< Habakkuk 2 >

1 [After I said that, I said to myself, ] “I will climb up into my watchtower, and stand there at my guard post. I will wait there to find out what Yahweh will say, what he will reply to what I have complained about.”
Manɔ nye gbetakpɔƒe tame, eye matsi tsitre ɖe nye xɔta; mada ŋku ɖi akpɔ nu si wòagblɔ atsɔ aɖo nye biabia ŋui.
2 Then Yahweh replied to me, “Write plainly on tablets [what I am revealing to you in] this vision, [and then read it to a messenger] in order that he can run with it [to tell it to] other people.
Yehowa ɖo eŋu nam be: “Ŋlɔ ɖeɖefia la da ɖi. Ŋlɔe ɖe nuŋlɔkpe dzi eme nakɔ ale be woate ŋu axlẽe bɔbɔe.
3 In this vision [I will be talking about things that will happen] in the future. Now is not the time when those things will happen, but they certainly will happen, and when they occur, they will occur quickly, and they will not be delayed. Now you [want those things to happen immediately, but] they are not happening. But wait patiently for them [to happen]!
Elabena azãgbe li na ɖeɖefia la elabena eƒo nu tso nuwuwu si le vava ge la ŋuti eye mada le edzi o; ke ne ehe ɖe megbe hã la, lalae elabena ava eme godoo, mada le edzi o.
4 Think about the proud [people of Babylonia]! They are certainly not doing what is righteous. But people who are righteous will live because they faithfully [do what I want them to do].
“Nye kɔ nàkpɔ dadala la ɖa; nu dzɔdzɔe wɔwɔ aɖeke mele eya amea me o; ke ame dzɔdzɔe anɔ agbe to eƒe xɔse me.
5 If people [trust in their wealth], they will deceive themselves, and proud people are never able to rest. [It is as though] the greedy people [of Babylonia open their mouths] as wide as the place where dead people are, and they never have enough, like [the place where] dead people go never has enough dead people [PRS]. The [armies of Babylonia] conquer many nations for themselves, and capture all their people. (Sheol h7585)
Gawu la, wain ɖe hae, edoa eɖokui ɖe dzi eye medzea kɔ anyi o. Elabena ele abe yɔdo si nu meɖia kɔ na o ene eye wògale abe ku si nu meɖia ƒo na o ene. Eƒo dukɔwo katã nu ƒu na eɖokui eye wòdo kluvi amewo katã. (Sheol h7585)
6 But [soon] all those [whom they have captured] will ridicule [the soldiers from Babylonia]! They will make fun of them, saying, ‘Terrible things will happen to you who have stolen things [from other countries]! You got many things by forcing people to give them to you. [But you certainly will not keep those things] for a long time [RHQ]!’
“Ɖe amewo katã maɖia wo nu, aɖe alɔme le wo ŋu, ako wo ahagblɔ be: “‘Baba na ame si li kɔ nu siwo wofi ɖi eye wòwɔ eɖokui kesinɔtɔe to amebaba me. Ɣe ka ɣie nu siawo ayi edzi ase ɖo?’
7 Suddenly those whom you (oppressed/treated cruelly) will cause you to tremble, and they will take away all the things that you have stolen from them.
Ɖe wò fetɔwo matso ɖe ŋuwò kpata, ɖe womanyɔ ado ŋɔdzi na wò oa? Ekema àva zu woƒe nuhaha.
8 You stole things from the people of many nations. You murdered [MTY] people of many people-groups, and you destroyed their land and their cities. So those who are still alive will steal valuable things from you.
Esi mieha dukɔ geɖewo ta la ame siwo susɔ la aha miawo hã elabena miekɔ ʋu ɖi eye mietstrɔ̃ anyigbawo, duwo kple ame siwo le wo me.
9 Terrible things will happen to you [people of Babylonia] who build big houses with money that you got by forcing others to give it to you. You are proud and you think that your houses will be safe because you have built them in places where you can easily defend them.
“Baba na ame si tu sã to amebaba me, ne yeawɔ nɔƒe ɖe dziƒo ke be yeasi le gbegblẽ nu.
10 But because you have destroyed others, you have caused your family [MTY] to be shamed/disgraced, and you yourselves will be killed.
Ame geɖewo ƒe tsɔtsrɔ̃ tso mia gbɔ eya ta miedo ŋukpe miawo ŋutɔ ƒe aƒe, miebu miawo ŋutɔ ƒe agbe.
