Hezekiel 33
1 Yehowa ƒe gbe va nam be,
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
2 “Ame vi, ƒo nu na wò dukɔmetɔwo, eye nàgblɔ na wo be ne metsɔ yi ɖe dukɔ aɖe ŋu, eye dukɔa me tɔwo tia wo dometɔ ɖeka wòzu gbetakplɔla,
Son of man, give a word to the children of your people, and say to them, When I make the sword come on a land, if the people of the land take a man from among their number and make him their watchman:
3 eye wòkpɔ yi la wògbɔna ɖe dukɔ la ŋu, ne eku kpẽ be yeaxlɔ̃ nu eƒe amewo la,
If, when he sees the sword coming on the land, by sounding the horn he gives the people news of their danger;
4 ekema ne ame aɖe se kpẽ la, gake melé fɔ ɖe nuxlɔ̃ame la ŋu o, eye yi la va wui la, eƒe ʋu anɔ eya ŋutɔ ƒe ta dzi.
Then anyone who, hearing the sound of the horn, does not take note of it, will himself be responsible for his death, if the sword comes and takes him away.
5 Esi wòse kpẽ la ƒe ɖiɖi, gake mewɔ nuxlɔ̃ame la dzi o ta la, eƒe ʋu anɔ eya ŋutɔ ƒe ta dzi. Nenye ɖe wòwɔ ɖe nuxlɔ̃ame la dzi la, anye ne eɖe eɖokui.
On hearing the sound of the horn, he did not take note; his blood will be on him; for if he had taken note his life would have been safe.
6 Ke ne gbetakpɔla la kpɔ yi la wògbɔna, eye meku kpẽ la be yeaɖo afɔ afɔta na ameawo o, eye yi la va wu wo dometɔ ɖeka la, woakplɔ ame la adzoe le eƒe nu vɔ̃ ta, gake mana gbetakpɔla la nana akɔnta le eƒe ʋu ŋuti.
But if the watchman sees the sword coming, and does not give a note on the horn, and the people have no word of the danger, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them; he will be taken away in his sin, but I will make the watchman responsible for his blood.
7 “Ame vi, mewɔ wò gbetakpɔla na Israel ƒe aƒe la, eya ta se nya si magblɔ la, eye nàna nuxɔxlɔ̃ wo tso gbɔnye.
So you, son of man, I have made you a watchman for the children of Israel; and you are to give ear to the word of my mouth and give them news from me of their danger.
8 Ne megblɔ na ame vɔ̃ɖi la be, ‘O ame vɔ̃ɖi, èle kuku ge godoo,’ eye ne mègbe nɛ be wòaɖe asi le eƒe mɔ vɔ̃wo ŋu o la, ame vɔ̃ɖi ma aku ɖe eƒe nu vɔ̃ ta, eye mana nàna akɔnta le eƒe ʋu ŋu.
When I say to the evil-doer, Death will certainly overtake you; and you say nothing to make clear to the evil-doer the danger of his way; death will overtake that evil man in his evil-doing, but I will make you responsible for his blood.
9 Ke ne ègblɔ na ame vɔ̃ɖi la be wòaɖe asi le eƒe mɔ vɔ̃wo ŋu, eye wògbe la, aku ɖe eƒe nu vɔ̃ ta, ke wò ya la, àɖe ɖokuiwò.
But if you make clear to the evil-doer the danger of his way for the purpose of turning him from it, and he is not turned from his way, death will overtake him in his evil-doing, but your life will be safe.
10 “Ame vi, gblɔ na Israel ƒe aƒe la be nya si gblɔm mele enye, ‘Míaƒe dzidadawo kple míaƒe nu vɔ̃wo zu agba na mí, eye wona míele tsɔtsrɔ̃m le wo ta. Ekema aleke míate ŋu anɔ agbee?’
And you, son of man, say to the children of Israel, You say, Our wrongdoing and our sins are on us and we are wasting away in them; how then may we have life?
11 Gblɔ na wo be Aƒetɔ Yehowa be, ‘Meta ɖokuinye ƒe agbe be, ame vɔ̃ɖi ƒe ku medoa dzidzɔ nam o, ke boŋ medina be woaɖe asi le woƒe mɔ vɔ̃wo ŋu, eye woanɔ agbe. Mitrɔ dzi me! Miɖe asi le miaƒe mɔ vɔ̃wo ŋu! Nu ka ta miaku, O! Israel ƒe aƒe?’
Say to them, By my life, says the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of the evil-doer; it is more pleasing to me if he is turned from his way and has life: be turned, be turned from your evil ways; why are you looking for death, O children of Israel?
