< Nahum 3 >

1 Terrible things will happen to [Nineveh], that city [that is full of people who] murder [MTY] and lie. [The city is] full of things that were seized [from other countries by their soldiers]; [their armies] continually [LIT] have acted brutally towards people whom they conquered.
Madichon pou lavil ki renmen fè san koule a! Se manti ase l'ap mache bay. Li plen richès li vòlò nan fè mètdam. Li chaje ak byen li piye kay lòt.
2 But [now listen to the enemy soldiers coming to attack Nineveh]; [listen to them] cracking their whips, and [listen to the] rattle of [their chariot] wheels! [Listen to] their galloping horses and their chariots as they bounce along!
Koute bri fwèt kach yo, bri wou cha yo k'ap woule vini. Koute bri chwal yo k'ap galope, bri cha lagè yo k'ap kouri vini.
3 [Look at their] flashing swords and glittering spears as the horsemen race forward! Many [people of Nineveh will be] killed; [there will be] piles of corpses, [with the result that] people will stumble over them.
Kavalye yo ap zeponnen chwal yo. Nepe yo klere kou fèman nan solèy. Lans yo, ou ta di zèklè. Moun tonbe kou mouch. Kadav yo fè pil sou pil. Ou pa ka konte yo. Moun ap bite sou moun mouri.
4 All [that will happen] because [Nineveh is like] [MET] a beautiful prostitute [who lures men to where they will be ruined]; [Nineveh is a beautiful city] which has attracted/enticed [people of] other nations [to come there]. [The people of Nineveh] taught those people [of other nations rituals of] magic, and caused them to become their slaves.
Y'ap pini lavil Niniv, manman jennès la. Y'ap pini l' pou tout dezòd li fè yo. Li te bèl, li te fò nan pawòl dous! Li fè yo pran plezi kont kò yo ak li. Li fè nasyon yo pèdi tèt yo. Lèfini, li pran yo, li fè trafik ak yo!
5 [So] the Commander of the armies of angels says to [the people of Nineveh]: “I am your enemy, and I will [cause the people in other] nations to see you [completely] humiliated like [MET] [women who have committed adultery are humiliated by] having their skirts lifted high, [with the result that] people can see their naked [bodies].
Men sa Seyè ki gen tout pouvwa a di: Se mwen menm k'ap regle ak ou! Mwen pral leve rad ou anlè jouk nan tèt. Mwen pral mete ou toutouni pou tout nasyon yo ka wè ou, pou tout peyi ka wè jan ou san wont.
6 I will cause rubbish/garbage to be thrown at you; I will show [others] that I despise you very much, and I will cause you to be publicly ridiculed.
Mwen pral kouvri ou ak salte. Mwen pral avili ou, pou tout moun ka wè jan ou pa bon.
7 All those who see you will turn their backs to you and say, ‘Nineveh is ruined, but absolutely no one [RHQ] will mourn for it.’ No one will regret Nineveh being destroyed!”
Tout moun ki va wè ou va kouri byen lwen. Y'a di: Lavil Niniv fini! Ki moun ki va gen pitye pou li? Pa gen pesonn ka vle vin kenbe rèl la avè l'.
8 Your city is certainly [RHQ] no safer than Thebes [city] was. [Thebes was an important city] beside the Nile [River]; the river was [like] [SIM] a wall that protected the city [DOU].
Ou menm lavil Niniv, ou pa pi bon pase lavil Tèb. Atout li chita nan mitan gwo larivyè Nil la, ak dlo toupatou tankou yon ranpa, tankou yon glasi pou pwoteje l',
9 [The rulers of] Ethiopia and Egypt helped Thebes; there was no limit to their power. [The governments of the nearby countries of] Put and Libya were also allies of Thebes.
atout li te anvayi peyi Letiopi ak peyi Lejip kifè pa t' gen limit pou pouvwa li ankò, atout moun peyi Pout yo ak moun peyi Libi yo te mache ansanm avè l',
10 But Thebes was captured, and [its people were] (exiled/forced to go to other countries). Their babies were dashed to pieces in the streets [of the city]. [Enemy soldiers] (cast lots/threw small marked stones) to decide who would get each official in Thebes [to become his slave]. All the leaders of Thebes were fastened/tied by chains.
yo fè moun li yo prizonye, yo depòte yo nan lòt peyi. Nan tout kalfou, yo kraze pitit li yo jouk yo mouri. Yo mare grannèg li yo nan chenn kou esklav. Yo separe yo, yo tire osò pou bay chak moun pa yo.
