ramps and attack the city.
2 Woɖe to ɖe du la va se ɖe fia Zedekia ƒe fiaɖuɖu ƒe ƒe wuiɖekɛlia me.
They did that for two years.
3 Le ɣleti enelia ƒe ŋkeke asiekɛlia dzi la, dɔ si to ɖe dua me la nu sẽ ale gbegbe be nuɖuɖu aɖeke meganɔ dua me na ameawo woaɖu o.
After Zedekiah had been ruling for eleven years, the (famine/shortage of food) had become very bad. All their food was gone.
4 Kasia, woŋɔ gli si woɖo ƒo xlã du la eye asrafoha si le dua me la katã si dzo. Togbɔ be Babiloniatɔwo ɖe to ɖe dua hã la, wodze agbagba si le zãtitina to agbo si le gli eveawo dome eye wòte ɖe fia la ƒe amabɔ ŋuti la me. Ale woɖo ta Araba gbegbe.
On July 18 of that year, the Babylonian soldiers broke through part of the city wall, [and that enabled them to enter the city]. All the soldiers of Judah [wanted to escape]. But the Babylonian soldiers surrounded the city, so the [king and] the soldiers of Judah waited until it was nighttime. Then they fled through the gate that was between the two walls near the king’s park. They ran across the fields and started to go down to the Jordan [River] Valley.
5 Ke Babiloniatɔwo ƒe aʋakɔ ti fia la yome eye wotui le Yeriko ƒe gbadzaƒe. Fia la ƒe asrafowo gble fia la ɖi eye woka hlẽ.
But the Babylonian soldiers chased/ran after them. They caught the king when he was by himself in the valley near the Jordan River. He was by himself because all his soldiers had abandoned him.
6 Wokplɔe yi Nebukadnezar gbɔe le Ribla, afi si wodrɔ̃ ʋɔnue le eye wobu fɔe.
The Babylonian soldiers took King Zedekiah to Riblah [city] in Babylon. There the king of Babylon decided what they would do to punish him.
7 Wowu Zedekia ƒe viwo le eya ŋutɔ ƒe ŋkume. Emegbe la, wogbã eya ŋutɔ ƒe ŋkuwo, de akɔblikɔsɔkɔsɔe eye wokplɔe yi Babilonia.
There the king of Babylon forced Zedekiah to watch as the Babylonian soldiers killed all of Zedekiah’s sons. Then they gouged out Zedekiah’s eyes. They put bronze chains on [his hands and feet] and then they took him to Babylon.
8 Le ɣleti atɔ̃lia ƒe ŋkeke adrea gbe, le fia Nebukadnezar ƒe fiaɖuɖu ƒe ƒe wuiasiekɛlia me la, Nebuzaradan, aʋafia si nye dɔnunɔla le Babilonia fia te la va Yerusalem.
On August 14 of that year, after Nebuchadnezzar had been ruling for 19 years, Nebuzaradan arrived in Jerusalem. He was one of king Nebuchadnezzar’s officials and captain of the men that guarded the king.
9 Etɔ dzo Yehowa ƒe gbedoxɔ, fiasã la kple aƒe siwo le Yerusalem. Vavã, etɔ dzo aƒe vevi ɖe sia ɖe.
He [commanded his soldiers to] burn down the temple of Yahweh, the king’s palace, and all the houses in Jerusalem. So they burned down all the important buildings in the city.
10 Emegbe la, Babiloniatɔwo ƒe aʋakɔ blibo si le aʋafia la ƒe kpɔkplɔ te la gbã Yerusalem ƒe gliwo katã keŋkeŋ.
Then Nebuzaradan supervised all the soldiers of the Babylonian army as they tore down the walls of Jerusalem.
11 Ke aʋafia Nebuzaradan ɖe aboyo dua me tɔ mamlɛawo, kple ame siwo si yi Babilonia fia gbɔ kpakple ameha la ƒe susɔea.
Then he and his soldiers took to Babylon the people who were still living in the city, the other people [who lived in that area], and the soldiers who had previously surrendered to the Babylonian army.
