< 2 Mose 2 >
1 Na Lewini bi waree ɔbea bi fii Lewi abusuakuw mu.
(There was a man who/My father) was descended from [Jacob’s son] Levi. He married a woman who was [also] descended from Levi.
2 Ɔbea no nyinsɛn woo abarimaa. Abofra no na huu sɛ ne ho yɛ fɛ yiye nti ɔde no siee fie asram abiɛsa.
She became pregnant and gave birth to (a baby boy/me). When she saw that he/I was a good-looking baby, she hid him/me for three months, [because she was not willing to do what the king commanded].
3 Eduu bere bi no, na ɔde no sie a ɛnyɛ yiye nti, ɔde mfea nwenee kɛntɛn bi de ɛhyɛ ne ama faa ho sɛnea ɛbɛyɛ a, nsu rentumi nkɔ mu. Ɔde abofra no too mu de no kosii asu Nil konkɔn so wɔ wura a na ɛwɔ hɔ no bi mu.
When she was unable to (hide him/me/keep it a secret) any longer, she got a basket made from tall reeds. She covered the basket with tar ([to make it waterproof/so water could not get in]). Then she put him/me in the basket and put the basket in [the water] in the middle of the tall grass at the edge of the Nile [River].
4 Abofra no nuabea kogyinaa akyiri baabi a na ɔwɛn no.
His/My older sister was standing not far away, [watching to see] what would happen to him/me.
5 Farao babea kɔɔ asu no mu sɛ ɔrekoguare. Bere a ɔne ne mmaawa nam asu no konkɔn so no, ohuu kɛntɛn no sɛ ɛhyɛ wuram hɔ baabi, enti ɔsomaa ne mmaawa no mu baako sɛ ɔnkɔfa mmrɛ no.
[Soon] the king’s daughter went down to the river to bathe. Her female servants were walking along the riverbank. She saw the basket amid the tall grass [in the river]. So she sent [one of] her servants to get it.
6 Ɔde bae a obuee so no, ohuu sɛ abarimaa bi da mu a ɔresu. Asɛm no yɛɛ no awerɛhow. Ɔkae se, “Ɔyɛ Hebrifo yi bi ba.”
When [the servant brought the basket to her], she opened it, and was surprised to see (a baby that was/me), crying. She felt sorry for him/me, and said, “This [must] be one of the Hebrews’ babies.”
7 Abofra no nuabea a na ɔrewɛn no no kɔɔ ɔhene babea no nkyɛn kobisaa no se, “Menkɔfrɛ Hebrifo mmea no baako na ɔmmɛhwɛ no mma wo ana?”
Then (the baby’s/my) [older] sister [approached] the king’s daughter and said, “Do you want me to go and find someone from among the Hebrew women who will [be able to] nurse the baby for you?”
8 Ɔhene babea no buae se, “Yiw.” Enti, abeawa no tuu mmirika kɔɔ fie kɔfrɛɛ abofra no na de no bae.
The king’s daughter said to her, “[Yes], go [and find one].” So the girl went and summoned (the baby’s/my) mother.
9 Ɔhene babea no ka kyerɛɛ no se, “Fa abofra no kɔ fie na kɔhwɛ no ma me na metua wo ho ka.” Enti ɔde no kɔɔ fie kɔhwɛɛ no.
The king’s daughter said to her, “[Please] take this baby and nurse him for me. I will pay you [for doing that].” So (the woman/my mother) took him/me and nursed him/me.
10 Onyin kakra no, ɔde no brɛɛ ɔhene babea no ma ogyee no de no yɛɛ ne ba. Ɔkae se, “Mɛto ne din Mose efisɛ miyii no fii nsu mu.”
([A few years later]/when (the child/I) grew [older]), she brought him/me to the king’s daughter. She adopted him/me [as though I was] her own son. She named him/me Moses, [which sounds like the Hebrew words ‘pull out’], because she said “I pulled him out of the water.”
11 Mose nyin no, da bi, ɔkɔsraa ne manfo Hebrifo no. Oduu hɔ no, ohuu sɛ ne manfo no reyɛ adwumaden. Nsrahwɛ no mu na Mose huu sɛ Misraimni bi reboro Hebrini a ɔyɛ ne nua.
One day, after Moses/I had grown up, he/I went out [of the palace area] to see his/my people, [the Hebrews]. He/I saw how they were being [forced to work] very hard. He/I [also] saw an Egyptian [man] beating one of his/my Hebrew people.
12 Mose hwɛɛ ha hwɛɛ ha huu sɛ obiara nni hɔ no, okum Misraimni no tutuu nwea mu de no hyɛɛ hɔ.
He/I looked around [to see if anyone was watching]. Seeing no one, he/I killed the Egyptian man and buried his [body] in the sand.
13 Ade kyee no, ɔsan kɔɔ Hebrifo no nsrahwɛ. Oduu hɔ no, na wɔn mu baanu reko. Obisaa nea nʼasɛm nyɛ dɛ no se, “Dɛn na woreyɛ yi a worebobɔ wo nua Hebrini saa?”
