Jeremiah 29

1 Now these are the words of the letter which Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the responsible men among those who had been taken away, and to the priests and the prophets and to all the rest of the people whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken away prisoners from Jerusalem to Babylon;

Yei ne krataa mu nsɛm a odiyifoɔ Yeremia twerɛ firii Yerusalem kɔmaa nnommumfoɔ no mu mpanimfoɔ nkaeɛ, asɔfoɔ, adiyifoɔ ne nnipa a wɔaka nyinaa a Nebukadnessar afa wɔn nnommum afiri Yerusalem akɔ Babilonia.

2 (After Jeconiah the king and the queen-mother and the unsexed servants and the rulers of Judah and Jerusalem and the expert workmen and the metal-workers had gone away from Jerusalem; )

(Yei yɛ ɛberɛ a ɔhene Yehoiakin ne ɔhemmaa no, asɛnniiɛ adwumayɛfoɔ, Yuda ne Yerusalem ntuanofoɔ, adwumfoɔ ahodoɔ nyinaa afiri Yerusalem akɔ nnommumfa mu no akyi.)

3 By the hand of Elasah, the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah, the son of Hilkiah, (whom Zedekiah, king of Judah, sent to Babylon, to Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, ) saying,

Ɔde krataa no hyɛɛ Safan babarima Elasa ne Hilkia babarima Gemaria nsa, wɔn na Yudahene Sedekia somaa wɔn kɔɔ Ɔhene Nebukadnessar nkyɛn wɔ Babilonia. Krataa no mu nsɛm nie:

4 This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel, has said to all those whom I have taken away prisoners from Jerusalem to Babylon:

Yei ne deɛ Asafo Awurade, Israel Onyankopɔn, ka kyerɛ wɔn a mema wɔfaa wɔn nnommum firi Yerusalem kɔɔ Babilonia no nyinaa:

5 Go on building houses and living in them, and planting gardens and using the fruit of them;

“Monsisi afie, na momfa mmɔ atenaseɛ; monyɛ nturo na monni mu aba.

6 Take wives and have sons and daughters, and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, so that they may have sons and daughters; and be increased in number there and do not become less.

Monwareware, na monwowo mmammarima ne mmammaa. Monhwehwɛ yerenom mma mo mmammarima na momfa mo mmammaa nso mma awadeɛ, na wɔn nso nwowo mmammarima ne mmammaa. Monnɔre wɔ hɔ na mo so ante.

7 And be working for the peace of the land to which I have had you taken away prisoners, and make prayer to the Lord for it: for in its peace you will have peace.

Afei, monhwehwɛ kuropɔn a mema wɔtuu mo kɔtenaa so no asomdwoeɛ ne yiedie. Mommɔ Awurade mpaeɛ mma no, ɛfiri sɛ ne yiedie mu na mo nso mobɛdi yie.”

8 For this is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel, has said: Do not let yourselves be tricked by the prophets who are among you, and the readers of signs, and give no attention to their dreams which they may have;

Aane, yei ne deɛ Asafo Awurade, Israel Onyankopɔn seɛ: “Mommma adiyifoɔ ne nkɔmhyɛfoɔ a wɔwɔ mo mu no nnaadaa mo. Monntie wɔn adaeɛ a mohyɛ wɔn nkuran ma wɔsoso no.

9 For they are saying to you what is false in my name: I have not sent them, says the Lord.

Wɔhyɛ nkɔntorɔ wɔ me din mu. Mensomaa wɔn,” Awurade na ɔseɛ.

10 For this is what the Lord has said: When seventy years are ended for Babylon, I will have pity on you and give effect to my good purpose for you, causing you to come back to this place.

Deɛ Awurade seɛ nie: “Sɛ mosom Babilonia mfeɛ aduɔson a, mɛba abɛhwɛ mo na mɛma mʼadom mu bɔhyɛ sɛ mede mo bɛba ha bio no aba mu.

