Deuteronomy 9
1 “You people of Israel, listen to me! You will soon [HYP] cross the Jordan [River]. In the land that you will enter, there are large cities that have very high walls [around them] that [seem to] [HYP] extend up to the sky. There are people-groups in that land that are more numerous and more powerful than you are.
“O! Israel, see. Èle Yɔdan tɔsisi la tso ge egbe, eye nàde asi dukɔ siwo le tɔsisi la godo la nyanya me. Dukɔ mawo tri akɔ, eye wosẽ wu wò! Woɖo gli kɔkɔwo ƒo xlã woƒe duwo.
2 Those people are very tall and strong. [Some of them] are giants who are descendants of Anak. You know about them, and you have heard people say that no one [RHQ] can defeat the descendants of Anak.
Anak ƒe viwo, ame siwo nye ame dzɔatsuwo, eye dukɔ aɖeke mate ŋu anɔ te ɖe wo nu o la le wo dome.
3 But I want you to know that Yahweh our God will go ahead of you. He will be like a raging/roaring fire. While you advance, he will defeat and destroy them. As a result, you will quickly be able to expel some of them and kill the others, which is what Yahweh promised that you would do.
Ke Yehowa, wò Mawu la anɔ ŋgɔ na wò abe dzo si fiaa nu ene be yeatsrɔ̃ wo ale be nàte ŋu aɖu wo dzi kaba, eye nànya wo ɖa le anyigba la dzi.
4 “After Yahweh our God has expelled them for you, do not say to yourselves, ‘It is because we are righteous that Yahweh has enabled us to capture this land.’ The truth is that it is because the people in that land are wicked that Yahweh will expel them as you advance.
“Ne Yehowa miaƒe Mawu wɔ esia na wò la, mègagblɔ na ɖokuiwò be, ‘Yehowae ve nunye, elabena menye ame dzɔdzɔe o.’ Mele nenema o. Dukɔ kemɛwo ƒe vɔ̃ɖivɔ̃ɖi tae Yehowa le esia wɔ ge ɖo.
5 [I say again that] it is not because you are righteous or because you do things that are righteous that you will enter and capture that land. It is because those people-groups are very wicked that Yahweh our God will expel them as you advance, and because he intends to do what he vowed to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that he would do.
Menye esi mienye ame nyui dzɔdzɔewo tae Yehowa anya wo ɖa le mia ŋgɔ ɖo o! Megale egblɔm na mi be, dukɔ kemɛwo ƒe vɔ̃ɖivɔ̃ɖi tae hekpe ɖe Yehowa miaƒe Mawu ƒe ŋugbe si wòdo na mia fofowo, Abraham, Isak kple Yakob ŋu ta koe.
6 I want you to know that it is not because you are righteous that Yahweh our God is giving you this good/fertile land. I say that because [you are not righteous]; you are a very stubborn [IDM] people.”
Megale egblɔm ake be, Yehowa, miaƒe Mawu la mele anyigba nyui sia tsɔm na mi le miaƒe nyonyo ta o, elabena mienyo o. Mienye dukɔ vɔ̃ɖi kple kɔlialiatɔwo.”
7 “Never forget what your ancestors did in the desert that caused Yahweh our God to become angry. From the day that we left Egypt until the day that we arrived here, you and your ancestors have continually rebelled against him.
Migaŋlɔ be o, ke boŋ miɖo ŋku ale si miedo dɔmedzoe na Yehowa, miaƒe Mawu la enuenu le gbedzi, tso gbe si gbe miedzo le Egipte va se ɖe fifia dzi. Miedze aglã ɖe eŋu le ɣeyiɣi siawo katã me.
8 Even at Sinai [Mountain] your ancestors caused Yahweh to become angry. Because he was very angry, he was ready to get rid of [all of] them.
Mieɖo ŋku ale si miedo dɔmedzoe nɛ le Horeb to la gbɔ dzi oa? Enɔ klalo be yeatsrɔ̃ mi.
9 When I climbed the mountain to receive from him the stone tablets on which he had written the Ten Commandments that he was giving to them, I stayed there 40 days and nights, and [during that time] I did not eat or drink anything.
