Hesekiel 18
1 Awurade asɛm baa me nkyɛn se,
Yahweh gave me another message. [He said, ]
2 “Sɛ mo saa nkurɔfo yi bu saa bɛ a ɛfa Israel asase yi ho a, na mopɛ sɛ mokyerɛ dɛn: “‘Agyanom di bobe bun, na mma se afem ana?’
“You people quote [RHQ] this proverb [and say that it is] about Israel: ‘Parents/People eat sour grapes, but it is their children who have a very sour taste in their mouths', [which means that you think that it is not fair for you to be punished for your ancestors’ sins].
3 “Nokware, sɛ mete ase yi, sɛɛ na Awurade se, moremmu saa bɛ yi bio wɔ Israel.
But [I], Yahweh the Lord, declare that [as surely] as I am alive, you Israeli people will no longer quote that proverb.
4 Ɔkra teasefo biara yɛ me de, agya ne ɔba barima nyinaa, wɔn nyinaa yɛ me de. Ɔkra a ɔyɛ bɔne no, ɔne ne nea obewu.
Everyone [who is alive] belongs to me. That includes children and their parents; they all belong to me. And it is those who sin who will [because of their sins].
5 “Sɛ ɛba sɛ onipa trenee bi wɔ hɔ a ɔyɛ nea ɛteɛ na ɛyɛ pɛ;
[So, ] suppose there is a righteous person [always] does what is fair and right [DOU].
6 onnidi wɔ mmepɔw so abosonnan mu na ɔnsom ahoni a wɔwɔ Israelfi. Ongu ne yɔnko yere ho fi na ɔne ɔbea a wabu ne nsa nna.
He does not [meat sacrificed to idols] on the hilltops, he does not request help from idols. He does not have sex with someone else’s wife or have sex with a woman during her monthly menstrual period.
7 Ɔnhyɛ obiara so, na ɔde boseagyefo awowaside san ma no. Ɔmmɔ korɔn mmom ɔde nʼaduan ma nea ɔkɔm de no na ofura nea ɔda adagyaw no ntama.
He does not mistreat/oppress people; if [borrows money from him and gives him his cloak to guarantee that he will pay the money back], he always gives the cloak back to that [before the sun goes down]. He does not rob people. He gives food to hungry people. He gives clothing to people who need clothes.
8 Ɔmmɔ bosea nnye nsiho na onnye mfɛntom mmoroso. Ɔtwe ne ho fi bɔneyɛ ho na obu nipa baanu ntam atɛntrenee.
When he lends money to people, he does not [do it just to] charge big interest. He does not do [SYN] things that are evil. He [always] decides things fairly.
9 Odi mʼahyɛde so na odi me mmara so nokware. Saa onipa no na ɔteɛ; na ampa ara obenya nkwa Awurade asɛm ni.
He faithfully obeys all [DOU] my laws. That man is truly righteous; he will remain alive. [That is what I, ] Yahweh the Lord, promise.
10 “Sɛ ɛba sɛ ɔwɔ ɔba barima a odi akakabensɛm na ohwie mogya gu anaasɛ ɔyɛ saa nneɛma yi mu biara a
But suppose that man has a son who acts violently, who murders people and does any of these other things, even though his father has not done any of them:
11 (ɛwɔ mu, agya no nyɛɛ eyinom mu biara ɛ): “Odidi wɔ mmepɔw so abosonnan mu. Ogu ne yɔnko yere ho fi.
He [meat sacrificed to idols] on the hilltops. He has sex with other people’s wives.
12 Ɔhyɛ ahiafo ne mmɔborɔfo so. Ɔbɔ korɔn. Ɔmmfa boseagyefo awowaside mma no. Ɔde ne ho to abosom so. Ɔyɛ akyiwade.
He mistreats/oppresses poor and needy people. He robs people. If someone gives him his cloak to [that he will pay the money back], he never gives the cloak back to [before the sun goes down]. He seeks help from idols. He does [other] detestable things.
