Hosea 2
1 “Trɔ ŋkɔ na nɔviwò ŋutsua be Ami, si gɔmee nye ‘Azɔ ènye tɔnye,’ eye nàyɔ nɔviwò nyɔnu la be Ruhama si gɔmee nye ‘Nublanuikpɔkpɔ.’
[At that time, ] you will say to your fellow-Israeli men, “[You are] God’s people,” and [you will say] to your fellow-Israeli women, “You are ones whom God loves.”
2 “Mika mo na mia dada, elabena etrɔ zu ŋutsu bubu srɔ̃, eye nyemeganye srɔ̃a o. Mika mo nɛ be wòadzudzɔ ahasiwɔwɔ, eye megatsɔ eɖokui na ŋutsu bubuwo azɔ o.
[Yahweh also said to me], “I want you to accuse the Israeli people. [It is as though] [MET] this nation is your mother, but this nation is [no longer as though it is] [MET] my wife, and it is [no longer as though] [MET] I am its husband. Tell the Israeli people that they must stop [acting like] a prostitute [by worshiping other gods]; they must stop showing by their behavior that they (are unfaithful to/have abandoned) [me] [MET].
3 Ne egbe gale edzi la, maɖe avɔ le eŋuti wòanɔ amama abe gbe si gbe wodzii ene, eye mana wòasɔ kple gbegbe, anɔ abe kuɖiɖinyigba ene, eye mana tsikɔ nawui wòaku.
If they do not do that, I will not give them [food and] clothes [as a husband should give to his wife]; I will take away those things, and I will cause their nation to become [as deserted] as it was on the day that I [brought their ancestors out of Egypt and caused them to become a nation] [MET]. I will cause their country to be like [SIM] a desert; there will be no rain to water the ground [MET].
4 Nyemakpɔ nublanui na viawo o, elabena wonye ahasiviwo.
I will not pity the people, because they have [abandoned me] as [MET] prostitutes abandon their husbands.
5 Wo dada wɔ ahasi kple ŋutsu bubuwo, eye wodzi wo ɖe ŋukpe me hegblɔ be, ‘Mati ŋutsu bubuwo yome aku ɖe wo ŋuti, be woana nuɖuɖu, tsi, avɔ, ami kple aham.’
Their parents are like prostitutes [MET]: they have been unfaithful [to me], and they have done [very] disgraceful things. They said, ‘We will run to [our idols/gods] who love us; [they are the ones] who give us food and water and wool and linen and [olive] oil, and [wine to] drink.’
6 Ke nye la, matɔ kpɔ aƒo xlãe kple ŋutiwo; maxe mɔ nɛ, ale be magakpɔ mɔ o,
So [it will be as though] [MET] I am blocking their road with thornbushes, and putting put a wall around them so that they do not know which way to go.
7 eye ne eti eƒe lɔlɔ̃tɔwo yome la matu wo o. Adi wo kple ŋkubiã gake makpɔ wo o. Ekema agblɔ na eɖokui be, ‘Anyo ne metrɔ yi ɖe srɔ̃nye gbɔ, elabena esi menɔ egbɔ la, nuwo dze edzi nam wu fifia.’
They will run to their idols/gods that [they think] love them, but they will not find them. They will search for their false gods, but they will not find them. Then they will say, ‘[Perhaps] we should return to [Yahweh], whom we worshiped previously [MET], because things were better for us then than they are now.’
8 Menyae be nyee naa bli, aha yeye, ami, sika kple klosalo si wòtsɔ le eƒe mawu, Baal subɔmii la ye o.
But they do not realize that I, [Yahweh], am the one who gave them grain and wine and [olive] oil; I am the one who gave them silver and gold which they used to worship Baal.
9 “Ke azɔ la, maxɔ wain kple bli siwo menanɛ la le esi, eye maxɔ avɔ siwo katã metso nɛ be wòata la le esi.
Therefore I will return and take my grain and grapes from them when they are ripe. I will take from them the wool and linen that I gave to them [to make their clothes] [MTY].
10 Azɔ maɖe amamae le dutoƒo be eƒe lɔlɔ̃tɔwo nakpɔ, eye ame aɖeke mate ŋu axɔe le asinye o.
I will show those false gods/idols that what my people are doing is disgusting [MET], and no one will be able to hinder me from [punishing them].
11 Matɔ te eƒe azãɖuɖuwo katã; eƒe ƒe sia ƒe ƒe ŋkekenyuiwo, dzinu yeyewo, Dzudzɔgbewo kple azãɖugbewo katã.
I will cause their religious celebrations to cease, the festivals that they celebrate every year and at every new moon and on their (Sabbath days/weekly days of rest). I will cause all their religious celebrations to cease.
12 Magblẽ eƒe waingblewo kple gbotiwo, agble siwo wògblɔ be yeƒe lɔlɔ̃tɔwoe na ye. Mana agblewo nato gbe azu ave, eye gbemelãwo ava ɖu kutsetseawo katã.
