< Amos 5 >

1 You people [MTY] of Israel, listen to this funeral song that I will sing about you:
Tie asɛm yi, mo Israelfoɔ, saa mmenabɔ yi fa mo ho:
2 “You are like [MET] a young woman, but in spite of that, you will certainly be struck down and you will never get up again! You will lie on the ground, abandoned, and there will be no one to help you stand up.”
“Ɔbabunu Israel ahwe ase a ɔrensɔre bio, wɔapo no ɔno ara asase so, na ɔnni obi a ɔbɛpagya no.”
3 This is what Yahweh the Lord says to the people [MTY] of Israel: [“When your enemies attack you, ] and when 1,000 [of your soldiers] will go [to a battle], there will be only 100 who will survive. When 100 soldiers march out [from a city to fight], there will be only ten who will remain alive.”
Deɛ Otumfoɔ Awurade seɛ nie: “Kuropɔn a ɔde mmarima ahoɔdenfoɔ apem ko ma Israel no, emu ɔha pɛ na ɛbɛka; Kuro a ɔde ahoɔdenfoɔ ɔha no, emu edu pɛ na ɛbɛka.”
4 Yahweh continues to say to the people [MTY] of Israel: “You Israeli people, return to me! If you do that, you will continue to remain alive.
Deɛ Awurade ka kyerɛ Israelfoɔ nie: “Monhwehwɛ me na monnya nkwa;
5 Do not go to Bethel to seek [my help]; do not go to Gilgal [to worship]; do not [even] go to Beersheba, because [your enemies] will drag away [the people of] Gilgal to other countries, and Bethel will be completely destroyed.”
Monnhwehwɛ Bet-El, monnkɔ Gilgal, na monntu ɛkwan nkɔ Beer-Seba nso. Ampa ara Gilgal bɛkɔ nnommumfa mu na wɔbɛhwe Bet-El ase koraa.”
6 So, come to Yahweh; if you do that, you will remain alive. If you do not do that, Yahweh will descend on you descendants [MTY] of Joseph like [SIM] a fire; that fire will burn everything in Bethel, and (nothing/no one) will be able to save that town.
Monhwehwɛ Awurade na monnya nkwa, anyɛ saa a ɔbɛpra Yosef efie te sɛ ogya; ɛbɛhye, na Bet-El rennya obi nnum no.
7 You people distort what is fair/right and cause [people to think that] it is something that is very bitter; you treat good things as though they are evil.
Mo a moma atemmuo yɛ nwono na mototo tenenee ase.
8 [Do you know who] created all the groups of stars and put them in their places? [Each morning] he causes the darkness to become the dawn, and [each evening] he causes the daylight to become darkness. He scoops up water from the oceans [to become clouds], and then he dumps the water [from the clouds] onto the earth. The one who does those things is named Yahweh.
Deɛ ɔbɔɔ nsoromma, Akokɔbaatan ne ne mma, deɛ ɔdane esum yɛ no adekyeeɛ na ɔma awia dane adesaeɛ. Deɛ ɔboaboa ɛpo mu nsuo ano na ɔhwie gu asase so, ne din ne Awurade.
9 He causes strong [soldiers] to be killed, and causes the (high walls around/fortresses of) cities to be torn down.
Ɔsɛe abandenden ntɛm so na ɔbubu kuropɔn a wɔabɔ ho ban nso,
10 [He is the one who will punish you] because you hate those who challenge anyone who tries to make unjust decisions, and you hate those who tell the truth in your courts.
motane deɛ ɔtenetene wɔ asɛnniiɛ na mobu deɛ ɔka nokorɛ animtiaa.
11 You oppress poor people and force them to pay big taxes. You have built big stone mansions [for yourselves], but you will not be able to live in them. You have planted vineyards, but there will not be any [grapes for you to harvest to make] wine.
Motiatia ohiani so na mohyɛ no gye aduane firi ne nkyɛn. Enti, ɛwom sɛ mode aboɔ a wɔatwa asisi afie akɛseɛ deɛ, nanso morentena mu; ɛwom sɛ moayɛ bobe nturo a ɛyɛ fɛ deɛ nanso morennom emu nsã.
12 I know all of your sins and the terrible crimes that you have committed. You oppress righteous/honest people, and you accept bribes. You do not allow judges to treat poor people justly.
Na menim mo mmarato dodoɔ ne mo bɔne akɛseɛ no. Mohyɛ teneneefoɔ so na mogye adanmudeɛ mobu ahiafoɔ ntɛnkyea wɔ asɛnniiɛ.
13 This is a time when [many people do] evil things, so people who have good sense say nothing [when they hear about such things being done].
Ɛno enti, ɔnyansafoɔ yɛ komm saa mmerɛ yi mu, ɛfiri sɛ, ɛyɛ mmerɛ bɔne.
