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, speak to the sons of your people, and you shall say to them: Concerning the land, when I will have led the sword over it: if the people of the land take a man, one of their least, and appoint him over themselves as a watchman,
3 eye wòkpɔ yi la wògbɔna ɖe dukɔ la ŋu, ne eku kpẽ be yeaxlɔ̃ nu eƒe amewo la,
and if he sees the sword approaching over the land, and he sounds the trumpet, and he announces to the people,
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, having heard the sound of the trumpet, whoever he is, if he also does not take care of himself, and the sword arrives and takes him: his blood will be upon his own head.
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.
He heard the sound of the trumpet, and he did not take care of himself, so his blood will be upon him. But if he guards himself, he will save his own life.
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.
And if the watchman sees the sword approaching, and he does not sound the trumpet, and so the people do not guard themselves, and the sword arrives and takes some of their lives, certainly these have been taken due to their own iniquity. But I will attribute their blood to the hand of the watchman.
7 “Ame vi, mewɔ wò gbetakpɔla na Israel ƒe aƒe la, eya ta se nya si magblɔ la, eye nàna nuxɔxlɔ̃ wo tso gbɔnye.
And as for you, son of man, I have made you a watchman to the house of Israel. Therefore, having heard the word from my mouth, you shall announce it to them from me.
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 impious, ‘O impious man, you will die a death,’ if you have not spoken so that the impious man will keep himself from his way, then that impious man will die in his iniquity. But I will attribute his blood to your hand.
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 have announced to the impious man, so that he may be converted from his ways, and he has not converted from his way, then he will die in his iniquity. Yet you will have freed your own soul.
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?’
You, therefore, O son of man, say to the house of Israel: You have spoken in this way, saying: ‘Our iniquities and our sins are upon us, and we waste away in them. So then, how would we be able to live?’
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: As I live, says the Lord God, I do not desire the death of the impious, but that the impious should convert from his way and live. Be converted, be converted from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house 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 as for you then, son of man, say to the sons of your people: The justice of the just man will not deliver him, on whatever day he will have sinned. And the impiety of the impious man will not harm him, on whatever day he will have been converted from his impiety. And the just man will not be able to live by his justice, on whatever day he will have sinned.
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.
Even now, if I say to the just man that he shall certainly live, and so, with confidence in his justice, he commits iniquity, all his justices will be delivered into oblivion, and by his iniquity, which he has done, by this he shall die.
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 if I say to the impious man, ‘You shall certainly die,’ and yet he repents from his sin, and he does judgment and justice,
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.
and if that impious man returns the collateral, and repays what he has taken by force, and if he walks in the commandments of life, and does not do anything unjust, then he shall certainly live, and he shall not die.
16 Womaɖo ŋku eƒe nu vɔ̃ siwo wòwɔ la dometɔ aɖeke dzi nɛ o. Ewɔ nu si dzɔ, eye wòle eteƒe; anɔ agbe kokoko.
None of his sins, which he has committed, will be imputed to him. He has done judgment and justice, so he shall certainly live.
17 “Ke wò dukɔmetɔwo gblɔna be, ‘Aƒetɔ la ƒe mɔ mele eteƒe o,’ le esime wònye woawo boŋ ƒe mɔe mele eteƒe o.
And the sons of your people have said, ‘The way of the Lord is not a fair balance,’ even while their own way is unjust.
18 Ne ame dzɔdzɔe aɖe ɖe asi le eƒe nu dzɔdzɔe wɔwɔ ŋuti, eye wòwɔ nu vɔ̃ la, aku ɖe eƒe nu vɔ̃ ta.
For when the just man will have withdrawn from his justice, and committed iniquities, he shall die by these.
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 impious man will have withdrawn from his impiety, and have done judgment and justice, he shall live by these.
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 yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not right.’ But I shall judge each one of you according to his own ways, O house of Israel.”
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!”
And it happened that, in the twelfth year of our transmigration, in the tenth month, on the fifth of the month, one who had fled from Jerusalem arrived saying, “The city has been laid waste.”
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.
But the hand of the Lord had been upon me in the evening, before the one who had fled arrived. And he opened my mouth, until he came to me in the morning. And since my mouth had been opened, I was no longer silent.
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, as for those who live in these ruinous ways on the soil of Israel, when speaking, they say: ‘Abraham was one man, and he possessed the land as an inheritance. But we are many; the land has been given to us as a possession.’
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?
Therefore, you shall say to them: Thus says the Lord God: You who eat even the blood, and who lift up your eyes to your uncleannesses, and who shed blood: will you possess the land as an inheritance?
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 stood by your swords, you committed abominations, and each one has defiled his neighbor’s wife. And will you possess the land as an inheritance?
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.
You shall say these things to them: So says the Lord God: As I live, those who live in ruinous ways will fall by the sword. And whoever is in the field will be delivered over to wild beasts to be devoured. But those who are in fortresses and in caves will die of the pestilence.
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 into a wilderness and a desert. And its arrogant strength will fail. And the mountains of Israel will be desolate; for there will be no one who crosses through them.
29 Ekema woanya be, nyee nye Yehowa, ne mena anyigba la zu aƒedo kple gbegbe le ŋunyɔnu siwo katã wowɔ la ta.
And they shall know that I am the Lord, when I will have made their land desolate and deserted, because of all their abominations, which they have worked.
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, O son of man: the sons of your people speak about you beside the walls and in the doorways of houses. And they speak to one another, each man to his neighbor, saying: ‘Come, and let us hear what may be the word going forth 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 if the people were entering, and my people sit before you. And they listen to your words, but they do not do them. For they turn them into a song for their mouth, but their heart pursues their own avarice.
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 you are to them like a verse set to music, which is sung with a sweet and pleasing voice. And they hear your words, but they do not do them.
33 “Ne nu siawo katã va eme, eye woava eme hã la, ekema woanya be nyagblɔɖila aɖe nɔ yewo dome.”
And when what has been predicted occurs, for behold it is approaching, then they shall know that a prophet was among them.”
