The Lord Is Angry With Israel
1When the tribe of Ephraim spoke,
the other tribes trembled with fear.
Ephraim was honored in Israel.
But its people sinned by worshiping Baal.
So they were as good as dead.
2Now they sin more and more.
They use their silver
to make statues of gods for themselves.
The statues come from their own clever ideas.
Skilled workers make all of them.
The people pray to these gods.
They offer human sacrifices to them.
They kiss the gods that look like calves.
3So these people will vanish like the morning mist.
They will soon disappear like the early dew.
They will be like straw
that the wind blows around on a threshing floor.
They will be like smoke
that escapes through a window.
4The Lord says,
“People of Israel, I have been the Lord your God
ever since you came out of Egypt.
You must not worship any god but me.
You must not have any savior except me.
5I took care of you in the desert.
It was a land of burning heat.
6I fed them until they were satisfied.
Then they became proud.
They forgot all about me.
7So I will leap on them like a lion.
I will hide and wait
beside the road like a leopard.
8I will attack them like a bear
that is robbed of her cubs.
I will rip them wide open.
Like a lion I will eat them up.
Like a wild animal I will tear them apart.
9“Israel, you will be destroyed.
I helped you. But you turned against me.
10Where is your king?
Wasn’t he supposed to save you?
Where are the rulers in all your towns?
You said, ‘Give us a king and princes.’
11So I became angry and gave you a king.
Then I took him away from you.
12Ephraim’s guilt is piling up.
I am keeping a record of all their sins.
13They will suffer pain like a woman having a baby.
They are like foolish children.
It is time for them to be born.
But they don’t have the sense to come out of their mother’s body.
14“I will set these people free from the power of the grave.
I will save them from death.
Death, where are your plagues?
Grave, where is your power to destroy?
“I will no longer pity Ephraim.
15Even though they are doing well among the other tribes,
trouble will come to them.
I will send a hot and dry wind from the east.
It will blow in from the desert.
Their springs will not have any water.
Their wells will dry up.
All their treasures
will be taken out of their storerooms.
16The people of Samaria must pay for their sins.
They have refused to obey me.
They will be killed by swords.
Their little children will be smashed on the ground.
Their pregnant women will be ripped wide open.”
Awurade Abufuo A Ɛtia Israel
1Sɛ Efraim kasa a, na nnipa ho popo;
wɔpagyaa no wɔ Israelman mu.
Nanso Baalsom enti, ɔnyaa afɔbuo na ɔwuiɛ.
2Afei, wɔkɔ so yɛ bɔne ara;
wɔde wɔn dwetɛ yɛ ahoni ma wɔn ho,
nsɛsodeɛ no nyinaa no.
Adwumfoɔ no nam nyansakwan so na ayeyɛ.
Wɔka nnipa yi ho asɛm sɛ,
“Wɔde nnipa bɔ afɔdeɛ
na wɔfe anantwie mma ahoni ano.”
3Ɛno enti, wɔbɛyɛ sɛ anɔpa omununkum
sɛ anɔpa bosuo a ɛtu yera,
sɛ ntɛtɛ a ehu firi ayuporobea
sɛ wisie a ɛfa mpoma mu kɔ.
4“Nanso mene Awurade wo Onyankopɔn,
a meyii wo firii Misraim.
Nnye Onyankopɔn biara nto mu sɛ me,
anaa Ɔgyefoɔ biara sɛ me.
5Mehwɛɛ wo wɔ anweatam so,
asase a ɛso yɛ hye yie no so.
6Memaa wɔn aduane no, wɔdi meeɛ;
wɔmeeɛ no, wɔyɛɛ ahantan;
na wɔn werɛ firii me.
7Enti, mɛto ahyɛ wɔn so sɛ gyata,
mɛtɛ wɔn wɔ akwan ho sɛ ɔsebɔ.
8Mɛto ahyɛ wɔn so na matete wɔn mu
te sɛ sisire bi a wɔawia ne mma.
Mɛwe wɔn te sɛ gyata;
wiram aboa bɛsunsuan wɔn mu.
9“Wɔasɛe wo, Ao Israel,
ɛfiri sɛ woasɔre atia me,
me a meyɛ wo ɔboafoɔ.
10Wo ɔhene a ɔbɛgye wo no wɔ he?
Wo sodifoɔ a wɔwɔ wo nkuro so wɔ he,
wɔn a wokaa wɔ wɔn ho sɛ,
‘Ma me ɔhene ne ahenemma’ no?
11Enti mʼabufuo mu, memaa wo ɔhene,
na mʼanibereɛ mu no, meyii no hɔ.
12Efraim afɔdie no wɔaboaboa ano
wɔatwerɛ ne bɔne agu hɔ.
13Ɔbɛte ɔyea te sɛ ɔbaa a ɔreko awoɔ,
na abɔfra no nnim nyansa nti;
sɛ berɛ no duru a,
ɔmma awotwaa no ano.
14“Mɛpata agye wɔn afiri damena tumi mu.
Mɛgye wɔn afiri owuo nsam.
Owuo wo nwowɔeɛ wɔ he?
Asaman wo sɛeɛ wɔ he?
“Merennya ayamhyehyeɛ,
15mpo sɛ ɔyɛ yie wɔ ne nuanom mu a.
Apueeɛ mframa a ɛfiri Awurade hɔ bɛba,
ɛbɛbɔ afiri anweatam so;
osuo rentɔ osutɔberɛ
na nʼabura bɛwe.
Wɔbɛfom nʼakoradan mu nneɛma
deɛ ɛsom bo no nyinaa.
16Ɛsɛ sɛ nnipa a wɔwɔ Samaria gye wɔn afɔdie to mu,
ɛfiri sɛ wɔayɛ ɛdɔm atia wɔn Onyankopɔn.
Wɔbɛtotɔ wɔ akofena ano;
wɔbɛtoto wɔn mmɔfra ahwehwe fam,
wɔn mmaa a wɔanyinsɛn nso wɔbɛpaapae wɔn mu.”
