1 Kings 12
1 Rehoboam went to Shechem because that is where the whole of Israel had gone to make him king.
Rehoboam kɔɔ Sekem, efisɛ na Israelfo nyinaa akɔ hɔ sɛ wɔrekosi no hene.
2 Jeroboam, son of Nebat, was still in Egypt when he heard about this. (He had run away to Egypt to escape from King Solomon and was living there.)
Bere a Nebat babarima Yeroboam tee sɛ Salomo awu no, ofi Misraim bae, efisɛ oguan fii ɔhene Salomo nsam kɔtenaa Misraim.
3 The Israelite leaders sent for him. Jeroboam and the whole assembly of Israelites went to talk with Rehoboam.
Enti Israel mpanyimfo soma ma wɔkɔfaa Yeroboam, na Israel nnipadɔm no nyinaa kɔɔ Rehoboam nkyɛn, ne no kɔkasae se,
4 “Your father placed a heavy burden on us,” they told him. “But now if you lighten the load when we served your father and the heavy demands he put on us, we will serve you.”
“Wʼagya hyɛɛ yɛn ma yɛyɛɛ adwumaden. Yɛsrɛ wo, tew saa adwumaden ne sonkahiri adesoa duruduru a wʼagya de soaa yɛn no so. Woyɛ saa a, yɛbɛsom wo nokware mu.”
5 Rehoboam answered, “Go away and come back in three days time.” So the people left.
Rehoboam buae se, “Momma me nnansa na menwene mo asɛm yi ho. Ɛno akyi, mommra mmegye me mmuae.” Enti nnipa no san kɔe.
6 King Rehoboam asked for advice from the elders who had served his father Solomon when he was alive. “How do you advise me to reply to these people about this?” he asked.
Na Ɔhene Rehoboam kɔɔ ne mpanyimfo bi a na wotu nʼagya Salomo fo ne wɔn kosusuw asɛm no ho. Obisaa wɔn se, “Moka asɛm no ho dɛn? Mmuae bɛn na memfa mma saa nnipa yi?”
7 They replied, “If you are a servant to these people today, if you serve them and answer them, by speaking kindly to them, they will always serve you.”
Wobuaa no se, “Sɛ nnɛ yi, wopɛ sɛ woyɛ ɔsomfo ma saa nnipa yi, na woma wɔn mmuae pa a, ɛno de, daa wɔbɛsom wo nokware mu.”
8 But Rehoboam dismissed the advice of the elders. He instead asked advice from the young men who he had grown up with, and who were close to him.
Nanso Rehoboam amfa afotu a mpanyimfo no maa no no. Mmom, ɔkɔɔ nʼatipɛnfo mmabun bi a ɔne wɔn sii so a na wotu no fo no nkyɛn.
9 He asked them, “What response do you advise that we send back to these people who have told me, ‘Lighten the burden your father put on us’?”
Okobisaa wɔn se, “Mo nso, mo afotu ne dɛn? Mmuae bɛn na memfa mma saa nnipa a wɔpɛ sɛ metew adesoa duruduru a mʼagya de soaa wɔn no so?”
10 The young men who he had grown up with told him, “This is what you have to tell these people who said to you, ‘Your father made our burden heavy, but you should make it lighter.’ This is what you should answer them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father's waist!
Mmerante no buae se, “Asɛm a ɛsɛ sɛ woka kyerɛ wɔn ne se, ‘Me nsateaa ketewa no mu piw sen mʼagya asen mu. Na sɛ modwene sɛ na ɔyɛ den wɔ mo so a, montwɛn na mubehu sɛnea mete.’
11 My father placed a heavy burden on you, and I will make it even heavier. My father punished you with whips; I will punish you with scorpions.’”
Yiw, mʼagya yɛɛ den wɔ mo so, na mɛyɛ aboro saa. Mʼagya hwee mo mpire na me de, mede nkekantwɛre na ɛbɛhwe mo.”
12 Three days later, Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam, because the king had told them, “Come back in three days time.”
