Jeremiah 9
1 I wish that my head was [like] [MET] a spring of water, and that my eyes were [like] a fountain of tears. Then I would cry night and day for all of my people who have been killed [by our enemies].
Ao, sɛ me ti yɛ asuti, na mʼaniwa yɛ nusu abura a! Mɛtew nusu awia ne anadwo ama me nkurɔfo a wɔakunkum wɔn no.
2 I wish that I could leave my people and forget them, and go and live in a shack/shelter in the desert, because they have not remained faithful [MET] [to Yahweh]; they are a mob of people who deceive others.
Ao, sɛ mewɔ akwantufo asoɛe wɔ nweatam no so a anka megyaw me nkurɔfo hɔ na mafi wɔn nkyɛn; efisɛ wɔn nyinaa yɛ nguaman, nnipakuw a wonni nokware.
3 [Yahweh replied to me], “They use their tongues [to tell] [MET] lies like people shoot [arrows] with bows. It is because they tell lies that they have become more powerful in this land, and they do not know me.
“Wosiesie wɔn tɛkrɛma te sɛ agyan de di atoro; Ɛnyɛ nokware so na wɔnam di yiye wɔ asase yi so. Wɔyɛ bɔne toatoa so; na wonnye me nto mu,” Awurade na ose.
4 Do not trust your neighbors and [even] your brothers! They all are as deceitful [as Jacob was]. They slander [each other] and tell lies [about each other].
“Monhwɛ yiye wɔ mo nnamfonom ho; munnye obiara nni wɔ mo abusua mu. Efisɛ wɔn mu biara yɛ ɔdaadaafo, na adamfo biara yɛ ɔsɛefo.
5 They deceive their friends and never tell the truth. They lie continually and, because of that, they have become skilled liars; they do one oppressive thing after another, and are unable to stop doing it.
Adamfo daadaa adamfo, na wɔn mu biara nka nokware. Wɔn tɛkrɛma akokwaw atorodi mu, wɔde bɔneyɛ haw wɔn ho.
6 They habitually lie and deceive [each other], and no one will admit/say that I am God.
Wote nnaadaa mfimfini; na wɔn nnaadaa mu wɔmpɛ sɛ wogye me to mu,” sɛnea Awurade se ni.
7 Therefore [I], the Commander of the armies of angels, say this: Listen carefully to what I say: I will [cause my people to experience great afflictions, ] [like a metalworker puts metal in a hot fire] [MET] to completely burn out the impure bits. Because of all [the evil things] that my people have done, there is absolutely nothing else [RHQ] that I can do.
Ɛno nti, sɛɛ na Asafo Awurade se, “Hwɛ, mɛnan wɔn asɔ wɔn ahwɛ, na dɛn bio na metumi ayɛ esiane me nkurɔfo yi bɔne nti?
8 What they say [MTY] [injures people like] [MET] poisoned arrows do. They say to their neighbors, ‘I hope things will go well for you,’ while they are planning to kill them.
Wɔn tɛkrɛma yɛ agyan a ano wɔ bɔre; ɛka nnaadaasɛm. Obiara kasa asomdwoe mu kyerɛ ne yɔnko, nanso ne koma mu de, osum no afiri.
9 Should I not punish them for doing that [RHQ]? Yes, I should certainly (get revenge on/give what they deserve to) [the people of] a nation that does things like that!”
Ɛnsɛ sɛ metwe wɔn aso wɔ eyi ho?” Sɛɛ na Awurade se. “Ɛnsɛ sɛ mʼankasa metɔ ɔman a ɛte sɛɛ so were ana?
10 So, I will weep and wail for [the people who live in] the mountains and in the (pastures/places where the livestock eat the grass), because those areas will be desolate, and no one will live there. There will be no cattle there to call to each other, and all the birds and wild animals will have fled [to other places].
Mesu na metwa adwo ama mmepɔw no, mɛbɔ abubuw a ɛfa nweatam adidibea ho. Ayɛ fo na obi mfa hɔ bio, na wɔnte anantwi su wɔ hɔ. Wim nnomaa no atutu kɔ na mmoa no nso aguan kɔ.
11 [Yahweh also says], “I will cause Jerusalem to become a heap of ruins, and [only] jackals/wolves will live there. I will destroy the towns of Judah, with the result that they will be completely deserted; no one will live there.”
“Mɛyɛ Yerusalem mmubui siw, sakraman atu; na mɛma Yuda nkurow ada mpan sɛnea obiara ntumi ntena hɔ.”
12 [I said], “Only people who are very wise [RHQ] can understand these things. Only those who have been taught by Yahweh can [RHQ] explain these things to others. The wise people are [RHQ] the only ones who can explain why the land will be completely ruined with the result that everyone [RHQ] will be afraid to travel through it.”
Onipa bɛn na onim nyansa ara sɛ ɔbɛte eyi ase? Hena na Awurade akyerɛkyerɛ no a obetumi akyerɛ ase? Adɛn nti na wɔasɛe asase no ama ada mpan sɛ nweatam a obiara ntumi mfa so?
13 Yahweh replied, “[These things will happen] because my people have rejected my laws which I gave to them; they have not obeyed me or my instructions.
