Konyifahawo 4
1 Aleke sika bu eƒe keklẽ eye sika nyui nyɔ vĩ ale! Wokaka kpe kɔkɔeawo ɖe kpɔdome ƒe dzogoewo katã dzi.
[Previously our people were like] [MET] pure gold, but now they are worthless. [Like] [MET] the sacred stones in the temple have been scattered, [our young men have been scattered].
2 Aleke Zion viŋutsu vevi siwo ŋu kpekpeme nɔ tsã abe sika ene la, le azɔ abe anyize si nye zemela ƒe asinudɔwɔwɔ ene!
The young men of Jerusalem were as valuable as [MET] large amounts of gold, but now people consider that they are as worthless as [ordinary] clay pots.
3 Amegaxiwo kekeake gɔ̃ hã naa no wo viwo wonona gake nye amewo va zu ŋlɔmitɔwo abe tsatsaboli le dzogbe ene.
Even the [female] jackals/wolves feed their pups, but my people act cruelly [toward their children]; they are like [SIM] ostriches in the desert [that abandon their eggs].
4 Tsikɔ na be vidzĩwo ƒe aɖe lé ɖe nu me na wo; ɖevi suewo bia abolo kple kukuɖeɖe gake ame aɖeke meli ana wo o.
[My people’s] infants’ tongues cling to the roofs/tops of their mouths because they are [extremely] thirsty; the children plead for some food, but no one gives them [any].
5 Ame siwo ɖu nu vivi kpeɖiwo tsã la, zu ame ɖigbɔ̃wo le kpɔdomewo. Ame siwo ta ago veviwo tsã la, mlɔ gbeɖuɖɔ me fifia.
People who [previously] ate fine food are [now] starving in the streets; those who previously lived luxuriously [MTY] [now] paw/dig through rubbish heaps [to find some food].
6 Nye amewo ƒe tohehe lolo wu Sodom tɔ, du si wogbã ƒu anyi le aɖabaƒoƒo ɖeka me eye asi aɖeke meli akpe ɖe eŋu o.
[The people of] Sodom were struck with a disaster very suddenly, and there was no one to rescue them; but my people have been punished more severely than [the people of] Sodom were punished.
7 Woƒe dumegãwo da dzo wu sno, wofu wu nyinotsi, woƒe ŋutilã biã wu soe eye woƒe dzedzeme le abe gbloti ene.
Our leaders’ [behavior] was [previously] very pure, whiter [and brighter] than snow and milk; their bodies were redder than [red] coral/stones; they were very strong and healthy [MET].
8 Ke azɔ la, wonyɔ wu zemabi eye ame aɖeke gɔ̃ hã medzea si wo le kpɔdomewo o. Woƒe ŋutigbalẽ lé ɖe woƒe ƒu ŋuti kpaɖii, eye woƒu abe nake ene.
But now their faces are blacker than soot, and no one recognizes them in the streets. Their skin has shriveled on their bones, and it has become as dry as [SIM] a wooden [stick].
9 Ame siwo tsi yi nu la tɔ nyo wu ame siwo ku ɖe dɔwuame ta. Elabena dɔwuame na wogbɔdzɔ, heɖiku glãŋui, le agblemenuku ƒe anyimanɔmanɔ ta.
It is better to die in a battle [MTY] than to die of hunger. There was no food to harvest in the fields, so the people slowly starved until they died.
10 Nyɔnu siwo ame ƒe nu wɔa nublanui na la tsɔ woawo ŋutɔ ƒe asiwo lé wo viwo ɖa, eye wozu nuɖuɖu na wo esi wonɔ nye amewo tsrɔ̃m.
Women who [usually/previously] were very kind have [killed and] cooked their own children; they ate them [when there was no other food], when Jerusalem was surrounded [by enemy soldiers].
11 Yehowa nyɔ eƒe dziku ƒe aɖi katã eye wòtrɔ eƒe dɔmedzoe helĩhelĩ kɔ ɖi. Edo dzo ɖe Zion eye wòfia eƒe gɔmeɖokpewo.
Yahweh has shown that he was extremely angry; [it is as though] he started/ignited a fire in Jerusalem that burned everything to ashes.
12 Anyigbadzifiawo mexɔe se kaka, amewo nayi exɔ ge ase be, futɔwo kple ketɔwo ate ŋu age ɖe Yerusalem ƒe agbowo me o.
None of the kings on the earth or anyone else believed that any of our enemies could enter the gates of Jerusalem.
