Yesaya 23
1 Esiae nye nyagblɔɖi ɖe Tiro ŋu. Mifa konyi, o meli siwo tsa asi le Tarsis, elabena wogbã Tiro, eye aƒe alo melidzeƒe megali na mi o. Wose nya sia esi wole Kipro ke.
[I received] this message [from Yahweh] about Tyre [city]: You [sailors on] [APO] ships from Tarshish, weep, because [the harbor of] Tyre and all the houses [in the city] have been destroyed. The reports that you heard in Cyprus [island] about Tyre [are true].
2 Mizi ɖoɖoe, mi ame siwo le ƒukpo la dzi kple mi asitsala siwo tso Sidon. Mi ame siwo ƒudzidɔwɔlawo wɔ kesinɔtɔwoe,
You people who live along the coast [near Tyre], and merchants of Sidon [city], mourn silently. Your sailors went across the seas [to many places like Tyre].
3 Wotsɔ bli tso Sidon, nuŋeŋe si tso Nil Nutowo me to tɔ gãwo dzi va Tiro abe adzɔnuwo ene, ale Tiro zu asiɖiƒe na dukɔwo.
They sailed across deep seas to buy grain in Egypt and [other] crops that are grown along the Nile [River]. Tyre became the city where people from [all] nations bought and sold goods.
4 Ŋu nekpe wò, O! Sidon, wò mɔ sesẽ si le ƒuta, elabena atsiaƒu gblɔ na wò be, “Nyemelé ku kpɔ alo dzi vi kpɔ o. Nyemenyi ŋutsuviwo alo nyɔnuviwo kpɔ o.”
But now you people in Sidon should be ashamed, because [you trusted in Tyre], which has been a strong fortress [on an island] in the sea. [Tyre is like a woman who is saying], “[Now it is as though] I have not given birth to [any] children, or raised [any] sons or daughters.”
5 Ne gbe va ɖo Egipte la, woaxa nu vevie tso nu si wose tso Tiro ŋuti.
When [the people of] Egypt hear what has happened to Tyre, they will grieve very much.
6 Mitso ƒu va Tarsis; mifa konyi, mi ame siwo le ƒukpo la dzi.
Sail to Tarshish [and tell them what happened]; weep, you people who live along the coast.
7 Alea wò blemadu si yɔ fũu kple dzidzɔkpɔkpɔ, wo ame si zɔ mɔ yi didiƒenyigbawo dzi la va zue nye esia?
[The people in] the very old city [of Tyre] were [RHQ] previously joyful. Traders [PRS] from Tyre established colonies in many distant nations.
8 Ame kae ɖo nugbe sia ɖe Tiro ŋu, ame si ɖɔa fiakuku na amewo, eƒe adzɔdolawo nye amegãwo, eye eƒe asitsalawo nye ame xɔŋkɔwo le anyigba dzii?
People from Tyre appointed kings [over other places]; their traders were wealthy; they were [as powerful and wealthy as] [MET] kings. [So], who [RHQ] caused the people of Tyre to experience this disaster?
9 Yehowa, Dziƒoʋakɔwo ƒe Aƒetɔ lae ɖo esia be yeaɖi gbɔ̃ atsyɔ̃ɖoɖowo katã ƒe dada, eye yeabɔbɔ ame xɔŋkɔwo katã ɖe anyi le anyigba dzi.
It was the Commander of the armies of angels who did it; he did it in order to cause [you people in] Tyre not to be proud any more, to humiliate you men who are honored all over the world.
10 O! Tarsis ƒe vinyɔnu, de agble ɖe Nil tɔsisi la to, elabena melidzeƒe megali na wò o.
You people of Tarshish, you must grow crops in your land [instead of trading]; spread out over your land like [SIM] the Nile [River] spreads over the land [of Egypt] when it floods, because there is no harbor [in Tyre for your ships] now.
11 Yehowa kɔ eƒe asi dzi ɖe atsiaƒu la dzi, eye wòna eƒe fiaɖuƒewo dzo nyanyanya. Eɖe gbe be woagbã Foenisia ƒe mɔ sesẽwo.
[It is as though] Yahweh stretched out his hand over the sea and shook the kingdoms of the earth. He commanded that in Phoenicia/Canaan all its fortresses must be destroyed.
12 Yehowa gblɔ be, “O! Sidon ƒe vinyɔnu si menya ŋutsu o, wò dzidzɔkpɔkpɔ nu tso! “Tsi tsitre, tso ƒu la, eye nàyi Kipro, afi ma gɔ̃ hã la, màkpɔ dzudzɔƒe o.”
He said to the people of Sidon, “You will never rejoice again, because you will be crushed; even if you flee to Cyprus [island], you will not escape destruction.”
13 Kpɔ Babiloniatɔwo ƒe anyigba la ɖa; tsã la, bubu menɔ wo ŋu o va se ɖe esime Asiriatɔwo fɔe hetsɔe wɔ nɔƒee na ame siwo nɔ gbegbe. Wotu dziƒoxɔ kɔkɔwo kple fiasãwo ɖe afi ma; ke ena wòzu aƒedo.
Think about what happened in Babylonia: the people who were in that land have disappeared. [The armies of] Assyria have caused that land to become a place where wild animals from the desert live. The Assyrians built dirt ramps to the top of the walls [of the city of Babylon]; [then they entered the city and] tore down the palaces and caused the city to become [a heap of] rubble.
14 Mi Tarsis melikulawo mifa avi, elabena wogbã miaƒe mɔ sesẽ la!
[So] wail, you [sailors on the] ships of Tarshish, because the harbor [in Tyre where your ships stop] is destroyed!
15 Le ɣe ma ɣi me la, woaŋlɔ Tiro be ƒe blaadre sɔŋ; siwo nye fia ƒe agbenɔƒe. Le ƒe blaadre siawo ƒe nuwuwu la, ava eme na Tiro abe ale si woŋlɔe ɖe gboloha ƒe hagbewo me nɛ ene be,
For seventy years, which is as long as kings usually live, people will forget about Tyre. [But then it will be rebuilt]. What will happen there will be like what happened to a prostitute in this song:
16 “Tsɔ kasaŋku. Ɖi tsa le dua me. O! Gbolo si wogbe, ƒo kasaŋku la nyuie, eye nàdzi ha geɖewo, ale be woaɖo ŋku dziwò.”
“You harlot, whom people had forgotten, play your harp well, and sing many songs, in order that people will remember you again.”
17 Le ƒe blaadre ƒe nuwuwu la, Yehowa ahe to na Tiro. Agatrɔ ayi ɖe eƒe gbolowɔwɔ dzi, eye wòatsa asi sia kple fiaɖuƒe siwo katã le anyigba dzi;
[It is true that] after seventy years Yahweh will restore Tyre. Their merchants will again earn a lot of money by buying things from and selling things to many [other] nations [HYP].
18 Ke hã la, woatsɔ viɖe siwo wòkpɔ la na Yehowa. Womadzrae ɖo ɖe nudzraɖoƒe alo aɣlae o. Woatsɔ eƒe viɖe siwo wòkpɔ la na ame siwo nɔ agbe le Yehowa ŋkume be, woatsɔ aƒle nuɖuɖu geɖe kple nudodo nyuiwoe.
[But] their profits will be given to Yahweh. [The merchants] will not hoard their money; instead, they will give it to Yahweh’s priests in order that they [can] buy food and nice clothes.
