Deuteronomy 12

1 “(I will now tell you again/These, [again], are) the rules and regulations that you must faithfully obey in the land that Yahweh, the God whom our ancestors [worshiped], is giving to you to occupy. You must obey these laws all the time that you are alive.

Yeinom ne mmara ne ahyɛdeɛ a ɛsɛ sɛ modi so, ɛberɛ a mote asase a Awurade, mo agyanom Onyankopɔn, de ama mo no so.

2 You must destroy all the places where the people-groups that you will expel worship their gods, on the tops of mountains and hills and under big green trees.

Sɛ motu amanaman a wɔtete hɔ no firi hɔ a, ɛsɛ sɛ mosɛe mmeammea a wɔsom wɔn anyame no nyinaa—mmepɔ no atifi, nkokoɔ no atifi ne nnua a ɛyi nhahammono no ase nyinaa.

3 You must tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars. Completely burn the statues of their goddess Asherah in fires, and chop down their wooden idols, in order that no one will ever worship them [MTY] in those places again.

Mommubu wɔn afɔrebukyia nyinaa na monyam wɔn ɔsom adum no. Momfa ogya nhye wɔn abosompɔ na mommobɔ wɔn ahoni a wɔayeyɛ no. Mompepa wɔn ahoni no din mfiri mmeammea hɔ.

4 “Do not worship Yahweh like [the people in Canaan worship their gods].

Mommfa wɔn akwan no so nsom Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn.

5 Instead, you must go to the place that Yahweh will choose. It will be in the area where one of your tribes will live. That is where you must go to worship Yahweh.

Na mmom, monhwehwɛ baabi a Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn, bɛyi afiri mo mmusuakuo mu ama mo no na montim ne din hɔ sɛ nʼatenaeɛ. Beaeɛ hɔ na ɛsɛ sɛ mokɔ.

6 That is the place where you must bring your sacrifices that will be completely burned on the altar, and your other sacrifices, (your tithes/ten percent of all of your crops), other offerings that you decide to give, and the firstborn animals from your cattle and sheep.

Ɛhɔ na momfa mo hyeɛ afɔrebɔdeɛ mmra mmɛbɔ a mo ntotosoɔ dudu, akyɛdeɛ sononko, adeɛ a moaka ho ntam sɛ mode bɛba ne afɔrebɔdeɛ a ɛfiri akoma pa mu, mo anantwie ne mo nnwan mu mmakan nso ka ho.

7 There, in the presence of Yahweh our God, who has [greatly] blessed you, you and your families will eat the good things that you have worked to produce, and you will be happy.

Ɛhɔ na Awurade mo Onyankopɔn anim, mo ne mo abusuafoɔ bɛdidi na mo ani agye wɔ biribiara a mo nsa aka wɔ hɔ, ɛfiri sɛ, Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn, ahyira mo.

8 “[When you are in that land], you must not do some of the things that we have been doing. Until now, you have all been worshiping [Yahweh] the way you wanted to,

Ɛnnɛ yi, deɛ mopɛ biara na moyɛ, nanso, ɛnyɛ ne kwan ne no,

9 because you have not yet arrived in the land which Yahweh is giving to you, where you will be able to live peacefully.

ɛfiri sɛ, monnuruu ahomegyebea a Awurade mo Onyankopɔn de rebɛma mo no hɔ.

10 But when you cross the Jordan [River], you will start to live in the land that Yahweh our God is giving to you. He will protect you from all your enemies that will surround you, and you will live peacefully/safely.

Ɛrenkyɛre biara, mobɛtwa Asubɔnten Yordan akɔtena asase a Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn, de rema mo sɛ agyapadeɛ sononko no so. Sɛ ɔma mo ahomegyeɛ ne banbɔ wɔ mo atamfoɔ ho a,

11 “Yahweh will choose one place where he wants you to worship him. That is the place to which you must bring all the offerings that I command you to bring: The sacrifices that must be completely burned [on the altar], your other sacrifices, other offerings that you yourselves decide to give, (your tithes/ten percent of all your crops), and all the special offerings that you will solemnly promise to give to Yahweh.

momfa biribiara a mɛhyɛ mo sɛ momfa mmra a ɛyɛ mo ɔhyeɛ afɔrebɔdeɛ, ntotosoɔ dudu, akyɛdeɛ sononko ne mo ɔma ahodoɔ ne mo bɔhyɛ afɔdeɛ. Momfa nkɔ beaeɛ a Awurade mo Onyankopɔn bɛyi ama mo a mobɛkamfo ne din wɔ hɔ no.

