Yakobo 1
1 Nye, Yakobo, Mawu kple Aƒetɔ Yesu Kristo ƒe dɔla gbɔe agbalẽ sia tso, Na Mawu ƒe ame siwo kaka ɖe xexea me godoo: Mele gbe dom na mi katã.
[I], James, am a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ. [I am writing this letter] to [all] the Jewish people [who trust in Christ] (OR, to all God’s people) who are scattered throughout the world. [I send my] greetings to [you all].
2 Nɔvi lɔlɔ̃awo, ne dodokpɔ ƒomevi geɖewo tu mi la, mibui dzidzɔ sɔŋ,
My fellow believers, rejoice greatly, [even] when you experience various kinds of difficulties/troubles.
3 elabena mienyae bena miaƒe xɔse ƒe dodokpɔ hea dzidodo vanɛ.
[God sometimes allows you to experience difficulties in order to] test whether or not you will continue to trust [him. Whenever that happens, you need to] realize more and more that [if you continue to trust him], you will be able to bravely/patiently endure difficulties.
4 Ele be dzidodo nawu eƒe dɔ nu, ale be miatsi, azu blibo, eye naneke mahiã mi o.
Keep on enduring difficulties [bravely/patiently by trusting God more and more firmly] [PRS], in order that you may become all that he intends you to be [DOU] (OR, [spiritually] mature and complete), not lacking (any [good quality/anything you need to conduct your lives as God wants you to]).
5 Ne ame aɖe hiã nunya la, nebia Mawu, ame si naa nu ame sia ame faa kple dɔmekɔkɔ, eye Mawu anae fɔbubumanɔmee.
If anyone of you does not know how to act wisely [in order to endure difficulties/trials well], he should ask God [to show him what he should do, because] God wholeheartedly/gladly helps all people [who ask] and does not scold [anyone for asking. Those who ask], God will give them wisdom to know [what they should do].
6 Gake ne ebia la, ele nɛ be wòaxɔe ase ɖikeke manɔmee, elabena ame si kea ɖi la le abe ƒutsotsoe si ya ƒona yina gbɔna la ene.
But [when you] ask [God], you should firmly trust him. You should not doubt [that he wants to help you always], because people who keep doubting God are [unstable/changeable] [SIM] like a wave of the sea that is blown back and forth by the wind {that goes back and forth when the wind blows} [DOU, SIM].
7 Ame ma megasusu be yeaxɔ naneke tso Aƒetɔ la gbɔ o,
Indeed, people [who doubt] should not think that the Lord [God] will do anything [that they request him to do],
8 elabena enye dzi eve me susula, eye meli ke le nu siwo katã wòwɔna la me o.
[because they are] people who cannot decide [whether they will commit themselves to God, and they are] unstable/undecided in everything that they do.
9 Nɔvi si mele nɔƒe kɔkɔ aɖeke o la neƒo adegbe be wodo ye ɖe dzi.
Believers who are poor should be happy [that God] considers them very valuable (OR, has exalted them [spiritually]) [MTY].
10 Ke ame si si kesinɔnuwo le la neƒo adegbe be yemenye naneke o, elabena enu ava yi abe seƒoƒo si le gbedzi la ene.
And [believers] who are rich should be happy [that] they have humbled themselves [in order to trust in Jesus Christ] (OR, but rich people [can only] take pride [in the fact that God] will humble them [when he judges everyone] [IRO]), because they [and their riches] [MTY] will pass away, just like wild flowers [wither] [SIM].
11 Elabena ɣe dzena, eye ɣe la ƒe ŋusẽ nana gbe yrɔna, eye eƒe seƒoƒo duduna, ale wòbua eƒe nyonyo. Nenema ke kesinɔtɔ hã nu ava yi esime wòɖo eƒe agbe ƒe viviƒe.
When the sun rises, the scorching hot wind dries plants, and their flowers fall and are no longer beautiful. Similarly, rich people will die [MET] while they are busy working, [leaving behind their riches].
12 Woayra ame si doa dzi le tetekpɔ me la, elabena ne enɔ te va se ɖe nuwuwu la, axɔ agbefiakuku si ƒe ŋugbe Mawu do na ame siwo lɔ̃nɛ la.
[God] is pleased with people who bravely/patiently endure difficulties. And when, [by bravely enduring difficulties], they have proved [that they truly trust him], he will give them [eternal] life. That is the reward [MET] that he has promised to give to those who love him.
13 Ne wote ame aɖe kpɔ la, megagblɔ be, “Mawu le teyem kpɔ o,” elabena womate ŋu atsɔ nu vɔ̃ɖi ate Mawu kpɔ alo eya ŋutɔ hã nate ame aɖeke kpɔ o.
If people are tempted to do something that is evil, they should not think that it is God who is tempting them, because [God is totally/completely good]. He never tempts anyone [to do what is evil], nor can he ever be tempted to [do anything] evil.
14 Ke boŋ ame sia ame ƒe didi vɔ̃woe tenɛ kpɔ, eye woblea enu hehenɛ dzonae.
But people strongly desire to do evil [PRS] things, [and as a result] they are tempted by those desires {those desires stimulate them} to do something evil [PRS, DOU].
