2 Beresosɛm 18
1 Yehosafat yɛɛ ɔdefo a na nʼanuonyam nso korɔn. Ɔhyehyɛ maa ne babarima waree Israelhene Ahab babea.
Jehoshaphat became very wealthy and was greatly honored. But then he arranged for one of his family to marry someone from the family of King Ahab [of Israel].
2 Mfe kakraa bi akyi no, ɔkɔɔ Samaria kɔsraa Ahab. Ahab too pon kɛse bi maa ɔne ne mpanyimfo. Wokunkum nguan ne anantwi bebree de too pon no. Na Ahab srɛɛ Yehosafat sɛ ɔmmɛboa no, na ɔnkɔko ntia Ramot-Gilead.
Several years later, he went down [from Jerusalem] to Samaria to visit Ahab. Ahab welcomed him and the people who had come with him by slaughtering many sheep and cattle [for a feast].
3 Ahab bisaa no se, “Wobɛboa me na mako atia Ramot-Gilead ana?” Na Yehosafat bua se, “Me ne wo yɛ pɛ na me nkurɔfo te sɛ wo nkurɔfo, Yɛbɛboa wo, ama woako.”
Then he asked Jehoshaphat, “Will you [and your army] go with my army to attack Ramoth [city] in [the] Gilead [region]?” Jehoshaphat replied, “My soldiers and I will go to the battle when you tell us to go.”
4 Na Yehosafat ka kaa ho se, “Nea edi kan no, ma yemmisa Awurade hɔ afotu.”
Then he added, “But we should ask Yahweh first, to find out what he wants us to do.”
5 Enti ɔhene Ahab frɛɛ nʼadiyifo a wɔn dodow bɛyɛ ahannan no nyinaa, bisaa wɔn se, “Menkɔko ntia Ramot Gilead anaa mennkɔ?” Wɔn nyinaa buae se, “Kɔ so! Awurade bɛma woadi nkonim anuonyam so.”
So the king of Israel gathered all his 400 prophets and asked them, “Should we go to attack the people of Ramoth [city], or should we not do that?” They replied, “Yes, go [and attack them] because God will enable your army to defeat them.”
6 Nanso Yehosafat bisae se, “Enti Awurade odiyifo biara nso nni ha? Anka mepɛ sɛ mibisa no saa asɛm koro no ara.”
But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no prophet of Yahweh here whom we can ask?”
7 Ɔhene Ahab buae se, “Ɔbaako da so wɔ ha nanso, mikyi no. Ɔnhyɛ nkɔm biara sɛ nsɛm a enye na ɔka kyerɛ me. Ne din de Mikaia. Imla babarima ne no.” Yehosafat kae se, “Nkasa saa. Ma yentie asɛm a ɔwɔ ka.”
The king of Israel replied, “There is still one man here, whom we can ask to find out what Yahweh wants, his name is Micaiah, the son of Imlah. But I hate him because he never says anything good about me. He always predicts [that] bad [things will happen to me].” Jehoshaphat replied, “King Ahab, you should not say that!”
8 Enti Israelhene frɛɛ ne mpanyimfo no baako ka kyerɛɛ no se, “Yɛ ntɛm kɔfrɛ Imla babarima Mikaia brɛ me.”
So the king of Israel told one of his officials to summon Micaiah immediately.
9 Israelhene Ahab ne Yudahene Yehosafat hyɛɛ wɔn ahemfo ntade, tenaa wɔn ahengua mu wɔ apongua a ɛbɛn Samaria kwan no ano. Saa bere no, na Ahab adiyifo no rehyɛ nkɔm wɔ wɔn anim.
The king of Israel and the king of Judah were sitting there on their thrones, wearing their royal robes. They were at the place where people threshed grain, near the gate of Samaria [city]. All of [Ahab’s] prophets were standing in front of them, predicting what was going to happen.
10 Na wɔn mu baako a ɔyɛ Kenaana babarima Sedekia de nnade yɛɛ mmɛn, na ɔdaa no adi se, “Sɛnea Awurade se ni: Mode saa mmɛn yi bɛwowɔ Aramfo yi ama wɔawuwu!”
[One of them whose name was] Zedekiah, the son of Kenaanah, had made from iron something that resembled the horns of a bull. He proclaimed to Ahab, “This is what Yahweh says: ‘With horns [like these], your [army] will keep attacking the army of Syria [like a bull attacks another animal], until you completely destroy them.’”
11 Adiyifo a wɔwɔ hɔ no nyinaa penee so kae se, “Yiw, monkɔ Ramot-Gilead, na munkodi nkonim, efisɛ Awurade bɛma moadi nkonim.”
