Hezekiel 3
1 Eye wògblɔ nam be, “Ame vi, ɖu nu si le wò ŋkume, ɖu agbalẽ sia, eye nàɖaƒo nu na Israel ƒe aƒe la.”
He said to me, “You human, eat this scroll that is in front of you. Then go and speak to the Israeli people [MTY].”
2 Ale meke nye nu me, eye wòtsɔ agbalẽ la nam be maɖu.
So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat it.
3 Eye wògblɔ nam be, “Ame vi, ɖu agbalẽ si mele tsɔtsɔm na wò, eye nàtsɔe ayɔ wò dɔgbo.” Ale meɖui, eye wòvivi le nye nu me abe anyitsi ene.
Then he said to me, “You human, eat the scroll that I have given to you. Fill your stomach with it.” So I ate it, and in my mouth it tasted as sweet as honey.
4 Emegbe la, egblɔ nam be, “Ame vi, azɔ la, yi Israel ƒe aƒe la me, eye nàgblɔ nye nya na wo.
Then he said to me, “You human, go to the Israeli people [MTY] and tell them my message.
5 Nyemele ɖowòm ɖe ame siwo ƒe nuƒoƒo me mekɔ o, eye woƒe gbegbɔgblɔ sesẽ la gbɔ o, ke boŋ mele ɖowòm ɖe Israel ƒe aƒe me,
The people to whom I am sending you are not people whose language is very [to learn], a language which you do not understand. I am sending you to your Israeli people [MTY].
6 menye ɖe ame geɖewo, ame siwo ƒe nuƒoƒo me mekɔ, woƒe gbegbɔgblɔ sesẽ, eye màte ŋu ase woƒe nyawo gɔme la gbɔ o. Eme kɔ ƒãa be nenye woawo gbɔe meɖo wò ɖo la, woaɖo to wò.
I am sending you to people whose language you understand very well. If I were sending you to people whose language was difficult for you to understand, they [be surprised and] pay attention to what [say to them].
7 Ke Israel ƒe aƒe la mele lɔlɔ̃m be yeaɖo to wò o, elabena womele lɔlɔ̃m be woaɖo tom o, elabena Israel ƒe aƒemetɔwo katã nye tosẽlawo kple kɔlialiatɔwo.
But the Israeli people do not want to listen to you because they do not want to listen to me. [They do not want to listen because] they are all very stubborn [DOU].
8 Ke mawɔ wò màna ta o, wò ŋkume asẽ, eye màna ta o abe woawo ke ene.
But I will enable you [SYN] to be as stubborn and tough as they are.
9 Mawɔ wò ŋgonu wòasẽ wu agakpe, eye wòasẽ wu gayibɔ. Mègavɔ̃ wo alo nàna woado ŋɔdzi na wò o, togbɔ be wotso ƒome dzeaglã me hã.”
I will cause you to be as firm/unbreakable as [SIM] the hardest stone, like flint. So, [even though] they are very rebellious people, do not be afraid of them; do not allow them to cause you to be afraid.”
10 Eye wògblɔ nam be, “Ame vi, ɖo to nyuie, eye nàlé nya siwo katã megblɔ na wò la me ɖe dzi me.
He also said to me, “You human, listen very carefully to what I say, and keep thinking about it [IDM].
11 Yi mia detɔ siwo le aboyo me la gbɔ, eye nàƒo nu na wo. Gblɔ na wo be, ‘Ale Aƒetɔ Yehowa gblɔe nye esi,’ ne wosee loo alo wogbe esese.”
Go to your fellow Israelis who [here after being] (exiled/forced to leave their country), and speak to them. Say to them, ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord says,’ [and then tell them my message], whether they want to hear it or whether they do not want to hear it.”
12 Mese hoowɔwɔ sesẽ aɖe ƒe ɖiɖi le megbenye be, “Woakafu Yehowa ƒe ŋutikɔkɔe le eƒe nɔƒe kɔkɔe la.”
[in the vision] the [of God] lifted me up, and I heard behind [someone speaking very loudly], like a loud rumbling sound. [I heard someone say, ] “Praise our glorious Yahweh in the place where he [in heaven]!”
13 Nu gbagbeawo ƒe aʋalawo ƒe lili ɖe wo nɔewo ŋu ƒe ɖiɖi kple tasiaɖam ƒe afɔwo ƒe ɖiɖi sesĩe le wo xa.
[I heard] the sound of the wings of the four living creatures brushing against each other, [I also heard] the sound of the wheels that were beside them. It was a loud rumbling sound.
14 Gbɔgbɔ la kɔm do ɖe dzi, eye wòkɔm dzoe. Meyi le vevesese kple dzikudodo ɖe Gbɔgbɔ la ŋuti me, eye Yehowa ƒe asi sesẽ la nɔ dzinye
The Spirit took me away. Within me I was very bitter and angry [DOU], but I felt Yahweh holding me very powerfully.
15 Meva ɖo aboyome siwo nɔ Tel Aviv, afi si te ɖe Kebar Tɔsisi la ŋu la gbɔ. Le afi ma, afi si wonɔ la, menɔ anyi ɖe wo dome ŋkeke adre, eye gbɔgblɔ bu ɖem.
I came to the exiles who lived at Tel [town] near the Kebar River/ [south of Babylon]. Then, where they were living, I sat for seven days. I was [about everything that I had seen].
