Ezekiel 18
1 The word of Yahweh came to me again, saying,
Awurade asɛm baa me nkyɛn sɛ,
2 “What do you mean, you who use this proverb concerning the land of Israel and say, 'Fathers eat sour grapes, and the children's teeth are made blunt'?
“Sɛ mo saa nkurɔfoɔ yi bu saa bɛ a ɛfa Israel asase yi ho a, na mopɛ sɛ mokyerɛ ɛdeɛn: “‘Agyanom adi bobe bunu, nanso wɔn mma mmom se afem anaa?’
3 As I live—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—there will certainly no longer be any occasion for you to use this proverb in Israel.
“Nokorɛm, sɛ mete ase yi, sei na Awurade seɛ, moremmu saa bɛ yi bio wɔ Israel.
4 Behold! Every life belong to me—the life of the father as well as the life of the son, they belong to me! The soul who sins is the one who will die!
Ɔkra teasefoɔ biara wɔ me, agya ne ɔba barima nyinaa, wɔn nyinaa wɔ me. Ɔkra a ɔyɛ bɔne no, ɔno ne deɛ ɔbɛwuo.
5 What can be said about a man who is righteous and who carries out justice and righteousness—
“Sɛ ɛba sɛ onipa tenenee bi wɔ hɔ a ɔyɛ deɛ ɛtene na ɛyɛ pɛ;
6 if he does not eat upon the mountains or lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, and he does not defile his neighbor's wife, nor approached a woman during her monthly period, is he a righteous man?
ɔnnidi wɔ mmepɔ so abosonnan mu na ɔnsom ahoni a wɔwɔ Israel efie. Ɔngu ne yɔnko yere ho fi na ɔne ɔbaa a wabu ne nsa nna.
7 What can be said about a man who does not oppress anyone, and he gives back to the debtor what was put up as security for a loan, and he does not commit theft but gives his food to the hungry and he covers the naked with clothes, is he a righteous man?
Ɔnhyɛ obiara so, na ɔde boseagyeni awowasideɛ sane ma no. Ɔmmɔ korɔno mmom ɔde nʼaduane ma deɛ ɛkɔm de no na ɔfira deɛ ɔda adagya no ntoma.
8 What can be said about a man who does not charge too much interest for the money he loans, and he does not take too much profit for what he sells? It is said of him that he carries out justice and establishes faithfulness between people.
Ɔmmɔ bosea nye nsiho na ɔnnye mfɛntom mmorosoɔ. Ɔtwe ne ho firi mfomsoɔyɛ ho na ɔbu nnipa baanu ntam atɛntenenee.
9 If that man walks in my statutes and keeps my decrees to act faithfully, then the promise for this righteous man is this: He will surely live!—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration.
Ɔdi mʼahyɛdeɛ so na ɔdi me mmara so nokorɛm. Saa onipa no na ɔtene; na ampa ara ɔbɛnya nkwa Awurade asɛm nie.
10 But suppose that he has a violent son who sheds blood and does any one of these things that were mentioned,
“Sɛ ɛba sɛ ɔwɔ ɔba barima a ɔdi akakabensɛm na ɔhwie mogya gu anaasɛ ɔyɛ saa nneɛma yi mu biara a
11 (though his father has not done any of these things). He eats upon the mountains and he defiles his neighbor's wife, what can be said about him?
(bɔne a nʼagya mpo anyɛ bi da): “Ɔdidi wɔ mmepɔ so abosonnan mu. Ɔgu ne yɔnko yere ho fi.
12 This man oppresses the poor and needy, and he seizes and robs, and he does not return a pledge, and he lifts up his eyes to the idols and commits disgusting actions,
Ɔhyɛ ahiafoɔ ne mmɔborɔfoɔ so. Ɔbɔ korɔno. Ɔmmfa boseagyeni awowasideɛ mma no. Ɔde ne ho to abosom so. Ɔyɛ akyiwadeɛ.
