Mateo 7
1 “Mègadrɔ̃ ʋɔnu ame bubuwo o, ne menye nenema o la, woadrɔ̃ ʋɔnu wò hã,
“Do not talk about how sinfully others have acted, in order that God will not say how sinfully you have acted.
2 elabena ale si nèdrɔ̃a ʋɔnu ame bubuwoe la, nenema tututue woadrɔ̃ ʋɔnu wò hãe, eye dzidzenu si ŋu dɔ nèwɔ la, dzidzenu ma ke ŋu dɔ woawɔ atsɔ adzidze nu na wò hã.
If you condemn [other people], [God] will condemn you. To the same extent that you condemn others, you will be condemned {[God] will condemn you}.
3 “Nu ka ta nèkpɔa ati fefi si le nɔviwò ƒe ŋku dzi, gake mèkpɔa atikpo si le wò ŋutɔ wò ŋku dzi o mahã?
(None of you should be concerned [about someone else’s small faults] [MET]!/Why should any of you be concerned [about someone else’s small faults]?) [MET, RHQ] [That would be like noticing] a speck in that person’s eye. But you should [be concerned about your own big faults. They are like] [MET] planks in your own eye, which you do not notice.
4 Aleke wɔ nàgblɔ na nɔviwò be, ‘Na maɖe ati fefi le wò ŋku dzi,’ le esime atikpo le wò ŋutɔ wò ŋku dzi?
(You should not say to other people [about their minor faults], ‘Let me remove the specks from your eyes!’/Why do you say to other people [about their minor faults], ‘Let me remove the specks from your eyes?’) [RHQ] [You should not say that] if a plank is still in your own eye [MET].
5 Wò, alakpanuwɔla, ɖe atikpo le wò ŋutɔ wò ŋku dzi gbã, ekema àkpɔ nu nyuie ale be nàte ŋu aɖe ati fefi si le nɔviwò ƒe ŋku dzi la.
You hypocrite, [stop committing your own sins! That will be like] removing the plank from your own eye [MET]. Then, as a result, you will be able to perceive things spiritually so that you can help other people get rid of the [faults] [MET] [that are like] specks in their eyes.”
6 “Migatsɔ miaƒe nu kɔkɔewo na avuwo o, eye migatsɔ miaƒe dzonu xɔasiwo ƒu gbe na hawo o. Ne menye nenema o la, woanya avuzi le wo dzi, atrɔ ɖe mia ŋu, eye woavuvu mi.
“You do not give holy things to dogs [that would ignore those things] and attack you [CHI]. You do not throw pearls in front of hogs, [because they would just ignore them] and trample them. [Similarly], do not give [precious spiritual truth to people you know will not value it but instead will do evil things to you].”
7 “Mibia nu, eye woana mi; midi nu, eye miakpɔe; miƒo ʋɔa, eye woaʋui na mi.
“Keep asking [God for what you need]. If you do that, [he] will give it to you. Confidently keep [expecting God to give you the things that you need, and he will give them to you. It will be like] [MET] looking for what you need and finding it. Keep on [praying persistently to God. Then God will answer you. It will be like] [MET] knocking [on a door in order to enter a room]. And the way will be opened {[God] will open the way} for you [to get what you pray for].
8 Elabena ame sia ame si biaa nu la, wonanɛ; ame sia ame si dia nu la, ekpɔnɛ, eya ta ne mieƒo ʋɔa ko la, woaʋui na mi.
Remember that [God] will give things to everyone who continues to ask [him for them]. [He] will give things to whoever confidently keeps asking. [He] will open [the way] for people [to get the things that they keep persistently praying for].
9 “Mia dometɔ kae li nenye be Via ŋutsu bia aboloe la, wòatsɔ kpe nɛ?
(No man among you would give a stone to his son if his son were to ask for bread./Would anyone among you give a stone to his son if his son were to ask for bread?) [RHQ]
10 Alo nenye be ebia tɔmelãe la, wòatsɔ dalã nɛ?
Likewise, (no man would give a [poisonous] snake to his son if his son would ask for a fish./would anyone give a [poisonous] snake to his son if his son would ask for a fish?) [RHQ]
11 Ke nenye be mi ame vɔ̃ɖiwo mienya ale si miana nu nyui mia viwo la, ɖe mia Fofo si le dziƒo la mana nu nyuiwo ame siwo bianɛ geɖe wu oa?
You, who are evil, know how to give good things to your children. So [God], your Father who is in heaven, will certainly give good things to the people who ask him.”
12 Le nu sia nu me la, nu siwo ke miedina be amewo nawɔ na mi la, miwɔ nu mawo ke na ame bubuwo hã, elabena esiae nye Se la kple Nyagblɔɖilawo ƒe nufiafia ƒe taƒonya.
“So in whatever way you want others to act toward you [(pl)], that is the way you [(pl)] should act toward them, because that [sums up what Moses wrote in] the laws [that God gave him] and [also what] the prophets [wrote long ago].”
13 “Mige ɖe eme to agbo xaxɛ la me, elabena agbo la keke, mɔ la hã le gbadzaa, eye wòkplɔa ame yina ɖe tsɔtsrɔ̃ me, eye ame geɖewoe le eme tom le gegem ɖe eme.
