Day of Disaster
1Then the word of the Lord came to me: 2“You must not marry and have sons or daughters in this place.” 3For this is what the Lord says about the sons and daughters born in this land and about the women who are their mothers and the men who are their fathers: 4“They will die of deadly diseases. They will not be mourned or buried but will be like dung lying on the ground. They will perish by sword and famine, and their dead bodies will become food for the birds and the wild animals.”
5For this is what the Lord says: “Do not enter a house where there is a funeral meal; do not go to mourn or show sympathy, because I have withdrawn my blessing, my love and my pity from this people,” declares the Lord. 6“Both high and low will die in this land. They will not be buried or mourned, and no one will cut themselves or shave their head for the dead. 7No one will offer food to comfort those who mourn for the dead—not even for a father or a mother—nor will anyone give them a drink to console them.
8“And do not enter a house where there is feasting and sit down to eat and drink. 9For this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Before your eyes and in your days I will bring an end to the sounds of joy and gladness and to the voices of bride and bridegroom in this place.
10“When you tell these people all this and they ask you, ‘Why has the Lord decreed such a great disaster against us? What wrong have we done? What sin have we committed against the Lord our God?’ 11then say to them, ‘It is because your ancestors forsook me,’ declares the Lord, ‘and followed other gods and served and worshiped them. They forsook me and did not keep my law. 12But you have behaved more wickedly than your ancestors. See how all of you are following the stubbornness of your evil hearts instead of obeying me. 13So I will throw you out of this land into a land neither you nor your ancestors have known, and there you will serve other gods day and night, for I will show you no favor.’
14“However, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when it will no longer be said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of Egypt,’ 15but it will be said, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, who brought the Israelites up out of the land of the north and out of all the countries where he had banished them.’ For I will restore them to the land I gave their ancestors.
16“But now I will send for many fishermen,” declares the Lord, “and they will catch them. After that I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them down on every mountain and hill and from the crevices of the rocks. 17My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from me, nor is their sin concealed from my eyes. 18I will repay them double for their wickedness and their sin, because they have defiled my land with the lifeless forms of their vile images and have filled my inheritance with their detestable idols.”
19Lord, my strength and my fortress,
my refuge in time of distress,
to you the nations will come
from the ends of the earth and say,
“Our ancestors possessed nothing but false gods,
worthless idols that did them no good.
20Do people make their own gods?
Yes, but they are not gods!”
21“Therefore I will teach them—
this time I will teach them
my power and might.
Then they will know
that my name is the Lord.
Amanehunu Da
1Afei Awurade asɛm baa me nkyɛn se: 2“Ɛnsɛ sɛ woware na wowo mmabarima anaa mmabea wɔ ha.” 3Sɛɛ na Awurade ka fa mmabarima ne mmabea a wɔwo wɔn asase yi so; mmea a wɔyɛ wɔn nanom ne mmarima a wɔyɛ wɔn agyanom no ho: 4“Owuyare bekunkum wɔn. Wɔrensu wɔn na wɔrensie wɔn, mmom wɔbɛyɛ sɛ sumina a egugu fam. Wɔbɛtotɔ afoa ano na ɔkɔm bekunkum wɔn na wɔn afunu bɛyɛ aduan ama wim nnomaa ne asase so mmoa.”
5“Nhyɛn ofi a ayiyɛ aponto wo mu; nkosu wɔn abia, na mma wɔn hyɛden, efisɛ mayi me nhyira, me dɔ ne mʼahummɔbɔ afi saa nnipa yi so,” Awurade na ose. 6Atitiriw ne mpapahwekwa bewuwu wɔ asase yi so. Wɔrensie wɔn na wɔrensu wɔn na obiara remmɔ ne ho kam, na ɔrenyi ne ti wɔ wɔn nti. 7Obiara remma wɔn a wodi awufo no ho awerɛhow no aduan mfa nkyekye wɔn werɛ, owufo no agya anaa ne na mpo, obiara remma wɔn nsa mfa nkyekye wɔn werɛ.
8“Na nhyɛn ofi a aponto kɔ so wɔ mu nkɔtena ase, nnidi na nnom. 9Na sɛɛ na Awurade Tumfo, Israel Nyankopɔn no se: Wo nkwanna mu a wʼani tua no, mede ahosɛpɛw ne anigye nnyigyei, ayeforokunu ne ayeforo ahosɛpɛw nne a ɛwɔ ha no bɛba awiei.
10“Sɛ woka eyinom nyinaa kyerɛ saa nnipa yi na wobisa wo se, ‘Adɛn nti na Awurade abɔ atoyerɛnkyɛm a ɛyɛ hu sɛɛ atia yɛn? Dɛn mfomso na yɛayɛ? Bɔne bɛn na yɛayɛ atia Awurade, yɛn Nyankopɔn’ a, 11ɛno de ka kyerɛ wɔn se, ‘Efisɛ mo agyanom gyaw me hɔ kodii anyame foforo akyi, kɔsom wɔn sɔree wɔn, Awurade asɛm ni. Wogyaw me na wɔanni me mmara so. 12Na mo de, moayɛ amumɔyɛsɛm asen mo agyanom. Monhwɛ sɛnea mo mu biara di ne koma bɔne asoɔden akyi wɔ bere a anka ɛsɛ sɛ ɔyɛ osetie ma me. 13Ɛno nti, metu mo afi saa asase yi so de mo akɔ asase a, mo anaasɛ mo agyanom nnim so, na mobɛsom anyame foforo wɔ hɔ awia ne anadwo, na merenhu mo mmɔbɔ.’
14“Nanso nna no reba,” Awurade na ose, “a nnipa renka bio se, ‘Sɛ Awurade te ase yi, nea oyii Israelfo fii Misraim,’ 15mmom, wɔbɛka se, ‘Sɛ Awurade te ase yi nea oyii Israelfo fii atifi fam asase ne aman a otuu wɔn kɔɔ so nyinaa.’ Efisɛ mɛsan de wɔn aba asase a mede maa wɔn tete agyanom no no so.
16“Na mprempren, mɛsoma apopofo bebree a wɔbɛkyere wɔn.” Awurade na ose. “Ɛno akyi, mɛsoma akɔfa abɔmmɔfo bebree a wɔbɛtaataa wɔn wɔ mmepɔw ne nkoko nyinaa so ne abotan atokuru mu. 17Mʼani tua wɔn akwan nyinaa; enhintaw me, na wɔn bɔne nso nhintaw wɔ mʼani so. 18Metua wɔn amumɔyɛ ne wɔn bɔne so ka mprenu, efisɛ wɔde aniwude nsɛsode a enni nkwa ne wɔn ahoni a ɛyɛ akyiwade abɛhyɛ mʼagyapade so ma de agu mʼasase ho fi.”
19Awurade, mʼahoɔden ne mʼabandennen,
mʼahohia mu guankɔbea,
wo nkyɛn na amanaman no bɛba;
wobefi nsase ano aka se,
“Yɛn agyanom annya biribiara sɛ anyame huhuw,
ahoni a wɔn so nni mfaso na wɔammoa wɔn.
20Nnipa yɛ wɔn ankasa anyame ana?
Yiw, nanso wɔnyɛ nokware anyame!”
21“Ɛno nti mɛkyerɛkyerɛ wɔn,
saa bere yi nea mɛkyerɛ wɔn,
me tumi ne mʼahoɔden.
Afei wobehu sɛ
me din ne Awurade.
