< Hesekiel 29 >

1 Mfe du so ɔsram a ɛto so du no da a ɛto so dumien no, Awurade asɛm baa me nkyɛn se:
Almost ten [after we had been taken to Babylonia], on the twelfth day of the tenth [of that year], Yahweh gave me another message. [He said to me],
2 “Onipa ba, fa wʼani kyerɛ Misraimhene Farao so na hyɛ nkɔm tia no ne Misraim nyinaa.
“You human, turn toward Egypt and proclaim the terrible things that will happen to the king of Egypt and all his people.
3 Kasa kyerɛ no na ka se: ‘Sɛɛ na Otumfo Awurade se. “‘Me ne wo anya, Misraimhene Farao asuboa kɛse a woda wo nsuwansuwa mu.’” Woka se, “Nil yɛ mede; meyɛ maa me ho.”
Give the king this message from [me], Yahweh the Lord: ‘You king of Egypt, I am your enemy; [you are like] [MET] a great monster/crocodile that lies in the [along the Nile River]. You say, “The Nile [River] is mine; I made it [for myself].”
4 Na mede nnarewa besuso wʼabogye mu na mama mpataa a wɔwɔ wo nsuwansuwa mu no atetare wʼabon ho. Mɛtwe wo afi wo nsuwansuwa no mu, a mpataa no nyinaa tetare wo ho.
But [it will be as though] I will put hooks in your jaws and drag you out [from the river] onto the land, with fish sticking to your scales.
5 Megyaw wo hɔ wɔ sare no so, wo ne mpataa a wɔwɔ wo nsuwansuwa mu no nyinaa. Mobɛhwe ase wɔ asase petee mu a wɔremma mo so bio. Mede wo bɛma asase so mmoa ne wim nnomaa sɛ wɔn aduan.
I will leave you and all those fish to die in the desert; you will fall onto the ground, and your [corpse] will not be picked up and buried, because I have declared that your flesh will be food for the wild animals and birds.
6 Afei wɔn a wɔte Misraim nyinaa behu sɛ mene Awurade no. “‘Woayɛ sɛ demmire pema ama Israelfi.
When that happens, all the people of Egypt will know that it is I, Yahweh, [who have the power to do what I say that I will do]. The Israeli people [trusted that you would help them]. But you have been [like] [MET] a reed pole in their hands.
7 Wɔde wɔn nsa soo wo mu no, wo mu bukaw ma wuhuruwii, wotwerii wo no, wo mu bu ma wobɔɔ pemmɔ.
And when they leaned on that pole, it splintered and tore open their shoulders. When they leaned on you, [it was as though] you were a pole that broke, and as a result you wrenched their backs.
8 “‘Ɛno nti sɛɛ na Otumfo Awurade se: Mede afoa bɛba abɛko atia wo na makunkum wo mmarima ne wɔn mmoa.
Therefore, this is what [I], Yahweh the Lord, say: “I will bring [your enemies to attack] you with their swords, and they will kill your people and your animals.
9 Misraim bɛda mpan na asɛe. Ɛno na wobehu sɛ mene Awurade. “‘Efisɛ wokae se, “Nil yɛ me de; me na meyɛe,” enti
Egypt will become an empty desert. Then the people of Egypt will know that I, Yahweh, [have the power to do what I say that I will do].” You [proudly] said, “The Nile [River] is mine; I made it!”
10 me ne wo ne wo nsuwansuwa na anya, na mɛma Misraim asase asɛe na ada mpan, efi Migdol kosi Aswan twa mu de kɔka Kus hye so.
Therefore I am opposed to you and your streams, and I will cause Egypt to be ruined, and cause it to be an empty desert, from Migdol [in the north] to Aswan [in the south], as far [south] as the border of Ethiopia.
11 Onipa anaa aboa biara nan rensi so, obiara rentena so mfe aduanan.
For 40 years no one will walk through that area, and no one will live there.
12 Mɛma Misraim asase no ada mpan wɔ nsase a asɛe mu na ne nkuropɔn bɛda mpan mfe aduanan wɔ wɔn nkuropɔn a asɛe no mu. Na mɛbɔ Misraimfo apete wɔ amanaman mu, na mahwete wɔn wɔ nsase so.
