< Isaiah 17 >
1 [I received] this message [from Yahweh] about Damascus [the capital of Syria]: “Listen carefully! Damascus will no longer be a city; it will be [only] a heap of ruins!
Adehunu a ɛfa Damasko ho: “Hwɛ, Damasko renyɛ kuropɔn bio ɛbɛdane ayɛ mmubuiɛ sie.
2 The towns near Aroer [city] will be abandoned. Flocks [of sheep] will [eat grass in the streets and] lie down there, and there will be no one to chase them away.
Aroer nkuropɔn bɛdane nkurofon na wɔagya ama nnwankuo ama wɔadeda hɔ, a obiara renyi wɔn hu.
3 The cities in Israel will not have walls around them [to protect them]. The power of the kingdom of Damascus will be ended, and the few people who will remain in Damascus will be disgraced like the people in Israel were disgraced.” [That is what] the Commander of the armies of angels says.
Kuropɔn a wɔabɔ ho ban bɛyera wɔ Efraim, adehyetumi nso bɛfiri Damasko; Aram nkaeɛfoɔ bɛyɛ Israelfoɔ animuonyam,” Sɛdeɛ Asafo Awurade seɛ nie.
4 “At that time, Israel will become insignificant. It will be [like] [MET] a fat person who has become very thin.
“Ɛda no, Yakob animuonyam bɛpa; na ne mu sradeɛ bɛsa.
5 The entire land will be like [SIM] a field where the harvesters have cut all the grain; there will be nothing left, like [SIM] the fields in the Rephaim Valley after all the crops have been harvested.
Ɛbɛyɛ sɛdeɛ otwafoɔ twa aburoo a ɛgyina afuo so na ɔde ne nsa pempan sɛ ɛberɛ a obi redi mpɛpɛwa wɔ Refaim Bɔnhwa mu.
6 Only a few of the Israeli people will remain [MET], like [SIM] the few olives that remain on the top of a tree after the workers have caused all the other olives to fall [to the ground]. [There will be only] two or three olives in the top branches, [or] four or five olives on the other branches.” [That is what] the Commander of the armies of angels says.
Nanso mpɛpɛwa no mu bi bɛka, sɛdeɛ wɔwoso ngo dua a ɛyɛ no; ɛka aba no mmienu anaa mmiɛnsa wɔ atifi mman no so, ne ɛnan anaa enum wɔ mman a ɛsoɔ no so,” sɛdeɛ Awurade, Israel Onyankopɔn seɛ nie.
7 [Then], at that time, [you] people [of Israel] will (turn for help to/look up to) God, your creator, the Holy One of Israel.
Saa ɛda no, nnipa de wɔn ani bɛto wɔn Yɛfoɔ so na wɔadane wɔn ani ahwɛ Israel Ɔkronkronni no.
8 You will no [longer] seek to get help from your idols or worship the idols that you have made with your own hands [DOU]. You will never again bow down in front of the poles [where you worship the goddess] Asherah. You will never again worship at the shrines [that you have built for burning incense].
Wɔremfa wɔn ho nto afɔrebukyia a ɛyɛ wɔn nsa ano adwuma no so, na wɔbɛbu Asera afɔrebukyia ne nnuhwan afɔrebukyia a wɔde wɔn nsateaa ayɛ no animtia.
9 The largest cities in Israel will be abandoned, like the land that the Hiv and Amor people-groups abandoned (OR, like the forests that the [Canaan people-group] abandoned) when the Israelis [attacked them long ago]. No one will live there.
Ɛda no, wɔn nkuropɔn a ɛwɔ banbɔ denden a Israelfoɔ enti wɔgyaa hɔ no bɛyɛ sɛ mmeammea a wɔagya ama nnɔtɔ ne wira. Ne nyinaa bɛda mpan.
10 [That will happen] because you have stopped worshiping God who is [like] [MET] a huge rock under which you can be safe. You have forgotten that he is the one who can hide/protect you. So, [now] you plant very nice grapevines and [even] plant very expensive ones that come from other countries.
Mo werɛ afiri Onyankopɔn, mo Agyenkwa, na monkaee Ɔbotan no, mo aban no. Enti ɛwom sɛ mopɛ nnua papa na modua bobe a moatɔ afiri amanɔne.
11 [But] even if they sprout leaves on the day that you plant them, and even if they produce blossoms on that same morning, at harvest time, there will not be any grapes for you to pick. All that you will get is a lot of agony/misery.
Ɛwom sɛ ɛda a moduaeɛ no, momaa ɛnyiniiɛ anɔpa a moduaeɛ no, na moma ɛguu nhwiren. Nanso otwa no renyɛ hwee sɛ yadeɛ ne ɔyea a wɔntumi nsa.
12 Listen! [The armies of] many nations will roar like the sea roars. It will sound like the noise of crashing waves.
Ao aman dodoɔ no nhurusoɔ, wɔhuruso te sɛ ɛpo a ɛrebɔ asorɔkye! Ao nnipa dodoɔ nworosoɔ, wɔworoso sɛ nsuo akɛseɛ!
13 But even though their loud roaring will be like the sound of crashing waves, when Yahweh rebukes them, they will run far away. They will flee like [SIM] chaff on the hills scatters when the wind [blows], like tumbleweeds scatter when a windstorm blows.
Ɛwom sɛ nnipa dodoɔ no woro so te sɛ nsuo a ɛresene mmirika so, nanso, Onyankopɔn bɛka wɔn anim ama wɔadwane akɔ akyirikyiri, te sɛ ntɛtɛ a mframa bɔ gu wɔ bepɔ so te sɛ anweatam so wira a mframa den rebɔ no.
14 And, even though you people of Israel will be terrified, in the morning [your enemies] will all be gone/dead. That is what will happen to those who invade our land and [then] steal our possessions.
Anwummerɛ, wɔbɔ yɛn hu awerɛfirie mu. Nanso ansa na adeɛ bɛkye no, na wɔkɔ dada! Wɔn a wɔfo yɛn nneɛma, ne wɔn a wɔbɔ yɛn korɔno kyɛfa nie.