Ezayi 49
1 Nou menm ki rete nan zile yo, koute sa m'ap di nou! Nou menm ki rete byen lwen yo, pare zòrèy nou! Depi m' fèt, Seyè a chwazi m'! Depi nan vant manman m', li rele m' pou m' sèvi l'.
All you people who live on islands [in the ocean] and in other distant areas, pay attention [DOU] to what I will say! Yahweh called/chose me before I was born; he chose/appointed me when I was still in my mother’s womb.
2 Li mete nan bouch mwen pawòl ki tankou kouto byen file. Li pwoteje m' avèk fòs li. Li pare m' tankou yon flèch byen pwenti, li sere m' nan sakit li.
[When I grew up], he caused my messages to be like [SIM] a sharp sword. He has protected me with his hand [SYN]. [He protects me] [MET] like someone protects sharp arrows in a quiver.
3 Li di m': Izrayèl, se sèvitè m' ou ye! W'ap sèvi yon lwanj pou mwen!
He said to me, “You will serve my Israeli [people], and you will cause people to honor me.”
4 Mwen menm, mwen t'ap di nan kè m': Se pou dan ri m'ap fatige kò m'. Se pou gremesi mwen travay jouk mwen fèb. Men, m'ap toujou gen konfyans: Seyè a va ban m' rezon. Rekonpans mwen la byen sere nan men Seyè a.
I replied, “My work has been useless; I have used my strength, but I have accomplished nothing worthwhile; everything that I have done has been (in vain/useless). However, Yahweh can honor me as he pleases; my God is the one who will reward me [as I deserve].”
5 Se Seyè a menm ki chwazi m' depi m' fèt pou m' sèvi l', pou m' fè fanmi Jakòb la tounen vin jwenn li, pou m' sanble pèp Izrayèl la mennen ba li. Seyè a ban m' bèl pozisyon sa a. Se li ki tout fòs mwen.
Yahweh formed me when I was in [my mother’s] womb in order that I would serve him; he appointed me to bring [the people of] Israel back to himself [DOU]. Yahweh has honored me, and he is the one who has caused me to be strong.
6 Seyè a di m' konsa: Wi, sèvitè m' lan va fè fanmi Jakòb la kanpe ankò. L'a fè ti rès pèp Izrayèl yo te depòte a tounen lakay yo. Men, se poko sa toujou. M'ap fè li sèvi tankou yon limyè pou lòt nasyon yo, pou dènye moun sou latè ka konnen ki jan mwen menm mwen delivre!
He says to me, “It is not enough for you to serve me by bringing the descendants of Jacob back to worship me again [DOU]; I also want you to be like [MET] a light for the non-Jews; I want you to take my [my message] about how to be saved to [people] all over the world.”
7 Bondye pèp Izrayèl la ki yon Bondye apa, Seyè k'ap delivre yo a, l'ap pale ak pèp tout moun ap meprize a, pèp nasyon yo pa vle wè a, pèp ki esklav chèf k'ap gouvènen yo a. Li di yo: Wa va leve kanpe lè y'a wè ou. Chèf va ajenou devan ou. Y'a fè sa poutèt Seyè a k'ap toujou kenbe pawòl li, poutèt Bondye pèp Izrayèl la ki te chwazi ou.
Yahweh, the one who saves us, the Holy God of us Israeli [people], says to the one who was despised and rejected by the [people of many] nations, the one who is the slave of rulers, “[Some day] kings will stand up to respect you when they see you, and princes will bow down before you because [you serve] me, Yahweh, the one who faithfully [does what I promise]. I am the Holy God to whom you Israelis belong, the one who has chosen you.”
8 Men sa Seyè a di pèp li a: -Lè lè a va rive pou m' fè ou gras, m'a reponn ou. Lè jou a va rive pou m' delivre ou, m'a pote ou sekou. Se mwen ki te fè ou, se mwen ki te chwazi ou pou ou siyen yon kontra ak tout pèp yo. M'a fè peyi a kanpe ankò. N'a tounen viv nan peyi yo te ban nou an, peyi yo te devaste a.
