Yeremia 18
1 Esiae nye Yehowa ƒe gbe si va na Yeremia,
The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,
2 “Tso nàyi ɖe zemela ƒe aƒe me, eye le afi ma matsɔ nye gbedeasi na wo.”
Arise, and go down to the potter's house, and there will I let thee hear my words.
3 Ale meyi ɖe zemela ƒe aƒe me eye mekpɔe wònɔ dɔ wɔm le zemenu dzi.
Then went I down to the potter's house, and, behold, he was doing work on the wheels.
4 Ke ze si mem wòle la gbã ɖe eƒe asiwo me, eya ta zemela la tsɔ anyi la me ze bubu ale si dze eya zemela la ŋu.
And the vessel that he was making became spoiled as [happeneth] with the clay in the hand of the potter; and he made again thereof another vessel, as it seemed good in the eyes of the potter to make it.
5 Tete Yehowa ƒe gbe va nam bena,
Then came the word of the Lord to me, saying,
6 “Yehowa be O Israel ƒe aƒe, ɖe nyemate ŋu awɔ na wò abe ale si zemela sia wɔ ene oa? O Israel ƒe aƒe, abe ale si anyi nɔa zemela ƒe asi me ene la, nenema miele nye asimee.
Shall I not be able to do unto you as this potter, O house of Israel? saith the Lord. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in my hand, O house of Israel.
7 Ne ɣe aɖe ɣi meɖe gbeƒã be maho dukɔ alo fiaɖuƒe aɖe kple ke, agbãe, ahatsrɔ̃e,
At one instant I speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy it;
8 eye dukɔ si ŋu megblɔ nya la ɖo la trɔ le eƒe mɔ vɔ̃wo dzi vavã la, ekema matrɔ susu eye nyemagahe gbegblẽ si meɖo ɖe eŋuti la ava edzi o.
But should that nation, against whom I have spoken, return from their wrong-doing: then will I bethink me of the evil that I had thought to do unto them.
9 Ke ne meɖe gbeƒã ɣe bubu ɣi be maɖo dukɔ alo fiaɖuƒe aɖe te, ahade eƒe agunu to
And at one instant I speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it;
10 gake wòwɔ nu si nye vɔ̃ le nye ŋkume eye meɖo tom o la, ekema matrɔ susu le nu nyui si meɖo be mawɔ nɛ hafi la ŋuti.
But should it do what is evil in my eyes, so as not to hearken to my voice: then will I bethink me of the good, wherewith I had thought to benefit the same.
11 “Azɔ gblɔ na ame siwo le Yuda kple Yerusalem be, ‘Ale Yehowa gblɔe nye esi: Kpɔ ɖa, meɖo gbegblẽ ɖe mia ŋu eye mele nugbe ɖom ɖe mia ŋu. Mia dometɔ ɖe sia ɖe netrɔ le eƒe mɔ vɔ̃wo dzi eye miaɖɔ miaƒe mɔwo kple wɔnawo ɖo.’
And now do say to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, as followeth, Thus hath said the Lord, Behold, I form against you evil, and devise against you a device: do but return now every one from his evil way, and amend your ways and your deeds.
12 Gake woaɖo eŋu be, ‘Mehiã o; miayi edzi awɔ miaƒe lɔlɔ̃nu eye mia dometɔ ɖe sia ɖe adze eƒe dzi vɔ̃ɖi kple aglãdzenuwo yome.’”
And they said, It is useless: for after our own thoughts will we walk, and we will every one do after the stubbornness of his evil heart.
13 Eya ta ale Yehowa gblɔe nye esi: “Mibia le dukɔwo dome be, ame kae se esia tɔgbi kpɔ mahã? Ɖetugbi dzadzɛ, Israel, wɔ ŋunyɔnu si teƒe mekɔ o.
Therefore thus hath said the Lord, Only ask among the nations, Who hath heard the like things? a very horrible act hath the virgin of Israel committed.
14 Ɖe tsikpe si dzana ɖe Lebanon ƒe agakpewo kɔgo la vɔna? Ɖe eƒe tsi fafɛ si sina toa dukɔ la me tso teƒe didiwo la nu tsona?
