Yeremia 22
1 Ale Yehowa gblɔe nye si, “Yi ɖe Yuda fia ƒe sãme eye nàgblɔ gbedeasi sia nɛ,
This is another message that Yahweh gave [to me]: “Go down to the palace of the king of Judah and say this to him:
2 ‘O Yuda fia, wò ame si nɔ David ƒe fiazikpui dzi, wò dumegãwo kple wò ame siwo toa agbo siawo me yina, mise Yehowa ƒe nya.
‘You are the king of Judah. You are the ruler [MTY], like King David was. You and your officials and your people must listen
3 Ale Yehowa gblɔe nye si: Miwɔ nu dzɔdzɔe eye miwɔ nu si le eteƒe. Mixɔ ame si woda adzoe la le ŋutasẽla ƒe fego me. Migawɔ vɔ̃ alo ate amedzrowo, tsyɔ̃eviwo alo ahosiwo ɖe to o eye migakɔ ʋu maɖifɔ hã ɖi ɖe teƒe sia o;
to what Yahweh says: “Act fairly and justly. Do what is right. Help those who have been robbed. Rescue people from those who oppress them. Stop doing evil things. Do not mistreat those who have come here from other countries, and do not mistreat orphans and widows. Stop murdering here [in Jerusalem] [MTY] those who (are innocent/have not done things that are wrong).
4 elabena ne mieɖɔ ŋu ɖo hewɔ ɖe sedede siawo dzi la, ekema fia siwo anɔ David ƒe fiazikpui dzi la, ato fiasã sia ƒe agbowo me, anɔ tasiaɖamwo me, anɔ sɔwo dzi eye woƒe dumegãwo kple dumetɔwo akplɔ wo ɖo.
If you obey those commands carefully, there will [always] be some descendant of King David who will be ruling here [MTY] [in Jerusalem]. The king and his officials and other people will ride through the gates of the city in chariots and on horses.
5 Ke ne mieɖo to sedede siawo o la, meta ɖokuinye be fiasã sia agbã, azu aƒedo.’” Yehowae gblɔe.
But if you refuse to pay attention to those commands, I, Yahweh, solemnly declare, with myself [MTY] as a witness, that this palace will become a pile of rubble.”’”
6 Elabena ale Yehowa gblɔ le Yuda fia ƒe fiasã la ŋue nye esi: “Togbɔ be èle nam abe Gilead kple Lebanon towo ƒe tame ene hã la, mawɔ wò le nyateƒe me nàzu abe gbegbe kple du siwo zu aƒedo ene.
And this is what Yahweh says about the king’s palace: “[I like] this palace, like I like the forests in the Gilead [region] and the mountains in Lebanon. But I will cause this palace to become a desert, a place that no one lives in.
7 Maɖo nugblẽlawo ɖe ŋuwò, ɖe sia ɖe alé lãnu ɖe asi eye woalã wò sedati vavãwo atsɔ aƒu gbe ɖe dzo me.
I will summon enemy troops who will destroy this palace; each of their soldiers will use his own tools [to wreck the building]. They will cut into pieces the beautiful big cedar [beams] and throw them into a fire.”
8 “Dukɔ geɖe me tɔwo ava to du sia ŋu ayi eye woabia wo nɔewo be, ‘Nu ka ta Yehowa wɔ nu sia tɔgbi ɖe du xɔŋkɔ sia ŋuti ɖo?’
People from many nations will walk past [the ruins of] this city and say to each other, “Why did Yahweh destroy this city that was [very] great?”
9 Ŋuɖoɖoa anye be, ‘Elabena wogblẽ Yehowa, woƒe Mawu la ƒe nubabla ɖi hesubɔ mawu bubuwo eye wode ta agu na wo.’”
And [other] people will reply, “[He did it] because his people stopped obeying the agreement that they had made with Yahweh their God. Instead, they worshiped [DOU] other gods.”
10 Mègafa avi na fia si ku la alo nàfa eƒe ku o, ke boŋ fa avi vevie na ame si woɖe aboyoe elabena magatrɔ agbɔ alo akpɔ eƒe denyigba akpɔ o.
[Yahweh also says, ] “Do not mourn for King [Josiah]; do not cry because he has died. Instead, mourn for [King Jehoahaz, his son], [because] he will be captured and taken to another country, and he will never return to see his own country, [Judah], again.”
