Mose 4 17
1 Emegbe la, Yehowa gblɔ na Mose be,
Then Yahweh said to Moses/me,
2 “Gblɔ na Israelviwo be, ‘Ele be toawo ƒe kplɔla ɖe sia ɖe natsɔ atikplɔ si dzi wòŋlɔ eƒe ŋkɔ ɖo la vɛ na wò.
“Tell the Israeli people to bring to you twelve walking sticks. They should bring one from each of the leaders of the twelve tribes. You should carve each leader’s name on his stick.
3 Ele be Aron ƒe ŋkɔ nanɔ Levi ƒe viwo ƒe to la tɔ dzi.
There must be one stick for the leader of each tribe, so you must carve Aaron’s name on the stick for the tribe of Levi.
4 Tsɔ atikplɔ siawo da ɖe agbadɔ la ƒe xɔ emetɔ me, afi si medoa go wò le, le nubablaɖaka la ŋgɔ.
Put those sticks inside the Sacred Tent, in front of the sacred chest that has in it the tablets on which the Ten Commandments are written. That is the place where I always talk with you.
5 Mawɔ atikplɔ siawo ŋu dɔ be made dzesi ame si metia, elabena amea ƒe atikplɔ azu ati gbagbe, eye wòadze! Ekema Israelviwo ƒe liʋĩliʋĩlilĩ ɖe mia ŋu nu atso!’”
Buds will sprout on the stick of the man whom I have chosen [to be the priest]. [When the people see that], they will stop their constantly complaining about you [because they will realize that you are the one whom I have chosen].”
6 Ale Mose gblɔ nya la na Israelviwo. Kplɔlawo dometɔ ɖe sia ɖe, ame siwo dome Aron hã nɔ la, tsɔ atikplɔ ɖeka vɛ.
So Moses/I told the people what Yahweh had said. Then each of the twelve Israeli leaders, including Aaron, brought his walking stick to Moses/me.
7 Mose tsɔ atikplɔawo da ɖe Yehowa ŋkume le agbadɔ la ƒe xɔ emetɔ me.
Moses/I placed the sticks inside the Sacred Tent in front of the sacred chest.
8 Esi ŋu ke wòyi la, ekpɔ be Aron ƒe atikplɔ si nye Levi ƒe to la tɔ la dze, eye seƒoƒowo de asi keke me le eŋu!
The following morning, when he/I went into the tent, he/I saw that Aaron’s stick, which represented the tribe of Levi, had sprouted, it had produced leaves and blossoms, and it had also produced almonds that were ripe!
9 Esi Mose kɔ atikplɔawo tso Yehowa ƒe ŋkume do goe va fia Israelviwo la, wotsi yaa kple dzimaxɔse! Ame sia ame xɔ eƒe atikplɔ negbe Aron ko.
Moses/I brought all the sticks out of the Sacred Tent and showed them to the people. Each of the twelve leaders took back his own stick.
10 Yehowa gblɔ na Mose be wòatsɔ Aron ƒe atikplɔ la ada ɖe nubablaɖaka la xa, wòanɔ afi ma tegbetegbe be wòaɖo ŋku aglãdzedze sia dzi na ameawo. Ne ame aɖe galĩ liʋĩliʋĩ tso Aron ƒe nɔƒe ŋu la, ekema ele be Mose nahe atikplɔ la do goe, atsɔ afia ameawo. Nu sia ana be dzɔgbevɔ̃e bubu magava ameawo dzi o.
Then Yahweh said to Moses/me, “Put Aaron’s stick in front of the sacred chest, and let it stay there permanently. That will be a warning to people who want to rebel [against me]. Then no more people will die [because of complaining against me].”
11 Ale Mose wɔ nu siwo Yehowa ɖo nɛ.
So Moses/I did what Yahweh had commanded.
12 Israelviwo gblɔ na Mose be, “Míaku! Míebu, mí katã míebu!
Then the Israeli people said to Moses/me, “We are going to die! All of us are surely going to die!
13 Ame sia ame si ate ɖe Yehowa ƒe agbadɔ la ŋu la, aku. Ɖe mí katã míele kuku gea?”
Everyone who comes close to Yahweh’s Sacred Tent dies. Are the rest of us going to die, also?” [RHQ]
