Judgment on Jerusalem’s Sins
1The word of the Lord came to me:
2“Son of man, will you judge her? Will you judge this city of bloodshed? Then confront her with all her detestable practices 3and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: You city that brings on herself doom by shedding blood in her midst and defiles herself by making idols, 4you have become guilty because of the blood you have shed and have become defiled by the idols you have made. You have brought your days to a close, and the end of your years has come. Therefore I will make you an object of scorn to the nations and a laughingstock to all the countries. 5Those who are near and those who are far away will mock you, you infamous city, full of turmoil.
6“ ‘See how each of the princes of Israel who are in you uses his power to shed blood. 7In you they have treated father and mother with contempt; in you they have oppressed the foreigner and mistreated the fatherless and the widow. 8You have despised my holy things and desecrated my Sabbaths. 9In you are slanderers who are bent on shedding blood; in you are those who eat at the mountain shrines and commit lewd acts. 10In you are those who dishonor their father’s bed; in you are those who violate women during their period, when they are ceremonially unclean. 11In you one man commits a detestable offense with his neighbor’s wife, another shamefully defiles his daughter-in-law, and another violates his sister, his own father’s daughter. 12In you are people who accept bribes to shed blood; you take interest and make a profit from the poor. You extort unjust gain from your neighbors. And you have forgotten me, declares the Sovereign Lord.
13“ ‘I will surely strike my hands together at the unjust gain you have made and at the blood you have shed in your midst. 14Will your courage endure or your hands be strong in the day I deal with you? I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it. 15I will disperse you among the nations and scatter you through the countries; and I will put an end to your uncleanness. 16When you have been defiled22:16 Or When I have allotted you your inheritance in the eyes of the nations, you will know that I am the Lord.’ ”
17Then the word of the Lord came to me: 18“Son of man, the people of Israel have become dross to me; all of them are the copper, tin, iron and lead left inside a furnace. They are but the dross of silver. 19Therefore this is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘Because you have all become dross, I will gather you into Jerusalem. 20As silver, copper, iron, lead and tin are gathered into a furnace to be melted with a fiery blast, so will I gather you in my anger and my wrath and put you inside the city and melt you. 21I will gather you and I will blow on you with my fiery wrath, and you will be melted inside her. 22As silver is melted in a furnace, so you will be melted inside her, and you will know that I the Lord have poured out my wrath on you.’ ”
23Again the word of the Lord came to me: 24“Son of man, say to the land, ‘You are a land that has not been cleansed or rained on in the day of wrath.’ 25There is a conspiracy of her princes22:25 Septuagint; Hebrew prophets within her like a roaring lion tearing its prey; they devour people, take treasures and precious things and make many widows within her. 26Her priests do violence to my law and profane my holy things; they do not distinguish between the holy and the common; they teach that there is no difference between the unclean and the clean; and they shut their eyes to the keeping of my Sabbaths, so that I am profaned among them. 27Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey; they shed blood and kill people to make unjust gain. 28Her prophets whitewash these deeds for them by false visions and lying divinations. They say, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says’—when the Lord has not spoken. 29The people of the land practice extortion and commit robbery; they oppress the poor and needy and mistreat the foreigner, denying them justice.
30“I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one. 31So I will pour out my wrath on them and consume them with my fiery anger, bringing down on their own heads all they have done, declares the Sovereign Lord.”
Yerusalem Nnebɔne
1Awurade asɛm baa me nkyɛn se:
2“Onipa ba, wubebu no atɛn ana? Wubebu saa mogyahwiegu kuropɔn yi atɛn ana? Ɛno de fa ne nneyɛe a ɛyɛ akyiwade no nyinaa si nʼanim 3na ka se: ‘Sɛɛ na Otumfo Awurade se: Wo kuropɔn a ɔnam mogyahwiegu so de nnome aba ne ho so na ɔde ahoni a ɔyɛ agu ne ho fi, 4woadi fɔ wɔ mogya a woahwie agu na woagu wo ho fi wɔ ahoni a woayɛ nti. Woama wo nna abɛn, na wo mfe awiei no aba. Enti mɛyɛ wo ahohorade wɔ amanaman no mu, ne akyiwade wɔ amantam no nyinaa mu. 5Wɔn a wɔbɛn ne wɔn a wɔwɔ akyirikyiri bedi wo ho fɛw, wo Kuropɔn a wunni anuonyam, na basabasayɛ ahyɛ no ma.