12 “Eya ta Ame vi, gblɔ na wò dukɔmetɔwo be, ‘Ame dzɔdzɔe ƒe dzɔdzɔenyenye maɖee, ne egbe toɖoɖo o, eye ame vɔ̃ɖi ƒe vɔ̃ɖivɔ̃ɖi mana wòaku, ne etrɔ dzi me o. Ne ame dzɔdzɔe wɔ nu vɔ̃ la, womaɖe mɔ nɛ be wòanɔ agbe le eƒe tsã ƒe dzɔdzɔenyenye ta o.’
And you, son of man, say to the children of your people, The righteousness of the upright man will not make him safe in the day when he does wrong; and the evil-doing of the evil man will not be the cause of his fall in the day when he is turned from his evil-doing; and the upright man will not have life because of his righteousness in the day when he does evil.
13 Ne megblɔ na ame dzɔdzɔe la be aku godoo, ke wòɖo ŋu ɖe eƒe dzɔdzɔenyenye ŋu, eye wòwɔ nu vɔ̃ la, womaɖo ŋku nu dzɔdzɔe siwo wòwɔ va yi la dometɔ aɖeke dzi o; aku le nu vɔ̃ si wòwɔ la ta.
When I say to the upright that life will certainly be his; if he puts his faith in his righteousness and does evil, not one of his upright acts will be kept in memory; but in the evil he has done, death will overtake him.
14 Eye ne megblɔ na ame vɔ̃ɖi la be, ‘Èle kuku ge godoo’ ke wòɖe asi le eƒe nu vɔ̃ ŋu, eye wòwɔ nu si dzɔ, eye wònyo,
And when I say to the evil-doer, Death will certainly be your fate; if he is turned from his sin and does what is ordered and right;
15 ne egbugbɔ awɔbanu na nutɔ, ɖo nu si wòfi teƒe, eye wòwɔ nu si naa agbe, eye mewɔ nu vɔ̃ aɖeke o la, anɔ agbe kokoko, maku o.
If the evil-doer lets one who is in his debt have back what is his, and gives back what he had taken by force, and is guided by the rules of life, doing no evil; life will certainly be his, death will not overtake him.
16 Womaɖo ŋku eƒe nu vɔ̃ siwo wòwɔ la dometɔ aɖeke dzi nɛ o. Ewɔ nu si dzɔ, eye wòle eteƒe; anɔ agbe kokoko.
Not one of the sins which he has done will be kept in mind against him: he has done what is ordered and right, life will certainly be his.
17 “Ke wò dukɔmetɔwo gblɔna be, ‘Aƒetɔ la ƒe mɔ mele eteƒe o,’ le esime wònye woawo boŋ ƒe mɔe mele eteƒe o.
But the children of your people say, The way of the Lord is not equal: when it is they whose way is not equal.
18 Ne ame dzɔdzɔe aɖe ɖe asi le eƒe nu dzɔdzɔe wɔwɔ ŋuti, eye wòwɔ nu vɔ̃ la, aku ɖe eƒe nu vɔ̃ ta.
When the upright man, turning away from his righteousness, does evil, death will overtake him in it.
19 Nenema ke ne ame vɔ̃ɖi aɖe ɖe asi le eƒe vɔ̃ɖivɔ̃ɖi ŋuti, eye wòwɔ nu si dzɔ, eye wòle eteƒe la, anɔ agbe to nu sia wɔwɔ me.
And when the evil man, turning away from his evil-doing, does what is ordered and right, he will get life by it.
20 Ke, O! Israel ƒe aƒe, ègblɔna be, ‘Aƒetɔ la ƒe mɔ mele eteƒe o.’ Ke madrɔ̃ ʋɔnu mia dometɔ ɖe sia ɖe, ɖe eya ŋutɔ ƒe zɔzɔme nu.”
And still you say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O children of Israel, I will be your judge, giving to everyone the reward of his ways.
21 Le míaƒe aboyomenɔnɔ ƒe ƒe wuievelia ƒe ŋkeke atɔ̃lia gbe la, ŋutsu aɖe si si tso Yerusalem la va tum, eye wògblɔ nam be, “Wogbã du la!”
Now in the twelfth year after we had been taken away prisoners, in the tenth month, on the fifth day of the month, one who had got away in flight from Jerusalem came to me, saying, The town has been taken.
22 Azɔ la, fiẽ si do ŋgɔ na ŋutsu la ƒe vava la, Yehowa ƒe asi nɔ dzinye, eʋu nye nu hafi ŋutsu la va gbɔnye le ŋdi me. Ale nye nu ʋu, eye nyemegazi ɖoɖoe o.
