Yesaya 8
1 Yehowa gblɔ nam be, “Tsɔ nuŋlɔkpe gã aɖe, eye nàŋlɔ ɖe edzi bena aboyonu, afɔnetsɔ, nuhaha, va kaba.
Then Yahweh said to me, “Make a large signboard. And write clearly on it, ‘Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz’ [which means ‘quickly (plunder/take by force) and steal everything’].”
2 Mayɔ nunɔla Uria kple Zekaria, Yeberekia ƒe vi be woanye ɖasefo wɔnuteƒewo nam.”
[So] I requested Uriah the [Supreme] Priest and Jeberekiah’s son Zechariah, men who were both honest/trustworthy witnesses, to watch me as I was doing that.
3 Ale mete ɖe nyɔnu nyagblɔɖila ŋu, eye wòfɔ fu hedzi ŋutsuvi. Yehowa gblɔ nam be, “Mana ŋkɔe be Aboyonu, Afɔnetsɔ, Nuhaha, Va Kaba.
Then I had sex with [EUP] [my wife, who was] a prophetess, and she became pregnant and [then] gave birth to a son. Then Yahweh said to me, “Give him the name Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz (which means ‘suddenly attacked, quickly conquered’),
4 Hafi ɖevi la nate ŋu ayɔ ‘papa’ kple ‘dada’ la, Asiria fia aho aʋa ava dze Damasko kple Samaria dzi, eye wòalɔ woƒe kesinɔnuwo adzoe.”
because before he is old enough to say ‘papa’ or ‘mama’, the King of Assyria will [come with his army and] quickly take away all the valuable things in Damascus and in Samaria.”
5 Yehowa gagblɔ nam be,
Yahweh spoke to me again and said, “[Tell the people of Judah, ]
6 “Esi wònye be ame siawo gbe nu le Siloa tsi si tsana blewu la gbɔ, eye wokpɔ dzidzɔ ɖe Rezin kple Remalia ƒe vi ŋu la,
‘[I have taken good care of] you people, but you have rejected that, [thinking that] my help was very little, like [MET] the little canal through which water flows from the Gihon Spring into Jerusalem. Instead, you have been happy [to request help from] King Rezin and King Pekah.
7 eya ta Aƒetɔ la ana tɔsisi la ƒe tsi nyanyra sẽŋuwo ava kɔ ɖe wo dzi. Tɔɖɔɖɔ la anye Asiria fia le eƒe ŋɔdzi katã me. Tɔ la aɖɔ agbagba, eye wòage ɖe tɔʋuwo katã me;
Therefore, I will cause the people of Judah to be attacked by [the powerful army of] the King of Assyria, which will be [like] a great flood from the [Euphrates] River. Their soldiers will [be everywhere in your country, like] a river that overflows all its banks.
8 asi ato Yuda, atsyɔ edzi agbagba, eye wòaɖɔ́ va se ɖe eƒe ve ke. Eƒe aʋala akeke atsyɔ miaƒe anyigba ƒe kekeme, O! Mawu li kpli mi!”
Those soldiers will go all over Judah— [like a river whose water] [MET] rises as high as a person’s neck. Their army will spread over the land [quickly], like an eagle, and they will cover your entire land! But I will be with you!’”
9 Mi dukɔwo mido aʋaɣli, eye dzi naɖe le mia ƒo. Miƒu to anyi, mi ame siwo le didiƒenyigbawo dzi. Mibla akpa na aʋawɔwɔ, ke dzi neɖe le mia ƒo; mibla ali dzi, ke dzi neɖe le mia ƒo.
Listen, all you [people in] distant countries! [You can] prepare to attack Judah. [You can] prepare [for battle, and shout your] war-cries, but your [armies will] be crushed/shattered!
10 Mide aɖaŋu na aʋawɔwɔ, gake woagblẽ miaƒe aɖaŋudede, miwɔ ɖoɖowo, gake womadze edzi o, elabena Mawu li kpli mi.
[You can] prepare for what you will do [to attack Judah], but what you plan to do will not happen! You will not succeed, because God is with us!
