Hezekiel 21

1 Yehowa ƒe nya va nam be,

And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

2 “Trɔ wò mo ɖe Yerusalem ŋu, eye nàgblɔ nya atsi tsitre ɖe kɔkɔeƒe la ŋu. Gblɔ nya ɖi ɖe Israelnyigba ŋu,

Son of man, let your face be turned to Jerusalem, let your words be dropped in the direction of her holy place, and be a prophet against the land of Israel;

3 eye nàgblɔ nɛ be, ‘Ale Yehowa gblɔe nye esi: Metsi tsitre ɖe ŋuwò. Maɖe nye yi le eƒe aku me, eye matsrɔ̃ wò ame dzɔdzɔewo kple ame vɔ̃ɖiwo siaa.

And say to the land of Israel, These are the words of the Lord: See, I am against you, and I will take my sword out of its cover, cutting off from you the upright and the evil.

4 Esi mele ame dzɔdzɔewo kple ame vɔ̃ɖiwo siaa tsrɔ̃ ge le dziwò ta la, nye yi aɖe le aku me ɖe ame sia ame ŋu, tso dziehe yi anyiehe.

Because I am going to have the upright and the evil cut off from you, for this cause my sword will go out from its cover against all flesh from the south to the north:

5 Ekema amewo katã anya be nye Yehowae ɖe nye yi le aku me; magatrɔ yi aku me azɔ o.’

And all flesh will see that I the Lord have taken my sword out of its cover: and it will never go back.

6 “Eya ta, nɔ ŋeŋem, Ame vi, ŋe le wo ŋkume kple dzigbagbã kple vevesese helĩhelĩ.

Make sounds of grief, son of man; with body bent and a bitter heart make sounds of grief before their eyes.

7 Eye ne wobia wò be, ‘Nu ka ta nèle ŋeŋem ɖo?’ la, àɖo eŋu be, ‘Le nyadzɔdzɔ si gbɔna la ta. Dzi ɖe sia ɖe alolõ, asi ɖe sia ɖe adze ti, gbɔgbɔ ɖe sia ɖe ayi to, eye klo ɖe sia ɖe agbɔdzɔ abe tsi ene.’ Egbɔna! Ava eme godoo, Aƒetɔ Yehowae gblɔe.”

And when they say to you, Why are you making sounds of grief? then say, Because of the news, for it is coming: and every heart will become soft, and all hands will be feeble, and every spirit will be burning low, and all knees will be turned to water: see, it is coming and it will be done, says the Lord.

8 Aƒetɔ Yehowa ƒe nya va nam,

And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

9 “Ame vi, gblɔ nya ɖi be ‘Nu si Aƒetɔ Yehowa gblɔe nye esi: “‘Yi, yi, wonyree eye wotutu eŋuti wòle dzo dam.

Son of man, say as a prophet, These are the words of the Lord: Say, A sword, a sword which has been made sharp and polished:

10 Wonyree hena amewuwu wotutu eŋu be wòada dzo abe dzikedzo ene! “‘Ɖe míatso aseye le vinye Yuda ƒe fiatikplɔ ŋua? Yi doa vlo ati ma tɔgbi ɖe sia ɖe.

It has been made sharp to give death; it is polished so that it may be like a thunder-flame: ...

11 “‘Woɖo na yi be woatutu eŋu, woake dzo, woalée ɖe asi, woanyree, asiae, eye woawɔe wòasu te na amewula la ƒe zazã.

And I have given it to the polisher so that it may be taken in the hand: he has made the sword sharp, he has had it polished, to put it into the hand of him who gives death.

12 Do ɣli eye nàfa avi, Ame vi, elabena egbɔna dzɔdzɔ ge ɖe nye amewo dzi, ɖe Israel ƒe dziɖulawo katã dzi. Woda wo kple nye amewo ɖe yinu, eya ta ƒo wò akɔta.

