Obiara Nyɛ Ɔtreneeni
1“Munni akɔneaba wɔ Yerusalem mmɔnten so,
monhwɛ mo ho nhyia nhwɛ,
monhwehwɛ guabɔbea nyinaa.
Sɛ muhu onipa baako mpo a
ɔyɛ pɛ na odi nokware a,
mede kuropɔn yi ho bɛkyɛ no.
2Ɛwɔ mu wɔka se, ‘Sɛ Awurade te ase yi,’
nanso wɔda so ka ntam hunu.”
3Awurade, wʼani mpɛ nokware ahu ana?
Wobɔɔ wɔn hwee fam, nanso wɔante yaw biara;
wodwerɛw wɔn, nanso wɔpoo nteɛso.
Wɔyɛɛ wɔn anim dennen sen ɔbo
na wɔansakra wɔn adwene.
4Misusuw se, “Eyinom nko ara ne ahiafo no;
wɔyɛ nkwaseafo nso,
efisɛ wonnim Awurade akwan,
nea wɔn Nyankopɔn hwehwɛ.
5Enti mɛkɔ ntuanofo no nkyɛn
akɔkasa akyerɛ wɔn;
ampa ara wonim Awurade akwan
nea wɔn Onyankopɔn hwehwɛ.”
Nanso wɔn nso de adwene koro abubu konnua no
atetew nkyehama no mu.
6Ɛno nti gyata bi a ofi kwae mu bɛtow ahyɛ wɔn so,
pataku bi a ofi nweatam so bɛtetew wɔn mu.
Ɔsebɔ bi bɛtɛw abɛn wɔn nkurow,
na obiara a obeyi ne ti no ɔbɛtetew ne mu nketenkete,
efisɛ wɔn atuatew no ano yɛ den
na wɔn akyirisan aboro so.
7“Adɛn nti na ɛsɛ sɛ mede mo ho kyɛ mo?
Mo mma apo me,
wɔde anyame a wɔnyɛ anyame aka ntam.
Memaa wɔn nea wohia nyinaa,
nanso wɔbɔɔ aguaman
na wɔbɔɔ yuu kɔɔ nguamanfo afi mu.
8Mpɔnkɔnini aniberefo a wɔhwɛ wɔn yiye,
wɔn mu biara su di ne yɔnko yere akyi.
9Ɛnsɛ sɛ metwe wɔn aso wɔ eyi ho?”
Sɛɛ na Awurade se.
“Ɛnsɛ sɛ, mʼankasa metɔ
ɔman a ɛte sɛɛ so were ana?
10“Momfa ne bobe nturo no mu na monsɛe no,
nanso monnsɛe no koraa.
Mompempan ne mman no,
efisɛ saa nnipa yi nyɛ Awurade dea.
11Israelfi ne Yudafi
anni me nokware koraa,”
Awurade na ose.
12Wɔadi atoro afa Awurade ho,
wɔkae se, “Ɔrenyɛ hwee!
Ɔhaw biara remma yɛn so;
yɛrenhu afoa anaa ɔkɔm da.
13Adiyifo no yɛ mframa bi kɛkɛ
na asɛm no nte wɔn mu;
enti momma nea wɔka no mmra wɔn so.”
14Enti eyi ne nea Asafo Awurade, Nyankopɔn se:
“Esiane sɛ, nnipa no aka saa nsɛm yi nti,
mɛyɛ me nsɛm a ɛwɔ wʼanom no ogya
na saa nnipa yi ayɛ nnyina a ogya no bɛhyew.
15Israelfi,” Awurade na ose,
“Mede ɔman bi a ɛwɔ akyirikyiri rebetia wo,
tete man a ɛyɛ ɔmantease,
nnipa a munnim wɔn kasa,
na monnte wɔn kasa ase.
16Wɔn agyan mmɔtɔwa te sɛ ɔda a ano da hɔ;
wɔn nyinaa yɛ dɔmmarima.
17Wɔbɛsɛe mo nnɔbae ne mo nnuan,
asɛe mo mmabarima ne mo mmabea;
wɔbɛsɛe mo nguankuw ne mo anantwikuw,
asɛe mo bobe ne mo mmrɔdɔma.
Wɔde afoa bɛsɛe
nkuropɔn a ɛwɔ bammɔ a mode mo werɛ ahyɛ mu no.
18“Afei saa nna no mu mpo,” sɛɛ na Awurade se, “Merensɛe mo korakora. 19Na sɛ nnipa no bisa se, ‘Adɛn nti na Awurade, yɛn Nyankopɔn, ayɛ yɛn sɛɛ’ a, mobɛka akyerɛ wɔn se, ‘Sɛnea moagyaw me hɔ akɔsom ananafo anyame wɔ mo ankasa mo asase so no, saa ara na mprempren mobɛsom ananafo wɔ asase a ɛnyɛ mo dea no so.’
20“Monka eyi nkyerɛ Yakobfi
na mo mpae mu nka wɔ Yuda se:
21Muntie, mo nkwaseafo ne nnipa a munni adwene,
mowɔ ani nso munhu ade,
na mowɔ aso nso monte asɛm:
22Ɛnsɛ sɛ musuro me ana?” Sɛɛ na Awurade se.
“Ɛnsɛ sɛ mo ho popo wɔ mʼanim ana?
Mede nwea ato ɔhye ama po,
ɔhye a ɛwɔ hɔ daa a ɛrentumi ntra.
Asorɔkye bɛbɔ nanso ɛrentumi mmu mfa so;
ebehuru so nanso ɛrentumi ntra.
