Zechariah 11
1 [You people of] [APO] Lebanon [should] open your gates, [because you will not be able to stop] fire from burning your cedar [trees]!
Buebue wʼapono, Ao Lebanon, na ogya mmɛhye wo ntweneduro!
2 Your cypress/pine [trees] [APO] should [also] wail because the cedar [trees] have been cut down. Those glorious/great trees have been destroyed. The oak trees in the Bashan [region] should also wail, because the other trees in the forest have been cut down.
Twa adwo wo pepeaa, na ntweneduro ahwe ase; wɔasɛe nnua a ɛwɔ animuonyam no! Twa adwo Basan adum; wɔabubu kwaeɛbirentuo no mu nnua no!
3 And listen to the shepherds crying because the fertile pastures have been ruined. Listen to the lions roar; they roar because the delightful forest [where they live] near the Jordan [River] has been ruined.
Tie nnwanhwɛfoɔ agyaadwoɔ; wɔasɛe wɔn adidibea frɔmfrɔm no! Tie agyata no mmobom; Yordan ho nkyɛkyerɛ fɛfɛ no asɛe!
4 This is what Yahweh my God said [to me]: “[I want you to] become a shepherd for a flock [of sheep that are about] to be slaughtered.
Yei ne deɛ Awurade me Onyankopɔn seɛ: “Fa nnwankuo a wɔrebɛku wɔn no kɔ adidibea.
5 The people who are going to buy the sheep will kill the sheep, and they will not be punished. Those who are selling the sheep say, ‘[I] praise Yahweh, [because] I will become rich!’ Even the shepherds do not feel sorry for the sheep.
Atɔfoɔ no kunkumm nnwan no na wɔntwe wɔn aso. Wɔn a wɔtɔn nnwan no ka sɛ, ‘Monkamfo Awurade, mayɛ ɔdefoɔ!’ Na nnwan no ahwɛfoɔ no mpo nnya ahummɔborɔ mma wɔn.
6 And similarly, I no longer feel sorry for the people of this country. I am going to allow many of them [HYP] to be captured by other people or by their king. Those who capture them will ruin this country, and I will not rescue any [of the people].”
Merenhunu asase no so nnipa mmɔbɔ bio,” sɛdeɛ Awurade seɛ nie. “Mede obiara bɛhyɛ ne yɔnko ne ɔhene nsa. Wɔbɛhyɛ asase no so, na merennye obiara mfiri wɔn nsa mu.”
7 So I became the shepherd of a flock [of sheep that were about] to be slaughtered [for their meat to be sold] to the dealers. [I took good care of the sheep, even the ones that were the weakest sheep. Then] I took two [shepherds’] /walking sticks). I named the one [staff] ‘Kindness’ and the other [staff] ‘Union’. And I took good care of the sheep.
Enti mede nnwankuo a wɔrekɔkum wɔn no kɔɔ adidibea, ne titire ne wɔn a wɔayɛ mmɔbɔ no. Afei, mefaa poma mmienu, na mefrɛɛ baako Adɔeɛ ɛnna baako nso Nkabom na mede wɔn kɔɔ adidie.
8 But the three shepherds [who had been working with me] detested me, and I became impatient with them. Within one month I (dismissed/got rid of) those shepherds.
Ɔbosome baako mu, mepamoo nnwanhwɛfoɔ mmiɛnsa no. Nnwankuo no ampɛ me, na wɔmaa me brɛeɛ
9 So I said [to the dealers], “I will no [longer] be the shepherd. I will allow the ones that are dying to die. I will allow the ones that are getting lost to get lost. And I will not prevent those that remain from destroying each other.”
na mekaa sɛ, “Merenyɛ mo hwɛfoɔ bio. Wɔn a wɔrewu nwu, na wɔn a wɔreyera nso nyera. Na ma wɔn a aka no nso nkyekye wɔn ho wɔn ho nwe.”
10 Then I took the staff that I had named ‘Kindness’ and I broke it. [That showed that Yahweh] was annulling/canceling the agreement that he had made with all the people-groups.
Afei, mefaa me poma a mefrɛ no Adɔeɛ no bubuu mu de sɛee apam a me ne aman no nyinaa ayɛ no.
11 So that agreement was ended immediately. And the men who bought and sold sheep who were watching me knew [by seeing what I was doing] that I was giving them a message from Yahweh.
Wɔsɛee no ɛda no ara, na wɔn a wɔrehunu amane wɔ nnwankuo no mu a na wɔrehwɛ me no hunuu sɛ, ɛyɛ Awurade asɛm.
12 I told them, “If you think it is what you should do, pay me [for taking care of the sheep]. If you do not think that is what you should do, do not pay me.” So they paid me [only] 30 pieces of silver.
Na meka kyerɛɛ wɔn sɛ, “Sɛ ɛbɛyɛ yie a, montua me ka, na sɛ ɛnte saa nso a, momma ɛntena hɔ.” Enti, wɔtuaa dwetɛ mpɔ aduasa maa me.
13 Then Yahweh said to me, “[That is a ridiculously small amount of money that they have paid you]! [So] throw it to the man who makes clay pots!” So I took the silver to the temple of Yahweh, and I threw it in the chest where the offerings/money is kept.
Na Awurade ka kyerɛɛ me sɛ, “To ma ɔnwomfoɔ no,” ɛboɔ a ɛsɔ ani a wɔatwa ama me no. Enti, mefaa dwetɛ mpɔ aduasa no, na meto maa ɔnwomfoɔ a ɔwɔ Awurade fie mu no.
14 Then I broke my second staff, [the one that I named] ‘Union’. That [indicated that] Judah and Israel would no longer be united.
Afei, mebuu me poma a ɛtɔ so mmienu a wɔfrɛ no Nkabom no mu, de sɛee onuayɛ a ɛda Yuda ne Israel ntam no.
15 Then Yahweh said to me, “Take again the things that a foolish shepherd uses,
Afei, Awurade ka kyerɛɛ me sɛ, “Fa odwanhwɛfoɔ kwasea no nneɛma no bio.
16 because I am going to appoint a new king for the people, [one who will not take care of my people. He will be like a foolish shepherd]: [MET] He will not take care of those who are dying, those who are very young, those who have been injured, or those who do not have enough food. Instead, he will [treat them very cruelly, like a shepherd who would] [MET] kill and eat the best sheep and tear off their hoofs.
Na merebɛma odwanhwɛfoɔ bi asɔre asase no so a ɔrenhwehwɛ deɛ wayera. Ɔrempɛ nnwammaa akyiri ɛkwan, ɔrensa deɛ wapira yadeɛ, ɔremma deɛ ɔwɔ ahoɔden aduane, na mmom, ɔbɛwe nnwan a wadɔre no nam, na watwitwa wɔn tɔte.
17 But terrible things will happen to that foolish/useless king who abandons the people [MET] over whom he rules. [His enemies] will strike his arm and his right eye with their swords. [The result will be that] he will have no strength in his arm, and his right eye will become completely blind.”
“Nnome nka odwanhwɛfoɔ a ne ho nni mfasoɔ, na ɔdwane gya nnwankuo no! Akofena ntwa nʼabasa, ne nʼani nifa. Nʼabasa no nwu koraa, na nʼani nifa no mfira koraa!”