11 Ale Yehowa gblɔ le Salum, Yosia ƒe vi, ame si ɖu fia le Yuda ɖe fofoa yome, gake dzo le teƒe sia ŋutie nye esi: “Magatrɔ agbɔ gbeɖe o.
Jehoahaz became king after his father, King Josiah, [died], but Jehoahaz indeed was captured and taken [to Babylonia]. And this is what Yahweh says about him: “He also will never return [to Judah].
12 Aku ɖe afi si woɖe aboyoe ɖo eye magakpɔ anyigba sia akpɔ o.”
He will die in that far-away country and will never see his own country again.”
13 “Baba na ame si tu eƒe fiasã to mɔ madzɔmadzɔ dzi eye eƒe sã to amebaba me, ame si zia eƒe dukɔmetɔwo dzi be woawɔ dɔ nɛ yakatsyɔ eye wògbea fexexe na wo.
[And Yahweh said to me], “Terrible things will happen to [King Jehoahaz’s brother, King Jehoiakim]. He unjustly [forced men to] build his palace. The rooms on the upper level were built [by men who were forced] unjustly [to do that work]; he forced his neighbors to work for nothing; he did not pay them anything.
14 Ame si gblɔ be, ‘Matu fiasã gã aɖe na ɖokuinye eye dziƒoxɔwo me akeke nyuie.’ Ale wòɖe fesre gãwo ɖe eŋuti eye wòtsɔ sedaʋuƒowo fa ɖe xɔawo me, hetsɔ aŋɔ dzĩ si nɛ.
He said, ‘I will [force my workers to] build a huge beautiful palace with very large rooms and [many] windows. They will cover the walls with [fragrant] cedar panels/timber and paint them bright red.’”
15 “Ɖe sedati gbogbo siwo le asiwò la wɔ wò nèzu fia? Ɖe nuɖuɖu kple nunono menɔ fofowò si oa? Fofowò wɔ nu si dze eye wòle eteƒe eya ta nu sia nu dze edzi nɛ nyuie.
But it is certainly not [RHQ] having a beautiful cedar palace that causes a king to be great! Jehoiakim’s father, Josiah, also had [RHQ] plenty of things to eat and drink. But Josiah always did things that are right and just, and that is why God blessed him.
16 Eʋli ame dahewo kple hiãtɔwo ta eya ta nu sia nu dze edzi nɛ ɖo. Ɖe menye esiae nye sidzedzem oa?” Yehowae gblɔe.
Josiah acted justly/fairly and helped poor and needy people, so things went well for him. Yahweh says, “That is [RHQ] the way a person should behave who knows me.
17 “Ke wò ŋku kple dzi ku ɖe viɖe ƒoɖi, ʋu maɖifɔ kɔkɔ ɖi, ameteteɖeto kple amebaba ko ŋuti.”
But [Jehoiakim], you [MTY] are greedy and desire only to obtain things by acting dishonestly. You murder [MTY] innocent people, you oppress poor people, and you treat people cruelly and violently.”
18 Eya ta ale Yehowa gblɔ le Yosia ƒe vi, Yehoyakim, Yuda fia ŋutie nye esi: “Womafa nɛ agblɔ be, ‘Ao, nɔvinye ŋutsu! Ao, nɔvinye nyɔnu!’ o. Eye womafa nɛ be, ‘Ao, nye aƒetɔ! Ao, eƒe atsyɔ̃!’ o.
Therefore, this is what Yahweh says about Jehoiakim, the son of King Josiah: “[When he dies], people will not mourn for him. They will not say to each other, ‘It is very sad; we are so sorry!’ The people whom he ruled will not mourn for him, saying, ‘We are sad that our king is dead; we are so sorry that the wonderful things [that happened while he was king are ended].’
19 Woaɖii abe ale si woɖia tedzi kuku ene elabena woahee lelele le anyigba, atsɔ aƒu gbe ɖe Yerusalem ƒe agbowo godo.”
[When he dies, people will do to] his corpse what they do to a dead donkey; his [corpse] will be dragged out of Jerusalem and dumped outside the gates!