This is also what Yahweh says: “At a time when it pleases me, I will answer your prayers. On the day when you will be rescued [from your oppressors], I will help you. I will protect you and enable you to establish an agreement with other nations. And by what you do, I will re-establish your nation of Israel and allow you to live/settle again in your land that was abandoned.
9 M'a di prizonye yo al lakay nou! M'a di moun ki te chita nan fènwa yo: Soti vin nan limyè a. Sou tout wout yo, y'a jwenn manje pou yo manje. Tankou mouton, y'a jwenn manje sou tout ti mòn.
I will say to those who were captured [and (exiled/taken to Babylonia)], ‘Leave [Babylonia] and return to your own country!’ And I will say to those who are in dark prisons, ‘Come out into the light!’ When that happens, they will again be like [MET] sheep that eat grass in green pastures, on hills where [previously] there was no grass.
10 Yo p'ap janm grangou, yo p'ap janm swaf dlo. Chalè solèy ak van dezè p'ap fè yo anyen. Paske se moun ki renmen yo a k'ap kondi yo. L'a mennen yo kote ki gen sous dlo.
They will not be hungry or thirsty [any more]; the hot sun will not beat upon them again [DOU]. I, Yahweh, will act mercifully toward them and lead them; I will lead them to where there are springs of cool water.
11 M'a louvri yon bèl chemen nan mòn yo. M'a pare wout sou tout mòn yo pou pèp la.
And I will cause the mountains to become [as though they were] level roads, and I will prepare good highways [for my people to travel on, to return to Jerusalem].
12 Gen ladan yo k'ap soti byen lwen. Gen sa k'ap soti nan nò. Gen sa k'ap soti bò solèy kouche. Gen lòt k'ap soti lavil Sinim nan sid.
My people will return from far away; some will come from the north, some from the west, some from southern Egypt.”
13 Se pou syèl la kontan! Se pou tè a fè fèt! Se pou mòn yo rele tèlman yo kontan! Paske Seyè a pral bay pèp li a kouraj, l'ap gen pitye pou pèp li a ki nan lapenn.
[Because of what Yahweh has promised to do], everything should shout joyfully— the sky and the earth and the mountains should sing, because Yahweh comforts his people, and he will pity those who are suffering.
14 Men, pèp lavil Jerizalèm lan t'ap di: -Seyè a lage nou. Mèt la bliye nou.
[The people of] Jerusalem say, “Yahweh has abandoned us; he has forgotten about us.”
15 Seyè a reponn: -Eske yon manman ka bliye pitit l'ap bay tete a? Eske li ka pa sansib pou pitit li pote nan vant li a? Menm si yon manman ta rive bliye pitit li, mwen menm, mwen p'ap janm bliye nou!
But [Yahweh replies], “That is not true! (Can a woman forget the infant that she is nursing?/A woman certainly cannot forget the infant that she is nursing!) [RHQ] (Can she stop being kind to the child to whom she has given birth?/She certainly cannot stop being kind to the child to whom she has given birth!) [RHQ] But even if a woman would do that, I will not forget you!
16 Mwen ekri non nou nan pla men m'. Mwen toujou wè miray nou yo devan je m'.
Note that I have written your [names] on the palms of my hands; in my mind I can always see the walls of your city.
17 Moun ki pral rebati lavil la ap vin talè konsa. Moun ki t'ap kraze nou yo, ki t'ap piye nou yo, pral kouri met deyò.
Soon your children will be returning there (OR, Those who rebuild your city will work more quickly than those who destroyed it), and all those who destroyed your city will leave.
18 Voye je nou toupatou. Gade sa k'ap pase. Tout moun nou yo ap sanble, y'ap vin jwenn nou. Jan nou konnen mwen vivan an, mwen fè sèman: Nou pral kontan wè yo lakay nou, tankou lè lamarye kontan wè bèl rad nòs li sou li. Se Seyè a menm ki di sa.
You will look around and see all of your children coming back to you. As surely as I live, they will be around you [for you to show to people] like [SIM] a bride shows her wedding ornaments!