11 You [people of Nineveh] will similarly become dazed and drunk, and you will search for places to hide [to escape] from your enemies.
Ou menm tou, lavil Niniv, ou pral sou. Tèt ou pral vire. Ou menm tou, ou pral chache kote pou ou kache pou lènmi ou yo.
12 [Your enemies will cause] the walls around your city to fall down like [SIM] the first figs that fall from fig trees [each year]. [Your city will be captured easily, like] [MET] [figs that fall] into the mouths [HYP] of those who shake the fig trees.
Fò ou yo tankou yon pye fig frans chaje fig mi: ou annik souke l', epi fig yo tonbe nan bouch k'ap tann pou manje yo.
13 Look at your soldiers! They will be [as weak/helpless as] [MET] women! The gates of your city will be opened wide [to allow] your enemies [to enter them], [and then] the bars of those gates will be burned.
Sòlda ou yo, ou ta di yon bann fanm! Peyi a ap san defans devan lènmi ou yo, dife boule ba ki fèmen pòtay ou yo. Yo rete gran louvri.
14 Store up water [now to use when] your enemies surround the city! Repair the forts! Dig up clay and trample it [to make it soft], and put it into molds to make bricks [to repair the walls]!
Al pran dlo mete la, paske yo pral sènen ou anndan lakay ou. Repare miray fò ou yo! Al bat tè ak pye ou pou fè brik! Pare fòm pou fè brik.
15 [Nevertheless, your enemies] will burn your [city]; they will kill you with their swords; they will kill you like [SIM] locusts [destroy crops].
Ou te mèt peple tankou chini, ou te mèt peple tankou krikèt, dife pral boule ou nèt ale. Lagè pral fini avè ou.
16 In your [city] there are now very many merchants; [it seems that] there are more of them than there are stars. But [when your city is being destroyed, those merchants will take the valuable things and disappear] [like] [SIM] locusts that strip the leaves from plants and [then] fly away.
Ou te gen plis moun k'ap fè kòmès pase gen zetwal nan syèl la. Koulye a, yo pati tankou krikèt ki louvri zèl yo vole ale.
17 Your leaders are [also] like a swarm of [SIM] locusts [DOU] that crowd together on the stone fences/walls on a cold day, and [then] fly away when the sun comes up, and no one knows where they have gone.
Sòlda ou yo ak moun k'ap travay pou ou yo pral tankou yon bann krikèt ki poze sou raje lè fredi. Leve solèy la leve, y' ale. Pesonn pa konnen kote yo fè.
18 O King of Assyria, your officials will [all] be dead [EUP]; your important people will lie down and rest [forever]. Your people will be scattered over the mountains, and there will no one to gather them [together].
Ou menm wa peyi Lasiri a, faksyonnè ou yo ap dòmi. Chèf lame ou yo mouri. Moun ou yo gaye nan tout mòn. Pa gen pesonn pou fè yo tounen lakay yo ankò.
19 You [are like someone who] has a wound that cannot be healed; [it will be] a wound that causes him to die. And all those who hear about what has happened to you will clap their hands [joyfully]. [They will say, ] “Everyone has [RHQ] suffered because he continually was [very] cruel to us.”
Pa gen renmèd pou ou pou jan ou donmaje a. Pa gen gerizon pou malenng ou a. Tout moun ki va pran nouvèl la va kontan, y'a bat men. Paske, ak tout mechanste ou yo, pa gen moun ou pa t' fè pase mizè.

< Nahum 3 >