The next day he/I returned [to the same place]. He/I was surprised to see two Hebrew men who were fighting [each other]. He/I said to the man who started the fight, “Why are you (you should not be) striking your fellow [Hebrew].”
14 Ɔbarima no nso bisaa no se, “Wufi he? Hena na ɔde wo yɛɛ yɛn sodifo ne temmufo? Anaasɛ woayɛ wʼadwene sɛ wobekum me sɛnea nnɛra wukum Misraimni no?” Mose huu sɛ bɔne a wayɛ no ho ada hɔ no, osuroe.
The man replied, “(Who made you our ruler and judge?/No one made you our ruler and judge!) [RHQ] [You have no right to interfere with us] Are you going to kill me just like you killed that Egyptian man [yesterday]?” Then Moses/I was afraid, [because] he/I thought, “[Since that man knows what I did], surely [other people] know, [too].”
15 Na Farao nso tee asɛm no, ɔhyɛɛ sɛ wɔnkɔfa Mose mmra na wonkum no. Nanso Mose guan kɔɔ Midian asase so. Da bi a Mose kɔtenaa abura bi ho wɔ hɔ no,
[And that was correct]. The king heard about what he/I had done [to that Egyptian. So he ordered his soldiers to] execute/kill Moses/me. But he/I fled from the king [and left Egypt. He/I traveled east to] the Midian [region] and started to live there.
16 Midian sɔfo mmabea baason bi baa hɔ sɛ wɔrebɛtow nsu de akɔma wɔn papa nguan.
The man who was the (priest/one who offered the people’s gifts to God) for the Midian people, [whose name was Jethro], had seven daughters. [One day] as Moses/I sat down beside a well, those girls came [to the well] and got water, and filled the troughs in order to give water to their father’s flock [of sheep].
17 Nanso nguanhwɛfo bi pampam mmeawa no. Mose begyee wɔn fii nguanhwɛfo no nsam maa mmeawa no nguan no nsu nomee.
Some (shepherds/men who took care of other sheep) came and started to chase away the girls. But Moses/I helped/rescued the girls, and got water for their sheep.
18 Wɔsan koduu wɔn agya Reuel nkyɛn no, obisaa wɔn se, “Ɛyɛɛ dɛn na nnɛ de, munyaa nsu maa nguan yi nom ntɛm sɛɛ?”
When the girls returned to their father [Jethro], [whose other name is] Reuel, he asked them, “How is it that you were able to [give water to the sheep and] come home so quickly today?”
19 Wɔka kyerɛɛ wɔn agya se, “Misraimni bi na ogyee yɛn fii nguanhwɛfo no nsam. Ɔno ara na ɔtow nsu no maa yɛn nguan no nomee.”
They replied, “A man from Egypt kept [MTY] other shepherds from sending us away. He also got water for us [from the well] and gave water to the flock [of sheep].”
20 Wɔn agya bisae se, “Na ɔwɔ he? Mugyaw no wɔ hɔ ana? Monkɔfrɛ no na ommedidi.”
He said to his daughters, “Where is he? (Why did you leave him [out there]?/You should not leave him [out there]!) [RHQ] Invite him [in], so he can have something to eat [MTY]!”
21 Mose kɔɔ Reuel frɛ no. Akyiri no, ɔne wɔn kɔtenae, maa Reuel de ne babea Sipora maa no aware.
[So they did], and Moses/I [accepted and ate with them]. And Moses/I decided to live there. Later Jethro gave him/me his daughter Zipporah [to be his/my wife].
22 Wɔwoo ɔbabarima maa Mose too no din Gersom, ase ne Ɔhɔho, efisɛ Mose kyerɛ ase se, “Meyɛ ɔhɔho wɔ ananafo asase so.”
Later she gave birth to a son, and Moses/I named him Gershom, [which sounds like the Hebrew words that mean ‘foreigner’], because he/I said, “I am living as a foreigner in [this] land.”
23 Mfe bi akyi no, Misraimhene no wui. Na Israelfo no resi apini wɔ wɔn nkoasom no mu. Enti na wɔresu frɛ Onyankopɔn.
Many years later the king of Egypt died. The Israeli people [in Egypt] were still groaning because of the [hard work they had to do as] slaves. They called out for [someone to] help them, and God heard them call out [PRS].
24 Onyankopɔn nso tiee wɔn sufrɛ no, kaee bɔ a ɔhyɛɛ Abraham, Isak ne Yakob sɛ ɔde nʼasefo bɛsan aba Kanaan asase so no.
He heard them groaning. And he (thought about/did not forget) that he had solemnly promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob [to bless their descendants].
25 Onyankopɔn hwɛ huu sɛ bere adu sɛ ogye wɔn.
God saw how the Israeli people were [being badly treated], and he was concerned about them.