Yeremia 29

1 Esia nye agbalẽ si Nyagblɔɖila Yeremia ŋlɔ le Yerusalem ɖo ɖe aboyomenɔlawo ƒe ametsitsi mamlɛawo, nunɔla siwo gale agbe, nyagblɔɖilawo kple ame bubu siwo Nebukadnezar ɖe aboyoe tso Yerusalem yi ɖe Babilonia la me nyawo.

After King Jehoiachin, his mother, his palace officials, other officials in Judah, and all the various kinds of craftsmen [DOU] had been exiled to Babylon, I wrote a letter to the elders, the priests, the prophets and all the other people who had been taken from Jerusalem to Babylon by [soldiers of] Nebuchadnezzar.

2 Esia va eme le esi wokplɔ Fia Yehoyatsin, fiasrɔ̃, ʋɔnudɔdzikpɔlawo, Yuda dumegãwo, Yerusalem dumegãwo, aɖaŋudɔwɔlawo kple asinudɔwɔlawo le Yerusalem yi aboyo mee megbe

3 Ame siwo xɔ agbalẽa yi na woe nye, Eleasa, Safan ƒe vi kple Gemaria, Hilkia ƒe vi, ame si Yuda fia Zedekia dɔ ɖo ɖe Babilonia fia Nebukadnezar gbɔ. Agbalẽa me nyawo be:

[I gave] the letter to Elasah the son of Shaphan, and to Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, when they were about to go to Babylon to be ambassadors from King Zedekiah to King Nebuchadnezzar. This is what I wrote in the letter:

4 Ale Yehowa, Dziƒoʋakɔwo ƒe Aƒetɔ, Israel ƒe Mawu la gblɔ na ame siwo katã mekplɔ tso Yerusalem yi ɖe aboyo mee le Babilonia,

This is what the Commander of the armies of angels, the God whom [we] Israelis [worship], says to all you people who were captured [here] in Jerusalem and taken [there] to Babylon:

5 “Mitso aƒewo ne mianɔ wo me, mide agble eye miaɖu emenuwo.

“Build houses [there], and plan to stay there [because you will be there for many years]. Plant gardens, and eat the food that is produced in the gardens.

6 Miɖe srɔ̃ ne miadzi viŋutsuwo kple vinyɔnuwo. Miɖe srɔ̃ na mia viŋutsuwo kple mia vinyɔnuwo, ale be woawo hã nadzi viŋutsuwo kple vinyɔnuwo. Midzi ɖe edzi le afi ma ke migazu ʋɛe o.

Get married and have children. Then [when they grow up], choose wives for your sons, and husbands for your daughters, in order that they [also] may have children. [In that way], the number of you people will increase, not decrease.

7 Gawu la, midi ŋutifafa kple dzidzedzekpɔkpɔ na du si me meɖe aboyo mi ɖo ɖo la. Mido gbe ɖa na Yehowa ɖe wo ta elabena ne eme nyo na wo la, anyo na miawo hã.”

Also, do things that will cause things to go well [for the other people there] in the city where I sent you. Pray that things will go well for [the people in] that city, because if things go well for them, things will go well for you, [also].”

8 Ɛ̃, ale Yehowa, Dziƒoʋakɔwo ƒe Aƒetɔ, Israel ƒe Mawu la gblɔe nye esi: “Migana Nyagblɔɖila kple bokɔnɔ siwo le mia dome la nable mi o. Migalé to ɖe drɔ̃e siwo miede dzi ƒo na wo be woaku la ŋuti o.

This is what the Commander of the armies of angels, the God whom [we] Israeli people [worship], says: “There are [false] prophets and fortune-tellers among you. Do not allow them to deceive you. Do not pay attention to [them when they tell you] their dreams,

9 Aʋatsonyawo gblɔm wole ɖi na mi le nye ŋkɔ me. Nyemedɔ wo o.” Yehowae gblɔe.

because they are telling you lies, saying that [MTY] [I have given them the messages that they are telling you]. But, I have not appointed them.”

10 Ale Yehowa gblɔe nye esi: “Ne ƒe blaadre de na Babilonia vɔ la, mava mia gbɔ eye mawɔ ɖe amenuveveŋugbe si medo, be magakplɔ mi va teƒe sia la dzi.

This is [also] what Yahweh says: “After you [and your children] have been in Babylon for seventy years, I will help you, and do for you the things that I promised, and I will enable you to return here [to Jerusalem].

