Deuteronomy 9

1 “You people of Israel, listen to me! You will soon [HYP] cross the Jordan [River]. In the land that you will enter, there are large cities that have very high walls [around them] that [seem to] [HYP] extend up to the sky. There are people-groups in that land that are more numerous and more powerful than you are.

Israel, muntie: Morekotwa Yordan na moawura mu akogye aman a ɛsoso na wɔwɔ ahoɔden kyɛn mo na wɔwɔ nkuropɔn akɛse wɔ mu na wɔn afasu kɔka sorosoro no, agyapade.

2 Those people are very tall and strong. [Some of them] are giants who are descendants of Anak. You know about them, and you have heard people say that no one [RHQ] can defeat the descendants of Anak.

Nnipa no wɔ ahoɔden na wɔwoware; Anakfo! Moate wɔn nka na moate sɛ wɔka se, “Hena na obetumi ne Anakfo agyina?”

3 But I want you to know that Yahweh our God will go ahead of you. He will be like a raging/roaring fire. While you advance, he will defeat and destroy them. As a result, you will quickly be able to expel some of them and kill the others, which is what Yahweh promised that you would do.

Nanso merehyɛ mo ase nnɛ sɛ, Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn, na ɔredi mo anim te sɛ ogyaframa a ɛresɛe ade. Ɔbɛsɛe wɔn. Ɔbɛbrɛ wɔn ase wɔ mo anim. Na moapam wɔn na moatɔre wɔn ase ntɛm pa ara sɛnea Awurade hyɛɛ mo bɔ no.

4 “After Yahweh our God has expelled them for you, do not say to yourselves, ‘It is because we are righteous that Yahweh has enabled us to capture this land.’ The truth is that it is because the people in that land are wicked that Yahweh will expel them as you advance.

Sɛ Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn, tu wɔn gu a, monnka wɔ mo koma mu se, “Esiane yɛn trenee nti na Awurade de saa asase yi ama yɛn.” Dabi, ɛyɛ aman no amumɔyɛsɛm nti na Awurade redi mo anim apam wɔn.

5 [I say again that] it is not because you are righteous or because you do things that are righteous that you will enter and capture that land. It is because those people-groups are very wicked that Yahweh our God will expel them as you advance, and because he intends to do what he vowed to your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that he would do.

Ɛnyɛ sɛ moyɛ atreneefo ne nokwafo nti na morekɔfa wɔn asase no; mmom, efi wɔn amumɔyɛ nti, Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn, bɛpam saa aman yi adi mo anim de ahyɛ ntam a wadi kan aka akyerɛ mo agyanom Abraham, Isak ne Yakob no ma.

6 I want you to know that it is not because you are righteous that Yahweh our God is giving you this good/fertile land. I say that because [you are not righteous]; you are a very stubborn [IDM] people.”

Monte ase sɛ, ɛnyɛ sɛ moyɛ atreneefo nti na Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn, de saa asase pa yi rema mo. Moyɛ ɔman a asoɔden ahyɛ mo ma.

7 “Never forget what your ancestors did in the desert that caused Yahweh our God to become angry. From the day that we left Egypt until the day that we arrived here, you and your ancestors have continually rebelled against him.

Monkae eyi na mommma mo werɛ mmfi sɛnea mohyɛɛ Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn abufuw wɔ sare so hɔ no. Efi bere a mutu fii Misraim besi sɛ muduu ha yi, moakɔ so atew Awurade anim atua.

8 Even at Sinai [Mountain] your ancestors caused Yahweh to become angry. Because he was very angry, he was ready to get rid of [all of] them.

Mohyɛɛ Awurade abufuw wɔ Horeb a anka ɔpɛ sɛ ɔsɛe mo.

9 When I climbed the mountain to receive from him the stone tablets on which he had written the Ten Commandments that he was giving to them, I stayed there 40 days and nights, and [during that time] I did not eat or drink anything.

Mekɔɔ bepɔw no so sɛ merekogye abo kyerɛwpon a na wɔakyerɛw apam a na Awurade ne mo apam no agu so no, metenaa hɔ nnafua aduanan, mannidi na mannom.

10 Yahweh gave me the two stone tablets on which he had written [the commandments] with his own fingers. They were the words/commandments that he had spoken to your ancestors from the fire on that mountain, when they were gathered together [at the bottom of the mountain].

Awurade de apam a ɛwɔ abo kyerɛwpon a Onyankopɔn ankasa akyerɛw nsɛm a ofi ogya a ɛwɔ bepɔw no so no mu ka kyerɛɛ mo no nyinaa maa me.

11 “At the end of those 40 days and nights, Yahweh gave me those two stone tablets on which he had written those commandments.

Na awia ne anadwo adaduanan no baa awiei no, Awurade de abo pon abien a wɔakyerɛw apam no wɔ so no maa me.

12 But then he said to me, ‘Go down the mountain immediately, because [the people whom you are leading], the people whom you led out of Egypt, have committed a terrible sin! They have very quickly done what I commanded them not to do. They have made for themselves a metal statue [of a calf to worship].’

Afei, Awurade ka kyerɛɛ me se, “Sian fi ha ntɛm kɔ, efisɛ nnipa a wudii wɔn anim fi Misraim no adan abɔnefo. Wɔaman afi ahyɛde a memaa wɔn no ho na wɔayɛ ohoni afa.”

13 Then Yahweh said to me, ‘I have been watching these people, and I see that they are very stubborn.

Na Awurade ka kyerɛɛ me se, “Mahwɛ saa nnipa yi ara ahu sɛ, wɔn aso yɛ den pa ara.

14 So do not try to stop me. I am going to destroy all of them, with the result that no one anywhere will remember (their names [MTY]/that they ever existed). Then I will enable you to become [the ancestor of] a nation that will be more numerous and more powerful than they are.’

