Jeremiah 9
1 How I wish my head was a spring of water, and my eyes a fountain of tears! Then I would weep day and night over all my people who have been killed.
Ao, sɛ me etiri yɛ asutire, na mʼaniwa yɛ nisuo abura a, anka mɛsu awia ne anadwo ama me nkurɔfoɔ a wɔakunkum wɔn no.
2 I wish I had a temporary shelter in the desert—I would give up on my people and leave them, because they're all adulterers, a bunch of traitors!
Ao, sɛ mewɔ akwantufoɔ asoeɛ wɔ anweatam no so a, anka mɛgya me nkurɔfoɔ hɔ na mafiri wɔn nkyɛn; ɛfiri sɛ wɔn nyinaa yɛ awaresɛefoɔ, nnipa kuo a wɔnni nokorɛ.
3 Their words are like arrows shot from a bow. Lies win out over the truth throughout the country. They go from one evil thing to the next, forgetting all about me, declares the Lord.
“Wɔsiesie wɔn tɛkrɛma te sɛ agyan de di atorɔ; Ɛnyɛ nokorɛ so na wɔnam di yie wɔ asase yi so. Wɔyɛ bɔne toatoa so; na wɔnnye me nto mu,” Awurade na ɔseɛ.
4 Everyone, watch out for your friends! Don't even trust your brother! Every brother is deceitful, and every friend slanders other people.
“Monhwɛ yie wɔ mo nnamfonom ho; monnnye mo nuammarima mpo nni. Ɛfiri sɛ onuabarima biara yɛ ɔdaadaafoɔ, na adamfo biara yɛ osekuni.
5 Everyone betrays their friends; no one tells the truth. They've made themselves into expert liars; they tire themselves out doing wrong.
Adamfo daadaa adamfo, na wɔn mu biara nka nokorɛ. Wɔn tɛkrɛma akokwa atorodie mu, na wɔde bɔneyɛ ha wɔn ho.
6 Everyone exploits each other, and in all their lies they don't want to know me, declares the Lord.
Wote nnaadaa mfimfini; na wɔn nnaadaa mu wɔmpɛ sɛ wɔgye me to mu,” sɛdeɛ Awurade seɛ nie.
7 So this is what the Lord Almighty says: Look, I'm going to test them and purify them like metal in a furnace. What else can I do because of what my people have done?
Ɛno enti, sei na Asafo Awurade seɛ, “Hwɛ, mɛnane wɔn asɔ wɔn ahwɛ, na ɛdeɛn bio na mɛtumi ayɛ ɛsiane me nkurɔfoɔ yi bɔne nti?
8 Their words are arrows that kill; they always tell lies. They're nice to their friends on the outside while plotting against them inside.
Wɔn tɛkrɛma yɛ agyan a ano wɔ borɔ; ɛka nnaadaasɛm. Obiara kasa asomdwoeɛ mu kyerɛ ne yɔnko, nanso nʼakoma mu deɛ, ɔsum no afidie.
9 Shouldn't I punish them for all this? declares the Lord. Shouldn't I retaliate for what this nation has done?
Ɛnsɛ sɛ metwe wɔn aso wɔ yei ho?” Sei na Awurade seɛ. “Ɛnsɛ sɛ mʼankasa metɔ ɔman a ɛte sei so awere anaa?”
10 I will weep and wail for the mountains, I will sing a funeral song over the pastures in the countryside, because they have been so badly burned that no one can pass through, and there are no cattle to make any noise. The birds have flown and the wild animals have run away.
Mɛsu na mɛtwa adwo ama mmepɔ no, mɛbɔ abubuo a ɛfa anweatam adidibea ho. Ayɛ fo na obi mfa hɔ bio, na wɔnte anantwie su wɔ hɔ. Ewiem nnomaa no atutu kɔ na mmoa no nso adwane kɔ.
11 I'm going to make Jerusalem into a heap of rubble, a place where jackals live. I will destroy the towns of Judah, leaving them empty.
“Mɛyɛ Yerusalem mmubuiɛ sie, sakraman atuo; na mɛma Yuda nkuro ada mpan sɛdeɛ obiara ntumi ntena hɔ.”
12 Who is wise enough to understand this? Has the Lord told anyone so they can explain what's happened? Why has the land been destroyed and burned so it's like a desert, so no one can pass through it?
Onipa bɛn na ɔnim nyansa ara sɛ ɔbɛte yei ase? Hwan na Awurade akyerɛkyerɛ no a ɔbɛtumi akyerɛ aseɛ? Adɛn enti na wɔasɛe asase no ama ada mpan sɛ anweatam a obiara ntumi mfa soɔ?
13 The Lord replied, It's because they have given up keeping my laws that I placed before them. They haven't followed them; they haven't done what I told them.
Awurade kaa sɛ, “Esiane sɛ wɔapo me mmara a mehyɛ maa wɔn no enti, wɔanyɛ ɔsetie amma me na wɔanni me mmara so.
