Jeremiah 34
1 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came with the armies of all the kingdoms that he ruled, and they fought against Jerusalem and the other towns [in Judah]. At that time, Yahweh gave me this message:
Esime Babilonia fia Nebukadnezar kple eƒe aʋakɔwo kple fiaɖuƒe siwo katã le ete la le aʋa wɔm kple Yerusalem kple du siwo katã ƒo xlãe la, nya sia tso Yehowa gbɔ va na Yeremia be,
2 “Go to Zedekiah the King of Judah, and say to him, ‘This is what Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis [worship], says: “I am about to enable the army of the King of Babylon to capture this city, and they will burn it down.
“Ale Yehowa, Israel ƒe Mawu la gblɔe nye esi: Yi ɖe Yuda fia Zedekia gbɔ nàgblɔ nɛ be, ‘Ale Yehowa gblɔe nye esi: Esusɔ vie matsɔ du sia ade asi na Babilonia fia, wòatɔ dzoe.
3 You will not escape from them; they will capture you and take you to the king of Babylon. And [then] they will take you to Babylon.”’
Màdo le eƒe asi me o, ke boŋ woalé wò kokoko ade asi nɛ. Àkpɔ Babilonia fia la kple wò ŋutɔ wò ŋkuwo eye aƒo nu kpli wò ŋkume kple ŋkume. Ale woakplɔ wò ayi Babiloniae.
4 But King Zedekiah, listen to this that Yahweh has promised: ‘You will not be killed in a battle [MTY];
“‘Ke hã la, se Yehowa ƒe ŋugbedodo, O Yuda fia Zedekia. Ale Yehowa gblɔ tso ŋutiwòe nye esi: Màtsi yi nu o,
5 you will die peacefully. [When you die], people will burn incense to honor/remember you just as they did for your ancestors who were kings before you became king. They will mourn for you, crying, “We are very sad that our king is dead!” I, Yahweh, promise that will happen.’”
ke boŋ àku le ŋutifafa me. Abe ale si amewo do kuteƒedzo na fia siwo do ŋgɔ na wò, ame siwo nye fofowòwo, hetsɔ de bubu wo ŋutii ene la, nenema kee woado dzo atsɔ de bubu ŋutiwòe ahado konyifaɣli be, “Alele, O nye Aƒetɔ!” Nye ŋutɔe do ŋugbe sia, Yehowae gblɔe.’”
6 [So] I took that message to King Zedekiah.
Ale Nyagblɔɖila Yeremia yi ɖato nya siawo katã na Yuda fia Zedekia le Yerusalem,
7 At that time the army of Babylonia had surrounded Jerusalem and Lachish and Azekah. Those [three] cities were the only cities in Judah that had high walls around them that still had not been captured.
esime Babilonia fia le aʋa wɔm kple Yerusalem kple Yuda du siwo gale te nu, abe Lakis kple Azeka ene. Du siawo koe ganye du siwo ŋu gli sesẽwo nɔ le Yuda.
8 King Zedekiah had decreed that the people must free their slaves.
Gbe tso Yehowa gbɔ va na Yeremia esi fia Zedekia wɔ nubabla kple ame siwo katã nɔ Yerusalem, be woaɖe gbeƒã ablɔɖe na kluviwo vɔ megbe.
9 [He decreed that] the people must free their Hebrew slaves, [both the] men slaves and the women [slaves]. No one would be allowed to force a fellow Jew to [continue to] be his slave.
Nya lae nye be ame sia ame nena ablɔɖe eƒe Hebri kluvi siwo nɔ esi, ŋutsuwo kple nyɔnuwo siaa. Ame aɖeke megawɔ ehavi Hebritɔ aɖeke kluvie o.
10 The officials and the rest of the people had obeyed [what the king decreed],
Eya ta dumegãwo katã kple ame siwo ɖo nubabla sia me la lɔ̃ be woaɖe asi le kluviawo ŋu, ŋutsuwo kple nyɔnuwo siaa, be womaganɔ kluvinyenye me o. Esi wolɔ̃ ta la, wona ablɔɖe kluviawo.
11 but later they changed their minds. They forced the men and women whom they had freed to become their slaves again.
Gake wotrɔ susu emegbe eye wogana ame siwo ŋu woɖe asi le la gazu kluviwo.
12 [So] Yahweh gave me this message [to tell to them]:
Tete Yehowa ƒe nya va na Yeremia be,
13 “I, Yahweh, the God whom you Israelis [say you belong to], (made an agreement with/gave this command to) your ancestors [long ago], when I rescued them from being slaves in Egypt.