I will destroy [all] their grapevines and fig trees, which they said were what their [idols/gods] who loved them paid them for worshiping those idols. I will cause those places to become a desert, and wild animals will eat the fruit [that remains].
13 Mahe to nɛ ɖe ɣeyiɣi siwo wòdo dzudzɔ ʋeʋĩ na Baalwo, eƒe legba Baal, eye wòde eƒe togɛ kple kɔsɔkɔsɔwo, hedze eƒe lɔlɔ̃tɔwo yome, hegblẽm ɖi. Yehowae gblɔe.
I will punish my people for [all] the times that they burned incense to [honor] the idols of Baal. They decorated themselves with rings and jewelry, and they went to worship those [false gods/idols] that [they thought] [IRO] loved them, but they abandoned/forgot me! [That is what I], Yahweh, say.
14 “Eya ta mable enu akplɔe ayi ɖe gbedzi, afi ma maƒo nu nɛ kple lɔlɔ̃gbe bɔkɔɔ le.
But listen! [Some day] I will persuade my people [to worship me again]; I will lead them [out] into the desert and speak kindly to them [there].
15 Afi ma magbugbɔ eƒe waingble la nɛ, eye matrɔ eƒe Nuxaxa ƒe Balime la wòazu Mɔkpɔkpɔ ƒe Agbo. Adzi ha kple dzidzɔ abe ale si wònɔ nɛ le eƒe ɖetugbime esi wòdo go tso Egipte ene.”
I will give their vineyards [back] to them, and I will cause Achor Valley, [which means ‘valley of trouble'], to become a valley where they will confidently expect [me to do good things for them]. They will (respond to/want to please) me there like they did long ago, when I freed them from [being slaves in] Egypt.
16 Yehowa be, “Gbe ma gbe la ayɔm be, ‘Srɔ̃nye,’ ke menye ‘Nye Aƒetɔ’ o.
At that time, they will say to me, ‘[It is as though] [MET] you are our husband.’ They will not say that I am their [master, like they considered that] Baal [was].
17 Maɖe Baalwo ƒe ŋkɔwo ɖa le ŋuwò, eye màgaƒo ŋkɔ ɖo na wo azɔ o.
I will not allow them to speak [MTY] the names of Baal; they will never use those names again.
18 Le ɣe ma ɣi me la, mabla nu le wò kple lã wɔadãwo, xeviwo, kple lã siwo tana la dome, maŋe dati kple yi, maɖe aʋawɔwɔ ɖa le anyigba dzi, eye ame sia ame anɔ anyi le ŋutifafa me.
At that time [it will be as though] I will make an agreement with [all] the wild animals and birds, and [even with] the little animals that scurry across the ground, so that they will never harm my people [again]. And I will remove from their nation all the weapons [for fighting] battles, [like] swords and bows [and arrows]. The result will be that my people will live peacefully and safely, and will not be afraid.
19 Mabla wò ɖe ɖokuinye ŋu tegbee; matsɔ dzɔdzɔenyenye, nuteƒewɔwɔ, lɔlɔ̃ kple nublanuikpɔkpɔ abla wò ɖe ɖokuinye ŋu.
I will cause them to be [as though they are] [MET] my bride forever. I will be righteous and fair/just; I will faithfully love them and be kind to them.
20 Mabla wò le anukwareɖiɖi me ɖe ɖokuinye ŋu, eye àva nya Yehowa wu tsã.”
I will not abandon them, and they will realize [that I] Yahweh, [have the power to do what I say that I will do.]
21 Yehowa be: “Le ŋkeke ma dzi la, maɖo to dziƒowo ƒe gbe, dziƒowo hã aɖo to anyigba ƒe gbe,
At that time, [when they request me to do things for them], [I will do those things]. When they request clouds and rain to fall on their land, I will speak to the clouds, and rain will fall on the earth,
22 anyigba hã aɖo to bli, aha yeye kple ami, eye woawo hã woaɖo to Yezreel ƒe gbe.
and grain will grow, and the vineyards and the olive trees will grow in Jezreel [Valley].
23 Maɖo nye dukɔ Israel te na ɖokuinye le anyigba dzi, eye maɖe nye lɔlɔ̃ afia ame si meyɔ be ‘Menye nye lɔlɔ̃tɔe o.’ Magblɔ na ame siwo woyɔna be, ‘Mienye nye dukɔ o’ la be ‘Mienye nye dukɔ’; eye woawo hã agblɔ be, ‘Wòe nye mía Mawu.’”
[At that time], I will take care of the Israeli people [like a farmer plants and takes care of his crops] [MET]. I will love those people that I previously said were ones I did not love, and I previously said, ‘You are not my people,’ and [then] they will say to me, ‘You are our God.’”
