Isaiah 40
1 Our God says, “Encourage my people! Encourage them!
Monkyekyere, monkyekyere me nkurɔfoɔ werɛ. Saa na mo Onyankopɔn seɛ.
2 Speak kindly to [the people of] Jerusalem; tell them that their suffering is ended, and that I have forgiven them for the sins that they have committed; I [SYN] have fully punished them for their sins.”
Monka asomdwoesɛm nkyerɛ Yerusalem, na mompae mu nka nkyerɛ no sɛ ne som denden no aba awieeɛ, wɔatua ne bɔne no so ka, na wɔanya ne bɔne nyinaa so akatua mmɔho afiri Awurade nsam.
3 I hear someone who is shouting, “Prepare in the desert a way for Yahweh to come [to you]; make a smooth road for our God (OR, Prepare yourselves to receive Yahweh when he comes, like people make a straight road for an important official [MET]).
Ɛnne bi reteam sɛ, “Monsiesie ɛkwan mma Awurade wɔ anweatam no so. Montene kwantempɔn wɔ ɛserɛ no so mma yɛn Onyankopɔn.
4 Fill in the valleys; flatten every hill and every mountain. Make the uneven ground smooth, and make the rough places smooth.
Bɔnhwa biara bɛyɛ ma, bepɔ ne nkokoɔ nyinaa bɛkɔ fam, asase a ɛyɛ monkyi mmɔnka no bɛyɛ tamaa, na mmeaɛ a ɛyɛ kɔntɔnkye no ayɛ tata.
5 [If you do that], it will become known that Yahweh is glorious/great, and all people will realize it at the same time. [Those things will surely happen] because it is Yahweh who has said [MTY] it.”
Na Awurade animuonyam bɛda adi, na nnipa nyinaa bɛhunu. Ɛfiri sɛ Awurade na aka!”
6 Someone said to me, “Shout!” I replied, “What should I shout?” [He replied], “[Shout that] people are like [SIM] grass; their influence fades as quickly as flowers in the field.
Nne bi kaa sɛ, “Team.” Na mekaa sɛ, “Menteɛm nka sɛn?” “Bɔ dawuro sɛ nnipa nyinaa te sɛ ɛserɛ, na wɔn animuonyam nyinaa te sɛ afuo so nhwiren.
7 Grass withers and flowers dry up when Yahweh causes a hot wind from the desert to blow on them. And people are [MET] like that.
Ɛserɛ hye, na nhwiren twintwam ɛfiri sɛ Awurade ahomeguo fa wɔn so. Nokorɛm nnipa no yɛ ɛserɛ.
8 The grass withers and the flowers dry up, but what our God promises will last forever.”
Ɛserɛ hye, na nhwiren twintwam, nanso yɛn Onyankopɔn asɛm no tim hɔ daa.”
9 You [people of] Jerusalem, you have good news to tell to people, so, shout it from the top of a high mountain! Shout it loudly, and do not be afraid! Tell the people in the towns of Judah, “Your God is coming here!”
Wo a wode asɛm pa reba Sion, foro kɔ bepɔ tenten bi so. Wo a wode asɛm pa reba Yerusalem, ma wo nne so na team, ma so, nsuro; ka kyerɛ Yuda nkuro sɛ, “Mo Onyankopɔn nie!”
10 Yahweh your God will be coming with power; he will rule powerfully [MTY]. And when he comes, he will bring with him the people whom he has freed [MET] [from being slaves in Babylonia].
Hwɛ, Asafo Awurade de tumi reba, na nʼabasa bɛdi ɔhene ama no. Hwɛ, nʼakatua ka ne ho, na ɔde nʼabasobɔdeɛ nam.
11 He will take care of his people like [SIM] a shepherd takes care of his sheep, and carries the young lambs in his arms. He carries them close to his chest and he gently leads the female sheep that are nursing their young lambs.
