1bere biara a mɛsa Israel yare no,
Efraim nnebɔne da adi.
Samaria awurukasɛm nso da adi.
Wɔyɛ nnaadaafo
akorɔmfo a wobubu adan ani kɔ afi mu,
ne akwamukafo a wɔbɔ korɔn wɔ mmɔnten so.
2Na wonhu sɛ
mekae wɔn nnebɔne nyinaa.
Wɔn bɔne bunkam wɔn so;
egu mʼanim bere biara.
3“Wɔde atirimɔdensɛm gyigye ɔhene no ani,
na wɔde atoro nso gyigye ahenemma no ani.
4Wɔn nyinaa yɛ aguamammɔfo
a akɔnnɔ redɛw wɔ wɔn mu.
Wɔte sɛ fononoo a wɔasɔ mu gya
bere a brodotofo ahyɛ ase refɔtɔw nʼasikresiam.
5Da a ɔhene rehyɛ fa no
ahenemma bow nsa,
na ɔhene no fɛwdifo ne wɔn bɔ mu goru.
6Wɔn koma te sɛ fononoo;
wɔde atirimpɔw bɔne kɔ ɔhene anim.
Wɔn nsusuwii bɔne no dɛɛdɛɛ anadwo mu nyinaa;
anɔpa, ɛdɛw te sɛ ogyatannaa.
7Wɔn nyinaa ayɛ hyew sɛ fononoo.
Wokunkum wɔn sodifo.
Wɔn ahemfo nyinaa hwehwe ase
na wɔn mu biara nsu mfrɛ me.
8“Efraim ne aman no adi afra;
Efraim yɛ ɔfam a anyinya a wonkisae.
9Ananafo twe nʼahoɔden,
nanso onhu.
Dwen aba ne ti so,
nanso nʼani mmaa so ɛ.
10Israel ahantan di adanse tia no,
nanso eyi nyinaa akyi no
ɔnnsan nkɔ Awurade ne Nyankopɔn nkyɛn,
na ɔnhwehwɛ no nso.
11“Efraim te sɛ aborɔnoma,
wotumi daadaa no na onni adwene.
Ɔfrɛ Misraim,
na wadan akɔ Asiria.
12Sɛ wɔkɔ a, mɛtow mʼasau agu wɔn so;
atwe wɔn aba fam te sɛ wim nnomaa.
Sɛ mete sɛ wɔretu abɔ mu a,
mɛkyere wɔn.
13Nnome nka wɔn,
efisɛ wɔatwe wɔn ho afi me ho!
Ɔsɛe mmra wɔn so
efisɛ wɔatew me so atua!
anka mepɛ sɛ migye wɔn
nanso wutwa atoro fa me ho.
14Wommfi wɔn koma mu nsu mfrɛ me,
mmom wotwa adwo wɔ wɔn mpa so.
Wɔboaboa wɔn ho ano kɔhwehwɛ aduan ne nsa foforo,
nanso wɔtwe wɔn ho fi me ho.
15Metetew wɔn, hyɛɛ wɔn den,
nanso wɔbɔ pɔw bɔne tia me.
16Wɔnhwehwɛ Ɔsorosoroni no;
wɔte sɛ tadua a asɛe,
wɔn ntuanofo bɛtotɔ wɔ afoa ano
efisɛ, wɔnkasa obu so.
Eyi nti wobedi wɔn ho fɛw
wɔ Misraim asase so.
1whenever I would heal Israel,
the sins of Ephraim are exposed
and the crimes of Samaria revealed.
They practise deceit,
thieves break into houses,
bandits rob in the streets;
2but they do not realise
that I remember all their evil deeds.
Their sins engulf them;
they are always before me.
3‘They delight the king with their wickedness,
the princes with their lies.
4They are all adulterers,
burning like an oven
whose fire the baker need not stir
from the kneading of the dough till it rises.
5On the day of the festival of our king
the princes become inflamed with wine,
and he joins hands with the mockers.
6Their hearts are like an oven;
they approach him with intrigue.
Their passion smoulders all night;
in the morning it blazes like a flaming fire.
7All of them are hot as an oven;
they devour their rulers.
All their kings fall,
and none of them calls on me.
8‘Ephraim mixes with the nations;
Ephraim is a flat loaf not turned over.
9Foreigners sap his strength,
but he does not realise it.
His hair is sprinkled with grey,
but he does not notice.
10Israel’s arrogance testifies against him,
but despite all this
he does not return to the Lord his God
or search for him.
11‘Ephraim is like a dove,
easily deceived and senseless –
now calling to Egypt,
now turning to Assyria.
12When they go, I will throw my net over them;
I will pull them down like the birds in the sky.
When I hear them flocking together,
I will catch them.
13Woe to them,
because they have strayed from me!
Destruction to them,
because they have rebelled against me!
I long to redeem them
but they speak about me falsely.
14They do not cry out to me from their hearts
but wail on their beds.
They slash themselves,7:14 Some Hebrew manuscripts and Septuagint; most Hebrew manuscripts They gather together appealing to their gods
for grain and new wine,
but they turn away from me.
15I trained them and strengthened their arms,
but they plot evil against me.
16They do not turn to the Most High;
they are like a faulty bow.
Their leaders will fall by the sword
because of their insolent words.
For this they will be ridiculed
in the land of Egypt.
