Nahum 2
1 Ninive, futɔwo ƒe asrafowo ƒo ɖe dziwò vɔ. Kpɔ wò mɔ sẽsewo ta. Wò ŋkuwo nenɔ mɔ la ŋu. Mibla ali dzi sesĩe eye miƒo aʋawɔlawo nu ƒu.
[You people of] [APO] Nineveh, your enemies are coming to attack you. [So] place guards on the tops of the walls around the city! Guard the roads [into the city]! Get ready to fight! Gather your troops/soldiers [MTY] together!
2 Yehowa agbugbɔ Yakob ƒe atsyɔ̃ nɛ, eye wòanɔ abe Israel tɔ ene. Togbɔ be futɔwo gblẽ wò, Yakob ƒe anyigba, eye woha wò waingblewo hã.
Even though enemy soldiers have destroyed the descendants of [MTY] Jacob, Yahweh will cause them to be honored again. Israel is like a grapevine that has been ruined, but Israel will prosper again.
3 Futɔwo ƒe asrafowo ƒe akpoxɔnu biã dzẽe, eye wodo awu dzĩ. Tasiaɖamŋugawo le dzo dam gbe si gbe wobla akpa na aʋawɔwɔ, eye kalẽtɔwo le woƒe akplɔwo nyem le yame.
The shields of the enemy soldiers [who are coming to attack you] will shine red [as the sun shines on them], and they will wear bright red uniforms. The metal of their chariot [wheels] will flash when they line up [before the battle], and their soldiers will lift up their cypress/pine spears and wave them.
4 Tasiaɖamwo le zi nyem le mɔtatawo dzi, eye wole du ƒum le ablɔwo me le yiyim le gbɔgbɔm. Woƒe dzedzeme le abe akakatiwo ene, eye wole dzo kem abe dzikedzo ene.
Their chariots will dash through the streets [of Nineveh] and rush furiously through the plazas. Going as quick as lightning, they will resemble flaming torches.
5 Fia la ado ɣli ayɔ eƒe aʋafiawo; woanɔ du dzi anɔ anyi dzem, anɔ fɔfɔm be yewoayi aɖaɖo gli sesẽwo, ale be futɔwo mate ŋu akpɔ mɔ ava o.
[Meanwhile], your king will summon his officers who will stumble as they [try to] come [quickly]. They will dash to the [city] wall, holding their shields to protect themselves.
6 Agbo si le tɔsisi la nu la aʋu siaa, eye fiasã la ƒe gliwo anye kpo, amu adze anyi.
But, the gates [of the dams] on the rivers will be thrown open [by enemy soldiers], and [the flood will cause] the palace to collapse.
7 Woɖe gbe be woaɖe aboyo dua me tɔwo. Eƒe kosiviwo anɔ xɔxlɔ̃m abe ahɔnɛ ene, eye woanɔ akɔta ƒom.
The queen will have her clothes stripped off her [by enemy soldiers], and her slave girls will moan like doves and beat their breasts [to show that they are very sad].
8 Ninive le abe ta si ƒe tsi le sisim ene. Ne woado ɣli be: “Mitɔ, mitɔ,” la, ame aɖeke manye kɔ akpɔ megbe o.
[The people will rush from] Nineveh like [SIM] water rushes from a broken dam. [The officials] will shout, “Stop! Stop!” but the people will not even look back [as they run away].
9 Miha klosalowo! Mìha sika! Kesinɔnuwo sɔ gbɔ fũu, xexlẽme meli na nu xɔasi siawo o.
[The enemy attackers say to each other, ] “Seize the silver! Grab the gold! There is a huge amount of very valuable things in this city, more valuable things than anyone can count!”
10 Woɖi gbɔlo dua keŋkeŋ, wohae eye woɖe amae. Amewo ƒe dzi gbã, klowo le ƒoƒom kpakpakpa, ameti blibo la le dzodzom nyanyanya, eye ŋkume sia ŋkume afu tititi.
[Soon everything valuable in the city] will be seized or ruined. People will be trembling, with the result that they will not be able to fight. Their faces will all become pale.
11 Afi ka dzatawo ƒe do la le azɔ? Afi si wonyia dzataviwo le, afi si dzatatsu kple dzatanɔ kple dzatavi ɖia tsa le vɔvɔ̃manɔmee ɖe?
[After that happens, people will say, ] “What happened to [RHQ] that [great city of Nineveh]? [It was like] [MET] a den [full] of young lions, where the male and female lions lived and fed the young ones.
12 Dzatatsu léa nu si ade viawo kple dzatanɔ nu; etsɔa nuléleawo yɔa eƒe mlɔƒe kple eƒe dowo me fũu.
[The soldiers in Nineveh were like] [MET] lions that killed or strangled [other animals] [and brought the meat] to their dens.”
13 Yehowa, Dziƒoʋakɔwo ƒe Aƒetɔ la gblɔ be: “Metso ɖe ŋuwò; matɔ dzo wò tasiaɖamwo, eye wò dzataviwo atsi yi nu. Nyemagblẽ ame aɖeke ɖe anyigba dzi nàgada adzoe o, eye womagase wò ame dɔdɔwo ƒe gbe le teƒe aɖeke azɔ o.”
The Commander of the armies of angels says [to the people of Nineveh], “I am opposed to you; I will cause your chariots to [be burned in fires and] go up in smoke. Your young men will be killed with swords. [Your soldiers] will never again conquer [other nations] and seize their valuable possessions. Your messengers will never again take messages [to other nations, demanding that their armies surrender to them].”
