Mika 7
1 Baba nam! Elabena mele ko abe ame aɖe si le kutsetse dim vevie le ati dzi le esi nuŋeɣi nu va yi vɔ la ene. Elabena nyemekpɔ kutsetse ɖiɖi aɖeke agbe, aɖu, atsɔ atsi nye dɔwuame nu o.
I am very miserable/frustrated! I am like [SIM] someone who is hungry, [who searches for fruit to pick] after all the fruit had been picked and who finds no grapes or figs to eat.
2 Alea kee ame nyuiwo hã vɔ le anyigba la dzi. Mate ŋu akpɔ ame ɖɔʋu ɖeka hɔ̃ɔ hã o. Ame sia ame le klalo be yeakɔ ʋu ɖi eye ame sia ame ɖo ɖɔ ɖi na nɔvia.
[All] the godly people have disappeared from this land; there is not one of them left. [The people who are left] are all murderers [MTY]; [it is as though] everyone is eager to kill his fellow countryman.
3 Woƒe asi eveawo bi ɖe nu vɔ̃ɖi wɔwɔ me. Dziɖula xɔa zãnu eye ʋɔnudrɔ̃la tsoa afia na ame si na zãnue. Kesinɔtɔwo ɖoa nu si dim wole; ale ame siawo blaa nu ɖekae hewɔna.
They [all] use both hands to do what is evil. [Government] officials and judges [all] ask for bribes. Important people tell others what they want, and they plot/scheme together [about how to get it done].
4 Ame nyuitɔ si nàkpɔ le wo dome la le ko abe ŋu si tɔa ame ene eye woƒe nuteƒewɔla vɔ̃ɖi wu ŋukpɔtɔtɔ. Ke miaƒe gbetakpɔlawo ƒe ŋkeke la ɖo vɔ. Gbe si gbe Mawu ava asrã mi kpɔ la tu aƒe. Azɔ ɣeyiɣi si tɔtɔ aɖo wo dome la ɖo vɔ.
[Even] the best people are [as worthless] [SIM] as briers; the people [who are considered by others to be] [IRO] the most honest are worse than clumps of thornbushes. But, [Yahweh] will soon judge them; now is the time that he will punish people, a time when they will be [very] confused [because of being defeated].
5 Mègaxɔ wò aƒelika dzi se o. Mègaɖo dzi ɖe xɔ̃wò ŋu o. Nya ale si nàƒo nu le nyɔnu si le akɔwò nu la gɔ̃ hã gbɔ
[So], do not trust anyone! Do not trust [even] a friend; [even] be careful what you say to your wife whom you love!
6 elabena viŋutsu made bubu fofoa ŋu o; vinyɔnu adze aglã ɖe dadaa ŋu eye lɔ̃xoyɔvi atso ɖe lɔ̃xoa ŋu. Ame ƒe futɔwo atso eya ŋutɔ ƒe aƒe me.
Boys will despise their fathers, and girls will defy their mothers. Women will defy their mothers-in-law. Your enemies will be those who live in your own houses.
7 Ke nye la, mele ŋudzɔ le mɔ kpɔm na Yehowa. Mele lalam na Mawu, nye Ɖela. Ɛ̃, nye Mawu aɖo tom hã.
As for me, I wait for Yahweh [to help me]. I confidently expect that God, my Savior, will answer me [when I pray].
8 O nye futɔ, dzi megadzɔ wò le nye anyidzedze ŋuti o; togbɔ be medze anyi hã la, magafɔ ɖe tsitre! Ne menɔ anyi ɖe viviti tsiɖitsiɖi me hã, Yehowa ŋutɔ anye nye kekeli.
You who are our enemies, do not gloat/rejoice about [what has happened to] us, [because even] if we have experienced disasters, [those disasters will end and] we will be restored. [Even] if [it is as though] we are sitting in the darkness, Yahweh will be our light.
9 Esi meda vo ɖe Yehowa ŋuti ta la mabɔbɔ ɖe eƒe dɔmedzoe te va se ɖe esime wòadrɔ̃ nye nya eye wòatso afia nam, ekema akplɔm va kekeli me eye makpɔ eƒe dzɔdzɔenyenye.
We must be patient while Yahweh punishes us because we have sinned against him. But later, [it will be as though] he will go to court and defend us, and he will make sure that the judge makes a right decision about us. [It will be as though] he will bring us out into the light, and we will see it when he rescues us.
