Hosea 10
1 Kpɔ ale si kesinɔnuwo yɔ Israel ɖa! Israel le abe wainka si vu, eye wòtse ku kplanya la ene. Ale si ke wòtse ku geɖewoe la, nenema ke wòtua vɔsamlekpuiwoe. Zi ale si meyra ɖe eƒe anyigba dzi la, zi nenema ke wòliaa legba dzɔtsuwoe.
“Israel was [like a large] healthy/luxuriant vine [MET] that produced [a lot of] grapes. But as the people became richer, they made more altars [at which to worship idols]. As the people prospered, they [built and] decorated sacred pillars [that they worshiped].
2 Woƒe dziwo te ɖa xaa tso Mawu gbɔ. Wodze agɔ, eya ta ele be woahe to na wo. Yehowa agbã woƒe trɔ̃ƒewo, eye wòagbã woƒe legbawo.
They are deceitful; [so] now they are guilty and must be punished. [I], Yahweh, will tear down their altars and smash those pillars.
3 Ekema woagblɔ be, “Fia aɖeke megale mía si o, elabena míede bubu Yehowa ŋu o. Ke ne fia le mía si hã la, nu ka wòawɔ na mí?”
Then they will say, ‘It is because we did not revere Yahweh that we no [longer] have a king. But [even if we had] a king, he certainly could not [RHQ] do anything to help us.’
4 Wokaa atam dzodzrowo tsɔ ɖoa kpe nubabla dzii, eya ta ʋɔnudɔdrɔ̃ anye ɖe wo ŋuti abe ale si aɖigbe miena ɖe agble me ene.
They falsely promise [that they will do many things]; they solemnly promise and make agreements, but they do not do what they promise. So people accuse and sue [each other in the courts]; they are like [SIM] poisonous weeds [that grow] in a plowed field.
5 Ŋɔdzi ɖo Samariatɔwo le woƒe nyivimawu si le Bet Aven ta. Esubɔlawo le nu xam le eta, eye vodua ƒe nunɔlawo axa nu le esi eƒe ŋutikɔkɔe dzo le egbɔ la ta.
The people who live in Samaria [city] are worried about [what may happen to the idol that resembles] a calf [that they set up] at Beth-Aven [town]. The people in Samaria will mourn, and the priests there will cry about it [if it is damaged or destroyed]. [Previously] they shouted joyfully about its being very great; but now it will not be great any more.
6 Ne Asiriatɔwo ɖe aboyo wo mlɔeba la, woatsɔ woƒe nyivimawu la ana Asiria fia, Yareb, abe nunana ene. Ŋukpe alé Efraim, eye Israel ƒe mo atsi yaa le eƒe legbawo ta.
It will be taken to Assyria to be a gift for the great King [of Assyria]. [So the people of] Israel will be disgraced, and they will be ashamed because [they trusted in] that idol.
7 Woakplɔ Samaria kple eƒe fia adzoe abe ale si ƒutsotsoe kplɔa futukpɔ dzonae ene.
The King of Samaria [and the other people in Samaria] will be gone; they will be like [SIM] a twig [that floats away] on the surface of the water [and disappears].
8 Woagbã vɔ̃ɖinyenye ƒe vɔsaƒe siwo le Aven, eyae nye Israel ƒe nu vɔ̃. Ŋu kple aŋɔka avu atsyɔ woƒe vɔsamlekpuiwo dzi. Woagblɔ na towo be, “Mitsyɔ mía dzi,” eye woagblɔ na togbɛwo be, “Mimu dze mía dzi.”
The altars on the tops of hills [where the people worshiped idols] will be destroyed; those have been the places where the people of Israel sinned greatly. Thorns and weeds will grow and cover those altars. Then the people will plead to the mountains and hills, ‘Fall [down and] cover us [to protect us from God punishing us]!’
9 “O Israel, èwɔ nu vɔ̃ tso Gibea ŋɔli ke, eye nègale ewɔwɔ dzi. Ɖe Gibea ƒe nu vɔ̃ wɔwɔ mena woɖu wo dzi le aʋa me oa?
[You people of] Israel, [ever since your ancestors did evil things] at Gibeah, you have continued to sin. [When the people at] [PRS] Gibeah [did evil things], the result was a war [in which thousands of people died].
10 Matso ɖe mia ŋuti le miaƒe tosesẽ ta; ɖe miaƒe nu vɔ̃ siwo do agba ɖe mia dzi ta la, madɔ dukɔ bubuwo ƒe asrafowo ɖe mia ŋuti be woahe to na mi, le miaƒe nu vɔ̃ eve siwo dzɔ le ɣeyiɣi ɖeka me la ta.
[So now], when I want to, I will punish the Israeli people. Because of the many sins that they have committed, [the armies of other] nations will gather to attack them, and they will cause the Israeli people to become their slaves.
11 Efraim léa be na nyiviwo nyuie, eye blinyɔnyɔ hã dzɔa dzi nɛ; azɔ la matsɔ kɔkuti ade eƒe kɔ nyuie la, eye matsi ɖe tasiaɖam ŋu, Yuda aŋlɔ agble, eye Yakob adzobo anyigba
Israel is [like] [MET] a well-trained (heifer/young cow) that likes to thresh [grain]. [So now you will become slaves]. [It will be as though] I will put a yoke on your neck, and you will be forced to work hard for your enemies in their fields. [You people of] Israel and Judah [will be forced to go to Assyria]; there you [DOU] will pull plows to break up the ground [for planting seeds].
12 Miƒã dzɔdzɔenyenye ƒe ku, ekema miaŋe nye lɔlɔ̃; miŋlɔ miaƒe dzi sesẽ la abe agble ene, elabena azɔe nye Yehowa diɣi, be wòava akɔ dzɔdzɔenyenye ɖe mia dzi.
[You plow your fields and plant your seeds] and harvest [your crops] [MET], [but what you need to do is] to act righteously and to faithfully love [me]; you need to repent [MET], because it is time to try to know [me], Yahweh; and if you do that, I will pour out [MET] many blessings on you.
13 Ke miede nu vɔ̃ɖi wɔwɔ ƒe agble, miexa nu madzɔmadzɔ wɔwɔ, mieɖu alakpakutsetse; elabena mieɖo ŋu ɖe miaƒe ŋusẽ kple aʋakɔ gã la ŋu.
You [plant seeds and harvest the crops and eat them]; [but what I consider that you have really done is] that you have planted wicked things and harvested evil things and eaten [MET] the results [IDM] of the lies [that you have told]. [Instead of trusting in me, ] you have (depended on/trusted in) your own power and in your many soldiers.
14 Esia ta aʋawɔwɔ ƒe ŋɔdzi alé wò dukɔ, eye woagbã wò mɔ sesẽwo katã, abe ale si Salman wɔe le Bet Arbel ene; le nyadzɔdzɔ ma me la, wolé nyɔnuwo kple wo viwo siaa xlã ɖe anyi woku.
As a result, you will [soon] hear the roar of battle, and all your cities that have walls around them will be destroyed, like [SIM] Shalman’s [army] destroyed Beth-Arbel [city] in a battle, and the women [in that city] and their children were bashed to death.
15 Esia anye ale si woawɔ wò, O Betel, elabena wò nu vɔ̃ɖiwo sɔ gbɔ. Le ŋdi kanya gbe ɖeka la, woaɖe Israel fia ƒe agbe ɖa.
[You people of] [APO] Bethel [city], that is what will happen to you, because you are very wicked. And when the sun rises [on that day], the King of Israel will be killed [in the battle].”
