1 Kings 12
1 All [HYP] the people of [northern] Israel went to Shechem [city] in order to appoint Rehoboam to be their king. So Rehoboam also went there.
Rehoboam kɔɔ Sekem, efisɛ na Israelfo nyinaa akɔ hɔ sɛ wɔrekosi no hene.
2 When Jeroboam, who was still in Egypt, heard about that, he returned from Egypt [to Israel].
Bere a Nebat babarima Yeroboam tee sɛ Salomo awu no, ofi Misraim bae, efisɛ oguan fii ɔhene Salomo nsam kɔtenaa Misraim.
3 The [leaders of the northern tribes] summoned him, and they went together [to talk] to Rehoboam. They said to him,
Enti Israel mpanyimfo soma ma wɔkɔfaa Yeroboam, na Israel nnipadɔm no nyinaa kɔɔ Rehoboam nkyɛn, ne no kɔkasae se,
4 “Your father [Solomon] forced us to work very hard [MET] for him. If you (lighten these loads/do not force us to work that hard), and if you charge us less taxes than we were paying to him, we will serve you [faithfully].”
“Wʼagya hyɛɛ yɛn ma yɛyɛɛ adwumaden. Yɛsrɛ wo, tew saa adwumaden ne sonkahiri adesoa duruduru a wʼagya de soaa yɛn no so. Woyɛ saa a, yɛbɛsom wo nokware mu.”
5 He replied, “Go away, and come back three days from now [and I will give you my answer].” So those leaders and Jeroboam left.
Rehoboam buae se, “Momma me nnansa na menwene mo asɛm yi ho. Ɛno akyi, mommra mmegye me mmuae.” Enti nnipa no san kɔe.
6 Then King Rehoboam consulted the older men who had advised his father Solomon while he was still living. He asked them, “What shall I say to answer those men?”
Na Ɔhene Rehoboam kɔɔ ne mpanyimfo bi a na wotu nʼagya Salomo fo ne wɔn kosusuw asɛm no ho. Obisaa wɔn se, “Moka asɛm no ho dɛn? Mmuae bɛn na memfa mma saa nnipa yi?”
7 They replied, “If you want to serve your people well, speak kindly to those men when you reply to them. If you do that, your people will always serve you faithfully.”
Wobuaa no se, “Sɛ nnɛ yi, wopɛ sɛ woyɛ ɔsomfo ma saa nnipa yi, na woma wɔn mmuae pa a, ɛno de, daa wɔbɛsom wo nokware mu.”
8 But he ignored what the older men advised him to do. Instead, he consulted the younger men who had grown up with him, who were now (his advisors/the ones who told him what would be good to do).
Nanso Rehoboam amfa afotu a mpanyimfo no maa no no. Mmom, ɔkɔɔ nʼatipɛnfo mmabun bi a ɔne wɔn sii so a na wotu no fo no nkyɛn.
9 He said to them, “What should I say to the men who are asking me to reduce the [work and taxes] that my father required from them?”
Okobisaa wɔn se, “Mo nso, mo afotu ne dɛn? Mmuae bɛn na memfa mma saa nnipa a wɔpɛ sɛ metew adesoa duruduru a mʼagya de soaa wɔn no so?”
10 They replied, “This is what you should tell them: ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist.
Mmerante no buae se, “Asɛm a ɛsɛ sɛ woka kyerɛ wɔn ne se, ‘Me nsateaa ketewa no mu piw sen mʼagya asen mu. Na sɛ modwene sɛ na ɔyɛ den wɔ mo so a, montwɛn na mubehu sɛnea mete.’
11 What I mean is that my father required you [to work hard and pay high taxes]. But I will make those loads heavier. [It was as though] my father whipped you, but [it will be as though] I will whip you with whips that have pieces of metal in them.’”
Yiw, mʼagya yɛɛ den wɔ mo so, na mɛyɛ aboro saa. Mʼagya hwee mo mpire na me de, mede nkekantwɛre na ɛbɛhwe mo.”
12 So three days later, Jeroboam and all the leaders came to Rehoboam again, as he had told them to do.
Nnansa akyi no, Yeroboam ne nnipa no nyinaa san baa sɛ wɔrebetie Rehoboam mmuae sɛnea ɔkae no.
13 The king ignored the advice of the older men and spoke harshly to the Israeli leaders.
Ɔhene no buaa nnipa no abufuw so. Wamfa mpanyimfo no afotu no;
14 [He told them what the younger men had advised.] He said, “My father put heavy burdens [of work and taxes] on you, but I will put heavier burdens on you. [It was as though] he beat you with whips, but I will beat you with whips that have pieces of metal in them!”
