Hosea 1
1 Esiawoe nye gbedeasi siwo va na Hosea, Beeri ƒe vi la le Yuda fia ene siawo ŋɔli: Uzia, Yotam, Ahaz kple Hezekia. Le ɣeyiɣi sia me ke Yoas ƒe vi Yeroboam nye fia le Israel.
[I am] Hosea, the son of Beeri. Yahweh gave me these messages [at various times] during the years that Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were the kings of Judah, and Jeroboam the son of Jehoash was the King of Israel.
2 Gbedeasi gbãtɔe nye esi: Yehowa gblɔ na Hosea be, “Yi nàɖe ɖetugbi aɖe si nye gbolo, ale be vi siwo wòadzi na wò la, woanye ahasiviwo. Esia aɖe alakpanu siwo wɔm nye dukɔ la le ɖe ŋutinye la afia, wowɔ ahasi to mawu bubuwo subɔsubɔ me, eye wotrɔ le Yehowa yome.”
When Yahweh first [began to] give messages to me [to tell to the people of Israel], he said to me, “Go and marry a prostitute. But [some of] her children will be born as a result of her having sex with men to whom she is not married. That will illustrate how the people of Israel have turned away from me and worship (idols/other gods).”
3 Ale Hosea yi ɖaɖe Gomer, Dioblaim ƒe vinyɔnu, eye wòdzi ŋutsuvi nɛ.
So I married Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim. She became pregnant and gave birth to my son.
4 Eye Yehowa gblɔ na Hosea be, “Tsɔ ŋkɔ nɛ be Yezreel, elabena madidi o la, mahe to na Yehu ƒe aƒe la le ʋu si wokɔ ɖe anyi le Yezreel ta, eye matsi Israel ƒe fiaɖuƒe la nu.
Yahweh said to me, “Give him the name Jezreel, [which means ‘God scatters’], because I will soon punish the descendants [MTY] of [King] Jehu [by scattering them], because he killed many of my people at Jezreel [town]. [Some day] I will end the kingdom of Israel,
5 Gbe ma gbe la, magbã Israel ƒe ŋusẽ le Yezreel ƒe balime.”
by destroying the power [MTY] of [the army of] Israel in Jezreel Valley.”
6 Sẽe kple sẽe la, Gomer gafɔ fu, eye wòdzi nyɔnuvi. Yehowa gblɔ na Hosea be, “Tsɔ ŋkɔ nɛ be Loruhama, si gɔmee nye, ‘Nyemagakpɔ nublanui nɛ o,’ elabena nyemagakpɔ nublanui na Israel, atsɔ vɔ̃ akee o,
[Later] Gomer became pregnant [again], and she gave birth to a daughter. Yahweh said to me “Give her the name Lo-ruhamah, [which means ‘not loved],’ because I will no longer [show that I] love the people [MET] of Israel, and I will not forgive them [for the sins that they have committed].
7 gake makpɔ nublanui na Yuda. Nye ŋutɔ mawɔ aʋa kple woƒe futɔwo, aɖe wo le woƒe asi me, gake menye to dati, yi, aʋawɔnuwo, sɔ kple sɔdolawo dzi o, ke boŋ to Yehowa, woƒe Mawu la dzi.”
But I will [show that I] love the people [MTY] of Judah [by saving them from their enemies]. However, it will not be by weapons and armies or horses and chariots that I will save them. Instead, it will be by [the power that I], Yahweh their God, [have].”
8 Esi Gomer tso no na Loruhama vɔ la, egafɔ fu, eye wòdzi ŋutsuvi.
After Gomer had (weaned/stopped breast-feeding) Lo-ruhamah, she became pregnant again, and she gave birth to another son.
9 Yehowa gblɔ na Hosea be, “Tsɔ ŋkɔ nɛ be Loami, si gɔmee nye, ‘Menye tɔnyee o,’ elabena Israel menye tɔnye o, eye nye hã nyemenye eƒe Mawu o.
Yahweh said “Give him the name Lo-ammi, [which means 'not my people', ] because the people of Israel are no [longer my people], and I am not their God.
10 “Ɣeyiɣi li gbɔna esi Israel akpɔ dzidzedze, azu dukɔ gã aɖe; le ɣe ma ɣi me la, ame aɖeke mate ŋu axlẽ wo o, elabena woasɔ gbɔ abe ƒutake ene! Ale be, le esi megblɔ na wo be, ‘Mienye nye dukɔ o’ teƒe la, magblɔ na wo be, ‘Mienye vinyewo, Mawu Gbagbe la ƒe viwo.’
But [some day] the people of Israel will be [as numerous] as [SIM] the [grains of] sand on the seashore; no one will be able to count them. Now [I] am saying to them, ‘You are not my people,’ but then people will say to them, ‘[You are the] children of God who is all-powerful.’
11 Ekema Yudatɔwo kple Israelviwo awɔ ɖeka, eye woaɖo fia ɖeka; wo katã woatrɔ tso aboyome ɖekae, eye Yezreel ƒe ŋkeke la anye ŋkeke gã aɖe ŋutɔ.”
[At that time], the people of Judah and the people of Israel will unite. They will appoint one leader for all of them, and they will return from the countries [to which they have been (exiled/forced to go)]. That will be a great time; Jezreel [also means ‘God plants’, and it will be as though God will plant them in this country again].”
