< Yeremia 3 >

1 “Ne ŋutsu aɖe gbe srɔ̃a, eye nyɔnu la dzo ɖaɖe ŋutsu bubu ɖe, ɖe wòle be ŋutsu gbãtɔ nagatrɔ ayi ɖe nyɔnu la gbɔa? Ɖe womagblẽ kɔ ɖo na anyigba la keŋkeŋ oa? Ke wò la, ènɔ agbe abe gbolo ene kple lɔlɔ̃tɔ geɖewo. Ɖe nàtrɔ ava gbɔnye azɔa?” Yehowae gblɔe.
If a man divorces his wife and she goes and marries someone else, could he ever go back to her? Wouldn't the country be made totally unclean by this? But you have done worse by prostituting yourselves with many lovers, and now you want to come back to me? declares the Lord.
2 “Wu mo dzi ɖe to ƒuƒluwo ŋu eye nàkpɔ ɖa. Teƒe aɖe li si womedɔ kpli wò le oa? Ènɔ anyi ɖe mɔto henɔ ŋutsuwo lalam. Ènɔ anyi abe Arabiatɔwoe nɔ anyi ɖe gbegbe ene. Ètsɔ wò gbolowɔwɔ kple vɔ̃ɖivɔ̃ɖi do gu anyigba la.
Look up at the bare hilltops. Is there anywhere that you haven't had sex? You sat at the roadside like someone from the desert waiting for your lovers to pass by. You have made the land unclean with your prostitution and evil.
3 Eya ta woɖo asi tsidzadza dzi eye kelemetsi gɔ̃ hã medza o. Ke wò la, gbolo ƒe mo ŋanɛ li na wò eye ŋu gbe wò kpekpe.
That's why no showers have been sent, and no spring rains have fallen. But you just stare back shamelessly like a prostitute; you refuse to accept you've done anything wrong.
4 Menye fifi laa koe nèyɔm be, ‘Fofonye kple xɔ̃nye, tso nye ɖekakpuime ke’ oa?
Didn't you just tell me, “My father, you've been such a close friend to me since I was little.
5 ‘Ɖe nàkpɔ dziku ɖaa? Ɖe wò dɔmedzoe helĩhelĩ anɔ anyi tegbea?’ Aleae nèƒoa nu gake hewɔa nu tovo siwo katã nàte ŋui.”
You won't be angry with me for a long time, will you? You won't go on being like that forever?” This is what you've said, but you keep on sinning as much as you can.
6 Esi Fia Yosia nɔ fia ɖum la, Yehowa gblɔ nam be, “Èkpɔ nu si Israel nuteƒemawɔla la wɔa? Eyi ɖe togbɛ kɔkɔ ɖe sia ɖe dzi eye wòyi ɖe ati dama ɖe sia ɖe te hewɔ ahasi le afi ma.
During the reign of King Josiah, the Lord told me, Have you seen what unfaithful Israel has done? She has prostituted herself on every high hill and under every green tree.
7 Mebui be esi wòwɔ esiawo katã vɔ la, atrɔ ava gbɔnye gake mewɔe o eye nɔvia nyɔnu godzela, Yuda hã kpɔe.
I hoped that after she'd done all this she'd come back to me. But she didn't come back, and her unfaithful sister Judah saw what happened.
8 Metsɔ srɔ̃gbegbalẽ na nuteƒemawɔla Israel henyae ɖe eƒe ahasiwɔwɔwo katã ta, gake mekpɔ be nɔvia godzela Yuda mevɔ̃ o; eya hã yi ɖawɔ ahasi.
She saw that because of everything unfaithful Israel had done on committing adultery, I sent her away, giving her a certificate of divorce. But her unfaithful sister Judah wasn't afraid and prostituted herself too.
9 Esi Israel ƒe ŋunyɔnuwɔwɔ nye nu tsɛ aɖe ko le eya gbɔ ta la, edo gu anyigba la eye wòwɔ ahasi kple ati kple kpe.
Israel didn't care about the immorality, as she made herself and the land unclean, committing adultery by worshiping stones and trees.
10 Le esiawo katã megbe hã la, nɔvia nyɔnu, Yuda, godzela, metrɔ va gbɔnye kple eƒe dzi blibo o, ke boŋ ewɔ alakpanu.” Yehowae gblɔe.
Despite all this, her unfaithful sister Judah didn't come back to me in sincerity. She only pretended to do so, declares the Lord.
11 Yehowa gblɔ nam be, “Nuteƒemawɔla Israel le dzɔdzɔe wu Yuda, godzela la.
The Lord told me, Unfaithful Israel showed that she wasn't as guilty as unfaithful Judah.
12 Yi, nàɖe gbeƒã nya sia ɖo ɖe anyiehe gome. Yehowa be, “‘Xɔsemanɔsitɔ Israel trɔ gbɔ. Nyemagahe nya ɖe ŋuwò azɔ o elabena nublanuikpɔlae menye eye nyemado dziku tegbee o.’ Yehowae gblɔe.
Now go and announce this message to the north: Come back, unfaithful Israel, declares the Lord. I won't be angry with you anymore, because I am merciful, declares the Lord. I won't be angry forever.
13 ‘Wò ya, dze si wò vodada elabena èdze aglã ɖe Yehowa, wò Mawu la ŋu; ètsɔ wò nunyonamewo ma na dzromawuwo le ati dama ɖe sia ɖe te eye mèɖo tom o.’” Yehowae gblɔe.
