Yesaya 43
1 Ke azɔ la, ale Yehowa, ame si wɔ wò, O! Yakob, eye wòme wò, O! Israel, la gblɔe nye esi, “Mègavɔ̃ o, elabena meɖe wò. Metsɔ wò ŋkɔ yɔ wò be tɔnye nènye.
But now, you people of Israel, listen to Yahweh, the one who established your nation. The one who caused you to become a nation [DOU] says this: “Do not be afraid, because I previously rescued you. I enabled you to have a personal relationship with me [MTY], and you belong to me.
2 Ne èto tɔ me, mato eme kpli wò, ne èto tɔsisiwo me, mato wo me kpli wò be tɔsisi la malé wò o. Ne èto dzo me mame wò o, eye dzo ƒe aɖewo hã mafia wò o,
When you [experience dangerous situations], and [you feel like] [MET] you are crossing deep rivers, I will be with you. When you have very big troubles/difficulties, you will [LIT] be able to endure them. When [people try to kill you like they tried to kill Daniel’s three friends by] throwing them in a fire, you will not [die, just like Daniel’s three friends were not] burned up,
3 elabena nye Yehowa, wò Mawu, Israel ƒe Kɔkɔetɔ lae nye wò ɖela. Metsɔ Egipte ƒle tawò, eye Kus kple Seba axɔ ɖe tewòƒe.
because I am Yahweh, your God, the Holy One of Israel, the one who rescues you. I will enable [the army of the emperor of Persia] to conquer Egypt instead of conquering you; similarly I will enable them to conquer Ethiopia, and Seba [in Arabia], in order that you can be saved.
4 Esi asixɔxɔ kple bubu le ŋutiwò le ŋkunye me, eye melɔ̃ wò ta la, matsɔ ŋutsuwo ana ɖe tewòƒe. Matsɔ amegbetɔwo ana ɖe wò agbe teƒe.
I will cause other countries to be conquered, instead of your country; I will trade them for you, in order that you will not be killed, because you are very precious [DOU] to me and because I love you.
5 Mègavɔ̃ o, elabena meli kpli wò, makplɔ viwòwo tso ɣedzeƒe, eye maƒo mia nu ƒu tso ɣetoɖoƒe.
Do not be afraid, because I am with you. [Some day] I will gather your descendants from the east and from the west.
6 Magblɔ na anyiehe be, ‘Ɖe asi le wo ŋu.’ Na dziehe be, ‘Megasika wo o.’ Mikplɔ vinye ŋutsuwo tso didiƒe kple vinyenyɔnuwo tso anyigba ƒe mlɔenuwo ke vɛ,
I will command the [rulers of the nations to] the north and to the south, ‘Allow all the people of Israel to return [to their country], from the most distant places on the earth.
7 ame sia ame si ko ŋu woyɔ nye ŋkɔ ɖo, ame siwo mewɔ hena nye ŋutikɔkɔe, ame siwo meme, eye mewɔ.”
Allow all those who belong to me [MTY] to return, because I have caused them to become a nation in order that they would honor me; I am the one who has done that [DOU].’
8 Mikplɔ ame siwo ŋku li na, gake womele nu kpɔm o la kple ame siwo to li na, gake womesea nu o la do goe.
Summon the people who have eyes but [it is as though] they are blind; summon those who have ears but [because they do not listen to me, it is as though] they are deaf.
9 Dukɔwo katã kpe ta, eye amewo ƒo takpli. Wo dometɔ kae gblɔ esia da ɖi, eye wòɖe gbeƒã nu siwo dzɔ va yi la na mi? Womekplɔ woƒe ɖasefowo vɛ, ne woaɖee fia be woƒe nya dzɔ, ale be ame bubuwo asee agblɔ be, “Nyateƒee” o.
Gather people of all nations together, ones from all people-groups, [and ask them this]: ‘Has any of their idols foretold the things that are happening now? And can any of them predict what will happen in the future?’ Then bring people who will testify and say ‘I heard them predict things, and what they predicted was what happened,’ [but they will be lying].”
10 Yehowa be, “Miawoe nye nye ɖasefowo kple nye dɔla si metia be mianya, eye miaxɔ dzinye ase, ase egɔme be nyee. Mawu aɖeke medo ŋgɔ nam o, eye ɖeke hã mado ŋgɔ nam o.
But Yahweh says, “You people of Israel (are my witnesses/know what I have done), and you are the ones who serve me. I chose you in order that you would know me, believe in me, and understand that I am the only one who is [truly] God. There is no other [true] God. There was no other [true] God previously, and there will never be another [true] God.
11 Nyee, ɛ̃, nyee. Nyee nye Yehowa. Ɖela aɖeke meli kpe ɖe ŋunye o.
I, [only] I, am Yahweh, and there is no other one who can save you.
12 Nye la, meɖee fia. Meɖe eme, eye meɖe gbeƒã be nyee, ke menye dzromawu siwo le mia dome lae o. Miawoe nye nye ɖasefowo.”
I said that I would rescue [your ancestors], and then I rescued them, and I proclaimed [that I had done it]. No foreign god among you did that! And you are witnesses that only I, Yahweh, am God.
13 Yehowae gblɔe. “Mianyae be nyee nye Mawu. Ɛ̃, nye koe tso blema ke. Ame aɖeke mate ŋu axɔ ame le asinye o. Ne mewɔ nu la, ame kae ate ŋu atrɔe?”