14 On the contrary, they have followed their own stubborn way of thinking, and went to worship the Baals, just as their forefathers taught them.
Mmom, wɔadi wɔn akoma asoɔden akyi, wɔadi Baalnom akyi sɛdeɛ wɔn agyanom kyerɛɛ wɔn no.”
15 So this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Watch out! I will give these people wormwood to eat and poisoned water to drink.
Ɛno enti, deɛ Asafo Awurade, Israel Onyankopɔn no seɛ nie: “Hwɛ, mɛma saa nnipa yi adi aduane a ɛyɛ nwono na wɔanom nsuo a wɔde awuduro afra.
16 I'm about to scatter them among nations unfamiliar to them and their forefathers, and I will send enemies with swords to chase after them until I have wiped them out.
Mɛbɔ wɔn ahwete amanaman a wɔn anaa wɔn agyanom nnim so, na mede akofena bɛtaa wɔn kɔsi sɛ mɛsɛe wɔn.”
17 This is what the Lord Almighty says: Be aware of what's happening! Call for the professional women mourners, ask for the best of them.
Sɛdeɛ Awurade tumfoɔ seɛ nie: “Dwene ho! Frɛ mmaa agyaadwotwafoɔ no, frɛ wɔn a wɔakwadare mu pa ara.
18 Have them come as quickly as possible, and sing a funeral song about us, so we can cry our eyes out, so our tears will flow like streams.
Ma wɔmmra ntɛm mmesu ngu yɛn so kɔsi sɛ yɛn ani so bɛtaataa nisuo na nisuo adware yɛn.
19 The sound of weeping comes from Zion, “We're completely devastated! We're totally ashamed, because we've had to abandon our country, because our houses have been demolished.”
Wɔte agyaadwotwa nnyegyeeɛ firi Sion sɛ, ‘Wɔasɛe yɛn! Yɛn anim agu ase yie! Ɛsɛ sɛ yɛtu firi yɛn asase so ɛfiri sɛ, yɛn afie abubu.’”
20 Women, listen to the Lord's message, hear what he has to say. Teach your daughters to mourn and sing songs of sadness.
Afei, Ao mmaa, montie Awurade asɛm; monyɛ aso mma nsɛm a ɛfiri nʼanom. Monkyerɛ mo mmammaa sɛdeɛ wɔtwa dwo; monkyerɛ mo ho mo ho abubuo bɔ.
21 Death has slipped in through our windows; it has come into our fortresses. It has killed the children playing in the streets and the young people gathering in the town squares.
Owuo aforo afa yɛn mpomma mu ahyɛne yɛn aban mu; apamo mmɔfra afiri mmɔntene so ne mmeranteɛ afiri ɔman adwaberem.
22 Tell everyone this is what the Lord says: Dead bodies will be left where they fall like manure in the fields, lying there like stalks of freshly-cut grain behind the reaper, with no one to collect them.
Ka sɛ, “Sei na Awurade seɛ, “‘Nnipa afunu bɛdeda hɔ te sɛ sumina a ɛgugu petee mu, te sɛ aburoo a otwafoɔ atwa agu nʼakyi a obiara mmoaboaa ano.’”
23 This is what the Lord says: The wise shouldn't boast about their wisdom. The strong shouldn't boast about their strength. The rich shouldn't boast about their riches.
Yei ne deɛ Awurade seɛ: “Mma onyansafoɔ mfa ne nyansa nhyehyɛ ne ho anaa ɔhoɔdenfoɔ mfa nʼahoɔden nhyehyɛ ne ho anaa ɔdefoɔ mfa nʼahonya nhyehyɛ ne ho.
24 Anyone who wants to boast should boast that they really know and understand me, recognizing that I am the Lord who acts with trustworthy love, who shows fairness, and who does what is right everywhere on earth, because these mean the most to me, declares the Lord.
Mmom ma deɛ ɔhyehyɛ ne ho nhyehyɛ ne ho sɛ ɔwɔ nhunumu, na ɔnim sɛ, me ne Awurade a ɔyɛ adɔeɛ, na ɔbu atɛntenenee na ɔyɛ adetenenee wɔ asase so ɛfiri sɛ yeinom na ɛsɔ mʼani,” sɛdeɛ Awurade seɛ nie.
25 Watch out, for the time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will punish all who are only physically circumcised.
“Nna bi reba,” Awurade na ɔseɛ, “A mɛtwe wɔn a wɔatwa twetia wɔ honam fam nko ara no nyinaa aso:
26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab, and all the desert people who trim their hair on the sides of their heads—all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the Israelites are spiritually uncircumcised.
Misraimfoɔ, Yudafoɔ, Edomfoɔ, Amonfoɔ, Moabfoɔ ne wɔn a wɔtete anweatam a ɛwɔ akyirikyiri nsase so nyinaa. Na nokorɛm, saa aman yi nyinaa yɛ momonotofoɔ na mpo Israel fiefoɔ nyinaa yɛ akoma mu momonotofoɔ.”