19 Peyi nou an te fin kraze. Peyi a te fin ravaje. Men, koulye a li pral twò piti pou kantite moun k'ap rete ladan l'. Paske moun ki t'ap fini ak peyi a, yo pral voye yo jete byen lwen nou.
Your land has been ruined and caused to become desolate/abandoned [DOU], but [some day] it will be filled with people, and those who conquered you will be far away.
20 Yon lè, pitit nou te kwè ki te pèdi nèt yo, n'a tande yo ap pale nan zòrèy nou, y'a di nou: Peyi a twò piti pou nou. Ban nou kote pou nou rete.
The children who were born while you were (exiled/in Babylonia) [MET] will return [to Jerusalem] and say, ‘This city is too small for us; We need more space to live in!’
21 Lè sa a, n'a di nan kè nou! -Kilès ki te fè tout pitit sa yo pou nou? Nou te pèdi tout pitit nou yo. Nou pa t' kapab fè pitit ankò. Yo te depòte nou, yo te vire do ban nou. Ki moun ki te elve tout pitit sa yo pou nou? Nou te pou kò nou. Kote yo soti menm?
Then you will think to yourselves [MTY], ‘It is amazing that we have [RHQ] all these children! Most of our children were dead, and the rest were exiled. We were left here alone; so we do not know [RHQ] where all these children have come from! Who raised them?'”
22 Men sa Seyè a, Bondye a, di ankò: M'ap fè nasyon yo siyon ak men m'. M'ap leve drapo m' pou m' avèti pèp yo. Se yo menm ankò ki pral pran pitit gason nou yo sou do yo, k'ap mete pitit fi nou yo sou zepòl yo pou mennen yo tounen lakay nou.
This is what Yahweh our God says: “Watch! [It is as though] I will lift up my hand to signal to those who are not Israelis. And they will carry your little sons and daughters on their shoulders and bring them back to you.
23 Wa yo pral tankou papa pou nou. Pitit fi wa yo pral sèvi nou nouris. Y'ap ajenou devan nou, y'ap bese tèt yo jouk atè, Y'a niche pousyè ki nan pye nou. Lè sa a, n'a konnen se mwen menm ki Seyè a. Moun ki mete tout espwa yo nan mwen p'ap janm wont.
Kings will serve you and will tutor/teach your children, and their queens will take care of your young children. They will prostrate themselves in front of you and [humble themselves by] licking the dust off your feet. When that happens, you will know that I, Yahweh, [have the power to do what I say that I will do]; and those who trust in me will never be disappointed.”
24 Eske ou ka wete nan men yon vanyan gason bagay li pran nan lagè? Eske ou ka lage prizonye ki anba men gwo chèf?
There is no one [RHQ] who can snatch valuable things from a soldier who has captured those things [in a war]; there is no one [RHQ] who can force a (tyrant/cruel man) to free the people whom he has captured.
25 Men sa Seyè a reponn: Wi! Yo ka wete nan men yon vanyan sòlda sa li pran nan lagè. Yo ka lage prizonye ki anba men yon gwo chèf. M'ap goumen pou nou ak tout moun k'ap fè nou lagè. M'a delivre pitit nou yo.
But Yahweh says this: “[Some day], those who have been captured will be freed, and the valuable things that (tyrants/cruel men) have snatched from others will be returned, because I will fight against those who fight against you, and I will rescue your children.
26 Moun k'ap fè nou pase tray yo, m'ap fè yo yonn manje lòt. Y'ap bwè pwòp san yo jouk y'a sou tankou moun ki bwè diven. Lè sa a, tout moun va konnen se mwen menm, Seyè a, k'ap sove nou. Se mwen menm, Bondye fanmi Jakòb la, Bondye ki gen pouvwa a, k'ap delivre nou.
And I will cause your enemies to destroy themselves [MET] instead of murdering others. When that happens, everyone [in the world] will know that I, Yahweh, am the one who saves you, the one who rescues you from your enemies; everyone will know that I am the mighty God to whom [you descendants of] [MTY] Jacob belong.”