13 Ɔbɔ bosea gye nsiho na ogye mfɛntom mmoroso. Saa onipa yi benya nkwa ana? Dabi da! Esiane sɛ wayɛ saa akyiwade yi nyinaa nti, ampa ara wobekum no na ne mogya bɛbɔ nʼankasa ti so.
When he lends money, he [very big] interest. If you think that such a person [be allowed to] remain alive [RHQ], you are certainly wrong. Because he has done those detestable things, he will surely be executed, and it will be his own fault [IDM].
14 “Nanso sɛ ɛba sɛ saa ɔbabarima yi wɔ ɔbabarima a ohu bɔne a nʼagya yɛ no nyinaa nanso ɔnyɛ saa nneɛma no bi:
But suppose that man has a son who sees all the sins that his father commits, but he does not do those things:
15 “Onnidi wɔ mmepɔw so abosonnan mu na ɔmfa ne ho nto ahoni a ɛwɔ Israelfi so. Ongu ne yɔnko yere ho fi.
He does not [meat sacrificed to idols] on the hilltops. He does not request help from idols. He does not have sex with other people’s wives.
16 Ɔnhyɛ obiara so na onnye boseagyefo hɔ awowaside. Ɔmmɔ korɔn, mmom ɔde nʼaduan ma nea ɔkɔm de no na ofura nea ɔda adagyaw no ntama.
He does not mistreat/oppress people. If he lends money to someone, he does not require that person to give him his cloak to guarantee that he will pay the money back. He does not rob anyone. He gives food to those who need it. He gives clothes to those who need clothes.
17 Ɔtwe ne ho fi bɔne ho, na onnye nsiho anaa mfɛntom mmoroso. Odi me mmara ne mʼahyɛde so. Ɔrenwu wɔ nʼagya no bɔne nti; ampa ara obenya nkwa.
He does not commit sins, [like his father did], and does not charge big interest [DOU] when he lends money. He faithfully obeys [all] [DOU] my laws. That person will not be executed for his father’s sins; he will surely remain alive.
18 Nanso nʼagya no bewu wɔ ɔno ara bɔne nti, efisɛ osisii nnipa, bɔɔ ne yɔnko korɔn, na ɔyɛɛ bɔne wɔ ne nkurɔfo mu.
But his father will be executed for the sins that he committed, because he cheated people and robbed people and did [other] things that are evil.
19 “Nanso mubisa se, ‘Adɛn nti na ɔbabarima no nnya nʼagya afɔdi no bi ho asotwe?’ Esiane sɛ ɔbabarima no ayɛ nea ɛteɛ na ɛyɛ pɛ na wahwɛ yiye adi mʼahyɛde nyinaa so no nti, ampa ara obenya nkwa.
[If] you ask, ‘Why should the [man’s] son not (suffer/be punished) for the evil things that his father did?’, [I will answer that] the son has done what is fair and right [DOU] and has obeyed all my laws, so he will surely remain alive.
20 Ɔkra a ɔyɛ bɔne no, ɔno ne nea obewu. Ɔbabarima no rennya nʼagya afɔdi no ho asotwe bi, saa ara na agya no nso rennya ɔbabarima no afɔdi ho asotwe no bi. Wɔde ɔtreneeni adetreneeyɛ so aba bɛma no, na wobebu omumɔyɛfo amumɔyɛsɛm atia no.
It is those who sin who will [because of their sins]. People will not be punished for the sins of their parents, or for the sins of their children. Good/Righteous people will be rewarded for their being good/righteous, and evil people will be punished for [doing] evil.
21 “Na sɛ omumɔyɛfo twe ne ho fi bɔne a wayɛ nyinaa ho, na odi mʼahyɛde so, na afei ɔyɛ nea ɛteɛ ne nea ɛyɛ papa a, ampa ara obenya nkwa na ɔrenwu.
But if a wicked person (turns away from/quits) doing all the evil things that he did previously, and if he starts to obey faithfully all my laws, and does what is fair and right [DOU], he will surely remain alive; he will not be executed.