All the other prophets [of Ahab] agreed. They said, “Yes! If you attack Ramoth [city] in [the] Gilead [region], you will be successful, because Yahweh will enable you to defeat them.”
12 Ɔbɔfo a ɔkɔfrɛɛ Mikaia no ka kyerɛɛ no se, “Hwɛ, adiyifo no nyinaa hyɛ ɔhene no bɔ sɛ obedi nkonim. Hwɛ sɛ wone wɔn bɛyɛ adwene, na hyɛ nkonimdi ho bɔ.”
The messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Listen to me! All the other prophets are unitedly predicting that the king will be successful [in the battle]. So be sure to agree with them and say that the king’s army will be successful!”
13 Nanso Mikaia buae se, “Sɛ Awurade te ase yi, nea me Nyankopɔn aka akyerɛ me sɛ menka no, ɛno na mɛka.”
But Micaiah said, “As surely as Yahweh lives, I will tell the king only what Yahweh tells me to say.”
14 Bere a Mikaia beduu ɔhene Ahab anim no, obisaa no se, “Mikaia, yɛnkɔko ntia Ramot-Gilead anaa yɛnkɔ?” Mikaia buae se, “Monkɔko! Ɛbɛyɛ nkonimdi a ɛho wɔ nyam.”
When Micaiah arrived, the king [of Israel] asked him, “Should we go to attack Ramoth, or not?” Micaiah replied, “Sure, go! Yahweh will enable your army to defeat them!”
15 Ɔhene amma nʼano ansi, na obuaa no se, “Mpɛn ahe na menka nkyerɛ wo se, sɛ worekasa ama Awurade a, ka nokwasɛm?”
But King Ahab [realized that Micaiah was lying, so he] said to Micaiah, “I have told you many times that you must always tell only the truth when you say what Yahweh [has revealed to you]!”
16 Na Mikaia ka kyerɛɛ no se, “Anisoadehu mu no, mihuu sɛ Israel nyinaa abɔ apete wɔ mmepɔw no so sɛ nguan a wonni hwɛfo. Na Awurade kae se, ‘Wɔakum wɔn wura. Fa wɔn kɔ fie asomdwoe mu.’”
Then Micaiah replied, “[The truth is that in a vision] I saw all the troops of Israel scattered on the mountains. They seemed to be like sheep that did not have a shepherd. And Yahweh said, ‘Their master has been killed. So tell them all to go home peacefully.’”
17 Israelhene ka kyerɛɛ Yehosafat se, “Manka saa ankyerɛ wo ana? Da biara saa na ɔyɛ. Ɔnhyɛ nkɔm pa biara sɛ atoro nkɔm na ɔhyɛ fa me ho.”
Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “I told you that he never predicts that anything good will happen to me! He [always] predicts that bad things will happen to me.”
18 Mikaia toaa so se, “Tie nea Awurade ka. Mihuu Awurade sɛ ɔte nʼahengua so a ne ɔsorofo asraafo nyinaa atwa ne ho ahyia wɔ ne nifa ne ne benkum so.
But Micaiah continued, saying, “Listen to what Yahweh showed to me! [In a vision] I saw Yahweh sitting on his throne, with all the armies of heaven [standing around him], on his right side and on his left side.
19 Na Awurade bisae se, ‘Hena na obetumi adaadaa Israelhene Ahab ama wakotu Ramot-Gilead so sa na wɔakum no wɔ hɔ?’ “Adwenkyerɛ bebree baa ho,
And Yahweh said, ‘Who can persuade Ahab, the king of Israel, to go to fight against the people of Ramoth, in order that he may be killed there?’ “Some suggested one thing, and others suggested something else.
20 kosii sɛ ne koraa no, honhom bi bɛnee Awurade kae se, ‘Metumi ayɛ!’” Awurade bisae se, “‘Ɔkwan bɛn so na wobɛfa ayɛ eyi.’”
“Finally one spirit, [having received a message from Satan], came to Yahweh and said, ‘I can do it!’ “Yahweh asked him, ‘How will you do it?’
21 Na honhom no buae se, “Mɛkɔ akɔdaadaa Ahab adiyifo, ama wɔadi atoro.” Awurade kae se, “Kɔ so yɛ, na wubedi nkonim.
“The spirit replied, ‘I will go and inspire all of Ahab’s prophets to tell lies.’ Yahweh said, ‘You will be successful; go and do it!’
22 “Enti woahu sɛ Awurade de nkontompo honhom ahyɛ wʼadiyifo no anom. Awurade adwene sɛ ɔde amanehunu bɛba wo so.”
“So now [I tell you that] Yahweh has caused your prophets to lie to you. Yahweh has decided that something terrible will happen to you.”
