Habakuk 1
1 Esiae nye gbedeasi si va na Nyagblɔɖila Habakuk.
This is the message that Habakkuk saw in vision.
2 O Yehowa, zi nenie mado ɣli ayɔ wò hafi nàxɔ nam? Medo ɣli yɔ wò ʋuu gake ŋuɖoɖo aɖeke meva o. Nu ka ta medo ɣli be: “Ŋutasesẽ le edzi yim” gake mèɖo xɔname ɖa o.
Lord, how long do I have to cry out for help and you don't listen? I cry out, “Violence!” but you don't save us from it.
3 Nu ka ta nèna mele nu vlo wɔwɔ teƒe kpɔm? Nu ka wɔ nèɖe mɔ na nu gbegblẽ wɔwɔ? Elabena gbegblẽ kple ŋutasesẽ le ŋkunye me eye avuwɔwɔ kple dzrewɔwɔ ƒo xlãm.
Why do you force me to see this wickedness and suffering? Why do you just observe such destruction and violence? Arguments and fighting happen right in front of me!
4 Ŋusẽ megale se la si o eye afiaŋkunɔtsotso bɔ ɖe ʋɔnudrɔ̃ƒewo elabena ame vɔ̃ɖiwo ɖe to ɖe ame dzɔdzɔewo. Eya ta wotsyɔ nu nya dzɔdzɔe dzi.
As a result the law is paralyzed, and justice never wins. The wicked crowd out those who do right so that the course of justice is perverted.
5 Yehowa ɖo eŋu nam be, “Nɔ ŋku lém ɖe dukɔ siwo ƒo xlã wò la ŋuti eye nu si nàkpɔ la awɔ nuku na wò. Mele nane wɔ ge le wò ŋkekewo me esi ne wogblɔe na wò la màxɔe ase o.
Look around at the nations, watch and be surprised and amazed. Something is going to happen in your time that you wouldn't believe even if you were told.
6 Mele Babiloniatɔwo fɔm ɖe te; dukɔ nyanyra ma si wɔa nu kabakaba tamemabumabutɔe; ame siwo azɔ to anyigba blibo la dzi be woaxɔ nɔƒe siwo menye wo tɔ o.
Watch! I am raising up the Babylonians, a cruel and brutal people who will march across the world to seize other lands.
7 Ŋɔdzi kple vɔvɔ̃ le wo ŋu; wowɔa nu si dze woawo ŋutɔ ŋu; wodoa wo ɖokuiwo ɖe dzi.
They are fearsome and terrifying, and so proud of themselves that they set their own rules.
8 Woƒe sɔwo ƒua du wu lãkle, eye wonyrana wu amegaxi le zã me. Woƒe asrafo sɔdolawo lũna ɖe nu dzi kple kalẽ; ɖeɖi metea woƒe sɔdolawo ŋu o. Wosaa agba le futɔwo dzi abe hɔ̃ si di be yeaƒo nu ene.
Their horses are faster than leopards and fiercer than hungry wolves. Their cavalry charges, racing in from far away. Like eagles, they swoop down to eat their prey.
9 Woƒe tameɖoɖo koe nye be woagblẽ nu. Woƒe amehawo gbɔna kple du abe yaƒoƒo kple dzo sesẽ le dzogbe ene, ne woalé aboyomewo woasɔ gbɔ fũu abe ƒutake ene.
Here they come, all intent on violence. Their armies advance in frontal assault as rapidly as the desert wind, capturing so many prisoners they are like sand.
10 Woɖua fewu le fiawo kple dumegãwo ŋuti eye woɖea alɔme le woƒe mɔ sesẽwo ŋuti. Ɖeko woƒua kpo ɖe woƒe gli sesẽwo ŋuti eye woxɔa dua!
They mock kings and scoff at rulers. They laugh in scorn at fortresses—they pile up earth ramps and capture them.
11 Emegbe wohona dzona abe ya si ƒo va yi la ene gake woƒe nu vɔ̃ do agba ɖe wo dzi elabena wotsɔ woƒe ŋusẽ wɔ woƒe mawue.”
Then they sweep on by like the wind and are gone. They are guilty because their own strength is their god.
12 O Yehowa, mèli tso mavɔ me ke oa? Nye Mawu, nye Kɔkɔetɔ la maku o. O Yehowa, wòe tia wo be woadrɔ̃ ʋɔnu mí. O Agakpe, wòe ɖo wo be woahe to na mí.
Haven't you existed from eternity past? You are Lord my God, my Holy One, you do not die. Lord, you appointed them to execute judgment; God our Rock, you sent them to punish us.
13 Wò ŋkuwo dza ale gbegbe be màte ŋu akpɔ nu vɔ̃ɖi o eye màte ŋu alɔ̃ nu gbegblẽ hã o; ke nu ka tae nèɖe mɔ wole nu tovo wɔm? Nu ka ta nèzi kpi ame vɔ̃ɖiwo mi ame siwo le dzɔdzɔe wu wo?
Your eyes are too pure to look upon evil; you cannot stand the sight of wrong. So why do you put up with untrustworthy people? Why are you silent when the wicked destroy those who do less evil than they do?
14 Èwɔ amewo le abe lã siwo le atsiaƒu me kple nu gbagbe siwo le atsiaƒu me kplɔla meli na o ene.
You make people become like fish in the sea, or like crawling insects, that have no ruler.
15 Futɔ vɔ̃ɖi la ɖe wo katã ɖe go kple ƒu. Eda ɖɔ na wo eye wòɖe wo ɖe eƒe ɖɔ me eya tae wòle dzidzɔ kpɔm, le aseye tsom ɖo.
They drag everyone up with hooks, they pull them out with nets, catching them in dragnets. Then they happily celebrate.
16 Esia ta wòsa vɔ na eƒe ɖɔ, eye wòdo dzudzɔ ʋeʋĩ na eƒe asabu, elabena eƒe ɖɔe na wòle agbe vivi ɖum eye nuɖuɖu damiwo le eƒe akɔme.
They worship their nets as if they were gods, making sacrifices and burning incense to them, because by their nets they live in luxury, eating rich food.
17 Ɖe nàɖe mɔ be woanɔ ɖɔdada dzi ahatsrɔ̃ dukɔwo nublanuimakpɔtɔea?
Will they keep on unsheathing their swords forever, killing nations without mercy?