12 Rejoice there in the presence of Yahweh, along with your children, your male and female servants, and the descendants of Levi who live in your towns. Do not forget that the descendants of Levi will not have their own land, like you will have.

Mo ne mo mmammarima, mo mmammaa ne mo nkoa nyinaa nnye mo ani wɔ hɔ wɔ Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn, anim. Na monkae Lewifoɔ a wɔtete mo nkuro so no sɛ, wɔnni asase a ɛyɛ wɔn dea.

13 Be sure that you do not offer sacrifices anywhere you want to.

Monhwɛ yie na moammɔ mo hyeɛ afɔdeɛ wɔ baabiara kwa.

14 You must offer them only in the place that Yahweh will choose for you, in an area that belongs to one of your tribes. That is the only place where he wants you to offer sacrifices that will be completely burned [on the altar], and to do the other things that I am commanding you to do [when you worship him].

Motumi yɛ saa wɔ baabi pɔtee a Awurade ayi afiri mo mmusua asase bi mu ama mo. Ɛhɔ na motumi bɔ ɔhyeɛ afɔdeɛ na moyɛ biribiara a mɛhyɛ mo sɛ monyɛ no.

15 “However, you will be permitted to kill and eat the meat of your animals in the places where you live. As often as you want to, you may eat the meat of the animals that Yahweh our God will bless you by giving them to you. Those who have done things that cause them to become unacceptable to God and those who have not done things like that may all eat that meat, just like you would eat the meat of a deer or an antelope.

Nanso, kuro biara a mopɛ so no, motumi kum mmoa we sɛdeɛ mokum atwe ne adabɔ no. Motumi we ɛnam dodoɔ biara a Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn, de bɛma mo. Mo nyinaa, sɛ mo ho te anaa mo ho nte no, motumi we bi.

16 But you must not eat the blood [of any animals]; you must let the blood drain onto the ground [before you cook the meat].

Mmara a ɛbata ho ara ne sɛ, monnni mogya no. Montwa ngu fam te sɛ nsuo.

17 In the places where you live, you must not eat the things that you are offering [to Yahweh]: You must not eat the (tithes/ten percent) of your grain or of your wine, or of your [olive] oil, or the firstborn of your cattle and sheep, or the offerings that you yourselves decide to give to Yahweh, or any other offerings.

Ɛnsɛ sɛ modi mo afɔdeɛ, ntotosoɔ dudu a ɛfiri mo aburoo mu, mo nsã foforɔ ne ngo anaa mo anantwie ne mo nnwan abakan wɔ mo kuro mu. Biribiara a moaka ho ntam sɛ mode bɛma Awurade anaa deɛ mofiri akoma pa mu ahyɛ ho bɔ anaa akyɛdeɛ sononko biara, ɛnsɛ sɛ modi.

18 Instead, you and your children and your male and female servants and the descendants of Levi who live in your towns must go to the place that he has chosen and eat those things there in the presence of Yahweh. And you should rejoice in the presence of Yahweh about everything that you do.

Mmom, ɛsɛ sɛ modi no wɔ Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn, anim wɔ baabi a Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn, bɛkyerɛ mo no a mo, mo mmammarima ne mo mmammaa mo nkoa ne mo mfenaa ne Lewifoɔ a wɔfiri mo nkuro mu ka mo ho. Monnye mo ani wɔ Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn anim wɔ biribiara a mobɛyɛ no ho.

19 Be sure that you take care of the descendants of Levi all during the time that you live in your land.

Monhwɛ yie na moantwa Lewifoɔ no annya wɔ mmerɛ dodoɔ a mote mo asase so yi.

20 “When Yahweh our God gives you much more land [than you will have when you first occupy it], which is what he has promised to do, and you say ‘I would like some meat to eat’ because you are craving/wanting some meat, you will be permitted to eat meat whenever you want to.

Sɛ Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn, trɛ mo asase mu sɛdeɛ wahyɛ mo ho bɔ no a, ɛnneɛ, mobɛtumi awe ɛnam mmerɛ biara a mopɛ.

21 If the place that Yahweh our God chooses to be the place for you to worship him is far [from where you live], you are permitted to kill some of your cattle or sheep that Yahweh has given to you, and you may eat that meat at the places where you live, just like I have told you to do.

