Amos 5
1 “O! Israel ƒe aƒe, metsɔ blanuiléle dzi konyifaha sia na wò:
Listen to the words of the funeral song I am singing for you, Israel:
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, no more to rise, is the virgin Israel! Hurled down upon her own soil she lies, with no one to lift 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.’”
For the Lord God says this: The city that marches out with a thousand soldiers has only a hundred left, and the one that marches out with a hundred has only ten left.
4 Yehowa gblɔ na Israel ƒe aƒe la be, “Midim, ne mianɔ agbe.
For the Lord says this to Israel: Seek me and live,
5 Migati legba siwo le Betel, Gilgal alo Beerseba yome o, elabena maɖe aboyo Gilgatɔwo, eye Betel atsrɔ̃.”
But do not seek Bethel, do not enter Gilgal, do not go over to Beer-sheba. For Gilgal will enter exile, and Bethel will go to destruction.
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 cast fire on the house of Joseph, and it will devour and there will be no one to quench it for Bethel.
7 O, mi ame siwo trɔ afia nyui tsotso wòzu vevesese, eye mietsɔ dzɔdzɔenyenye ƒu gbe ɖe anyigba!
You who turn judgment to bitter wormwood, and cast righteousness into the dirt:
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 deep darkness into dawn, who darkens day again into night, who summons the waters of the sea, and pours them out on the earth’s surface, the Lord is his name!
9 Le aɖabaƒoƒo ɖeka me la, enana gbegblẽ vaa ame sesẽ dzi, eye wògbãa eƒe gli sesẽwo.
He causes destruction to burst over the strong. He brings devastation on the fortress.
10 Mielé fu ame siwo toa nyateƒe le ʋɔnu, eye miele fu nyateƒetola.
You who hate the arbiters at the city gate, and abhor anyone who speaks the truth:
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.
Because you trample on the weak, and tax their grain, although you have built houses of hewn stone, you will not live in them, although you have planted charming vineyards, you will not drink their wine.
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 how many are your crimes, and how great are your sins! You persecutors of the righteous, takers of bribes! You deny the poor their justice at the city gate.
13 eya ta ame siwo nye nunyalawo la, azi ɖoɖoe le ɣeyiɣi mawo me, elabena ɣeyiɣi vɔ̃e wònye.
It would be wise to keep quiet in such an evil time.
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 and not evil, that you may live, so the Lord, God of hosts, may be with you, as you have claimed he is.
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 at the city gate. Perhaps the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to a surviving 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 the Lord, the God of hosts, says: In all the public squares there will be wailing, in every street the sound of mourning. They will summon the farmers to mourning, and professional mourners to wailing.
17 Avifafa anɔ waingble ɖe sia ɖe me, elabena mava to afi ma akaka agbleawo.” Yehowae gblɔe.
In all vineyards there will be lamenting, when I pass through your midst, says the Lord.
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.
Fools who long for the day of the Lord! What does the day of the Lord mean to you? It is 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 is as when one flees from a lion, and is attacked by a bear, as when one reaches home, leans his hand on the wall, and a snake bites him.
20 Ɖe Yehowa ƒe ŋkeke la menye viviti, eye menye kekeli oa? Ɖe menye blukɔe wònye, eye keklẽ mele eme oa?
Won’t the Lord’s day be darkness and not light, murky darkness without a ray of light in it?
21 “Melé fu miaƒe ŋkekenyuiwo, eye metsri wo. Nyemaʋẽ miaƒe takpekpewo kple ŋkekenyuiwo ase o.
I hate, I despise your feasts, I will not smell the savor of your festivals,
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.
I will not be pleased with your burnt offerings, your grain offerings, I will not accept the peace offerings of your fattened calves.
23 Te wò hawo ƒe ɖiɖi ɖe megbe tso gbɔnye, wò saŋkuƒoƒowo hã le to me vem nam!
Spare me the noise of your songs, I will not listen to the melody of your lyres.
24 Nya dzɔdzɔe nesi abe tsi ene, eye dzɔdzɔenyenye abe tɔʋu si memiena o ene!
But let justice roll on as a flood of waters, and righteousness like an unfailing stream.
25 “O, Israelviwo, nyee mietsɔ lã wuwuwo kple numemewo sa vɔ na esi mienɔ gbedzi ƒe blaene sɔŋ?
Was it only sacrifices and grain offerings you brought me during the forty years in the wilderness, Israel?
26 Miekɔ miaƒe fia, Sakut kple Kaiwan, miaƒe ɣletivimawu siwo ƒe nɔnɔme miewɔ na mia ɖokuiwo la ɖe dzi,
But now you will lift up your “king” Sikkuth and “star god” Kiyyun, your idols which you have made for yourselves,
27 eya ta maɖo mi ɖe aboyo me le Damasko godo.” Yehowa, ame si ŋkɔe nye Dziƒoʋakɔwo ƒe Mawu lae gblɔe.
as I drive you into exile beyond Damascus, says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts.
