1Saa anisoadehu a ɛfa Yuda ne Yerusalem ho no baa Amos babarima Yesaia so wɔ Yuda ahemfo Usia, Yotam, Ahas ne Hesekia mmere so.
Atuatewman
2Ɔsoro, muntie! Asase, yɛ aso!
Na Awurade akasa:
“Matetew mma ama wɔanyinyin,
nanso wɔatew me so atua.
3Nantwi nim ne wura,
afurum nso nim ne wura mmoa adididaka,
nanso Israel nnim,
me nkurɔfo nte ase.”
4Nnome nka, amumɔyɛ man,
ɔman a wɔn afɔdi so,
nnebɔneyɛfo kuw,
mma a porɔwee ahyɛ wɔn ma!
Wɔatwe wɔn ho afi Awurade ho;
wɔapo Israel Kronkronni no,
wɔadan wɔn akyi akyerɛ no.
5Adɛn nti na mopɛ sɛ wɔkɔ so boro mo?
Adɛn nti na moda so tew atua?
Wɔapira mo ti,
na mo koma nso di yaw.
6Efi mo nan ase kosi mo ti so,
ahomeka biara nni mu,
apirakuru ne ahonhon nko ara
akuru a anim deda hɔ
na wɔnhohoro so anaa wɔnkyekyeree
anaa wɔmfaa ngo nsrasraa so ɛ.
7Mo man ada mpan,
wɔde ogya ahyehyew mo nkuropɔn;
ananafo regye mo mfuw
a mo ani tua,
na asɛe sɛnea ɛyɛɛ bere a ahɔho tuu mo gui no.
8Wɔagyaw Ɔbabea Sion
te sɛ bobeturo mu sese
te sɛ akuraa a esi ɛfere afuw mu,
te sɛ kuropɔn a atamfo atwa ho ahyia.
9Sɛ Asafo Awurade
annyaw yɛn asefo a,
anka yɛayɛ sɛ Sodom,
na yɛadan ayɛ sɛ Gomora.
10Muntie Awurade asɛm,
mo Sodom sodifo;
muntie yɛn Nyankopɔn mmara,
mo Gomorafo!
11“Mo afɔrebɔ ahorow bebree no,
dɛn na ɛyɛ ma me?”
Sɛnea Awurade se ni.
“Mewɔ ɔhyew afɔrebɔde ma ɛboro so,
nea ɛyɛ adwennini ne mmoa a wɔadɔ srade;
mʼani nnye
anantwinini, nguantenmma ne mpapo mogya ho.
12Sɛ moba mʼanim a
hena na obisa eyi fi mo hɔ,
sɛ mutiatia me fi yi?
13Munnyae afɔrebɔde a ɛmfra a mode ba no!
Mo aduhuam yɛ me tan.
Ɔsram foforo, homenna ne nhyiamu ahorow,
mo nhyiamu hunu no afono me.
14Mo ɔsram foforo afahyɛ ne mo aponto a moahyehyɛ,
me kra kyi.
Ayɛ adesoa ama me;
masoa abrɛ.
15Sɛ momema mo nsa so bɔ mpae a,
meyi mʼani ato nkyɛn.
Sɛ mobɔ mpae bebree mpo a
merentie.
“Mogya bebree agu mo nsa ho fi.
16“Munnwira mo ho na mo ho ntew.
Munnyi mo nnebɔne mfi mʼani so!
Munnyae bɔneyɛ,
17Monyɛ papa! Monhwehwɛ atɛntrenee.
Monhyɛ wɔn a wɔhyɛ wɔn so nkuran
Munni mma ayisaa,
monka akunafo nsɛm mma wɔn.
18“Afei mommra na yennwen mmɔ mu,”
sɛnea Awurade se ni.
“Sɛ mo bɔne te sɛ ɔkɔben a,
ɛbɛyɛ fitaa sɛ sukyerɛmma;
mpo sɛ ɛyɛ kɔkɔɔ te sɛ mogya a
ɛbɛyɛ fitaa sɛ asaawa mfuturu.
19Sɛ mopene so na moyɛ osetie a,
mubedi asase no so nnepa.
20Na sɛ moampene na motew atua a,
afoa bedi mo nam.”
Awurade na wakasa.
21Hwɛ sɛnea kuropɔn nokwafo no
adan oguamanfo.
Bere bi, na atɛntrenee ahyɛ no ma
na anka trenee te ne mu,
nanso mprempren, awudifo ahyɛ mu ma!
22Wo dwetɛ adan ade a so nni mfaso,
wɔde nsu afra wo nsa papa mu.
23Wo sodifo yɛ atuatewfo,
akorɔmfo yɔnkonom;
wɔn nyinaa pɛ adanmude,
na wɔpere akyɛde ho.
Wonni mma ayisaa;
na akunafo nsɛm nkɔ wɔn anim.
24Enti, Awurade, Asafo Awurade,
nea ɔyɛ Ɔkɛse ma Israel no ka se,
“Aa, menya ahomegye afi mʼatamfo hɔ
na matɔ wɔn so were.
25Mɛma me nsa so, atia mo;
mɛhohoro mo ho fi korakora
na mayi mo ho nkekae nyinaa.
26Mɛma mo atemmufo bio sɛ kan no,
ne mo afotufo sɛnea na ɛte, mfiase no.
Eyi akyi no, wɔbɛfrɛ wo
Kuropɔn Trenee,
Kuropɔn Nokwafo.”
