1 Ahemfo 13
1 Awurade hyɛɛ Onyame nipa bi ma ɔkɔɔ Bet-El, na oduu hɔ bere a na Yeroboam rekɔ afɔremuka no ho akɔbɔ afɔre.
One day a prophet, obeying what Yahweh commanded him to do, went from Judah [north] to Bethel. He arrived there right at the time that Jeroboam was standing at the altar, ready to burn incense.
2 Na ɔde Awurade nsɛm mu teɛɛ mu guu afɔremuka no so se, “Afɔremuka! Afɔremuka! Sɛnea Awurade se ni: ‘Wɔbɛwo ɔbabarima bi a wɔbɛto no din Yosia ato Dawid fi, na wo so na ɔde asɔfo a wofi nsɔree so ha a wɔhyew aduhuam ne nnipa nnompe no bɛbɔ afɔre!’”
Saying what Yahweh told him to say, the prophet shouted, “This is what Yahweh says [about this] altar [APO]: ‘I want you to know that [some day] a descendant [MTY] of King David will be born. His name will be Josiah, and he will come here. He will slaughter at this altar the priests who are burning incense for sacrifices on the hills [in this area], and he will burn the bones of dead people on this altar.’” [APO]
3 Da no ara, Onyankopɔn nipa no yɛɛ nsɛnkyerɛnne, na ɔkae se, “Eyi ne nsɛnkyerɛnne a Awurade ada no adi. Afɔremuka no mu bɛpae abien, na nsõ a egu so no ahwie agu.”
Then the prophet also said, “This is what will prove to you that Yahweh has said this: This altar will be split apart, and the ashes that are on it will be scattered.’”
4 Ɔhene Yeroboam bo fuw Onyame nipa yi sɛ wakasa atia afɔremuka yi. Enti ɔteɛɛ ne nsa wɔ ne so, teɛɛ mu se, “Monkyere no!” Nanso ne nsa a ɔteɛɛ wɔ ɔbarima no so no sinsenii a wantumi anyɛ ho hwee.
When King Jeroboam heard the prophet say that, he pointed his finger at him and said to his servants, “Seize that man!” But immediately the king’s arm became paralyzed/stiff, with the result that he could not move it.
5 Na afɔremuka no mu paee abien, na nsõ a egu so no hwie gui, sɛnea nsɛnkyerɛnne a Onyankopɔn nipa nam Awurade nsɛm so daa no adi kyerɛɛ no.
And the altar immediately split apart, and the ashes spilled out [on the ground], which is what the prophet said that Yahweh [MTY] had predicted would happen.
6 Afei, ɔhene no srɛɛ Onyankopɔn nipa no se, “Srɛ Awurade, wo Nyankopɔn, ma me na me nsa no nya ahoɔden.” Enti Onyankopɔn nipa no srɛɛ Awurade maa no, na ɔhene no nsa nyaa ahoɔden ma ɛyɛɛ sɛnea na ɛte kan no.
Then the king said to the prophet, “Please pray that Yahweh will be merciful to me and heal my arm!” So the prophet prayed, and Yahweh completely healed the king’s arm.
7 Afei, ɔhene no ka kyerɛɛ Onyankopɔn nipa no se, “Ma yɛnkɔ fie, na kodidi, na mɛma wo akyɛde bi.”
Then the king said to the prophet, “Come home with me and eat some food. And I will also give you a reward [for what you have done]!”
8 Nanso Onyankopɔn nipa no buaa no se, “Mpo, sɛ wode wʼagyapade mu fa bɛkyɛ me koraa a, me ne wo renkɔ, na brodo nso, merenni na manom nsu wɔ ha.
But the prophet replied, “Even if you would [promise to] give me half of everything that you own [MTY], I will not go with you, and I will not eat or drink anything with you here,
9 Awurade asɛm so na wɔnam hyɛɛ me se, ‘Ɛnsɛ sɛ wudi brodo anaa wonom nsu wɔ hɔ. Afei, nsan mfa ɔkwan a wofaa so kɔɔ Bet-El no so.’”
because Yahweh commanded me not to eat or drink anything here. He also commanded me not to return home on the road on which I came here.”
10 Enti ofi Bet-El faa ɔkwan foforo so sɛ ɔrekɔ fie.
So he started to return home, but he did not go on the road on which he came to Bethel. He went on a different road.
