Exodus 23
1 “Do not tell to others (false rumors/untrue reports) about other people. Do not help someone who is guilty by (testifying falsely/lying) [about what happened].
“Mègakaka aʋatsonyawo o, eye mègaɖu aʋatsoɖasefo na ame vɔ̃ɖi o.
2 Do not join a group of people who are planning to do something evil. Do not testify the way the [crowd wants you to], if that will prevent [the judge from deciding the case] justly/fairly.
“Mègadze amehawo yome le nu vɔ̃ wɔwɔ me o, eye ne woyɔ wò ɖasefoe le nya aɖe me la, mègatrɔ nyateƒe la ƒe ta tu be ne yeadze amehawo ŋu o,
3 When a poor person is on trial, do not [testify in] his favor [just] because he is poor [and you feel sorry for him].
eye mègaɖe ami ɖe nya la be ne wò ɖaseɖiɖi la nade ame aɖe dzi le eƒe amedahenyenye ta o.
4 If you see someone’s bull or donkey when it is wandering away [loose], take it back to [its owner, even if the owner] is your enemy.
“Ne èkpɔ wò futɔ aɖe ƒe nyi alo tedzi si tra mɔ la, ele be nàkplɔe ayi na nutɔ.
5 If you see someone’s donkey that has fallen down [because of its heavy load], help the owner to get the donkey up again, [even if] he is someone who hates you. Do not just walk away [without helping him].
Ne agba te wo futɔ ƒe tedzi ɖe to, eye nèkpɔ wò futɔ wòle agbagba dzem be yeado alɔ tedzi la wòatsi tsitre la, mele be nàtso eme adzo o, ke boŋ ele be nàkpe ɖe eŋu.
6 Decide the cases of poor people who are on trial [as] fairly [as you decide the cases of other people].
“Mègana ame aɖeke ƒe ahedada nana nàtrɔ eƒe nya dzɔdzɔe wòazu nya gbegblẽ o.
7 Do not accuse people falsely. Do not decide that innocent and righteous [DOU] people should be executed, because I will (punish/not forgive) people who do such an evil thing.
“Mègada alakpa ɖe ame aɖeke si be ewɔ vɔ̃ o. Mègana woawu ame maɖifɔ gbeɖe o. Nyemalɔ̃ ɖe nuwɔna vɔ̃ɖi sia dzi o.
8 Do not accept money that is a bribe, because officials who accept bribes are not able to [MTY] decide what is right to do, and they do not allow innocent people to be treated fairly.
“Mègaxɔ zãnu o, elabena zãnuxɔxɔ nana be màdze si nu si le dzedzem gãa o. Zãnuxɔxɔ gblẽa nu le ame si ƒe nya dzɔ la ŋuti.
9 Do not mistreat foreigners [who live among you]. You know [how people often treat] foreigners, because the Egyptians [did not treat you well when] you were foreigners there.
“Mègate amedzrowo ɖe to o, wò ŋutɔ ènya nu si amedzronyenye nye. Ɖo ŋku wò nuteƒekpɔkpɔwo le Egipte dzi.
10 Plant [seeds] in your ground and gather the harvest for six years.
“Miƒã nu, eye miaŋe nu ƒe ade,
11 But during the seventh year you must not plant anything. [If things grow without your planting seeds], allow poor people [to harvest and] eat the crops. If there are still crops (left over/that they do not harvest), allow wild animals to eat them. Do the same thing with your grapevines/vineyards and your olive trees.
ke migblẽ anyigba la ɖi wòadzudzɔ le ƒe adrelia me. Mina ame dahe siwo le mia dome la naxa nuku siwo mieɖe le miaƒe agble dzi le wo ɖokuiwo si, eye migblẽ nuku siwo susɔ la ɖi na lãwo woaɖu. Se sia ke ku ɖe miaƒe waingblewo kple amitivewo hã ŋu.
12 [You may] work for six days [each week], but on the seventh day you must rest [and not work]. And on the seventh day you must allow your work animals and your slaves and the foreigners [who live among you] also [to rest and] be refreshed.
“Miwɔ dɔ ŋkeke ade ko, eye miadzudzɔ le ŋkeke adrelia dzi. Miwɔ alea ale be miana dzudzɔ miaƒe nyiwo kple tedziwo kple miaƒe aƒemetɔwo, kluviwo kple amedzrowo siaa.
