< Ezayi 17 >

1 Maloba ya kosambisa Damasi: « Tala, Damasi ekotikala lisusu engumba te, ekokoma nde liboke ya libebi.
[I received] this message [from Yahweh] about Damascus [the capital of Syria]: “Listen carefully! Damascus will no longer be a city; it will be [only] a heap of ruins!
2 Bingumba ya Aroeri ekotikala lisusu na bato te, ekotikala nde mpo na bibwele oyo ekokoma kolala kuna, oyo moto ata moko te akobangisa.
The towns near Aroer [city] will be abandoned. Flocks [of sheep] will [eat grass in the streets and] lie down there, and there will be no one to chase them away.
3 Bingumba batonga makasi ekolimwa na Efrayimi, mpe nguya ya bokonzi ekolimwa na Damasi. Batikali ya Siri bakokoma lokola nkembo ya bana ya Isalaele, » elobi Yawe, Mokonzi ya mampinga.
The cities in Israel will not have walls around them [to protect them]. The power of the kingdom of Damascus will be ended, and the few people who will remain in Damascus will be disgraced like the people in Israel were disgraced.” [That is what] the Commander of the armies of angels says.
4 « Na mokolo wana, lokumu ya Jakobi ekosila, mafuta ya misuni ya nzoto na ye ekosila.
“At that time, Israel will become insignificant. It will be [like] [MET] a fat person who has become very thin.
5 Ekozala lokola tango basangisaka matiti ya ble mpe loboko ya moloni ebukaka mito na yango, lokola tango balokotaka mito ya ble oyo ekweyaka na lubwaku ya bato ya Refayimi.
The entire land will be like [SIM] a field where the harvesters have cut all the grain; there will be nothing left, like [SIM] the fields in the Rephaim Valley after all the crops have been harvested.
6 Kasi kaka ndambo moke ya mito ya ble nde etikalaka; lokola tango baningisaka nzete mpo na kobuka bambuma ya olive, bongo bambuma mibale to misato etikalaka na songe ya bitape, mpe minei to mitano etikalaka na bitape ya se, » elobi Yawe, Nzambe ya Isalaele.
Only a few of the Israeli people will remain [MET], like [SIM] the few olives that remain on the top of a tree after the workers have caused all the other olives to fall [to the ground]. [There will be only] two or three olives in the top branches, [or] four or five olives on the other branches.” [That is what] the Commander of the armies of angels says.
7 Na mokolo wana, bato bakotalela Mokeli na bango mpe bakobalola miso na bango epai ya Mosantu ya Isalaele;
[Then], at that time, [you] people [of Israel] will (turn for help to/look up to) God, your creator, the Holy One of Israel.
8 bakotalela lisusu bitumbelo te oyo ezali misala ya maboko na bango, mpe miso na bango ekotala lisusu te misala ya misapi na bango: makonzi ya Ashera mpe bitumbelo ya malasi ya ansa.
You will no [longer] seek to get help from your idols or worship the idols that you have made with your own hands [DOU]. You will never again bow down in front of the poles [where you worship the goddess] Asherah. You will never again worship at the shrines [that you have built for burning incense].
9 Na mokolo wana, bakosundola bingumba na bango oyo batonga makasi ndenge basundolaki banzete mpe bangomba liboso ya bana ya Isalaele. Nyonso ekobebisama penza.
The largest cities in Israel will be abandoned, like the land that the Hiv and Amor people-groups abandoned (OR, like the forests that the [Canaan people-group] abandoned) when the Israelis [attacked them long ago]. No one will live there.
10 Mpo ete obosani Nzambe, Mobikisi na yo, oboyi kokanisa Libanga oyo azali Ekimelo na yo, okolisi banzete ya kitoko mpe oloni banzete ya vino ya bapaya.
[That will happen] because you have stopped worshiping God who is [like] [MET] a huge rock under which you can be safe. You have forgotten that he is the one who can hide/protect you. So, [now] you plant very nice grapevines and [even] plant very expensive ones that come from other countries.
11 Kaka na mokolo oyo olonaki yango, omonaki yango kobimisa mito; mpe na tongo makasi, nkona na yo ebimisaki bafololo. Na mokolo ya pasi, milona na yo ekomonana pamba, mpe pasi yango ekoki kosila te.
[But] even if they sprout leaves on the day that you plant them, and even if they produce blossoms on that same morning, at harvest time, there will not be any grapes for you to pick. All that you will get is a lot of agony/misery.
12 Mawa na ebele ya bato! Tala ndenge bazali koganga lokola makelele ya ebale monene! Bato ya bikolo bazali koganga lokola lokito ya mayi ya ebale monene!
Listen! [The armies of] many nations will roar like the sea roars. It will sound like the noise of crashing waves.
13 Ata bato ya bikolo bazali koganga lokola makelele ya mayi ya bibale minene, bakimaka penza mosika tango Yawe apamelaka bango; bakimaka lokola matiti na bangomba na tango ya mopepe, lokola putulu na tango ya mopepe makasi.
But even though their loud roaring will be like the sound of crashing waves, when Yahweh rebukes them, they will run far away. They will flee like [SIM] chaff on the hills scatters when the wind [blows], like tumbleweeds scatter when a windstorm blows.
14 Na pokwa, somo ya pwasa nde eyaka! Bongo liboso ete tongo etana, eloko moko te etikalaka! Yango nde lifuti ya bato oyo banyokolaka biso, mpe mbano ya bato oyo bamonisaka biso pasi.
And, even though you people of Israel will be terrified, in the morning [your enemies] will all be gone/dead. That is what will happen to those who invade our land and [then] steal our possessions.

< Ezayi 17 >