Yesaya 44
1 “Ke azɔ la, ɖo to, o nye dɔla Yakob, Israel, ame si metia.
But now listen, Jacob, my servant, Israel, the one I've chosen.
2 Ale Yehowa ame si wɔ wò, ame si me wò ɖe vidzidɔ me, ame si akpe ɖe ŋuwò la gblɔe nye esi, Mègavɔ̃ o, O! Yakob, nye dɔla. Yerusalem, ame si metia,
This is what the Lord says, the one who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you: Don't be afraid, Jacob, my servant, Jeshurun, the one I've chosen.
3 elabena makɔ tsi ɖe kuɖiɖinyigba dzi kple tɔʋuwo ɖe anyigba ƒuƒu dzi. Makɔ nye gbɔgbɔ ɖe viwòwo dzi kple nye yayra ɖe wò dzidzimeviwo dzi.
For I'm going to pour out water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground. I'm going to pour out my Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your children.
4 Woamie abe gbe si le gbedzi ene, eye woanɔ abe amutiwo le tɔʋuwo to ene.
They will grow up among the grass, like willows beside streams.
5 Ɖeka agblɔ be, ‘Yehowa tɔ menye.’ Bubu atsɔ Yakob ƒe ŋkɔ na eɖokui, eye ame bubu hã aŋlɔ ɖe eƒe asi ŋuti be, ‘Yehowa tɔ,’ eye wòatsɔ ŋkɔ be Israel.
One of them will say, “I belong to the Lord,” while another will call himself by the name Jacob, and yet another will write on his hand, “Belonging to the Lord,” and will name himself Israel.
6 “Ale Yehowa, Israel ƒe Fia kple Ɖela, Yehowa, Dziƒoʋakɔwo ƒe Aƒetɔ la gblɔe nye esi: Nyee nye gbãtɔ kple mlɔetɔ. Mawu bubu aɖeke mekpe ɖe ŋunye o.
This is what the Lord says, the King and Redeemer of Israel, the Lord Almighty: I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God besides me.
7 Ekema ame kae sɔ kplim? Neɖe gbeƒãe. Neva gblɔe, eye wòaɖee afia le ŋkunye me, nu siwo dzɔ tso esime meɖo nye blemamewo gɔme anyi kple nu si gbɔna eme va ge. Ɛ̃, negblɔ nu si ava dzɔ.
Who is like me? Let them announce it, make a declaration, and demonstrate it before me. For I was the one who long ago established a people and predicted its future. Let them predict what's going to happen.
8 Migadzo nyanyanya o. Migavɔ̃ o. Ɖe nyemeɖe gbeƒã esia, eye megblɔe da ɖi gbe aɖe gbe ke oa? Miawoe nye nye ɖasefowo. Ɖe Mawu bubu aɖe gali kpe ɖe ŋunyea? Ao, Agakpe aɖeke megali o.”
Don't tremble, don't be afraid! Didn't I tell you long ago what I was going to do? Didn't I explain it? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? There is no other Rock—I don't know any!
9 Ame siwo katã ha legbawo la, mele ɖeke me o, eye nu siwo ŋu wode asixɔxɔe la nye tofloko. Ame siwo ƒoa nu ɖe wo nu la nye ŋkugbagbãtɔwo, numanyala siwo menya ŋukpe o.
All those who make idols are stupid; these things they love so much don't bring them any benefit. Those people who believe in idols can't see this, and they don't know anything, making them look foolish.
10 Ame kae kpa aklamakpakpɛ mawo, eye wòli legba si mahe viɖe aɖeke vɛ nɛ o?
Who makes a god, who molds an idol that's no use to them?
11 Woado ŋukpe aklamakpakpɛwɔla kple aklamakpakpɛ la siaa, elabena aɖaŋudɔwɔlawo hã, amegbetɔwo ko wonye. Wo katã neƒo ƒu ne woaɖo kpe nu dzi, ke hã la, woaƒo wo aƒu anyi kple ŋɔdzi kple dɔléle.