“[Going to] where people live eternally [with God in heaven] is difficult. [It is like] going along a narrow road [PRS, MET] that leads to a narrow gate. Not many people find that way. [The way] that most [people take] is easy, [but it results in their being punished] {[God punishing them]} [in hell. That way is like a] wide road that people walk on [PRS, MET] until they reach the wide gate, but that road and that gate lead to where [they] will be destroyed {[God] will destroy them}. Many people enter that gate. So I [am telling you to leave the wide road and] enter the narrow gate [to heaven].” (questioned)
14 Ke agbo si le xaxɛe, mɔ la hã le buie la kplɔa amewo yina ɖe agbe me, eye ame ʋɛ aɖewo koe toa mɔ sia.
15 “Mikpɔ nyuie le aʋatsonyagblɔɖilawo ŋuti. Wovaa mia gbɔ abe alẽwo ene, ke le wo me la, wonye amegaxi nyanyrawo.
“Beware of people who come to you and say falsely that they are telling you [what God has said]. [They seem to be harmless, but they are extremely harmful. They are like] wolves that have covered themselves with sheepskins [to make people believe that they are sheep] [MET], but they actually are wolves that attack people [MET].
16 Woƒe kutsetse miatsɔ adze si woe. Ɖe woate ŋu agbe waintsetse le aŋɔka dzi alo gbotsetse le ŋuti dzia?
[So how will you know that they are false?] Well, by seeing what plants produce, you know [what kind of plants] they are [MET]. [For example, thornbushes cannot produce grapes], so (no one can pick grapes from thornbushes./can anyone pick grapes from thornbushes?) [RHQ] And [thistles cannot produce figs], so (no one can pick figs from thistles./can anyone pick figs from thistles?) [RHQ]
17 Nenema ke ati nyui sia ati nyui tsea ku nyui, ke ati manyomanyo tsea ku gbegblẽ.
[Here is another example]: All good fruit trees produce good fruit, but all unhealthy trees produce worthless fruit.
18 Ati nyui mate ŋu atse ku gbegblẽ o, eye ati manyomanyo mate ŋu atse ku nyui o.
No good fruit tree is able to produce worthless fruit, and no unhealthy tree is able to produce good fruit.
19 Ati sia ati si metsea ku nyui o la, wolãnɛ dea dzo me,
[And] all the trees that do not produce good fruit are chopped down and burned in a fire {people chop them down and burn them in a fire} [to get rid of them]. [Similarly], those who falsely claim to be prophets [will be thrown] {[God will throw false prophets]} [into the fires of hell]. (questioned)
20 eya ta woƒe kutsetse miatsɔ adze si woe.
By seeing [what plants] produce, you know [what kind of plants] they are. [Similarly, when you see what the people who come to you do], [you will know if they are false prophets].”
21 “Menye ame sia ame si le yɔyem be, ‘Aƒetɔ, Aƒetɔ’ lae ayi dziƒofiaɖuƒe la me o, negbe ame siwo le Fofonye si le dziƒo la ƒe lɔlɔ̃nu wɔm la koe.
“[Even though many] people [habitually] call me ‘Lord’, [pretending that they have my authority], some of them will not go to heaven where God rules, [because they do not do what he desires]. [Only] those people who do what my Father, who is in heaven, desires [will go there].
22 Ame geɖewo agblɔ nam le ŋkeke ma dzi be, ‘Aƒetɔ, Aƒetɔ, ɖe menye wò ŋkɔ mee míegblɔ nya ɖi le, míenya gbɔgbɔ vɔ̃wo do goe le, eye míewɔ nukunu geɖewo le oa?’
On the day [MTY] [that God judges everyone], many [people, trying to tell me that they deserve to go to heaven], will say to me, ‘Lord, we(exc) spoke God’s message as your representatives [MTY, RHQ]! As your representatives we(exc) expelled demons from [people] [RHQ]! And as your representatives, many times we(exc) performed miracles [RHQ]!’
23 Ekema maɖo eŋu na wo be, ‘Nyemenya mi o, mite ɖa le gbɔnye, mi nu vɔ̃ɖi wɔlawo!’
Then I will declare to them, ‘I have never said that you belonged to me. Go away from me, you who do what is evil!’”
24 “Ame sia ame si sea nye nya, eye wòwɔna ɖe edzi la le abe nunyala si tu eƒe xɔ ɖe agakpe sesẽ dzi ene.
“So then, anyone who hears what I say and does what I command, will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.
25 Togbɔ be tsi dza sesĩe, tɔwo ɖɔ, eye ahom tu hã la, xɔa meʋã o, elabena woɖo egɔme anyi ɖe agakpe sesẽ dzi.
[Even though] the rain came down and the river flooded, and the winds blew and beat against that house, it did not fall down because it had been built {he built it} on a solid foundation.
26 Gake ame si sea nye nyawo, eye metsɔa ɖeke le wo me o la sɔ kple ŋutsu movitɔ si tu eƒe xɔ ɖe ke me.
On the other hand, anyone who hears what I say but does not obey what I say will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
27 Azɔ esi tsi dza, tɔwo ɖɔ eye ahom tu, lɔ xɔ sia ɖe eme ko la, emu dze anyi gbloo.”
When the rain fell and the rivers flooded, and the winds blew and beat against that house, it crashed down and broke completely apart, [because it was built on the sand. So it is important for you to obey what I teach you].”
28 Esi Yesu wu nya siawo gbɔgblɔ nu la, ameha la ƒe nu ku le eƒe nufiafia la ta,
When Jesus finished saying all those things, the [who had been listening to him were] amazed at the [new] teaching that he had taught them.
29 elabena efia nu wo kple kakaɖedzi blibo. Le nyateƒe me la, ale si wòfia nui la to vovo sãa tso ale si woƒe agbalẽfialawo fianɛ la gbɔ.
The reason they were amazed was that he was teaching as a person does who has authority. He was not teaching like the men who taught the [Jewish] laws, [who just repeated what other people had taught them].
