Jeremiah 4
1 Yahweh says, “You Israeli [people], come back to me! If you get rid of those detestable idols and do not turn away from me [again],
Yehowa be, “O Israel, ne miatrɔ la, ekema mitrɔ va gbɔnye ne mieɖe miaƒe legba nyɔŋuawo ɖa le nye ŋkuta eye miagatra mɔ o.
2 and if you declare, ‘Just as surely as Yahweh lives, what he says is true,’ and if you [start to] always say what is true and act justly/fairly and righteously, then the [people in the other] nations [of the world] will request that I bless them [as I have blessed you], and they will [all come and] honor/praise me.”
Ne mieta nu be ‘Zi ale si Yehowa le agbe’ le nyateƒe, kakaɖedzi kple dzɔdzɔenyenye me la, ekema ayra dukɔwo eye le eya amea mee woaƒo adegbe le.”
3 This is what Yahweh says to the people of Jerusalem and [the other cities in] Judah: “[Prepare yourselves to receive my messages] like farmers plow up hard ground [in order that they can plant seed in it]. Just as farmers do not [waste good seed by] sowing seeds among thorny plants, [I do not want to waste my time telling you messages that you are not ready to receive].
Ale Yehowa gblɔ na Yuda kple Yerusalem ŋutsuwoe nye esi: “Miŋlɔ agble yeye, migaƒã nu ɖe aŋɔkawo me o.
4 Purify your inner beings and your minds for me. If you do not do that, my being angry with you [MTY] because of [all] the sins that you have committed will be like a fire that will be impossible to extinguish.”
Mi Yuda kple Yerusalem ŋutsuwo, mitso aʋa na mia ɖokuiwo na Yehowa. Mitso aʋa na miaƒe dziwo, ne menye nenema o la, nye dziku helĩhelĩ alé dzo abi abe dzo ene eye ame aɖeke mate ŋu atsii o, ɖe nu vɔ̃ siwo miewɔ la ta.”
5 “Declare this [DOU] to [all the people in] Jerusalem and [the rest of] Judea; blow the trumpets everywhere in the land [to warn the people]. Tell them that they should flee to the cities that have high walls around them.
“Miɖe gbeƒã le Yuda, eye mido kpo le Yerusalem gblɔ be, ‘Miku kpẽ le anyigba la katã dzi!’ Mido ɣli sesĩe be, ‘Miƒo ƒu! Mina míasi ayi ɖe du sesẽwo me!’
6 Shout to the people of Jerusalem, ‘Run away [now]! Do not delay, because I am about to cause you to experience a terrible disaster [DOU] that will come from the north.
Mikɔ aflaga dzi ɖo ɖe Zion! Misi yi sitsoƒe, migatɔ o! Elabena mehe gbegblẽ tso anyiehe gbɔnae, gbegblẽ si teƒe makɔ o.”
7 [An army] that has destroyed [many] nations will attack you [like] [MET] a lion that comes out of its den [to attack other animals]. [The soldiers of that army] have taken down their tents and they are ready to march toward your land. They will destroy your cities and leave them without any people still living in them.’
“Dzata aɖe do tso eƒe do me, dukɔwo gblẽla aɖe tso dze mɔ. Etso le enɔƒe be wòava wɔ miaƒe anyigba wòazu gbegbe, ne wòawɔ miaƒe duwo woazu aƒedowo eye amewo manɔ wo me o.
8 So, put on sackcloth/rough clothes and weep and beat your chests [to show that you are very sorry for what you have done], because Yahweh is still very angry with us.
Eya ta mita akpanya, mifa konyi eye mifa avi sesĩe, elabena Yehowa ƒe dziku sesẽ la medzo le mía dzi o.”
9 Yahweh said that at the time [he punishes you], the King of Judah and [all his] officials will be very afraid. The priests and the prophets will be terrified.
Yehowa be, “Ɣe ma ɣi la dzi aɖe le fia la kple eƒe dumegãwo ƒo, ŋɔdzi alé Nunɔlawo eye Nyagblɔɖilawo ƒe nu atsi te.”
10 Then I replied, “Yahweh [my] God, you completely deceived the people by telling them that there would be peace in Jerusalem, but now [our enemies] [PRS] are ready to slaughter us with their swords!”
