Efraim Ne Yuda Akannifo Nnue
1Nnome nka nhwiren abotiri a ɛyɛ Efraim asabowfo ahohoahoade no
nhwiren a ɛrepa, nʼahoɔfɛ a ɛho wɔ nyam,
a ɛda asasebere bon so.
Nnome nka kuropɔn no, nea nnipa a nsa asɛe wɔn no de hoahoa wɔn ho no.
2Hwɛ, Awurade wɔ obi a ɔwɔ tumi ne ahoɔden.
Ɔte sɛ mparuwbo ne mframa a ɛsɛe ade
ɔte sɛ osu a ɛne mframa nam, ne osuhweam a ɛhyɛ suka ma
ɔbɛtow no ahwe fam ahoɔden so.
3Saa nhwiren abotiri no a ɛyɛ Efraim asabowfo ahohoahoade no,
wobetiatia so.
4Saa nhwiren a ɛrepa, nʼahoɔfɛ a ɛho wɔ nyam,
a ɛda asasebere bon so no,
bɛyɛ sɛ borɔdɔma a ɛbere ansa na otwabere adu,
sɛ obi hu na ɔte a
odi no ntɛm so.
5Saa da no Asafo Awurade
bɛyɛ Anuonyam ahenkyɛw,
nhwiren abotiri fɛfɛ
ama ne nkurɔfo nkae no.
6Ɔbɛyɛ atɛntrenee honhom
ama otemmufo a ɔte agua mu.
Ɔbɛyɛ ahoɔden farebae
ama wɔn a wɔpam atamfo wɔ nkurow apon ano.
7Na eyinom nso nsa ma wɔtɔ ntintan
na bobesa ma wohinhim;
bobesa ma asɔfo ne adiyifo tɔ ntintan
na nsa ma wɔn ani so yɛ wɔn totɔtotɔ;
na wohinhim
wɔtɔ ntintan bere a wɔrenya anisoadehu,
na wɔn ano fomfom wɔ adwenkyerɛ mu.
8Ɔfe agugu apon nyinaa so,
na baabiara ayɛ fi.
9“Hena na ɔpɛ sɛ ɔkyerɛkyerɛ no?
Na hena nso na ɔrekyerɛ nʼasɛm ase akyerɛ no?
Mmofra a wɔatwa wɔn nufu,
wɔn a wotwaa wɔn nufu nkyɛe no ana?
10Na ɛyɛ:
Yɛ eyi, anaa eyi
mmara foforo akyi mmara;
ɛha kakra, ɛhɔ kakra.”
11Eye, na afei ananafo ano ne kasa foforo
na Onyankopɔn de bɛkasa akyerɛ saa nkurɔfo yi,
12Ɔka kyerɛɛ wɔn se,
“Ha ne ahomegyebea no, momma abrɛfo no nhome;
ahodwobea nso ni,”
nanso wɔantie no.
13Enti afei wɔbɛfa Awurade asɛm a ɔde ma wɔn no sɛ:
Yɛ eyi anaa eyi,
mmara foforo akyi mmara;
ha kakra, hɔ kakra,
sɛnea wɔrekɔ no ɛbɛma wɔapini wɔn akyi;
wobepirapira, na wɔatɔ afiri mu, na wɔakyere wɔn.
14Ɛno nti, muntie Awurade asɛm, mo fɛwdifo
a mudi saa nkurɔfo yi so wɔ Yerusalem.
15Mohoahoa mo ho se, “Yɛne owu ayɛ apam,
yɛne ɔda ayɛ nhyehyɛe
sɛ asotwe a ano yɛ den ba a,
ɛrentumi nka yɛn,
efisɛ yɛde atoro ayɛ yɛn guankɔbea
ne nnaadaa ayɛ yɛn hintabea.”
16Enti nea Otumfo Awurade se ni,
“Hwɛ! Mede ɔbo bi retim Sion,
ɔbo a wɔasɔ ahwɛ,
tweatibo a ɛsom bo ama fapem a ɛyɛ den;
nea ɔde ne ho to so no remmɔ hu.
17Mede atɛntrenee bɛyɛ susuhama
na treneeyɛ ayɛ ɔfasu kirebennyɛ susuhama
mparuwbo bɛsɛe wo guankɔbea a ɛyɛ atoro no,
na nsu abɛkata wo hintabea hɔ.
18Wobetwa apam a wo ne owu ayɛ no mu;
nhyehyɛe a wo ne ɔda ayɛ no nso rennyina
sɛ asotwe a ano yɛ den no ba a,
ebetwiw afa mo so.
19Mpɛn dodow biara a ɛbɛba no ɛbɛsoa mo akɔ;
anɔpa, awia ne anadwo biara,
ɛbɛfa mu akɔ.”
Saa nkra yi ntease
de ehu bɛba.
20Mpa no yɛ tia dodo ma sɛ wɔteɛ wɔn mu wɔ so,
kuntu no yɛ hiahiaa sɛ ɛbɛso wɔn ho kata.
21Awurade bɛsɔre sɛnea ɔsɔree wɔ Perasim bepɔw so no,
ɔbɛkanyan ne ho sɛnea ɔyɛɛ wɔ Gibeon Bon mu,
yɛɛ nʼadwuma, nʼadwuma nwonwaso no
dii ne dwuma, dwumadi a bi mmaa da.