Doth the snow of Lebanon ever quit the rock of the field? or do the far-coming, cold, flowing waters ever fail?
15 Ke nye amewo ŋlɔm be hedoa dzudzɔ ʋeʋĩ na legba maɖinu siwo nana be woklia nu le woƒe toƒewo kple blemamɔwo dzi. Wonana be wozɔa mɔ siwo to duwo xa kple mɔ siwo menye mɔ dodowo o la dzi.
That my people have forgotten me, that they have burnt incense to false gods, and are made to stumble on their ways, the ancient beaten tracks, to walk in paths, on a road which is not leveled?
16 Woana woƒe anyigba nazu gbegbe, eye woazu alɔmeɖenu tegbee. Ame siwo katã ato afi ma ayi la, ƒe mo awɔ yaa, eye woaʋuʋu ta.
To make their land desolate, a perpetual derision: every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and shake his head.
17 Makaka wo le woƒe futɔwo ŋgɔ abe ɣedzeƒeya ene. Matrɔ nye megbe ade wo le woƒe dzɔgbevɔ̃e ƒe ŋkeke la dzi, ke menye nye ŋkume o.”
Like an east wind will I scatter them before the enemy; with the back, and not the face, will I regard them on the day of their calamity.
18 Tete wogblɔ be, “Miva, mina míaɖo nugbe ɖe Yeremia ŋu, elabena mele be nunɔlawo ƒe se la fiafia, nunyalawo ƒe aɖaŋudede alo nyagblɔɖilawo ƒe nyawo nabu o, eya ta miva míawɔ avu kplii kple míaƒe aɖewo, eye míado toku nu sia nu si wòagblɔ.”
And they said, Come, and let us contrive devices against Jeremiah; for the law will not be lost from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us smite him with the tongue, and let us not listen to any of his words.
19 Yehowa, ɖo tom, se nu si gblɔm nunyetsolawo le la ɖa!
Listen to me, O Lord, and hearken to the voice of those that contend with me.
20 Ɖe woatsɔ vɔ̃ aɖo nyui teƒea? Ke woɖe ʋe ɖi nam. Ɖo ŋku edzi be metsi tsitre ɖe ŋkuwòme ɖe kuku ɖe wo ta be nàtsɔ woƒe nu vɔ̃wo ake wo ne màgatrɔ wò dɔmedzoe akɔ ɖe wo dzi o.
Shall evil be recompensed instead of good, that they have dug a pit for my life? Remember my standing before thee to speak good concerning them, to cause thy wrath to turn away from them.
21 Eya ta tsɔ wo viwo de asi na dɔwuame, tsɔ wo de asi na yi ƒe ŋusẽ. Na be wo srɔ̃wo nazu konɔwo kple ahosiwo, na be woawu wo srɔ̃ŋutsuwo, eye woƒe ɖekakpuiwo natsi yi nu le aʋagbedzi.
Therefore give up their children to the famine, and let their life ebb out by means of the sword; and let their wives be bereaved of their children, and widows; and let their men be slain by death; their young men smitten by the sword in the battle.
22 Na be avifafa naɖi le woƒe aƒewo me ne èkplɔ adzohawo va ƒo ɖe wo dzi kpoyi, elabena woɖe ʋe ɖi be mage ɖe eme ne yewoalém, eye woɖo mɔ ɖi na nye afɔwo.
Let a cry be heard from their houses, when thou bringest a troop over them suddenly; for they have dug a pit to catch me, and laid concealed snares for my feet.
23 O Yehowa, wò la, ènya nugbe si woɖo ɖe ŋunye be yewoawum. Mègatsɔ woƒe hlɔ̃dodowo ke alo nàtutu woƒe nu vɔ̃wo ɖa le ŋkuwòme o. Na be woatsɔ wo axlã ɖe anyi le ŋkuwòme, eye nàtu nu kpli wo le wò dzikudogbe.
Yet thou, Lord, knowest well all their counsel against me to [procure my] death: forgive not their iniquity, and let their sin not be blotted out from before thee; but let them be brought to stumbling before thee; in the time of thy anger deal thus with them.