Give loud cries and make sounds of grief, O son of man: for it has come on my people, it has come on all the rulers of Israel: fear of the sword has come on my people: for this cause give signs of grief.

13 “‘Dodokpɔɣi ava godoo. Ekema nya kae adzɔ ne Yuda ƒe fiatikplɔ, si yi doa vloe la, megayi edzi o? Aƒetɔ Yehowae gblɔe.’

14 “Ekema, Ame vi, gblɔ nya ɖi, eye nàƒo asikpe. Na yi nadze ame dzi zi eve alo zi etɔ̃ gɔ̃ hã. Amewuyie, yi na ame geɖewo wuwu, yi si amimi wo ɖo to axa ɖe sia ɖe dzi.

So then, son of man, be a prophet, and put your hands together with a loud sound, and give two blows with the sword, and even three; it is the sword of those who are wounded, even the sword of the wounded; the great sword which goes round about them.

15 Ale be dziwo nalolo banaa, eye ame kukuawo nasɔ gbɔ. Meda amewuyi la ɖe woƒe agbowo katã nu. O! Wowɔe be woake dzo abe dzikedzo ene, wolée na amewuwu.

In order that hearts may become soft, and the number of those who are falling may be increased, I have sent death by the sword against all their doors: you are made like a flame, you are polished for death.

16 O! Yi, lã nu yi ɖusime, emegbe yi miame, afi sia afi si wo yi la nu trɔ ɖo.

Be pointed to the right, to the left, wherever your edge is ordered.

17 Nye hã maƒo asikpe, eye nye dziku nu abɔbɔ. Nye Yehowae gblɔe.”

And I will put my hands together with a loud sound, and I will let my wrath have rest: I the Lord have said it.

18 Yehowa ƒe nya va nam.

And the word of the Lord came to me again, saying,

19 “Ame vi, de dzesi mɔ eve be Babilonia fia ƒe yi nato; mɔ eve siawo nadze egɔme tso anyigba ɖeka ma ke dzi. Tu mɔfiati aɖe ɖe afi si mɔa dze le ɖo ta du la me.

And you, son of man, have two ways marked out, so that the sword of the king of Babylon may come; let the two of them come out of one land: and let there be a pillar at the top of the road:

20 De dzesi mɔ ɖeka wòato ayi ɖe Amonitɔwo ƒe Raba ŋu, eye bubu nayi Yuda kple Yerusalem, du si woglã la ŋu,

Put a pillar at the top of the road for the sword to come to Rabbah in the land of the children of Ammon, and to Judah and to Jerusalem in the middle of her.

21 elabena Babilonia fia atɔ ɖe mɔdzeƒe la, le mɔ eveawo dzeƒe, be yeaka afa. Aka nu kple aŋutrɔwo, abia gbe eƒe legbawo, eye wòalé ŋku ɖe eƒe aklã ŋuti.

For the king of Babylon took his place at the parting of the ways, at the top of the two roads, to make use of secret arts: shaking the arrows this way and that, he put questions to the images of his gods, he took note of the inner parts of dead beasts.

22 Nu si adzɔ ɖe Yerusalem dzi la, woatsɔe ade eƒe nuɖusime, afia afi si woatu gligbãnuwo ɖo, woaɖe gbe be woawu amewo woado aʋaɣli, wòatu gligbãnu ɖe agboawo nu, woaƒo kpo, eye woawɔ atsrɔewo ɖe gliawo ŋu.

At his right hand was the fate of Jerusalem, to give orders for destruction, to send up the war-cry, to put engines of war against the doors, lifting up earthworks, building walls.

23 Adze abe aʋatsoɖeɖefia ene na ame siwo do ŋugbe be yewoanɔ edzi, ke aɖo ŋku woƒe dzidadawo dzi na wo, eye woaɖe aboyo wo.

And this answer given by secret arts will seem false to those who have given their oaths and have let them be broken: but he will keep the memory of evil-doing so that they may be taken.