Awurade kae se, “Esiane sɛ wɔapo me mmara a mehyɛ maa wɔn no nti, wɔanyɛ osetie amma me na wɔanni me mmara so.
14 Instead, they have stubbornly done the things that they wanted to do. They have worshiped the idols that represent the god Baal, which is what their ancestors did.
Mmom, wɔadi wɔn koma asoɔden akyi, wɔadi Baalnom akyi sɛnea wɔn agyanom kyerɛɛ wɔn no.”
15 So now listen to what [I], the Commander of the armies of angels, the God of the Israelis, say: [What I will do will be like] [MET] giving these people bitter things to eat and poison to drink:
Ɛno nti, nea Asafo Awurade, Israel Nyankopɔn no se ni: “Hwɛ, mɛma saa nnipa yi adi aduan a ɛyɛ nwen na wɔanom nsu a wɔde awuduru afra.
16 I will scatter them to many nations which neither they nor their ancestors have known [anything about]; I will [enable their enemies to] strike them with swords until I have destroyed them.”
Mɛbɔ wɔn ahwete amanaman a wɔn anaa wɔn agyanom nnim so no so, na mede afoa bɛtaa wɔn kosi sɛ mɛsɛe wɔn.”
17 This is also what the Commander of the armies of angels says: “Think [about what is happening], [then] summon those women who mourn [when someone has died].
Sɛnea Awurade tumfo se ni: “Dwene ho! Frɛ mmea agyaadwotwafo no, frɛ wɔn a wɔakwadaw mu pa ara.
18 Tell them to come quickly and start to wail, with the result that tears will stream down from your(pl) eyes.
Ma wɔmmra ntɛm mmesu ngu yɛn so kosi sɛ yɛn ani so bɛtaa nusu na nusu aguare yɛn.
19 Listen to [the people of] Jerusalem crying/lamenting, saying, ‘We have been ruined/destroyed! We have experienced a terrible disaster! Now we are very ashamed, because our houses have been destroyed [by our enemies], and we [are being forced to] leave our land.’”
Wɔte agyaadwotwa nnyigyei fi Sion se, ‘Wɔasɛe yɛn! Yɛn anim agu ase yiye! Ɛsɛ sɛ yetu fi yɛn asase so efisɛ yɛn afi abubu.’”
20 You women, listen to what Yahweh says [MTY]. Pay attention to his words [DOU]. Teach your daughters to wail. Teach each other how to sing funeral songs,
Afei, mo mmea, muntie Awurade asɛm; monyɛ aso mma nsɛm a efi nʼanom. Monkyerɛ mo mmabea sɛnea wotwa dwo; monkyerɛ mo ho mo ho abubuwbɔ.
21 because people will be dying [PRS] in your houses and in palaces. There will be no more children playing in the streets, there will be no more young men [gathering] in the city squares/marketplaces.
Owu aforo afa yɛn mfɛnsere mu ahyɛn yɛn aban mu; apam mmofra afi mmɔnten so ne mmerante afi ɔman aguabɔbea.
22 There will be corpses scattered across the fields like dung; their dead bodies will lie there like [SIM] grain that has been cut by reapers/farmers, and there will be no one [still alive] to bury them.
Ka se, “Sɛɛ Na Awurade se, “‘Nnipa afunu bɛdeda hɔ te sɛ sumina a egugu petee mu, te sɛ aburow a nnɔbaetwafo atwa agu nʼakyi a obiara mmoaboaa ano.’”
23 Yahweh says this: “Wise men should not boast about their being wise, strong men should not boast about their being strong; and rich people should not boast about their being rich.
Eyi ne nea Awurade se: “Mma onyansafo mfa ne nyansa nhyehyɛ ne ho anaa ɔhoɔdenfo mfa nʼahoɔden nhyehyɛ ne ho anaa ɔdefo mfa nʼahonya nhyehyɛ ne ho.
24 Instead, those who want to boast should boast about their knowing me and about understanding that I am Yahweh, that I am kind and just and righteous, that I faithfully love [people], and that I am delighted with [people who act] that way.
Mmom ma nea ɔhyehyɛ ne ho nhyehyɛ ne ho sɛ ɔwɔ nhumu, na onim sɛ, me ne Awurade a ɔyɛ adɔe, na obu atɛntrenee na ɔyɛ adetrenee wɔ asase so, efisɛ eyinom na ɛsɔ mʼani,” sɛnea Awurade se ni.
25 There will be a time when I will punish all those people of Egypt and of the Moab people-group and of the Edom [people-group] and of the Ammon [people-group], all those people who live close to desert areas (OR, who cut their hair short [to please their gods]) far from Judah, all those people who have [changed their bodies by] circumcising them [MET] but who have not [changed] their inner beings. I will punish the people of Judah also, because they have not changed their inner beings, [either].”
“Nna no reba,” Awurade na ose, “A mɛtwe wɔn a wɔatwa twetia wɔ honam fam nko ara no nyinaa aso:
Misraimfo, Yudafo, Edomfo, Amonfo, Moabfo ne wɔn a wɔtete nweatam a ɛwɔ akyirikyiri nsase so nyinaa. Na nokware, saa aman yi nyinaa yɛ momonotofo na mpo Israelfi nyinaa yɛ koma mu momonotofo.”