13 and he lends out money at too high interest and he makes too much profit on what he sells, should that man live? Surely he will not! He will certainly die and his blood will be on him because he has done all these detestable things.
Ɔbɔ bosea gye nsiho na ɔgye mfɛntom mmorosoɔ. Saa onipa yi bɛnya nkwa anaa? Dabi! Esiane sɛ wayɛ saa akyiwadeɛ yi nyinaa enti, ampa ara, wɔbɛkum no na ne mogya bɛbɔ nʼankasa tiri so.
14 But behold! Suppose there is a man who bears a son, and his son sees all the sins that his father has committed, and though he sees them, he does not do those things.
“Nanso sɛ ɛba sɛ saa ɔbabarima yi wɔ ɔbabarima a ɔhunu bɔne a nʼagya yɛ no nyinaa nanso ɔnnyɛ saa nneɛma no bi:
15 That son does not eat upon the mountains, and he does not lift up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, and he does not defile his neighbor's wife, what can be said about him?
“Ɔnnidi wɔ mmepɔ so abosonnan mu na ɔmfa ne ho nto ahoni a ɛwɔ Israel efie so. Ɔngu ne yɔnko yere ho fi.
16 That son does not oppress anyone, or seize a pledge, or take stolen things, but instead gives his food to the hungry and covers up the naked with clothes.
Ɔnhyɛ obiara so na ɔnnye boseagyeni hɔ awowasideɛ. Ɔmmɔ korɔno, mmom ɔde nʼaduane ma deɛ ɛkɔm de noɔ na ɔfira deɛ ɔda adagya no ntoma.
17 That son does not oppress anyone or take interest that is too high or make too much profit for a loan, but he carries out my decrees and walks according to my statutes; that son will not die for his father's sin: He will surely live!
Ɔtwe ne ho firi bɔne ho, na ɔnnye nsiho anaa mfɛntom mmorosoɔ. Ɔdi me mmara ne mʼahyɛdeɛ so. Ɔrenwu wɔ nʼagya no bɔne nti; ampa ara ɔbɛnya nkwa.
18 His father, since he oppressed others by extortion and robbed his brother, and did what is not good among his people—behold, he will die in his iniquity.
Nanso nʼagya no bɛwu wɔ ɔno ara bɔne enti, ɛfiri sɛ ɔsisii nnipa, bɔɔ ne yɔnko korɔno, na ɔyɛɛ bɔne wɔ ne nkurɔfoɔ mu.
19 But you say, 'Why does the son not bear the iniquity of his father?' Because the son carries out justice and righteousness and keeps all my statutes; he does them. He will surely live!
“Nanso mobisa sɛ, ‘Adɛn enti na ɔbabarima no nnya nʼagya afɔdie no bi ho asotwe?’ Esiane sɛ ɔbabarima no ayɛ deɛ ɛtene na ɛyɛ pɛ na wahwɛ yie adi mʼahyɛdeɛ nyinaa so enti, ampa ara ɔbɛnya nkwa.
20 The one who sins, he is the one who will die. A son will not bear his father's iniquity, and a father will not bear his son's iniquity. The righteousness of the one who acts rightly will be on himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be on himself.
Ɔkra a ɔyɛ bɔne no, ɔno ne deɛ ɔbɛwuo. Ɔbabarima no rennya nʼagya afɔdie no ho asotwe bi, saa ara na agya no nso rennya ɔbabarima no afɔdie ho asotwe no bi. Ɔteneneeni adeteneneeyɛ no bɛdi ama no, na wɔde omumuyɛfoɔ amumuyɛsɛm bɛbu atia no.
21 But if the wicked turns away from all his sins that he has done, and keeps all my statutes and performs justice and righteousness, then he will certainly live and not die.
“Na sɛ omumuyɛfoɔ twe ne ho firi bɔne a wayɛ nyinaa ho, na ɔdi mʼahyɛdeɛ so, na afei ɔyɛ deɛ ɛtene ne deɛ ɛyɛ papa a, ampa ara ɔbɛnya nkwa na ɔrenwu.
