Hezekiel 17
1 Yehowa ƒe nya va nam be,
And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying:
2 “Ame vi, to adzo, eye nàgblɔ lododo aɖe na Israel ƒe aƒe la.
'Son of man, put forth a riddle, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel,
3 Gblɔ na wo be, ‘Nya si Aƒetɔ Yehowa gblɔe nye esi. Hɔ̃ lolo aɖe si ŋu aʋala sesẽ siwo ŋu fu didiwo le, eye wòto fu amadede vovovowo la, va Lebanon. Esi wòdze ɖe sedati aɖe tame la,
and say: Thus saith the Lord GOD: A great eagle with great wings and long pinions, full of feathers, which had divers colours, came unto Lebanon, and took the top of the cedar;
4 eŋe eƒe ɖɔme hetsɔ yi asitsalawo ƒe anyigba dzi, eye wòdoe ɖe asitsalawo ƒe du gã aɖe me.
He cropped off the topmost of the young twigs thereof, and carried it into a land of traffic; he set it in a city of merchants.
5 “‘Etsɔ miaƒe anyigba ƒe ku aɖe, eye wòdoe ɖe anyigba nyui aɖe dzi. Edoe abe amuti ene ɖe afi si tsi sɔ gbɔ ɖo.
He took also of the seed of the land, and planted it in a fruitful soil; he placed it beside many waters, he set it as a slip.
6 Ati la dze, eye wòzu wainti kpehe aɖe si ƒe alɔwo vu. Eƒe alɔwo trɔ ɖo ɖe egbɔ, ke eƒe kewo ya nɔ ete. Ale wòzu wainti toalɔwo, eye aŋugbawo vu ɖe eŋu.
And it grew, and became a spreading vine of low stature, whose tendrils might turn toward him, and the roots thereof be under him; so it became a vine, and brought forth branches, and shot forth sprigs.
7 “‘Ke hɔ̃ gã bubu aɖe li, si ŋu aʋala sesẽ nɔ, eye wòto fu kpoyo. Wainka la trɔ eƒe kewo ɖo ɖe egbɔ tso afi si wodoe ɖo, eye wòkeke eƒe aʋalawo hena tsii.
There was also another great eagle with great wings and many feathers; and, behold, this vine did bend its roots toward him, and shot forth its branches toward him, from the beds of its plantation, that he might water it.
8 Wodoe ɖe anyigba nyui aɖe si dzi tsi bɔ ɖo, ale be wòato alɔ, atse ku, eye wòazu wainti nyui aɖe.’
It was planted in a good soil by many waters, that it might bring forth branches, and that it might bear fruit, that it might be a stately vine.
9 “Gblɔ na wo be, Ale Aƒetɔ Yehowa gblɔe nye esi: ‘Ɖe wòava eme nenema? Ɖe womahoe, eye woagbe eƒe kutsetsewo, ale be wòaku oa? Eƒe alɔ yeyewo katã aku. Menye abɔ sesẽ aɖe alo ame geɖewoe ahoe kple ke o.
Say thou: Thus saith the Lord GOD: Shall it prosper? shall he not pull up the roots thereof, and cut off the fruit thereof, that it wither, yea, wither in all its sprouting leaves? neither shall great power or much people be at hand when it is plucked up by the roots thereof.
10 Ne woahoe ado gɔ̃ hã ɖe, adzea? Ɖe maku keŋkeŋ ne ɣedzeƒeya ƒo lɔe oa? Ɖe maku le afi si wòtsi le oa?’”
Yea, behold, being planted, shall it prosper? Shall it not utterly wither, when the east wind toucheth it? In the beds where it grew it shall wither.'
11 Eye Yehowa ƒe nya va nam be,
Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying:
12 “Gblɔ na ƒome dzeaglã la be, ‘Ɖe miese nu siawo gɔme oa?’ Gblɔ na wo be, ‘Babilonia fia yi Yerusalem, eye wòkplɔ eƒe fia kple bubumewo yi Babilonia.
'Say now to the rebellious house: Know ye not what these things mean? tell them: Behold, the king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, and took the king thereof, and the princes thereof, and brought them to him to Babylon;
13 Elé fiaƒomea me tɔ aɖe, wɔ nubabla kplii, eye wòka atam nɛ. Ekplɔ anyigba la ƒe ame ŋkutawo dzoe,
and he took of the seed royal, and made a covenant with him, and brought him under an oath, and the mighty of the land he took away;
14 ale be wòate fiaɖuƒe la ɖe to, magate ŋu afɔ o, eye wòatsi agbe ne ewɔ nubabla la dzi ko.
that his might be a lowly kingdom, that it might not lift itself up, but that by keeping his covenant it might stand.