Nnansa akyi no, Yeroboam ne nnipa no nyinaa san baa sɛ wɔrebetie Rehoboam mmuae sɛnea ɔkae no.
13 The king answered the people sharply. Dismissing the advice of the elders,
Ɔhene no buaa nnipa no abufuw so. Wamfa mpanyimfo no afotu no;
14 he replied using the advice of the young men. He said, “My father placed a heavy burden on you, and I will make it even heavier. My father punished you with whips; I will punish you with scorpions.”
ɔfaa mmabun no afotu. Ɔka kyerɛɛ nnipa no se, “Mʼagya yɛɛ den wɔ mo so, na mɛyɛ aboro saa. Mʼagya hwee mo mpire na me de mede nkekantwɛre bɛkeka mo.”
15 The king did not listen to what the people said, for this change in circumstances was from the Lord, to fulfill what the Lord had told Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah the Shilonite.
Enti ɔhene no anyɛ nnipa no abisade no ho hwee. Saa nsɛm a esisii yi yɛ Onyankopɔn nhyehyɛe, efisɛ ɛmaa Awurade nkɔm a ɔnam odiyifo Ahiya a ofi Silo no hyɛɛ Nebat babarima Yeroboam no baa mu.
16 When all the Israelites saw that the king wasn't listening to them, they told the king: “What share do we have in David, and what part do we have in the son of Jesse? Go home, Israel! You're on your own, house of David!” So all the Israelites went home.
Bere a Israel nyinaa huu sɛ ɔhene anyɛ wɔn abisade amma wɔn no, wɔteɛteɛɛ mu se, “Yɛne Dawid nni hwee yɛ! Yɛne Yisai babarima no nni hwee yɛ! Israel, momma yɛnkɔ yɛn nkyi! Dawid, hwɛ wʼankasa wo fi so!” Enti Israelfo no san kɔɔ wɔn fi.
17 However, Rehoboam still ruled over the Israelites who lived in Judah.
Na Rehoboam kɔɔ so dii Israelfo a na wɔtete Yuda nkurow so no so hene.
18 Then King Rehoboam sent out Hadoram, who was in charge of forced labor, but the Israelites stoned him to death. King Rehoboam quickly jumped into his chariot and raced back to Jerusalem.
Ɔhene Rehoboam somaa Adoram a na ɔhwɛ adwumayɛfo so no sɛ ɔnkɔhwɛ mma ɔman no nyɛ dinn, nanso Israelfo no siw no abo kum no. Bere a ɔhene Rehoboam tee saa asɛm no, ntɛm ara, ohuruw tenaa ne teaseɛnam mu, guan kɔɔ Yerusalem.
19 As a result, Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.
Israel mmusuakuw a wɔwɔ atifi fam no ampene sɛ Dawid aseni biara bedi wɔn so, de besi nnɛ.
20 When all the Israelites heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent for him, summoning him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah was left to the house of David.
Bere a Israelfo tee sɛ Yeroboam fi Misraim asan aba no, wɔyɛɛ nhyiamu, sii no hene wɔ Israel nyinaa so. Enti Yuda abusuakuw no nko ara na wɔkae, som Dawid fi nokware mu.
21 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he gathered the men from the households of Judah and Benjamin— 180,000 chosen warriors—to go and fight against Israel to bring the kingdom back to Rehoboam, son of Solomon.
Bere a Rehoboam duu Yerusalem no, ɔboaboaa Yuda ne Benyamin asraafo ano. Oyii akofo mpem ɔha ne aduɔwɔtwe, sɛ wɔrekɔko atia Israel asraafo, na wɔafa ahemman no adi so.
22 But a message from the Lord came to Shemaiah the man of God that said,
Nanso Onyankopɔn ka kyerɛɛ Semaia, Onyankopɔn nipa no se,
23 “Tell Rehoboam, son of Solomon, king of Judah, to Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people:
“Ka kyerɛ Salomo babarima Rehoboam, Yudahene ne nnipa a wofi Yuda ne Benyamin se,
24 ‘This is what the Lord says. Don't fight against your Israelite relatives. Every one of you, go home! For it was me that made this happen.’” So they obeyed what the Lord told them and went home, as the Lord had said.