ɔfaa mmabun no afotu. Ɔka kyerɛɛ nnipa no se, “Mʼagya yɛɛ den wɔ mo so, na mɛyɛ aboro saa. Mʼagya hwee mo mpire na me de mede nkekantwɛre bɛkeka mo.”
15 So the king did not pay any attention to the Israeli leaders. But this happened in order that what Yahweh wanted would occur, what he had told the prophet Ahijah about Jeroboam [becoming king of the ten tribes].
Enti ɔhene no anyɛ nnipa no abisade no ho hwee. Saa nsɛm a esisii yi yɛ Onyankopɔn nhyehyɛe, efisɛ ɛmaa Awurade nkɔm a ɔnam odiyifo Ahiya a ofi Silo no hyɛɛ Nebat babarima Yeroboam no baa mu.
16 When the Israeli leaders realized that the king did not pay any attention to what they said, they shouted, “We do not [RHQ] want anything to do with this descendant of King David! We will not pay attention to what this grandson of Jesse says! You people of Israel, let’s go home! As for this descendant of David [MTY], he can rule his own kingdom [MTY]!” So the Israeli leaders returned to their homes.
Bere a Israel nyinaa huu sɛ ɔhene anyɛ wɔn abisade amma wɔn no, wɔteɛteɛɛ mu se, “Yɛne Dawid nni hwee yɛ! Yɛne Yisai babarima no nni hwee yɛ! Israel, momma yɛnkɔ yɛn nkyi! Dawid, hwɛ wʼankasa wo fi so!” Enti Israelfo no san kɔɔ wɔn fi.
17 And [after that, ] the [only Israeli] people whom Rehoboam ruled over were those who lived in the territory of [the tribe of] Judah.
Na Rehoboam kɔɔ so dii Israelfo a na wɔtete Yuda nkurow so no so hene.
18 Then King Rehoboam sent Adoniram [to talk to the Israeli people]. Adoniram was the man who supervised [all the men who were] forced to work [for Rehoboam]. But the Israeli people killed him by throwing stones at him. When that happened, King Rehoboam quickly got in his chariot and escaped to Jerusalem.
Ɔhene Rehoboam somaa Adoram a na ɔhwɛ adwumayɛfo so no sɛ ɔnkɔhwɛ mma ɔman no nyɛ dinn, nanso Israelfo no siw no abo kum no. Bere a ɔhene Rehoboam tee saa asɛm no, ntɛm ara, ohuruw tenaa ne teaseɛnam mu, guan kɔɔ Yerusalem.
19 Ever since that time, the people of [the northern tribes of] Israel have been rebelling against the descendants [MTY] of [King] David.
Israel mmusuakuw a wɔwɔ atifi fam no ampene sɛ Dawid aseni biara bedi wɔn so, de besi nnɛ.
20 When the Israeli people heard that Jeroboam had returned [from Egypt], they invited him to come to a meeting, and there they appointed him to be the king of Israel. Only the people of the tribes of Judah [and Benjamin] continued to be loyal to [the kings descended from King] [MTY] David.
Bere a Israelfo tee sɛ Yeroboam fi Misraim asan aba no, wɔyɛɛ nhyiamu, sii no hene wɔ Israel nyinaa so. Enti Yuda abusuakuw no nko ara na wɔkae, som Dawid fi nokware mu.
21 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he gathered 180,000 of the best soldiers from the tribes [MTY] of Judah and Benjamin. He wanted them to fight against the northern tribes of [MTY] Israel [and defeat them], in order that he could [rule all the tribes of] his kingdom again.
Bere a Rehoboam duu Yerusalem no, ɔboaboaa Yuda ne Benyamin asraafo ano. Oyii akofo mpem ɔha ne aduɔwɔtwe, sɛ wɔrekɔko atia Israel asraafo, na wɔafa ahemman no adi so.
22 But God spoke to the prophet Shemaiah and said this to him:
Nanso Onyankopɔn ka kyerɛɛ Semaia, Onyankopɔn nipa no se,
23 “Go and tell this to [Solomon’s son] Rehoboam, the king of Judah, and to all the people of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin and the people from the northern tribe who live in Judah:
“Ka kyerɛ Salomo babarima Rehoboam, Yudahene ne nnipa a wofi Yuda ne Benyamin se,
24 ‘Yahweh says that you must not go to fight against your own relatives, the people of Israel. All of you must go home. What has happened is what Yahweh wanted to happen.’” [So Shemaiah went and told that to them, ] and they all paid attention to what Yahweh had commanded them to do, and they went home.