Now the hand of the Lord had been on me in the evening, before the man who had got away came to me; and he made my mouth open, ready for his coming to me in the morning; and my mouth was open and I was no longer without voice.
23 Eye Yehowa ƒe gbe va nam be,
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
24 “Ame vi, ame siwo le du gbagbã mawo me le Israelnyigba dzi la le gbɔgblɔm be, ‘Ame ɖeka pɛ koe nye Abraham, ke anyigba la nye etɔ. Ke míawo ya, míesɔ gbɔ. Eme kɔ ƒãa be míawoe wotsɔ anyigba la na be wòanye mía tɔ.’
Son of man, those who are living in these waste places in the land of Israel say, Abraham was but one, and he had land for his heritage: but we are a great number; the land is given to us for our heritage.
25 Eya ta gblɔ na wo be, aleae Aƒetɔ Yehowa gblɔ. ‘Esi mieɖua lã si me ʋu gale, miekpɔa miaƒe legbawo dzi ɖa, eye miekɔa ʋu ɖi la, ekema ɖe anyigba la anye mia tɔa?
For this cause say to them, This is what the Lord has said: You take your meat with the blood, your eyes are lifted up to your images, and you are takers of life: are you to have the land for your heritage?
26 Mieɖoa ŋu ɖe miaƒe yi ŋu, miewɔa ŋunyɔnuwo, eye mia dometɔ ɖe sia ɖe gblẽ kɔ ɖo na nɔvia srɔ̃. Ekema ɖe anyigba la anye mia tɔa?’”
You put your faith in your swords, you do disgusting things, everyone takes his neighbour's wife: are you to have the land for your heritage?
27 Gblɔ na wo be, alea Aƒetɔ Yehowa gblɔ. “Meta ɖokuinye ƒe agbe be, ame siwo susɔ ɖe du gbagbãwo me la atsi yi nu; matsɔ ame siwo le gbedzi la ade asi na lã wɔadãwo woavuvu wo, eye ame siwo le mɔ sesẽwo me kple agadowo me la, dɔvɔ̃ awu wo.
This is what you are to say to them: The Lord has said, By my life, truly, those who are in the waste places will be put to the sword, and him who is in the open field I will give to the beasts for their food, and those who are in the strong places and in holes in the rocks will come to their death by disease.
28 Mana anyigba la nazu aƒedo kple gbegbe, eye eƒe ŋusẽ si ŋu wòƒoa adegbe le la nu atso. Israel ƒe towo atsi ƒuƒlu ale be ame aɖeke magate ŋu ato wo dzi ayi o.
And I will make the land a waste and a cause of wonder, and the pride of her strength will come to an end; and the mountains of Israel will be made waste so that no one will go through.
29 Ekema woanya be, nyee nye Yehowa, ne mena anyigba la zu aƒedo kple gbegbe le ŋunyɔnu siwo katã wowɔ la ta.
Then they will be certain that I am the Lord, when I have made the land a waste and a cause of wonder, because of all the disgusting things which they have done,
30 “Ke wò ya la, Ame vi, wò dukɔmetɔwo le nu ƒom le ŋuwò le gliwo ŋu kple le woƒe aƒetɔ ƒe ʋɔtruwo nu. Wole gbɔgblɔm na wo nɔewo be, ‘Miva se gbedeasi si tso Yehowa gbɔ.’
And as for you, son of man, the children of your people are talking together about you by the walls and in the doorways of the houses, saying to one another, Come now, give ear to the word which comes from the Lord.
31 Nye amewo vaa gbɔwò abe ale si wowɔna ɖaa ene, wonɔa anyi ɖe ŋgɔwò be yewoase wò nyawo, gake womewɔa wò nyawo dzi o. Wofiaa nyadziwɔwɔ kple woƒe nuyiwo, ke woƒe dzi klẽa ŋu ɖe viɖe ƒoɖiwo ŋu.
And they come to you as my people come, and are seated before you as my people, hearing your words but doing them not: for deceit is in their mouth and their heart goes after profit for themselves.
32 Le nyateƒe me la, le wo gbɔ la, mènye naneke wu ame si tsɔa gbe vivi dzia lɔlɔ̃hawo, eye nèƒoa haƒonu aɖe nyuie ale be woase wò nyawo, ke womewɔa wo dzi o.
And truly you are to them like a love song by one who has a very pleasing voice and is an expert player on an instrument: for they give ear to your words but do them not.
33 “Ne nu siawo katã va eme, eye woava eme hã la, ekema woanya be nyagblɔɖila aɖe nɔ yewo dome.”
And when this comes about (see, it is coming), then it will be clear to them that a prophet has been among them.
