< Yeremia 4 >

1 Yehowa be, “O Israel, ne miatrɔ la, ekema mitrɔ va gbɔnye ne mieɖe miaƒe legba nyɔŋuawo ɖa le nye ŋkuta eye miagatra mɔ o.
If you will come back, O Israel, says the Lord, you will come back to me: and if you will put away your disgusting ways, you will not be sent away from before me.
2 Ne mieta nu be ‘Zi ale si Yehowa le agbe’ le nyateƒe, kakaɖedzi kple dzɔdzɔenyenye me la, ekema ayra dukɔwo eye le eya amea mee woaƒo adegbe le.”
And you will take your oath, By the living Lord, in good faith and wisdom and righteousness; and the nations will make use of you as a blessing, and in you will they take a pride.
3 Ale Yehowa gblɔ na Yuda kple Yerusalem ŋutsuwoe nye esi: “Miŋlɔ agble yeye, migaƒã nu ɖe aŋɔkawo me o.
For this is what the Lord says to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem: Get your unworked land ploughed up, do not put in your seeds among thorns.
4 Mi Yuda kple Yerusalem ŋutsuwo, mitso aʋa na mia ɖokuiwo na Yehowa. Mitso aʋa na miaƒe dziwo, ne menye nenema o la, nye dziku helĩhelĩ alé dzo abi abe dzo ene eye ame aɖeke mate ŋu atsii o, ɖe nu vɔ̃ siwo miewɔ la ta.”
Undergo a circumcision of the heart, you men of Judah and people of Jerusalem: or my wrath may come out like fire, burning so that no one is able to put it out, because of the evil of your doings.
5 “Miɖe gbeƒã le Yuda, eye mido kpo le Yerusalem gblɔ be, ‘Miku kpẽ le anyigba la katã dzi!’ Mido ɣli sesĩe be, ‘Miƒo ƒu! Mina míasi ayi ɖe du sesẽwo me!’
Say openly in Judah, give it out in Jerusalem, and say, Let the horn be sounded in the land: crying out in a loud voice, Come together, and let us go into the walled towns.
6 Mikɔ aflaga dzi ɖo ɖe Zion! Misi yi sitsoƒe, migatɔ o! Elabena mehe gbegblẽ tso anyiehe gbɔnae, gbegblẽ si teƒe makɔ o.”
Put up a flag for a sign to Zion: go in flight so that you may be safe, waiting no longer: for I will send evil from the north, and a great destruction.
7 “Dzata aɖe do tso eƒe do me, dukɔwo gblẽla aɖe tso dze mɔ. Etso le enɔƒe be wòava wɔ miaƒe anyigba wòazu gbegbe, ne wòawɔ miaƒe duwo woazu aƒedowo eye amewo manɔ wo me o.
A lion has gone up from his secret place in the woods, and one who makes waste the nations is on his way; he has gone out from his place, to make your land unpeopled, so that your towns will be made waste, with no man living in them.
8 Eya ta mita akpanya, mifa konyi eye mifa avi sesĩe, elabena Yehowa ƒe dziku sesẽ la medzo le mía dzi o.”
For this put on haircloth, with weeping and loud crying: for the burning wrath of the Lord is not turned back from us.
9 Yehowa be, “Ɣe ma ɣi la dzi aɖe le fia la kple eƒe dumegãwo ƒo, ŋɔdzi alé Nunɔlawo eye Nyagblɔɖilawo ƒe nu atsi te.”
And it will come about in that day, says the Lord, that the heart of the king will be dead in him, and the hearts of the rulers; and the priests will be overcome with fear, and the prophets with wonder.
10 Tete megblɔ be, “O Aƒetɔ Yehowa, èflu ame siawo kple Yerusalem ŋutɔ esi nègblɔ be, ‘Miakpɔ ŋutifafa.’ Evɔ, woɖo yi míaƒe vewo dzi.”
Then said I, Ah, Lord God! your words were not true when you said to this people and to Jerusalem, You will have peace; when the sword has come even to the soul.
11 Le ɣe ma ɣi la, woagblɔ na ame siawo kple Yerusalem be, “Ya xɔdzo aɖe ƒo tso to ƒuƒluwo dzi to gbegbe gbɔna va nye amewo gbɔ gake menye wòagbɔ nu alo aklɔ nu ta o.
At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, A burning wind from the open hilltops in the waste land is blowing on the daughter of my people, not for separating or cleaning the grain;
12 Ya sia sẽ ŋutɔ elabena etso gbɔnye. Azɔ la, mehe nye ʋɔnudɔdrɔ̃ va wo dzii.”
A full wind will come for me: and now I will give my decision against them.
13 Kpɔ ɖa! Egbɔna abe lilikpowo ene, eƒe tasiaɖamwo le du dzi abe ahomya ene eye eƒe sɔwo ɖea abla wu hɔ̃wo. Baba na mí! Míetsrɔ̃ vɔ!
See, he will come up like the clouds, and his war-carriages like the storm-wind: his horses are quicker than eagles. Sorrow is ours, for destruction has come on us.
14 O Yerusalem, klɔ nu tovo ɖa le wò dzi ŋu be nàkpɔ xɔxɔ. Va se ɖe ɣe ka ɣie susu vɔ̃ɖi anɔ mewò?
O Jerusalem, make your heart clean from evil, so that you may have salvation. How long are evil purposes to have a resting-place in you?
15 Gbe aɖe le gbeƒã ɖem tso Dan. Ele kpo dom gbegblẽ si tso Efraim togbɛwo dzi gbɔna.
For a voice is sounding from Dan, giving out evil from the hills of Ephraim:
16 “Migblɔ nya sia na dukɔwo, miɖe gbeƒãe na Yerusalem be, ‘Asrafo siwo ɖea to ɖe duwo la gbɔna tso adzɔgenyigba aɖe dzi; wole aʋaɣli dom ɖe Yuda ƒe duwo ŋuti.