11 For I am conscious of my thoughts about you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you hope at the end.

Menim nhyehyɛeɛ a mewɔ ma mo,” Awurade na ɔseɛ, “Nhyehyɛeɛ a ɛde mo bɛsi yie na ɛrenha mo, nhyehyɛeɛ a ɛbɛma mo anidasoɔ ne awieeɛ pa.

12 And you will go on crying to me and making prayer to me, and I will give ear to you.

Afei mobɛfrɛ me na moaba abɛbɔ me mpaeɛ, na mɛtie mo.

13 And you will be searching for me and I will be there, when you have gone after me with all your heart.

Mobɛhwehwɛ me na mobɛhunu me, sɛ mode mo akoma nyinaa hwehwɛ me dea.

14 I will be near you again, says the Lord, and your fate will be changed, and I will get you together from all the nations and from all the places where I had sent you away, says the Lord; and I will take you back again to the place from which I sent you away prisoners.

Mobɛhunu me,” Awurade na ɔseɛ, “na mɛyi mo afiri nkoasom mu de mo asane aba. Mɛboaboa mo ano afiri amanaman ne beaeɛ a mepamoo mo kɔɔ so no nyinaa,” Awurade na ɔseɛ, “na mede mo bɛsane aba baabi a metuu mo firi kɔɔ nnommum mu no bio.”

15 For you have said, The Lord has given us prophets in Babylon.

Mobɛka sɛ, “Awurade ama yɛn adiyifoɔ wɔ Babilonia,”

16 For this is what the Lord has said about the king who is seated on the seat of David's kingdom, and about all the people living in this town, your countrymen who have not gone out with you as prisoners;

nanso, sei na Awurade ka fa ɔhene a ɔte Dawid ahennwa so ne nnipa a wɔaka wɔ kuropɔn no mu nyinaa, mo manfoɔ a wɔne mo ankɔ nnommumfa mu no,

17 This is what the Lord of armies has said: See, I will send on them the sword and need of food and disease, and will make them like bad figs, which are of no use for food, they are so bad.

aane, yei ne deɛ Asafo Awurade seɛ: “Mɛma akofena, ɛkɔm ne yaredɔm aba wɔn so, na wɔayɛ sɛ borɔdɔma a asɛeɛ enti wɔntumi nni.

18 I will go after them, attacking them with the sword and with need of food and with disease, and will make them a cause of fear to all the kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse and a wonder and a surprise and a name of shame among all the nations where I have sent them:

Mede akofena, ɛkɔm ne yaredɔm bɛti wɔn, na mɛyɛ wɔn atantanneɛ ama ahennie a ɛwɔ asase no so nyinaa, ne nnome ne ahodwiredeɛ, fɛdideɛ ne animtiabudeɛ wɔ amanaman a mepamoo wɔn kɔɔ so no mu.

19 Because they have not given ear to my words, says the Lord, when I sent to them my servants the prophets, getting up early and sending them; but you did not give ear, says the Lord.

Ɛfiri sɛ, wɔantie me nsɛm,” sei na Awurade seɛ, “nsɛm a mede somaa mʼasomfoɔ adiyifoɔ mpɛn bebree baa mo nkyɛn. Na mo nnommumfoɔ nso antie,” Awurade na ɔseɛ.

20 And now, give ear to the word of the Lord, all you whom I have sent away prisoners from Jerusalem to Babylon.

Afei montie Awurade asɛm, mo nnommumfoɔ a mama mo afiri Yerusalem akɔ Babilonia no nyinaa.

21 This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel, has said about Ahab, the son of Kolaiah, and about Zedekiah, the son of Maaseiah, who are saying to you what is false in my name: See, I will give them up into the hands of Nebuchadrezzar, king of Babylon, and he will put them to death before your eyes.

Yei ne deɛ Asafo Awurade, Israel Onyankopɔn ka fa Kolaia babarima Ahab ne Maaseia babarima Sedekia a wɔde me din rehyɛ mo nkɔmtorɔ no ho nie: “Mede wɔn bɛhyɛ Babiloniahene Nebukadnessar nsa, na wakum wɔn wɔ mo anim.

