The Charge Against Israel
1Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites,
because the Lord has a charge to bring
against you who live in the land:
“There is no faithfulness, no love,
no acknowledgment of God in the land.
2There is only cursing,4:2 That is, to pronounce a curse on lying and murder,
stealing and adultery;
they break all bounds,
and bloodshed follows bloodshed.
3Because of this the land dries up,
and all who live in it waste away;
the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky
and the fish in the sea are swept away.
4“But let no one bring a charge,
let no one accuse another,
for your people are like those
who bring charges against a priest.
5You stumble day and night,
and the prophets stumble with you.
So I will destroy your mother—
6my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.
“Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also reject you as my priests;
because you have ignored the law of your God,
I also will ignore your children.
7The more priests there were,
the more they sinned against me;
they exchanged their glorious God4:7 Syriac (see also an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition); Masoretic Text me; / I will exchange their glory for something disgraceful.
8They feed on the sins of my people
and relish their wickedness.
9And it will be: Like people, like priests.
I will punish both of them for their ways
and repay them for their deeds.
10“They will eat but not have enough;
they will engage in prostitution but not flourish,
because they have deserted the Lord
to give themselves 11to prostitution;
old wine and new wine
take away their understanding.
12My people consult a wooden idol,
and a diviner’s rod speaks to them.
A spirit of prostitution leads them astray;
they are unfaithful to their God.
13They sacrifice on the mountaintops
and burn offerings on the hills,
under oak, poplar and terebinth,
where the shade is pleasant.
Therefore your daughters turn to prostitution
and your daughters-in-law to adultery.
14“I will not punish your daughters
when they turn to prostitution,
nor your daughters-in-law
when they commit adultery,
because the men themselves consort with harlots
and sacrifice with shrine prostitutes—
a people without understanding will come to ruin!
15“Though you, Israel, commit adultery,
do not let Judah become guilty.
“Do not go to Gilgal;
do not go up to Beth Aven.4:15 Beth Aven means house of wickedness (a derogatory name for Bethel, which means house of God).
And do not swear, ‘As surely as the Lord lives!’
16The Israelites are stubborn,
like a stubborn heifer.
How then can the Lord pasture them
like lambs in a meadow?
17Ephraim is joined to idols;
leave him alone!
18Even when their drinks are gone,
they continue their prostitution;
their rulers dearly love shameful ways.
19A whirlwind will sweep them away,
and their sacrifices will bring them shame.
Wɔbɔ Israel Kwaadu
1Montie Awurade asɛm, mo Israelfoɔ
ɛfiri sɛ Awurade wɔ kwaadu de bɔ
mo a mote asase no so:
“Nokorɛ, ɔdɔ, anaa Onyankopɔn ho nimdeɛ nni asase no so.
2Nnome nko ara, atorɔtwa ne awudie,
korɔnobɔ, ne awaresɛeɛ
na moyɛ ma ɛtra so,
na mogyahwiegu ba ntoasoɔ ntoasoɔ.
3Yei enti asase no di awerɛhoɔ
na wɔn a ɛte so nyinaa wuwu;
ewiram mmoa, ewiem nnomaa
ne ɛpo mu nam rewuwu.
4“Mma obiara mmɔ kwaadu,
mma obiara mmɔ ɔfoforɔ soboɔ.
Na mmom, mo asɔfoɔ
mo na me ne mo anya.
5Mosunti awia ne anadwo,
na adiyifoɔ no ne mo sunti.
Ɛno enti mɛsɛe mo ɔman.
6Nimdeɛ a me nkurɔfoɔ nni enti wɔresɛe.
“Sɛ moapo nimdeɛ enti,
me nso mapo mo sɛ mʼasɔfoɔ;
sɛ moabu moani agu mo Onyankopɔn mmara so enti,
me nso mabu mʼani agu mo mma so.
7Asɔfoɔ no redɔɔso no
na bɔne a ɛboro soɔ na wɔyɛ tia me.
Wɔde wɔn Animuonyam asesa deɛ ɛyɛ animguaseɛ.
8Wɔdidi me nkurɔfoɔ bɔne ho
ɛno enti wɔn ani gye atirimuɔdensɛm ho.
9Sɛdeɛ nnipa no teɛ no, saa ara na asɔfoɔ no nso teɛ.
Metwe wɔn mmienu aso wɔ wɔn akwan ho
na matua wɔn wɔn nneyɛeɛ so ka.
10“Wɔbɛdidi, nanso wɔremmee.
Wɔbɛbɔ adwaman, nanso wɔrennɔre,
ɛfiri sɛ, wɔagya Awurade hɔ,
de wɔn ho ama 11adwamammɔ,
nsã dada ne foforɔ,
a ɛma me nkurɔfoɔ
12nteaseɛ tu yera.
Wɔkɔ abisa wɔ ahoni a wɔde nnua asene nkyɛn
na duasin bi ama wɔn mmuaeɛ.
Adwamammɔ honhom rema wɔn ayera ɛkwan;
wɔnni wɔn Onyankopɔn nokorɛ.
13Wɔbɔ afɔdeɛ wɔ mmepɔ atifi
na wɔhye afɔrebɔdeɛ wɔ nkokoɔ so:
odum, duafufuo ne odupɔn ase,
deɛ onwunu yɛ fɔmm hɔ.
Ɛno enti, wo mmammaa dane adwamammɔfoɔ
na mo nsenom mmaa nso yɛ awaresɛefoɔ.
14“Merentwe mo mmammaa aso
sɛ wɔadane adwamanfoɔ,
anaa mo nsenom mmaa aso
sɛ wɔasɛe awadeɛ.
Ɛfiri sɛ, mo mmarima, mo nso mote saa ara.
Mo ne baasifoɔ ne abosomfieso adwamanfoɔ
di hwebom.
Nnipa a wɔnni nteaseɛ bɛkɔ ɔsɛeɛ mu!
15“Ɛwom sɛ woyɛ ɔwaresɛefoɔ deɛ, Ao Israel,
nanso, mma Yuda nni ho fɔ.
“Nkɔ Gilgal;
na ɛmforo nkɔ Bet Awen.
Na nnka ntam sɛ, ‘Sɛ Awurade te ase yi!’
16Israelfoɔ yɛ asoɔdenfoɔ
te sɛ, nantwie ba a ɔyɛ asowuiɛ
ɛbɛyɛ dɛn na Awurade ahwɛ wɔn so
sɛ nnwammaa a wɔwɔ adidibea?
17Efraim de ne ho abɔ ahoni;
Gyaa no!
18Sɛ wɔn nsã sa koraa a,
wɔtoa wɔn adwamammɔ so;
wɔn sodifoɔ ani gye aniwudeɛ ho yie.
19Ntwaho mframa bɛpra wɔn akɔ,
na wɔn afɔrebɔ de animguaseɛ bɛbrɛ wɔn.
