5 Mose 12

1 Eyinom ne mmara ne ahyɛde a ɛsɛ sɛ mohwɛ na mudi so, mmere dodow a mote asase a Awurade, mo agyanom Nyankopɔn, de ama mo no so.

“(I will now tell you again/These, [again], are) the rules and regulations that you must faithfully obey in the land that Yahweh, the God whom our ancestors [worshiped], is giving to you to occupy. You must obey these laws all the time that you are alive.

2 Sɛ mutu aman a wɔtete hɔ no fi hɔ a, mosɛe mmeae ahorow bi sɛ mmepɔw atifi, nkoko so, ne nnua a atrɛtrɛw no ase a wɔsom wɔn anyame no nyinaa.

You must destroy all the places where the people-groups that you will expel worship their gods, on the tops of mountains and hills and under big green trees.

3 Mummubu wɔn afɔremuka nyinaa na monyam wɔn ɔsom adum no. Momfa ogya nhyew wɔn abosompɔw na mommobɔ wɔn ahoni a wɔayeyɛ no. Mompepa wɔn ahoni no din mfi mmeae ahorow a ɛwɔ no.

You must tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars. Completely burn the statues of their goddess Asherah in fires, and chop down their wooden idols, in order that no one will ever worship them [MTY] in those places again.

4 Mommfa wɔn akwan no so nsom Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn.

“Do not worship Yahweh like [the people in Canaan worship their gods].

5 Na mmom, monhwehwɛ faako a Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn, beyi afi mo mmusuakuw mu ama mo no na munnyina ne din wɔ hɔ sɛ nʼatenae. Beae hɔ na ɛsɛ sɛ mokɔ.

Instead, you must go to the place that Yahweh will choose. It will be in the area where one of your tribes will live. That is where you must go to worship Yahweh.

6 Ɛhɔ na momfa mo hyew afɔrebɔde mmra mmɛbɔ a mo ntotoso du du, akyɛde sononko, ade a moaka ho ntam sɛ mode bɛba ne afɔrebɔde a efi mo pɛ mu, mo anantwi ne mo nguan mu mmakan nso nka ho.

That is the place where you must bring your sacrifices that will be completely burned on the altar, and your other sacrifices, (your tithes/ten percent of all of your crops), other offerings that you decide to give, and the firstborn animals from your cattle and sheep.

7 Ɛhɔ, Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn no anim hɔ no, na mo ne mo abusuafo bedidi na mo ani agye wɔ biribiara a mode mo nsa aka ho, efisɛ Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn, ahyira mo.

There, in the presence of Yahweh our God, who has [greatly] blessed you, you and your families will eat the good things that you have worked to produce, and you will be happy.

8 Nnɛ yi, nea mopɛ biara na moyɛ, nanso ɛnsɛ sɛ ɛba saa,

“[When you are in that land], you must not do some of the things that we have been doing. Until now, you have all been worshiping [Yahweh] the way you wanted to,

9 efisɛ munnuu ahomegyebea ne agyapade a Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn, de rebɛma mo no hɔ ɛ.

because you have not yet arrived in the land which Yahweh is giving to you, where you will be able to live peacefully.

10 Nanso mubetwa Asubɔnten Yordan akɔtena asase a Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn, de rema mo sɛ agyapade no so. Na ɔbɛma mo ahomegye ne bammɔ afi mo atamfo a wɔatwa mo ho ahyia no nsam na moatena ase dwoodwoo.

But when you cross the Jordan [River], you will start to live in the land that Yahweh our God is giving to you. He will protect you from all your enemies that will surround you, and you will live peacefully/safely.

11 Momfa biribiara a mehyɛ mo sɛ momfa mmra sɛ ɛyɛ mo ɔhyew afɔrebɔde, ntotoso du du, akyɛde sononko ne mo ɔma ahorow no mfa nhyɛ mo ntanka no mu kena wɔ beae a Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn, beyi ama mo a sɛ monsɔre ne din wɔ hɔ no.

“Yahweh will choose one place where he wants you to worship him. That is the place to which you must bring all the offerings that I command you to bring: The sacrifices that must be completely burned [on the altar], your other sacrifices, other offerings that you yourselves decide to give, (your tithes/ten percent of all your crops), and all the special offerings that you will solemnly promise to give to Yahweh.

