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 etiri yɛ asutire, na mʼaniwa yɛ nisuo abura a, anka mɛsu awia ne anadwo ama me nkurɔfoɔ 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 akwantufoɔ asoeɛ wɔ anweatam no so a, anka mɛgya me nkurɔfoɔ hɔ na mafiri wɔn nkyɛn; ɛfiri sɛ wɔn nyinaa yɛ awaresɛefoɔ, nnipa kuo a wɔnni nokorɛ.
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.
“Wɔsiesie wɔn tɛkrɛma te sɛ agyan de di atorɔ; Ɛnyɛ nokorɛ so na wɔnam di yie wɔ asase yi so. Wɔyɛ bɔne toatoa so; na wɔnnye me nto mu,” Awurade na ɔseɛ.
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 yie wɔ mo nnamfonom ho; monnnye mo nuammarima mpo nni. Ɛfiri sɛ onuabarima biara yɛ ɔdaadaafoɔ, na adamfo biara yɛ osekuni.
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 nokorɛ. Wɔn tɛkrɛma akokwa atorodie mu, na wɔde bɔneyɛ ha 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 wɔgye me to mu,” sɛdeɛ Awurade seɛ nie.
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 enti, sei na Asafo Awurade seɛ, “Hwɛ, mɛnane wɔn asɔ wɔn ahwɛ, na ɛdeɛn bio na mɛtumi ayɛ ɛsiane me nkurɔfoɔ 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 borɔ; ɛka nnaadaasɛm. Obiara kasa asomdwoeɛ mu kyerɛ ne yɔnko, nanso nʼakoma mu deɛ, ɔsum no afidie.
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 yei ho?” Sei na Awurade seɛ. “Ɛnsɛ sɛ mʼankasa metɔ ɔman a ɛte sei so awere anaa?”
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].
Mɛsu na mɛtwa adwo ama mmepɔ no, mɛbɔ abubuo a ɛfa anweatam adidibea ho. Ayɛ fo na obi mfa hɔ bio, na wɔnte anantwie su wɔ hɔ. Ewiem nnomaa no atutu kɔ na mmoa no nso adwane 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 mmubuiɛ sie, sakraman atuo; na mɛma Yuda nkuro ada mpan sɛdeɛ 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 ɔnim nyansa ara sɛ ɔbɛte yei ase? Hwan na Awurade akyerɛkyerɛ no a ɔbɛtumi akyerɛ aseɛ? Adɛn enti na wɔasɛe asase no ama ada mpan sɛ anweatam a obiara ntumi mfa soɔ?
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 kaa sɛ, “Esiane sɛ wɔapo me mmara a mehyɛ maa wɔn no enti, wɔanyɛ ɔsetie 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 akoma asoɔden akyi, wɔadi Baalnom akyi sɛdeɛ 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 enti, deɛ Asafo Awurade, Israel Onyankopɔn no seɛ nie: “Hwɛ, mɛma saa nnipa yi adi aduane a ɛyɛ nwono na wɔanom nsuo a wɔde awuduro 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, na mede akofena bɛtaa wɔn kɔsi 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].
Sɛdeɛ Awurade tumfoɔ seɛ nie: “Dwene ho! Frɛ mmaa agyaadwotwafoɔ no, frɛ wɔn a wɔakwadare 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 kɔsi sɛ yɛn ani so bɛtaataa nisuo na nisuo adware 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 nnyegyeeɛ firi Sion sɛ, ‘Wɔasɛe yɛn! Yɛn anim agu ase yie! Ɛsɛ sɛ yɛtu firi yɛn asase so ɛfiri sɛ, yɛn afie 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, Ao mmaa, montie Awurade asɛm; monyɛ aso mma nsɛm a ɛfiri nʼanom. Monkyerɛ mo mmammaa sɛdeɛ wɔtwa dwo; monkyerɛ mo ho mo ho abubuo bɔ.
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.
Owuo aforo afa yɛn mpomma mu ahyɛne yɛn aban mu; apamo mmɔfra afiri mmɔntene so ne mmeranteɛ afiri ɔman adwaberem.
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 sɛ, “Sei na Awurade seɛ, “‘Nnipa afunu bɛdeda hɔ te sɛ sumina a ɛgugu petee mu, te sɛ aburoo a otwafoɔ 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.
Yei ne deɛ Awurade seɛ: “Mma onyansafoɔ mfa ne nyansa nhyehyɛ ne ho anaa ɔhoɔdenfoɔ mfa nʼahoɔden nhyehyɛ ne ho anaa ɔdefoɔ 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 deɛ ɔhyehyɛ ne ho nhyehyɛ ne ho sɛ ɔwɔ nhunumu, na ɔnim sɛ, me ne Awurade a ɔyɛ adɔeɛ, na ɔbu atɛntenenee na ɔyɛ adetenenee wɔ asase so ɛfiri sɛ yeinom na ɛsɔ mʼani,” sɛdeɛ Awurade seɛ nie.
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 bi reba,” Awurade na ɔseɛ, “A mɛtwe wɔn a wɔatwa twetia wɔ honam fam nko ara no nyinaa aso:
Misraimfoɔ, Yudafoɔ, Edomfoɔ, Amonfoɔ, Moabfoɔ ne wɔn a wɔtete anweatam a ɛwɔ akyirikyiri nsase so nyinaa. Na nokorɛm, saa aman yi nyinaa yɛ momonotofoɔ na mpo Israel fiefoɔ nyinaa yɛ akoma mu momonotofoɔ.”
