< Hosea 10 >

1 “Israel was [like a large] healthy/luxuriant vine [MET] that produced [a lot of] grapes. But as the people became richer, they made more altars [at which to worship idols]. As the people prospered, they [built and] decorated sacred pillars [that they worshiped].
Israel yɛɛ bobe a ɛtrɛtrɛw; ɔsow aba maa ne ho. Bere a nʼaba redɔɔso no, osisii afɔremuka bebree; nʼasase rekɔ so yɛ yiye no osiesie nʼabosom dum kronkron no.
2 They are deceitful; [so] now they are guilty and must be punished. [I], Yahweh, will tear down their altars and smash those pillars.
Nnaadaasɛm wɔ wɔn koma mu, nti ɛsɛ sɛ wonya wɔn afɔdi so asotwe. Awurade bebubu wɔn afɔremuka, na wasɛe wɔn abosom dum kronkron no.
3 Then they will say, ‘It is because we did not revere Yahweh that we no [longer] have a king. But [even if we had] a king, he certainly could not [RHQ] do anything to help us.’
Afei, wɔbɛka se, “Yenni ɔhene, efisɛ, yɛamfa nidi amma Awurade. Mpo sɛ na yɛwɔ ɔhene koraa a, dɛn na anka obetumi ayɛ ama yɛn?”
4 They falsely promise [that they will do many things]; they solemnly promise and make agreements, but they do not do what they promise. So people accuse and sue [each other in the courts]; they are like [SIM] poisonous weeds [that grow] in a plowed field.
Wɔhyɛ bɔ ahorow bebree, wɔka ntamhunu na wɔyɛ apam ahorow; ɛno nti mansotwe sɔresɔre te sɛ wura a bɔre wɔ mu a afifi asase a wɔafuntum so so.
5 The people who live in Samaria [city] are worried about [what may happen to the idol that resembles] a calf [that they set up] at Beth-Aven [town]. The people in Samaria will mourn, and the priests there will cry about it [if it is damaged or destroyed]. [Previously] they shouted joyfully about its being very great; but now it will not be great any more.
Nnipa a wɔte Samaria no suro ma Bet-Awen nantwi ba ohoni no. Ne nkurɔfo besu. Saa ara na nʼakɔmfo nso bɛyɛ, wɔn a wogyee wɔn ani wɔ nʼanuonyam ho no. Efisɛ wɔafa no afi wɔn nkyɛn kɔ nnommum mu.
6 It will be taken to Assyria to be a gift for the great King [of Assyria]. [So the people of] Israel will be disgraced, and they will be ashamed because [they trusted in] that idol.
Wɔde no bɛkɔ Asiria, de akɔhyɛ ɔhene kɛse no anuonyam. Ebegu Efraim anim ase; na Israel ani bewu wɔ ne nnua ahoni ho.
7 The King of Samaria [and the other people in Samaria] will be gone; they will be like [SIM] a twig [that floats away] on the surface of the water [and disappears].
Samaria na ne hene bɛsen akɔ te sɛ abaa a ɛtɛn nsu ani.
8 The altars on the tops of hills [where the people worshiped idols] will be destroyed; those have been the places where the people of Israel sinned greatly. Thorns and weeds will grow and cover those altars. Then the people will plead to the mountains and hills, ‘Fall [down and] cover us [to protect us from God punishing us]!’
Wɔbɛsɛe abosonnan a wodi awurukasɛm ne bɔne wɔ mu no. Nsɔe ne nnɛnkyɛnse befifi hɔ, na akata wɔn afɔremuka so. Afei wɔbɛka akyerɛ mmepɔw se, “Mommɛkata yɛn so!” na wase nkoko se, “Munnwiriw ngu yɛn so!”
9 [You people of] Israel, [ever since your ancestors did evil things] at Gibeah, you have continued to sin. [When the people at] [PRS] Gibeah [did evil things], the result was a war [in which thousands of people died].
“Efi Gibea bere so, woayɛ bɔne, Israel, na hɔ na woaka. Na ɔko rentwiw amfa amumɔyɛfo a wɔwɔ Gibea no so ana?
10 [So now], when I want to, I will punish the Israeli people. Because of the many sins that they have committed, [the armies of other] nations will gather to attack them, and they will cause the Israeli people to become their slaves.
Bere a mepɛ no, mɛtwe wɔn aso; aman bɛboaboa wɔn ho ano atia wɔn. Wɔde mpokyerɛ begu wɔn wɔ wɔn bɔne dodow ho.
11 Israel is [like] [MET] a well-trained (heifer/young cow) that likes to thresh [grain]. [So now you will become slaves]. [It will be as though] I will put a yoke on your neck, and you will be forced to work hard for your enemies in their fields. [You people of] Israel and Judah [will be forced to go to Assyria]; there you [DOU] will pull plows to break up the ground [for planting seeds].
Efraim yɛ nantwi ba a wɔayɛn no, a ɔpɛ awiporowbea adwuma, enti mede konnua bɛto ne kɔn fɛɛfɛ mu. Mɛkyerɛ Efraim ɔkwan, ɛsɛ sɛ Yuda funtum asase no, na Yakob nso siesie so.
12 [You plow your fields and plant your seeds] and harvest [your crops] [MET], [but what you need to do is] to act righteously and to faithfully love [me]; you need to repent [MET], because it is time to try to know [me], Yahweh; and if you do that, I will pour out [MET] many blessings on you.
Dua trenee aba ma wo ho, twa ɔdɔ aba a ɛtena hɔ daa, siesie wʼasase a womfuntumii so no; na bere adu sɛ wohwehwɛ Awurade, kosi sɛ ɔbɛba abɛpete trenee agu wo so.
13 You [plant seeds and harvest the crops and eat them]; [but what I consider that you have really done is] that you have planted wicked things and harvested evil things and eaten [MET] the results [IDM] of the lies [that you have told]. [Instead of trusting in me, ] you have (depended on/trusted in) your own power and in your many soldiers.
Nanso woadua atirimɔden aba, na woatwa aba bɔne. Woadi nnaadaa aba. Efisɛ wode wo ho ato wʼahoɔden ne wʼakofo bebrebe no so,
14 As a result, you will [soon] hear the roar of battle, and all your cities that have walls around them will be destroyed, like [SIM] Shalman’s [army] destroyed Beth-Arbel [city] in a battle, and the women [in that city] and their children were bashed to death.
ɔko mu huuyɛ bɛsɔre atia wo nkurɔfo, na wʼaban nyinaa bɛsɛe, sɛnea Salman sɛee Bet Arbel ɔko da no, da a wɔde ɛnanom ne wɔn mma hwehwee fam no.
15 [You people of] [APO] Bethel [city], that is what will happen to you, because you are very wicked. And when the sun rises [on that day], the King of Israel will be killed [in the battle].”
Saa ara na ɛbɛba wo so, Bet-El, efisɛ wʼatirimɔdensɛm no dɔɔso. Sɛ da no du a, Wɔbɛsɛe Israelhene no koraa.

< Hosea 10 >