12 Mo ne mo mmabarima, mo mmabea ne mo nkoa nyinaa nnye mo ani wɔ hɔ wɔ Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn no, anim. Na monkae Lewifo a wɔtete mo nkurow so no a wonni wɔn ankasa agyapade no.

Rejoice there in the presence of Yahweh, along with your children, your male and female servants, and the descendants of Levi who live in your towns. Do not forget that the descendants of Levi will not have their own land, like you will have.

13 Monhwɛ yiye na moammɔ mo hyew afɔre wɔ baabiara a mopɛ.

Be sure that you do not offer sacrifices anywhere you want to.

14 Mommɔ wɔ baabi pɔtee a Awurade ayi afi mo mmusua asase bi mu ama mo no nkutoo. Ɛhɔ na monyɛ biribiara a mehyɛ mo sɛ monyɛ no.

You must offer them only in the place that Yahweh will choose for you, in an area that belongs to one of your tribes. That is the only place where he wants you to offer sacrifices that will be completely burned [on the altar], and to do the other things that I am commanding you to do [when you worship him].

15 Nanso kurow biara a mopɛ so no, mutumi kum mmoa we sɛnea mukum atwe ne adabɔ no. Mutumi we nam dodow biara a Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn, de behyira mo no. Wɔn a wɔn ho tew ne wɔn a wɔn ho ntew no nyinaa tumi we bi.

“However, you will be permitted to kill and eat the meat of your animals in the places where you live. As often as you want to, you may eat the meat of the animals that Yahweh our God will bless you by giving them to you. Those who have done things that cause them to become unacceptable to God and those who have not done things like that may all eat that meat, just like you would eat the meat of a deer or an antelope.

16 Nanso ɛnsɛ sɛ mudi mogya no. Muntwa ngu fam te sɛ nsu.

But you must not eat the blood [of any animals]; you must let the blood drain onto the ground [before you cook the meat].

17 Ɛnsɛ sɛ mudi mo afɔre, ntotoso du du a efi mo atoko mu, mo nsa foforo ne ngo anaa mo anantwi ne mo nguan abakan wɔ mo kurow mu. Biribiara a moaka ho ntam sɛ mode bɛma Awurade anaa nea mufi mo koma mu ahyɛ ho bɔ anaa akyɛde sononko biara no, ɛnsɛ sɛ mudi.

In the places where you live, you must not eat the things that you are offering [to Yahweh]: You must not eat the (tithes/ten percent) of your grain or of your wine, or of your [olive] oil, or the firstborn of your cattle and sheep, or the offerings that you yourselves decide to give to Yahweh, or any other offerings.

18 Mmom, ɛsɛ sɛ mudi wɔ Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn, anim wɔ faako a Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn no, bɛkyerɛ mo a mo, mo mmabarima ne mo mmabea, mo nkoa ne mo mfenaa ne Lewifo a wofi mo nkurow mu ka ho no, munnye mo ani wɔ Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn no, anim wɔ biribiara a mobɛyɛ no ho.

Instead, you and your children and your male and female servants and the descendants of Levi who live in your towns must go to the place that he has chosen and eat those things there in the presence of Yahweh. And you should rejoice in the presence of Yahweh about everything that you do.

19 Monhwɛ yiye na moanyi Lewifo no mu wɔ mmere dodow a mote mo asase so no.

Be sure that you take care of the descendants of Levi all during the time that you live in your land.

20 Sɛ Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn, trɛw mo hye mu sɛnea wahyɛ mo ho bɔ no, na sɛ mo kɔn dɔ nam ka se, “Yenya nam bi a anka yɛbɛwe” a, ɛno de, mubetumi awe nam dodow biara a mopɛ.

“When Yahweh our God gives you much more land [than you will have when you first occupy it], which is what he has promised to do, and you say ‘I would like some meat to eat’ because you are craving/wanting some meat, you will be permitted to eat meat whenever you want to.

21 Sɛ faako a Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn no, ayi ama mo sɛ monkamfo ne din hɔ no ne mmeae a mowɔ no ntam ware a, mutumi kum mo anantwi anaa nguan a Awurade de ama mo no dodow biara a mopɛ no wɔ mo afi mu sɛnea mahyɛ mo no.

