Hezekiel 4
1 “Azɔ la, ame vi, tsɔ anyikpe aɖe, dae ɖe wò ŋkume, eye nàta Yerusalem du la ɖe edzi.
[Yahweh also said to me, ] “You human, take a large clay tablet/brick and put it in front of you. Then on the [engrave/draw] on it lines that represent Jerusalem.
2 Na ameawo naɖe to ɖee; tu nu siwo woatsɔ aɖe to ɖee la ɖe eŋu. Tu xɔ tsralawo ɖe eŋu, eye nàtu gligbãnuwo aƒo xlãe.
[draw figures around it to represent enemy soldiers who will] surround the city. Make mounds around it and a dirt ramp up against the [around the city]. [figures around it that represent] (battering rams/heavy logs that will break though the walls).
3 Emegbe la, nàtsɔ gagba awɔ gagli ɖe wò kple dua ƒe gliwo dome, eye nàdze ŋgɔe. Woaɖe to ɖee, eye nàxaxae ɖo. Esia anye dzesi aɖe na Israel ƒe aƒe la.
Then take an iron pan, and place it [to be] like an iron wall between you [the drawing of] the city. Then turn your face toward the drawing. It will symbolize [enemy troops will] surround the city to attack it. That will be a warning to the Israeli people [MTY].
4 “Ekema nàmlɔ wò miamekpa dzi, eye nàtsɔ Israel ƒe aƒe la ƒe nu vɔ̃wo ada ɖe ɖokuiwò dzi. Ele na wò be nàtsɔ woƒe nu vɔ̃wo ŋkeke ale si nàmlɔ wò miamekpa dzi.
Then lie on your left side, and stay like that for 390 days. That [symbolize that the Israeli people will be punished for] their sins; you must lie like that one day for each year during which they will be punished.
5 Metsɔ ŋkekewo ƒe xexlẽme ma ke na wò abe woƒe nu vɔ̃wo ƒe ƒewo ƒe xexlẽme ene. Ale hena ŋkeke alafa etɔ̃ kple blaasieke la, àtsɔ Israel ƒe aƒe la ƒe nu vɔ̃wo.
6 “Ne èwɔ esia vɔ la, nàgamlɔ anyi, azɔ ɖe wò ɖusimekpa dzi, eye nàtsɔ Yuda ƒe aƒe la ƒe nu vɔ̃wo. Metsɔ ŋkeke blaene na wò, ŋkeke ɖeka ɖe ƒe ɖeka nu.
After that, lie down again. This time, lie on your right side for 40 days. That [symbolize that the Israeli people will be punished more] for their sins, one day for each [during which they will be punished].
7 Trɔ wò mo ɖo ɖe toɖeɖe ɖe Yerusalem gbɔ. Mègatsɔ naneke tsyɔ abɔ o, eye nàgblɔ nya ɖi ɖe Yerusalem ŋu.
Turn your face [the drawing of] Jerusalem and bare your [like a soldier does who prepares to go into a battle] [MTY], and prophesy [what will happen to] the city.
8 Mabla wò kple ka ale be màte ŋu atrɔ tso axa ɖeka dzi ayi evelia dzi o va se ɖe esime nàwu wò toɖeɖe ɖe du la ƒe ŋkekewo nu.
[You will not be able to move; it will be as though] I have tied you with ropes in order that you cannot turn from one side to the other until you have [symbolizing how many years the city] will be (besieged/surrounded by enemy soldiers).
9 “Tsɔ bli, lu, ayi, ƒo kple mɔlu dzra ɖo ɖe ze me, tsɔ wo nàƒo aboloe na ɖokuiwò, eye nàɖui le ŋkeke alafa etɔ̃ kple blaasieke siwo me nàmlɔ axadzi.
[Before you do that, ] take some wheat and barley, beans, lentils, spelt and millet, and put them in a [storage] jar, and use that to bake [for yourself]. That is what you will eat during the 390 days while you lie on your [left] side.
10 Da nuɖuɖu gram alafa eve blaatɔ̃ na ɖuɖu gbe sia gbe, eye nàɖui le ɣeyiɣi ɖoɖowo dzi.
You will eat (8 ounces/a small loaf) of bread each day.
11 Kpe ɖe esia ŋu la, dzidze tsi hin ƒe mama adelia ƒe ɖeka, eye nànoe le ɣeyiɣi ɖoɖowo dzi.
[Also] measure out (1.5 pints/0.6 liter) of water to drink each day.
12 Ɖu nu la abe lubolo ene. Mee le ameawo ƒe ŋkume le dzo si wodo kple amegbetɔ ƒe afɔdzi la dzi.”
Eat that bread like you would eat a loaf of barley bread. But use your own dried dung for fuel to bake the bread while people are watching.
13 Yehowa gblɔ be, “Ale Israelviwo aɖu nu makɔmakɔ le dukɔwo dome, afi si manya wo aɖo ɖo.”
That will symbolize that the Israeli people will be forced to eat food that is unacceptable to me when they are living in the nations to which I will force them to go.”
14 Tete megblɔ be, “Ao, Yehowa, nyemegblẽ kɔ ɖo na ɖokuinye kpɔ haɖe o. Tso nye ɖekakpuime va se ɖe fifia la, nyemeɖu nu kuku aɖeke alo lã si lã wɔadãwo vuvu la kpɔ o. Lã makɔmakɔ aɖeke mege ɖe nye nu me kpɔ o.”
Then I said, “No, Yahweh God![Do not force me to do that]! I have never caused myself to become unacceptable to you [by doing anything like that]. From the time when I was young, I have never eaten meat of any [animal] that was found dead or that had been killed by wild animals. And I have never eaten any meat that is unacceptable to you.”
15 Egblɔ nam be, “Enyo ŋutɔ; mana nàme wò abolo le dzo si wodo kple nyi ƒe afɔdzi la dzi ɖe esi wodo kple amegbetɔ ƒe afɔdzi teƒe.”
Yahweh replied, “Okay, I will allow you to bake your bread using dried cow manure instead of human [for fuel].”
16 Emegbe la, egblɔ nam be, “Ame vi, mana be nuɖuɖu magaɖo Yerusalem o. Amewo aɖu nu si woama na wo le dzitsitsi me, eye woano tsi si woadzidze ama na wo le dziɖeleameƒo me,
Then he said to me, “You human, I will cause the supply of food to Jerusalem to be cut off. [Then] the people will eat the small amounts of food and drink the small amounts of [that the government permits them to have], and they will be [very] distressed and anxious as they do that,
17 elabena nuɖuɖu kple tsi magabɔ o. Ne wokpɔ wo nɔewo la, woƒe nu aku, eye woatsrɔ̃ le woƒe nu vɔ̃wo ta.”
because water and food will be very scarce. They will see each other becoming extremely thin, and they will be appalled; [but this will happen] because they are being punished [for the sins that they have committed].”