22Afei gyae wo fɛwdi no,
anyɛ saa a wo nkɔnsɔnkɔnsɔn mu bɛyɛ duru;
Awurade, Asafo Awurade aka akyerɛ me
ɔsɛe ho mmaraden a wɔahyɛ atia asase no nyinaa.
23Muntie na monte me nne;
monwɛn mo aso na muntie nea meka.
24Sɛ okuafo funtum asase sɛ ɔrebedua so a, ɔyɛ no daa ana?
Ɔkɔ so tutu, fɛntɛm asase no ana?
25Sɛ osiesie asase no ani a,
onnua ɛme, na ɔmpete ntɛtɛ wɔ so ana?
Onnua awi ne atoko mu biara wɔ nʼafa ana?
26Ne Nyankopɔn ma no akwankyerɛ
na ɔkyerɛ no ɔkwan pa.
27Wɔmfa asae mpo ɛme ho,
wɔmfa teaseɛnam hankare mfa ntɛtɛ so;
wɔde pema na ɛboro ɛme,
na wɔde abaa aboro ntɛtɛ.
28Wɔyam aburow de to brodo
nti obi nkɔ so nyam a onnwie da.
Ɛwɔ mu, ɔde nʼawiporowee teaseɛnam hankare fa so de,
nanso ɛnyɛ nʼapɔnkɔ na wɔyam.
29Eyinom nyinaa fi Asafo Awurade,
afotu mu nwonwani,
na ne nyansa boro so.
Woe to the Leaders of Ephraim and Judah
1Woe to that wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s drunkards,
to the fading flower, his glorious beauty,
set on the head of a fertile valley—
to that city, the pride of those laid low by wine!
2See, the Lord has one who is powerful and strong.
Like a hailstorm and a destructive wind,
like a driving rain and a flooding downpour,
he will throw it forcefully to the ground.
3That wreath, the pride of Ephraim’s drunkards,
will be trampled underfoot.
4That fading flower, his glorious beauty,
set on the head of a fertile valley,
will be like figs ripe before harvest—
as soon as people see them and take them in hand,
they swallow them.
5In that day the Lord Almighty
will be a glorious crown,
a beautiful wreath
for the remnant of his people.
6He will be a spirit of justice
to the one who sits in judgment,
a source of strength
to those who turn back the battle at the gate.
7And these also stagger from wine
and reel from beer:
Priests and prophets stagger from beer
and are befuddled with wine;
they reel from beer,
they stagger when seeing visions,
they stumble when rendering decisions.
8All the tables are covered with vomit
and there is not a spot without filth.
9“Who is it he is trying to teach?
To whom is he explaining his message?
To children weaned from their milk,
to those just taken from the breast?
10For it is:
Do this, do that,
a rule for this, a rule for that28:10 Hebrew / sav lasav sav lasav / kav lakav kav lakav (probably meaningless sounds mimicking the prophet’s words); also in verse 13;
a little here, a little there.”
11Very well then, with foreign lips and strange tongues
God will speak to this people,
12to whom he said,
“This is the resting place, let the weary rest”;
and, “This is the place of repose”—
but they would not listen.
13So then, the word of the Lord to them will become:
Do this, do that,
a rule for this, a rule for that;
a little here, a little there—
so that as they go they will fall backward;
they will be injured and snared and captured.
14Therefore hear the word of the Lord, you scoffers
who rule this people in Jerusalem.
15You boast, “We have entered into a covenant with death,
with the realm of the dead we have made an agreement.
When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by,
it cannot touch us,
for we have made a lie our refuge
and falsehood28:15 Or false gods our hiding place.”
16So this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone,
a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation;
the one who relies on it
will never be stricken with panic.
17I will make justice the measuring line
and righteousness the plumb line;
hail will sweep away your refuge, the lie,
and water will overflow your hiding place.
18Your covenant with death will be annulled;
your agreement with the realm of the dead will not stand.
When the overwhelming scourge sweeps by,
you will be beaten down by it.
19As often as it comes it will carry you away;
morning after morning, by day and by night,
it will sweep through.”
The understanding of this message
will bring sheer terror.
20The bed is too short to stretch out on,
the blanket too narrow to wrap around you.
21The Lord will rise up as he did at Mount Perazim,
he will rouse himself as in the Valley of Gibeon—
to do his work, his strange work,
and perform his task, his alien task.
22Now stop your mocking,
or your chains will become heavier;
the Lord, the Lord Almighty, has told me
of the destruction decreed against the whole land.
23Listen and hear my voice;
pay attention and hear what I say.
24When a farmer plows for planting, does he plow continually?
Does he keep on breaking up and working the soil?
25When he has leveled the surface,
does he not sow caraway and scatter cumin?
Does he not plant wheat in its place,28:25 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
barley in its plot,28:25 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
and spelt in its field?
26His God instructs him
and teaches him the right way.
27Caraway is not threshed with a sledge,
nor is the wheel of a cart rolled over cumin;
caraway is beaten out with a rod,
and cumin with a stick.
28Grain must be ground to make bread;
so one does not go on threshing it forever.
The wheels of a threshing cart may be rolled over it,
but one does not use horses to grind grain.
29All this also comes from the Lord Almighty,
whose plan is wonderful,
whose wisdom is magnificent.
