< Exodus 5 >
1 And after that, Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh, and said, The Lord, the God of Israel, says, Let my people go so that they may keep a feast to me in the waste land.
Mose ne Aaron yɛɛ anwanwadeɛ yi kyerɛɛ mpanimfoɔ no wieeɛ no, wɔkɔhunuu Farao. Wɔka kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Awurade, Israel Onyankopɔn se yɛmmɛka asɛm bi nkyerɛ wo. Ɔse, ‘Ma me nkurɔfoɔ mfiri ha nkɔ ɛserɛ so nkɔbɔ afahyɛdwa kronkron wɔ hɔ mfa nsɔre me.’”
2 And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord, to whose voice I am to give ear and let Israel go? I have no knowledge of the Lord and I will not let Israel go.
Farao bisaa sɛ, “Ampa? Na hwan ne Awurade a ɛsɛ sɛ metie no na mema Israelfoɔ no kɔ? Mennim Awurade biara enti meremma Israelfoɔ no nkɔ.”
3 And they said, The God of the Hebrews has come to us: let us then go three days' journey into the waste land to make an offering to the Lord our God, so that he may not send death on us by disease or the sword.
Nanso, Aaron ne Mose tii mu bio sɛ, “Hebri Onyankopɔn ne yɛn ahyia. Ɛsɛ sɛ yɛtu nnansa ɛkwan kɔ ɛserɛ so kɔbɔ afɔdeɛ wɔ hɔ de ma Awurade, yɛn Onyankopɔn. Na sɛ yɛantie no a, ɔyaredɔm anaa sekan ano na yɛbɛwuwuo.”
4 And the king of Egypt said to them, Why do you, Moses and Aaron, take the people away from their work? get back to your work.
Farao bisaa sɛ, “Mose ne Aaron, adɛn enti na morema nkurɔfoɔ no agyae wɔn nnwuma? Monkɔ mo nnwuma so ntɛm!”
5 And Pharaoh said, Truly, the people of the land are increasing in number, and you are keeping them back from their work.
Farao toaa so sɛ, “Seesei, saa nnipa no dɔɔso sene ɔmanfoɔ no, nanso mopɛ sɛ moma ahɔhoɔ no gyae adwumayɛ.”
6 The same day Pharaoh gave orders to the overseers and those who were responsible for the work, saying,
Ɛda no ara, Farao somaa nnipa maa wɔkɔka kyerɛɛ wɔn a wɔhwɛ Israelfoɔ no so no sɛ,
7 Give these men no more dry stems for their brick-making as you have been doing; let them go and get the material for themselves.
“Mommma nnipa no ɛserɛ a wɔde bɛyɛ ntayaa no bio! Momma wɔn ankasa nkɔtwa ɛserɛ no.
8 But see that they make the same number of bricks as before, and no less: for they have no love for work; and so they are crying out and saying, Let us go and make an offering to our God.
Afei, ntayaa dodoɔ a wɔtwa no nso, monnte so baako koraa, ɛfiri sɛ, asɛm a wɔaka no da no adi pefee sɛ, wɔyɛ akwadwofoɔ enti na wɔreka sɛ wɔrekɔ ɛserɛ so akɔbɔ wɔn Awurade afɔdeɛ no.
9 Give the men harder work, and see that they do it; let them not give attention to false words.
Momma wɔn adwuma no mu nyɛ den, na ɛmmee wɔn na wɔankɔtie atosɛm biara.”
10 And the overseers of the people and their responsible men went out and said to the people, Pharaoh says, I will give you no more dry stems.
Enti, adwumasohwɛfoɔ ne wɔn akwankyerɛfoɔ no ka kyerɛɛ Hebrifoɔ no sɛ, “Farao aka akyerɛ yɛn sɛ yɛmmma mo ɛserɛ bio.
11 Go yourselves and get dry stems wherever you are able; for your work is not to be any less.
Mo ara monkɔkyini nhwehwɛ bi, nanso ntayaa a motwa no, montwa dodoɔ saa ara.”
12 So the people were sent in all directions through the land of Egypt to get dry grass for stems.
Enti, Hebrifoɔ kyinkyinii Misraim asase so nyinaa sɛ wɔrekɔhwehwɛ ɛserɛ no bi.