Ɔhwɛ ne nnwankuo sɛ odwanhwɛfoɔ. Ɔboa nnwammaa no wɔ nʼabasa so. Ɔturu wɔn ne koko so; na nnwan a wɔwɔ mma no, ɔka wɔn brɛoo.
12 [There is no one like Yahweh]! (Who else has measured the water in the oceans in the palm of his hand?/No one else has measured the water in the oceans in the palm of his hand!) [RHQ] (Who else has measured the sky with his fingers?/No one else has measured the sky with his fingers!) [RHQ] (Who else knows how much the earth weighs?/No one else knows how much the earth weighs!) [RHQ] (Who else has weighed the mountains and hills on scales?/No one else has weighed the mountains and hills on scales!) [RHQ]
Hwan na wasusu nsuo wɔ ne nsam anaa ɔde ne nsateaa asusu ɔsoro? Hwan na ɔde asase so mfuturo agu kɛntɛn mu, anaa wakari mmepɔ wɔ nsania so ne nkokoɔ wɔ nsania apampaa so?
13 And (who else can advise Yahweh’s Spirit?/No one else can advise Yahweh’s Spirit!) [RHQ] (Who can teach him or advise/tell him what he should do?/No one can teach him or advise/tell him what he should do!) [RHQ]
Hwan na wate Awurade ase, anaa wakyerɛkyerɛ no sɛ ne fotufoɔ?
14 (Has Yahweh consulted anyone else to get advice?/Yahweh has certainly not consulted anyone else to get advice!) [RHQ] (Does he need someone to tell him what is right to do and how to act justly?/He certainly does not need someone to tell him what is right to do and how to act justly!) [RHQ]
Hwan na Awurade abisa no sɛ ɔnkyerɛ no biribi ase, na hwan na ɔkyerɛɛ no ɛkwan pa no? Hwan na ɔmaa no nimdeɛ anaa ɔkyerɛɛ no nhunumu kwan?
15 [Yahweh considers that] the nations are [as insignificant as] [MET] one drop from a bucket [full of water]. They are [as insignificant as] dust on scales. He is able to weigh islands [as though they weighed no more than] grains of sand.
Ampa ara aman no te sɛ nsuo sope wɔ bokiti mu; wɔde wɔn toto mfuturo a ɛgu nsania so; ɔkari nsupɔ te sɛ deɛ ɛyɛ mfuturo muhumuhu.
16 There would be [not] enough wood from all the trees in Lebanon to make a suitable fire for [sacrificing animals to] him, and there are not enough animals in Lebanon to offer as sacrifices to him.
Lebanon nnɔɔso mma afɔrebukyia so ogya, na ne mmoa renso mma ɔhyeɛ afɔrebɔdeɛ.
17 The nations of the world are completely insignificant/unimportant to him; he considers that they are worthless and less than nothing [HYP, DOU].
Aman nyinaa nsɛ hwee wɔ nʼanim; ɔbu wɔn adehunu bi a wɔnka hwee.
18 So, to whom can you compare God? What image resembles him?
Afei hwan ho na wode Onyankopɔn bɛtoto? Nsɛsodeɛ bɛn ho na wode no bɛtoɔ?
19 Can you compare him to an idol that is made in a mold, and then is covered with [a thin sheet of] gold and decorated with silver chains?
Ohoni deɛ, odwumfoɔ na ɔyɛ, na sikadwumfoɔ de sikakɔkɔɔ agu ho na wasiesie dwetɛ nkɔnsɔnkɔnsɔn ama no.
20 A man who is poor [cannot buy silver or gold for his idol]; [so] he selects a piece of wood that will not rot, and he gives it to a craftsman to carve an idol that will not fall down!
Ohiani a ɔrentumi mfa saa ayɛyɛdeɛ yi mma no kɔpɛ dua a ɛremporɔ. Ɔhwehwɛ odwumfoɔ nyansafoɔ na wayɛ ohoni a ɛremmuni nhwe fam asi hɔ.
