2 Mose 17
1 Awurade hyɛe maa Israelfo no fii Sin sare no so kokɔɔ nkurow nkurow so, koduu Refidim. Woduu hɔ no, na nsu a wɔbɛnom biara nni hɔ.
Obeying what Yahweh commanded, all the Israeli people moved from the Sin Desert. They/We traveled from one place to another. They/We camped at [a place named] Rephidim, but there was no water there for (the people/us) to drink.
2 Ɛha nso nnipa no nwiinwii bio tiaa Mose sɛ, “Ma yɛn nsu nnom!” Mose ka kyerɛɛ wɔn se, “Monyɛ dinn! Adɛn nti na mo ne me regye akyinnye? Adɛn nti na mopɛ sɛ mosɔ Awurade hwɛ?”
So the people complained to Moses/me again, saying, “Give us water to drink!” Moses/I replied to them, “Why are you (criticizing/arguing with) me [RHQ]? And why are you trying to determine whether Yahweh [has the power to provide for you]?”
3 Na osukɔm a ɛde wɔn no nti, wɔteɛteɛɛ mu se, “Adɛn nti na wuyii yɛn fii Misraim? Adɛn nti na wode yɛn baa ha? Yɛn, yɛn mma ne yɛn anantwi nyinaa bewuwu!”
But the people were very thirsty, and they continued to complain to Moses/me. They were saying things like “Why did you bring us out of Egypt?”, and “Did you bring us here to cause us and our children and livestock to die (from thirst/because we had no water to drink) [RHQ]?”
4 Mose su frɛɛ Awurade se, “Dɛn na menyɛ saa nkurɔfo yi? Wɔpɛ sɛ wosiw me abo.”
So Moses/I prayed earnestly to Yahweh. He/I said, “(How shall I deal with these people?/I do not know how to deal with these people!) [RHQ] They are almost ready to [kill me by throwing] stones at me!”
5 Awurade ka kyerɛɛ Mose se, “Fa Israelfo mpanyimfo no bi ka wo ho na fa pema a wode bɔɔ Nil mu no na di wɔn anim fa wɔn kɔ.
Yahweh replied to Moses/me, “Take some of the elders/leaders of the Israeli people with you and [tell the rest of] the people to follow you [to Sinai Mountain]. Take along the stick with which you struck the Nile [River].
6 Mehyia wo wɔ ɔbotan a ɛwɔ bepɔw Horeb ho. Sɛ wudu hɔ a, fa wo pema no bɔ ɔbotan no mu sɛnea wode bɔɔ Nil mu no na nsu befi mu aba ama obiara anya bi anom amee.” Mose yɛɛ nea Awurade kae no wɔ Israel mpanyimfo no anim maa nsu tue fii ɔbotan no mu.
Listen carefully: I will stand in front of you on top of a [large] rock at the foot of the mountain. Strike the rock with your stick. [When you do that], water for the people to drink will flow out of the rock.” [When they/we arrived at the mountain], Moses/I did that while the Israeli elders were watching, [and water flowed from the rock].
7 Enti Mose too beae hɔ din Masa a ase ne Sɔhwɛbea ne Meriba a ase ne Akyinnyegyebea, efisɛ ɛhɔ na Israelfo ne Mose gyee akyinnye, sɔɔ Onyankopɔn hwɛe, bisae se, “Awurade ka yɛn ho anaa ɔnka yɛn ho?”
Moses/I gave that place two names [in the Hebrew language: ] Massah, [which means ‘testing’], and Meribah, [which means ‘complaining’]. He/I gave it the name Massah because the Israeli people were testing Yahweh, saying “Is Yahweh really among us [and able to help us], or not?”, and he/I gave it the name Meribah because they were [continually] complaining.
8 Afei, akofo a wofi Amalek bɛtow hyɛɛ Israelfo no so wɔ Refidim ne wɔn koe.
Then the descendants of the Amalek people-group came and fought against the Israeli people at Rephidim.
9 Mose ka kyerɛɛ Yosua se, “Yi asraafo ma yɛn na yɛne Amalekfo no nkɔko. Ɔkyena megyina bepɔw no apampam a mikura Onyankopɔn pema no.”
Moses/I said to Joshua, [who was one of our army/Israeli leaders], “Choose some men to go out and fight against the Amalek people-group tomorrow. I will stand on the top of the hill, holding the stick that God told me to carry.”
10 Enti Yosua ne ne dɔm kɔtoaa Amalekfo asraafo no ne wɔn koe sɛnea na Mose ahyɛ no, na Mose ne Aaron ne Hur foro kɔɔ bepɔw no apampam pɛɛ.
So Joshua did what Moses/I told him to do. He took some men to fight against the Amalek people-group. [While they were fighting], Aaron, Hur, and Moses/I went up to the top of the hill [so that they/we could see the whole battle area].
11 Mmere dodow a Mose kura pema no mu kyerɛ soro na Israelfo no redi nkonim na sɛ ɔbrɛ pema no ase a, na Amalekfo no nso redi Israelfo no so.
Whenever Moses/I lifted up his/my arms, the Israeli men started to win [the battle]. And whenever he/I lowered his/my arms, the Amalek people-group started to win.
12 Mose brɛ a na ontumi mma pema no so bio enti Aaron ne Hur pirew ɔbo bi too hɔ ma ɔtenaa so. Wogyinagyinaa Mose benkum ne nifa memaa ne nsa abien no so kosii sɛ owia kɔtɔe.
But his/my arms became tired. So Aaron and Hur [rolled] a [large] stone for Moses/me to sit on. [While he/I was sitting on it], those two held up his/my arms, [one on one side and the other on the other side]. In that way, they kept his/my arms lifted up, and his/my arms held steady until the sun went down.
13 Ɛbaa saa no, Yosua ne ne dɔm dii Amalekfo no so, kunkum wɔn wɔ afoa ano.
So Joshua and the men with him completely defeated the Amalek people-group, using their swords [to fight against them].
14 Afei, Awurade ka kyerɛɛ Mose se, “Kyerɛw eyi ma ɛnna hɔ afebɔɔ ma wɔnkae daa na ka kyerɛ Yosua se, mɛtɔre Amalekfo nyinaa ase wɔ ɔsoro ase.”
Then Yahweh said to Moses/me, “Write an account of this battle, and then read it to Joshua. [Also write that some day] I will completely get rid of the Amalek people-group.”
15 Mose sii afɔremuka hɔ na ɔtoo no din Awurade Nissi a ase ne Awurade ne me frankaa.
Then Moses/I built a [stone] altar there and named it ‘Yahweh is [like] my flag’.
16 Mose kae se, “Efisɛ wɔama wɔn nsa so atia Awurade ahengua nti, Awurade ne Amalekfo bedi ako afi awo ntoatoaso so akosi awo ntoatoaso so.”
He/I said, “Hold high Yahweh’s flag! Yahweh will continue to fight against the Amalek people-group (forever/in all future generations)!”