14 In order to remain alive, you must stop doing what is wrong, and start doing what is right. If you do that, the Commander of the armies of angels will be with you like you claim [that he always is].
Monhwehwɛ papa, na moanya nkwa na ɛnyɛ bɔne. Na Asafo Awurade Onyankopɔn bɛka wo ho, sɛdeɛ moka sɛ ɔyɛ no.
15 Love what is good, and hate what is evil! Try to cause [judges] in your courts to make decisions that are right/fair! If you do those things, perhaps the Commander of the armies of angels will act mercifully toward [you descendants of] Joseph who are still alive.
Monkyiri bɔne, na monnɔ papa; Monni atɛn tenenee wɔ asɛnniiɛ. Ebia, Asafo Awurade Onyankopɔn bɛnya ahummɔborɔ ama Yosef nkaeɛfoɔ.
16 “Because I, Yahweh, [will punish you for your sins], this is what I have solemnly declared: People will be wailing loudly in every street, and people will be very sorrowful in every plaza. Farmers will be summoned to [come and] weep, along with the other official mourners who will wail [for those who have died].
Enti deɛ Awurade, Asafo Awurade Onyankopɔn seɛ nie: “Mmenabɔ bɛba mmorɔno nyinaa so na ɔyea ne apinisie bɛba mmɔntene so. Wɔbɛfrɛ akuafoɔ ama wɔabɛsu na agyamfoɔ abɛtwa adwo.
17 People will be wailing in your vineyards, because I will punish you [IDM] severely. [That will surely happen because] I, Yahweh, have said it!”
Wɔbɛbɔ mmena wɔ bobeturo nyinaa mu, ɛfiri sɛ mɛnante mo mu,” sɛdeɛ Awurade seɛ nie.
18 Terrible things will happen to you who desire that it will soon be the day when Yahweh [will punish your enemies], because that will be a day of darkness, not of light.
Nnome nka wɔn a wɔpɛ sɛ Awurade da no ba! Deɛn enti na mopɛ sɛ Awurade da no ba? Saa ɛda no bɛyɛ esum, na ɛnnyɛ hann.
19 [At that time, ] when you try to run from a lion, you will face a bear. When you run into your house [to be safe], and you put your hand on a wall, it will be bitten by a snake.
Ɛbɛyɛ te sɛ ɔnipa a ɔdwane firi gyata anim na ɔkohyia sisire, sɛ deɛ owura ne fie de ne nsa to ɔfasuo so, na ɔwɔ ka no.
20 That day, [when he punishes people], will certainly be [RHQ] a very dark day [MET], without even a little bit of light.
Na Awurade da no bɛyɛ esum; ɛrenyɛ hann, ɛbɛyɛ esum kabii a ɛhan nsensaneɛ biara nni mu.
21 [Yahweh says], “I hate your religious celebrations and the times when you gather to worship me; I detest them [DOU].
“Mekyiri na mepo mo nyamesom mu apontoɔ; mʼani nnye mo afahyɛ nhyiamu ho.
22 Even if you bring me offerings that will be completely burned [on the altar] and offerings of grain, I will no longer accept them. Even if you bring me offerings to renew/maintain fellowship with me, I will not pay any attention to them.
Ɛwom sɛ mode ɔhyeɛ afɔdeɛ ne aduane afɔdeɛ brɛ me deɛ, nanso merennye. Mode asomdwoeɛ afɔdeɛ brɛ me nanso mʼani rensɔ.
23 So, stop singing noisy/loud songs! I will not listen when you play harps.
Momfa mo nnwontoɔ gyegyeegye no mfiri me so! Merentie mo asankuten so nnwom.
24 Instead, your continually acting justly/fairly and righteously should be [never stop, ] like [SIM] [the water in] a river that never stops flowing.
Mmom, momma atɛntenenee ntene sɛ asubɔnten, na tenenee nyɛ sɛ asutene a ɛrenwe da!
25 You Israeli people [MTY], your [ancestors] wandered through the desert for 40 years; and during that time, they never brought any sacrifices and offerings to me!
“Israelfoɔ, ɛnyɛ me na mode afɔrebɔdeɛ ne ayɛyɛdeɛ brɛɛ me mfeɛ aduanan wɔ ɛserɛ so anaa?
26 But they carried the two idols that they had made— the idols of Succoth, the god [that they considered to be] their king, and Kaiwan, [the image of the] star [that they worshiped].
Mode mo ho nyinaa ato Molek nyame, ne mo honi Rɛfan so; wɔyɛ ahoni a moayɛ sɛ mobɛsom wɔn.
27 Therefore, now I will force you to go to [a country that is] far beyond Damascus! [That will surely happen because] I, the Commander of the armies of angels, have said it!”
Ɛno enti, mɛtwa mo asuo akɔ Damasko nohoa,” sɛdeɛ Awurade a ne din ne Onyankopɔn Otumfoɔ seɛ nie.

< Amos 5 >