Ezekiel 4
1 [Yahweh also said to me, ] “You human, take a large clay tablet/brick and put it in front of you. Then on the [engrave/draw] on it lines that represent Jerusalem.
“Na afei, onipa ba, fa ntayaa bi to wʼanim na kurukyire Yerusalem kuropɔn mfoni wɔ so.
2 [draw figures around it to represent enemy soldiers who will] surround the city. Make mounds around it and a dirt ramp up against the [around the city]. [figures around it that represent] (battering rams/heavy logs that will break though the walls).
Si otua ho nnwuma ma no: yɛ apie tia no, yɛ mpampim ne nsraban wɔ ho, na fa obubuadaban nnua twa ho hyia.
3 Then take an iron pan, and place it [to be] like an iron wall between you [the drawing of] the city. Then turn your face toward the drawing. It will symbolize [enemy troops will] surround the city to attack it. That will be a warning to the Israeli people [MTY].
Afei, fa dadeɛ kyɛmferɛ to ɔfasuo wɔ wo ne kuropɔn no ntam na dane wʼani kyerɛ no. Wɔbɛtua kuropɔn no, na wo na wobɛtua no. Yei bɛyɛ nsɛnkyerɛnneɛ ama Israel efie.
4 Then lie on your left side, and stay like that for 390 days. That [symbolize that the Israeli people will be punished for] their sins; you must lie like that one day for each year during which they will be punished.
“Afei, da wo benkum so na fa Israel bɔne to wo ho so. Wobɛsoa wɔn bɔne nna dodoɔ a wode da wo fa so no.
Mede wɔn bɔne mfeɛ no mayɛ nna dodoɔ mama wo. Enti nnafua ahasa ne aduɔkron na wode bɛsoa Israelfoɔ bɔne.
6 After that, lie down again. This time, lie on your right side for 40 days. That [symbolize that the Israeli people will be punished more] for their sins, one day for each [during which they will be punished].
“Ɛno akyi, da bio wɔ wo nifa so na soa Yudafoɔ bɔne adaduanan a ɛda koro biara bɛyɛ afe baako.
7 Turn your face [the drawing of] Jerusalem and bare your [like a soldier does who prepares to go into a battle] [MTY], and prophesy [what will happen to] the city.
Dane wʼani kyerɛ Yerusalem mpampim na fa nsa pan hyɛ nkɔm tia no.
8 [You will not be able to move; it will be as though] I have tied you with ropes in order that you cannot turn from one side to the other until you have [symbolizing how many years the city] will be (besieged/surrounded by enemy soldiers).
Mede ntampehoma bɛkyekyere wo sɛdeɛ worentumi nnane wo ho kɔsi sɛ otua nna no bɛba nʼawieeɛ.
9 [Before you do that, ] take some wheat and barley, beans, lentils, spelt and millet, and put them in a [storage] jar, and use that to bake [for yourself]. That is what you will eat during the 390 days while you lie on your [left] side.
“Fa atokoɔ ne ayuo, asɛ ne asɛdua, kɔkɔte ne aburoo; fa ne nyinaa gu adekora kuruwa mu na fa to burodo a wobɛdi. Yei na wobɛdi wɔ nnafua ahasa ne aduɔkron a woda wo fa so no.
10 You will eat (8 ounces/a small loaf) of bread each day.
Kari aduane gram ahanu ne aduasa a wobɛdi no ɛda koro biara wɔ ɛberɛ ano, berɛ ano.
11 [Also] measure out (1.5 pints/0.6 liter) of water to drink each day.
Afei, susu nsuo sukuruwa baako na nom no berɛ ano berɛ ano.
12 Eat that bread like you would eat a loaf of barley bread. But use your own dried dung for fuel to bake the bread while people are watching.
Di aduane no sɛdeɛ anka wobɛdi atokoɔ ɔfam; to ma nnipa nhunu, na fa onipa agyanan yɛ ogya.”
13 That will symbolize that the Israeli people will be forced to eat food that is unacceptable to me when they are living in the nations to which I will force them to go.”
Awurade kaa sɛ: “Saa ara na Israelfoɔ bɛdi aduane a wɔagu ho fi wɔ amanaman a mɛpam wɔn akɔ so no.”
14 Then I said, “No, Yahweh God![Do not force me to do that]! I have never caused myself to become unacceptable to you [by doing anything like that]. From the time when I was young, I have never eaten meat of any [animal] that was found dead or that had been killed by wild animals. And I have never eaten any meat that is unacceptable to you.”
Na mekaa sɛ, “Ɛnte saa, Otumfoɔ Awurade! Menguu me ho fi da. Ɛfiri me mmɔfraase bɛsi saa ɛberɛ yi, mennii aboa funu anaa deɛ nkekaboa bi akum no atete ne mu da. Ɛnam a ɛho agu fi nkaa mʼano da.”
15 Yahweh replied, “Okay, I will allow you to bake your bread using dried cow manure instead of human [for fuel].”
Awurade kaa sɛ, “Ɛyɛ, mɛma wode nantwie agyanan asi onipa deɛ anan mu, na wato wo burodo wɔ so.”
16 Then he said to me, “You human, I will cause the supply of food to Jerusalem to be cut off. [Then] the people will eat the small amounts of food and drink the small amounts of [that the government permits them to have], and they will be [very] distressed and anxious as they do that,
Afei ɔka kyerɛɛ me sɛ, “Onipa ba, mɛtwa aduane a wɔde ba Yerusalem so. Nnipa no de ahoyera bɛdi aduane a wɔkyekyɛ mu, na wɔde abasamutuo anom nsuo a wɔkyekyɛ,
17 because water and food will be very scarce. They will see each other becoming extremely thin, and they will be appalled; [but this will happen] because they are being punished [for the sins that they have committed].”
ɛfiri sɛ aduane ne nsuo ho bɛyɛ den. Wɔn ho bɛdwiri wɔn sɛ wɔhunu wɔn ho wɔn ho, na wɔn bɔne enti, wɔbɛfonfɔn.”
