< Lamentations 2 >

1 How could My Lord, in his anger, enshroud in gloom, the daughter of Zion? have cast from the heavens to the earth, the beauty of Israel? and not have remembered his footstool, in the day of his anger?
Sɛnea Awurade de nʼabufuwhyew mununkum akata Ɔbabea Sion so ni? Watow Israel anuonyam afi ɔsoro abɛhwe fam; wankae ne nan ntiaso wɔ nʼabufuw da no.
2 My Lord hath swallowed up—without pity—all the pastures of Jacob, hath laid waste—in his indignation—the strongholds of the daughter of Judah, hath brought them down to the ground, —hath profaned the kingdom, and the princes thereof.
Awurade annya ahummɔbɔ na wamene Yakob atenae nyinaa; nʼabufuwhyew mu, wadwiriw Yuda Babea abandennen no agu fam. Wagu nʼahenni ne ne mmapɔmma ho fi.
3 He hath broken off—in the glow of his anger—the whole horn of Israel, hath turned back his right hand, from the face of the foe, —and hath kindled against Jacob, a very fire of flame, devouring round about.
Ɔde abufuwhyew atwitwa Israel mmɛn nyinaa. Wayi ne bammɔ wɔ bere a atamfo no reba. Wasɔ wɔ Yakob mu sɛ ogyatannaa a ɛhyew biribiara a atwa ho ahyia.
4 He hath trodden his bow like a foe, his right hand erect as an adversary, and hath slain all them who delighted the eye, —In the home of the daughter of Zion, hath he poured out, as fire, his indignation.
Wapema ne bɛmma sɛ ɔtamfo; ne nsa nifa ayɛ krado. Te sɛ ɔtamfo no, wakunkum wɔn a wɔyɛ fɛ wɔ ani so nyinaa; wahwie nʼabufuwhyew sɛ ogya agu Ɔbabea Sion ntamadan so.
5 My Lord hath become like a foe, hath swallowed up Israel, hath swallowed up all her castles, ruined his strongholds, —and hath caused to abound, in the daughter of Judah, lamentation and mourning.
Awurade ayɛ sɛ ɔtamfo; wamene Israel. Wamene nʼahemfi nyinaa asɛe nʼabandennen. Wama awerɛhowdi ne agyaadwotwa adɔɔso ama Yuda Babea.
6 Thus hath he destroyed, like a garden, his pavilion, hath laid waste his place of assembly, —Yahweh, hath caused to be forgotten, in Zion, the appointed assembly and the sabbath, and hath spurned, in the indignation of his anger, the king and the priest.
Wama nʼatenae ada mpan sɛ turo; wasɛe nʼaguabɔbea. Awurade ama Sion werɛ afi nʼafahyɛ ne homenna; nʼabufuwhyew mu no wabu ɔhene ne ɔsɔfo animtiaa.
7 My Lord hath rejected his altar, hath abhorred his sanctuary, hath delivered, into the hand of the foe, the walls of her castles, —A voice, have they uttered in the house of Yahweh, as on the day of an appointed assembly.
Awurade apo nʼafɔremuka na wagyaa ne kronkronbea mu. Ɔde nʼahemfi afasu ahyɛ nʼatamfo nsa. Wɔteɛ mu wɔ Awurade fi te sɛ afahyɛ da.
8 Yahweh hath devised to lay in ruins, the wall of the daughter of Zion, he hath stretched out a line, he hath not turned back his hand from swallowing up, —Thus hath he caused to mourn—rampart and wall, together, have they languished!
Awurade sii nʼadwene pi sɛ ɔbɛsɛe Ɔbabea Sion fasu a atwa ne ho ahyia no. Ɔde susuhama too ho na wannyae ɔsɛe no. Ɔmaa pie ne afasu dii abooboo; wɔn nyinaa sɛee.
9 Her gates, have sunk in the earth, He hath destroyed and broken in pieces, her bars, —Her king and her princes, are among the nations, There is no instruction, Even her prophets, have found no vision, from Yahweh.
Nʼapon amem fam; wɔn adaban nso, wabubu mu asɛe no. Ne hene ne ne mmapɔmma, watwa wɔn asu kɔ amanaman no mu, mmara nni hɔ bio, na nʼadiyifo nnya anisoadehu a efi Awurade hɔ bio.
10 Seated on the ground, in silence, are the elders of the daughter of Zion, They have lifted up dust on their head, have girded themselves with sackcloth, —Bowed down to the ground is the head, of the virgins of Jerusalem.
Ɔbabea Sion mpanyimfo tete fam ayɛ komm; wɔde mfutuma agu wɔn tirim afurafura atweaatam. Yerusalem mmabaa asisi wɔn ti ase.
11 Blinded with tears are mine eyes, In ferment is my body, Poured out to the earth is my grief, for the sore hurt of the daughter of my people, —when child and suckling are swooning, in the broadways of the city.
Mʼani rentumi nnyae nisutew, me yafunu mu retwa me, me koma retew atɔ fam, efisɛ wɔasɛe me nkurɔfo, efisɛ mmofra ne mmotafowa totɔ piti wɔ kuropɔn no mmɔnten so.
12 To their mothers, they keep saying, Where are corn and wine? Swooning off, like one thrust through, in the broadways of the city, pouring out their life into the bosom of their mothers.
