Yesaya 48
1 “O! Yakob ƒe aƒe, miɖo to nya sia. Mi ame siwo ŋu woyɔ Israel ɖo, eye mietso Yuda ƒe dzidzime me. Mi ame siwo ka atam kple Yehowa ƒe ŋkɔ, eye mieyɔa Israel ƒe Mawu la ƒe ŋkɔ, gake menye le nyateƒe alo dzɔdzɔenyenye me o.
[Yahweh says], “You descendants [MTY] of Jacob, who are [also] descendants of Judah and are now called [the people of] Israel, Listen to me! You make solemn promises using my name, Yahweh, and you request that I, the God to whom you Israeli people belong, [will hear you], but you do not do it sincerely.
2 Mi ame siwo yɔa mia ɖokuiwo be du kɔkɔe la me tɔwo, eye mieɖo ŋu ɖe Israel ƒe Mawu la ŋu, ame si ŋkɔe nye Yehowa, Dziƒoʋakɔwo ƒe Aƒetɔ.
You say that you live in the holy city [of Jerusalem], and [you insincerely say] that you are relying on me, the God to whom you [people of] Israel belong, the one who is the Commander of the armies of angels.
3 Megblɔ nu siwo dzɔ va yi la da ɖi xoxo. Metsɔ nye nu ɖe gbeƒã wo, eye mena mienya wo. Meɖe zɔ, kasia wo katã wova eme,
Long ago I [MTY] predicted what would happen [DOU]. And then suddenly, I caused those things to happen.
4 elabena menya ale si miaƒe dzi me sẽe. Miaƒe kɔwo lia abe gakpo ene, eye miaƒe tagbɔ sẽ abe akɔbli ene,
I knew that you people are very stubborn; I knew that your heads are [MET] [as hard as] iron or brass [DOU].
5 eya ta megblɔ nu siawo na mi gbe aɖe gbe ʋĩi va yi. Hafi woava adzɔ la, meɖe gbeƒã na mi be miagagblɔ be, ‘Nye legbawoe wɔ wo. Nye aklamakpakpɛwo kple akɔblimawue ɖo wo da ɖi,’ o.
That is why I told you those things long ago. Long before they occurred, I announced that they would occur, in order that [when they happened] you could not say ‘Our idols did it; our statue made of wood and our idol made of metal caused them to happen.’
6 Miese esiawo katã. Mikpɔ wo katã ɖa. Ɖe mialɔ̃ be wole eme oa? “Tso azɔ dzi la, maƒo nu tso nu yeyewo ŋu na mi, tso nu siwo le ɣaɣla, eye mienya wo o la ŋuti na mi.
You have heard those things [that I predicted] and now you have seen that they have all occurred, so why do you not admit it [RHQ]? Now I will tell you new things, things that you have not known previously.
7 Fifia ko wowɔ wo. Wo wɔɣi medidi o. Miese woƒe ŋkɔ kpɔ abe egbea ene o, eya ta miate ŋu agblɔ be, ‘Ɛ̃ mienya wo’ o.
I am causing them to happen now; they are not things I did long ago. So you cannot say, ‘We already knew about those things.’
8 Miesee kpɔ loo alo se egɔme o. Tso blema ke, miaƒe towo meʋu o. Menya ale si miebaɖae la nyuie. Woyɔa mi tso ɖevime ke be, aglãdzelawo.
[I will tell you about] things that you have never heard about or understood before. Even long ago you did not pay attention to me [IDM]. I know that you act very deceitfully/treacherously; you have rebelled against me since you first became a nation [MTY].
9 Le nye ŋutɔ nye ŋkɔ ta la, mehe nye dɔmedzoe ɖe megbe. Le nye kafukafu ta la, nyemena wòva mia dzi o, be nyematsrɔ̃ mi o.
But, for my own sake, in order that I will be honored, I will not punish [MTY] you immediately and I will not completely get rid of you.
10 Kpɔ ɖa, melolõ mi, gake menye abe klosalo ene o. Medo mi kpɔ le fuwɔame ƒe kpodzo me.
I have purified you, but not the way [people refine] silver. Instead, I have caused you to suffer very much [to get rid of your impure behavior], like [MET] [people put metal in a very hot] furnace [to get rid of the impurities].
11 Le nye ŋutɔ ta, mewɔ esia ɖo. Aleke maɖe mɔ be woaɖi gbɔ̃m? Nyematsɔ nye ŋutikɔkɔe na ame bubu o.”
But for my [MTY] own sake I will delay punishing you more; I will do it for my own sake in order that my reputation will not be damaged [RHQ]. I will not allow any [person or any idol] to be honored as I [deserve to be] honored.”
