Lamentations 1
1 How desolate sits the city of Jerusalem, once filled with people! She has become like a widow, she who was once great among the nations. The queen of all the world has become a slave-laborer.
Sɛnea kuropɔn no adan amamfo ni, kuropɔn a anka nnipa ahyɛ no ma! Adɛn nti na wayɛ okunafobea a kan no na anka ɔyɛ ɔkɛse wɔ amanaman no mu? Nea na ɔyɛ ɔhemmea wɔ amantam no mu no abɛyɛ afenaa nnɛ.
2 She cries bitterly through the night, tears rolling down her cheeks. Despite all her many lovers, no one comes to comfort her. Betrayed by all her friends, they are now her enemies.
Osu yayaayaw anadwo, nusu sensan nʼafono so. Nʼadɔfo nyinaa mu no, obiara nni hɔ a ɔkyekyee ne werɛ. Ne nnamfonom nyinaa ayi no ama Wɔayɛ nʼatamfo.
3 Judah has been dragged off into captivity, suffering miserably under brutal slavery; she lives among the nations but has no place of her own where she can rest. Those chasing her have brought her down and she cannot escape.
Amanehunu ne adwumaden akyi no, Yuda kɔ nnommum mu. Ɔte amanaman no mu na onni ahomegyebea. Wɔn a wɔtaa no nyinaa ato no wɔ nʼahokyere mu.
4 Even the roads to Zion are in mourning because no one travels on them to go to the religious festivals. All her gates are empty. Her priests groan in sadness. Her girls are suffering. She herself is in bitter distress.
Akwan a ɛkɔ Sion no resu, efisɛ obiara nkɔ nʼafahyɛ ase. Nʼapon nyinaa adeda mpan, na nʼasɔfo si apini, ne mmabaa di yaw, na ɔwɔ yawdi a mu yɛ den mu.
5 Those who hated her now control her; her enemies enjoy life, because the Lord has made her suffer due to all her sins of rebellion. Her children have been taken away as prisoners of the enemy.
Nʼatamfo abɛyɛ ne wuranom; wɔn a wɔne no ayɛ adɔm ho adwo wɔn. Awurade ama awerɛhow aba ne so nʼamumɔyɛ bebrebe nti. Ne mma kɔ nnommum mu. Wɔayɛ nneduafo ama ɔtamfo.
6 All the glory has left the Daughter of Zion. Her leaders are like deer that can't find any grass to eat. They don't even have the strength to run away when the hunter comes after them!
Anuonyam nyinaa atu afi Ɔbabea Sion so kɔ. Ne mmapɔmma ayɛ sɛ aforote a wonnya adidibea; na wɔde mmerɛwyɛ aguan wɔ wɔn ataafo anim.
7 As she wanders around in her misery, Jerusalem thinks back to all the wonderful things she once had in the old days. When her enemies conquered her people, she didn't receive any help. Her enemies gloated over her, and laughed at her downfall.
Nʼamanehunu ne akyinkyinakyinkyin nna mu no, Yerusalem kae ademude nyinaa a na ɛwɔ no wɔ nna a atwa mu no mu. Ne nkurɔfo kɔtɔɔ ɔtamfo no nsa mu no, na obiara nni hɔ a ɔbɛboa no. Nʼatamfo de wɔn ani hwɛɛ no na wɔserew ne sɛe.
8 Jerusalem sinned terribly which is why she is now treated as someone unclean. Everyone who used to honor her now despise her, because they've seen her naked and ashamed. She herself groans as she turns away.
Yerusalem ayɛ bɔne kɛse enti ne ho agu fi. Wɔn a wodi no ni no sopa no, efisɛ wɔahu nʼadagyaw; ɔno ankasa gu ahome na ɔdan nʼani.
9 Her uncleanness contaminates her skirts. She didn't think about what would happen. Her fall was a shock, and no one was there to comfort her. “Please, Lord, see how much I'm suffering, because the enemy has won!” she says.
Nʼafideyɛ atu aka ne ntade mu; wannwene ne daakye ho. Nʼasehwe yɛ nwonwa; obiara ankyekye ne werɛ. “Awurade, hwɛ mʼamanehunu, efisɛ ɔtamfo adi nkonim.”
10 The invader has stolen all her treasures. She even had to watch as heathen nations went into her sanctuary, people you had forbidden to enter.
Ɔtamfo no de ne nsa too nʼademude nyinaa so; ohuu sɛ amanaman rehyɛn ne kronkronbea hɔ, nnipa a woabra sɛ wɔnnhyɛn wʼasafo mu no.
11 All her people groan, looking for bread. They have spent what they value the most to buy food so they can stay alive. “Please, Lord, look and see what's happening to me,” she says. “It's as if I'm worthless!
Ne nkurɔfo nyinaa si apini bere a wɔrehwehwɛ aduan; wɔde wɔn ademude sesa aduan de nya ahoɔden. “Awurade, hwɛ na dwene me ho, efisɛ wobu me animtiaa.”
