Matiyu 3
1 Na yiri ane Yohanna unan Shitizinu nanit nmyen wa dak adin bellu nliru ntucu nan nya ntene in Yahudiya a woro,
While [Jesus was still in Nazareth town], John, [whom the people called] the Baptizer, went to a desolate place in Judea [district].
2 “Sunan alapi, bara kipin tigo Kutellẹ nda duru.”
He was preaching [to the people who came there]. He kept saying, “[You need to] turn away from your sinful behavior, because God [MET] will soon begin to rule [over people, and he will reject you if you do not turn away from your sinful life].”
3 Bara amere ulele ulenge na iwa bellin ubelen me nnu Ishaya unan liru nin nuu Kutellẹ, a woro, “Liwui umong din yiccu nan nya ntene, 'Kelen libau ncikilari, kelen ulin mine nan-ghe.'”
John was the person who [fulfilled] what was said by Isaiah the prophet {what Isaiah the prophet [predicted] when he said}, long ago: In a desolate area ([people will hear someone/someone will be heard]) shouting [to the people who pass by], Prepare [yourselves to receive] the Lord when he comes! [Make yourselves ready so that you will be prepared when he comes] [MET, DOU], just like people [improve and] straighten out the road [for an important official!]
4 Imon kidowo in Yohanna wa di kukpa kuron komiari a likpa na liwa terin kutino me. Imonli me wa di acin ni titong.
John wore [coarse] clothing made from camel’s hair. And [as the prophet Elijah did long ago], he wore a leather belt around his waist. His food was [only] grasshoppers and honey [that he found] in that desolate area.
5 Anan Urushalima, nin Yahudiya a vat nigbiri nkilinu kurawan urdun wa nuzu idọ kitime.
[People who lived in] Jerusalem [city] [MTY], many [HYP] [people who lived in other places in] Judea [district] [MTY], and many [HYP] [people who lived in] the area around the Jordan [River] [MTY] came to John [to hear him preach].
6 Awa shintu nani nan nyan nmyen kurawan urdun, a icin bele alapi mine.
After [they heard him tell them to turn away from their sinful behavior], they [openly] confessed their sins, and as a result they were baptized by John {John baptized them} in the Jordan River.
7 Kube na awa yene liigo na Farisawa nin na Saddukiyawa ucinfak kitime a shintu nani nmyen, a woro nani, “Anung kumat niyii timung, gharin wunung minu atuf ina ni din cum kiti tinana nayi na ti din ciinu?
After John noted that many men of the Pharisee [religious group] and of the Sadducee [religious group] were coming [to him] to be baptized {in order that he would baptize them}, he said to them, “You people are [evil like poisonous] snakes [MET]! I warn you that God will some day punish [MTY] everyone who sins. (And do not think that you can escape from his punishing you [MTY] [if you do not turn from your sinful behavior]!/Did someone tell you that you can escape from his punishing you [MTY] [if you do not turn from your sinful behavior]?) [RHQ]
8 Nutunong kumat ko na ku batiina usunuu na lapi.
Do what is appropriate [IDM] for people who have truly turned away from their sinful behavior [before you come to me in order to be baptized] {[that I baptize you]}.
9 Ana iwa kpiliza i woro nan nya mine, 'Tidi nin Ibrahim ucif bit.' Bara ndin belu minu Kutellẹ wasa ana Ibrahim ku nnan nono ko kiti na tala alele.
[God promised to give Abraham many descendants. In order to fulfill that promise], God [does not need you! I] tell you that he can change these stones to make them descendants of Abraham. So do not start to say to yourselves, ‘Since we are descendants of [our ancestor] Abraham, [God will not punish us even though we have sinned].’
10 Nene imali ciu gidowo litino naca. Vat kuca kongo na ku mara kumat kucine ba ima kowu kunin iti kunin nan nya nla.
[God is] ready [to punish you if you do not turn away from your sinful behavior, just like] a man who lays his axe at the roots of a [fruit] tree [in order to] chop it down and throw it into the fire if it does not produce good fruit [MET].”
11 Meng din shintu minu nmyen i sun alapi mine. Ame ulenge na adin cinu kidun nighe a di nin likara a katini, na meng wang batin in yaun akpatak me ba. Ame ma shintu minuu nin Ruhu Ulau a ula.
“As for me, I [am not very important, because] I baptize you [only] with water. I [baptize you] because of your feeling sorry that you have sinned. But someone else will come soon who is very great; [he will do powerful deeds] (OR, [act powerfully]). [Because he is] superior to me, I am not worthy [even to do a menial task for him, such as] to carry his sandals. He will put [his] Holy Spirit [within] you [to truly change] the way you live [MET], and [he will judge others of you and punish you in] the fire [in hell]. (questioned)
12 Ku puruk me di nacara me, ama shintulu a nutun alkama nan nya kusheri lan, ama nin ciu alkame nan nya filai. Nani ama nin juju kusheri nin la ule na uma so ubico ba.”
[He is like a farmer who wants to clear away the grain that is on the ground where it has been threshed] {[they have threshed it]}. [That farmer uses a] huge fork to throw the grain into the air [to separate the wheat from the chaff] [MET], and then he cleans up the threshing area. [Similarly], God will [separate righteous people from the evil people like a farmer who] gathers the wheat into his storage area, and then [God] will burn the [people who are like] chaff with a fire that will never be put out [MET].”
13 Yisa tunna a fita a da kurawan urdun unuzun in Galili kitin Yohanna ada shintin ghe nmyen.
During that time, Jesus went from Galilee [District] to the Jordan [River], where John was. [He did that] in order to be baptized by John {in order to ask that John would baptize him}.
14 Ame Yohanna ta usu nworo a nantinghe, a woro, “Meng din piziru fe shintini nmyen, fe uni nna da kiti nigha?”
[When Jesus asked John to baptize him], John objected, saying, “I need to be baptized by you {you to baptize me} [because you are superior to me. Since you are not a sinner], ([you(sg)] should not come to me [to be baptized by me] {[to ask that I baptize you(sg)]}!/why do you come to me [to be baptized by me] {[ask that I baptize you(sg)]} [RHQ]?)”
15 Yisa kpana a woro ghe, “Yinna nani nene, bara udi gegeme kiti bite tikulo katwa kacine vat.” Yohanna yinnin ghe mun.
But Jesus said to him, “Baptize me at this time, because in this way we [two] will do [everything that God] requires.” Then John consented to baptize him.
16 Kimal nshintin ghe kule, Yisa nuzu nan nyan nmyene mas, na nin molu kubi ba, i punghe kitene kani. A yene Uruhu Kutellẹ utolu kadas nafo kuwullung udak kitime.
After he was baptized {John baptized Jesus}, Jesus immediately came up out of the water. Just then, [it was as though] the sky was opened {split apart}. Then [Jesus] saw God’s Spirit coming down upon him. He came in the form of a dove.
17 Itunna liwui nuzu kitene Kutellẹ liworo, “Ggono nsu kibinai Nighari kane. Ndin lanzu mmang me kang.”
Then [God] [SYN] spoke from heaven, saying, “This is my Son. I love him. I am very pleased with him.”