12 “O! Yakob, ɖo tom, Israel, ame si meyɔ. Nyee nye gbãtɔ, eye nyee nye mlɔetɔ hã.
“You descendants [MTY] of Jacob, you people of Israel whom I have chosen, listen to me! [Only] I am God; I am the one who begins everything and who causes everything to end.
13 Nye ŋutɔe tsɔ nye asiwo ɖo anyigba gɔme anyi, eye nye nuɖusibɔe metsɔ keke dziwo mee. Ne meyɔ wo la, wo katã wotsona ɖekae.
I [SYN] am the one who laid the foundation of the earth. I stretched out the sky with my hand. And when I tell [the stars] to appear, they all do what I tell them.
14 “Mi katã miva ƒo ƒu ne miaɖo to afii. Legbawo dometɔ kae gblɔ nu siawo da ɖi? Ame si Yehowa tia la ana Yehowa ƒe tameɖoɖo ɖe Babilonia ŋu nava eme, eye wòakɔ eƒe abɔ dzi ɖe Babiloniatɔwo ŋu.
All of you, gather together and listen to me. None of your idols has [RHQ] told this to you: I, Yahweh, have chosen [Cyrus] to assist me, and he will do to Babylon what I want him to do, and his army will get rid of [the army of] Babylonia.
15 Nye, nye koe ƒo nu. Ɛ̃, nyee yɔe. Makplɔe vɛ, eye wòakpɔ dzidzedze le eƒe dɔdeasi la me.
I have said it; I have summoned [Cyrus]. I have appointed him, and he will accomplish everything that he attempts to do.
16 “Mite ɖe ŋunye kpokploe ne miaɖo to nya sia, nyemeƒo nu le bebeme o.” Esi wòva eme la, menɔ afi ma? Azɔ Yehowa, Dziƒoʋakɔwo ƒe Aƒetɔ la dɔm kple eƒe Gbɔgbɔ.
Come close to me and listen to what I say. Long ago [MTY] I told you plainly/clearly [LIT] [what would happen], and when those things occurred, I was [causing them to happen].” And now Yahweh the Lord and his Spirit have sent me [to give you a message].
17 Ale Yehowa, wò Ɖela, Israel ƒe Kɔkɔetɔ la gblɔe nye esi, “Nyee nye Yehowa, wò Mawu, si fiaa nu si nyo na wò la wò, ame si fiaa mɔ si nàto la wò.
This is what Yahweh, the one who saves you, the Holy God of [us] Israelis, says: “I am Yahweh, your God; I teach you what is important for you [to know]; I direct you and lead you to the roads that you should walk on [MET].
18 Nenye ɖe nèɖo to nye sededewo la, anye ne wò ŋutifafa anɔ sisim abe tɔsisi ene, eye wò dzɔdzɔenyenye anɔ abe ƒutsotsoe ene.
I wish that you had paid attention to my commands! If you had done that, things would have gone well for you like [SIM] a river that flows gently; you would have been successful again and again, like [SIM] waves that come without ceasing.
19 Wò dzidzimeviwo ɖe woasɔ gbɔ abe ke ene, eye viwòwo abe ƒutake si womate ŋu axlẽ o la ene. Womaɖe woƒe ŋkɔwo ɖa loo alo woatsrɔ̃ le ŋkunye me o.”
Your descendants would have been [as many as] [MET] the grains of sand [on the seashore] [which no one can count]. I would not have needed to get rid of you; the country of [MTY] [Israel] would not have been destroyed.”
20 Midzo le Babilonia, misi le Babiloniatɔwo gbɔ! Mitsɔ dzidzɔɣli ɖe gbeƒã esia, eye mido bobloe. Miɖo du ɖe anyigba ƒe mlɔenuwo ke be, “Yehowa ɖe eƒe dɔla Yakob”
[However, now I tell you], leave Babylon! Flee from [being slaves of the people of] Babylonia! Proclaim this message joyfully; send it to the most remote/distant places on the earth: Yahweh freed the people of Israel [from being slaves in Egypt].
21 Tsikɔ mewu wo esi wòkplɔ wo to gbedzi o. Ena tsi do tso agakpe me na wo. Egbã agakpe la, eye tsi do bababa.
They were not thirsty when he led them through the desert, because he split open the rock and caused water to gush/flow out for them [to drink].
22 Yehowa be, “Ŋutifafa meli na ame vɔ̃ɖiwo o.”
“But things will not go well [like that] for wicked people,” says Yahweh.