22 And their fate will be used as a curse by all the prisoners of Judah who are in Babylon, who will say, May the Lord make you like Zedekiah and like Ahab, who were burned in the fire by the king of Babylon;

Esiane wɔn enti, Yuda nnommumfoɔ a wɔwɔ Babilonia nyinaa de saa nnome yi bɛdome sɛ: ‘Awurade nyɛ wo sɛ, Sedekia ne Ahab a Babiloniahene hyee wɔn wɔ ogya mu no.’

23 Because they have done shame in Israel, and have taken their neighbours' wives, and in my name have said false words, which I did not give them orders to say; and I myself am the witness, says the Lord.

Na wɔayɛ akyiwadeɛ a ɛboro so wɔ Israel: wɔne wɔn yɔnkonom yerenom adeda de asɛe awadeɛ, na wɔde me din adi atorɔ a mennka nkyerɛɛ wɔn sɛ wɔnyɛ. Menim na medi ho adanseɛ,” Awurade na ɔseɛ.

24 About Shemaiah the Nehelamite.

Ka kyerɛ Nehelamni Semaia sɛ,

25 Shemaiah the Nehelamite sent a letter in his name to Zephaniah, the son of Maaseiah the priest, saying,

“Yei ne deɛ Asafo Awurade, Israel Onyankopɔn seɛ: Watwerɛ krataa wɔ wo din mu akɔma nnipa a wɔwɔ Yerusalem nyinaa, ɔsɔfoɔ Maaseia babarima Sefania, ne asɔfoɔ a aka no nyinaa. Woka kyerɛɛ Sefania sɛ,

26 The Lord has made you priest in place of Jehoiada the priest, to be an overseer in the house of the Lord for every man who is off his head and is acting as a prophet, to put such men in prison and in chains.

‘Awurade ahyɛ wo ɔsɔfoɔ asi Yehoiada anan mu sɛ hwɛ Awurade efie no so; Ɛsɛ sɛ wode nkɔnsɔnkɔnsɔn ne dadeɛ kɔnnua gu obiara a wabɔ dam na ɔyɛ ne ho sɛ odiyifoɔ.

27 So why have you made no protest against Jeremiah of Anathoth, who is acting as a prophet to you?

Afei adɛn enti na wontwi Yeremia a ɔfiri Anatot a ɔyɛ ne ho sɛ odiyifoɔ wɔ mo mu no anim?

28 For he has sent to us in Babylon saying, The time will be long: go on building houses and living in them, and planting gardens and using the fruit of them.

Ɔde saa nkra yi abrɛ yɛn wɔ Babilonia: Ɛbɛkyɛ. Ɛno enti monsisi afie mfa mmɔ atenaseɛ; monyɛ nturo na monni emu aba.’”

29 And Zephaniah the priest made clear to Jeremiah the prophet what was said in the letter, reading it to him.

Ɔsɔfoɔ Sefania kenkanee krataa no kyerɛɛ odiyifoɔ Yeremia.

30 Then the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, saying,

Na Awurade asɛm baa Yeremia nkyɛn sɛ,

31 Send to all those who have been taken away, saying, This is what the Lord has said about Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah has been acting as a prophet to you, and I did not send him, and has made you put your faith in what is false;

“Fa saa nkra yi kɔma nnommumfoɔ no nyinaa sɛ, ‘Yei ne deɛ Awurade ka fa Nehelamni Semaia ho: Esiane sɛ wahyɛ mo nkɔm a mpo mansoma no, na wama moagye atorɔ adi enti,

32 For this cause the Lord has said, Truly I will send punishment on Shemaiah and on his seed; not a man of his family will have a place among this people, and he will not see the good which I am going to do to my people, says the Lord: because he has said words against the Lord.

deɛ Awurade seɛ nie: Nokorɛm, mɛtwe Nehelamni Semaia ne nʼasefoɔ aso. Ɔrennya obiara a ɔbɛka wɔ saa nkurɔfoɔ yi mu, na ɔrenhunu nneɛma pa a mɛyɛ ama me nkurɔfoɔ, ɛfiri sɛ waka atuateɛ nsɛm atia me,’” Awurade na ɔseɛ.