Ma me kwan na mensɛe na mempepa wɔn din mfi ɔsoro ase. Na menam so mayɛ wʼasefo ɔman kɛse; ɔman a ɛso na ɛwɔ ahoɔden sen sɛnea ɛte nnɛ yi.”

15 So I turned and went down the mountain, carrying in my hands the two stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments were [written]. Fire was burning all over the mountain.

Enti misian fii ogya bepɔw no so a na mikura abo apon abien a apam no wɔ so no.

16 I looked, and I was shocked to see that your ancestors had committed a [great] sin against Yahweh. They very quickly had begun to do what Yahweh our God had commanded them not to do. They had [requested Aaron to] make for them [a metal image of] a calf [to worship].

Mehwɛe no, mihuu sɛ moayɛ bɔne atia Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn; Moagu nantwi ba sɛso honi ama mo ho. Moaman afi Awurade kwan a ɔkyerɛɛ mo sɛ momfa so no so ntɛm.

17 So while they were watching, I lifted up those two stone tablets and threw them [on the ground], and they broke into pieces.

Enti memaa ɔbo apon no so kɔɔ soro na metow hwee fam. Mibubuu no wɔ mo anim.

18 Then I (prostrated myself/lay) on the ground in Yahweh’s presence as I had done before, and I did not eat or drink anything for 40 days and nights. I did that because your ancestors had sinned against Yahweh and caused him to become very angry.

Afei, medaa Awurade anim awia ne anadwo adaduanan a manni brodo, annom nsu. Meyɛɛ eyi, efisɛ sɛ moayɛ ade a Awurade kyi nti, moayɛ bɔne na ɛnam so ama ne bo afuw yiye.

19 I was afraid/worried that because Yahweh was very angry with them, he would get rid of all of them. [But again I prayed that he would not do that], and again he listened to me [and answered my prayer].

Misuroo Awurade abufuw ne so asotwe, efisɛ na ne bo afuw yiye a obetumi asɛe mo. Nanso, otiee me bio.

20 Yahweh was also very angry with Aaron [for making that golden calf] and was ready to kill Aaron. But at the same time I prayed for Aaron also, [and Yahweh answered my prayer].

Na Awurade bo fuw Aaron a na anka ɔpɛ sɛ ɔsɛe no. Nanso mebɔɔ mpae maa Aaron nso.

21 Your ancestors had sinned by [requesting Aaron to] make [a metal statue of] a calf. So I took that statue and [I melted it] in a fire and crushed it and ground it into very tiny pieces [HYP]. Then I threw those tiny pieces into the stream that flowed down the mountain.

Mefaa mo bɔne, nantwi ba a moayɛ no, na menan no wɔ gya mu yam no muhumuhu. Metow ne mfutuma no guu asuwa bi a ɛsen fi bepɔw no mu no mu.

22 Your ancestors also caused Yahweh to become very angry [by what they did] at [places which they named] Taberah, Massah, and Kibroth-Hattaavah.

Mohyɛɛ Awurade abufuw wɔ Tabera, Masa ne Kibrot-Hataawa nso.

23 And when we were at Kadesh-Barnea, Yahweh said to your ancestors, ‘Go up and capture the land that I am about to give to you!’ But they rebelled against him. They did not trust him, and they did not obey what he told [MTY] them to do.

Kades-Barnea nso, Awurade somaa mo wɔ saa ɔhyɛ yi so se, “Monkɔ soro hɔ nkɔfa asase a mede ama mo no.” Nanso mubuu Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn no, ahyɛde so na moamfa mo ho anto no so antie nʼasɛm.

24 Your ancestors rebelled against Yahweh from the first day that I knew them, [in Egypt].

Efi bere a mihuu mo no, daa mosɔre tia Awurade.

25 So, [as I said], I lay on the ground in Yahweh’s presence for 40 days and nights, because Yahweh had said that he would get rid of your ancestors.

Ɛno nti na bere a Awurade sii nʼadwene pi sɛ ɔbɛsɛe mo no, mekɔdaa nʼanim awia ne anadwo nnafua aduanan no.

26 And I prayed to Yahweh, saying, ‘Lord God, these people belong to you; do not destroy them. They are people whom you rescued and brought out of Egypt by your very great power. [DOU, MTY]

Mebɔɔ mpae srɛɛ Awurade se, “Otumfo Awurade, nsɛe wo man ne wʼagyapade a wode wo kɛseyɛ agye asi hɔ na wode wo nsa a ɛyɛ den ayi wɔn afi Misraim no.

27 Do not forget [what you promised to] Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Please ignore these stubborn and wicked people and the sin that they have committed.

Yi wʼani fi saa nnipa yi komapirim ne asoɔden ne wɔn bɔne so na kae wo nkoa Abraham, Isak ne Yakob.

28 If you do not do that, [and if you get rid of them], the people of Egypt will [hear about it and] say that you were not able to bring them into the land that you promised to give to them. They will say that you took them into the desert only to kill them there because you hated them.

Anyɛ saa a, Misraimfo no bɛka se, ‘Awurade sɛee wɔn, efisɛ wantumi amfa wɔn ankɔ asase a ɔkaa ntam sɛ ɔde bɛma wɔn no so. Anaasɛ nso, wɔbɛka se, ɔsɛee wɔn, efisɛ ɔtan wɔn; ɔde wɔn baa sare so sɛ ɔrekokunkum wɔn.’

29 [Do not forget that] they are your people. [You chose them to] belong to you. You brought them out [from Egypt] by your very great power [DOU, MTY].’”

Nanso wɔyɛ wo nkurɔfo ne wʼagyapade a wonam tumi a ɛso ne wʼabasa a woatrɛw mu so yii wɔn.”