Jeremiah 22
1 This is another message that Yahweh gave [to me]: “Go down to the palace of the king of Judah and say this to him:
Sɛɛ na Awurade se, “Sian kɔ Yudahene ahemfi na kɔpae mu ka saa asɛm yi:
2 ‘You are the king of Judah. You are the ruler [MTY], like King David was. You and your officials and your people must listen
‘Tie Awurade asɛm, Yudahene, wo a wote Dawid ahengua so, wo, wʼakannifo ne wo nkurɔfo a wɔfa apon yi mu.
3 to what Yahweh says: “Act fairly and justly. Do what is right. Help those who have been robbed. Rescue people from those who oppress them. Stop doing evil things. Do not mistreat those who have come here from other countries, and do not mistreat orphans and widows. Stop murdering here [in Jerusalem] [MTY] those who (are innocent/have not done things that are wrong).
Sɛɛ na Awurade se: Monyɛ nea ɛteɛ na ɛnam kwan mu. Munnye nea wɔabɔ no korɔn mfi ne hyɛsofo nsam. Monnyɛ ɔhɔho, ayisaa ne okunafo bɔne na monnyɛ wɔn basabasa nso, na munnhwie mogya a edi bem ngu wɔ ha.
4 If you obey those commands carefully, there will [always] be some descendant of King David who will be ruling here [MTY] [in Jerusalem]. The king and his officials and other people will ride through the gates of the city in chariots and on horses.
Sɛ moyɛ ahwɛyie na mudi saa ahyɛde yi so a, ɛno de ahemfo a wɔte Dawid ahengua so ne wɔn adwumayɛfo ne wɔn nkurɔfo bɛfa saa ahemfi apon yi mu, a wɔtete nteaseɛnam mu ne apɔnkɔ so.
5 But if you refuse to pay attention to those commands, I, Yahweh, solemnly declare, with myself [MTY] as a witness, that this palace will become a pile of rubble.”’”
Enti sɛ moanni saa nhyehyɛe yi so a, Awurade na ose, “Meka me ho ntam sɛ, saa ahemfi yi bɛdan ofituw.”’”
6 And this is what Yahweh says about the king’s palace: “[I like] this palace, like I like the forests in the Gilead [region] and the mountains in Lebanon. But I will cause this palace to become a desert, a place that no one lives in.
Nea Awurade ka fa Yudahene ahemfi ho ni: “Ɛwɔ mu wote sɛ Gilead ma me, te sɛ Lebanon mmepɔw atifi, nokware, mɛyɛ wo sɛ nweatam, sɛ nkurow a obiara nte mu.
7 I will summon enemy troops who will destroy this palace; each of their soldiers will use his own tools [to wreck the building]. They will cut into pieces the beautiful big cedar [beams] and throw them into a fire.”
Mɛsoma asɛefo abɛtoa mo, obiara ne nʼakode, wobetwitwa mo sida mpuran fɛfɛ no mu na wɔatow agu ogya no mu.
8 People from many nations will walk past [the ruins of] this city and say to each other, “Why did Yahweh destroy this city that was [very] great?”
“Nnipa a wofifi aman bebree so betwa mu wɔ kuropɔn yi so, na wobebisabisa wɔn ho wɔn ho se, ‘Adɛn nti na Awurade ayɛ saa kuropɔn kɛse yi sɛɛ?’
9 And [other] people will reply, “[He did it] because his people stopped obeying the agreement that they had made with Yahweh their God. Instead, they worshiped [DOU] other gods.”
Na mmuae no bɛyɛ sɛ, ‘Efisɛ wɔagyaw Awurade, wɔn Nyankopɔn apam no akɔsɔre anyame afoforo asom wɔn.’”
10 [Yahweh also says, ] “Do not mourn for King [Josiah]; do not cry because he has died. Instead, mourn for [King Jehoahaz, his son], [because] he will be captured and taken to another country, and he will never return to see his own country, [Judah], again.”