27Wɔde atɛntrenee begye Sion bio,
na wɔn a wonu wɔn ho no, wɔde trenee begye wɔn.
28Nanso atuatewfo ne nnebɔneyɛfo de, wɔbɛdwerɛw wɔn abɔ mu,
na wɔn a wɔpa Awurade akyi bɛyera.
29“Mo ani bewu, esiane odum anyame a
munyaa wɔn mu anigye no;
wobegu mo anim ase, esiane nturo
a mosom abosom wɔ mu no nti.
30Mobɛyɛ sɛ odum a ne nhaban apo,
ne turo a ennya nsu.
31Ɔhoɔdenfo bɛyɛ sɛ ade a ɛhyew ntɛm
nʼadwuma bɛyɛ sɛ ogya a aturuw;
abien no bɛhyew abɔ mu,
a obiara rentumi nnum.”
1Here is the vision about Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah saw. It came to him when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah were ruling. They were kings of Judah. Isaiah was the son of Amoz.
The Nation Refuses to Obey the Lord
2Listen to me, you heavens! Pay attention to me, earth!
The Lord has said,
“I raised children. I brought them up.
But they have refused to obey me.
3The ox knows its master.
The donkey knows where its owner feeds it.
But Israel does not know me.
My people do not understand me.”
4How terrible it will be for this sinful nation!
They are loaded down with guilt.
They are people who do nothing but evil.
They are children who are always sinning.
They have deserted the Lord.
They have turned against the Holy One of Israel.
They have turned their backs on him.
5Israel, why do you want to be beaten all the time?
Why do you always refuse to obey the Lord?
Your head is covered with wounds.
Your whole heart is weak.
6There isn’t a healthy spot on your body.
You are not healthy from the bottom of your feet to the top of your head.
You have nothing but wounds, cuts
and open sores.
They haven’t been cleaned up or bandaged
or treated with olive oil.
7Your country has been deserted.
Your cities have been burned down.
The food from your fields is being eaten up by outsiders.
They are doing it right in front of you.
Your land has been completely destroyed.
It looks as if strangers have taken it over.
8The city of Zion is left like a shed
where someone stands guard in a vineyard.
It is left like a hut in a cucumber field.
It’s like a city being attacked.
9The Lord who rules over all
has let some people live through that time of trouble.
If he hadn’t, we would have become like Sodom.
We would have been like Gomorrah.
10Rulers of Sodom,
hear the Lord’s message.
People of Gomorrah,
listen to the instruction of our God.
11“Do you think I need any more of your sacrifices?”
asks the Lord.
“I have more than enough of your burnt offerings.
I have more than enough of rams
and the fat of your fattest animals.
I do not find any pleasure
in the blood of your bulls, lambs and goats.
12Who asked you to bring all these animals
when you come to worship me?
Who asked you and your animals
to walk all over my courtyards?
13Stop bringing offerings that do not mean anything to me!
I hate your incense.
I can’t stand your worthless gatherings.
I can’t stand the way you celebrate your New Moon feasts,
Sabbath days and special services.
14Your New Moon feasts and your other appointed feasts
I hate with my whole being.
They have become a heavy load to me.
I am tired of carrying it.
15You might spread out your hands toward me when you pray.
But I do not look at you.
You might even offer many prayers.
But I am not listening to them.
Your hands are covered with the blood of the people you have murdered.
16So wash and make yourselves clean.
Get your evil actions out of my sight!
Stop doing what is wrong!
17Learn to do what is right!
Treat people fairly.
Help those who are treated badly.
Stand up in court for children whose fathers have died.
And do the same thing for widows.
18“Come. Let us settle this matter,”
says the Lord.
“Even though your sins are bright red,
they will be as white as snow.
Even though they are deep red,
they will be white like wool.
19But you have to be willing to change and obey me.
If you are, you will eat the good things that grow on the land.
20But if you are not willing to obey me,
you will be killed by swords.”
The Lord has spoken.
21See how the faithful city of Jerusalem
has become like a prostitute!
Once it was full of people who treated others fairly.
Those who did what was right used to live in it.
But now murderers live there!
22Jerusalem, your silver isn’t pure anymore.
Your best wine has been made weak with water.
23Your rulers refuse to obey the Lord.
They join forces with robbers.
All of them love to accept money from those who want special favors.
They are always looking for gifts from other people.
They don’t stand up in court for children whose fathers have died.
They don’t do it for widows either.
24The Lord is the Mighty One of Israel.
The Lord who rules over all announces,
“Israel, you have become my enemies.
I will act against you in my anger.
I will pay you back for what you have done.
25I will turn my power against you.
I will make you completely ‘clean.’
I will remove everything that is not pure.
26I will give you leaders like the ones you had long ago.
I will give you rulers like those you had at the beginning.
Then you will be called
the City That Does What Is Right.
You will also be called the Faithful City.”
27Zion will be saved when justice is done.
Those who are sorry for their sins will be saved
when what is right is done.
28But sinners and those who refuse to obey the Lord will be destroyed.
And those who desert the Lord will die.
29“Israel, you take delight in worshiping among the sacred oak trees.
You will be full of shame for doing that.
You have chosen to worship in the sacred gardens.
You will be dishonored for doing that.
30You will be like an oak tree whose leaves are dying.
You will be like a garden that doesn’t have any water.
31Your strongest men will become like dry pieces of wood.
Their worship of other gods will be the spark that lights the fire.
Everything will be burned up.
No one will be there to put the fire out.”