13 Make certain that you obey everything that I have commanded [you to do]. Do not pray to [MTY] other gods. Do not even mention their names.”
“Mikpɔ egbɔ be miewɔ se siawo katã dzi. Miɖo ŋku edzi, migayɔ mawu bubu aɖeke ƒe ŋkɔ le gbedodoɖa alo atamkaka me o.”
14 “Every year you must celebrate three festivals to [honor] me.
“Mawusubɔsubɔ ƒe ŋkekenyui etɔ̃e li wòle be miaɖu ƒe sia ƒe.
15 [The first one] is the Festival of Bread That Has No Yeast. Celebrate it in the month [that is named] Abib. That is the month in which you left Egypt. Celebrate it in the way that I commanded you. And always bring [LIT] an offering when you come to worship me.
“Gbãtɔe nye Abolo Maʋamaʋã ƒe Ŋkekenyui. Migaɖu abolo si wowɔ kple amɔ ʋaʋã o ŋkeke adre abe ale si mede se na mi kpɔ ene. Ŋkekenyui sia ɖuɖu anɔ edzi ƒe sia ƒe le Tedoxe si nye ɣleti si me miedzo le Egipte. “Ame sia ame asa vɔ nam le ɣeyiɣi sia me.
16 The second one is the Festival of Harvesting. During that festival you must offer to me the first parts/harvest of your crops that grow from the seeds that you planted. The third one is the Festival of Living in Temporary Shelters. That will be after you finish harvesting your grain and grapes and fruit.
“Eveliae nye Nuŋeŋeŋkekenyui. Ele be miatsɔ miaƒe agblemenuku gbãtɔwo vɛ nam. “Etɔ̃liae nye Ƒuƒoƒo Nukuwo ƒe Ŋkekenyui si miaɖu le nuŋeɣi ƒe nuwuwu.
17 Every year, at each of these times, all the men must gather together to worship me, Yahweh God.
“Le ŋkekenyui etɔ̃ siawo katã ɖuɣiwo, le ƒe sia ƒe me la, ele be Israel ŋutsu ɖe sia ɖe nado ɖe Yehowa ŋkume.
18 When you sacrifice an animal [and offer it] to me, you must not offer bread that has been baked with yeast. [When you] offer sacrifices, [burn] the fat [from the animals on that same day]. Do not allow any fat to remain until the next morning.
“Megakpe nye vɔsalãwo ƒe ʋu ɖe abolo si woƒo kple amɔ ʋaʋã la ŋu o. “Megana vɔsalã aɖeke ƒe ami natsi anyi ŋu nake ɖe edzi o.
19 Each year, when you harvest your crops, bring to the place where you worship me, Yahweh God, the first part of what you harvest. When you kill a (young animal/kid [or lamb or calf)], do not [prepare to eat it by] boiling it in its mother’s milk.”
“Ne èxa wò agblemenukuwo la, ele be nàtsɔ wò ŋkeke gbãtɔ ƒe nuku nyuitɔwo ƒe ɖe va Yehowa, wò Mawu ƒe aƒe me. “Mègaɖa gbɔ̃vi le dadaa ƒe notsi me o.
20 “Note this: I am going to send an angel ahead of you, to guard you as you travel and to bring you safely to the place that I have prepared [for you]. Pay attention to what he says and obey him. Do not rebel against him, because he will have my authority [MTY] and he will (punish/not forgive) [LIT] you if you rebel against him.
“Kpɔ ɖa, mele Mawudɔla aɖe dɔm ɖe ŋgɔwò be wòakplɔ wò dedie ayi anyigba si medzra ɖo ɖi na wò la dzi.
Vɔ̃e, eye nàwɔ eƒe ɖoɖowo katã dzi. Mègadze aglã ɖe eŋu o, elabena matsɔ wò nu vɔ̃wo ake wò o. Eyae nye nye teƒenɔla, eye nye ŋkɔ le eŋu.
22 But if you pay attention to what he says and if you do all that I tell you [to do], I will fight strongly [DOU] against all of your enemies.
