Amos 5
1 You people [MTY] of Israel, listen to this funeral song that I will sing about you:
“O! Israel ƒe aƒe, metsɔ blanuiléle dzi konyifaha sia na wò:
2 “You are like [MET] a young woman, but in spite of that, you will certainly be struck down and you will never get up again! You will lie on the ground, abandoned, and there will be no one to help you stand up.”
“Ɖetugbi Israel dze anyi, eye magafɔ akpɔ o. Wogbe nu le egbɔ le eya ŋutɔ ƒe anyigba dzi, eye ame aɖeke meli alé eƒe alɔnu afɔe ɖe tsitre o,
3 This is what Yahweh the Lord says to the people [MTY] of Israel: [“When your enemies attack you, ] and when 1,000 [of your soldiers] will go [to a battle], there will be only 100 who will survive. When 100 soldiers march out [from a city to fight], there will be only ten who will remain alive.”
elabena Aƒetɔ Yehowa gblɔ na Israel be, ‘Ne du aɖe ɖo ame akpe ɖeka ɖe aʋa la, ame alafa ɖeka koe agbɔ, eye du si ɖo ame alafa ɖeka ɖa la ame ewo koe agbɔ.’”
4 Yahweh continues to say to the people [MTY] of Israel: “You Israeli people, return to me! If you do that, you will continue to remain alive.
Yehowa gblɔ na Israel ƒe aƒe la be, “Midim, ne mianɔ agbe.
5 Do not go to Bethel to seek [my help]; do not go to Gilgal [to worship]; do not [even] go to Beersheba, because [your enemies] will drag away [the people of] Gilgal to other countries, and Bethel will be completely destroyed.”
Migati legba siwo le Betel, Gilgal alo Beerseba yome o, elabena maɖe aboyo Gilgatɔwo, eye Betel atsrɔ̃.”
6 So, come to Yahweh; if you do that, you will remain alive. If you do not do that, Yahweh will descend on you descendants [MTY] of Joseph like [SIM] a fire; that fire will burn everything in Bethel, and (nothing/no one) will be able to save that town.
Midi Yehowa ne mianɔ agbe, ne menye nenema o la; miabi abe dzo ene ato Yosef ƒe aƒe dzi, afia Betel, eye ame aɖeke mate ŋu atsii o.
7 You people distort what is fair/right and cause [people to think that] it is something that is very bitter; you treat good things as though they are evil.
O, mi ame siwo trɔ afia nyui tsotso wòzu vevesese, eye mietsɔ dzɔdzɔenyenye ƒu gbe ɖe anyigba!
8 [Do you know who] created all the groups of stars and put them in their places? [Each morning] he causes the darkness to become the dawn, and [each evening] he causes the daylight to become darkness. He scoops up water from the oceans [to become clouds], and then he dumps the water [from the clouds] onto the earth. The one who does those things is named Yahweh.
Midi ame si wɔ ɣletiviwo ƒe ha siwo woyɔna be atifieŋui, avu kple avutɔ, ame si trɔa viviti tsiɖitsiɖi wòzua kekeli, eye wòtrɔa ŋkeke wòzua zã. Eyae yɔa tsi tso atsiaƒu me be wòaho ayi dzi ahadza ɖe anyigba dzi. Aƒetɔ Yehowae nye eƒe ŋkɔ.
9 He causes strong [soldiers] to be killed, and causes the (high walls around/fortresses of) cities to be torn down.
Le aɖabaƒoƒo ɖeka me la, enana gbegblẽ vaa ame sesẽ dzi, eye wògbãa eƒe gli sesẽwo.
10 [He is the one who will punish you] because you hate those who challenge anyone who tries to make unjust decisions, and you hate those who tell the truth in your courts.
Mielé fu ame siwo toa nyateƒe le ʋɔnu, eye miele fu nyateƒetola.
11 You oppress poor people and force them to pay big taxes. You have built big stone mansions [for yourselves], but you will not be able to live in them. You have planted vineyards, but there will not be any [grapes for you to harvest to make] wine.
Esi miefanya ame dahewo kple afɔ, eye mieba wo le blidzɔxɔxɔ me ta la, mianɔ kpexɔ nyui siwo tum miele la me alo ano wain tso waingble siwo dem miele la me o.
12 I know all of your sins and the terrible crimes that you have committed. You oppress righteous/honest people, and you accept bribes. You do not allow judges to treat poor people justly.
Elabena wò nu vɔ̃wo sɔ gbɔ hetri akɔ. Menya wo katã nyuie. Èsẽa ŋuta le ame dzɔdzɔe ŋu, eye nèxɔa zãnu hetrɔa gbo ame dahe ƒe nya dzɔdzɔe,
13 This is a time when [many people do] evil things, so people who have good sense say nothing [when they hear about such things being done].
eya ta ame siwo nye nunyalawo la, azi ɖoɖoe le ɣeyiɣi mawo me, elabena ɣeyiɣi vɔ̃e wònye.
14 In order to remain alive, you must stop doing what is wrong, and start doing what is right. If you do that, the Commander of the armies of angels will be with you like you claim [that he always is].