24 “Eya ta ale Aƒetɔ Yehowa gblɔe nye si. ‘Esi mi ame siawo mieɖo ŋku miaƒe vodada dzi to miaƒe aglãdzedze me, eye mieɖe miaƒe nu vɔ̃wo fia le nu siwo katã miewɔ me, esi miewɔ esia ta la, woaɖe aboyo mi.’

For this cause the Lord has said: Because you have made your evil-doing come to mind by the uncovering of your wrongdoing, causing your sins to be seen in all your evil-doings; because you have come to mind, you will be taken in them.

25 “‘O! Wò Israel dziɖula vɔ̃ɖi, ame si gblɔa nya tovowo, ame si ƒe ŋkeke de, ame si ƒe ɣeyiɣi na tohehe ɖo eƒe kɔkɔƒe,

And you, O evil one, wounded to death, O ruler of Israel, whose day has come in the time of the last punishment;

26 ale Aƒetɔ Yehowa gblɔe nye si. Ɖe wò tablanu, eye nàɖe wò fiakuku. Maganɔ abe ale si wònɔ tsã la ene o: woado ame tsɛwo ɖe dzi, eye woabɔbɔ amegãwo ɖe anyi.

This is what the Lord has said: Take away the holy head-dress, take off the crown: this will not be again: let that which is low be lifted up, and that which is high be made low.

27 Gbegblẽ! Gbegblẽ! Mawɔe wòazu gbegblẽ. Womagbugbɔe aɖo te o va se ɖe esime wòava aɖo ame si tɔ wònye la ƒe asi me; eyae matsɔe ana.’

I will let it be overturned, overturned, overturned: this will not be again till he comes whose right it is; and I will give it to him.

28 “Eye wò, Ame vi, gblɔ nya ɖi be, ‘Alea Yehowa gblɔ tso Amonitɔwo kple woƒe amedzudzuwo ŋue nye esi: “‘Yi, yi, woɖee le aku me na amewuwu, wotutu eŋu wòle dzo dam abe dzikedzo ene hena nugbegblẽ.

And you, son of man, say as a prophet, This is what the Lord has said about the children of Ammon and about their shame: Say, A sword, even a sword let loose, polished for death, to make it shining so that it may be like a flame:

29 Togbɔ be aʋatsoŋutegawo ƒe alakpaɖeɖefiawo le ŋuwò hã la, woatsɔe ada ɖe kɔ dzi na ame vɔ̃ɖi siwo wole wuwu ge, ame siwo ƒe ŋkeke de, eye woƒe tohehe ƒe ɣeyiɣi ɖo eƒe kɔkɔƒe.

Your vision is to no purpose, your use of secret arts gives a false answer, to put it on the necks of evil-doers who are wounded to death, whose day has come, in the time of the last punishment.

30 Tsɔ yi la de eƒe aku me. Madrɔ̃ ʋɔnu wò le teƒe si wowɔ wò le, le fofowòwo ƒe anyigba dzi.

Go back into your cover. In the place where you were made, in the land from which you were taken, I will be your judge.

31 Matrɔ nye dziku akɔ ɖe dziwò, eye magbɔ nye dɔmedzoe helĩhelĩ ƒe dzo ƒe ya ɖe ŋuwò. Matsɔ wò ade asi na ŋutasẽlawo, ame siwo bi ɖe nu gbegblẽ ƒe aɖaŋu me.

And I will let loose my burning passion on you, breathing out on you the fire of my wrath: and I will give you up into the hands of men like beasts, trained to destruction.

32 Ànye nake na dzo, woakɔ wò ʋu ɖi le wò anyigba dzi, womagaɖo ŋku dziwò o, elabena nye Yehowae gblɔe.’”

You will be food for the fire; your blood will be drained out in the land; there will be no more memory of you: for I the Lord have said it.