< Hezekiel 21 >
1 Yehowa ƒe nya va nam be,
Then the word of Yahweh 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, set your face toward Jerusalem, and speak against the sanctuaries; prophesy 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.
Say to the land of Israel, 'Yahweh says this: Behold! I am against you! I will draw my sword from its sheath and cut off both the righteous person and the wicked person from you!
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.
In order for me to cut off both the righteous and the wicked from you, my sword will go out from its sheath 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.’
Then all flesh will know that I, Yahweh, have drawn my sword from its sheath. It will no longer hold back!'
6 “Eya ta, nɔ ŋeŋem, Ame vi, ŋe le wo ŋkume kple dzigbagbã kple vevesese helĩhelĩ.
As for you, son of man, groan as your loins break! In bitterness groan 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.”
Then it will happen that they will ask you, 'For what reason are you groaning?' Then you will say, 'Because of the news that is coming, for every heart will faint away, and every hand will falter! Every spirit will grow faint, and every knee will flow like water. Behold! It is coming and it will be like this!—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.'”
8 Aƒetɔ Yehowa ƒe nya va nam,
Then the word of Yahweh 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, prophesy and say, 'The Lord says this: “Say: A sword! A sword! It will be sharpened 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 will be sharpened in order to engage in great slaughter! It will be polished in order to be like lightning! Should we rejoice in my son's scepter? The coming sword hates every such rod!
11 “‘Woɖo na yi be woatutu eŋu, woake dzo, woalée ɖe asi, woanyree, asiae, eye woawɔe wòasu te na amewula la ƒe zazã.
So the sword will be given to be polished, and then to be grasped by the hand! The sword is sharpened and it is polished and it is to be given into the hand of the one who kills!”'”
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.
Call for help and lament, son of man! For that sword has come against my people! It is against all the leaders of Israel. They are thrown against the sword with my people. Therefore, slap your thigh!
13 “‘Dodokpɔɣi ava godoo. Ekema nya kae adzɔ ne Yuda ƒe fiatikplɔ, si yi doa vloe la, megayi edzi o? Aƒetɔ Yehowae gblɔe.’
For there is a trial, but what if the scepter does not last?—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.
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.
Now you, son of man, prophesy and hit your two hands together, for the sword will attack even a third time! A sword for the ones to be slaughtered! It is a sword for the many to be slaughtered, piercing them everywhere!
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 to melt their hearts and to multiply their fallen, I have set the sword for slaughter at all their gates. Ah! It is made like lightning, it is grasped for slaughter.
16 O! Yi, lã nu yi ɖusime, emegbe yi miame, afi sia afi si wo yi la nu trɔ ɖo.
You, sword! Strike to the right! Strike to the left! Go wherever your face is turned.
17 Nye hã maƒo asikpe, eye nye dziku nu abɔbɔ. Nye Yehowae gblɔe.”
For I will also hit my two hands together, and then I will bring my fury to rest! I, Yahweh, declare it!”
The word of Yahweh 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.
“Now you, son of man, assign two roads for the sword of the king of Babylon to come. The two roads will start in the same land, and a signpost will mark one of them as leading to a city.
20 De dzesi mɔ ɖeka wòato ayi ɖe Amonitɔwo ƒe Raba ŋu, eye bubu nayi Yuda kple Yerusalem, du si woglã la ŋu,
Mark one road for the Babylonian army to come to Rabbah, the city of the Ammonites. Mark the other to lead the army to Judah and the city of Jerusalem, which is fortified.
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 will stop at the crossroads, at the junction, in order to practice divination. He will shake some arrows and ask direction from some idols and he will examine a liver.
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.
In his right hand will be an omen about Jerusalem, to set battering rams against it, to open his mouth to order the slaughter, to sound a war cry, to set battering rams against the gates, to build a ramp, and to erect siege towers.
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.
It will seem to be a useless omen in the eyes of the ones in Jerusalem, those who had sworn an oath to the Babylonians! But the king will accuse them of violating their treaty in order to besiege them!
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.’
Therefore the Lord Yahweh says this: Because you have made your guilt to be remembered, making your transgressions to be revealed, so that in all your actions your sins will be seen— because you have done this you will be taken in hand.
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,
As for you, profane and wicked ruler of Israel, whose day of punishment has come, and whose time of committing iniquity has ended,
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.
the Lord Yahweh says this to you: Remove the turban and take off the crown! Things will no longer be the same! Exalt the lowly and humble the exalted!
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.’
A ruin! A ruin! I will make it a ruin! It will not be restored until the one comes who is assigned to execute judgment.
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.
So you, son of man, prophesy and say, 'The Lord Yahweh says this to the people of Ammon concerning their coming disgrace: A sword, a sword is drawn! It is sharpened for the slaughter in order to devour, so it will be like lightning!
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.
While prophets see empty visions for you, while they perform rituals to come up with lies for you, this sword will lie on the necks of the wicked who are about to be killed, whose day of punishment has come and whose time of iniquity is about to end.
30 Tsɔ yi la de eƒe aku me. Madrɔ̃ ʋɔnu wò le teƒe si wowɔ wò le, le fofowòwo ƒe anyigba dzi.
Return the sword to its sheath. In the place of your creation, in the land of your origin, I will judge you!
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.
I will pour out my indignation on you! I will fan the fire of my rage against you and put you into the hand of cruel men, craftsmen of destruction!
32 Ànye nake na dzo, woakɔ wò ʋu ɖi le wò anyigba dzi, womagaɖo ŋku dziwò o, elabena nye Yehowae gblɔe.’”
You will become fuel for the fire! Your blood will be in the midst of the land. You will not be remembered, for I, Yahweh have declared this!'”