Midi nyui, miasi le vɔ̃ nu ne mianɔ agbe! Ekema Yehowa, Mawu Dziƒoʋakɔwo ƒe Aƒetɔ la, anye kpeɖeŋutɔ vavã na mi abe ale si miawo ŋutɔ miegblɔ la ene.
15 Love what is good, and hate what is evil! Try to cause [judges] in your courts to make decisions that are right/fair! If you do those things, perhaps the Commander of the armies of angels will act mercifully toward [you descendants of] Joseph who are still alive.
Mitsri nu vɔ̃ eye mialɔ̃ nyui. Mitrɔ miaƒe ʋɔnudrɔ̃ƒewo woazu afia nyui tsoƒewo. Ɖewohĩ Yehowa, Dziƒoʋakɔwo ƒe Mawu la, akpɔ nublanui na Yosef ƒe aƒe ƒe ame mamlɛawo.
16 “Because I, Yahweh, [will punish you for your sins], this is what I have solemnly declared: People will be wailing loudly in every street, and people will be very sorrowful in every plaza. Farmers will be summoned to [come and] weep, along with the other official mourners who will wail [for those who have died].
Ale Yehowa, Mawu Dziƒoʋakɔwo ƒe Aƒetɔ la gblɔe nye esi: “Avifafa anɔ kpɔdomewo, eye asiƒonu anɔ mɔ dodowo dzi. Míyɔ agbledelawo hã be woafa avi kpli mi; miyɔ konyifalawo hã vɛ be woafa avi kpli mi.
17 People will be wailing in your vineyards, because I will punish you [IDM] severely. [That will surely happen because] I, Yahweh, have said it!”
Avifafa anɔ waingble ɖe sia ɖe me, elabena mava to afi ma akaka agbleawo.” Yehowae gblɔe.
18 Terrible things will happen to you who desire that it will soon be the day when Yahweh [will punish your enemies], because that will be a day of darkness, not of light.
Baba na mi, ame siwo tsi dzi ɖe Yehowa ƒe ŋkeke la ƒe vava ŋuti. Nu ka ta mietsi dzi ɖe Yehowa ƒe ŋkeke la ƒe vava ŋuti ɖo? Ŋkeke ma anye viviti, manye kekeli o.
19 [At that time, ] when you try to run from a lion, you will face a bear. When you run into your house [to be safe], and you put your hand on a wall, it will be bitten by a snake.
Le ŋkeke ma dzi la, mianɔ abe ame si si le dzata nu ɖake ɖe sisiblisi ŋuti la ene, eye esi wòƒu du ɖo aƒe me heziɔ ɖe gli ŋuti la, da ɖui.
20 That day, [when he punishes people], will certainly be [RHQ] a very dark day [MET], without even a little bit of light.
Ɖe Yehowa ƒe ŋkeke la menye viviti, eye menye kekeli oa? Ɖe menye blukɔe wònye, eye keklẽ mele eme oa?
21 [Yahweh says], “I hate your religious celebrations and the times when you gather to worship me; I detest them [DOU].
“Melé fu miaƒe ŋkekenyuiwo, eye metsri wo. Nyemaʋẽ miaƒe takpekpewo kple ŋkekenyuiwo ase o.
22 Even if you bring me offerings that will be completely burned [on the altar] and offerings of grain, I will no longer accept them. Even if you bring me offerings to renew/maintain fellowship with me, I will not pay any attention to them.
Ne miewɔ numevɔsa kple nuɖuvɔsawo nam hã la, nyemaxɔ wo o. Ne mietsɔ miaƒe lã damiwo sa vɔe nam hã la, nyemanye kɔ akpɔ wo o.
23 So, stop singing noisy/loud songs! I will not listen when you play harps.
Te wò hawo ƒe ɖiɖi ɖe megbe tso gbɔnye, wò saŋkuƒoƒowo hã le to me vem nam!
24 Instead, your continually acting justly/fairly and righteously should be [never stop, ] like [SIM] [the water in] a river that never stops flowing.
Nya dzɔdzɔe nesi abe tsi ene, eye dzɔdzɔenyenye abe tɔʋu si memiena o ene!
25 You Israeli people [MTY], your [ancestors] wandered through the desert for 40 years; and during that time, they never brought any sacrifices and offerings to me!
“O, Israelviwo, nyee mietsɔ lã wuwuwo kple numemewo sa vɔ na esi mienɔ gbedzi ƒe blaene sɔŋ?
26 But they carried the two idols that they had made— the idols of Succoth, the god [that they considered to be] their king, and Kaiwan, [the image of the] star [that they worshiped].
Miekɔ miaƒe fia, Sakut kple Kaiwan, miaƒe ɣletivimawu siwo ƒe nɔnɔme miewɔ na mia ɖokuiwo la ɖe dzi,
27 Therefore, now I will force you to go to [a country that is] far beyond Damascus! [That will surely happen because] I, the Commander of the armies of angels, have said it!”
eya ta maɖo mi ɖe aboyo me le Damasko godo.” Yehowa, ame si ŋkɔe nye Dziƒoʋakɔwo ƒe Mawu lae gblɔe.
