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 lay thy mother at ease, a lioness among lions! Among young lions she nourished 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 seize 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.
And when the nations heard of him, he was taken in their pit, And they brought him with nose-rings to 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.
And when she saw that she waited in vain, and that her hope was lost, She took another of her whelps, and she 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 seize 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
He knew their widows, and laid waste their cities, And the land was desolate, and all that was therein, before the voice 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 set themselves against him on every side from the provinces, And 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 with nose rings into a cage, And carried him to the king of Babylon. And they carried him to a stronghold, That his voice might be heard no more 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 planted like thyself 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.
She had strong rods for sceptres of rulers, And her stature was high among the thick branches, So that she was conspicuous in her height, And the multitude of her branches.
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 and withered; The fire consumed them.
13 Azɔ la, wodoe ɖe gbegbe, anyigba ƒuƒu aɖe dzi, afi si tsi menɔ o.
And now she is planted in the desert, In a dry and thirsty land.
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 a fire is gone forth out of a rod of her branches, Which hath devoured her fruit, So that she hath no strong rod for a ruler's sceptre. This is a lamentation, and it shall be for a lamentation.
