2 Mose 23

1 “Monkeka nkontomposɛm. Mo ne ɔbɔnefo nni nsawɔso, na moanni adansekurum.

“Do not tell to others (false rumors/untrue reports) about other people. Do not help someone who is guilty by (testifying falsely/lying) [about what happened].

2 “Mommfa wo ho nhyehyɛ nnipadɔm bi a wɔpɛ sɛ wɔyɛ bɔne mu. Sɛ moredi adanse a, monnhwɛ nnipa bi dodow so nni mmoa wɔn,

Do not join a group of people who are planning to do something evil. Do not testify the way the [crowd wants you to], if that will prevent [the judge from deciding the case] justly/fairly.

3 na munni adanse mmoa ohiani wɔ asennibea.

When a poor person is on trial, do not [testify in] his favor [just] because he is poor [and you feel sorry for him].

4 “Sɛ muhu mo tamfo nantwi anaa nʼafurum a wayera a, monkyere no nkɔma ne wura no.

If you see someone’s bull or donkey when it is wandering away [loose], take it back to [its owner, even if the owner] is your enemy.

5 Sɛ mokɔto sɛ mo tamfo bi repagyaw nʼafurum agyina ne nan so wɔ adesoa duruduru ase a, monntwa ne ho nkɔ, mmom mommoa no.

If you see someone’s donkey that has fallen down [because of its heavy load], help the owner to get the donkey up again, [even if] he is someone who hates you. Do not just walk away [without helping him].

6 “Mommfa atɛntrenee nkame ahiafo wɔ asennibea.

Decide the cases of poor people who are on trial [as] fairly [as you decide the cases of other people].

7 Mommfa asɛm a munhui nto obi a odi bem anaa ɔnokwafo so mma wonkum no, efisɛ merennyaa ɔfɔdifo.

Do not accuse people falsely. Do not decide that innocent and righteous [DOU] people should be executed, because I will (punish/not forgive) people who do such an evil thing.

8 “Munnye adanmude na adanmudegye fura onipa ani. Adanmudegye ma nea nʼasɛm yɛ dɛ no asɛm sɛe.

Do not accept money that is a bribe, because officials who accept bribes are not able to [MTY] decide what is right to do, and they do not allow innocent people to be treated fairly.

9 “Monnhyɛ ɔnanani so; mo ankasa munim sɛnea ɔnananiyɛ te, efisɛ na moyɛ ananafo wɔ Misraim.

Do not mistreat foreigners [who live among you]. You know [how people often treat] foreigners, because the Egyptians [did not treat you well when] you were foreigners there.

10 “Munnua na muntwa no nnɔbae ntoatoa so saa ara nkosi mfe asia,

Plant [seeds] in your ground and gather the harvest for six years.

11 nanso afe a ɛto so ason so de, momma asase no nna hɔ kwa mma ahiafo ntwa nnɔbae biara a ebenyin wɔ so no; nkae no, munnyaw mma mmoa nwe. Saa ara na monyɛ mo bobeturo ne wo ngonnua turo nso.

But during the seventh year you must not plant anything. [If things grow without your planting seeds], allow poor people [to harvest and] eat the crops. If there are still crops (left over/that they do not harvest), allow wild animals to eat them. Do the same thing with your grapevines/vineyards and your olive trees.

12 “Nnansia na momfa nyɛ adwuma na monhome ne nnanson so. Eyi bɛma mo anantwi, mo mfurum, mo fifo, mo asomfo ne mo ahɔho nso ahome.

[You may] work for six days [each week], but on the seventh day you must rest [and not work]. And on the seventh day you must allow your work animals and your slaves and the foreigners [who live among you] also [to rest and] be refreshed.

13 “Munni asɛm biara a maka no so. Monnkankye mmɔ onyame foforo biara din; momma wɔnnte bi mmfi mo ano.”

Make certain that you obey everything that I have commanded [you to do]. Do not pray to [MTY] other gods. Do not even mention their names.”

14 “Afe biara mu, monhyɛ fa mprɛnsa mfa nhyɛ me anuonyam.

“Every year you must celebrate three festivals to [honor] me.

15 “Nea edi kan no, munni Apiti Afahyɛ no. Sɛ edu so a, munnni brodo a mmɔkaw wɔ mu nnanson, sɛnea mehyɛɛ mo no. Ɛsɛ sɛ afe biara mohyɛ saa fa yi wɔ ɔsram Abib mu, ɔsram a mode tu fii Misraim no mu. “Edu saa bere no a, obiara mmrɛ me afɔrebɔde.

[The first one] is the Festival of Bread That Has No Yeast. Celebrate it in the month [that is named] Abib. That is the month in which you left Egypt. Celebrate it in the way that I commanded you. And always bring [LIT] an offering when you come to worship me.

16 “Ɛno akyi no, Otwabere Afahyɛ na edi so. Saa afahyɛ yi du so a, momfa mo aduankan mmrɛ me. “Nea etwa to yɛ nnɔbae anoboa afahyɛ a ɛsɛ sɛ wodi no otwa bere no akyi.

The second one is the Festival of Harvesting. During that festival you must offer to me the first parts/harvest of your crops that grow from the seeds that you planted. The third one is the Festival of Living in Temporary Shelters. That will be after you finish harvesting your grain and grapes and fruit.

17 “Afahyɛ ahorow abiɛsa yi mu nyinaa, ɛsɛ sɛ Israel mmarima nyinaa ba Awurade Nyankopɔn anim.

Every year, at each of these times, all the men must gather together to worship me, Yahweh God.