‘Sɛnea Awurade se ni, Mo ne mo nuanom Israelfo nntwa mo ho nko. Monsan nkɔ mo akyi, na nea asi no nyinaa fi me!’” Enti wotiee Awurade asɛm no, san kɔɔ wɔn fi sɛnea Awurade hyɛe no.
25 Jeroboam strengthened the town of Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. From there he went and built Penuel.
Yeroboam kyekyeree Sekem kurow wɔ Efraim bepɔw asase so ma ɛbɛyɛɛ ne kuropɔn. Akyiri no, ɔkɔkyekyeree kurow Penuel.
26 Jeroboam said to himself, “The kingdom could easily return to the house of David.
Yeroboam dwenee ho dinn, see ne koma mu se, “Sɛ manhwɛ yiye a, ahemman no bɛsan akɔ Dawid fifo adedifo nsam.
27 When people from here go to offer sacrifices at the Lord's Temple in Jerusalem, they will transfer their loyalty back to Rehoboam, king of Judah. Then they will kill me and go back to King Rehoboam.”
Na sɛ wɔkɔ Yerusalem, kɔbɔ afɔre wɔ Awurade Asɔredan mu nso a, wɔbɛsom Yudahene Rehoboam. Ɛba saa a, wobekum me, de ɔno mmom asi wɔn so hene.”
28 So after taking advice, the king had two golden calves made, and he told the people, “Don't bother going to Jerusalem any more. Look, Israel, here are your gods who led you out of the land of Egypt.”
Enti otiee nea nʼafotufo ka, na ɔyɛɛ sikakɔkɔɔ anantwi mma abien. Ɔka kyerɛɛ nnipa no se, “Ɛyɛ ɔbrɛ bebree sɛ mobɛforo akɔ Yerusalem akɔsom. Ɛno nti, Israel, eyinom ne anyame a woyii mo fii Misraim!”
29 He placed one in Bethel, and the other in Dan.
Ɔde nantwi mma ahoni yi sisii Israel anafo ne atifi, wɔ Bet-El ne Dan.
30 This action brought about sin, because the people went as far north as Dan to worship the idol there.
Eyi bɛyɛɛ bɔne kɛse, efisɛ nnipa no som ahoni no, a na mpo wotwa kwan kɔ Dan.
31 In addition Jeroboam had shrines built on high places and appointed as priests all kinds of people who were not Levites.
Yeroboam sisii abosonnan wɔ nkoko so, na ɔpaw asɔfo fii nnipa no mu a na womfi Lewi asɔfo abusua mu.
32 Jeroboam initiated a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, just like the festival held in Judah, and he offered sacrifices on the altar. He made this offering in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves he had made, and appointed priests in Bethel for the high places he had built.
Yeroboam hyehyɛɛ nyamesom dapɔnna wɔ Bet-El a na wodi saa nna no Bul ɔsram (bɛyɛ Ahinime) mu a na ɛte sɛ Yuda Guankɔbea Afahyɛ no ara. Bet-El hɔ na ɔno ankasa bɔɔ afɔre maa nantwimma ahoni a wayɛ no. Na Bet-El hɔ ara nso na ɔpaw asɔfo maa abosomfi a osisii no.
33 So on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a month he had chosen himself, Jeroboam offered sacrifices on the altar he had set up in Bethel. In this way he instituted a festival for the Israelites, offering sacrifices on the altar and burning incense.
Na ɔno ankasa yii da bi too hɔ, Bul ɔsram (bɛyɛ Ɔsannaa) mfimfini mu hɔ, na Yeroboam kɔbɔɔ afɔre wɔ afɔremuka so wɔ Bet-El. Ɔhyɛɛ anyamesom afahyɛ ase maa Israel, na ɔforo kɔɔ afɔremuka no so kɔhyew aduhuam.