23 Na Kenaana babarima Sedekia kɔɔ Mikaia so, kɔbɔɔ no sotɔre bisae se, “Da bɛn na Awurade honhom fii me so bɛkasa kyerɛɛ wo?”
Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah walked over to Micaiah and slapped him on his face. He said, “Do you think that Yahweh’s Spirit left me in order to speak to you?”
24 Na Mikaia buae se, “Ɛrenkyɛ biara, wubehu nokware no, bere a wubeguan akɔtetɛw kokoa mu dan bi mu.”
Micaiah replied, “You will find out for yourself [to which of us Yahweh’s Spirit has truly spoken] on the day when you go into a room of some house to hide [from the Syrian soldiers]!”
25 Israelhene Ahab hyɛe se, “Monkyere Mikaia, na momfa no nkɔma Amon a ɔyɛ kurow no mu amrado, na momfa no nkɔ me babarima Yoas nkyɛn.
King Ahab commanded [his soldiers], “Seize Micaiah and take him to Amon, the governor of this city, and to my son Joash.
26 Monka saa asɛm a efi ɔhene nkyɛn yi nkyerɛ wɔn se, ‘Fa saa ɔbarima yi to afiase. Mommma no aduan biara sɛ brodo ne nsu, kosi sɛ mefi akono bɛba asomdwoe mu.’”
Tell them that I have commanded that they should put this man in prison and give him only bread and water. Do not give him anything else to eat until I return safely [from the battle]!”
27 Nanso Mikaia buae se, “Sɛ wosan ba asomdwoe mu a, na ɛkyerɛ sɛ, Awurade amfa me so ankasa.” Na ɔka kyerɛɛ wɔn a wogyinagyina hɔ, atwa ne ho ahyia no se, “Saa asɛm a maka yi, monhyɛ no nsow.”
Micaiah replied, “If you return safely, [it will be clear that] it was not Yahweh who told me what to say to you!” Then he said [to all those who were standing there], “Do not forget what I have said [to King Ahab]!”
28 Enti Israelhene ne Yudahene Yehosafat dii wɔn asraafo anim, tuu Ramot-Gilead so sa.
So the king of Israel and the king of Judah [led their armies] to Ramoth, in [the] Gilead [region].
29 Afei, ɔhene Ahab ka kyerɛɛ Yehosafat se, “Yɛrekɔ ɔko yi, mɛsakra me ho sɛnea obiara nhu me, nanso wo de, wobɛhyɛ wʼahentade.” Enti Ahab sesaa ne ho, na wɔkɔɔ ɔko no.
King Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “I will put on different clothes, [in order that no one will recognize that I am the king.] But you should wear your royal robe.” So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they both went into the battle.
30 Saa bere no, na Aramhene aka akyerɛ ne nteaseɛnamkafo no se, “Monkɔtow nhyɛ Israelhene nko ara so.”
The King of Syria told his soldiers who were driving the chariots, “Attack only the king of Israel!”
31 Enti bere a Aramhene nteaseɛnamkafo no huu Yehosafat sɛ ɔhyɛ nʼahentade no, wɔtaa no. Wɔteɛteɛɛ mu se, “Israelhene no ne no.” Nanso, Yehosafat teɛɛ mu frɛɛ Awurade sɛ ommegye no nkwa. Na Awurade yii nkurɔfo no ani fii ne so, de gyee no nkwa.
So when the soldiers who were driving the Syrian chariots saw Jehoshaphat [wearing the royal robes], they thought “He must be the king of Israel!”
32 Bere a nteaseɛnamkafo no huu sɛ ɔnyɛ Israelhene no, wogyaee no taa.
So they turned to attack him. But when Jehoshaphat cried out, Yahweh helped him, and they realized that he was not the king of Israel. And God caused them to stop pursuing him.
33 Na Aram sraani bi de anibiannaso totow nʼagyan guu Israel asraafo no mu, maa bɛmma no bi kɔwɔɔ Israelhene nkatabo ahyiae wɔ ne mmotuam. Ahab teɛɛ mu kyerɛɛ nteaseɛnamkafo no se, “Momfa me mfi ha, na wɔapira me pira bɔne.”
But one [Syrian] soldier shot an arrow at Ahab, without knowing that it was Ahab. The arrow struck Ahab between the places where the parts of his armor joined together. Ahab told the driver of his chariot, “Turn the chariot around and take me out of here! I have been [severely] wounded!”
34 Ɔko no kɔɔ so da mu no nyinaa. Ahab kotwerii ne teaseɛnam mu a nʼani kyerɛ Aramfo no de kosii anwummere. Na ɛyɛɛ sɛnea owia rekɔtɔ no, owui.
The battle continued all that day. Ahab was sitting propped up in his chariot, facing the Syrian soldiers. And late in the afternoon, when the sun was setting, he died.