13 Gake edzɔ, le eƒe Nyagblɔɖilawo ƒe nu vɔ̃ kple eƒe nunɔlawo ƒe nu tovowo ta, ame siwo kɔ ame dzɔdzɔewo ƒe ʋu ɖe dua me.
[But that is what happened]; it happened because the prophets sinned; and the priests [also] sinned by causing innocent people to be executed [MTY].
14 Azɔ wole asi tsam le kpɔdomewo abe ŋkuagbãtɔwo ene. Woƒo ʋu ale gbegbe be, ame aɖeke medo dzi ka asi woƒe awuwo ŋuti o.
The prophets and priests wandered through the streets [as though they were] blind. No one would touch them because their clothes were stained with the blood [of people who had been killed].
15 Amewo doa ɣli ɖe wo ta be, “Midzo le afi sia! Mi ame makɔmakɔwo! Mite yi! Mite yi! Migaka asi mía ŋuti o!” Ke esi wosi dzo le tsaglãla tsam la, amewo le dukɔwo me gblɔna na wo be, “Womate ŋu aganɔ teƒe sia o.”
The people [who were alive] shouted, “Stay away [from us] [DOU]! You are defiled/untouchable! Do not touch us!” So the prophets and priests fled [from Israel], and they wandered around from one country to another, because people [in each country] kept saying to them, “You cannot stay here!”
16 Yehowa ŋutɔe kaka wo, megale wo ta kpɔm o. Womegadea bubu nunɔlawo ŋu alo vea dumegãwo nu o.
It is Yahweh himself who has scattered them; he no longer is concerned about them. People do not respect [our] priests or leaders.
17 Gawu la, ɖeɖi te míaƒe ŋkuwo ŋu esi wole mɔ kpɔm na kpekpeɖeŋu si meli o; tso míaƒe gbetakpɔxɔwo me, míekpɔ mɔ na dukɔ si mate ŋu aɖe mí o la be wòava.
We [SYN] continued to look for someone to help [us], but it was useless. We continued to watch to see if one of our allies would save us, but none of the nations that we were waiting for could help [us].
18 Amewo le ŋku lém ɖe míaƒe afɔɖeɖe ɖe sia ɖe ŋu ale gbegbe be, míagate ŋu ado go azɔ le míaƒe ablɔwo dzi o. Míaƒe nuwuwu tu aƒe, woxlẽ míaƒe ŋkekewo elabena míaƒe nuwuwu va ɖo.
[Our] enemies were hunting for us, so we could not [even] walk in our streets [lest they seize us]. We were about to be captured; it was time for us to be killed.
19 Ame siwo le mía yome tim la ɖia du wu hɔ̃ le yame; woti mía yome le towo dzi eye wode xa ɖi na mí le gbegbe.
Those who pursued us were faster than eagles [flying] in the sky. Even if we fled to the mountains or hid in the desert, they [went there ahead of us and] waited [to attack] us.
20 Yehowa ƒe amesiamina la, si nye míaƒe agbegbɔgbɔ gɔ̃ hã ge ɖe woƒe mɔ me. Míebu xaa be le eƒe vɔvɔli te la, míanɔ dedie le dukɔwo dome.
[Our king, ] whom Yahweh appointed, was the one who enabled us to remain alive [MTY]; he was the one whom we trusted to protect us [IDM] from [the armies of] other nations. But he was [captured] [like animals are] [MET] caught in a pit.
21 O, Edom vinyɔnu, tso aseye, wò ame si le Uznyigba dzi. Gake wòe woatsɔ kplu la ade asi na, amu wò eye woaɖe ama wò.
You people of [IDM] Edom and Uz, [you may] be happy [about what is happening to us now], but [Yahweh] will be punishing [MTY] you [also]. You will become drunk and will be ashamed [because your enemies] will have stripped off your clothes.
22 O, Zion vinyɔnu, wò tohehe awu enu, wò aboyomenɔnɔ magadzi ɖe edzi o. Gake O, Edom vinyɔnu ahe to na wò nu vɔ̃wo eye wòaɖe wò vɔ̃ɖinyenye ɖe go.
You [people of] [APO] Jerusalem, the time of your being punished will end; Yahweh will not allow you to continue to live in (exile/foreign countries). But [you people of] [APO] Edom, Yahweh will punish [you]; he will reveal the wicked things that you have done.
