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.

Ao Israel, montie! Morekɔtwa Yordan na moawura mu akɔgye aman a ɛsoso na wɔwɔ ahoɔden kyɛn mo na wɔwɔ nkuropɔn akɛseɛ na wɔn afasuo kɔka sorosoro no agyapadeɛ.

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—Anakfoɔ. Moate wɔn nka na moate sɛ wɔka sɛ, “Hwan na ɔbɛtumi ne Anakfoɔ 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 ɛnnɛ sɛ, Awurade mo Onyankopɔn na ɔredi mo anim te sɛ ogya dɛreɛ a ɛresɛe adeɛ. Ɔbɛsɛe wɔn. Ɔbɛbrɛ wɔn ase wɔ mo anim. Na moapam wɔn na moatɔre wɔn ase ntɛm pa ara sɛdeɛ 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 Onyankopɔn, tu wɔn gu a, monnka no wɔ mo akoma mu sɛ, “Esiane yɛn tenenee enti na Awurade de saa asase yi ama yɛn.” Dabi. Esiane sɛ aman no yɛ amumuyɛfoɔ no enti na Awurade reyɛ saa.

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 ateneneefoɔ ne nokwafoɔ no enti na morekɔfa wɔn asase no. Esiane wɔn amumuyɛ enti, Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn, bɛpamo saa aman yi adi mo anim de akyerɛ sɛ, wadi ntam a ɔka kyerɛɛ mo agyanom Abraham, Isak ne Yakob no so.

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.”

Meka bio sɛ, ɛnyɛ sɛ moyɛ teneneefoɔ enti na Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn, de saa asase pa yi rema mo. Ɛnte saa. 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 yei na mommma mo werɛ mfiri sɛdeɛ mohyɛɛ Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn Abufuo wɔ ɛserɛ so hɔ no. Ɛfiri ɛberɛ a motu firii Misraim bɛsi sɛ moduruu ha yi, moate 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 abufuo 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 bepɔ no so sɛ merekɔgye aboɔ twerɛpono a na wɔatwerɛ 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 aboɔ twerɛpono so a Onyankopɔn ankasa atwerɛ so nsɛm maa me. Ɔfiri ogya a ɛwɔ bepɔ no so no mu na ɔde 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 adaduanan awia ne anadwo no baa awieeɛ no, Awurade de aboɔ ɛpono mmienu a wɔatwerɛ 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 sɛ, “Siane firi ha ntɛm kɔ, ɛfiri sɛ, nnipa a wodii wɔn anim firi Misraim no adane abɔnefoɔ. Wɔamane afiri ɛkwan a mehyɛɛ wɔn sɛ wɔntena ase no so dada, na wɔde sikakɔkɔɔ ayɛ 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 sɛ, “Mahwɛ saa nnipa yi ara ahunu 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 ɛkwan na mensɛe na mempepa wɔn din mfiri ɔsoro ase. Na menam so mayɛ wʼasefoɔ ɔman kɛseɛ; ɔman a ɛso na ɛwɔ ahoɔden sene sɛdeɛ ɛte ɛnnɛ 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, mesiane firii ogya bepɔ no so a aboɔ apono mmienu a apam no wɔ so no kura me.

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].

Mʼase hɔ no, mehunuu sikakɔkɔɔ nantwie ba a mofiri mo bɔne kɛseɛ mu ayɛ atia Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn. Ankyɛre koraa na modane firii Awurade ɛkwan a ɔkyerɛɛ mo sɛ momfa so no so.

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, mepagyaa boɔ apono no kɔɔ soro ɛnna meto hwee fam. Mebubuu 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 burodo. Mannom nsuo. Meyɛɛ yei, ɛfiri sɛ moyɛɛ adeɛ a Awurade kyi, na ɛnam so maa ne bo fuu yie.

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].

Mesuro maa mo, ɛfiri sɛ, na Awurade ayɛ nʼadwene sɛ ɔbɛsɛe mo. Nanso, ɔtiee 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].

Awurade bo fuu Aaron ara kɔsii sɛ anka ɔpɛ sɛ ɔsɛe no. Nanso, mebɔɔ mpaeɛ 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 no, nantwie ba a moayɛ no, na menanee no wɔ ogya mu yamoo no muhumuhu. Metoo ne mfuturo no guu asuwa a ɛtene firi bepɔ no so 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 abufuo 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 sɛ, “Monkɔ soro hɔ nkɔfa asase a mede ama mo no”. Nanso, motiaa Awurade mo Onyankopɔn ahyɛdeɛ no 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].

Aane, ɛfiri sɛ mehunuu 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 enti na ɛberɛ a Awurade sii nʼadwene pi sɛ ɔpɛ sɛ ɔsɛe 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 mpaeɛ kyerɛɛ Awurade sɛ, “Otumfoɔ Awurade, nsɛe wo ɔman ne wʼagyapadeɛ a wode wo kɛseyɛ agye asi hɔ na wode wo nsa a ɛyɛ den ayi wɔn afiri 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 firi saa nnipa asoɔdenfoɔ yi so na kae wʼasomfoɔ 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.

Sɛ wosɛe saa nnipa yi a, Misraimfoɔ bɛka sɛ, ‘Awurade sɛee wɔn, ɛfiri sɛ, wantumi amfa wɔn ankɔ asase a ɔkaa ntam sɛ ɔde bɛma wɔn no so. Anaasɛ nso, wɔbɛka sɛ, ɔsɛee wɔn, ɛfiri sɛ, ɔtan wɔn; ɔde wɔn baa ɛserɛ so sɛ ɔrekɔkunkum 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 nkurɔfoɔ ne wʼagyapadeɛ a wonam tumi a ɛso ne wʼabasa a wama soɔ so yii wɔn.”