11 Ale Yehowa ƒo nu kplim kple kakaɖedzi hede se nam be, magadze ame siawo yome o.
Yahweh strongly warned me [MTY] not to act like the [other] people in Judah did. He said to me,
12 Mègaxɔ nugbeɖoɖo si ame siawo le wɔwɔm la o, mègavɔ̃ nu siwo vɔ̃m wole la o, eye womegado ŋɔdzi na wò o.
“Do not say that everything that people do is conspiring/rebelling [against the government], like [other] people say, and do not (be afraid of/worry about) the things that other people are afraid of.
13 Yehowa, Dziƒoʋakɔwo ƒe Aƒetɔ la koe nye ame si miabu kɔkɔe. Eyae nye ame si ado ŋɔdzi na mi,
[I, ] the Commander of the armies of angels, am the one you should consider to be holy. And I am the one you should fear, the one you should revere.
14 eye wòazu kɔkɔeƒe, gake anye agakpe kikli na Yuda kple Israel ƒe aƒe, esi woakli adze anyi. Gake anye xevimɔ kple adoboli na Yerusalemtɔwo.
I will protect you(sg). [But as for] the [other] people [MTY] in Israel and Judah, I will be [like] [MET] a stone that causes people to stumble, a rock that causes them to fall down. [And as for] the people of Jerusalem, I will be [like] [MET] a trap or a snare [DOU].
15 Ame geɖewo aklii, adze anyi, eye woaŋe keŋkeŋ. Woatre mɔ alé wo.
Many [people] will stumble and fall down and never get up again. They will experience great troubles; they will be captured [by their enemies].”
16 Bla ɖaseɖiɖi la, eye nàtre nye nufiafia nu le nye nusrɔ̃lawo dome.
[So, I say to you who are my disciples], seal up this scroll on which I have written the messages that God has given to me, and give his instructions to [others] who have accompanied me.
17 Makpɔ mɔ na Yehowa ame si le eƒe mo ɣlam ɖe Yakob ƒe aƒe la; maɖo dzi ɖe eŋu.
I will wait to see what Yahweh [will do]. He has rejected the descendants [MTY] of Jacob, but I will confidently expect him to help me.
18 Kpɔ ɖa, nye kple vinye siwo Yehowa nam lae nye esi. Mienye dzesi kple kpɔɖeŋu le Israel tso Yehowa Dziƒoʋakɔwo ƒe Aƒetɔ la, ame si le Zion to la dzi la gbɔ.
I and the children that Yahweh has given to me are [like] signs to warn [the people of] Israel; we are warnings from the Commander of the armies of angels the one who lives [in his temple] on Zion Hill [in Jerusalem].
19 Ne amewo gblɔ na mi be, miyi miabia nu le ŋɔliyɔlawo kple afakalawo, ame siwo doa dalĩ kple ŋɔtimegbe gbɔ la, ɖe mele be amewo nabia nu woƒe Mawu boŋ oa? Ɖe woabia nu ame kukuwo na ame gbagbewoa?
Some people may urge you(pl) to (consult/go and talk with) those who talk with the spirits of dead people or with those who say that they receive messages from those spirits. They whisper and mutter [about what we should do in the future]. But God is [RHQ] the one whom we should ask to guide us! It is ridiculous [RHQ] for people who are alive to request spirits of dead people to tell us [what we should do]!
20 Mitrɔ ɖe nye nufiafia kple ɖaseɖiɖiwo ŋu. Ne nu siwo wogblɔ mesɔ kple nye nyawo o la, ekema kekeli alo nyateƒe aɖeke mele wo tɔwo me o.
Pay attention to God’s instructions and teaching! If people do not say things that agree with what God teaches us, [what they say is worthless]. [It is as though] those people are in darkness.
21 Woate wo ɖe anyi, eye dɔ awu wo. Woatsa tsaglãla le anyigba blibo la dzi, eye le dɔwuame ƒe sesẽ ta la woado dziku, aƒo fi ade woƒe fia kple woƒe Mawu.
They will wander through the land, worried/discouraged and hungry. And when they become [very] hungry, they will become very angry. They will look up [toward heaven] and curse God and [will also] curse their king.
22 Ekema woade wo to, ke nu si ko woakpɔe nye vevesese kple viviti kple blukɔ dziŋɔ, eye woatsɔ wo aƒu gbe ɖe viviti tsiɖitsiɖi me.
They will look around the land and see only trouble/distress and darkness and things that cause them to despair. And [then] they will be thrown into the very black darkness [of hell]. (questioned)