Egypt will be barren/empty, and it will be surrounded by other desolate nations. The cities in Egypt will be empty and deserted for 40 years, surrounded by ruined cities in nearby nations. I will cause the people of Egypt to be scattered to countries [far away].
13 “‘Nanso sɛɛ ne nea Otumfo Awurade se: Mfe aduanan akyi no, mɛboaboa Misraimfo ano afi aman a mebɔɔ wɔn petee so no so.
But this is what [I], Yahweh the Lord, [also] say: “At the end of 40 years, I will enable the people of Egypt to return home [again] from the nations to which they were scattered.
14 Mede wɔn befi nnommumfa mu aba na mede wɔn akɔ Misraim Atifi, wɔn nenanom asase. Ɛhɔ na wɔbɛyɛ ahenni mu kumaa bi.
I will bring back the people of Egypt who had been captured, and I will enable them to live again in the Pathros area [in the south], where they lived previously. But Egypt will be a very unimportant [DOU] kingdom.
15 Ɛbɛyɛ ahenni a ɛnyɛ den na ɛrentumi mma ne ho so wɔ aman a aka no mu. Mɛyɛ no ahenni a ɛrentumi nni aman afoforo so.
It will be the least important of [all] the nations; it will never again be greater than the nearby countries. I will cause Egypt to be very weak, with the result that it will never again rule over other nations.
16 Misraim renyɛ ɔman a Israelfo de wɔn ho bɛto no so bio, mmom ɛbɛkae wɔn bɔne a wɔyɛɛ sɛ wɔde wɔn ho kɔdan no de pɛɛ mmoa. Afei, wobehu sɛ mene Otumfo Awurade no.’”
[When that happens, the leaders of] Israel will no longer be tempted to ask Egypt to help them. Egypt will be punished, and that will cause the Israeli people to not forget that they previously sinned by trusting that Egypt could help them. And the people of Israel will know that I, Yahweh the Lord, [have the power to do what I say that I will do].” '”
17 Mfe aduonu ason so, ɔsram a edi kan no da a edi kan no, Awurade asɛm baa me nkyɛn se:
Almost twenty-seven years [after we had been taken to Babylonia], on the first day [of the new year], Yahweh gave me this message:
18 “Onipa ba, Babiloniahene Nebukadnessar ne nʼasraafo tuu Tiro so sa abran so, eti biara so pepae, na ɔbati nso so popɔree. Nanso ɔne nʼasraafo no annya hwee amfi adwumaden a wɔyɛ de tiaa Tiro no mu.
“You human, the army of king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon fought very hard against Tyre, with the result that their heads were rubbed bare and their shoulders became (raw/full of blisters). But Nebuchadnezzar and his army did not get any valuable things from Tyre to reward them for their hard work [to destroy Tyre].
19 Ɛno nti, sɛɛ na Otumfo Awurade se: Mede Misraim rebɛhyɛ Babiloniahene Nebukadnessar nsa na ɔbɛsoa nʼahode akɔ. Ɔbɛfom asase no de ayɛ akatua ama nʼasraafo.
Therefore, this is what [I], Yahweh the Lord, say: 'I will enable King Nebuchadnezzar’s army to conquer Egypt. They will carry away from there all the valuable things, in order that the king can give them to his soldiers.
20 Mede Misraim ama no sɛ nʼadwumayɛ so akatua, efisɛ ɔne nʼakofo yɛ maa me, Otumfo Awurade asɛm ni.
I will enable them to conquer Egypt as a reward for what they did [to Tyre], because [I], Yahweh say that [it was as though] his army was working for me, [doing what I wanted them to do, when they destroyed Tyre].
21 “Saa da no mɛma abɛn bi afifi ama Israelfi, na mebue wʼano wɔ wɔn mu. Afei wobehu sɛ mene Awurade no.”
And some day Israel will become a glorious nation [MET] again. When that happens, I will cause the Israeli people to respect what you say [MTY]. And then they will know that [it has happened because] I, Yahweh, [have the power to do what I say that I will do].'”

< Hesekiel 29 >