Everyone who makes idols should be ashamed of themselves. Idol-makers are just human beings! Bring them all together and have them stand up, trembling in shame.
12 Gbede tsɔ eƒe dɔwɔnu de gayibɔdzo me. Etsɔ eƒe zu wɔ dɔ le gayibɔ la ŋu kple eƒe abɔ sesẽ, eye wòwɔe wòzu legba. Dɔ wui, eye wògbɔdzɔ. Meno tsi o, ale nu ti kɔ nɛ vevie.
The blacksmith makes an iron tool for woodcarving. Working over hot coals, he hammers it into shape as hard as he can. He gets hungry and loses his strength, and because he doesn't drink he grows weak.
13 Atikpala tsɔ nudzidzenu, eye wòtsɔ ɣe te fli ɖe teƒe siwo wòdzidze. Etsɔ nukpafi zrɔ̃ teƒeteƒewoe, eye wòtsɔ nudzidzega dzidzee. Ekpae ɖe ame ƒe nɔnɔme me, le ame ƒe dzedze nyuitɔ me be wòate ŋu atsɔe ada ɖe trɔ̃xɔ me.
The woodworker measures out a piece of wood, and draws an image on it. He carves it with a chisel and uses a compass to make an outline. He creates an idol that looks like a person, someone beautiful, to be put in a shrine.
14 Atikpala la lã sedati, papawu alo logoti. Ena wòtsi le avemetiwo dome. Ɖewohĩ edo gboti hã, eye tsidzadza na wòtsi.
He chops down cedars, or takes a cypress or an oak. He lets them grow strong in the forest. He plants a fir tree, and the rain makes it grow.
15 Ame la tsɔe wɔ nakee. Etsɔ ɖe do dzoe le ƒuƒum. Etsɔ ɖe do dzoe, me abolo. Etsɔ ɖe wɔ mawue. Ke etsɔ ɖe wɔ mawue hesubɔna, eye wòtsɔ ɖe wɔ aklamakpakpɛ hedea ta agu nɛ.
Some wood he burns, to keep him warm and to bake his bread. Then he uses some of the same wood to make a god to worship, an idol he bows down to!
16 Etsɔ ati la ƒe afã do dzoe heɖa nu le edzi. Eme lã le edzi, eye wòɖu nu ɖi ƒo. Azɔ eƒu dzo la hegblɔ be: “Aa! Mekpɔ dzo le ƒuƒum, eye nye lãme xɔ dzo.”
So he burns part of the wood to roast his meat to eat, and to warm him up, and says, “Ah! Look at that fire that keeps me warm!”
17 Etsɔ ati la ƒe mamlɛa wɔ aklamakpakpɛ, mawu si wòdea ta agu na hesubɔna. Edo gbe ɖa nɛ be, “Ɖem, wòe nye nye mawu.”
Then he uses the rest of the wood to make himself a god, an idol he bows down to in worship and prays to, saying, “Save me, for you are my god!”
18 Ame siawo menya naneke o. Womese naneke gɔme o. Nu tsyɔ woƒe ŋkuwo dzi be womegakpɔ nu o, eye woƒe susuwo me xe be womagase naneke gɔme o.
How ignorant they are, how dumb! Their eyes have been plastered over so they can't see, their minds closed so they don't have insight.
19 Nunya mele wo dometɔ aɖeke si wòagblɔ be, “Metsɔ afã wɔ nakee. Meme abolo gɔ̃ hã le eƒe dzokawo dzi, eye meme lã hã le edzi heɖu o. Ɖe matsɔ mamlɛa awɔ ŋunyɔnuea? Ɖe madze klo na atikpoa.”
They can't think things over, they don't have the wisdom or the understanding to say, “Some of the wood I burned in the fire—I used it to bake my bread and roast my meat to eat. The rest of it I used to make a disgusting idol, and I bow down in worship to a block of wood.”