18 “Mommfa biribiara a mmɔkaw wɔ mu mmɔ mogya afɔre mma me. “Saa ara na ɛnsɛ sɛ mʼafahyɛ afɔrebɔde mu srade no tena hɔ ma ade kye so.

When you sacrifice an animal [and offer it] to me, you must not offer bread that has been baked with yeast. [When you] offer sacrifices, [burn] the fat [from the animals on that same day]. Do not allow any fat to remain until the next morning.

19 “Sɛ mutwa mo nnɔbae a, Momfa mo nnɔbae mu nea ɛsɔ ani koraa no mmra Awurade mo Nyankopɔn fi. “Monnoa abirekyi ba wɔ ne na nufusu mu.

Each year, when you harvest your crops, bring to the place where you worship me, Yahweh God, the first part of what you harvest. When you kill a (young animal/kid [or lamb or calf)], do not [prepare to eat it by] boiling it in its mother’s milk.”

20 “Meresoma ɔbɔfo na wadi mo anim de mo akɔ asase a masiesie ama mo no so dwoodwoo.

“Note this: I am going to send an angel ahead of you, to guard you as you travel and to bring you safely to the place that I have prepared [for you]. Pay attention to what he says and obey him. Do not rebel against him, because he will have my authority [MTY] and he will (punish/not forgive) [LIT] you if you rebel against him.

21 Momfa nidi mma no na munni ne nsɛm so; monnsɔre ntia no, efisɛ ɔremfa mo amumɔyɛ nkyɛ mo. Ɔyɛ me nsiananmu, na me din na ɛda ne so.

22 Na sɛ motɔ mo bo ase, na mutie no, di me nsɛm nyinaa so a, mɛyɛ ɔtamfo atia mo atamfo.

But if you pay attention to what he says and if you do all that I tell you [to do], I will fight strongly [DOU] against all of your enemies.

23 Me bɔfo bedi mo anim de mo aba Amorifo, Hetifo, Perisifo, Kanaanfo, Hewifo ne Yebusifo asase so na moatena hɔ. Na mɛsɛe saa nnipa no nyinaa wɔ mo anim.

My angel will go ahead of you, and will take you to where the Amor and Heth and Periz and Canaan and Hiv and Jebus people-groups live, and I will completely get rid of them.

24 Monnsom anyame a saa aman yi som wɔn no bi, na mommmɔ afɔre mma wɔn da biara da. Munnni saa abosonsomfo yi akyi. Munni wɔn so na mummubu wɔn ahoni a ɛyɛ animguasede no ngu.

Do not bow down before their gods/idols or worship them. And do not do the things [that they think that their gods want] them to do. Completely destroy their gods/idols, and smash to pieces their sacred stones.

25 Mo Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn nko ara na monsom no. Na mehyira mo ama moanya aduan ne nsu na meyi nyarewa nyinaa afi mo so.

You must worship me, Yahweh God. [If you do that], I will bless your (OR, bless [you by giving you]) food and water, and I will protect you from becoming sick.

26 Ɔpɔn anaa abonin remma mo asase no so na mɛma mo nna amee mo.

No women in your land will have (miscarriages/babies that will die after being born prematurely), and no women will be unable to become pregnant. And I will enable you to live a long time.

27 “Awurade ho hu bɛka aman a mubedi wɔn so no so nnipa nyinaa na wɔaguan wɔ mo anim.

I will cause the people who oppose you to become very afraid of me. I will cause the people whom you fight against to become very confused. And then I will cause them to turn around and run away from you.

28 Mɛma kotokurodu abɛpam Hewifo, Kanaanfo ne Hetifo afi mo anim.

I will cause your enemies to become terrified. And I will expel the Hiv, Canaan, and Heth people-groups from your land.

29 Merenyɛ eyinom nyinaa afe baako pɛ mu na asase no annan sare amma nkekaboa ammu amfa mo so.

I will not expel [all of] them in less than one year. If I did that, your land would become deserted, and there would be very many wild animals ([that would attack you/you would not be able to control]).

30 Mɛpam wɔn nkakrankakra kosi sɛ mobɛdɔɔso, atumi ahyɛ asase no so ma.

I will expel those people-groups slowly, a few at a time, until the number of your people increases and you are able to live everywhere in the land.

31 “Mɛto mo ahye afi Po Kɔkɔɔ no ano akosi Filistifo mpoano, na mede afi sare a ɛwɔ anafo fam no so akosi Asu Eufrate, na mɛma mo adi nnipa a wɔte asase no so no so, na moapam wɔn afi mo anim.

I will cause the borders of your land to extend from the (Red Sea/Gulf of Aqaba) [in the southeast] to the Mediterranean Sea [in the northwest], and from the [Sinai] Desert [in the southwest] to the [Euphrates] River [in the northeast of the country]. I will enable you [MTY] to expel the people who live there, so that you will expel them as you occupy more of the country.

32 Mo ne wɔn nnyɛ apam biara, na saa ara nso na mo ne wɔn anyame no nnyɛ biribiara.

You must not make any agreement/treaty with those people or with their gods.

33 Mommma wɔmmɛtena mo mu, anyɛ saa a wɔbɛma mo ayɛ bɔne atia me; esiane sɛ ɛnyɛ dɛn ara a, wɔn abosonsom no som bɛyɛ afiri a ebeyi mo.”

Do not allow [those people] to live in your land, in order that they do not cause you to sin against me. If you worship their gods, [you will not be able to escape from worshiping them and sinning against me, just like someone caught] in a trap [is unable to escape] [MET].”