I am God, the one who has existed forever and who will exist forever; no one can snatch people from my hand, and no one can alter/change what I have done.”
14 Ale Yehowa, wò Ɖela, Israel ƒe Kɔkɔetɔ la gblɔe nye esi, “Le tawò madɔ ame ɖo ɖe Babilonia woaɖakplɔ Babiloniatɔwo vɛ abe aʋasilawo ene, eye woalɔ wo ɖe woƒe tɔdziʋu siwo dzi wodana ɖo la me.
Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel, is the one who rescues you; and this is what he says: “For your sake, I will send [an army] to [attack] Babylon. They will force the people of that city to flee in ships which they have been proud of.
15 Nyee nye Yehowa, miaƒe Kɔkɔetɔ la, Israel Wɔla kple miaƒe Fia.”
I am Yahweh, your Holy One, the one who caused Israel to become a nation, and the one who is really your king.
16 Ale Yehowa, ame si ɖe mɔ to atsiaƒu me, ame si ɖe mɔ to tɔsisi gãwo me,
I am Yahweh, the one who opened a path through the water, making a road through the [Red] Sea.
17 ame si na tasiaɖamwo, sɔwo, aʋakɔwo, kple kalẽtɔwo ho aʋa, va tsi afi si womagafɔ le gbeɖe o. Ame si na wotsrɔ̃, eye wotsi abe akaɖimeɖovu ene la gblɔe nye esi:
Then I summoned the great army [of Egypt] to come with all their chariots and horses. [But when they tried to pursue my people], I caused the waves to flow over them [and they drowned]; their lives ended [like the light of a candle ends when someone] [MET] snuffs out the wick.
18 “Miŋlɔ blemanuwo be. Migaɖo ŋu ɖe gbe aɖe gbe nuwo ŋu o.
But do not think [only] about what happened in the past, long ago [DOU].
19 Kpɔ ɖa, mele nu yeye wɔm! Edo mo ɖa xoxo, mèle ekpɔm oa? Mele mɔ tam ɖe gbedzi, eye mana tɔsisiwo nado ɖe kuɖiɖinyigba dzi.
Instead, consider the new thing that I am going to do. I have already started to do it; can you see it? I am going to make a road through the desert. And I will cause there to be streams in the wasteland/desert.
20 Gbemelãwo, amegaxiwo kple golowo ade bubu ŋunye, elabena mena tsi do tso gbegbe, eye tɔsisiwo do ɖe kuɖiɖinyigba dzi be mana tsi nye amewo, nye ame tiatiawo,
The jackals/wolves and owls and other wild creatures will thank me for giving them water in the desert. I will cause streams to appear in the dry desert in order that my people, the ones whom I have chosen, will have water;
21 ame siwo mewɔ na ɖokuinye be woaɖe gbeƒã nye kafukafu.
I will do that for the people whom I have created [and chosen] to belong to me, and [some day] they will cause many others to praise me.
22 “Ke wò, Yakob, mèyɔm o. O! Israel, mèkpe fu ɖe tanye o.
But now, you descendants of Jacob, you refuse to request my help. It seems that you people of Israel have become tired of worshiping me.
23 Mètsɔa wò alẽwo saa numevɔ nam loo alo tsɔa wò akpedavɔsa dea bubu ŋunye o. Nyemetsɔ nuɖuvɔsawo do agbae na wò o alo ɖe fu na wo be nàtsɔ dzudzɔʋeʋĩdonu vɛ nam o.
You have not brought to me sheep or goats for offerings that will be completely burned [on the altar]; you have not honored me by [bringing to me any] sacrifices, even though the offerings of grain and incense [that I asked you] to bring to me were not a burden to you.
24 Mètsɔ atikeʋeʋĩ aɖeke vɛ nam alo tsɔa wò lãwo ƒe ami sãa vɔ̃e nam agbadree o, ke boŋ ètsɔ wò nu vɔ̃wo do agbae nam, eye nèɖe fu nam kple wo vodadawo.
You have bought for me fragrant reeds, and you have brought me the fat from your sacrifices. But these have not pleased me, because you have burdened me by all the sins that you have committed, and made me weary because of all (your iniquities/the wrong things that you have done).
25 “Nyee, ɛ̃, nyee atutu wò dzidadawo ɖa le nye ŋutɔ ɖokuinye ta, eye nyemagaɖo ŋku wò nu vɔ̃wo dzi o.
I am the one who is able to forgive you for all your sins; I am the only one who can do that, with the result that I will never think about them again.
26 Ɖo ŋku tsãnuwo dzi nam. Na míahe nya sia kple mía nɔewo. Gblɔ ale si wò nya dzɔe.
Tell me what I have done that you do not like. Do you think that when you state your case, you will prove that you (are innocent/have done nothing wrong) [IRO]?
27 Fofowò gbãtɔ wɔ nu vɔ̃. Wò nyanuɖelawo dze aglã ɖe ŋutinye,
No, [what has happened is that] the first ancestor of you Israelis sinned [against me], and since then, all your leaders have rebelled against me.
28 eya ta mado ŋunyɔ ame ŋkuta siwo le wò gbedoxɔ me. Matsɔ Yakob ade asi na gbegblẽ, eye Israel na fewuɖuɖu.”
That is why I have caused your priests to be disgraced; and I have allowed others to destroy you people of Israel and caused you to be despised.”