Tete megblɔ be, “O Aƒetɔ Yehowa, èflu ame siawo kple Yerusalem ŋutɔ esi nègblɔ be, ‘Miakpɔ ŋutifafa.’ Evɔ, woɖo yi míaƒe vewo dzi.”
11 When that happens, [Yahweh] will say to the people of Jerusalem, [“A huge army will come to attack you]. They will not [be like a gentle breeze that] separates wheat from chaff. [They will be like] a very hot wind [that blows in] from the desert [MET].
Le ɣe ma ɣi la, woagblɔ na ame siawo kple Yerusalem be, “Ya xɔdzo aɖe ƒo tso to ƒuƒluwo dzi to gbegbe gbɔna va nye amewo gbɔ gake menye wòagbɔ nu alo aklɔ nu ta o.
12 [They will be like] [MET] a strong blast that I will send. Now I am declaring that I will punish/destroy you.”
Ya sia sẽ ŋutɔ elabena etso gbɔnye. Azɔ la, mehe nye ʋɔnudɔdrɔ̃ va wo dzii.”
13 [Our enemies] are about to rush down on us; their chariots are like [SIM] whirlwinds. Their horses are faster than eagles. It will be terrible for us!
Kpɔ ɖa! Egbɔna abe lilikpowo ene, eƒe tasiaɖamwo le du dzi abe ahomya ene eye eƒe sɔwo ɖea abla wu hɔ̃wo. Baba na mí! Míetsrɔ̃ vɔ!
14 [You people of] Jerusalem [APO], purify your hearts/inner beings, in order that Yahweh will rescue you. How long will you continue to think about [doing] evil things?
O Yerusalem, klɔ nu tovo ɖa le wò dzi ŋu be nàkpɔ xɔxɔ. Va se ɖe ɣe ka ɣie susu vɔ̃ɖi anɔ mewò?
15 From Dan [city in the far north] to the hills of Ephraim [a few miles/kilometers north of Jerusalem] messengers are proclaiming that disasters are coming.
Gbe aɖe le gbeƒã ɖem tso Dan. Ele kpo dom gbegblẽ si tso Efraim togbɛwo dzi gbɔna.
16 Tell this to the [people in other] nations [but also] announce it in Jerusalem: [Yahweh says], “An army is coming to Jerusalem from far away; they will shout [a battle-cry] against the cities in Judah.
“Migblɔ nya sia na dukɔwo, miɖe gbeƒãe na Yerusalem be, ‘Asrafo siwo ɖea to ɖe duwo la gbɔna tso adzɔgenyigba aɖe dzi; wole aʋaɣli dom ɖe Yuda ƒe duwo ŋuti.
17 They will set up tents around Jerusalem like people set up temporary shelters [SIM] around a field [at harvest time]. That will happen because the people of Judah have rebelled against me.
Woɖe to ɖee abe agbleŋudzɔlawo ene elabena edze aglã ɖe ŋunye.’” Yehowae gblɔe.
18 You will be punished very severely; it will [be as though a sword] has stabbed your inner beings. But you are causing those things to happen to you because of the evil things that you have done.”
“Wò ŋutɔ wò afɔɖeɖewo kple nuwɔnawoe he esia va dziwòe. Esiae nye wò tohehe. Aleke wòahave wòe! Aleke wòahaƒo ɖe wò dzii!”
19 I am extremely anguished/sad; the pain in my inner being is very severe. My heart beats wildly. But I cannot remain silent because I have heard [our enemies] blowing their trumpets to announce that the battle [against Judah will start immediately].
O nye dablibɛƒoƒo, nye dablibɛƒoƒo! Mele ŋeŋem le vevesese me. O nye dzi xɔ abi ɖe dɔ me nam! Nye dzi le ƒoƒom le menye, nyemate ŋu azi ɖoɖoe o, elabena mese kpẽ ƒe ɖiɖi, mese aʋaɣlidodo.
20 Disasters will occur one after another until the whole land is ruined. Suddenly [all] our tents will be destroyed; [even] the curtains [inside the tents] will be ripped apart.
Gbegblẽ kplɔ gbegblẽ ɖo eye anyigba blibo la zu aƒedo. Enumake wogbã nye agbadɔwo eye le aɖabaƒoƒo ɖeka me wogbã nye aƒe.
21 How long will this battle continue? How long will I continue to see the enemy battle flags and hear the sound of their trumpets being blown?
