Hesekiel 21
1 Awurade asɛm baa me nkyɛn se
And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,
2 “Onipa ba, fa wʼani kyerɛ Yerusalem na kasa tia kronkronbea no. Hyɛ nkɔm tia Israel asase
Son of man, set thy face against Jerusalem, and drop [words] against the holy places, and prophesy against the land of Israel,
3 na ka kyerɛ no se: ‘Sɛɛ na Awurade se: Me ne wo anya. Mɛtwe mʼafoa afi ne boha mu de ayi atreneefo ne amumɔyɛfo afi mo mu.
and say to the land of Israel, Thus saith Jehovah: Behold, I am against thee, and I will draw forth my sword out of its sheath, and will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked.
4 Esiane sɛ merebeyi atreneefo ne amumɔyɛfo afi mo mu nti, mʼafoa befi ne boha mu atia obiara, fi anafo fam kosi atifi fam.
Seeing that I will cut off from thee the righteous and the wicked, therefore shall my sword go forth out of its sheath against all flesh, from the south to the north;
5 Afei nnipa nyinaa behu sɛ me Awurade matwe mʼafoa afi ne boha mu na ɛrensan bio.’
and all flesh shall know that I Jehovah have drawn forth my sword out of its sheath: it shall not return any more.
6 “Enti si apini, onipa ba! Fa koma a abubu ne awerɛhow a ano yɛ den si apini wɔ wɔn anim.
Sigh then, thou son of man; with breaking of the loins, and with bitterness sigh before their eyes.
7 Na sɛ wobisa wo se, ‘Adɛn nti na woresi apini a?’ Wobɛka se, ‘Ɛyɛ asɛm a ɛreba no nti. Koma biara bɛbotow na nsa biara mu agugow, honhom biara bɛtɔ beraw na kotodwe biara bɛpopo.’ Ɛreba, ɔkwan biara so ɛbɛba, Otumfo Awurade asɛm ni.”
And it shall be, when they say unto thee, Wherefore dost thou sigh? that thou shalt say, Because of the tidings, for it cometh; and every heart shall melt, and all hands shall be feeble, and every spirit shall languish, and all knees shall melt into water: behold, it cometh; it is here, saith the Lord Jehovah.
8 Awurade asɛm baa me nkyɛn se,
And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,
9 “Onipa ba, hyɛ nkɔm na ka se, ‘sɛɛ na Awurade se: “‘Afoa bi, afoa bi, wɔasew ano, atwiw ho,
Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus saith Jehovah: Say, A sword, a sword is sharpened, and also furbished.
10 wɔasew ano ama akunkumakunkum no, wɔatwiw ho ma etwa yerɛw yerɛw sɛ anyinam! “‘Ɛsɛ sɛ yɛsɛpɛw yɛn ho wɔ me babarima Yuda ahempema ho ana? Afoa no mfa pema biara a ɛte saa no nyɛ hwee.
It is sharpened for sore slaughter, it is furbished that it may glitter. Shall we then make mirth, [saying, ] The sceptre of my son contemneth all wood?
11 “‘Wɔayi afoa no asi hɔ sɛ wontwitwiw ho, sɛ wɔmfa nsa nkura mu; wɔasew ano, atwiw ho, ayɛ no krado ama owudifo no.
And he hath given it to be furbished that it may be handled. The sword, — it is sharpened, and it is furbished to give it into the hand of the slayer.
12 Su na twa adwo, onipa ba, efisɛ etia me nkurɔfo; etia Israel mmapɔmma nyinaa. Wɔagyaa wɔn ama afoa no aka me nkurɔfo ho. Enti fa wo nsa gu wo ti so.
Cry and howl, son of man; for it shall be against my people, it shall be against all the princes of Israel: they are given up to the sword along with my people: smite therefore upon the thigh.
13 “‘Sɔhwɛ bɛba ampa ara. Na sɛ Yuda ahempema a afoa no mfa no nyɛ hwee no nni hɔ a dɛn na wɔbɛyɛ? Otumfo Awurade asɛm ni.’
For the trial [is made]; and what if even the contemning sceptre shall be no [more]? saith the Lord Jehovah.
14 “Enti onipa ba, hyɛ nkɔm na bɔ wo nsam. Ma afoa no ntwitwa mprenu, mpo mprɛnsa. Ɛyɛ akunkumakunkum afoa, akunkumakunkum kɛse no afoa, a ɛba wɔn so fi afanan nyinaa.
And thou, son of man, prophesy, and smite thy hands together; for [the strokes of] the sword shall be doubled the third time: it is the sword of the slain, the sword that hath slain the great one, which encompasseth them privily.
15 Ɛbɛma koma nyinaa abotow na atɔfo adɔɔso, mede akunkumakunkum afoa no asisi wɔn apon nyinaa ano. Hwɛ! Wɔatono no sɛ entwa yerɛw yerɛw sɛ anyinam, wɔaso mu ama akunkumakunkum.
In order that the heart may melt, and the stumbling-blocks be multiplied, I have set the threatening sword against all their gates: ah! it is made glittering, it is whetted for the slaughter.
16 Wo afoa, twa kɔ nifa, na twa kɔ benkum, nea wo dade bɛfa biara.
Gather up [strength], go to the right hand, turn thee, go to the left, whithersoever thy face is appointed.
17 Me nso, mɛbɔ me nsam, na mʼabufuwhyew ano bedwo Me Awurade na makasa no.”
And I myself will smite my hands together, and I will satisfy my fury: I Jehovah have spoken [it].