Wobisa wɔn nanom se, “Ɛhe na brodo ne nsa wɔ?” Bere a wɔtotɔ beraw sɛ apirafo wɔ kuropɔn no mmɔnten so, bere a wɔn nkwa resa wɔ wɔn nanom abasa so.
13 How shall I solemnly admonish thee? What shall I liken to thee, thou daughter of Jerusalem? What shall I compare with thee, that I may comfort thee, thou virgin, daughter of Zion? for, great as the sea, is thy grievous injury, Who can heal thee?
Asɛm bɛn na metumi aka ama wo? Dɛn ho na metumi de wo atoto, Ɔbabea Yerusalem? Dɛn na metumi de asusuw wo, de akyekye wo werɛ, Sion Babea Ɔbabun? Wʼapirakuru so sɛ po. Hena na obetumi asa wo yare?
14 Thy prophets, have had visions for thee, false and foolish, and have not unveiled thine iniquity, to turn back thy captivity, —Yea they have had visions for thee, oracles of falsehood, and enticements!
Wʼadiyifo anisoadehu yɛ atoro a so nni mfaso; wɔanna mo amumɔyɛ adi ansiw mo nnommumfa ano. Nkɔmhyɛ a wɔde maa mo no yɛ atoro ne nnaadaa.
15 All passing by, have clapped, over thee, their hands, have hissed and wagged their head over the daughter of Jerusalem, —[saying], Is, this, the city, of which men used to say—The perfection of beauty! A joy to the whole earth!
Wɔn a wotwa mu wo kwan so nyinaa bobɔ wɔn nsam gu wo so; wodi wo ho fɛw na wɔwosow wɔn ti gu Yerusalem Babea so ka se, “Eyi ne kuropɔn a na wɔfrɛ no ahoɔfɛ a edi mu no? Asase nyinaa anigyede no ni?”
16 All thy foes, have opened wide, over thee their mouth, They have hissed, and gnashed their teeth, They have said—We have swallowed [her] up! Surely, this, is the day for which we have waited, We have found! We have seen!
Wʼatamfo nyinaa baa wɔn anom tɛtrɛɛ tia wo; wɔserew na wɔtwɛre wɔn se na wɔka se, “Yɛamene no. Da a na yɛretwɛn no ni; Yɛatena ase ahu.”
17 Yahweh hath done what he thought, hath carried out his word, wherewith he gave charge in the days of old, hath thrown down, and not spared, —Thus hath he let the enemy rejoice over thee, hath raised high the horn of thine adversaries.
Awurade ayɛ nea ɔhyehyɛe; wama nʼasɛm a ɔhyɛɛ dedaada no aba mu. Watu wo agu a wanhu wo mmɔbɔ, wama ɔtamfo no ani agye wama wʼatamfo no mmɛn so.
18 Their heart, hath made outcry, unto My Lord, —O wall of the daughter of Zion—Let tears run down as a torrent day and night, Do not give thyself relief, Let not the weeping of thine eye cease!
Nnipa no koma su frɛ Awurade. Ɔbabea Sion afasu, momma mo nusu nsen sɛ asubɔnten awia ne anadwo; munnye mo ahome momma mo ani nso nnya ɔhome.
19 Arise, cry out in the night, At the beginning of the watches, pour out, like waters, thy heart, right before the face of My Lord, —Lift up, above thee, the palms of thy hands, for the life of thy children, who are swooning for hunger, at the top of all the streets!
Sɔre, su dennen anadwo, ɔdasu mu mfiase; hwie wo koma mu nsɛm sɛ nsu gu Awurade anim. Ma wo nsa so kyerɛ no wo mma nkwa nti, wɔn a ɔkɔm ama wɔatotɔ beraw wɔ mmɔnten so.
20 See, O Yahweh, and do consider, to whom thou hast acted thus severely, —Will women, devour, their own fruit—the children they have dandled? Shall priest and prophet, be slain in the sanctuary of My Lord?
“Hwɛ na dwene ho, Awurade: Hena na wode no afa saa ɔkwan yi so pɛn? Ɛsɛ sɛ mmea we wɔn yafunumma nam ana, mma a wɔahwɛ wɔn? Ɛsɛ sɛ wokunkum ɔsɔfo ne odiyifo wɔ Awurade kronkronbea ana?
21 Youth and elder, have lain down on the ground in the streets, My virgins and my young men, have fallen by the sword, —Thou hast slain, in the day of thine anger, Thou hast slaughtered, hast not spared!
“Mmofra ne mpanyin da adabum wɔ mmɔnten so mfutuma mu so, me mmerante ne mmabaa atotɔ wɔ afoa ano. Woakum wɔn wɔ wʼabufuwda; woayam wɔn na woannya ahummɔbɔ.
22 Wilt thou proclaim, like the day of an appointed meeting—My terrors round about? when there was not—in the day of the anger of Yahweh—fugitive or survivor, —Those whom I dandled and reared, my foe hath destroyed.
“Sɛnea wotoo wo nsa frɛ wɔ aponto da no, saa ara na wofrɛfrɛɛ amanehunu fii afanan nyinaa tiaa me. Awurade abufuw da no, obiara anguan na anka obiara: wɔn a mehwɛɛ wɔn na metetew wɔn no, me tamfo adwerɛw wɔn.”

< Lamentations 2 >