11 Na ɛbaa sɛ na odiyifo akwakoraa bi te Bet-El. Ne mmabarima bɛkaa nea Onyankopɔn nipa no ayɛ wɔ Bet-El da no nyinaa kyerɛɛ no. Afei, wɔkaa asɛm a waka akyerɛ ɔhene no nyinaa kyerɛɛ wɔn agya no.
At that time there was an old man living in Bethel who was a prophet. His sons came and told him what the prophet [from Judah] had done there on that day, and they also told him what the prophet had said to the king.
12 Odiyifo akwakoraa no bisaa wɔn se, “Na ɔfaa he?” Na ne mmabarima no kyerɛɛ no ɔkwan a Onyankopɔn nipa no faa so kɔe.
Their father said, “On which road did he go?” So his sons showed him the road on which the prophet from Judah had gone [when he left Bethel].
13 Ɔka kyerɛɛ ne mmabarima no se, “Monhyehyɛ afurum no mma me ntɛm.” Na wɔhyehyɛɛ afurum no maa no no, ohuruw tenaa ne so
Then he said to his sons, “Put a saddle on my donkey.” So they did that, and he got on the donkey.
14 tiw Onyankopɔn nipa no. Ɔkɔtoo no sɛ ɔte odum bi ase, na odiyifo akwakoraa no bisaa no se, “Wone Onyankopɔn nipa a wufi Yuda no ana?” Obuaa no se, “Yiw, ɛyɛ me.”
He went along the road to (find/catch up with) the prophet from Judah. He found him sitting under an oak tree. He said to him, “Are you the prophet who came from Judah?” He replied, “Yes, I am.”
15 Afei, odiyifo no ka kyerɛɛ no se, “Ma yɛnkɔ fie, na kodidi.”
The old prophet said to him, “Come home with me and eat some food.”
16 Onyankopɔn nipa no ka kyerɛɛ no se, “Merentumi nsan mʼakyi. Minni ho kwan sɛ mididi anaa menom nsu wɔ ha.
He replied, “No, I am not allowed to go with you into your house, or to eat or drink anything with you,
17 Awurade hyɛɛ me se, ‘Ɛnsɛ sɛ wudi aduan biara anaa wonom nsu bere a wowɔ hɔ, anaa wofa ɔkwan a wofaa so kɔɔ hɔ no so san wʼakyi.’”
because Yahweh told me, ‘Do not eat or drink anything here, and do not return home on the road on which you came.’”
18 Odiyifo akwakoraa no buae se, “Me nso, meyɛ odiyifo sɛ wo ara. Na ɔbɔfo bi kaa Awurade asɛm kyerɛɛ me se, ‘Fa no san bra wo fi, na ommedidi na ɔnnom nsu.’” Nanso na odiyifo akwakoraa no redaadaa no.
Then the old prophet said to him, “I also am a prophet, like you are. Yahweh sent an angel to tell me that I should take you home with me and give you some food and drink.” But the old man was lying [when he said that].
19 Enti Onyankopɔn nipa no ne no san kɔe, kodidi nomee wɔ ne fi.
But because of what the old prophet said, the prophet from Judah returned with him to his home and ate some food and drank some water with him.
20 Bere a wɔte didipon ho redidi no, nkra fi Awurade nkyɛn baa odiyifo akwakoraa no so.
While they were sitting at the table, Yahweh spoke to the old man.
21 Ɔteɛɛ mu guu Onyankopɔn nipa a ofi Yuda no so se, “Sɛɛ na Awurade ka: Woabu Awurade asɛm so, na woanni ahyɛde a Awurade, wo Nyankopɔn, hyɛɛ wo no so.
Then he cried out to the prophet from Judah, “This is what Yahweh says: ‘You have disobeyed him, and you have not done what he commanded you to do.
22 Wosan baa ha bedii aduan, nom nsu, nanso ɔka kyerɛɛ wo se nni hwee, nnom hwee. Esiane eyi nti, wɔrensie wʼamu wɔ wʼagyanom da mu.”
Instead, you have come back here and had things to eat and drink in a place where he commanded you not to do that. As a result, you will be killed, and your body will not be buried in the grave where your ancestors are buried.’”