20 “Yi ɖe Lebanon, nàfa avi sesĩe ne woase wò gbe le Basan ke, nɔ Abarim nàfa avi kple ɣli elabena wotsrɔ̃ wò lɔlɔ̃tɔwo katã.
[You people of Judah], go to [the mountains in] Lebanon and weep, shout in the [mountains of the] Bashan [region], cry out in [the mountains of] Moab, because all your friends [in those areas] have been destroyed.
21 Megblɔe na wò kɔtɛe esi nèsusu be yele dedinɔnɔ me, gake ègblɔ be, ‘Nyemaɖo to wò o!’ Aleae nye wò nɔnɔme tso wò ɖekakpuime ke; ègbe, mèɖo tom kpɔ o.
When you were prosperous, I warned you, but you replied, ‘We will not pay attention [to what you say].’ You have been acting like that since you were young; you have never obeyed me.
22 Yaƒoƒo akplɔ wò alẽkplɔlawo katã adzoe, eye woaɖe aboyo wò lɔlɔ̃tɔwo katã. Ekema ŋu akpe wò eye woado vlo wò le wò vɔ̃ɖivɔ̃ɖi gbogboawo ta.
[So, now I will punish] all your leaders; [it will be as though] they have been blown away by the wind. They will be captured [by your enemies] and taken to another country. When that happens, you will [truly] be ashamed and disgraced because of all the wicked things [that you have done].
23 Mi, ame siwo tso aƒe ɖe Lebanon, heɖe dzi ɖi bɔkɔɔ le sedatixɔwo me, aleke miahaɖe hũu, ne vevesese va mia dzi! Miase veve abe nyɔnu si le ku lém la ene!”
[Now, your king] enjoys living in the cedar rooms in his palace, but [soon] he will be punished, and then he will groan like [SIM] a woman who is giving birth to a baby.”
24 Yehowa be, “Meta nye agbe be, nenye wò, Yuda fia Yehoyatsin, Yehoyakim ƒe vie nye ŋkɔsigɛ le asibidɛ ɖusimetɔ ŋuti nam gɔ̃ hã la, maɖe wò aƒu gbe godoo.
Yahweh says this: “Jehoiachin, son of King Jehoiakim of Judah, as surely as I am alive, [I will punish you]. Even if you were the ring on my finger that shows that I am the king, I would pull you off.
25 Makplɔ wò ade asi na ame siwo le wò agbe yome tim, Nebukadnezar, Babilonia fia kple Babiloniatɔ siwo nèle vɔvɔ̃m na.
You are afraid of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and his huge army, [because] they are wanting to kill you. I will enable them to capture you.
26 Matsɔ wò kple dawò si dzi wò la aƒu gbe ɖe dukɔ bubu me, afi si womedzi mia dometɔ aɖeke ɖo o; afi ma mi ame evea miaku ɖo.
I will expel you and your mother [from this land], and you will be taken to another country. Neither of you was born there, but you will both die there.
27 Miagatrɔ agbɔ ava anyigba si miedi vevie la dzi kpɔ o.”
You will never return to this land that you will very much desire to return to.”
28 Ɖe ŋutsu sia Yehoyatsin zu ze gbagbã ɖigbɔ̃ si dim ame aɖeke mele oa? Nu ka ta woatsɔ eya kple viawo aƒu gbe ɖe anyigba si womenya o la dzi?
[Someone said, ] “Jehoiachin will be [RHQ] like a broken pot that is despised and which no one wants. He and his children will be (exiled/forced to go) to a foreign land.
29 O anyigba, anyigba, anyigba, se Yehowa ƒe nya!
[I want] the people in this land to listen carefully to this message from Yahweh.”
30 Ale Yehowa gblɔe nye esi: “Miŋlɔ nu tso ŋutsu sia ŋu abe ame si si vi mele o la ene, ame si nu madze edzi na le eƒe agbe me o; elabena eƒe dzidzimevi aɖeke makpɔ dzidzedze o, eye wo dometɔ aɖeke hã manɔ anyi ɖe David ƒe fiazikpui dzi alo agaɖu fia akpɔ le Yuda o.”
This is what Yahweh says: “[In the record about the kings of Judah, ] write down that [it will be as though] this man [Jehoiachin] had no children, and that he has not been successful during his life, because none of his children/descendants will [ever] become king to rule over [the people of] Judah.”