15 Ke fia la dze aglã ɖe eŋu esi wòɖo eƒe amewo ɖe Egipte be woaxɔ sɔwo kple aʋakɔ gã aɖe vɛ. Adze edzi nɛa? Ɖe ame si wɔ nu sia tɔgbi la ate ŋu asia? Ɖe wòatu nubabla la, gake ate ŋu asia?’
But he rebelled against him in sending his ambassadors into Egypt, that they might give him horses and much people. Shall he prosper? shall he escape that doeth such things? shall he break the covenant, and yet escape?
16 “Aƒetɔ Yehowa gblɔ be, ‘Zi ale si mele agbe la, aku ɖe Babilonia, ɖe fia si ɖoe zi dzi la ƒe anyigba dzi, ame si ƒe atam wòdo vloe kple ame si ƒe nubabla wòtu.
As I live, saith the Lord GOD, surely in the place where the king dwelleth that made him king, whose oath he despised, and whose covenant he broke, even with him in the midst of Babylon he shall die.
17 Farao kple eƒe aʋakɔ triakɔ la kple eƒe ameha gã mana kpekpeɖeŋu aɖeke le aʋa me ne woƒo kpo ɖe eŋu, eye wotu xɔ tsralawo be woawu ame geɖewo o.
Neither shall Pharaoh with his mighty army and great company succour him in the war, when they cast up mounds and build forts, to cut off many souls;
18 Edo vlo atam la to nubabla la tutu me. Esi wòlɔ̃ ɖe nubabla la dzi hafi wɔ nu siawo katã ta la, mate ŋu asi o.’
seeing he hath despised the oath by breaking the covenant, when, lo, he had given his hand, and hath done all these things, he shall not escape.
19 “Eya ta ale Aƒetɔ Yehowa gblɔe nye esi, ‘Zi ale si mele agbe la, mana nye atam si wòdo vloe kple nye nubabla si wòtu la nava eƒe ta dzi.
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD: As I live, surely Mine oath that he hath despised, and My covenant that he hath broken, I will even bring it upon his own head.
20 Makeke nye ɖɔ nɛ, eye nye mɔ aɖee. Makplɔe ayi Babilonia, eye mabu fɔe le afi ma, elabena meto nyateƒe nam o.
And I will spread My net upon him, and he shall be taken in My snare, and I will bring him to Babylon, and will plead with him there for his treachery that he hath committed against Me.
21 Eƒe aʋawɔla siwo le sisim la katã atsi yi nu, eye eƒe agbetsilawo akaka ɖe yawo katã nu, ekema mianya be nye Yehowae gblɔe.’
And all his mighty men in all his bands shall fall by the sword, and they that remain shall be scattered toward every wind; and ye shall know that I the LORD have spoken it.
22 “Ale Aƒetɔ Yehowa gblɔe nye esi. ‘Nye ŋutɔ maŋe sedati aɖe ƒe ɖɔme tso etame ke, eye madoe. Maŋe eƒe ɖɔme ado, eye madoe ɖe to kɔkɔ aɖe dzi.
Thus saith the Lord GOD: Moreover I will take, even I, of the lofty top of the cedar, and will set it; I will crop off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I will plant it upon a high mountain and eminent;
23 Israel ƒe to kɔkɔwo dzie madoe ɖo; aɖe alɔwo, atse ku, eye wòazu sedati nyui aɖe. Xevi ɖe sia ɖe ƒomevi awɔ atɔ ɖe eme. Woakpɔ sitsoƒe le eƒe alɔwo ƒe vɔvɔli te.
in the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it; and it shall bring forth boughs, and bear fruit, and be a stately cedar; and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing, in the shadow of the branches thereof shall they dwell.
24 Gbemetiwo katã anya be nye Yehowae bɔbɔ ati kɔkɔ la ɖe anyi, eye mena ati kpui la tsi hekɔ. Mena ati mumu la ku, eye ati kuku la dze.’ “Nye Aƒetɔ Yehowae ƒo nu, eye mawɔe ade goe.”
And all the trees of the field shall know that I the LORD have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish; I the LORD have spoken and have done it.'