23Nanso saa nnipa yi wɔ asoɔden ne atuatew koma;
wɔatwe wɔn ho afi me ho kɔ.
24Wɔnnka nkyerɛ wɔn ho wɔn ho se,
‘Momma yensuro Awurade yɛn Nyankopɔn,
a ɔma osu tɔ wɔ ne mmere mu,
nea ɔma yɛn awerehyɛmu wɔ otwabere nnapɛn a wahyɛ no ho.’
25Mo amumɔyɛ abɔ eyinom agu;
mo bɔne ama ade pa abɔ mo.
26“Amumɔyɛfo bi wɔ me nkurɔfo yi mu
a wɔtɛw sɛ nnipa a wosum nnomaa afiri,
na wɔte sɛ wɔn a wosum mfiri yi nnipa.
27Sɛnea nnomaa ahyɛ kɛntɛn ma no
saa ara na asisi ahyɛ wɔn afi amaama;
wɔayeyɛ adefo anyinya tumi,
28na wɔadodɔ srade ama wɔn ho ayɛ hanahana.
Wɔn amumɔyɛsɛm no nni awiei;
wɔnnka ayisaa asɛm mma wonni bem,
na wɔmmɔ ahiafo tumi ho ban.
29Ɛnsɛ sɛ metwe wɔn aso wɔ eyinom ho ana?”
Sɛɛ na Awurade se.
“Ɛnsɛ sɛ, mʼankasa metɔ
ɔman a ɛte sɛɛ so were ana?
30“Ade a ɛyɛ hu ne ahodwiriw
asi wɔ asase no so:
31Adiyifo no hyɛ akɔntoro,
asɔfo no de wɔn dibea di tumi,
na me nkurɔfo no pɛ no saa ara.
Nanso awiei no dɛn na wobɛyɛ?”
Not one is upright
1‘Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem,
look around and consider,
search through her squares.
If you can find but one person
who deals honestly and seeks the truth,
I will forgive this city.
2Although they say, “As surely as the Lord lives,”
still they are swearing falsely.’
3Lord, do not your eyes look for truth?
You struck them, but they felt no pain;
you crushed them, but they refused correction.
They made their faces harder than stone
and refused to repent.
4I thought, ‘These are only the poor;
they are foolish,
for they do not know the way of the Lord,
the requirements of their God.
5So I will go to the leaders
and speak to them;
surely they know the way of the Lord,
the requirements of their God.’
But with one accord they too had broken off the yoke
and torn off the bonds.
6Therefore a lion from the forest will attack them,
a wolf from the desert will ravage them,
a leopard will lie in wait near their towns
to tear to pieces any who venture out,
for their rebellion is great
and their backslidings many.
7‘Why should I forgive you?
Your children have forsaken me
and sworn by gods that are not gods.
I supplied all their needs,
yet they committed adultery
and thronged to the houses of prostitutes.
8They are well-fed, lusty stallions,
each neighing for another man’s wife.
9Should I not punish them for this?’
declares the Lord.
‘Should I not avenge myself
on such a nation as this?
10‘Go through her vineyards and ravage them,
but do not destroy them completely.
Strip off her branches,
for these people do not belong to the Lord.
11The people of Israel and the people of Judah
have been utterly unfaithful to me,’
declares the Lord.
12They have lied about the Lord;
they said, ‘He will do nothing!
No harm will come to us;
we will never see sword or famine.
13The prophets are but wind
and the word is not in them;
so let what they say be done to them.’
14Therefore this is what the Lord God Almighty says:
‘Because the people have spoken these words,
I will make my words in your mouth a fire
and these people the wood it consumes.
15People of Israel,’ declares the Lord,
‘I am bringing a distant nation against you –
an ancient and enduring nation,
a people whose language you do not know,
whose speech you do not understand.
16Their quivers are like an open grave;
all of them are mighty warriors.
17They will devour your harvests and food,
devour your sons and daughters;
they will devour your flocks and herds,
devour your vines and fig-trees.
With the sword they will destroy
the fortified cities in which you trust.
18‘Yet even in those days,’ declares the Lord, ‘I will not destroy you completely. 19And when the people ask, “Why has the Lord our God done all this to us?” you will tell them, “As you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your own land, so now you will serve foreigners in a land not your own.”
20‘Announce this to the descendants of Jacob
and proclaim it in Judah:
21Hear this, you foolish and senseless people,
who have eyes but do not see,
who have ears but do not hear:
22Should you not fear me?’
declares the Lord.
‘Should you not tremble in my presence?
I made the sand a boundary for the sea,
an everlasting barrier it cannot cross.
The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail;
they may roar, but they cannot cross it.
23But these people have stubborn and rebellious hearts;
they have turned aside and gone away.
24They do not say to themselves,
“Let us fear the Lord our God,
who gives autumn and spring rains in season,
who assures us of the regular weeks of harvest.”
25Your wrongdoings have kept these away;
your sins have deprived you of good.
26‘Among my people are the wicked
who lie in wait like men who snare birds
and like those who set traps to catch people.
27Like cages full of birds,
their houses are full of deceit;
they have become rich and powerful
28and have grown fat and sleek.
Their evil deeds have no limit;
they do not seek justice.
They do not promote the case of the fatherless;
they do not defend the just cause of the poor.
29Should I not punish them for this?’
declares the Lord.
‘Should I not avenge myself
on such a nation as this?
30‘A horrible and shocking thing
has happened in the land:
31the prophets prophesy lies,
the priests rule by their own authority,
and my people love it this way.
But what will you do in the end?