15 Emegbe la, didi vɔ̃ la fɔa fu hedzia nu vɔ̃, eye ne nu vɔ̃ tsi nyuie la, edzia ku.
Then, [because] they have desired [MET] to do evil [PRS] things, they begin to [MET] do [PRS] them. And when they have become ones who [habitually] do what is evil [MET], [if they do not turn away from their sinful behavior], they will be separated from God forever.
16 Nɔvi lɔlɔ̃awo, migana woable mi o.
My fellow believers whom I love, stop deceiving yourselves, [thinking that God does evil things].
17 Nunana nyui kple nunana deblibo ɖe sia ɖe la, dziƒo wòtsona, tso dziƒokekeli ƒe Fofo la gbɔ, ame si metrɔna abe ale si vɔvɔli trɔna ene o.
[The truth is that God], our heavenly Father [MTY], does only good [DOU] things [for us, in order to help us become] all that he intends us to be. He is not like all the things [in the sky] that he created to give light, [because they] change; [that is, they do not shine the same all the time]. But God never changes. [He is always good].
18 Enye eƒe lɔlɔ̃nu be wòadzi mí to nyateƒe ƒe nya la me, ale be míanye eƒe nuwɔwɔwo katã ƒe kutsetse gbãtɔ.
[And because] he wanted [to help us], he gave us [spiritual] life as a result of our [trusting in his] true message. So now we have become the first ones of [all the people] [MET] that he created [to] ([be totally dedicated to/completely belong to]) [him].
19 Nɔvinye lɔlɔ̃awo, milé ŋku ɖe nu sia ŋu be: ame sia ame naɖe abla le nusese me, nanɔ blewu le nuƒoƒo kple dɔmedzoedodo me,
My fellow believers whom I love, you know (OR, I want you to now) that every one of you should be eager to pay attention to [God’s true message]. Don’t speak [without thinking], nor get angry easily,
20 elabena ame ƒe dɔmedzoe mehea dzɔdzɔenyenye ƒe agbenɔnɔ si Mawu di la vanɛ o.
because when any one [of you gets] angry, you will not be doing the righteous things that God [wants] you [to do].
21 Eya ta miɖe ŋutilãmeɖiƒoƒowo katã ɖi kple nu vɔ̃ɖi wɔwɔ si bɔ ɖe mia dome la ɖi, eye miatsɔ ɖokuibɔbɔ axɔ nya si wodo ɖe mia me, esi si ŋusẽ le be wòaɖe miaƒe luʋɔwo.
So stop doing all kinds of evil [DOU] things, and humbly obey (OR, submit to) the message that [God] put in your (inner beings/hearts), [because] he is able to save you [SYN] [if you accept his message].
22 Miganye nya la selawo ko, ahanɔ mia ɖokuiwo blem o, ke boŋ miwɔ ɖe nu si nya la gblɔ la dzi,
Do [what God commands in] his message. Do not only listen [to it, because people who only listen to it and do not obey it] are wrong when they think [that God will save them].
23 elabena ame aɖe si se nya la, eye mewɔ ɖe edzi o la ɖi ame aɖe si kpɔ eƒe mo le ahuhɔ̃e me.
Some people hear God’s message but do not do [what it says] [MET]. They are like someone who looks at his face in a mirror [SIM].
24 Ke esi wòdzo le ahuhɔ̃ea gbɔ la, megaɖo ŋku ale si eƒe dzedzeme le la dzi o.
Although he looks at himself, he goes away [from the mirror] and immediately forgets what he looks like.
25 Ke ame si dzroa Mawu ƒe se si de blibo si naa ablɔɖe ame la me tsitotsito ɣe sia ɣi, eye meŋlɔa nu si wòsrɔ̃ la be o, ke boŋ wòwɔa edzi la, woayrae le nu si wòwɔna la me.
But other people look closely at [God’s] message, which is perfect and which sets people free [to voluntarily do what God wants them to do]. And if they continue [to examine God’s message] and do not just hear it and then forget it, but do [what God tells them to do], God will bless them because of what they do.
26 Ne ame aɖe gblɔ be yenye xɔsetɔ, ke mede ga eƒe aɖe o la, ele eɖokui blem, eye eƒe xɔse la hã nye dzodzro.
Some people think that they worship God in the right way, but they habitually say evil things [MTY]. Those people are wrong in thinking [SYN] [that they worship God rightly]. The fact is [that they] worship God (in vain/uselessly).
27 Xɔse si mía Mawu Fofo la xɔna abe esi le dzadzɛe, eye kpɔtsɔtsɔ mele eŋu o lae nye esi be: woakpɔ tsyɔ̃eviwo kple ahosiwo dzi le woƒe xaxawo me, eye be amea maƒo ɖi eɖokui kple xexemenuwo o.
[One of the things that God has told us to do] is to take care of orphans and widows who suffer hardship. [Those who do that and] who do not think or act immorally like those who do not obey God [MTY] truly [DOU] worship God, [who is our] Father, and God approves of them.