‘Sɛnea Awurade se ni, Mo ne mo nuanom Israelfo nntwa mo ho nko. Monsan nkɔ mo akyi, na nea asi no nyinaa fi me!’” Enti wotiee Awurade asɛm no, san kɔɔ wɔn fi sɛnea Awurade hyɛe no.
25 Then Jeroboam’s workers built [walls around] Shechem [city] in the hilly area [where the descendants] of Ephraim [lived], and he ruled from there for a while. He and his workers then left there and went to Peniel [town], and they built walls around that town.
Yeroboam kyekyeree Sekem kurow wɔ Efraim bepɔw asase so ma ɛbɛyɛɛ ne kuropɔn. Akyiri no, ɔkɔkyekyeree kurow Penuel.
26 Then Jeroboam said to himself, “If my people [continue to] go to Jerusalem and offer sacrifices to Yahweh at the temple there, soon they will again become loyal to Rehoboam, the king of Judah [DOU], and they will kill me.”
Yeroboam dwenee ho dinn, see ne koma mu se, “Sɛ manhwɛ yiye a, ahemman no bɛsan akɔ Dawid fifo adedifo nsam.
Na sɛ wɔkɔ Yerusalem, kɔbɔ afɔre wɔ Awurade Asɔredan mu nso a, wɔbɛsom Yudahene Rehoboam. Ɛba saa a, wobekum me, de ɔno mmom asi wɔn so hene.”
28 So he consulted [his advisors, and then he did what they suggested]. He [told his workers to] make gold [statues of] two calves. Then he said to the people, “You have been going to Jerusalem [to worship] for a long time. It is a big trouble for you to continue going there. You people of Israel, look! These statues are the gods that brought our [ancestors] up from Egypt! [So you can worship these, here!]”
Enti otiee nea nʼafotufo ka, na ɔyɛɛ sikakɔkɔɔ anantwi mma abien. Ɔka kyerɛɛ nnipa no se, “Ɛyɛ ɔbrɛ bebree sɛ mobɛforo akɔ Yerusalem akɔsom. Ɛno nti, Israel, eyinom ne anyame a woyii mo fii Misraim!”
29 He [told his workers to] place one of the statues in Bethel [city in the south] and one in Dan [city in the north].
Ɔde nantwi mma ahoni yi sisii Israel anafo ne atifi, wɔ Bet-El ne Dan.
30 So [what Jeroboam did caused] the people [to] sin. Some of them went and worshiped the calf at Bethel, and others went and worshiped the other calf at Dan.
Eyi bɛyɛɛ bɔne kɛse, efisɛ nnipa no som ahoni no, a na mpo wotwa kwan kɔ Dan.
31 [Moses had declared that only men from the tribe of Levi would be priests, but] Jeroboam also told his workers to build shrines on hilltops, and then he appointed men who were not from the tribe of Levi to be priests.
Yeroboam sisii abosonnan wɔ nkoko so, na ɔpaw asɔfo fii nnipa no mu a na womfi Lewi asɔfo abusua mu.
32 He also appointed Adonijah and two priests, Elishama and Jehoram. They had a celebration at the end of October, like the celebration [of Living in Temporary Shelters] that occurred in Judah [each year]. On the altar [that they built] in Bethel, he offered sacrifices to the gold statues of calves that they had made, and he stationed the priests there at the shrines that his workers had built.
Yeroboam hyehyɛɛ nyamesom dapɔnna wɔ Bet-El a na wodi saa nna no Bul ɔsram (bɛyɛ Ahinime) mu a na ɛte sɛ Yuda Guankɔbea Afahyɛ no ara. Bet-El hɔ na ɔno ankasa bɔɔ afɔre maa nantwimma ahoni a wayɛ no. Na Bet-El hɔ ara nso na ɔpaw asɔfo maa abosomfi a osisii no.
33 Jeroboam went up to that altar on that day in October which he himself had chosen. There on that altar he burned incense [to be a sacrifice]. And he declared that the people should celebrate that festival [on that same day every year].
Na ɔno ankasa yii da bi too hɔ, Bul ɔsram (bɛyɛ Ɔsannaa) mfimfini mu hɔ, na Yeroboam kɔbɔɔ afɔre wɔ afɔremuka so wɔ Bet-El. Ɔhyɛɛ anyamesom afahyɛ ase maa Israel, na ɔforo kɔɔ afɔremuka no so kɔhyew aduhuam.
