< Jeremiah 34 >

1 King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon came with the armies of all the kingdoms that he ruled, and they fought against Jerusalem and the other towns [in Judah]. At that time, Yahweh gave me this message:
Bere a Babiloniahene Nebukadnessar ne nʼakofo ne nʼahenni nyinaa ne nnipa a wɔwɔ ahemman a odi so no mu reko tia Yerusalem ne nkurow a atwa ne ho ahyia no, saa asɛm yi fi Awurade nkyɛn baa Yeremia hɔ se,
2 “Go to Zedekiah the King of Judah, and say to him, ‘This is what Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis [worship], says: “I am about to enable the army of the King of Babylon to capture this city, and they will burn it down.
“Nea Awurade, Israel Nyankopɔn se ni: Kɔ Yudahene Sedekia nkyɛn na kɔka kyerɛ no se, ‘Sɛnea Awurade se ni: Mede kuropɔn yi rebɛhyɛ Babiloniahene nsa, na ɔbɛhyew no dwerɛbee.
3 You will not escape from them; they will capture you and take you to the king of Babylon. And [then] they will take you to Babylon.”’
Worenguan mfi ne nsam na nokware, wɔbɛkyere wo de wo akɔma no. Wode wʼani behu Babiloniahene na ɔne wo bɛkasa anim ne anim. Na wobɛkɔ Babilonia.
4 But King Zedekiah, listen to this that Yahweh has promised: ‘You will not be killed in a battle [MTY];
“‘Nanso tie Awurade bɔhyɛ, Yudahene Sedekia. Sɛɛ na Awurade ka fa wo ho: Worennwu wɔ afoa ano;
5 you will die peacefully. [When you die], people will burn incense to honor/remember you just as they did for your ancestors who were kings before you became king. They will mourn for you, crying, “We are very sad that our king is dead!” I, Yahweh, promise that will happen.’”
na wubewu asomdwoe mu. Sɛnea nnipa bɔɔ ayiyɛ gyatannaa de hyɛɛ wʼagyanom anuonyam, ahemfo dedaw a wodii wʼanim no, saa ara na wɔbɛbɔ gyatannaa ahyɛ wo anuonyam na wɔadi awerɛhow se, “Ao, owura!” Mʼankasa na mehyɛ saa bɔ yi, Awurade na ose.’”
6 [So] I took that message to King Zedekiah.
Na odiyifo Yeremia kaa eyinom nyinaa kyerɛɛ Yudahene Sedekia wɔ Yerusalem,
7 At that time the army of Babylonia had surrounded Jerusalem and Lachish and Azekah. Those [three] cities were the only cities in Judah that had high walls around them that still had not been captured.
bere a Babiloniahene asraafo reko atia Yerusalem ne Yuda nkuropɔn, Lakis ne Aseka a na wogu so reko wɔ hɔ. Eyinom ne nkuropɔn a na aka wɔ Yuda a wɔwɔ bammɔ.
8 King Zedekiah had decreed that the people must free their slaves.
Asɛm no fi Awurade hɔ baa Yeremia nkyɛn wɔ bere a ɔhene Sedekia ne Yerusalemfo ayɛ apam sɛ wɔbɛma nkoa ahofadi no akyi.
9 [He decreed that] the people must free their Hebrew slaves, [both the] men slaves and the women [slaves]. No one would be allowed to force a fellow Jew to [continue to] be his slave.
Ɛsɛ sɛ obiara gyaa ne nkoa ne mfenaa Hebrifo; na obiara nni ho kwan sɛ ɔde ne yɔnko Yudani yɛ akoa.
10 The officials and the rest of the people had obeyed [what the king decreed],
Enti adwumayɛfo no nyinaa ne nnipa a wɔyɛɛ saa apam yi penee so sɛ wobegyaa wɔn nkoa ne mfenaa, na wɔremfa wɔn nyɛ nkoa bio. Wɔpenee so, na wogyaa wɔn.
11 but later they changed their minds. They forced the men and women whom they had freed to become their slaves again.
Nanso akyiri no, wɔsesaa wɔn adwene na wɔsan faa nnipa a wogyaa wɔn no de wɔn yɛɛ nkoa bio.
12 [So] Yahweh gave me this message [to tell to them]:
Na Awurade asɛm baa Yeremia nkyɛn se,
13 “I, Yahweh, the God whom you Israelis [say you belong to], (made an agreement with/gave this command to) your ancestors [long ago], when I rescued them from being slaves in Egypt.