Munnsu ɔhene a wafi mu, na munni ne ho awerɛhow; mmom, munsu dennen mma nea ɔkɔ nnommum mu, efisɛ ɔrensan nʼakyi na ɔrenhu asase a wɔwoo no wɔ so no bio.
11 Jehoahaz became king after his father, King Josiah, [died], but Jehoahaz indeed was captured and taken [to Babylonia]. And this is what Yahweh says about him: “He also will never return [to Judah].
Na sɛɛ na Awurade ka faa Yosia babarima Salum a odii nʼagya ade sɛ Yudahene na wafi ha no ho: “Ɔrensan mma bio.
12 He will die in that far-away country and will never see his own country again.”
Obewu wɔ faako a wɔafa no nnommum kɔ hɔ; na ɔrenhu saa asase yi bio.”
13 [And Yahweh said to me], “Terrible things will happen to [King Jehoahaz’s brother, King Jehoiakim]. He unjustly [forced men to] build his palace. The rooms on the upper level were built [by men who were forced] unjustly [to do that work]; he forced his neighbors to work for nothing; he did not pay them anything.
“Nnome nka nea ɔmfa ɔkwan trenee so nsi nʼahemfi, ɔde asisi si nʼabansoro, ɔma ne manfo yɛ adwuma kwa, ontua wɔn apaade so ka.
14 He said, ‘I will [force my workers to] build a huge beautiful palace with very large rooms and [many] windows. They will cover the walls with [fragrant] cedar panels/timber and paint them bright red.’”
Ɔka se, ‘Mesi ahemfi kɛse ama me ho nea ɛwɔ abansoro adan a mu soso.’ Enti ɔyɛ mfɛnsere akɛse wɔ mu, ɔde sida dura mu na ɔde ahosu kɔkɔɔ hyehyɛ mu.
15 But it is certainly not [RHQ] having a beautiful cedar palace that causes a king to be great! Jehoiakim’s father, Josiah, also had [RHQ] plenty of things to eat and drink. But Josiah always did things that are right and just, and that is why God blessed him.
“Wowɔ sida bebree a na ɛma woyɛ ɔhene ana? Na wʼagya nni aduan ne nsa ana? Ɔyɛɛ nea ɛfa ne kwan mu na ɛteɛ, enti esii no yiye.
16 Josiah acted justly/fairly and helped poor and needy people, so things went well for him. Yahweh says, “That is [RHQ] the way a person should behave who knows me.
Odii mmɔborɔfo ne ahiafo nsɛm maa wɔn, enti biribiara yɛɛ yiye maa no. Na ɛnyɛ eyi na ɛkyerɛ sɛ obi nim me ana?” Awurade na ose.
17 But [Jehoiakim], you [MTY] are greedy and desire only to obtain things by acting dishonestly. You murder [MTY] innocent people, you oppress poor people, and you treat people cruelly and violently.”
“Mo ani ne mo koma wɔ mfaso bɔne nko ara so, sɛ muhwie mogya a edi bem gu na moyɛ nhyɛso ne asisi nso.”
18 Therefore, this is what Yahweh says about Jehoiakim, the son of King Josiah: “[When he dies], people will not mourn for him. They will not say to each other, ‘It is very sad; we are so sorry!’ The people whom he ruled will not mourn for him, saying, ‘We are sad that our king is dead; we are so sorry that the wonderful things [that happened while he was king are ended].’
Ɛno nti, sɛɛ na Awurade ka fa Yudahene Yosia babarima Yehoiakim ho: “Wɔrensu no: ‘A, me nuabarima! A, me nuabea!’ Wɔrensu no: ‘A, me wura! A, nʼahoɔfɛ!’
19 [When he dies, people will do to] his corpse what they do to a dead donkey; his [corpse] will be dragged out of Jerusalem and dumped outside the gates!
Wobesie no sɛ afurum, wɔbɛtwe nʼase na wɔatow no akyene Yerusalem apon akyi.”
