Amos 5
1 “O! Israel ƒe aƒe, metsɔ blanuiléle dzi konyifaha sia na wò:
Listen to this word which I take up for a lamentation over you, O house of 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,
“The virgin of Israel has fallen; She shall rise no more. She is cast down on her land; there is 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.’”
For the Lord Yahweh says: “The city that went out a thousand shall have a hundred left, and that which went out one hundred shall have ten left to the house of Israel.”
4 Yehowa gblɔ na Israel ƒe aƒe la be, “Midim, ne mianɔ agbe.
For Yahweh says to the house of Israel: “Seek me, and you will live;
5 Migati legba siwo le Betel, Gilgal alo Beerseba yome o, elabena maɖe aboyo Gilgatɔwo, eye Betel atsrɔ̃.”
but don’t seek Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and don’t pass to Beersheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall 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 Yahweh, and you will live, lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, and there be no one to quench it in Bethel.
7 O, mi ame siwo trɔ afia nyui tsotso wòzu vevesese, eye mietsɔ dzɔdzɔenyenye ƒu gbe ɖe anyigba!
You who turn justice to wormwood, and cast down righteousness to the earth!
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.
Seek him who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns the shadow of death into the morning, and makes the day dark with night; who calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out on the surface of the earth, Yahweh is his name,
9 Le aɖabaƒoƒo ɖeka me la, enana gbegblẽ vaa ame sesẽ dzi, eye wògbãa eƒe gli sesẽwo.
who brings sudden destruction on the strong, so that destruction comes on the fortress.
10 Mielé fu ame siwo toa nyateƒe le ʋɔnu, eye miele fu nyateƒetola.
They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him who speaks blamelessly.
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 take taxes from him of wheat, you have built houses of cut stone, but you will not dwell in them. You have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall 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 offenses, and how great are your sins— you who afflict the just, who take a bribe, and who turn away the needy in the courts.
13 eya ta ame siwo nye nunyalawo la, azi ɖoɖoe le ɣeyiɣi mawo me, elabena ɣeyiɣi vɔ̃e wònye.
Therefore a prudent person keeps silent in such a time, for it is 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; and so Yahweh, the God of Armies, will be with you, as you say.
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, love good, and establish justice in the courts. It may be that Yahweh, the God of Armies, 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 Yahweh, the God of Armies, the Lord, says: “Wailing will be in all the wide ways. They will say in all the streets, ‘Alas! Alas!’ They will call the farmer to mourning, and those who are skillful in lamentation 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 wailing, for I will pass through the middle of you,” says Yahweh.
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 desire the day of Yahweh! Why do you long for the day of Yahweh? 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.
As if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him; or he went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall, and a snake bit 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 day of Yahweh be darkness, and not light? Even very dark, and 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, and I can’t stand 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.
Yes, though you offer me your burnt offerings and meal offerings, I will not accept them; neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat animals.
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 rivers, and righteousness like a mighty stream.
25 “O, Israelviwo, nyee mietsɔ lã wuwuwo kple numemewo sa vɔ na esi mienɔ gbedzi ƒe blaene sɔŋ?
“Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, house of Israel?
26 Miekɔ miaƒe fia, Sakut kple Kaiwan, miaƒe ɣletivimawu siwo ƒe nɔnɔme miewɔ na mia ɖokuiwo la ɖe dzi,
You also carried the tent of your king and the shrine of your images, the star of your god, which 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 cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus,” says Yahweh, whose name is the God of Armies.