“Ale Yehowa, Israel ƒe Mawu la gblɔe nye esi: Mebla nu kple mia fofowo esi mekplɔ wo do goe tso Egipte, tso kluvinyenye me. Megblɔ be,
14 I told them that they must free all their Hebrew slaves after the slaves had worked for them for six years. But your ancestors did not pay any attention to what I said.
‘Le ƒe adrelia me la, mia dometɔ ɖe sia ɖe naɖe asi le nɔvia Hebritɔ si tsɔ eɖokui de awɔba me nɛ la ŋu. Esi wòsubɔ wò ƒe ade vɔ megbe la, ele be nàɖe asi le eŋu wòadzo.’ Gake mia fofowo gbe, womeɖo tom alo de nu eme nam o.
15 Recently, you obeyed my command and stopped doing what was wrong and did what was right. You made a solemn agreement at my temple [that you would free your slaves], and [then] you freed them.
Nyitsɔ laa mietrɔ dzi me hewɔ nu si nyo la le nye ŋkume. Mia dometɔ ɖe sia ɖe ɖe gbeƒã ablɔɖe na ehavi. Kura gɔ̃ hã la, miebla nu le ŋkunye me le Aƒe si ŋuti woyɔ nye ŋkɔ ɖo la me.
16 But now you have disregarded what you solemnly promised, and you have shown contempt for what I [MTY] said by taking back the women and men whom you had freed and said they could live wherever they wanted to. [Now] you have forced them to be your slaves again.
Ke azɔ la miegatrɔ glalã, heƒo ɖi nye ŋkɔ eye mia dometɔ ɖe sia ɖe gaxɔ ŋutsu kple nyɔnu kluvi siwo miena ablɔɖee be woayi afi si wolɔ̃. Miezi wo dzi be woaganye miaƒe kluviwo.
17 Therefore, this is what [I], Yahweh, say: ‘Because you have not obeyed me by freeing your fellow Israelis, I will free you to [be destroyed by] the swords [of your enemies] and by famines and diseases. All the nations of the earth will be horrified because of [what happens to] you.
“Eya ta ale Yehowa gblɔe nye esi: Mieɖo tom o, miena ablɔɖe hã mia haviwo o. Eya ta azɔ la, meɖe gbeƒã ‘ablɔɖe’ na mi, ‘ablɔɖe’ be miatsi yi, dɔvɔ̃ kple dɔwuame ƒe asi me, eye matsɔ mi awɔ ŋɔdzidonu na anyigbadzifiaɖuƒewo katã.
18 Because you have disregarded what I said in my agreement with you, I will do to you just like you did to the calves that you cut in half to show that you would surely do what you solemnly promised that you would do. I will [enable your enemies to] cut you into pieces, you officials of Judah and you officials of Jerusalem, and you officials in the palace, and you priests and all you common people. I will do that because you have disregarded what you solemnly promised [about freeing your slaves].
Ŋutsu siwo tu nye nubabla, eye womewɔ ɖe nu si wobla le ŋkunye me la dzi o la, mawɔ wo abe nyivi si wofe ɖe eve hezɔ to eƒe titina la ene.
Yuda kple Yerusalem dumegãwo, nunɔlawo kple ame siwo katã le anyigba dzi, ame siwo zɔ to nyivi fefe la titina la,
20 I will enable your enemies to capture you, and they will kill you. And your bodies will be food for vultures and wild animals.
makplɔ de asi na woƒe futɔ siwo le woƒe agbe yome tim. Woƒe ŋutilã kukua azu nuɖuɖu na dziƒoxeviwo kple gbemelãwo.
21 I will enable the army of the king of Babylon to capture King Zedekiah and his officials. Although the king of Babylon and his army have left Jerusalem [for a short time],
“Matsɔ Yuda fia Zedekia kple eƒe dumegãwo ade asi na woƒe futɔ siwo le woƒe agbe yome tim, na Babilonia fia ƒe aʋakɔ siwo ʋu dzo le mia gbɔ la.
22 I will summon them back again. [This time], they will fight against this city and capture it and burn it down. I will make [sure] that all the towns in Judah are destroyed, [with the result that] no one will live there [any more].’”
Yehowa be yele gbe ɖe ge, eye yeakplɔ wo agbɔe va du sia me. Woawɔ aʋa kplii, axɔe eye woatɔ dzoe wòabi. Mana be Yuda duwo nazu aƒedo, ale be ame aɖeke mate ŋu anɔ wo me o.”