18 Awurade asɛm baa me nkyɛn se:
And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,
19 “Onipa ba, bɔ akwan abien na Babiloniahene afoa no mfa so, na ne abien no nyinaa mfi ase wɔ ɔman koro mu. Fa akwankyerɛde si nkwanta a ɛman kɔ kuropɔn no mu no so.
And thou, son of man, set thee two ways, by which the sword of the king of Babylon may come — out of one land shall they both come — and make thee a signpost, make it at the head of the way to the city.
20 Bɔ ɔkwan baako a afoa no bɛfa so ako atia Amonfo Raba ne baako nso a ebetia Yuda ne Yerusalem a wɔabɔ ho ban no.
Appoint a way for the coming of the sword to Rabbah of the children of Ammon, and to Judah at the fenced [city] of Jerusalem.
21 Na Babiloniahene begyina akwan abien no nkwanta so ahwehwɛ nkɔmhyɛ, ɔde agyan bɛbɔ ntonto, akɔ abisa wɔ nʼahoni nkyɛn, na wahwɛ mmrɛbo mu.
For the king of Babylon standeth at the parting of the way, at the head of the two ways, to use divination: he shaketh [his] arrows, he inquireth of the teraphim, he looketh in the liver.
22 Ne nsa nifa mu na ntonto a ɛbɛbɔ Yerusalem no bɛkɔ, na hɔ na wɔbɛhyehyɛ oburuw adwennini, de ama okum kɛse no. Afei wɔde osebɔ bɛma oburuw nnua no so apempem apon no, wɔbɛyɛ mpempe na wɔasisi pampim.
In his right hand is the lot of Jerusalem to appoint battering-rams, to open the mouth for bloodshed, to lift up the voice with shouting, to appoint battering-rams against the gates, to cast mounds, to build siege-towers.
23 Ɛbɛyɛ sɛ atoro nkɔm ama wɔn a wɔne no ayɛ apam, nanso ɔbɛkaakae wɔn afɔdi na wafa wɔn nnommum.
And this shall be a false divination in their sight, for them that have sworn oaths; but he will call to remembrance the iniquity, that they may be taken.
24 “Enti sɛɛ na Otumfo Awurade se: ‘Esiane sɛ mo saa nkurɔfo yi nam mo atuatew so akae me mo afɔdi, de ada mo bɔne a moyɛ nyinaa adi, sɛ moayɛ eyi nti, wɔbɛfa mo nnommum.
Therefore thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Because ye make your iniquity to be remembered in that your transgressions are discovered, so that in all your doings your sins appear; because ye are come to remembrance, ye shall be taken with the hand.
25 “‘Wo ɔkɔntɔnkye ne Israel hene ba otirimɔdenfo a wo da adu, wo a wʼasotwe bere adu ne mpɔmpɔnso,
And thou, profane, wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come, at the time of the iniquity of the end,
26 sɛɛ na Otumfo Awurade se: Tu abotiri no, yi ahenkyɛw no. Ɛrenyɛ sɛnea na ɛte kan no: Wɔbɛma nea abrɛ ase no so; nea ama ne ho so nso, wɔabrɛ no ase.
— thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Remove the mitre and take off the crown; what is shall be no [more]. Exalt that which is low, and abase that which is high.
27 Ɔsɛe! Ɔsɛe! Mɛyɛ no ɔsɛe! Ɛrensi ne dedaw mu bio kosi sɛ ɔbɛba nea ɛyɛ ne de no nkyɛn, ɔno na mede bɛma no.’
I will overturn, overturn, overturn it! This also shall be no [more], until he come whose right it is; and I will give it [to him].
28 “Na wo, onipa ba, hyɛ nkɔm ka se, ‘Sɛɛ na Otumfo Awurade ka fa Amonfo ne wɔn ahohorabɔ ho: “‘Afoa bi, afoa bi, wɔatwe ama akunkumakunkum, wɔatwiw ho sɛ enni nam na ɛmpa yerɛw yerɛw sɛ anyinam!
And thou, son of man, prophesy and say, Thus speaketh the Lord Jehovah concerning the children of Ammon, and concerning their reproach; and thou shalt say, A sword, a sword is drawn; for the slaughter is it furbished, that it may consume, that it may glitter:
29 Atoro anisoadehu ne nkontompo nkonyaa a ɛfa wo ho akyi no wɔde bɛto wɔn kɔn mu amumɔyɛfo a ɛsɛ sɛ wokum wɔn no, wɔn a wɔn da no adu so, ne wɔn a wɔn asotwe bere adu ne mpɔmpɔnso no.
whilst they see vanity for thee, whilst they divine a lie unto thee, to lay thee upon the necks of the wicked that are slain, whose day is come at the time of the iniquity of the end.
30 “‘San fa afoa no hyɛ ne boha mu wɔ faako a wɔbɔɔ wo hɔ wɔ wo nananom asase so, mebu wo atɛn.
Restore [it] to its sheath. I will judge thee in the place where thou wast created, in the land of thy birth.
31 Mehwie mʼabufuwhyew agu wo so na mahome mʼabufuw a ɛyɛ hu atia wo; Mede wo bɛhyɛ mmarima atirimɔdenfo nsa, wɔn a wɔwɔ adesɛe ho nyansa.
And I will pour out mine indignation upon thee, I will blow upon thee the fire of my wrath, and give thee into the hand of brutish men, skilful to destroy.
32 Wobɛyɛ nnyansin ama ogya, wɔbɛka wo mogya agu wɔ wʼasase so, na wɔrenkae wo bio; me Awurade na makasa.’”
Thou shalt be for fuel to the fire; thy blood shall be in the midst of the land; thou shalt not be remembered: for I Jehovah have spoken.