22 Wɔrennyina bɔne a wayɛ no mu biara so mmu no atɛn. Ne trenee nneyɛe nti obenya nkwa.
He will not be punished for the sins he committed [previously]. Because of the good/righteous things that he has done [since that time], he [be allowed to] remain alive.
23 Mʼani gye amumɔyɛfo wu ho ana? Otumfo Awurade bisa. Sɛ wɔtwe wɔn ho fi wɔn akwammɔne ho na wonya nkwa a, mʼani nnye ana?
[I], Yahweh the Lord, declare that I certainly am not [RHQ] happy about wicked people dying. Instead, I am happy when they turn away from their wicked behavior, [because of that, they] remain alive.
24 “Na sɛ ɔtreneeni twe ne ho fi ne trenee nneyɛe ho, kɔyɛ bɔne, na ɔyɛ akyiwade a amumɔyɛfo yɛ a, obenya nkwa ana? Wɔrenkae ne trenee nneyɛe no. Esiane sɛ odi nokwaredi ho fɔ na wayɛ bɔne nti, obewu.
But if a righteous person stops doing righteous things and [starts to] commit sins and does the same detestable things that wicked people do, he will certainly not [RHQ] [be allowed to] remain alive. I will not think about the righteous things that he did previously. Because he did not [do what pleases me], and because of [all] the sins that he has committed, he will be executed.
25 “Nanso moka se, ‘Awurade kwan nteɛ.’ Muntie! Mo, Israelfi. Me kwan nteɛ ana? Ɛnyɛ mo akwan mmom na ɛnteɛ?
But you say, ‘Yahweh does not act fairly!’ You Israeli people, listen to what I say: It is certainly not [RHQ] what I do that is unfair, it is what you continually do that is not fair/right!
26 Sɛ ɔtreneeni twe ne ho fi ne trenee nneyɛe ho na ɔkɔyɛ bɔne a, ɛno nti obewu, bɔne a wayɛ nti obewu.
If a righteous person (turns away from/quits) doing what is righteous and commits sins, he will [for committing those sins].
27 Nanso sɛ omumɔyɛfo twe ne ho fi amumɔyɛsɛm a wadi ho, na ɔyɛ nea ɛteɛ ne nea ɛyɛ papa a, obegye ne kra nkwa.
But if a wicked person turns away from doing wicked things and does what is just and right [DOU], he will save [from being executed/punished].
28 Esiane sɛ wahu ne mmarato na watwe ne ho afi ho no nti, obenya nkwa na ɔrenwu.
Because he has thought about all the evil things that he did and has turned away from doing them, he will [be allowed to] live. He will not be executed [for having done evil things].
29 Nanso Israelfi ka se, ‘Awurade kwan nteɛ.’ Mʼakwan nteɛ! Mo, Israelfi! Ɛnyɛ mo akwan mmom na ɛnteɛ ana?
But [you] Israeli people [MTY] say, ‘Yahweh does not act fairly.’ You people of Israel, my behavior is certainly not [RHQ] unfair! It is your behavior that is not right.
30 “Ɛno nti, mo Israelfo, mebu mo mu biara atɛn sɛnea nʼakwan te, Otumfo Awurade na ose. Monsakra mo adwene! Montwe mo ho mfi mo mmarato nyinaa ho; na afei bɔne remfa mo nkɔ asehwe mu bio.
Therefore, you Israeli people [MTY], I, Yahweh the Lord, will judge each of you according to what you have done. Repent! Turn [away] from all your wicked behavior! Then you will not be destroyed [PRS] because of your sins.
31 Montow mfomso a moayɛ nyinaa ngu na moanya koma foforo ne honhom foforo. Adɛn nti na ɛsɛ sɛ muwu, Israelfifo?
Get rid of all your wicked behavior, and get a new way of thinking [IDM, DOU]. You Israeli people [MTY], (do you really want to be executed for your sins?/you act as though you want to be executed [for your sins]) [RHQ].
32 Mʼani nnye obiara wu ho, Otumfo Awurade na ose. ‘Monsakra mo adwene na moanya nkwa!’
[I], Yahweh the Lord, declare that I am not pleased about your dying. So repent, and remain alive!”