11 Yehowa be, menya ɖoɖo siwo mewɔ ɖe mia ŋu, mewɔ ɖoɖo be nu nadze edzi na mi, menye mawɔ vɔ̃ mi o, be mana mɔkpɔkpɔ mi eye ŋu nyui aɖe hã nake na mi.

I, Yahweh, know what I have planned for you. I am planning to cause things to go well for you, not to cause you to experience disasters. I am planning to give you many things that you confidently expect to receive in the future.

12 Ekema miayɔm eye matɔ na mi, miado gbe ɖa nam eye maɖo to mi.

At that time, when you pray, I will heed you.

13 Miadim eye miakpɔm; ne miedim kple miaƒe dzi blibo ko.

If you earnestly desire for me [to bless you], you will experience me [blessing you].

14 Miake ɖe ŋunye, eye makplɔ mi agbɔe tso aboyo me. Maƒo mia nu ƒu tso dukɔwo katã me kple teƒe siwo katã menya mi ɖo ɖo, eye magakplɔ mi ava teƒe sia, afi si mekplɔ mi tsoe yi ɖe aboyo mee.” Yehowae gblɔe.

I will make my help available to you [IDM]. I will cause you to no longer be slaves [in Babylon]. I will gather you from all the nations to which I have exiled you, and I will bring you back [here to your own land], to the place from which you were taken.”

15 Miagblɔ be, “Yehowa ɖo nyagblɔɖilawo na mi le Babilonia.”

[Some of] you say that Yahweh has appointed prophets for you [there] in Babylon.

16 Gake ale Yehowa gblɔ le fia si nɔ David ƒe fiazikpui dzi, ame siwo katã susɔ ɖe du sia me, miaƒe dumetɔ siwo meyi aboyo me o la ŋuti,

But this is what Yahweh says about the king who rules [here] in Jerusalem, and about all the other people who are [still] living here—your relatives who were not taken to Babylon with you.

17 Ɛ̃, ale Yehowa, Dziƒoʋakɔwo ƒe Aƒetɔ la gblɔe nye esi: “Madɔ yi, dɔwuame kple dɔvɔ̃ ɖe wo ŋuti eye mawɔ wo abe gbotsetse manyomanyo si ƒaƒã ale gbegbe be womate ŋu aɖui o la ene.

The Commander of the armies of angels says this: “I will cause them to experience wars and famines and diseases. I will cause them to become like [SIM] bad figs that are very rotten, with the result that no one can eat them.

18 Mati wo yome kple yi, dɔwuame kple dɔvɔ̃, eye woanye ŋɔdzinu na anyigbadzidukɔwo katã. Woazu ɖiŋudonu, bibi, alɔmeɖenu kple vlodonu le dukɔ siwo katã dome menya wo ɖo ɖo la.

I will not stop causing them to experience wars and famines and diseases. And I will scatter them all around the world. In every country where I (force them to be taken/exile them), I will cause them to be people whom [others] curse and be horrified about and make fun of [DOU].

19 Elabena womeɖo to nye nyawo o, nya siwo meɖo ɖe wo enuenu to nye dɔla nyagblɔɖilawo dzi. Ke mi aboyomewo hã mieɖo to o,” Yehowae gblɔe.

[That will happen] because they have refused to pay attention to my messages, messages that I gave to the prophets whom I sent to them. And you [who have been exiled to Babylon] have not paid attention to them, [either].” [That is what] Yahweh says.

20 Eya ta mise Yehowa ƒe nya, mi ame siwo meɖo ɖe aboyo me le Babilonia tso Yerusalem.

[Therefore], you people who have been (exiled/forced to go) from Jerusalem to Babylon, listen to this message from Yahweh.

21 Ale Yehowa, Dziƒoʋakɔwo ƒe Aƒetɔ kple Israel ƒe Mawu la gblɔ le Ahab, Kolaya ƒe vi kple Zedekia, Maaseya ƒe vi, ame siwo le aʋatsonyagblɔɖiwo gblɔm le nye ŋkɔ dzi la ŋutie nye esi: “Makplɔ wo ade asi na Babilonia fia, Nebukadnezar eye wòawu wo le mia ŋkume.

This is what the Commander of the armies of angels, the God whom [we] Israelis [worship], says about Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and about Zedekiah, the son of Maaseiah, who are telling lies to you, saying that they are giving messages [MTY] from him: “They will be seized and taken to [MTY] King Nebuchadnezzar, who will cause them to be executed while you are watching.

22 Le wo ta la, ame siwo katã yi aboyo me le Babilonia tso Yuda la awɔ fiƒodenya siawo ŋu dɔ, ‘Yehowa awɔ wò abe Zedekia kple Ahab ene, ame siwo Babilonia fia tɔ dzoe.’

