Amos 5
1 “O! Israel ƒe aƒe, metsɔ blanuiléle dzi konyifaha sia na wò:
Hear this word, O house of Israel, this lamentation I take up against you:
2 “Ɖetugbi Israel dze anyi, eye magafɔ akpɔ o. Wogbe nu le egbɔ le eya ŋutɔ ƒe anyigba dzi, eye ame aɖeke meli alé eƒe alɔnu afɔe ɖe tsitre o,
“Fallen is Virgin Israel, never to rise again. She lies abandoned on her land, with no one to raise her up.”
3 elabena Aƒetɔ Yehowa gblɔ na Israel be, ‘Ne du aɖe ɖo ame akpe ɖeka ɖe aʋa la, ame alafa ɖeka koe agbɔ, eye du si ɖo ame alafa ɖeka ɖa la ame ewo koe agbɔ.’”
This is what the Lord GOD says: “The city that marches out a thousand strong will only see a hundred return, and the one that marches out a hundred strong will have but ten left in the house of Israel.”
4 Yehowa gblɔ na Israel ƒe aƒe la be, “Midim, ne mianɔ agbe.
For this is what the LORD says to the house of Israel: “Seek Me and live!
5 Migati legba siwo le Betel, Gilgal alo Beerseba yome o, elabena maɖe aboyo Gilgatɔwo, eye Betel atsrɔ̃.”
Do not seek Bethel or go to Gilgal; do not journey to Beersheba, for Gilgal will surely go into exile, and Bethel will come to nothing.
6 Midi Yehowa ne mianɔ agbe, ne menye nenema o la; miabi abe dzo ene ato Yosef ƒe aƒe dzi, afia Betel, eye ame aɖeke mate ŋu atsii o.
Seek the LORD and live, or He will sweep like fire through the house of Joseph; it will devour everything, with no one at Bethel to extinguish it.
7 O, mi ame siwo trɔ afia nyui tsotso wòzu vevesese, eye mietsɔ dzɔdzɔenyenye ƒu gbe ɖe anyigba!
There are those who turn justice into wormwood and cast righteousness to the ground.
8 Midi ame si wɔ ɣletiviwo ƒe ha siwo woyɔna be atifieŋui, avu kple avutɔ, ame si trɔa viviti tsiɖitsiɖi wòzua kekeli, eye wòtrɔa ŋkeke wòzua zã. Eyae yɔa tsi tso atsiaƒu me be wòaho ayi dzi ahadza ɖe anyigba dzi. Aƒetɔ Yehowae nye eƒe ŋkɔ.
He who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns darkness into dawn and darkens day into night, who summons the waters of the sea and pours them over the face of the earth— the LORD is His name—
9 Le aɖabaƒoƒo ɖeka me la, enana gbegblẽ vaa ame sesẽ dzi, eye wògbãa eƒe gli sesẽwo.
He flashes destruction on the strong, so that fury comes upon the stronghold.
10 Mielé fu ame siwo toa nyateƒe le ʋɔnu, eye miele fu nyateƒetola.
There are those who hate the one who reproves in the gate and despise him who speaks with integrity.
11 Esi miefanya ame dahewo kple afɔ, eye mieba wo le blidzɔxɔxɔ me ta la, mianɔ kpexɔ nyui siwo tum miele la me alo ano wain tso waingble siwo dem miele la me o.
Therefore, because you trample on the poor and exact from him a tax of grain, you will never live in the stone houses you have built; you will never drink the wine from the lush vineyards you have planted.
12 Elabena wò nu vɔ̃wo sɔ gbɔ hetri akɔ. Menya wo katã nyuie. Èsẽa ŋuta le ame dzɔdzɔe ŋu, eye nèxɔa zãnu hetrɔa gbo ame dahe ƒe nya dzɔdzɔe,
For I know that your transgressions are many and your sins are numerous. You oppress the righteous by taking bribes; you deprive the poor of justice in the gate.
13 eya ta ame siwo nye nunyalawo la, azi ɖoɖoe le ɣeyiɣi mawo me, elabena ɣeyiɣi vɔ̃e wònye.
Therefore, the prudent keep silent in such times, for the days are evil.
14 Midi nyui, miasi le vɔ̃ nu ne mianɔ agbe! Ekema Yehowa, Mawu Dziƒoʋakɔwo ƒe Aƒetɔ la, anye kpeɖeŋutɔ vavã na mi abe ale si miawo ŋutɔ miegblɔ la ene.