21 Have you(pl) not heard this? Do you not understand it? Are you unable to hear what God said long ago— [messages that he gave] before he created the earth?
Wonnim anaa? Wonteeɛ anaa? Wɔnnka nkyerɛɛ wo firi ahyɛaseɛ no anaa? Ɛfiri ɛberɛ a wɔbɔɔ asase no, wontee aseɛ anaa?
22 God sits [on his throne] above the earth, and the people [on the earth] below seem to be [as small] as [SIM] grasshoppers. He spreads out the sky like a curtain; it is like [SIM] a tent for him to live in.
Ɔte ahennwa so wɔ asase kanko no atifi. Ɛso nnipa te sɛ ntutummɛ ɔtwe ɔsoro mu te sɛ ntwamutam, na ɔde yɛ ntomadan tena mu.
23 He causes kings to have no more power, and he causes the rulers to be worth nothing.
Ɔma ahenemma yɛ nnipa hunu na ewiase yi sodifoɔ nso, ɔbrɛ wɔn ase.
24 They start to rule, like small plants start to grow and form roots; but then [he gets rid of them] as though [MET] they withered when he blew on them, like [SIM] chaff that is blown away by the wind.
Wɔtɛɛ wɔn ara pɛ, wɔduaa wɔn ara pɛ, wɔgyee nhini wɔ asase mu pɛ ɔhome gu wɔn so ma wɔkusa, na ntwahoframa bɔ wɔn kɔ te sɛ ntɛtɛ.
25 The Holy One asks, “To whom will you compare me? Is anyone equal to me?”
“Hwan ho na wode me bɛto? Anaasɛ hwan na ɔne me sɛ?” Ɔkronkronni no na ɔseɛ.
26 Look up toward the sky: Consider who [RHQ] created all the stars. [Yahweh created them], and at night he causes them to appear; he calls each one by its name. Because he is extremely powerful [DOU], all of the stars are there [LIT] [when he calls out their names].
Momma mo ani so nhwɛ ɔsoro: Hwan na ɔbɔɔ yeinom nyinaa? Deɛ ɔyiyi ɔsoro nsoromma mmaako mmaako, na ɔbɔ obiara din de frɛ no. Nʼahoɔden ne ne tumi enti wɔn mu baako mpo nnyeraeɛ.
27 You people of Israel [DOU], why do you complain that Yahweh does not see the [troubles that you are experiencing]? Why do you say that he does not act fairly toward you?
Adɛn na woka sɛ, Ao Yakob, na wonwiinwii, Ao Israel sɛ, “Mʼakwan ahinta Awurade; na me Onyankopɔn abɔ mʼasɛm agu”?
28 Have you never heard and have you never understood that Yahweh is the everlasting God; he is the one who created the earth, [even the] most distant places on the earth. He never becomes weak or weary, and no one can find out how much he understands.
Wonnim anaa? Wonteeɛ anaa? Awurade yɛ daapem Onyankopɔn, na ɔyɛ asase nyinaa yɛfoɔ. Ɔremmrɛ na ɔrentɔ bera, na ne nhunumu nni nhwehwɛmu.
29 He strengthens [DOU] those who feel weak and tired.
Ɔma deɛ watɔ bera ahoɔden deɛ wayɛ mmerɛ nso, ɔto nʼahoɔden so.
30 Even youths become faint and weary, and young men will fall when they are exhausted.
Mpo, mmabunu brɛ, na wɔtɔ bera, na mmeranteɛ suntisunti hwehwe ase;
31 But those who trust in Yahweh will become strong again; [it will be as though] they will soar/fly high like [SIM] eagles do. They will run [for a long time] and not become weary; they will walk [long distances] and not faint.
Nanso, wɔn a wɔn ani da Awurade so bɛnya ahoɔden foforɔ. Wɔde ntaban te sɛ akɔdeɛ deɛ bɛtu akɔ ewiem; wɔbɛtu mmirika, na wɔremmrɛ. Wɔbɛnante, na wɔrentɔ baha.