Menɔ toa dzi ɣe ma ɣi, eye menɔ nubabla si Yehowa wɔ kpli mi, si nye kpe siwo dzi wòŋlɔ seawo ɖo la xɔm. Menɔ afi ma ŋkeke blaene kple zã blaene. Nyemeɖu naneke le ɣeyiɣi ma katã me o. Nyemeno tsi gɔ̃ hã o.
10 Yahweh gave me the two stone tablets on which he had written [the commandments] with his own fingers. They were the words/commandments that he had spoken to your ancestors from the fire on that mountain, when they were gathered together [at the bottom of the mountain].
Yehowa tsɔ kpe kpakpa eve siwo dzi Mawu tsɔ eƒe asibidɛ ŋlɔ nu ɖo la nam. Se siwo katã Yehowa de na mí le toa dzi to dzo me le miaƒe takpegbe la le wo dzi.
11 “At the end of those 40 days and nights, Yahweh gave me those two stone tablets on which he had written those commandments.
Le ŋkeke blaeneawo kple zã blaeneawo ƒe nuwuwu la, Yehowa tsɔ kpe kpakpa eveawo, nubabla ƒe kpe kpakpawo nam.
12 But then he said to me, ‘Go down the mountain immediately, because [the people whom you are leading], the people whom you led out of Egypt, have committed a terrible sin! They have very quickly done what I commanded them not to do. They have made for themselves a metal statue [of a calf to worship].’
Egblɔ nam be maɖi yi anyigba kaba, elabena dukɔ si mekplɔ tso Egipte la gblẽ kɔ ɖo na eɖokui; eɖe asi le Mawu ƒe seawo ŋu kaba, eye wòlolõ ga hetsɔ wɔ legbae.
13 Then Yahweh said to me, ‘I have been watching these people, and I see that they are very stubborn.
Tete Yehowa gblɔ nam be, “Mekpɔe be dukɔ sia nye ame kɔlialiatɔwo sɔŋ.
14 So do not try to stop me. I am going to destroy all of them, with the result that no one anywhere will remember (their names [MTY]/that they ever existed). Then I will enable you to become [the ancestor of] a nation that will be more numerous and more powerful than they are.’
Ɖe asi le ŋunye matsrɔ̃ wo, matutu woƒe ŋkɔwo ɖa le dziƒoa te, eye mawɔ wò boŋ wò dzidzimeviwo woazu dukɔ si akpɔ ŋusẽ, eye wòalolo wu Israel.”
15 So I turned and went down the mountain, carrying in my hands the two stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments were [written]. Fire was burning all over the mountain.
Metrɔ gbɔ tso to bibi la dzi le esime melé kpe eve siwo dzi Mawu ŋlɔ eƒe seawo ɖo la ɖe asi.
16 I looked, and I was shocked to see that your ancestors had committed a [great] sin against Yahweh. They very quickly had begun to do what Yahweh our God had commanded them not to do. They had [requested Aaron to] make for them [a metal image of] a calf [to worship].
Le toa te la, mekpɔ nyivi si miewɔ le miaƒe nu vɔ̃ si miewɔ ɖe Yehowa miaƒe Mawu ŋu me. Miegbugbɔ le Yehowa yome kaba ŋutɔ!
17 So while they were watching, I lifted up those two stone tablets and threw them [on the ground], and they broke into pieces.
Esia ta metsɔ kpe eveawo do ɖe dzi, eye mexlã wo ɖe anyi sesĩe! Megbã wo le mia ŋkume!
18 Then I (prostrated myself/lay) on the ground in Yahweh’s presence as I had done before, and I did not eat or drink anything for 40 days and nights. I did that because your ancestors had sinned against Yahweh and caused him to become very angry.
Le esia megbe la, meganɔ Yehowa ŋkume ŋkeke blaene kple zã blaene numaɖumaɖu, tsimanomano, elabena miewɔ nu si Yehowa lé fui wu nu sia nu, eye miena wòdo dɔmedzoe vevie ŋutɔ.
19 I was afraid/worried that because Yahweh was very angry with them, he would get rid of all of them. [But again I prayed that he would not do that], and again he listened to me [and answered my prayer].
