< Hezekiel 19 >
1 “Dze konyifaha aɖe gɔme, eye nàgblɔ be,
Moreover, take thou up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,
2 “‘Dzatanɔ kae dawò nye le dzatawo dome? Emlɔ dzataviwo dome, eye wònye viawo.
and say: How was thy mother a lioness; among lions she couched, in the midst of the young lions she reared her whelps!
3 Ehe viawo dometɔ ɖeka wòtsi hezu dzata sesẽ aɖe. Esrɔ̃ nuléle, eye wòléa amewo vuvuna.
And she brought up one of her whelps, he became a young lion; and he learned to catch the prey, he devoured men.
4 Dukɔwo se eŋkɔ ɖe do nɛ, wòge ɖe eme, wolée, de ga ŋɔtime nɛ, eye wokplɔe yi Egiptenyigba dzi.
Then the nations assembled against him, he was taken in their pit; and they brought him with hooks unto the land of Egypt.
5 “‘Esi dzatanɔ la kpɔ be yeƒe mɔkpɔkpɔ medze edzi o la, ebu mɔkpɔkpɔ, tsɔ eƒe dzataviwo dometɔ bubu, wɔe wòzu dzata sesẽ aɖe.
Now when she saw that she was disappointed, and her hope was lost, then she took another of her whelps, and made him a young lion.
6 Enɔ dzatawo dome, elabena ezu dzata sesẽ aɖe azɔ. Esrɔ̃ nuléle, eye wòléa amewo vuvuna.
And he went up and down among the lions, he became a young lion; and he learned to catch the prey, he devoured men.
7 Egbã woƒe mɔ sesẽwo ƒu anyi, eye wòwɔ woƒe duwo wozu aƒedo. Eƒe gbetete do ŋɔdzi na anyigba la kple ame siwo katã nɔ edzi
And he knew their castles, and laid waste their cities; and the land was desolate, and the fulness thereof, because of the noise of his roaring.
8 Tete dukɔ siwo tso nuto ma me godoo la tso ɖe eŋu. Woɖo ɖɔ nɛ, eye woɖee le woƒe asɔʋe me.
Then the nations cried out against him on every side from the provinces; and they spread their net over him, he was taken in their pit.
9 Wode ga ŋɔtime nɛ, hee ɖade gaxadza me, eye wokɔe yi na Babilonia fia. Ale womegase eƒe gbetete kpɔ le Israel ƒe towo dzi o.
And they put him in a cage with hooks, and brought him to the king of Babylon; that they might bring him into strongholds, so that his voice should no more be heard upon the mountains of Israel.
10 “‘Dawò nɔ abe wainti ene le wò wainbɔ me. Wodoe ɖe tsi gbɔ. Etsea ku, eye wòɖe alɔwo fũu le tsi ƒe agbɔsɔsɔ le afi ma ta.
Thy mother was like a vine, in thy likeness, planted by the waters; she was fruitful and full of branches by reason of many waters.
11 Eƒe alɔwo sẽ, eye wonyo woatsɔ awɔ fiatikplɔ. Ekɔ gbɔ avemeti bubuawo katã ta, edzena le eƒe kɔkɔ kple eƒe alɔ geɖewo ta.
And she had strong rods to be sceptres for them that bore rule; and her stature was exalted among the thick branches, and she was seen in her height with the multitude of her tendrils.
12 Ke wotsoe ƒu anyi le dɔmedzoe me. Ɣedzeƒeya na wòyrɔ, eye woɖe eƒe kutsetsewo ɖa le eŋu. Eƒe alɔ sesẽawo ku, eye dzo fia wo.
But she was plucked up in fury, she was cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up her fruit; her strong rods were broken off and withered, the fire consumed her.
13 Azɔ la, wodoe ɖe gbegbe, anyigba ƒuƒu aɖe dzi, afi si tsi menɔ o.
And now she is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty ground.
14 Dzo bi, kaka tso eƒe alɔ gã ɖeka me, eye wòbi eƒe tsetseawo. Alɔ sesẽ aɖeke megatsi eŋu woatsɔ akpa dziɖula ƒe fiatikplɔe o. Esia nye konyifaha, eye woawɔ eŋu dɔ abe konyifaha ene.’”
And fire is gone out of the rod of her branches, it hath devoured her fruit, so that there is in her no strong rod to be a sceptre to rule.' This is a lamentation, and it was for a lamentation.