12 Ke wogblẽ ame dahewo ɖi be woawɔ dɔ le waingblewo kple agble bubuwo dzi.
But Nebuzaradan allowed some of the very poor people to stay in Judah to take care of the vineyards and [to plant crops in] the fields.
13 Babiloniatɔwo gbã akɔblisɔti, akɔblizɔ kple woƒe anyinɔwo siwo le Yehowa ƒe gbedoxɔ me eye wolɔ akɔbliawo katã yi Babilonia.
The Babylonian soldiers broke into pieces the bronze pillars, the bronze carts with wheels, and the huge bronze basin, all of which were in the temple courtyard, and they took all the bronze to Babylon.
14 Wotsɔ zɔwo, sofiwo, akaɖiɖovusẽhɛ, treawo, agbawo kple akɔblinuwo katã siwo ŋu dɔ wowɔna le subɔsubɔ me le gbedoxɔ la me la hã dzoe.
They also took the pots, the shovels, the instruments for (snuffing out/extinguishing) [the wicks of] the lamps, the dishes, and all the other bronze items that the Israeli priests had used for offering sacrifices at the temple.
15 Fiaŋusrafowo ƒe tatɔ la tsɔ dzoɖesonuwo kple tre siwo me wokɔa lãwo ƒe ʋu ɖo la dzoe. Wowɔ nu siawo katã kple sika nyuitɔ alo klosalo.
The soldiers also took away the (firepans/trays for carrying burning coals), the basins, and [all the other] items made of pure gold or pure silver.
16 Akɔbli si woɖe le akɔblisɔti eveawo kple akɔblizɔ kple ete ƒe afɔtiwo ŋuti, siwo Solomo wɔ na Yehowa ƒe gbedoxɔ la, mele dada me o.
The bronze from the two pillars, the carts with wheels, and the huge basin were very heavy; they could not be weighed. (Those things had been made/A man named Hiram had made these things) for the temple when Solomon [was the king of Israel].
17 Sɔti ɖe sia ɖe kɔkɔ “mita” asiekɛ. Akɔblitametsyɔnu si wowɔ tsyɔ sɔtiawo tame la ƒe kɔkɔme le mita ɖeka kple afã eye woɖo atsyɔ̃ nɛ kple yevuboɖati ƒe seƒoƒo siwo wowɔ kple akɔbli. Nɔnɔme sia tɔgbi ke mee wowɔ sɔti evelia hã ɖo.
Each of the pillars was (27 feet/8 meters) tall. The bronze capital/top of each pillar was (7-1/2 feet/2.3 meters) high. They were each decorated all around with something that looked like a net made of bronze chains connecting bronze pomegranates.
18 Babilonia ƒe aʋafia la ɖe aboyo Seraya, nunɔlagã la, eƒe kpeɖeŋutɔ, Zefania kple agbonudzɔla etɔ̃awo.
Nebuzaradan took with him to Babylon Seraiah the Supreme Priest, Zephaniah his assistant, and the three men who guarded the entrance [to the temple].
19 Ke le ame siwo susɔ ɖe dua me dome la, ekplɔ aʋafia si le aʋawɔlawo nu kpe ɖe ame atɔ̃ siwo nye fia ƒe aɖaŋuɖolawo ŋuti. Ekplɔ agbalẽŋlɔla gã, ame si ganye dɔnunɔlagã, si kpɔa amewo xɔxɔ de asrafodɔ me ƒe nyawo gbɔ hekpe ɖe eŋutime blaade siwo susɔ ɖe dua me la ŋuti.
And they found people who were still hiding in Jerusalem. From those people he took one officer from the Judean army, five of the king’s advisors, the chief secretary of the army commander who was in charge of recruiting men to join the army, and 60 other important Judean men.
20 Ale aʋafia, Nebuzaradan kplɔ wo katã yi na Babilonia fia le Ribla.
Nebuzaradan took them all to the king of Babylon at Riblah [city].
21 Le Ribla, le Hamatnyigba dzi, afi ma fia la na wowu wo ɖo. Ale Yuda yi aboyo me, hedzo le eƒe denyigba dzi.
There at Riblah, in Hamath province, the king of Babylon commanded that they all be executed. That is what happened when the people of Judah were (taken forcefully/exiled) from their land [to Babylon].