Ɛtumi ba sɛ baabi a Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn, ayi ama mo sɛ monkamfo ne din hɔ no ne mo fie kwan ware. Sɛ ɛba saa a, motumi kum mo anantwie anaa nnwan a Awurade de ama mo no bi we ɛnam no wɔ mo fie sɛdeɛ mahyɛ mo no.

22 Those who have done things that cause them to become unacceptable to God, and those who have not done things like that, are all permitted to all eat that meat, just like you would eat the meat of a deer or an antelope.

Obi a ne ho te anaa ne ho nte tumi we ɛnam no bi sɛdeɛ mowe ɔtwe ne ɔdabɔ no.

23 But be sure that you do not eat the blood [of any animal], because it is the blood that sustains life in living beings, and so you must not eat the life along with the meat.

Mmara a ɛwɔ ho ara ne sɛ, monnni mogya no, ɛfiri sɛ, mogya no yɛ nkwa enti ɛnsɛ sɛ modi nkwa no fra ɛnam no.

24 Do not eat the blood; instead, let it drain onto the ground.

Mmom, monhwie mogya no ngu fam sɛ nsuo.

25 If you obey this command and do what Yahweh says is right [for you to do], things will go well for you and for your descendants.

Monnni mogya no, na asi mo ne mo mma yie, ɛfiri sɛ, moayɛ deɛ ɛsɔ Awurade ani.

26 “But the sacred offerings that Yahweh has told you to give and the other offerings that you yourselves decide to give, you must take to the place that Yahweh will choose.

Momfa mo akyɛdeɛ kronkron ne mo bɔhyɛ afɔrebɔdeɛ nkɔ beaeɛ a Awurade akyerɛ.

27 You must offer there the sacrifices that will be completely burned [on Yahweh’s altar]. You must also offer there the sacrifices from which you may eat some of meat after you [kill the animals and] drain out the blood and some of it is thrown on the [sides of the] altar.

Ɛsɛ sɛ mode ɛnam ne mogya a mode bɔ ɔhyeɛ afɔdeɛ no gu Awurade mo Onyankopɔn no afɔrebukyia so. Mogya a ɛka mo afɔdeɛ foforɔ bi a mobɔ ho no, monhwie ngu Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn, afɔrebukyia no nkyɛn nanso motumi we ɛnam no.

28 Faithfully obey all these things that I have commanded you. If you do that, things will go well forever for you and your descendants, because you will be doing what Yahweh our God says is right [for you to do] and what pleases him.

Monhwɛ yie na monni me mmara so na biribiara bɛkɔ yie ama mo ne mo mma, ɛfiri sɛ, mobɛyɛ deɛ ɛsɔ Awurade mo Onyankopɔn ani.

29 “When you enter the land that you will occupy, as you advance, Yahweh our God will get rid of the people-groups that live there.

Sɛ Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn, sɛe aman no na mopam wɔn kɔtena wɔn asase no so a,

30 After he does that, be sure that you do not [worship the gods] that they have been worshiping, because if you do that, you will be caught in the same trap [that they were caught in] [MET]. Do not ask anyone about those gods, saying, ‘Tell me how they worshiped their gods, in order that I can [worship them] also.’

mommma ɛkwan a wɔfa so som wɔn anyame no nyɛ afidie mma mo. Mommmisa sɛ “Ɛkwan bɛn so na saa aman yi fa som wɔn anyame? Yɛpɛ sɛ yɛdi wɔn akyi.”

31 Do not try to worship Yahweh our God like they have worshiped their gods, because when they worship them, they do disgusting things, things that Yahweh hates. [The worst thing that they do is] that they sacrifice their own children and burn them [on their altars].

Mommfa saa ɛkwan yi so nsom Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn, ɛfiri sɛ, wɔn anyame no som mu no, wɔyɛɛ akyiwadeɛ bebree a Awurade mpɛ. Mpo, wɔhyee wɔn mmammarima ne wɔn mmammaa wɔ ogya a wɔde rebɔ afɔdeɛ ama wɔn anyame no mu.

32 “Be sure to do everything that I have commanded you to do. Do not add anything to these commands, and do not take anything away from them.”

Monhwɛ sɛ, deɛ mahyɛ mo no nyinaa mobɛdi so; mommfa bi nka ho na monnyi bi nso mfiri mu.