Make this come to the minds of the nations, make a statement openly against Jerusalem, that attackers are coming from a far country and their voices will be loud against the towns of Judah.
17 Woɖe to ɖee abe agbleŋudzɔlawo ene elabena edze aglã ɖe ŋunye.’” Yehowae gblɔe.
Like keepers of a field they are against her on every side; because she has been fighting against me, says the Lord.
18 “Wò ŋutɔ wò afɔɖeɖewo kple nuwɔnawoe he esia va dziwòe. Esiae nye wò tohehe. Aleke wòahave wòe! Aleke wòahaƒo ɖe wò dzii!”
Your ways and your doings have made these things come on you; this is your sin; truly it is bitter, going deep into your heart.
19 O nye dablibɛƒoƒo, nye dablibɛƒoƒo! Mele ŋeŋem le vevesese me. O nye dzi xɔ abi ɖe dɔ me nam! Nye dzi le ƒoƒom le menye, nyemate ŋu azi ɖoɖoe o, elabena mese kpẽ ƒe ɖiɖi, mese aʋaɣlidodo.
My soul, my soul! I am pained to my inmost heart; my heart is troubled in me; I am not able to be quiet, because the sound of the horn, the note of war, has come to my ears.
20 Gbegblẽ kplɔ gbegblẽ ɖo eye anyigba blibo la zu aƒedo. Enumake wogbã nye agbadɔwo eye le aɖabaƒoƒo ɖeka me wogbã nye aƒe.
News is given of destruction on destruction; all the land is made waste: suddenly my tents, straight away my curtains, are made waste.
21 Va se ɖe ɣe ka ɣie makpɔ aflaga, ase aʋakpẽ?
How long will I go on seeing the flag and hearing the sound of the war-horn?
22 “Nye amewo nye movitɔwo eye womenyam o. Wole abe ɖevi abunɛtɔwo ene elabena womenyam o. Wobi ɖe nu vɔ̃ɖi wɔwɔ me eye womenya nu nyui wɔwɔ o.”
For my people are foolish, they have no knowledge of me; they are evil-minded children, without sense, all of them: they are wise in evil-doing, but have no knowledge of doing good.
23 Metsa ŋku le anyigba dzi, ele nyamaa, le ƒuƒlu. Mewu mo dzi kpɔ dziƒo gake woƒe kekeli megali o.
Looking at the earth, I saw that it was waste and without form; and to the heavens, that they had no light.
24 Mewu mo dzi kpɔ towo, wole dzodzom kpekpekpe eye togbɛwo katã le ʋuʋum.
Looking at the mountains, I saw them shaking, and all the hills were moved about.
25 Metsa ŋku ke nyemekpɔ ame aɖeke o. Xevi ɖe sia ɖe si le yame gɔ̃ hã dzo dzo.
Looking, I saw that there was no man, and all the birds of heaven had gone in flight.
26 Menye kɔ eye mekpɔ anyigba nyonu la zu gbegbe; eƒe duwo katã hã zu aƒedo le Yehowa ŋkume le eƒe dziku helĩhelĩ la ta.
Looking, I saw that the fertile field was a waste, and all its towns were broken down before the Lord and before his burning wrath.
27 Ale Yehowa gblɔe nye esi: “Anyigba blibo la azu aƒedo, gake nyemagblẽe gbidigbidi o.
For this is what the Lord has said: All the land will become a waste; I will make destruction complete.
28 Eya ta anyigba axa nu eye dziƒo ado viviti elabena meƒo nu eye nyemagbe edziwɔwɔ o. Meɖo ta me eye nyematrɔ susu o.”
The earth will be weeping for this, and the heavens on high will be black: because I have said it, and I will not go back from it; it is my purpose, and it will not be changed.
29 Du sia du lé du tsɔ esi wose sɔwo kple aŋutrɔdalawo ƒe hoowɔwɔ. Ame aɖewo yi ɖabe ɖe ave dodowo me, eye ɖewo lia agakpewo. Duwo katã me ɖi gbɔlo: ame aɖeke megale wo me o.
All the land is in flight because of the noise of the horsemen and the bowmen; they have taken cover in the woodland and up on the rocks: every town has been given up, not a man is living in them.
30 O, wò ame si wotsrɔ̃, nu ka wɔm nèle? Nu ka ta nètsɔ awu dzĩ kple sikanuwo do? Nu ka ta nètsɔ ɖoŋkui sisi ɖe ŋkuta ɖo? Dzodzroe nèwɔ leke na ɖokuiwò. Wò lɔlɔ̃tɔwo do vlo wò eye wole wò agbe yome tim.
And you, when you are made waste, what will you do? Though you are clothed in red, though you make yourself beautiful with ornaments of gold, though you make your eyes wide with paint, it is for nothing that you make yourself fair; your lovers have no more desire for you, they have designs on your life.
31 Mese ɣli aɖe abe nyɔnu si le ku lém la tɔ ene. Mese ŋeŋe aɖe abe nyɔnu si le vi gbãtɔ dzim la tɔ ene. Ɣli la nye Zion vinyɔnu si lé gbɔgbɔtsixe ɖe ƒo hetsɔ eƒe asiwo do ɖe dzi la tɔ. Ele gbɔgblɔm be, “Evɔ nam! Nye mo le zi tsyɔm; wotsɔ nye agbe de asi na amewulawo.”
A voice has come to my ears like the voice of a woman in birth-pains, the pain of one giving birth to her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, fighting for breath, stretching out her hands, saying, Now sorrow is mine! for my strength is gone from me before the takers of life.

< Yeremia 4 >