Mevɔ̃ ɖe mia nu ŋutɔŋutɔ, elabena Yehowa ɖo vevie be yeatsrɔ̃ mi. Ke egaɖo tom ɣe ma ɣi hã.
20 Yahweh was also very angry with Aaron [for making that golden calf] and was ready to kill Aaron. But at the same time I prayed for Aaron also, [and Yahweh answered my prayer].
Aron ɖo xaxa gã aɖe me, elabena Yehowa do dɔmedzoe ɖe eŋu ŋutɔ. Ke medo gbe ɖa, eye Yehowa kpɔ nublanui nɛ.
21 Your ancestors had sinned by [requesting Aaron to] make [a metal statue of] a calf. So I took that statue and [I melted it] in a fire and crushed it and ground it into very tiny pieces [HYP]. Then I threw those tiny pieces into the stream that flowed down the mountain.
Metsɔ miaƒe nu vɔ̃ si nye nyivi si miewɔ la, medee dzo me, tui memie wòzu ʋuʋudedi, eye metsɔ ʋuʋudedi la kɔ ɖe tɔʋu si dzɔ tso toa dzi la me.
22 Your ancestors also caused Yahweh to become very angry [by what they did] at [places which they named] Taberah, Massah, and Kibroth-Hattaavah.
Miegado dɔmedzoe na Yehowa le Tabera, emegbe le Masa, eyome le Kibrot Hatava.
23 And when we were at Kadesh-Barnea, Yahweh said to your ancestors, ‘Go up and capture the land that I am about to give to you!’ But they rebelled against him. They did not trust him, and they did not obey what he told [MTY] them to do.
Le Kades Barnea la, esi Yehowa gblɔ na mi be miage ɖe anyigba si wòtsɔ na mi dzi la, miedze aglã ɖe eŋuti, eye miexɔe se be akpe ɖe mia ŋu o. Miegbe toɖoɖoe.
24 Your ancestors rebelled against Yahweh from the first day that I knew them, [in Egypt].
Ɛ̃, mienɔ aglã dzem ɖe Yehowa ŋu tso gbe si gbe ke menya mi,
25 So, [as I said], I lay on the ground in Yahweh’s presence for 40 days and nights, because Yahweh had said that he would get rid of your ancestors.
eya ta metsyɔ mo anyi ɖe Yehowa ŋkume ŋkeke blaene kple zã blaene mawo me esime Yehowa di be yeatsrɔ̃ mi.
26 And I prayed to Yahweh, saying, ‘Lord God, these people belong to you; do not destroy them. They are people whom you rescued and brought out of Egypt by your very great power. [DOU, MTY]
“Medo gbe ɖa na Yehowa be, Aƒetɔ Yehowa, mègatsrɔ̃ wò ŋutɔ wò amewo o. Wò ŋutɔ wò domenyinu si nèɖe kple wò ŋusẽ triakɔ, eye nèɖe wo tso Egipte kple asi sesẽ.
27 Do not forget [what you promised to] Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Please ignore these stubborn and wicked people and the sin that they have committed.
Ɖo ŋku wò dɔlawo, Abraham, Isak kple Yakob dzi. Mègaɖo ŋku ame siawo ƒe kɔlialia kple woƒe vɔ̃ɖivɔ̃ɖi kple woƒe nu vɔ̃wo dzi o.
28 If you do not do that, [and if you get rid of them], the people of Egypt will [hear about it and] say that you were not able to bring them into the land that you promised to give to them. They will say that you took them into the desert only to kill them there because you hated them.
Ne menye nenema o la, dukɔ si me nèkplɔ mí do go tso la agblɔ be, ‘Esi Yehowa mete ŋu kplɔ wo yi anyigba si ƒe ŋugbe wòdo na wo dzi o, eye esi wòlé fu wo ta la, ekplɔ wo do goe be yeawu wo le gbedzi.’
29 [Do not forget that] they are your people. [You chose them to] belong to you. You brought them out [from Egypt] by your very great power [DOU, MTY].’”
Wò amewo kple wò domenyilawo wonye, ame siwo nètsɔ wò ŋusẽ triakɔ kple abɔ sesẽ la kplɔ tso Egipte.”