20 Etsɔ eƒe susu da ɖe dzofi dzi, eye dzi si woble la kplɔe trae, ale mate ŋu aɖe eɖokui alo agblɔ be, “Ɖe nu si melé ɖe nye nuɖusime la menye aʋatso oa?”
He is feeding on ashes, seduced by the deceptive thinking of his mind. He can't save himself, and he doesn't even ask, “Isn't this idol I'm holding just a lie?”
21 “Ɖo ŋku nu siawo dzi, O! Yakob, elabena wòe nye nye dɔla, O! Israel. Nyee me wò, eye nye dɔlae nènye. O! Israel, nyemaŋlɔ wò be akpɔ o.
“Remember all this, Jacob and Israel, for you are my servant. I made you, Israel, you are my servant. I won't forget you.
22 Mekplɔ wò vodadawo dzoe abe lilikpo ene, eye mena wò nu vɔ̃wo nu va yi abe ahũ si dza le fɔŋli ene. Trɔ̃ va gbɔnye, elabena meɖe wò.”
I have wiped away your acts of rebellion as if they were like a cloud, your sins as if they were like the mist. Come back to me, for I have set you free.”
23 O! Dziƒowo, midzi ha kple dzidzɔ, elabena Yehowae wɔ esia. O! Anyigba do ɣli sesĩe. Mido ha ɖa, mi towo, avewo kple avemetiwo, elabena Yehowa ɖe Yakob. Eɖe eƒe Ŋutikɔkɔefia le Israel.
Sing in celebration, you heavens, for the Lord has done this; cry out loud, you depths of the earth. Shout with joy, you mountains, you forests and every tree. For the Lord has set Jacob free, and his glory is shown in Israel!
24 “Ale Yehowa, wò Ɖela, ame si me wò ɖe dɔ me la gblɔe nye esi: “Nyee nye Yehowa si wɔ nuwo katã. Ame si he dziƒowo me, eye nye ŋutɔe keke anyigbawo me.
This is what the Lord says, your Redeemer, who shaped you in the womb: “I am the Lord, the Creator of everything. I alone made the heavens, and I myself formed the earth.
25 Nyee gblẽa alakpanyagblɔɖilawo ƒe dzesiwo me, eye medoa abunɛ bokɔwo ƒe nukakawo, ame si ɖea nunyalawo le zi dzi, eye wòtrɔa woƒe nunya wòzua bometsitsi.
I am the one who proves the signs of false prophets are wrong. I am the one who makes fools of fortune-tellers. I turn the wisdom of the wise upside-down, and make their knowledge ridiculous.
26 Ame si wɔna ɖe eƒe dɔlawo ƒe biabiawo dzi, eye wònaa eƒe dɔlawo ƒe nyagblɔɖiwo vaa eme. “Ame si gblɔ le Yerusalem ŋu be, ‘Amewo aganɔ me wò,’ na Yuda ƒe duwo be, ‘Woagbugbɔ mi atso,’ eye na aƒedowo be, ‘Magbugbɔ mi aɖo te.’
But I confirm the messages given by my servants, and fulfill what my messengers say. They state, ‘Jerusalem will be inhabited again, the towns of Judah will be rebuilt, your ruins will be repaired.’
27 Ame si gblɔ na tɔ goglowo be, ‘Mimie, mana mia me tsiwo namie.’
When I order deep waters, ‘Dry up!’ I will make sure the rivers dry up!
28 Ame si gblɔ le fia Sirus ŋu be, ‘Eyae nye nye alẽkplɔla, eye awɔ nu siwo katã dze ŋunye. Agblɔ le Yerusalem ŋu be, “Woagbugbɔe atu,” eye le gbedoxɔ la ŋu be, “Mina woaɖo eƒe gɔmeɖokpewo anyi.”’
When I say to Cyrus, ‘You are my shepherd,’ he will carry out everything I wish. He will give the order, ‘Jerusalem shall be rebuilt,’ and he will say, ‘the Temple shall be restored.’”
