Isaiah 49
1 Hear yee me, O yles, and hearken, yee people from farre. The Lord hath called me from the wombe, and made mention of my name from my mothers bellie.
Muntie me, mo mpoano aman; monyɛ aso mo akyirikyiri aman ansa na wɔrebɛwo me no, Awurade frɛɛ me ɔbɔɔ me din ansa na wɔrewo me.
2 And hee hath made my mouth like a sharpe sworde: vnder the shadowe of his hande hath he hid mee, and made me a chosen shafte, and hid me in his quiuer,
Ɔyɛɛ mʼano sɛ afoa nnamnam, Ɔde me hintaw ne nsa ase nwini mu; ɔde me yɛɛ agyan a ano yɛ nnam na ɔde me hyɛɛ ne boha mu.
3 And sayd vnto me, Thou art my seruaunt, Israel, for I will be glorious in thee.
Ɔka kyerɛɛ me se, “Woyɛ me somfo, Israel, wo mu na mɛda mʼanuonyam adi.”
4 And I said, I haue labored in vaine: I haue spent my strength in vaine and for nothing: but my iudgement is with the Lord, and my woorke with my God.
Nanso mekae se, “Mabrɛ agu masɛe mʼahoɔden kwa, mannya mu hwee nanso nea ɛwɔ me wɔ Awurade nsam na mʼakatua wɔ me Nyankopɔn nkyɛn.”
5 And now sayeth the Lord, that formed me from the wombe to be his seruaunt, that I may bring Iaakob againe to him (though Israel be not gathered, yet shall I bee glorious in the eyes of the Lord: and my God shall be my strength)
Na afei, Awurade kasa se, nea ɔnwen me wɔ awotwaa mu sɛ memmɛyɛ ne somfo sɛ memfa Yakob nsan mmra ne nkyɛn na me mmoaboa Israel ano mma no no, wahyɛ me anuonyam wɔ Awurade ani so na me Nyankopɔn ayɛ mʼahoɔden.
6 And hee sayde, It is a small thing that thou shouldest be my seruaunt, to raise vp the tribes of Iaakob, and to restore the desolations of Israel: I will also giue thee for a light of the Gentiles, that thou maiest bee my saluation vnto the ende of the worlde.
Ɔka se, “Ɛyɛ ade ketewa bi ma wo sɛ wobɛyɛ me somfo sɛ wode Yakob mmusuakuw bɛsan aba na wode Israelfo a mede wɔn asie bɛsan aba. Mɛma moayɛ amanamanmufo nyinaa kanea, ɛnam mo so na wobegye wiasefo nyinaa nkwa.”
7 Thus sayeth the Lord the redeemer of Israel, and his Holie one, to him that is despised in soule, to a nation that is abhorred, to a seruaunt of rulers, Kinges shall see, and arise, and princes shall worship, because of the Lord, that is faithfull: and ye Holy one of Israel, which hath chosen thee.
Sɛɛ na Awurade se, Ogyefo ne Israel ɔkronkronni no de kɔma nea aman buu no animtiaa na wokyii no, ahemfo somfo no; “Ahene behu wo na wɔasɔre ahenemma behu wo na wɔakotow wo esiane Awurade a ɔyɛ ɔnokwafo, Israel ɔkronkronni a wayi wo no nti.”
8 Thus sayeth the Lord, In an acceptable time haue I heard thee, and in a day of saluation haue I helped thee: and I will preserue thee, and wil giue thee for a couenant of ye people, that thou maiest raise vp the earth, and obtaine the inheritance of the desolate heritages:
Sɛɛ na Awurade se: “Bere a ɛsɛ mu no, mebua wo, na nkwagyeda no, mɛboa wo; mɛkora wo na mede wo ayɛ apam ama nkurɔfo no, de agye asase no asi hɔ akyekyɛ agyapade ahorow a asɛe no bio,
9 That thou maiest say to the prisoners, Goe foorth: and to them that are in darkenesse, Shewe your selues: they shall feede in the waies, and their pastures shall bee in all the toppes of the hilles.
wobɛka akyerɛ nneduafo se, ‘Mumfi mmra!’ ne wɔn a wɔwɔ sum mu se, ‘Momfa mo ho nni!’ “Wobedidi wɔ akwan ho wobenya adidibea wɔ koko kesee biara so.
10 They shall not be hungrie, neither shall they be thirstie, neither shall the heat smite them, nor the sunne: for he that hath compassion on them, shall leade them: euen to the springs of waters shall he driue them.
Ɔkɔm renne wɔn na osukɔm nso renne wɔn; nweatam so hyew ne owia ano hyew renka wɔn, nea ɔwɔ ayamhyehye ma wɔn no bɛkyerɛ wɔn kwan na ɔde wɔn akɔ nsuaniwa ho.
11 And I will make all my mountaines, as a way, and my paths shalbe exalted.
Mɛyɛ me mmepɔw nyinaa akwan, na mʼatempɔn nso mɛma akrɔn.
12 Beholde, these shall come from farre: and loe, these from the North and from the West, and these from the land of Sinim.
Hwɛ, wufi akyirikyiri bɛba ebinom befi atifi fam, ebinom befi atɔe fam ebinom nso befi Sinin mantam mu.”
13 Reioyce, O heauens: and bee ioyfull, O earth: brast foorth into praise, O mountaines: for God hath comforted his people, and will haue mercie vpon his afflicted.