22 All the transgressions that he has committed will not be called to mind against him. He will live by the righteousness that he practices.
Wɔrennyina bɔne a wayɛ no mu biara so mmu no atɛn. Ne tenenee nneyɛɛ enti, ɔbɛnya nkwa.
23 Do I greatly rejoice over the death of the wicked—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—and not in his turning away from his way so that he may live?
Mʼani gye amumuyɛfoɔ wuo ho anaa? Otumfoɔ Awurade bisa. Sɛ wɔtwe wɔn ho firi wɔn akwammɔne ho na wɔnya nkwa a, mʼani nnye anaa?
24 But if the righteous person turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity and practices abominations like all the abominations that the wicked person does, then will he live? All the righteousness that he had done will not be called to mind when he betrays me in his treason. So he will die in the sins that he committed.
“Na sɛ ɔteneneeni twe ne ho firi ne tenenee adeyɛ ho, kɔyɛ bɔne, na ɔyɛ akyiwadeɛ a amumuyɛfoɔ yɛ a, ɔbɛnya nkwa anaa? Wɔrenkae ne tenenee nneyɛɛ no. Esiane sɛ ɔdi nokorɛdie ho fɔ na wayɛ bɔne enti, ɔbɛwu.
25 But you say, 'The way of the Lord is not fair!' Listen, house of Israel! Are my ways unfair? Is it not your ways that are unfair?
“Nanso moka sɛ, ‘Awurade ɛkwan ntene.’ Montie, Israel efie, Me ɛkwan ntene anaa? Ɛnyɛ mo akwan mmom na ɛntene?
26 When the righteous man turns away from his righteousness, and commits iniquity and dies because of them, then he will die in the iniquity that he has done.
Sɛ ɔteneneeni twe ne ho firi ne tenenee nneyɛɛ ho na ɔkɔyɛ bɔne a, ɛno enti ɔbɛwu, bɔne a wayɛ enti, ɔbɛwu.
27 But when a wicked man turns away from his wickedness that he has done and performs justice and righteousness, then he will preserve his life.
Nanso sɛ omumuyɛfoɔ twe ne ho firi amumuyɛsɛm a wayɛ ho, na ɔyɛ deɛ ɛtene ne deɛ ɛyɛ papa a, ɔbɛgye ne kra nkwa.
28 For he has seen and turned away from all the transgressions that he had done. He will surely live, and he will not die.
Esiane sɛ wahunu ne mmarato na watwe ne ho afiri ho enti, ɔbɛnya nkwa na ɔrenwu.
29 But the house of Israel says, 'The way of the Lord is not fair!' How is my way not fair, house of Israel? It is your ways that are not fair.
Nanso, Israel efie ka sɛ, ‘Awurade ɛkwan ntene.’ Mʼakwan ntene? Israel efie, ɛnyɛ mo akwan mmom na ɛntene anaa?
30 Therefore I will judge each man among you according to his ways, house of Israel!—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration. Repent and turn away from all your transgressions so that they will not be stumbling blocks of iniquity against you.
“Ɛno enti, Israel efie, mɛbu mo mu biara atɛn sɛdeɛ nʼakwan teɛ, Otumfoɔ Awurade na ɔseɛ. Monsakra mo adwene! Montwe mo ho mfiri mo mmaratoɔ nyinaa ho; na afei bɔne remfa mo nkɔ asehweɛ mu bio.
31 Throw away from yourselves all of the transgressions that you have committed; make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit. Why should you die, house of Israel?
Monto mfomsoɔ a moayɛ nyinaa ngu na moanya akoma foforɔ ne honhom foforɔ. Adɛn enti na ɛsɛ sɛ mowuo, Ao Israel efie?
32 For I have no delight in the death of the one who dies—this is the Lord Yahweh's declaration—so repent and live!”
Mʼani nnye obiara owuo ho, Otumfoɔ Awurade na ɔseɛ. ‘Monsakra mo adwene na moanya nkwa!’