“Nea Awurade, Israel Nyankopɔn, se ni: Me ne mo agyanom yɛɛ apam bere a miyii wɔn fii Misraim, nkoasom asase so no. Mekae se,
14 I told them that they must free all their Hebrew slaves after the slaves had worked for them for six years. But your ancestors did not pay any attention to what I said.
‘Mfe ason biara no, ɛsɛ sɛ mo mu biara gyaa ne yɔnko Hebrini a watɔn ne ho ama no. Sɛ wasom mfe asia a gyaa no na ɔmfa ne ho nni.’ Nanso mo agyanom antie na wɔamfa mʼasɛm.
15 Recently, you obeyed my command and stopped doing what was wrong and did what was right. You made a solemn agreement at my temple [that you would free your slaves], and [then] you freed them.
Ɛnkyɛe koraa, nanso munuu mo ho na moyɛɛ nea eye wɔ mʼani so: Mo mu biara paee ahofadi maa ne manmma. Mpo moyɛɛ apam wɔ mʼanim, wɔ ofi a me Din da so no mu.
16 But now you have disregarded what you solemnly promised, and you have shown contempt for what I [MTY] said by taking back the women and men whom you had freed and said they could live wherever they wanted to. [Now] you have forced them to be your slaves again.
Nanso mprempren, moadan mo ho na moahura me din ho; mo mu biara asan akɔfa nkoa ne mfenaa a mugyaa wɔn sɛ wɔnkɔ baabiara a wɔpɛ no. Moahyɛ wɔn ama wɔayɛ mo nkoa bio.
17 Therefore, this is what [I], Yahweh, say: ‘Because you have not obeyed me by freeing your fellow Israelis, I will free you to [be destroyed by] the swords [of your enemies] and by famines and diseases. All the nations of the earth will be horrified because of [what happens to] you.
“Afei nea Awurade se ni: Muntiee me na mompaee ahofadi mmaa mo ankasa nkurɔfo. Enti afei mepae ‘ahofadi’ ma mo, Awurade na ose. ‘Ahofadi’ a ebegyaa mo ama afoa, ɔyaredɔm ne ɔkɔm. Mɛma moayɛ akyiwade ama asase so ahenni ahorow nyinaa.
18 Because you have disregarded what I said in my agreement with you, I will do to you just like you did to the calves that you cut in half to show that you would surely do what you solemnly promised that you would do. I will [enable your enemies to] cut you into pieces, you officials of Judah and you officials of Jerusalem, and you officials in the palace, and you priests and all you common people. I will do that because you have disregarded what you solemnly promised [about freeing your slaves].
Nnipa a wɔabu mʼapam so, na wɔanni nhyehyɛe a ɛwɔ apam a wɔayɛ wɔ mʼanim no so no, mɛyɛ wɔn sɛ nantwi ba a wɔpae ne mu abien na wɔnantew nʼafaafa no ntam no.
Yuda ne Yerusalem ntuanofo, asennii adwumayɛfo, asɔfo ne asase no so nnipa no nyinaa a monantew faa nantwi ba no afaafa no ntam no,
20 I will enable your enemies to capture you, and they will kill you. And your bodies will be food for vultures and wild animals.
mede wɔn bɛma wɔn atamfo a wɔrehwehwɛ wɔn nkwa no. Wɔn afunu bɛyɛ aduan ama wim nnomaa ne asase so mmoa.
21 I will enable the army of the king of Babylon to capture King Zedekiah and his officials. Although the king of Babylon and his army have left Jerusalem [for a short time],
“Mede Yudahene Sedekia ne nʼadwumayɛfo bɛhyɛ wɔn atamfo a wɔrehwehwɛ wɔn nkwa, Babiloniahene asraafo a wɔatwe wɔn ho no nsa.
22 I will summon them back again. [This time], they will fight against this city and capture it and burn it down. I will make [sure] that all the towns in Judah are destroyed, [with the result that] no one will live there [any more].’”
Merebɛhyɛ, Awurade asɛm ni, na mɛsan de wɔn aba kuropɔn yi mu. Wɔbɛko atia no, wɔbɛfa, na wɔahyew no dwerɛbee. Na mɛma Yuda nkurow ada mpan a obiara rentumi ntena hɔ.”

< Jeremiah 34 >