11 [It is as though] the stones in the walls [of your houses] cry out to accuse you, and [it is as though] the beams [in your ceilings] also say the same things.
Kpe siwo wotsɔ tu miaƒe xɔwoe gɔ̃ hã ado ɣli ɖe mia ta eye ati siwo wotsɔ wɔ dzisasãwo la hã aɖe gbeƒã nya siwo kpeawo gblɔ.
12 Terrible things will happen to you [people of Babylonia] who kill people [MTY] in order to build cities, cities that you build by using money that you have gotten by committing crimes.
“Baba na mi, mi ame siwo wu amewo eye miexɔ ga le amewo si tsɔ tso hlɔ̃dodui.
13 But the Commander of the armies of angels has [RHQ] declared that everything that is built by people who do things like that [will be destroyed by] fire; they will have worked hard uselessly.
Ɖe Yehowa, Dziƒoʋakɔwo ƒe Aƒetɔ la meɖoe be amewo ƒe agbagbadzedzewo katã nabi le dzo me eye dukɔwo naka hiã wo ɖokui dzodzro oa?
14 But [in contrast], like [SIM] the oceans are filled with water, the earth will be filled with [people who] know that Yahweh is very great.
Ke anyigba dzi ayɔ fũu kple sidzedze Yehowa ƒe ŋutikɔkɔe abe ale si tsi yɔ atsiaƒu mee ene.
15 Terrible things will happen to you [people of Babylonia] who cause people who live in nearby countries to become drunk. You force them to drink a lot of wine from wineskins [until they are drunk and then they walk around] naked, in order that you can see that.
“Baba na ame si na aha ehavi wòno eye wòku wain na ehavi wòno va se ɖe esime wòmu be yeakpɔ eƒe amame.
16 But you are the ones who [soon] will be disgraced instead of being honored. [It will be as though you are forced to] drink [a lot of wine] in order that you will also stagger [around, drunk]. You will drink the wine [that symbolizes that Yahweh will punish you], and he will cause you to be disgraced instead of being greatly respected [any more].
Azɔ eɖo wò hã dziwò. Noe nàɖe amama eye ŋukpe nava dziwò le ŋutikɔkɔeteƒe. Kplu si Yehowa lé ɖe eƒe nuɖusime la gbɔna gbɔwò eye ŋukpe atsyɔ wò ŋutikɔkɔe dzi.
17 You did violent [PRS] things to [the people in] Lebanon, and you killed the wild animals [there], but you will be punished severely for doing that. You have killed [MTY] many people and you have destroyed their lands and their cities.
Nu vlo si nèwɔ Lebanon la ava ƒo ɖe wò hã dziwò. Lã siwo katã nètsrɔ̃ la ado ŋɔdzi na wò elabena èkɔ ʋu ɖi eye nètsrɔ̃ anyigba kple duwo kple wo me nɔlawo katã.
18 [You people of Babylonia need to know that your] idols are completely [RHQ] useless, because it is people who made them. Statues that have been carved or made in a mold deceive you. Those who trust in idols are trusting in things that they themselves created, things that cannot speak!
“Viɖe kae le legba si ame li la ŋuti alo aklamakpakpɛ si daa alakpa la ŋuti? Ame si wɔe la tsɔ eƒe mɔkpɔkpɔ da ɖe nu si eya ŋutɔ wɔ la dzi elabena ewɔ legba siwo mate ŋu aƒo nu o.
19 Terrible things will happen to you who say to lifeless idols that are made of wood, ‘Wake up!’ Idols certainly cannot [RHQ] tell you what you should do; they [look nice/beautiful because] they are covered with silver and gold, but they are not alive.
Baba na ame si gblɔ na atikpakpɛ be, ‘Gbɔ agbe!’ Alo na kpe si me agbe mele o be, ‘Nyɔ!’ Ɖe wòate ŋu afia mɔ amea? Wotsɔ sika kple klosalo ɖo atsyɔ̃ nɛ gake agbegbɔgbɔ mele eme o.”
20 But Yahweh is in his holy temple; everyone on the earth should be silent in his presence.”
Ke Yehowa le eƒe gbedoxɔ kɔkɔe la me, xexea me katã nazi ɖoɖoe le eŋkume.

< Habakkuk 2 >