Dɔwɔwɔwo 1
1 O Teofilos, le nye agbalẽ gbãtɔ na wò me la, meŋlɔ nu tso nu siwo katã Yesu de asi wɔwɔ kple fiafia me
[Dear] Theophilus, In my first book [that I wrote for you], I wrote about many of the things that Jesus did and taught
2 va se ɖe ŋkeke si dzi wokɔe yi dziƒoe le esime wòde se na Apostolo siwo wòtia to Gbɔgbɔ Kɔkɔe la me vɔ megbe ŋu.
until the day on which he was taken {[God] took him} up [to heaven]. Before [he went to heaven], saying what the Holy Spirit [told him], he told the apostles whom he had chosen [the things that he wanted them to know].
3 Le eƒe fukpekpe, ku kple tsitretsitsi megbe la, eɖe eɖokui fia ame siawo, eye wòna kpɔɖeŋu geɖewo tsɔ ɖo kpe edzi na wo be yele agbe. Eɖe eɖokui fia wo le ŋkeke blaene sɔŋ me, eye wòƒo nu na wo tso mawufiaɖuƒe la ŋuti.
After he had suffered [and died on the cross], [he became alive again]. As he appeared to them [often] during [the next] 40 days, the apostles saw him many times. He proved to them in many ways that he was alive again. He talked [with them] about [how] God would rule [MET] [the lives of people who accepted him as their king].
4 Gbe ɖeka esi Yesu nɔ nu ɖum kple eƒe Apostolowo la, ede se na wo be, “Migadzo le Yerusalem o, ke boŋ milala va se ɖe esime miaxɔ Fofonye ƒe nunana si ŋugbe wòdo, nu si ŋu meƒo nu tsoe na mi xoxo,
[One time] while he was with them, he told them, “Do not leave Jerusalem [yet]. Instead, wait [here] until my Father sends [his Spirit] [MTY] [to you], as he promised [to do]. You have heard me speak [to you] about that.
5 elabena Yohanes tsɔ tsi de mawutsi ta na amewo, gake le ŋkeke ʋɛ aɖewo megbe la, miawo ya la, woatsɔ Gbɔgbɔ Kɔkɔe la adee na mi.”
John baptized people in water [because they said that they wanted to change their lives], but after a few days [LIT] [God] will put the Holy Spirit within you(pl) [to truly change your lives].”
6 Esi Yesu kple apostoloawo gado go la, wobiae be, “Aleke, Aƒetɔ, ɖe nèle Israel dukɔ la ɖe ge tso Romatɔwo te, aɖoe te abe dukɔ nɔɖokuisi ene azɔa?”
One day when the [apostles] met together [with Jesus], they asked him, “Lord, will you [(sg)] now become the King [MET] over [us] Israelite people [like King David, who ruled long ago]?” (OR, “Lord, will you [(sg)] now [defeat the Romans and] restore the kingdom [to us] Israelite people?”)
7 Yesu ɖo eŋu na wo be, “Fofo la ŋutɔe ɖo ŋkeke na nu siawo tɔgbi le eƒe ŋusẽ me, eye mehiã be miawo mianya ɣeyiɣi la kple ŋkeke la o.
He replied to them, “You do not [need] to know the time [periods] and days [when that will happen]. My Father alone has decided [when he will make me king].
8 Gake miaxɔ ŋusẽ ne Gbɔgbɔ Kɔkɔe la va mia dzi, eye mianye nye ɖaseɖilawo le Yerusalem, Yudea kple Samaria nutomewo katã kple xexea me ƒe seƒe ke.”
But [you do need to know that] the Holy Spirit will make you [spiritually] strong when he comes to live in you. Then you will [powerfully] tell people about me in Jerusalem and in all [the other places in] Judea [district], in Samaria [district], and in places far away all over [IDM] the world.”
9 Le nya siawo gbɔgblɔ vɔ megbe teti ko la, Mawu ƒe gbɔgbɔ kɔe yi dziƒo, esi nusrɔ̃lawo nɔ ekpɔm, eye wòbu ɖe wo le lilikpo la me.