22 Azɔ Babilonia fia Nebukadnezar tsɔ Gedalia, Ahikam ƒe vi kple Safan ƒe tɔgbuiyɔvi ɖo mɔmefiae ɖe ame siwo susɔ ɖe Yuda la nu.
Then King Nebuchadnezzar appointed Gedaliah, who was the son of Ahikam and grandson of Shaphan, to be the governor of the people who were still living in Judah.
23 Esi Israel ƒe aʋawɔla aɖewo, ame siwo womelé o la se be Babilonia fia tsɔ Gedalia ɖo dzikpɔlae la, kplɔla aɖewo kple woƒe amewo va wɔ ɖeka kplii le Mizpa. Ame siawo dometɔ aɖewoe nye Ismael, Netania ƒe vi, Yohanan, Karea ƒe vi, Seraya, Tanhumet ƒe vi tso Netofat kple Yaazania, si tso Makat kple woƒe amewo.
When all the army captains of Judah and their soldiers who had not surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar found out that the king of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah to be the governor, they met with him at Mizpah [town]. These army captains were Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan the son of Kareah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth from Netophah [town], and Jaazaniah from the Maacah region.
24 Gedalia ka atam na wo be, “Migavɔ̃ na Babiloniatɔwo ƒe amegãwo o. Minɔ anyigba sia dzi eye miasubɔ Babilonia fia la, ekema nu sia nu adze edzi na mi nyuie.”
Gedaliah solemnly promised them [that the officials from Babylon were not planning to harm them]. He said, “You may live in this land [without being afraid] and serve the king of Babylon, and [if you do], everything will go well for you.”
25 Ke le ɣleti adre megbe la, Ismael, Netania ƒe vi, ame si nye Elisama ƒe vi, ame si tso fiaƒomea me la yi Mizpa kple ame ewo eye wowu Gedalia kple eƒe ʋɔnudrɔ̃lawo, Babiloniatɔwo kple Yudatɔwo siaa.
But in October of that year, Ishmael, whose grandfather Elishama was one of the relatives of the descendants of King David, went to Mizpah along with ten other men and assassinated/killed Gedaliah and all the men who were with him. There were also men from Judah and men from Babylon whom they assassinated.
26 Ale Yudatɔwo katã, kesinɔtɔwo kple ame dahewo kple asrafomegãwo katã si yi Egipte elabena wonɔ vɔvɔ̃m na Babiloniatɔwo.
Then many [HYP] of the people from Judah, important people and unimportant ones, and the army captains, were very afraid of [what] the Babylonians [would do to them], so they fled to Egypt.
27 Esi Evil Merodak, ame si wogayɔna be Awel Marduk zu fia le Babilonia la, ekpɔ nublanui na Yuda fia, Yehoyatsin eye wòna woɖee le gaxɔ me. Esia va eme le Yehoyatsin ƒe gamenɔnɔ ƒe ƒe blaetɔ̃-vɔ-adrelia me le ɣleti wuievelia ƒe ŋkeke blaeve-vɔ-adrelia dzi.
Thirty-seven years after King Jehoiachin of Judah was taken to Babylon, [Nebuchadnezzar’s son] Evil-Merodach became the king of Babylon. He was kind to Jehoiachin, and on April 2 of that year, he released/freed Jehoiachin from prison.
28 Elé be na Fia Yehoyatsin wu fia bubu siwo wode gaxɔ me le Babilonia.
He always spoke kindly to Jehoiachin and honored him more than the other kings who had been taken/exiled to Babylon.
29 Womena Yehoyatsin do gaxɔmenɔlawo ƒe awuwo o eye wona wòɖua nu le fia ƒe kplɔ̃ ŋu le eƒe agbemeŋkekewo katã me.
He gave Jehoiachin new clothes to replace the clothes that he had been wearing in prison, and he allowed Jehoiachin to eat at the king’s table every day for the rest of his life.
30 Fia la naa ga Yehoyatsin gbe sia gbe le eƒe agbemeŋkeke mamlɛawo me.
The king of Babylon also gave him money every day, so that he could buy the things that he needed. The king continued to do that until Jehoiachin died.