10 Ekema nye futɔ akpɔe eye ŋu akpee. Eya ame si bia be, “Afi ka Yehowa wò Mawu la le?” Azɔ mekpɔ eƒe anyidzedze kple nye ŋkuwo kple ale si woanyamae abe ba ene.
Our enemies will [also] see that, and they will be disgraced because they [ridiculed us], saying “Why is [RHQ] Yahweh, that God of yours, [not helping you]?” But with our own eyes we will see them when they are defeated; we will see them trampled like [SIM] mud in the streets.
11 Ŋkeke si dzi woatu wò duwo la ava eye ŋkeke na wò liƒowo ƒe keke ɖe edzi gbɔna.
[You people of Israel, ] at that time your cities will be rebuilt, and your territory will become larger.
12 Ɣe ma ɣi la, amewo atso Asiria kple Egipte ƒe duwo me ava eye ɖewo atso Egipte va se ɖe keke Frat tɔsisi la nu. Gawu la, amewo atso atsiaƒu nu yi atsiaƒu nu, tso to dzi yi to dzi, ava kpɔ wò ɖa.
[People from many countries will come to honor you]: people from Assyria and from [near] the [Euphrates] River [in the east] and from Egypt [in the south], from distant seas, and from many mountains.
13 Ke anyigba aɖi gbɔlo le edzinɔlawo ƒe nu vɔ̃wo ta.
But [the other countries on] the earth will become desolate because of the [evil] things that their people have done.
14 O Yehowa, va kplɔ wò dukɔ kple wò atizɔti, alẽha si nye wò domenyinu; alẽha si nɔ eɖokui si le avewo me kple lãnyiƒe damawo dzi. Na woaɖu gbe damawo le Basan kple Gilead abe tsã ene.
Yahweh, protect your people like [MET] [a shepherd protects his sheep] by using his walking stick; lead your people [MET] whom you have chosen to belong to you. [Even though some of them] live by themselves in a forest, give them the fertile pastureland in the Bashan and Gilead [regions] that they possessed long ago.
15 “Abe ale si wònɔ le ŋkeke siwo me nèdo go tso Egipte ene la, mafia wo nye nukunuwo.”
[Yahweh says/replies], “[Yes], I will perform miracles for you like the miracles that I performed when I rescued your [ancestors] from [being slaves in] Egypt.”
16 Dukɔwo akpɔe eye ŋukpe alé wo elabena woƒe ŋusẽwo katã nu ayi. Woatsɔ woƒe asiwo aɖo nu eye woƒe towo atsi.
[People from many] nations will see [what Yahweh does for you], and they will be ashamed because they do not have any power. They will put their hands over their mouths and their ears [because they will be very amazed because of what Yahweh does], [and they will not be able to say anything or hear anything].
17 Woaɖu ʋuʋudedi abe da kple nu gbagbe siwo tana le anyigba la ene. Woado le woƒe dowo me kple vɔvɔ̃, atrɔ ɖe Yehowa, míaƒe Mawu la ŋu eye woavɔ̃ miawo hã.
[Being very humiliated, ] they will crawl on the ground [MTY] like [SIM] snakes. They will come out of their homes trembling, and stand revering Yahweh our God. They will be very afraid of him, and will tremble in front of him.
18 Afi ka woagakpɔ Mawu bubu le wòanɔ abe wò si tsɔa wò domenyinu mamlɛawo ƒe nu vɔ̃wo kple dzidadawo kena la ene? Mèdoa dɔmedzoe ɖikaa o, ke boŋ èkpɔa dzidzɔ le amenuveve ŋuti.
[Yahweh], there is no [RHQ] God like you; you forgive the sins [DOU] that were committed by the people who have survived, the people who belong to you. You do not remain angry forever; you are very happy [to show us] that you faithfully love [us].
19 Àgakpɔ nublanui na mí, atiti afɔ ɖe míaƒe nu vɔ̃wo dzi eye àtsɔ míaƒe dzidadawo katã aƒu gbe ɖe atsiaƒu ƒe gogloƒe ke!
You will again act kindly/compassionately toward us. You will get rid of [the scroll on which you have written] the sins that we have committed [as though you were] trampling it under your feet or throwing it into the deep ocean.
20 Àwɔ nuteƒe na Yakob, eye àkpɔ nublanui na Abraham abe ale si nèka atam na mía fofowo tso blema ke ene.
You will show that you faithfully [do what you promised for us] and faithfully love us, just like you solemnly promised long ago to our ancestors Abraham and Jacob that you would do.