12 Don't you care anything about it, all you people passing by? Take a look and see! Is there any suffering as bad as mine, punished by the Lord when he became angry?
“Ɛmfa mo ho ana, mo a mutwa mu wɔ hɔ nyinaa? Monhwɛ na munhu. Ɔyaw bi wɔ hɔ a ɛte sɛ me de a wɔma ɛbaa me so yi, nea Awurade de baa me so wɔ nʼabufuwhyew da no ana?
13 He sent down fire from heaven that destroyed my bones. He spread out a net to catch my feet, tripping me over. He abandoned me, leaving me sick all day long.
“Ɔsomaa ogya fii ɔsoro, ma ɛbaa me nnompe mu. Osum afiri maa mʼanan na ɔsan me kɔɔ mʼakyi. Ɔyɛɛ me pasaa, metɔɔ beraw da mu nyinaa.
14 He took my rebellious sins and twisted them together into a yoke that he tied to my neck. He took away all my strength, and handed me over defenseless to my enemies.
“Woakyekyere me bɔne ahyɛ konnua mu; ɔde ne nsa nwen bɔɔ mu. Wɔde asɛn me kɔn mu na Awurade atwe mʼahoɔden. Ɔde me ahyɛ wɔn a merentumi nnyina wɔn anim no nsa.
15 The Lord brushed aside all my strong soldiers defending me. He called up an army to attack me, to crush my young men. The Lord has trampled down the virgin Daughter of Judah like grapes in a winepress.
“Awurade apo akofo a wɔwɔ me ntam nyinaa; wafrɛ asraafo atia me sɛ wɔmmɛdwerɛw me mmerante. Awurade atiatia Ɔbabea Ɔbabun Yuda so wɔ ne nsakyiamoa mu.
16 This is why I'm weeping, tears flowing from my eyes, because there's is no one here to comfort me, no one to make me feel better. There's nothing left for my children because the enemy has conquered us.”
“Eyinom nti na misu na nusu aguare me. Obiara mmɛn a ɔbɛkyekye me werɛ, nea ɔbɛhyɛ me honhom den nni hɔ. Me mma agyigya efisɛ ɔtamfo no adi nkonim.”
17 Zion holds out her hands in distress, but there's no one to comfort her. The Lord issued orders against Jacob, and his neighbors became his enemies. Jerusalem is to them something disgusting.
Sion trɛw ne nsa mu nanso obiara nni hɔ a ɔbɛkyekye ne werɛ. Awurade ahyɛ ama Yakob se ne mfɛfo bɛyɛ nʼatamfo; Yerusalem abɛyɛ afide wɔ wɔn mu.
18 “The Lord has done what's right, because I rebelled against his instructions. Listen, everyone everywhere; look at what I'm suffering. My young women and young men have been taken off into captivity.
“Awurade yɛ ɔtreneeni, nanso manni nʼahyɛde so. Muntie, mo amanaman nyinaa monhwɛ me yaw. Me mmerante ne mmabaa kɔ nnommum mu.
19 I called out for help to my lovers, but they betrayed me. My priests and elders starved to death in the city as they tried to find food to keep themselves alive.
“Mefrɛɛ mʼadɔfo nanso woyii me mae. Mʼasɔfo ne me mpanyimfo ase tɔree wɔ kuropɔn no mu, bere a wɔrehwehwɛ aduan adi na wɔanwuwu.
20 Can't you see, Lord, how upset I am? inside I am in turmoil; my heart is breaking because I've been so rebellious. Outside, the sword kills those I love; inside, it's like I'm living in the house of death.
“Awurade, hwɛ me mmɔbɔ! Meredi yaw wɔ me mu, na me koma mu nso minni ahotɔ, efisɛ mayɛ otuatewfo kɛse. Afoa hyɛ me awerɛhow wɔ abɔnten so; ofie nso yɛ owu nko ara.
21 People hear me groaning, but no one comes to comfort me. All my enemies have heard about the bad things that have happened to me, and they're delighted that it was you who did it. Please bring about the day of judgment that you promised so they can end up like me.
“Nnipa ate mʼapinisi, nanso obiara nni hɔ a ɔbɛkyekye me werɛ. Mʼatamfo nyinaa ate mʼamanehunu wɔn ani gye nea woayɛ no ho. Ma nna a woahyɛ no mmra sɛnea wɔbɛyɛ sɛ me.
22 May you see all the evil things they've done! Treat them the same way as you've treated me as a result of all my rebellious sins, for I'm groaning all the time, and I'm sick at heart.”
“Fa wɔn atirimɔdensɛm nyinaa si wʼanim; na wo ne wɔn nni sɛnea wo ne me adi; esiane mʼamumɔyɛ no nti. Mʼapinisi dɔɔso na me koma abotow.”