Because of [what will happen to] them, all you people who have been taken from Judah to Babylon will say this when they curse someone: ‘I hope/wish that Yahweh will do to you the same thing that he did to Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the King of Babylon caused to be [killed by being] burned in a fire.’

23 Elabena wowɔ ŋukpenanu le Israel, wowɔ ahasi kple wo haviwo srɔ̃wo eye woka aʋatso le nye ŋkɔ me, evɔ nyemegblɔe na wo be wonewɔ nenema o. Menya eye menye ɖasefo nɛ.” Yehowae gblɔe.

They have done terrible things to [my] Israeli people. They have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and they have spoken lies, saying that they were messages [MTY] from me. They have said things that I did not tell them to say, and I, Yahweh, have heard them [say those things].”

24 Gblɔ na Semaya, Nehelamitɔ be,

[Yahweh told me to] send this message to Shemaiah, a man from Nehelam [town who was living in Babylon]:

25 “Ale Yehowa, Dziƒoʋakɔwo ƒe Aƒetɔ, Israel ƒe Mawu la gblɔe nye esi: ‘Eŋlɔ agbalẽ le wò ŋutɔ wò ŋkɔ me heɖo ɖe Yerusalemtɔwo katã, na nunɔla Zefania, Maaseya ƒe vi kple nunɔla bubuawo.’ Eŋlɔ na Zefania be,

This is what the Commander of the armies of angels, the God whom [we] Israelis [worship], says: “You wrote a letter that no one told you to write. You sent it to Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, and [you sent copies] to the other priests and all the [other] people here in Jerusalem. [This is what] you wrote to him:

26 ‘Yehowa ɖo wò nunɔlae ɖe Yehoiada teƒe be nànye Yehowa ƒe gbedoxɔ la dzi kpɔla, eye ne aɖaʋatɔ aɖe va le nu wɔm abe nyagblɔɖila ene la, lée de kunyowu me, eye nàde ga kɔ nɛ.

[Zephaniah], Yahweh has appointed you to be the priest instead of Jehoiada, to supervise those who work in the temple. Anyone who acts like a crazy man and who claims that he is a prophet, you should put his arms and legs and head into (stocks/a wooden frame [so that he cannot move)].

27 Ekema nu ka ta mèka mo na Yeremia, Anatɔt la, ame si le nyagblɔɖila ƒe dɔ wɔm le mia dome la o?

So why have you not done anything to stop Jeremiah, the man from Anathoth [town], who [pretends that he] is a prophet among you?

28 Eɖo agbalẽ sia ɖe mi le Babilonia be mianɔ afi ma wòadidi, eya ta mitso aƒewo mianɔ wo me, miade agble, eye miaɖu emenuwo.’”

He sent a letter to us [who are here] in Babylon, saying that [we will be here for] a long time. He said that [therefore] we should build houses and plan to stay here, and plant gardens, and eat the food that is produced in the gardens.”

29 Ke Nunɔla Zefania xlẽ agbalẽ la na Nyagblɔɖila Yeremia.

[But when] Zephaniah the priest [received] the letter from you, he [brought it to me and] read it to me.

30 Tete Yehowa ƒe nya va na Yeremia be,

Then Yahweh gave me this message:

31 “Ɖo gbedeasi sia ɖe aboyomeawo katã be, ‘Ale Yehowa gblɔ le Semaya, Nehelamitɔ la ŋutie nye esi: “Esi Semaya gblɔ nya ɖi na mi, evɔ nyemedɔe o eye wòna miexɔ beblenya dzi se ta la,”

“Send this message to all the people [from Judah] who are there [in Babylon]. Say that this is what Yahweh says about Shemaiah, the man from Nehelam: ‘I did not appoint him, but he has deceived you and caused you to believe the lies that he prophesied.

32 ale Yehowa gblɔe nye esi: Mahe to na Semaya, Nehelamitɔ kple eƒe dzidzimeviwo katã, eƒe ƒometɔ aɖeke masusɔ ɖe eƒe amewo dome alo akpɔ nu nyui si mawɔ na nye dukɔ la o, elabena egblɔ nya be woadze aglã ɖe ŋutinye.’” Yehowae gblɔe.

So, I will punish him and his family. He has incited you to rebel against me. Because of that, all of his descendants will soon die. I will do [many] good things for [you], my people, but he and his descendants will not see those things, [because they will be dead]. [That will surely happen because I], Yahweh, have said it!’”