< Habakkuk 1 >

1 The burden that Habakkuk the prophet has seen:
Eyi ne asɛm a odiyifo Habakuk nya fii Awurade nkyɛn wɔ anisoadehu mu.
2 Until when, O YHWH, have I cried, And You do not hear? I cry to You, “Violence!” And You do not save.
Awurade, enkosi da bɛn na memfrɛ nsrɛ mmoa, nanso wuntie me? Meteɛ mu frɛ, “Akakabensɛm!” nanso womma mmegye me.
3 Why do You show me iniquity, And cause [me] to behold perversity? And spoiling and violence [are] before me, And there is strife, and contention lifts [itself] up,
Adɛn na woma mehwɛ ntɛnkyew? Adɛn nti na wotena bɔne ho? Ɔsɛe ne akakabensɛm da mʼanim, basabasayɛ ne abɛbrɛsɛ atwa me ho ahyia.
4 Therefore law ceases, And judgment does not go forth forever, For the wicked is surrounding the righteous, Therefore wrong judgment goes forth.
Enti mmara nyɛ adwuma na atɛntrenee nni baabiara, atirimɔdenfo aka atreneefo ahyɛ, enti wɔkyea atemmu.
5 “Look on nations, and behold and marvel greatly. For a work He is working in your days, You do not believe though it is declared.
“Hwɛ aman no, na wo ho bedwiriw wo! Merebɛyɛ biribi wɔ wo bere so, na sɛ wɔka kyerɛ wo a, worennye nni.
6 For behold, I am raising up the Chaldeans, The bitter and hasty nation, That is going to the broad places of earth, To occupy dwelling places not his own.
Merema Babiloniafo asɔre, ɔman a wɔyɛ atirimɔdenfo ne ntɔkwapɛfo; wobu fa asase nyinaa so, na wɔfa tenabea a ɛnyɛ wɔn de.
7 He [is] terrible and fearful, His judgment and his excellence go forth from him.
Wɔn ho yɛ hu na nnipa suro wɔn; wɔyɛ wɔn koko so ade, de pɛ anuonyam ma wɔn ho.
8 His horses have been swifter than leopards, And sharper than evening wolves, And his horsemen have increased, Even his horsemen from afar come in, They fly as an eagle, hastening to consume.
Wɔn apɔnkɔ ho yɛ hare sen asebɔ, na wɔn ho yɛ hu sen pataku a ɔnam anadwo, wɔn apɔnkɔsotefo kɔ wɔn anim mmarima so, wofi akyirikyiri nsase so, na wɔbɔ hoo sɛ akorɔma a ɔrekɔkyere aboa.
9 All for violence—he comes in, Their faces swallowing up the east wind, And he gathers a captivity as the sand.
Wɔn nyinaa ba sɛ wɔrebɛyɛ basabasayɛ. Wɔn dɔm pem kɔ wɔn anim te sɛ nweatam so mframa, na wɔtase nneduafo sɛ nwea.
10 And he scoffs at kings, And princes [are] a laughter to him, He laughs at every fortification, And he heaps up dust, and captures it.
Wodi ahene ho fɛw, wɔka aman sodifo anim, na wɔtwee nkuropɔn a ɛwɔ bammɔ dennen. Wosisi dɔte mpie nam so kyekyere atamfo.
11 Then the spirit has passed on, Indeed, he transgresses, And [ascribes] this—his power—to his god.”
Wɔbɔ hoo te sɛ mframa kɔ wɔn anim. Afɔdifo a wɔn ahoɔden yɛ wɔn nyame.”
12 Are You not of old, O YHWH, my God, my Holy One? We do not die, O YHWH, You have appointed him for judgment, And, O Rock, You have founded him for reproof.
Awurade, wunni hɔ fi tete ana? Me Nyankopɔn, me Kronkronni, wo a wote ase daa. Wo, Awurade, woapaw wɔn sɛ wommu atɛn; wo, me Botantim, woahyɛ wɔn sɛ wɔntwe aso.
13 Purer of eyes than to behold evil, You are not able to look on perverseness, Why do You behold the treacherous? You keep silent when the wicked Swallow the more righteous than he,
Wʼaniwa yɛ kronkron a wuntumi nhwɛ nnebɔne; wunnyigye nnebɔne so. Na adɛn nti na wugyigye nnipa akɔntɔnkye so, na dɛn nti na wayɛ komm wɔ bere a atirimɔdenfo rememene atreneefo?
14 And You make man as fishes of the sea, As a creeping thing [with] none ruling over him.
Woama nnipa ayɛ sɛ nsumnam a ɛwɔ po mu, te sɛ abɔde a ɛwɔ po mu a wonni sodifo.
15 He has brought up each of them with a hook, He catches it in his net, and gathers it in his dragnet, Therefore he delights and rejoices.
Ɔtamfo tirimɔdenfo no de darewa yi wɔn, ogu nʼasau de buma wɔn, na afei ɔsɛpɛw ne ho ma nʼani gye.
16 Therefore he sacrifices to his net, And makes incense to his dragnet, For by them [is] his portion fertile, and his food fat.
Ne saa nti ɔbɔ afɔre ma nʼasau na wahyew aduhuam ama no, efisɛ asau yi so na ɔnam nya yiyedi, na odi nʼakɔnnɔ aduan.
17 Does he therefore empty his net, And continually not spare to slay nations?
Enti ɔnkɔ so nni nʼasau mu nam, na ɔmfa atirimɔden nsɛe aman ana?

< Habakkuk 1 >