If the place that Yahweh our God chooses to be the place for you to worship him is far [from where you live], you are permitted to kill some of your cattle or sheep that Yahweh has given to you, and you may eat that meat at the places where you live, just like I have told you to do.

22 Monwe sɛnea mowe atwe anaa adabɔ. Wɔn a wɔn ho ntew ne wɔn a wɔn ho tew no nyinaa tumi we bi.

Those who have done things that cause them to become unacceptable to God, and those who have not done things like that, are all permitted to all eat that meat, just like you would eat the meat of a deer or an antelope.

23 Monhwɛ sɛ morenni mogya no, efisɛ mogya no ne nkwa no, na ɛnsɛ sɛ mudi nkwa no ne nam no.

But be sure that you do not eat the blood [of any animal], because it is the blood that sustains life in living beings, and so you must not eat the life along with the meat.

24 Munni mogya no; mmom, munhwie ngu fam sɛ nsu.

Do not eat the blood; instead, let it drain onto the ground.

25 Munnni mogya no na asi mo ne mo mma yiye, efisɛ moyɛ saa a na moayɛ nea ɛteɛ wɔ Awurade ani so.

If you obey this command and do what Yahweh says is right [for you to do], things will go well for you and for your descendants.

26 Momfa mo nneɛma a moatew ho ne nea moaka ho ntam sɛ mobɛma biara no, na monkɔ beae a Awurade bɛpaw no.

“But the sacred offerings that Yahweh has told you to give and the other offerings that you yourselves decide to give, you must take to the place that Yahweh will choose.

27 Momfa mo ɔhyew afɔre, nam ne mogya no nyinaa, ngu Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn no, afɔremuka so. Ɛsɛ sɛ muhwie mo afɔrebɔde no mogya no gu Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn no, afɔremuka no nkyɛn. Mmom, mubetumi awe nam no.

You must offer there the sacrifices that will be completely burned [on Yahweh’s altar]. You must also offer there the sacrifices from which you may eat some of meat after you [kill the animals and] drain out the blood and some of it is thrown on the [sides of the] altar.

28 Monhwɛ sɛ mubedi mmara ahorow a mede rema mo yi nyinaa so, na asi mo ne mo mma a wɔbɛba wɔ mo akyi no yiye, efisɛ ɛno na ɛbɛyɛ nea eye ne nea ɛteɛ wɔ Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn no ani so.

Faithfully obey all these things that I have commanded you. If you do that, things will go well forever for you and your descendants, because you will be doing what Yahweh our God says is right [for you to do] and what pleases him.

29 Na Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn no, bedi mo anim kan akɔsɛe aman a morekɔtoa wɔn no na mopam wɔn. Na sɛ mopam wɔn kɔtena wɔn nsase no so,

“When you enter the land that you will occupy, as you advance, Yahweh our God will get rid of the people-groups that live there.

30 na sɛ wonya di mo anim sɛe wɔn a, monhwɛ yiye na moammisa wɔn anyame no ase anka se, “Ɔkwan bɛn so na saa aman yi fa som wɔn anyame? Yɛpɛ sɛ yɛyɛ saa bi,” amfa so ankɔtɔ afiri mu.

After he does that, be sure that you do not [worship the gods] that they have been worshiping, because if you do that, you will be caught in the same trap [that they were caught in] [MET]. Do not ask anyone about those gods, saying, ‘Tell me how they worshiped their gods, in order that I can [worship them] also.’

31 Mommfa wɔn kwan so nsom Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn no, efisɛ wɔn anyame no som mu no, wɔyɛ akyiwade ahorow a Awurade kyi no nyinaa mpɛ. Mpo, wɔhyew wɔn mmabarima ne wɔn mmabea wɔ ogya sɛ wɔde rebɔ afɔre ama wɔn anyame no.

Do not try to worship Yahweh our God like they have worshiped their gods, because when they worship them, they do disgusting things, things that Yahweh hates. [The worst thing that they do is] that they sacrifice their own children and burn them [on their altars].

32 Monhwɛ sɛ mubedi nea mahyɛ mo no nyinaa so; mommfa bi nka ho na munnyi bi nso mfi mu.

“Be sure to do everything that I have commanded you to do. Do not add anything to these commands, and do not take anything away from them.”