Momfa anigye nteɛ mu, ɔsoro; di ahurusi, asase; mompae mu nnwonto mu, mmepɔw! Na Awurade kyekye ne nkurɔfo werɛ, na obehu nʼamanehunufo mmɔbɔ.
14 But Zion saide, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me.
Nanso Sion kae se, “Awurade agyaw me hɔ, Awurade werɛ afi me.”
15 Can a woman forget her childe, and not haue compassion on the sonne of her wombe? though they should forget, yet wil I not forget thee.
“Ɛna werɛ betumi afi ne ba a otua nufu ano a ɔrennya ayamhyehye mma ɔba a waturu no no ana? Ebia ne werɛ befi, na me werɛ remfi wo!
16 Behold, I haue grauen thee vpon the palme of mine hands: thy walles are euer in my sight.
Hwɛ, makurukyerɛw wo din agu me nsa yam wʼafasu wɔ mʼani so daa.
17 Thy builders make haste: thy destroiers and they that made thee waste, are departed from thee.
Mo mmabarima resan aba ntɛm so; na wɔn a wɔsɛe mo no refi mo nkyɛn akɔ.
18 Lift vp thine eies round about and behold: all these gather themselues together and come to thee: as I liue, sayeth the Lord, thou shalt surely put them all vpon thee as a garment, and girde thy selfe with them like a bride.
Momma mo ani so nhwɛ mo ho nhyia; mo mmabarima nyinaa reboa wɔn ho ano aba mo nkyɛn. Sɛ mete ase yi” sɛnea Awurade se, “mode wɔn bɛyɛ ahyehyɛde ama mo ho mubefura wɔn sɛ ayeforokunu.
19 For thy desolations, and thy waste places, and thy land destroied, shall surely be now narow for them that shall dwell in it, and they that did deuoure thee, shalbe farre away.
“Ɛwɔ mu sɛ wɔsɛee mo yɛɛ mo pasaa maa mo asase daa mpan, afei nnipa bɛhyɛ wo so ma, ama aboro wo so, na wɔn a wɔsɛee wo no bɛkɔ akyirikyiri.
20 The children of thy barennesse shall say againe in thine eares, The place is straict for mee: giue place to me that I may dwell.
Mmofra a wɔwoo wɔn wɔ mo nna bɔne mu no bɛka ama moate sɛ, ‘Ɛha sua ma yɛn dodo; momma yɛn asase no bi nka ho na yɛntena so.’
21 Then shalt thou say in thine heart, Who hath begotten mee these, seeing I am baren and desolate, a captiue and a wanderer to and from? and who hath nourished them? beholde, I was left alone: whence are these?
Na wobɛka wɔ wo koma mu se, ‘Hena na ɔwoo eyinom maa me? Na meyɛ ɔwerɛhowni ne obonin; wotuu me kɔɔ asase foforo so na wɔpoo me. Hena na ɔtetew eyinom? Wogyaw me nko ara na eyinom, he na wofi bae?’”
22 Thus sayeth the Lord God, Beholde, I will lift vp mine hande to the Gentiles and set vp my stadart to the people, and they shall bring thy sonnes in their armes: and thy daughters shall be caried vpon their shoulders.
Sɛɛ na Asafo Awurade se: “Hwɛ, menyama amanamanmufo, mɛma me frankaa no so akyerɛ nkurɔfo no wobeturu wo mmabarima wɔ wɔn nsa so aba na wɔbɛsoa wo mmabea wɔ wɔn mmati so.
23 And Kings shalbe thy nourcing fathers, and Queenes shalbe thy nources: they shall worship thee with their faces towarde the earth, and licke vp the dust of thy feete: and thou shalt knowe that I am the Lord: for they shall not be ashamed that waite for me.
Ahemfo bɛyɛ mo agyanom nsiananmu, na wɔn ahemmea ayɛ ɛnanom a wɔbɛhwɛ mo. Wɔbɛkotow mo a wɔn anim butubutuw fam; wɔbɛtaforo mo nan ase mfutuma. Afei mubehu sɛ mene Awurade. Wɔn a wɔn ani da me so no, merenni wɔn huammɔ.”
24 Shall the pray be taken from the mightie? or the iust captiuitie deliuered?
Wobetumi agye asade afi akofo nsam; anaa wobetumi agye nnommumfo afi otirimɔdenfo nsam?
25 But thus sayeth the Lord, euen the captiuitie of the mightie shall be taken away: and the pray of the tyrant shall be deliuered: for I wil contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will saue thy children,
Nanso, sɛɛ na Awurade se: “Yiw, wobegye nnommumfo afi akofo nsam na wɔagye asade afi otirimɔdenfo nsam; me ne wɔn a wɔne wo nya no benya na megye wo mma nkwa.
26 And will feede them that spoile thee, with their owne flesh, and they shall be drunken with their owne bloode, as with sweete wine: and all flesh shall know that I the Lord am thy sauiour and thy redeemer, the mighty one of Iaakob.
Mema wɔn a wɔhyɛ wo so no awe wɔn ankasa honam; wɔn mogya bɛbow wɔn sɛnea wɔanom nsa. Afei adesamma nyinaa behu sɛ me, Awurade, me ne wʼAgyenkwa no, wo Gyefo, Yakob Tumfo No.”