After he said that, he was taken {[God] took him} up [to heaven], while they were watching. [He went up into] a cloud [PRS], which prevented them from seeing him [any more].
10 Wogawu mo dzi ganɔ dziƒo kpɔm esi wònɔ bubum ɖe lilia me. Kasia ame eve aɖewo siwo le awu ɣiwo me la va tsi tsitre ɖe wo xa.
While [the apostles] were [still] staring towards the sky as he was going up, suddenly two men who were wearing white clothes stood beside them. [They were angels].
11 Ame eve siawo gblɔ na wo bena, “Mi Galilea ŋutsuwo, nu ka ta miegale tsitre ɖe afi sia le yame kpɔm gãa ale? Yesu si Mawu ƒe gbɔgbɔ kɔ yi dziƒoe le mia gbɔ, agatrɔ agbɔ abe ale si tututu miekpɔe wokɔe yi dziƒoe ene.”
One [of] them said, “You men from Galilee [district], (you do not need to stand [here any longer] looking up at the sky!/why do you still stand [here] looking up at the sky?) [RHQ] [Some day] this same Jesus, whom [God] took from you up to heaven, will come back [to earth]. He will return in the same manner as you [just now] saw him when he went up to heaven, [but he will not return now].”
12 Le nyadzɔdzɔ siawo megbe la, Apostoloawo ɖi tso Amito la dzi, afi si nu siawo dzɔ le la hetrɔ va Yerusalem si didi abe agbadroƒe ɖeka ko ene.
Then [after the two angels left], the apostles returned to Jerusalem from Olive [Tree] Hill, which was about (a half mile/one kilometer) [MTY] from Jerusalem.
13 Esi wova ɖo Yerusalem la, woyi ɖanɔ xɔ si me wonɔna le dziƒoxɔ dzi la me. Apostolo siwo nɔ afi ma la woe nye: Petro, Yohanes, Yakobo, Andrea; Filipo kple Toma; Bartolomeo kple Mateo; Yakobo si nye Alfeo ƒe vi, Simɔn si wogayɔna be Zelote, Yuda si nye Yakobo ƒe vi.
When they entered [the city], they went upstairs to the room [in the house] where they were staying. [Those who were there included] Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, [another] James [the son] of Alphaeus, Simon who belonged to the group that wanted to expel the Romans, and Judas [the son] of [another man named] James.
14 Wonɔ gbedodoɖa dzi atraɖii kple nyɔnu siwo nɔ wo ŋu kpakple Yesu dada Maria kple Yesu nɔviŋutsuwo.
All these apostles agreed concerning the things about which they continually were praying [together. Others who prayed with them] included the women [who had accompanied Jesus], Mary who was Jesus’ mother, and his [younger] brothers.
15 Le ŋkeke mawo me la, Petro tsi tsitre gblɔ na xɔsetɔ (siwo ƒe xexlẽme anɔ abe alafa ɖeka kple blaeve) ene la be,
During those days Peter stood up among his fellow believers. There were [at that place] a group of about 120 of [Jesus’ followers]. Peter said,
16 “Nɔviwo, ele be ŋɔŋlɔ si Gbɔgbɔ kɔkɔe la gblɔ to David dzi le blema ku ɖe Yuda ŋu la nava eme. Yuda siae fia Yesu yomemɔ.
“My fellow believers, [there are words that King] David wrote [MTY] in the Scriptures long ago that needed to be fulfilled {to happen [as he said they would]}. The Holy Spirit, [who knew that Judas would be the one who would fulfill those words], told David what to write.
17 Enye mía dometɔ ɖeka si kpɔ gome le dɔ sia me kpli mí.”
[Although] Judas had been chosen {[Jesus] had chosen Judas}, along with [the rest of] us [(exc)] to serve [as an apostle], Judas was the person who led to Jesus the people who seized him.”
18 (Yuda tsɔ ga si wòxɔ ɖe Yesu dede asi ta la ɖaƒle anyigba aɖe si dzi wòwu eɖokui le. Eti kpo tsɔ eɖokui xlã ɖe anyi, hewo to, eye eƒe dɔmenuwo kaka ɖe afi ma.
