< Jeremiah 3 >
1 He hath said, If a man send away his wife, and she go from him and become another man’s, will he return unto her, again? would not that land be, utterly defiled? And, thou, hast been unchaste with many neighbours, and yet [thinkest] to return unto me! Declareth Yahweh.
“Sɛ ɔbarima gyaa ne yere na ɔbea no kɔware ɔbarima foforo a, ɛsɛ sɛ ɔbarima no san kɔ ɔbea no nkyɛn ana? Ɛremma asase no ho ngu fi koraa ana? Nanso wo ne adɔfo bebree abɔ aguaman, na mprempren de wobɛsan aba me nkyɛn ana?” Awurade na ose.
2 Lift up thine eyes unto the bare heights and see—where thou hast not been unchastely embraced! beside the ways, hast thou sat to them, like the Arabian in the desert, —and hast defiled the land with thine unchastities, and with thy wickedness.
“Ma wʼani so hwɛ nkoko no so. Baabi wɔ hɔ a wɔntoo wo mmonnaa da ana? Wotenaa kwankyɛn twɛn adɔfo, wotenaa sɛ mmoahwɛfo a wodi atutena wɔ nweatam so. Woagu asase no ho fi, wode wʼaguamammɔ ne wʼamumɔyɛ na ayɛ.
3 Therefore have been withholden the showers, And, the latter rain, hath not come, —Yet the forehead of an unchaste woman, hast thou, Thou hast refused to be ashamed.
Enti wɔatwe obosu asan, na asusowbere su antɔ. Nanso wʼanim ayɛ sɛ oguamanfo a ɔmfɛre hwee; wʼani nwu hwee.
4 Hast thou not from this time, cried unto me, My father! the friend of my youth, art, thou?
Nnansa yi ara, woamfrɛ me se: ‘Mʼagya, me mmabunmmere mu adamfo,
5 Will he maintain his anger to times age-abiding? Will he keep it perpetually? Lo! thou hast spoken thus but hast done wicked things and had thy way!
wo bo befuw biribiara ana? Wʼabufuwhyew no bɛkɔ so daa ana?’ Sɛɛ na wokasa, nanso woyɛ bɔne nyinaa sɛnea wutumi.”
6 And Yahweh said unto me, in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen what apostate Israel, did? She used to go upon every high mountain and beneath every green tree, and commit unchastity there.
Ɔhene Yosia adedi bere so no, Awurade ka kyerɛɛ me se, “Woahu nea Israel a onni nokware no ayɛ? Wakɔ nkoko nyinaa so ne dua a adennan biara ase akɔsɛe aware wɔ hɔ.
7 And I said, after she had been doing all these things, Unto me, shall thou return? and she returned not, —and her treacherous sister Judah saw it!
Misusuwii sɛ anka wayɛ eyinom nyinaa akyi no, ɔbɛsan aba me nkyɛn nanso wamma, na ne nuabea Yuda a ɔno nso nka nokware no hui.
8 Though she saw that for all this, apostate Israel having committed adultery, I had sent her away, and had given a scroll of divorcement unto her, yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but, she also, went and committed unchastity.
Memaa Israel a onni nokware no awaregyae nhoma na mepam no esiane nʼawaresɛe abrabɔ nti. Nanso mihuu sɛ ne nuabea Yuda a onni nokware no ansuro; ɔno nso kɔbɔɔ aguaman bra.
9 Yea though it had come to pass that through the levity of her unchastity, she had defiled the land, —and committed adultery with Stone and with Tree,
Esiane sɛ Israel aguamammɔ anyɛ no asɛnhia nti, ɔde fi kaa asase no na ɔne abo ne nnua bɔɔ aguaman.
10 yet, in spite of all this, her treacherous sister Judah returned not unto me, with all her heart, —but, falsely, Declareth Yahweh.
Eyinom nyinaa akyi no, ne nuabea Yuda amfi ne koma nyinaa mu ansan amma me nkyɛn, ɔyɛ de kyerɛɛ kɛkɛ,” sɛnea Awurade se ni.
11 Then said Yahweh unto me, —Apostate Israel, hath justified herself, —more than treacherous Judah.
Awurade ka kyerɛɛ me se, “Israel a onni nokware no teɛ sen Yuda okontomponi no.
12 Go, and proclaim these words, towards the North and say—Return! thou apostate—Israel, Urgeth Yahweh, I will not lower my face against you, —for full of lovingkindness, I am, Declareth Yahweh, I will not maintain [mine anger] unto times age-abiding.
Kɔ, fa wʼani kyerɛ atifi fam kɔka saa nsɛm yi kyerɛ wɔn: “‘San wʼakyi, Israel a onni nokware,’ Sɛɛ na Awurade se, ‘Meremmuna nkyerɛ wo bio, efisɛ meyɛ mmɔborɔhunufo,’ sɛɛ na Awurade se, ‘Me bo remfuw afebɔɔ.
13 Only, acknowledge thine iniquity, that against Yahweh thy God, hast thou transgressed, —and hast gone hither and thither unto foreigners under every green tree, and unto my voice, ye have not hearkened Declareth Yahweh.