23 Na Onyankopɔn nipa no didi nom wiei no, odiyifo no hyehyɛɛ nʼafurum no maa no,
When they had finished eating, the old man put a saddle on the donkey for the prophet from Judah, [and the prophet from Judah left].
24 na Onyankopɔn nipa no sii kwan so bio. Na ɔrekɔ no ara, gyata bi ba bekum no. Nʼamu no daa ɔkwan mu a, na afurum no ne gyata no gyinagyina ho.
But as he was going, a lion met him and killed him. The prophet’s corpse was lying on the road, and the donkey was standing beside it, and the lion was also standing beside the corpse.
25 Nnipa ba bɛtoo so sɛ amu no da ɔkwan mu a gyata no gyina ho. Enti wɔkɔbɔɔ amanneɛ wɔ Bet-El baabi a odiyifo akwakoraa no te hɔ.
Some men passed by and were surprised to see the corpse on the road and the lion standing next to the corpse. So they went into Bethel and reported what they had seen.
26 Bere a odiyifo akwakoraa no tee asɛm no, ɔkae se, “Ɛyɛ Onyankopɔn nipa no a wanni Awurade ahyɛde so no. Awurade ama nʼasɛm no aba mu sɛ ɔmaa gyata tow hyɛɛ no so, kum no.”
When the old man who had brought the prophet from Judah to his home heard about it, he said, “That is the prophet who disobeyed what Yahweh told him to do! That is why Yahweh allowed the lion to attack him and kill him. That is what Yahweh said would happen!”
27 Na odiyifo no ka kyerɛɛ ne mmabarima no se, “Monhyehyɛ afurum no mma me.” Na wɔhyehyɛɛ afurum no.
Then he said to his sons, “Put a saddle on my donkey.” So they did that.
28 Ɔkɔ kohuu sɛ amu no da ɔkwan mu. Na afurum no ne gyata no da so gyinagyina ne ho, a gyata no nwee amu no, nto nhyɛɛ afurum no nso so.
Then he rode on the donkey and found the prophet’s corpse on the road, and his donkey and the lion were still standing there alongside the corpse. But the lion had not eaten any of the flesh of the prophet and had not attacked the donkey.
29 Enti odiyifo no faa Onyankopɔn nipa no amu no de no too nʼafurum no so, san de no kɔɔ kurom, kosuu no, siee no.
The old man picked up the corpse of the prophet and put it on his donkey and brought it back to Bethel, in order to mourn for him and to bury his corpse.
30 Ɔde amu no too nʼankasa ne da mu, fii awerɛhow mu, suu no se, “Ao, me nua!”
He buried the prophet’s corpse in the grave where other people in his family [had been buried]. Then he and his sons mourned for him, saying, “[We are very sorry], my brother!”
31 Akyiri no, odiyifo no ka kyerɛɛ ne mmabarima no se, “Sɛ mewu a, munsie me wɔ ɔda a woasie Onyankopɔn nipa wɔ mu no mu. Momfa me nnompe ngu ne nnompe ho.
After they had buried him, the old man said to his sons, “When I die, bury my corpse in the grave where we buried the prophet from Judah. Lay my corpse next to his corpse.
32 Na asɛm a Awurade ka kyerɛɛ no se ɔnka ntia afɔremuka a ɛwɔ Bet-El ne abosomfi no a ɛwowɔ Samaria nkurow so no, ɛbɛba mu.”
[And do not forget what he said, because] the things that Yahweh told him to say about the altar in Bethel, and about the shrines on the hills in the towns in Samaria, will surely happen.”
33 Nanso eyi akyi koraa no, Yeroboam annan ne ho amfi nʼakwammɔne no so. Ɔkɔɔ so yii asɔfo fi nnipa no mu. Obiara a ɔpɛ no, otumi yɛɛ ɔsɔfo wɔ abosomfi hɔ.
But King Jeroboam still did not turn away from continuing to do evil things. Instead, he appointed more priests [who were not descended from Levi]. Anyone who wanted to be a priest, he appointed to be a priest, in order that he could offer sacrifices on the hills.
34 Eyi bɛyɛɛ bɔne kɛse, na ɛnam so sɛee Yeroboam ahemman, maa ne fifo nyinaa wuwui.
Because he committed that sin, [a few years later] God got rid of most of Jeroboam’s descendants and did not allow them to become kings of Israel.