Va se ɖe ɣe ka ɣie makpɔ aflaga, ase aʋakpẽ?
22 [Yahweh says], “My people are [very] foolish! They do not have a relationship with me. They are [like] [MET] stupid children who do not understand [anything]. They very cleverly do what is wrong, but they do not know how to do what is good.”
“Nye amewo nye movitɔwo eye womenyam o. Wole abe ɖevi abunɛtɔwo ene elabena womenyam o. Wobi ɖe nu vɔ̃ɖi wɔwɔ me eye womenya nu nyui wɔwɔ o.”
23 [God gave me a vision in which] I saw that the earth was barren and without form. I looked at the sky, and there was no light there.
Metsa ŋku le anyigba dzi, ele nyamaa, le ƒuƒlu. Mewu mo dzi kpɔ dziƒo gake woƒe kekeli megali o.
24 I looked at the mountains and hills, and they shook and moved from side to side.
Mewu mo dzi kpɔ towo, wole dzodzom kpekpekpe eye togbɛwo katã le ʋuʋum.
25 I looked and saw that there were no [more] people, and all the birds had flown away.
Metsa ŋku ke nyemekpɔ ame aɖeke o. Xevi ɖe sia ɖe si le yame gɔ̃ hã dzo dzo.
26 I looked and saw that the fields that previously were fertile had become a desert. The cities were all ruined; they had all been destroyed by Yahweh because he was extremely angry.
Menye kɔ eye mekpɔ anyigba nyonu la zu gbegbe; eƒe duwo katã hã zu aƒedo le Yehowa ŋkume le eƒe dziku helĩhelĩ la ta.
27 This is what Yahweh is saying: “The entire land [of Judah] will be ruined, but I will not destroy it completely.
Ale Yehowa gblɔe nye esi: “Anyigba blibo la azu aƒedo, gake nyemagblẽe gbidigbidi o.
28 I will do to my people what I said that I would do, and I will not change my mind. So [when that happens, it will be as though] the earth will mourn and the sky will become very dark.”
Eya ta anyigba axa nu eye dziƒo ado viviti elabena meƒo nu eye nyemagbe edziwɔwɔ o. Meɖo ta me eye nyematrɔ susu o.”
29 [When the people hear] the sound of the [enemy] army marching, [they will be terrified as] they flee from their cities. Some of them will find places to hide in the bushes, and others will run toward the mountains/hills [to escape being killed by their enemies]. All the cities [in Judah] will be abandoned; not one person will remain in them.
Du sia du lé du tsɔ esi wose sɔwo kple aŋutrɔdalawo ƒe hoowɔwɔ. Ame aɖewo yi ɖabe ɖe ave dodowo me, eye ɖewo lia agakpewo. Duwo katã me ɖi gbɔlo: ame aɖeke megale wo me o.
30 So you who will surely be destroyed, [why are you doing the things that you are doing now]? Why are you wearing beautiful clothes and jewelry? Why are you putting paint around your eyes? Doing those things will not help you, because the people [in other countries that you think] love you [actually] despise you, and they will try to kill you.
O, wò ame si wotsrɔ̃, nu ka wɔm nèle? Nu ka ta nètsɔ awu dzĩ kple sikanuwo do? Nu ka ta nètsɔ ɖoŋkui sisi ɖe ŋkuta ɖo? Dzodzroe nèwɔ leke na ɖokuiwò. Wò lɔlɔ̃tɔwo do vlo wò eye wole wò agbe yome tim.
31 [It is as though] I already hear [the people in Jerusalem] crying very loudly, like [SIM] a woman cries when she is giving birth to her first child; she gasps for breath and pleads for someone to help her. [It is as though Jerusalem] is crying, “Something terrible is happening to me! They are about to murder me!”
Mese ɣli aɖe abe nyɔnu si le ku lém la tɔ ene. Mese ŋeŋe aɖe abe nyɔnu si le vi gbãtɔ dzim la tɔ ene. Ɣli la nye Zion vinyɔnu si lé gbɔgbɔtsixe ɖe ƒo hetsɔ eƒe asiwo do ɖe dzi la tɔ. Ele gbɔgblɔm be, “Evɔ nam! Nye mo le zi tsyɔm; wotsɔ nye agbe de asi na amewulawo.”