20 [You people of Judah], go to [the mountains in] Lebanon and weep, shout in the [mountains of the] Bashan [region], cry out in [the mountains of] Moab, because all your friends [in those areas] have been destroyed.
“Monkɔ Lebanon nkosu, momma wɔnte mo nne wɔ Basan, munsu mfi Abarim, efisɛ wɔadwerɛw mo dɔm nyinaa.
21 When you were prosperous, I warned you, but you replied, ‘We will not pay attention [to what you say].’ You have been acting like that since you were young; you have never obeyed me.
Mebɔɔ wo kɔkɔ, bere a na ɛyɛ wo sɛ wʼasom adwo wo no, nanso wokae se, ‘Merentie!’ Eyi ne ɔkwan a wonam so fi wo mmerantebere mu; woanyɛ osetie amma me.
22 [So, now I will punish] all your leaders; [it will be as though] they have been blown away by the wind. They will be captured [by your enemies] and taken to another country. When that happens, you will [truly] be ashamed and disgraced because of all the wicked things [that you have done].
Mframa bɛbɔ wo nguanhwɛfo nyinaa akɔ, na wʼapamfo nyinaa bɛkɔ nnommum mu. Afei wʼani bewu na wʼanim agu ase esiane wʼamumɔyɛ nyinaa nti.
23 [Now, your king] enjoys living in the cedar rooms in his palace, but [soon] he will be punished, and then he will groan like [SIM] a woman who is giving birth to a baby.”
Mo a mote Lebanon, na modeda sida adan mu, sɛnea mubesi apini wɔ ɔyaw mu, ɔyaw ɛte sɛ ɔbea a ɔreko awo de.
24 Yahweh says this: “Jehoiachin, son of King Jehoiakim of Judah, as surely as I am alive, [I will punish you]. Even if you were the ring on my finger that shows that I am the king, I would pull you off.
“Nokware, sɛ mete ase yi,” Awurade na ose, “Mpo sɛ wo Yehoiakin, Yudahene Yehoiakim babarima yɛ me nsa nifa so nsɔwano kaa a, anka mɛworɔw wo.
25 You are afraid of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and his huge army, [because] they are wanting to kill you. I will enable them to capture you.
Mede wo bɛma wɔn a wɔrehwehwɛ wo kra, wɔn a wusuro wɔn no; Babiloniahene Nebukadnessar ne Babiloniafo.
26 I will expel you and your mother [from this land], and you will be taken to another country. Neither of you was born there, but you will both die there.
Mɛpam wo ne ɛna a ɔwoo wo no akogu ɔman foforo so, baabi a ɛnyɛ hɔ na wɔwoo mo mu biara, hɔ na mo baanu bewuwu.
27 You will never return to this land that you will very much desire to return to.”
Morensan mma asase a mo kɔn dɔ sɛ mobɛsan aba so no so bio.”
28 [Someone said, ] “Jehoiachin will be [RHQ] like a broken pot that is despised and which no one wants. He and his children will be (exiled/forced to go) to a foreign land.
Saa ɔbarima Yehoiakin yi yɛ asɛnka a abɔ ade a obiara mpɛ ana? Adɛn nti na wɔbɛpam ɔne ne mma, akogu asase a wonnim so no so?
29 [I want] the people in this land to listen carefully to this message from Yahweh.”
Ao, asase, asase, asase! Tie Awurade asɛm!
30 This is what Yahweh says: “[In the record about the kings of Judah, ] write down that [it will be as though] this man [Jehoiachin] had no children, and that he has not been successful during his life, because none of his children/descendants will [ever] become king to rule over [the people of] Judah.”
Sɛɛ na Awurade se: “Monkyerɛw ɔbarima yi ho asɛm nto hɔ te sɛ obi a onni ba, ɔbarima a ɔrennya nkɔso ne nkwa nna nyinaa na nʼasefo mu biara rennya nkɔso, na wɔn mu biara rentena Dawid ahengua so na wɔrenni Yuda so hene bio.”