Ke ne èɖɔ ŋu ɖo, ɖo toe, eye nèwɔ nye Sewo katã dzi la, ekema manye futɔ na wò futɔwo,
23 My angel will go ahead of you, and will take you to where the Amor and Heth and Periz and Canaan and Hiv and Jebus people-groups live, and I will completely get rid of them.
elabena nye Dɔla adze ŋgɔ na wò, akplɔ wò ayi Amoritɔwo, Hititɔwo, Perizitɔwo, Kanaantɔwo, Hivitɔwo kple Yebusitɔwo ƒe anyigba dzi be mianɔ afi ma. Matsrɔ̃ dukɔ siawo ɖa le ŋgɔwò.
24 Do not bow down before their gods/idols or worship them. And do not do the things [that they think that their gods want] them to do. Completely destroy their gods/idols, and smash to pieces their sacred stones.
“Mègasubɔ dukɔ bubu siawo ƒe mawu alo asa vɔ na wo le mɔ aɖeke nu o, eye mègadze trɔ̃subɔdukɔ siawo ƒe kpɔɖeŋu vɔ̃ɖiwo yome o. Ele na wò be nàɖu wo dzi, eye nàgbã woƒe legbawo.
25 You must worship me, Yahweh God. [If you do that], I will bless your (OR, bless [you by giving you]) food and water, and I will protect you from becoming sick.
“Subɔ Yehowa, wò Mawu la ɖeɖe ko, ekema mayra wò kple nuɖuɖu kple tsi, eye maɖe dɔléle ɖa le mia dome.
26 No women in your land will have (miscarriages/babies that will die after being born prematurely), and no women will be unable to become pregnant. And I will enable you to live a long time.
Fu mage le nyɔnuwo ƒo o, kotsitsi manɔ anyigba blibo la dzi o, eye ànɔ agbe ŋkeke ale si meɖo na wò.
27 I will cause the people who oppose you to become very afraid of me. I will cause the people whom you fight against to become very confused. And then I will cause them to turn around and run away from you.
“Mana vɔvɔ̃ si le ŋunye la nalé dukɔ siwo katã ƒe anyigba ŋu miaho aʋa ɖo, woasi le mia ŋgɔ.
28 I will cause your enemies to become terrified. And I will expel the Hiv, Canaan, and Heth people-groups from your land.
Maɖo nudzodzoe teamewo ɖa woanya Hivitɔwo, Kanaantɔwo kple Hititɔwo ɖa le ŋgɔwò.
29 I will not expel [all of] them in less than one year. If I did that, your land would become deserted, and there would be very many wild animals ([that would attack you/you would not be able to control]).
Nyemawɔ esiawo katã le ƒe ɖeka me o. Ne menye nenema o la, anyigba la ava zu gbedadaƒo, eye lã wɔadãwo ava sɔ gbɔ akpa.
30 I will expel those people-groups slowly, a few at a time, until the number of your people increases and you are able to live everywhere in the land.
Ke manɔ wo nyam ɖa vivivi va se ɖe esime wò amewo adzi axɔ anyigba blibo la dzi.
31 I will cause the borders of your land to extend from the (Red Sea/Gulf of Aqaba) [in the southeast] to the Mediterranean Sea [in the northwest], and from the [Sinai] Desert [in the southwest] to the [Euphrates] River [in the northeast of the country]. I will enable you [MTY] to expel the people who live there, so that you will expel them as you occupy more of the country.
“Mana wò anyigba ƒe liƒowo natso Ƒu Dzĩ la nu ayi Filistitɔwo ƒe ƒu la nu, eye wòagatso gbegbe siwo le anyigbeme va se ɖe Frat tɔsisi la nu. Mana nàɖu ame siwo katã le anyigba la dzi fifia la dzi, eye mana woasi le ŋgɔwò.
32 You must not make any agreement/treaty with those people or with their gods.
“Mègawɔ nubabla aɖeke kpli wo loo alo nàna kadodo aɖeke nanɔ wò kple woƒe mawuwo dome o.
33 Do not allow [those people] to live in your land, in order that they do not cause you to sin against me. If you worship their gods, [you will not be able to escape from worshiping them and sinning against me, just like someone caught] in a trap [is unable to escape] [MET].”
Mègana woanɔ mia dome o, elabena menya be woana miadze woƒe mawuwo subɔsubɔ ƒe nu vɔ̃ me; esia anye mɔtetre na mi, eye wòahe dzɔgbevɔ̃e gã va mia dzi.”