[The Jewish leaders] gave Judas money when he [promised to] treacherously/wickedly [betray Jesus. Later Judas returned that money to them]. When Judas [hanged himself], his body fell down [to the ground]. His abdomen burst open, and all his intestines spilled out. [So] the [Jewish leaders] bought a field [using] that money.
19 Eƒe kunya sia kaka ɖe Yerusalem dua me kaba ŋutɔ ale wona ŋkɔ teƒe ma le wo degbe me be, Akeldoma si gɔmee nye Ʋunyigba.)
All the people who reside in Jerusalem heard [about that], so they called that field in their own [Aramaic] language, Akeldama, which means ‘Field of Blood’, [because it was where someone bled and died].
20 Petro gblɔ be, “Elabena woŋlɔe ɖi ɖe Psalmogbalẽ me be, “‘Eƒe nɔƒe neɖi gbɔlo, mègana be ame aɖeke neganɔ afi ma o,’ eye, “‘Ame bubu naxɔ eƒe amekplɔdɔ awɔ.’”
[Peter also said], “[I perceive that what happened to Judas is like what the writer of] Psalms [desired to happen]: ‘May his house become deserted, and may there be no one to live in it.’ (OR, ‘[Judge him, Lord, so that neither he nor] anyone [else] may live in his house!)’ And it seems that [these other words that David wrote also refer to Judas: ] ‘Let someone else take over his work as a leader.’”
21 Petro yi eƒe nuƒoa dzi be, “Azɔ la, ele be míatia ame bubu aɖe wòanɔ Yuda teƒe le mía dome. Ame si míatia la nanye ame si nɔ mía dome tso gɔmedzedzea esi Aƒetɔ Yesu nɔ anyi kpli mí,
“So it is necessary [for us apostles] to choose a man [to replace Judas. He must be one who] accompanied [MTY] us all the time when the Lord Jesus was with us.
22 tso ɣeyiɣi si me Yohanes de mawutsi ta nɛ va se ɖe esime Mawu ƒe Gbɔgbɔ kɔe le mía gbɔ yi dziƒo. Wo dometɔ ɖeka nazu tsitretsitsi ƒe ɖaseɖila akpe ɖe mía ŋu.”
[That would be] from [the time when] John [the Baptizer] baptized [Jesus] until the day when Jesus was taken {when [God] took Jesus} from us up [to heaven]. He must be one who saw Jesus alive again [after he died].”
23 Ale ƒuƒoƒe la tɔ asi ame eve dzi. Ame siawoe nye, Yosef si woyɔna be Barsaba (ame si wogayɔna hã be Yusto), kple Matias, be woatia wo dometɔ ɖeka.
So the [apostles and other believers] suggested [the names of two men who qualified. One man was] Joseph, who was called {whom people called} Barsabbas (OR, Joseph Barsabbas) who [also] had the [Roman] name Justus. The other man was Matthias.
24 Emegbe la, wodo gbe ɖa gblɔ be, “Aƒetɔ, wòe nya ame sia ame ƒe dzi me, eya ta fia ame si nètia le ame eve siawo dome mí
Then they prayed like this: “Lord [Jesus], Judas stopped being an apostle. [He died and] went to the place where he [deserved to be] [EUP]. [So we(exc) need to choose someone] to replace [Judas in order] that he can serve [you(sg) by becoming] an apostle. You [(sg)] know what everyone is really like. So [please] show us which of these two men you have chosen.”
25 be wòaxɔ Apostolonyenye ƒe dɔ sia ɖe Yuda teƒe, ame si gblẽ dɔ la ɖi heyi teƒe si dzee.”
26 Le esia megbe la, woda akɔ, eye wòdze Matias dzi, ale wotiae abe apostolo ene kpe ɖe ame wuiɖekɛ mamlɛawo ŋu.
Then they cast lots [to choose between the two of] them, and the lot fell for Matthias. (OR, Then [one of] the [apostles] shook [in a container] small objects/stones [that] they [had marked to determine which man God had chosen]. And the small object/stone [that they had marked] for Matthias fell [out of the container]). So Matthias was considered {they considered Matthias} [to be an apostle] along with the [other] eleven apostles.
