Babylon Will Fall
1“City of Babylon,
go down and sit in the dust.
Leave your throne and sit on the ground.
Queen city of the Babylonians,
your life will not be comfortable
and easy anymore.
2Get millstones and grind some flour like a female slave.
Take off your veil.
Lift up your skirts. Make your legs bare.
Wade through the streams.
3Everyone will see your naked body.
Everyone will see your shame.
I will pay you back for what you did.
I will not spare any of your people.”
4The one who sets us free is the Holy One of Israel.
His name is the Lord Who Rules Over All.
5The Lord says, “Queen city of the Babylonians,
go into a dark prison. Sit there quietly.
You will not be called
the queen of kingdoms anymore.
6I was angry with my people.
I treated them as if they did not belong to me.
I handed them over to you.
And you did not show them any pity.
You even placed heavy loads on their old people.
7You said, ‘I am queen forever!’
But you did not think about what you were doing.
You did not consider how things might turn out.
8“So listen, you who love pleasure.
You think you are safe and secure.
You say to yourself,
‘I am like a god.
No one is greater than I am.
I’ll never be a widow.
And my children will never be taken away from me.’
9But both of these things will happen to you in a moment.
They will take place on a single day.
You will lose your children.
And you will become a widow.
That is what will happen to you.
All your evil magic
and powerful spells will not save you.
10You have felt secure in your evil ways.
You have said, ‘No one sees what I’m doing.’
Your wisdom and knowledge lead you astray.
You say to yourself,
‘I am like a god. No one is greater than I am.’
11So horrible trouble will come on you.
You will not know how to use your evil magic to make it go away.
Great trouble will fall on you.
No amount of money can keep it away.
Something terrible will happen to you all at once.
You will not see it coming ahead of time.
12“So keep on casting your magic spells.
Keep on practicing your evil magic.
You have been doing those things ever since you were a child.
Perhaps they will help you.
Maybe they will scare your enemies away.
13All the advice you have received
has only worn you out!
Let those who study the heavens come forward.
They claim to know what is going to happen
by watching the stars every month.
So let them save you from the trouble
that is coming on you.
14They are just like straw.
Fire will burn them up.
They can’t even save themselves
from the powerful flames.
These are not like coals that can warm anyone.
This is not like a fire to sit by.
15They can’t do you any good.
You have done business with them ever since you were a child.
You have always asked them for advice.
All of them are bewildered and continue in their own ways.
None of them can save you.”
Babilonia Asehweɛ
1“Siane kɔ, tena mfuturo mu,
Ɔbabaa bunu Babilonia;
tena fam. Worentena ahennwa so bio,
Ɔbabaa Babiloniafoɔ.
Wɔremfrɛ wo bio sɛ,
ɔbaabereɛ a wɔkorɔkorɔ no bio.
2Fa owiyammoɔ na yam esiam;
yi wo nkatanimu no.
Pagya wʼatadeɛ kɔ soro, na wo nan ho ngu hɔ,
na fa nsuwansuwa no mu.
3Wʼadagya bɛda adi
na wʼanimguaseɛ so renkata.
Mɛtɔ were;
memfa obiara ho nkyɛ no.”
4Yɛn Gyefoɔ, Asafo Awurade ne ne din,
ɔno ne Israel Kronkronni.
5“Tena ase dinn, kɔhyɛ esum mu,
Ɔbabaa Babilonia;
wɔremfrɛ wo bio sɛ
ahennie ahodoɔ so hemaa.
6Me bo fuu me nkurɔfoɔ,
na meguu mʼagyapadeɛ ho fi;
mede wɔn hyɛɛ wo nsa,
na woanhunu wɔn mmɔbɔ.
Nkɔkoraa koraa mpo
wosoaa wɔn kɔnnua duruduru.
7Wokaa sɛ, ‘Mɛkɔ so daa,
ayɛ ɔhemmaa afebɔɔ.’
Nanso woannwene saa nneɛma yi ho
na woansusu deɛ ɛbɛtumi asie ho.
8“Afei tie, wo odwamanfoɔ,
woredwodwo wo ho wɔ wo banbɔ mu
na woka kyerɛ wo ho sɛ,
‘me ne no, na obiara nni hɔ sɛ me.
Merenyɛ okunafoɔ da
na merenni abawuo.’
9Saa nneɛma mmienu yi bɛto wo
prɛko pɛ, dakoro pɛ:
abawuo ne kunayɛ.
Saa nneɛma yi bɛba wo so pa ara,
wʼabayisɛm bebrebe yi
ne ntafowayie a emu yɛ den nyinaa akyi.
10Wode wo ho ato wʼamumuyɛ so
na waka sɛ, ‘Obiara nhunu me.’
Wo nyansa ne nimdeɛ ma wo fom kwan
ɛberɛ a woka kyerɛ wo ho sɛ,
‘Me ne no, obiara nni hɔ ka me ho.’
11Amanehunu bɛto wo,
na worenhunu ɛkwan ko a wobɛfa so ayi afiri hɔ.
Ɔhaw bi bɛba wo so
a worentumi mfa mpatadeɛ nyi mfiri hɔ;
atoyerɛnkyɛm a ɛnnaa ne ho adi nkyerɛɛ wo
bɛba wo so mpofirim.
12“Kɔ so yɛ wo ntafowayie
ne wʼabayisɛm bebrebe
a wode adi dwuma firi wo mmɔfraase no.
Ebia wobɛdi nkonim,
ebia wode ehu bɛba.
13Woabrɛ wɔ afotufoɔ bebrebe a woanya no mu!
Ma wo nsoromma ho anyansafoɔ mmra anim,
wɔn a wɔhwɛ nsoromma mu no ka deɛ ɛreba bosome biara mu no,
ma wɔnnnye wo mfiri deɛ ɛreba wo so no mu.
14Nokorɛm, wɔte sɛ nnyentia;
ogya bɛhye wɔn.
Na wɔntumi nnye wɔn ankasa ho
mfiri egyadɛreɛ ano den no ho.
Ogyasramma biara nni ha a ɛbɛka wo hye;
ogya biara nni ha a wɔbɛtena ho ato.
15Deɛ wɔbɛtumi ayɛ ama wo ara ne no,
yeinom na wo ne wɔn abrɛ
na wo ne wɔn anante firi mmɔfraase.
Wɔn mu biara afa ne kwan;
ɔbaako mpo nni hɔ a ɔbɛtumi agye woɔ.