13 And the overseers went on driving them and saying, Do your full day's work as before when there were dry stems for you.
Adwumasohwɛfoɔ no hyɛɛ wɔn atirimuɔden so sɛ, “Montwa ntayaa dodoɔ sɛdeɛ na motwa no.”
14 And the responsible men of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh's overseers had put over them, were given blows, and they said to them, Why have you not done your regular work, in making bricks as before?
Afei, Misraimfoɔ adwumasohwɛfoɔ no kaa Hebrifoɔ mpanimfoɔ a wɔde wɔn atuatua adwuma no ano sɛ akwankyerɛfoɔ no mmaa, bisaa wɔn sɛ, “Adɛn enti na moanwie ntayaa a wɔahyɛ sɛ montwa no nnora ne ɛnnɛ no nyinaa sɛdeɛ na moyɛ kane no?”
15 Then the responsible men of the children of Israel came to Pharaoh, protesting and saying, Why are you acting in this way to your servants?
Mpanimfoɔ yi kɔɔ Farao nkyɛn kɔsrɛɛ no sɛ, “Yɛsrɛ wo, nha yɛn saa,
16 They give us no dry stems and they say to us, Make bricks: and they give your servants blows; but it is your people who are in the wrong.
ɛfiri sɛ, wɔmma yɛn ɛserɛ nso wɔhyɛ yɛn sɛ yɛntwa ntayaa dodoɔ sɛdeɛ na yɛtwa no. Wɔka yɛn mmaa ɛberɛ a yɛnyɛɛ mfomsoɔ biara. Mfomsoɔ no mfiri yɛn. Ɛfiri adwumasohwɛfoɔ no, ɛfiri sɛ, wɔhyɛ yɛn sɛ yɛnyɛ adwuma a ɛboro yɛn ahoɔden so.”
17 But he said, You have no love for work: that is why you say, Let us go and make an offering to the Lord.
Nanso, Farao buaa sɛ, “Monni dwuma bi di, na sɛ mowɔ dwuma bi di a, anka morenka sɛ, ‘Momma yɛnkɔbɔ afɔdeɛ mma Awurade.’
18 Go now, get back to your work; no dry stems will be given to you, but you are to make the full number of bricks.
Monsane nkɔyɛ adwuma ntɛm. Obiara remma mo ɛserɛ, nanso ntayaa dodoɔ a motwa no daa no, saa ara na mobɛtwa.”
19 Then the responsible men of the children of Israel saw that they were purposing evil when they said, The number of bricks which you have to make every day will be no less than before.
Ɛberɛ a wɔka kyerɛɛ Israelfoɔ mpanimfoɔ a wɔdi adwuma no anim sɛ akwankyerɛfoɔ no sɛ ɛsɛ sɛ wɔtwa ntayaa no dodoɔ sɛdeɛ wɔyɛ daa no, wɔhunuu sɛ ahokyere aba.
20 And they came face to face with Moses and Aaron, who were in their way when they came out from Pharaoh:
Ɛberɛ a wɔfiri Farao anim baeɛ a wɔhunuu sɛ Mose ne Aaron retwɛn wɔn wɔ ahemfie no ho no,
21 And they said to them, May the Lord take note of you and be your judge; for you have given Pharaoh and his servants a bad opinion of us, putting a sword in their hands for our destruction.
wɔka kyerɛɛ wɔn sɛ, “Awurade mmu mo atɛn sɛ moama Farao ne ne nkurɔfoɔ anya yɛn ho menasepɔ, na enti wama wɔn ɛkwan sɛ wɔnkum yɛn.”
22 And Moses went back to the Lord and said, Lord, why have you done evil to this people? why have you sent me?
Asɛm yi maa Mose kɔɔ Awurade nkyɛn kɔka kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Awurade, adɛn enti na woma wo manfoɔ brɛ saa? Sɛ wonim sɛ wobɛyɛ wɔn saa a, adɛn enti na wosomaa me?
23 For from the time when I came to Pharaoh to put your words before him, he has done evil to this people, and you have given them no help.
Ɛfiri ɛberɛ a mekɔkaa wo nkra no kyerɛɛ Farao no, tan ara na ɔretan wɔn ani, nanso wonnyee wɔn ɛkwan biara so!”