6“ ‘Hwɛ sɛnea Israel mmapɔmma a wɔwɔ wo mu no mu biara de ne tumi hwie mogya gu. 7Wɔabu agya ne ɛna animtiaa wɔ wo mu, wɔahyɛ ɔnanani so, na wɔatan ayisaa ne akunafo ani. 8Woabu mʼakronkronne animtiaa na woagu me homenna ho fi. 9Wo mu na mmarima ntwatosofo a wɔpɛ sɛ wohwie mogya gu wɔ, wɔn a wodidi wɔ sorɔnsorɔmmea abosonnan mu, na wɔyɛ ahohorade. 10Wo mu na wɔn a wogu wɔn agyanom mpa ho fi wɔ; wɔn a wɔne mmea a wɔabu wɔn nsa, na wɔn ho ntew da no wɔ wo mu. 11Wo mu na ɔbarima ne ne yɔnko yere yɛ bɔne a ɛyɛ akyiwade, ɔfoforo ne nʼasebea da wɔ animguase mu, na ɔfoforo ne ne nuabea da, ɔno ankasa nʼagya babea. 12Wo mu na nnipa gye adanmude ka mogya gu; wogye nsiho ne mfaso a ɛboro so fi wɔn mfɛfo nkyɛn de nya wɔn ho bebree. Na mo werɛ afi me, Otumfo Awurade na ose.
13“ ‘Ampa ara mɛbɔ me nsam agu wʼasisi ahonya ne mogya a woahwie agu no so. 14Wʼakokoduru betumi agyina anaasɛ wo nsa bɛyɛ den da a mene wo benya no ana? Me Awurade na akasa, na mɛyɛ. 15Mɛhwete wo mu agu amanaman no so, na mabɔ wo apansam amantam no mu; na mede wo afideyɛ aba nʼawie. 16Sɛ wogu wo ho fi wɔ amanaman no mu a, wubehu sɛ mene Awurade no.’ ”
17Afei, Awurade asɛm baa me nkyɛn se: 18“Onipa ba, Israelfi abɛyɛ dwetɛ ase fi ama me; wɔn nyinaa yɛ kɔbere, sanyaa, dade ne sumpii a wɔagyaw wɔ fononoo mu. Wɔyɛ dwetɛfi nko ara. 19Ɛno nti sɛɛ na Otumfo Awurade se: ‘Esiane sɛ mo nyinaa abɛyɛ dwetɛfi nti, mɛboaboa mo ano wɔ Yerusalem. 20Sɛnea nnipa boaboa dwetɛ, kɔbere, sumpii ne sanyaa ano hyɛ fononoo mu de ogyatannaa a ano yɛ den nan no, saa ara na mefi mʼabufuw ne mʼabufuwhyew mu aboaboa mo ano wɔ kuropɔn no mu na manan mo. 21Mɛboaboa mo ano na mahuw mʼabufuwhyew gya agu mo so, na moanan wɔ ne mu. 22Sɛnea wɔnan dwetɛ wɔ fononoo mu no, saa ara na mobɛnan wɔ ne mu na moahu sɛ me Awurade na mahwie mʼabufuwhyew agu mo so.’ ”
23Na Awurade asɛm baa me nkyɛn bio se: 24“Onipa ba, ka kyerɛ asase no se, ‘Woyɛ asase a wonnwiraa anaa osu ntɔɔ wo so wɔ abufuwhyew da no.’ 25Ne mmapɔmma abɔ pɔw bɔne wɔ ne mu te sɛ gyata a ɔbobɔ mu na ɔtetew ne hanam mu, wɔwe nnipa nam, wɔfa ademude ne nneɛma a ɛsom bo na wɔma akunafo dɔɔso wɔ ne mu. 26Nʼasɔfo bu me mmara so na wogu mʼakronkronne ho fi; wɔnnkyerɛ nsonoe a ɛda nea ɛyɛ kronkron ne nea ɛnyɛ kronkron ntam; wɔkyerɛkyerɛ sɛ nsonoe biara nna nea ɛho ntew ne nea ɛho tew ntam, na wobu wɔn ani gu me homennadi so, de gu me ho fi wɔ wɔn mu. 27Nʼadwumayɛfo te sɛ mpataku a wɔretetew wɔn hanam mu; wohwie mogya gu na wokum nnipa de pɛ mfaso bɔne. 28Nʼadiyifo nam atoro anisoadehu ne nkontompo nkɔmhyɛ so ma saa nnebɔne yi yɛ fitaa. Wɔka se, ‘Sɛɛ na Otumfo Awurade se,’ wɔ bere a Awurade nkasaa ɛ. 29Asase no so nnipa di amim na wɔbɔ korɔn; wɔhyɛ ahiafo ne mmɔborɔfo so, wonnye ahɔho ani na wɔde atɛntrenee kame wɔn.
30“Mehwehwɛɛ obi wɔ wɔn mu a ɔbɛto ɔfasu no na wagyina mʼanim wɔ asase no anan mu, sɛnea ɛbɛyɛ a merensɛe asase no, nanso manhu obiara. 31Ɛno nti, mehwie mʼabufuwhyew agu wɔn so, na mede mʼabufuw a ɛyɛ hu no atɔre wɔn ase, na mama nea wɔayɛ nyinaa abɔ wɔn ti so, Otumfo Awurade asɛm ni.”