Seek good, not evil, so that you may live. And the LORD, the God of Hosts, will be with you, as you have claimed.
15 Mitsri nu vɔ̃ eye mialɔ̃ nyui. Mitrɔ miaƒe ʋɔnudrɔ̃ƒewo woazu afia nyui tsoƒewo. Ɖewohĩ Yehowa, Dziƒoʋakɔwo ƒe Mawu la, akpɔ nublanui na Yosef ƒe aƒe ƒe ame mamlɛawo.
Hate evil and love good; establish justice in the gate. Perhaps the LORD, the God of Hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.”
16 Ale Yehowa, Mawu Dziƒoʋakɔwo ƒe Aƒetɔ la gblɔe nye esi: “Avifafa anɔ kpɔdomewo, eye asiƒonu anɔ mɔ dodowo dzi. Míyɔ agbledelawo hã be woafa avi kpli mi; miyɔ konyifalawo hã vɛ be woafa avi kpli mi.
Therefore this is what the LORD, the God of Hosts, the Lord, says: “There will be wailing in all the public squares and cries of ‘Alas! Alas!’ in all the streets. The farmer will be summoned to mourn, and the mourners to wail.
17 Avifafa anɔ waingble ɖe sia ɖe me, elabena mava to afi ma akaka agbleawo.” Yehowae gblɔe.
There will be wailing in all the vineyards, for I will pass through your midst,”
18 Baba na mi, ame siwo tsi dzi ɖe Yehowa ƒe ŋkeke la ƒe vava ŋuti. Nu ka ta mietsi dzi ɖe Yehowa ƒe ŋkeke la ƒe vava ŋuti ɖo? Ŋkeke ma anye viviti, manye kekeli o.
Woe to you who long for the Day of the LORD! What will the Day of the LORD be for you? It will be darkness and not light.
19 Le ŋkeke ma dzi la, mianɔ abe ame si si le dzata nu ɖake ɖe sisiblisi ŋuti la ene, eye esi wòƒu du ɖo aƒe me heziɔ ɖe gli ŋuti la, da ɖui.
It will be like a man who flees from a lion, only to encounter a bear, or who enters his house and rests his hand against the wall, only to be bitten by a snake.
20 Ɖe Yehowa ƒe ŋkeke la menye viviti, eye menye kekeli oa? Ɖe menye blukɔe wònye, eye keklẽ mele eme oa?
Will not the Day of the LORD be darkness and not light, even gloom with no brightness in it?
21 “Melé fu miaƒe ŋkekenyuiwo, eye metsri wo. Nyemaʋẽ miaƒe takpekpewo kple ŋkekenyuiwo ase o.
“I hate, I despise your feasts! I cannot stand the stench of your solemn assemblies.
22 Ne miewɔ numevɔsa kple nuɖuvɔsawo nam hã la, nyemaxɔ wo o. Ne mietsɔ miaƒe lã damiwo sa vɔe nam hã la, nyemanye kɔ akpɔ wo o.
Even though you offer Me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; for your peace offerings of fattened cattle I will have no regard.
23 Te wò hawo ƒe ɖiɖi ɖe megbe tso gbɔnye, wò saŋkuƒoƒowo hã le to me vem nam!
Take away from Me the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.
24 Nya dzɔdzɔe nesi abe tsi ene, eye dzɔdzɔenyenye abe tɔʋu si memiena o ene!
But let justice roll on like a river, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.
25 “O, Israelviwo, nyee mietsɔ lã wuwuwo kple numemewo sa vɔ na esi mienɔ gbedzi ƒe blaene sɔŋ?
Did you bring Me sacrifices and offerings forty years in the wilderness, O house of Israel?
26 Miekɔ miaƒe fia, Sakut kple Kaiwan, miaƒe ɣletivimawu siwo ƒe nɔnɔme miewɔ na mia ɖokuiwo la ɖe dzi,
You have taken along Sakkuth your king and Kaiwan your star god, the idols you made for yourselves.
27 eya ta maɖo mi ɖe aboyo me le Damasko godo.” Yehowa, ame si ŋkɔe nye Dziƒoʋakɔwo ƒe Mawu lae gblɔe.
Therefore I will send you into exile beyond Damascus,” says the LORD, whose name is the God of Hosts.