Just admit you did wrong, that you rebelled against the Lord your God. You spread yourself around, committing adultery by worshiping foreign gods under every green tree, refusing to do what I told you, declares the Lord.
14 Yehowa be, “Mi xɔsemanɔsitɔwo, mitrɔ gbɔ, elabena nyee nye mia srɔ̃. Matia mi, ame ɖeka tso du ɖe sia ɖe me, ame eve tso to ɖe sia ɖe me ahaƒo ƒu mi ɖe Zion.
Come back, unfaithful children, declares the Lord, because I am married to you. I will take you, one from a town and two from a family, and bring you to Zion.
15 Ekema mana kplɔlawo mi ɖe nye dzi ƒe didi nu, ame siwo akplɔ mi le nunya kple nugɔmesese me.
I will give you shepherds who are like me who will feed you wisely and with understanding.
16 Le ŋkeke mawo me, ne miedzi ɖe edzi fũu le anyigba dzi la, amewo magagblɔ azɔ be, ‘Yehowa ƒe nubablaɖaka o. Mage ɖe woƒe susu me alo woaɖo ŋku edzi o; womagabia eta ase alo awɔ bubu o.’ Yehowae gblɔe.
At that time as you increase in number in the country, declares the Lord, no one will be talking about the Ark of the Lord's Agreement anymore. People won't need to think about it or remember it or wonder what happened to it; and certainly won't need to make a new one.
17 Le ɣe ma ɣi la, woayɔ Yerusalem be, Yehowa Ƒe Fiazikpui eye dukɔwo katã aƒo ƒu ɖe Yerusalem be woade bubu Yehowa ƒe ŋkɔ ŋu. Womagadze woƒe dzi vɔ̃ɖiwo ƒe tamesesẽ yome o.
When that time comes Jerusalem will be called the Throne of the Lord, and all the nations will come together in Jerusalem to honor the Lord. They won't be stubborn or wicked anymore.
18 Le ɣe ma ɣi me la, Yuda ƒe aƒe awɔ ɖeka kple Israel ƒe aƒe la eye wo kple eve la woatso dzigbemenyigba aɖe dzi ava, anyigba si metsɔ na mia fofowo be wòanye woƒe domenyinu.”
At that time the people of Judah will join with the people of Israel, and they will return from the land of the north to the country I gave to your forefathers to own.
19 Yehowa be, “Nye ŋutɔe gblɔ be, “‘Matsɔ dzidzɔ alé be na mi abe viŋutsuwo ene eye matsɔ anyigba nyui aɖe ana mi, domenyinu nyuitɔ kekeake si dukɔ aɖe ate ŋu akpɔ.’ Mebu be miayɔm be, ‘Fofonye’ eye miatrɔ le yonyeme o.
I said to myself, I really want you to be my children, and to give you the best country, the most beautiful place of any nation. I hoped you would call me “Father,” and never give up following me.
20 Gake, abe nyɔnu si meto nyateƒe na srɔ̃a o ene la, nenemae miawo hã mieto nyateƒe nam o, O Israel ƒe aƒe.”
But just like a wife might betray her husband, you have betrayed me, people of Israel, declares the Lord.
21 Wose avi le to ƒuƒluwo dzi, Israelviwo ƒe avifafa kple kokoƒoƒoe elabena woglɔ̃ woƒe mɔwo eye woŋlɔ Yehowa, woƒe Mawu la be.
Voices are crying on bare hilltops—the Israelites weeping and pleading for mercy, because they have gone astray and forgotten the Lord their God.
22 “Mitrɔ gbɔ, mi megbedelawo, mayɔ dɔ mi tso miaƒe megbedede me.” “Ɛ̃, míava gbɔwò, elabena wòe nye Yehowa, míaƒe Mawu.
Come back, unfaithful children, and I will heal your unfaithfulness. “We're here! Yes, we're coming back to you, because you are the Lord our God.”
23 Vavãe, legbasubɔsubɔ ƒe hoowɔwɔ le togbɛwo dzi kple towo tame nye beble sɔŋ ko. Enye nyateƒe be Yehowa, míaƒe Mawu lae nye Israel ƒe xɔnametɔ.
There's no doubt that pagan worship from the hills is pure lies; the idolatry that comes from the mountains is just noise. Israel's salvation is in the Lord our God alone.
24 Tso míaƒe ɖekakpuime ke, ŋukpenamawuwo ɖu mía fofowo ƒe agbagbadzedze ƒe kutsetsewo, woƒe alẽhawo, woƒe nyihawo, wo viŋutsuwo kple wo vinyɔnuwo.
All our lives pagan idolatry has destroyed what our fathers worked so hard for: their flocks and herds, their sons and daughters.
25 Mina míamlɔ míaƒe ŋukpe me eye míaƒe vlododo netsyɔ mía dzi. Míewɔ nu vɔ̃ ɖe Yehowa, míaƒe Mawu la ŋu, míawo kple mía fofowo siaa, tso míaƒe ɖekakpuime va se ɖe egbe sia, míeɖo to Yehowa, míaƒe Mawu la o.”
We should lie down in shame, and have our disgrace bury us. We have sinned against the Lord our God, us and our fathers. From when we were young right up to now we have not obeyed what the Lord our God told us to do.

< Yeremia 3 >