Gye wo afɔdi to mu, woatew Awurade, wo Nyankopɔn anim atua, woakyekyɛ wʼadɔe mu ama ananafo anyame wɔ dua biara a adennan ase, na woanyɛ osetie amma me,’” sɛnea Awurade se ni.
14 Return, ye apostate sons, Urgeth Yahweh, for, I, am become your husband, —therefore will I take you one of a city, and two of a family, and will bring you to Zion;
“Monsan mo akyi, mo akyirisanfo,” sɛnea Awurade se ni, “efisɛ meyɛ mo kunu. Meyi wo; ɔbaako befi kurow mu na baanu afi abusuakuw mu, na mede mo aba Sion.
15 and will give you shepherds according to mine own heart, —who will feed you with knowledge and discretion.
Afei mɛma mo nguanhwɛfo a wɔda me koma so, wɔn a wɔde nimdeɛ ne ntease bɛkyerɛ mo ɔkwan.
16 And it shall come to pass when ye shall be multiplied and become fruitful in the land, in those days, Declareth Yahweh, They shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of Yahweh, Neither shall it come up on the heart, Neither shall they remember it, Neither shall they miss it, Neither shall it be made any more.
Saa nna no mu, sɛ mo dɔɔso bebree wɔ asase no so a,” Awurade na ose, “nnipa renka bio se, ‘Awurade apam adaka no.’ Ɛremma wɔn adwene mu anaa wɔrenkae da; wɔn kɔn rennɔ na wɔrenyɛ foforo nso.
17 At that time, shall they call Jerusalem, The throne of Yahweh, and there shall be gathered unto her all the nations—to the Name of Yahweh, to Jerusalem; and they shall walk no more after the stubbornness of their own wicked heart.
Saa bere no wɔbɛfrɛ Yerusalem Awurade Ahengua, na amanaman nyinaa behyia wɔ Yerusalem abɛkamfo Awurade din. Na wɔrenni wɔn koma bɔne a ɛma wɔyɛ asoɔden no akyi bio.
18 In those days, shall the house of Judah go unto the house of Israel, —that they may enter together out of the land of the North, upon the land which I gave as an inheritance unto your fathers.
Saa nna no mu, Yuda fi bɛka Israelfi ho, na wɔabɔ mu afi atifi fam asase bi so aba asase a mede maa mo agyanom sɛ agyapade no so.
19 Though, I myself, had said, —How can I put thee among the sons, And give thee a land to be coveted, An inheritance of beauty, of the hosts of nations? Yet I said, My father, shalt thou call me, And away from me, shalt thou not turn.
“Mʼankasa mekae se, ‘Anka ɛbɛyɛ me anigye sɛ mɛyɛ mo sɛ mma na mama mo asase a eye, agyapade a edi mu ma ɔman biara.’ Misusuwii sɛ mobɛfrɛ me ‘Agya’ na monnan mo ho mfi mʼakyi.
20 But indeed [as] a wife goeth treacherously from her husband, so, have ye acted treacherously with me, O house of Israel, Declareth Yahweh.
Nanso te sɛ ɔbea a onni ne kunu nokware no, saa ara na moanni me nokware, Israelfi,” sɛnea Awurade se ni.
21 A voice on the bare heights, is heard, The weeping of the supplications of the sons of Israel, —Because they have perverted their way, Have forgotten Yahweh their God.
Wɔte osu bi wɔ nkoko no so, ɛyɛ Israelfo agyaadwotwa ne nkotosrɛ, efisɛ wɔakyeakyea wɔn akwan na wɔn werɛ afi Awurade, wɔn Nyankopɔn.
22 Return ye apostate sons, I will heal your apostasies! Behold us! we have come unto thee, For thou, art Yahweh our God.
“Monsan mmra, ɔyera mma; mɛsa mo akyirisan yare no.” “Yiw, yɛbɛba wo nkyɛn, efisɛ wo ne Awurade, yɛn Nyankopɔn no.
23 Surely, to falsehood, pertain the hills The noisy throng on the mountains, —Surely, in Yahweh our God, is the salvation of Israel!
Ampa, ahoni huuyɛ wɔ nkoko ne mmepɔw so no yɛ nnaadaa; nokware Awurade yɛn Nyankopɔn mu na Israel nkwagye wɔ.
24 But, the Shameful thing, hath devoured the labour of our fathers from our youth: Their flocks, and their herds, their sons and their daughters.
Efi yɛn mmofraase, anyame huhuw adi yɛn agyanom nsa ano adwuma so aba, wɔn nguankuw ne anantwi, wɔn mmabarima ne wɔn mmabea.
25 We must lie down in our shame And our reproach, be our covering, For, against Yahweh our God, have we sinned, We and our fathers, from our youth even until this day, —Neither have we hearkened unto the voice of Yahweh our God.
Momma yɛmfa yɛn aniwu nneda fam na yɛn ahohora nkata yɛn so. Yɛayɛ bɔne atia Awurade yɛn Nyankopɔn, yɛn ne yɛn agyanom; efi yɛn mmofraase besi nnɛ yɛanyɛ osetie amma Awurade, yɛn Nyankopɔn no.”