16 Le ŋkeke adreawo ƒe nuwuwu la, Yehowa ƒe nya va nam be,
After those seven days had ended, Yahweh gave me this message:
17 “Ame vi, mewɔ wò gbetakpɔla na Israel ƒe aƒe la, eya ta se nya si magblɔ la, eye nàna nuxɔxlɔ̃ wo tso gbɔnye.
“You human, I am appointing [to be like] a watchman [MET] for the Israeli people [MTY]. [So] listen to these messages that I will give you, and tell them those messages to warn them.
18 Ne megblɔ na ame vɔ̃ɖi aɖe be, ‘Èle kuku ge godoo,’ eye mèxlɔ̃ nui alo ƒo nu kplii hena wòɖe asi le eƒe mɔ vɔ̃ɖi ŋu, ale be wòaɖe eƒe agbe o la, ame vɔ̃ɖi ma aku le eƒe nu vɔ̃ ta, eye mabia eƒe ʋu ƒe akɔnta tso asiwò me.
When I say about some wicked people, ‘They will surely [because of their sins],’ if you do not warn them or tell them that they must turn from their wicked behavior if they want to (save their lives/remain alive), those wicked people will die because of the sins that they have committed, but I will consider that you are responsible for their deaths [MTY].
19 Ke ne èxlɔ̃ nu ame vɔ̃ɖi la, gake meɖe asi le eƒe vɔ̃ɖivɔ̃ɖi ŋu alo trɔ le eƒe mɔ vɔ̃wo dzi o la, ekema aku le eƒe nu vɔ̃ ta, ke wò la, èɖe ɖokuiwò.
But if you warn the wicked people and they do not turn from all their wicked behavior [DOU], they will die because of their sins, but you will have saved [from my punishing you].
20 “Nenema ke, ne ame dzɔdzɔe aɖe ɖe asi le eƒe dzɔdzɔenyenye ŋu hewɔ nu vɔ̃, eye meda nu si wòakli ɖe mɔ me nɛ la, aku. Esi mèxlɔ̃ nui o ta la, aku le eƒe nu vɔ̃ ta. Womagaɖo ŋku nu dzɔdzɔe siwo wòwɔ la dzi o, eye mabia eƒe ʋu tso asiwò me.
Similarly, when righteous people turn from their righteous behavior and do evil deeds, I will cause bad things to happen [IDM] to them. [But you must warn them. If you do not warn them], and if they do not stop their sinful behavior, they will die because of their sins; I will not think about the righteous things that they [previously], but I will consider that you are responsible for their deaths [MTY].
21 Ke ne èxlɔ̃ nu ame dzɔdzɔe la be, megawɔ nu vɔ̃ o, eye mewɔ nu vɔ̃ o la, ekema anɔ agbe, elabena ese nuxɔxlɔ̃ eye àɖe ɖokuiwò.”
But if you warn righteous people not to sin, and they do not sin, they will surely remain alive because they [your] warning, and you will have saved [from my punishing you].”
22 Yehowa ƒe asi nɔ dzinye le afi ma, eye wògblɔ nam be, “Tsi tsitre, nàyi bali la me, eye maƒo nu na wò le afi ma.”
[I felt] Yahweh take control [MTY] of me, and he said to me, “Get up and go [from the city down] to the plain/valley, and there I will speak to you.”
23 Ale metsi tsitre, eye meyi bali la me. Yehowa ƒe ŋutikɔkɔe nɔ tsitre ɖe afi ma abe ŋutikɔkɔe si mekpɔ le Kebar Tɔsisi la to ene, eye metsyɔ mo anyi.
So I got up and went down to the valley. And I saw the glory of Yahweh there, like the glory that I had seen along the Kebar River/Canal. And I prostrated myself on the ground.
24 Gbɔgbɔ la ge ɖe menye, eye wòna metso ɖe tsitrenu. Eƒo nu nam gblɔ be, “Yi, nàtu ɖokuiwo ɖe wò aƒe me.
Then the [of God] entered me and enabled me to stand up. He said to me, “Go into your house and stay inside it.
25 Ame vi, woabla wò kple ka, woabla wò ale be màte ŋu ado, age ɖe ameawo dome o.
People will tie you with ropes, with the result that you will be unable to go out among the people.
26 Mana wò aɖe nalé ɖe wò aŋɔ ŋu le wò nu me ale be nàzu aɖetututɔ, eye màte ŋu aka mo na wo o, togbɔ be wonye ame dzeaglãwo hã.
[Even though] they are very rebellious people, I will cause your tongue to stick to the roof of your mouth, with the result that you will be unable to talk and to rebuke them.
27 Ke ne meƒo nu na wò la, maʋu nu na wò, eye nàgblɔ na ameawo be, ‘Esiae nye nya si Aƒetɔ Yehowa gblɔ.’ Ame sia ame si aɖo toe la, neɖo toe, eye ame sia ame si agbe toɖoɖoe la, negbe, elabena ƒome dzeaglãwo wonye.”
[then] when I speak to [again], I will enable you to talk [MTY], and you will say to them, ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord says,’ [and you will tell them my message]. Those who are willing to [to what you say] will listen, [many] will refuse to listen, because they are rebellious people [MTY].”
