Hesekiel 33
1 Awurade asɛm baa me nkyɛn se:
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
2 “Onipa ba, kasa kyerɛ wo manmma na ka kyerɛ wɔn se: ‘Sɛ metwe mʼafoa wɔ asase bi so, na sɛ asase no so nnipa yi wɔn mmarima no mu baako sɛ ɔnyɛ ɔwɛmfo mma wɔn,
Son of man, give a word to the children of your people, and say to them, When I make the sword come on a land, if the people of the land take a man from among their number and make him their watchman:
3 na ohu sɛ afoa reba abɛko atia asase no a, ɔhyɛn torobɛnto de bɔ nnipa no kɔkɔ.
If, when he sees the sword coming on the land, by sounding the horn he gives the people news of their danger;
4 Na sɛ obi te torobɛnto no nnyigyei na wanna ne ho so, na sɛ afoa no bekum no a, ne mogya bɛbɔ ɔno ankasa ti so.
Then anyone who, hearing the sound of the horn, does not take note of it, will himself be responsible for his death, if the sword comes and takes him away.
5 Esiane sɛ ɔtee torobɛnto no nnyigyei na wantie kɔkɔbɔ no nti, ne mogya bɛbɔ nʼankasa ti so. Sɛ otiee kɔkɔbɔ no a, anka onyaa ne ti didii mu.
On hearing the sound of the horn, he did not take note; his blood will be on him; for if he had taken note his life would have been safe.
6 Nanso sɛ ɔwɛmfo no hu sɛ afoa no reba na wanhyɛn torobɛnto no ammɔ nnipa no kɔkɔ, na sɛ afoa no ba bekum wɔn mu baako a, wɔbɛfa saa onipa no akɔ wɔ ne bɔne nti, nanso mɛma ɔwɛmfo no abu owufo no mogya ho akontaa.’
But if the watchman sees the sword coming, and does not give a note on the horn, and the people have no word of the danger, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them; he will be taken away in his sin, but I will make the watchman responsible for his blood.
7 “Onipa ba, mayɛ wo ɔwɛmfo ama Israelfi, ɛno nti tie mʼanom nsɛm na fa kɔkɔbɔ a efi me nkyɛn ma wɔn.
So you, son of man, I have made you a watchman for the children of Israel; and you are to give ear to the word of my mouth and give them news from me of their danger.
8 Sɛ meka kyerɛ omumɔyɛfo se, ‘Wo omumɔyɛfo, owu na wubewu,’ na sɛ woankasa ankyerɛ no amma wamfi nʼakwan so a, saa omumɔyɛfo no bewu ne bɔne mu, na mɛma woabu ne mogya ho akontaa.
When I say to the evil-doer, Death will certainly overtake you; and you say nothing to make clear to the evil-doer the danger of his way; death will overtake that evil man in his evil-doing, but I will make you responsible for his blood.
9 Nanso sɛ wobɔ omumɔyɛfo no kɔkɔ sɛ omfi nʼakwan so na sɛ wanyɛ a, ne bɔne nti, obewu, nanso worenni ne mogya ho fɔ.
But if you make clear to the evil-doer the danger of his way for the purpose of turning him from it, and he is not turned from his way, death will overtake him in his evil-doing, but your life will be safe.
10 “Onipa ba, ka kyerɛ Israelfi se: ‘Sɛɛ ne nea moreka: “Yɛn mfomso ne yɛn nnebɔne hyɛ yɛn so, yɛresɛe, esiane eyinom nti. Na dɛn na yɛbɛyɛ na yɛanya nkwa?”’
And you, son of man, say to the children of Israel, You say, Our wrongdoing and our sins are on us and we are wasting away in them; how then may we have life?
11 Ka kyerɛ wɔn se, ‘Sɛ mete ase yi, Otumfo Awurade asɛm ni, mʼani nnye amumɔyɛfo wu ho, na mmom mepɛ sɛ wɔdan fi wɔn akwan so na wonya nkwa. Monnan! Monnan mfi mo amumɔyɛ akwan no so! Adɛn nti na ɛsɛ sɛ muwuwu, Israelfi?’
Say to them, By my life, says the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of the evil-doer; it is more pleasing to me if he is turned from his way and has life: be turned, be turned from your evil ways; why are you looking for death, O children of Israel?
12 “Ɛno nti onipa ba, ka kyerɛ wo manmma se, ‘Ɔtreneeni trenee rentumi nnye no nkwa wɔ bere a ɔnyɛ osetie; na omumɔyɛfo amumɔyɛ remma ɔnhwe ase wɔ bere a ɔdan fi ho. Sɛ ɔtreneeni yɛ bɔne a, ɔrennya nkwa wɔ ne kan treneeyɛ nti.’
And you, son of man, say to the children of your people, The righteousness of the upright man will not make him safe in the day when he does wrong; and the evil-doing of the evil man will not be the cause of his fall in the day when he is turned from his evil-doing; and the upright man will not have life because of his righteousness in the day when he does evil.
13 Sɛ meka kyerɛ ɔtreneeni sɛ obenya nkwa, na afei ɔde ne ho to ne treneeyɛ so na ɔyɛ bɔne a, wɔrenkae ne kan trenee nneyɛe biara. Obewu wɔ ne bɔne a wayɛ nti.
When I say to the upright that life will certainly be his; if he puts his faith in his righteousness and does evil, not one of his upright acts will be kept in memory; but in the evil he has done, death will overtake him.
14 Na sɛ meka kyerɛ omumɔyɛfo se, ‘Owu na wubewu,’ na afei ɔdan fi ne nnebɔne ho na ɔyɛ nea eye na ɛteɛ,
And when I say to the evil-doer, Death will certainly be your fate; if he is turned from his sin and does what is ordered and right;
15 na sɛ ɔsan de bosea ho awowaside ma, na ɔsan de nea wawia ma, na odi ahyɛde a ɛma nkwa so, na wanyɛ bɔne a, ampa ara obenya nkwa, na ɔrenwu.
If the evil-doer lets one who is in his debt have back what is his, and gives back what he had taken by force, and is guided by the rules of life, doing no evil; life will certainly be his, death will not overtake him.
16 Wɔrenkae bɔne a wayɛ no mu biara ntia no. Wayɛ nea eye na ɛteɛ, ampa ara obenya nkwa.
Not one of the sins which he has done will be kept in mind against him: he has done what is ordered and right, life will certainly be his.
17 “Nanso wo manmma ka se, ‘Awurade akwan nteɛ.’ Nanso ɛyɛ wɔn akwan mmom na ɛnteɛ.
But the children of your people say, The way of the Lord is not equal: when it is they whose way is not equal.
18 Sɛ ɔtreneeni fi ne trenee ho na ɔyɛ bɔne a, ɛno nti obewu.
When the upright man, turning away from his righteousness, does evil, death will overtake him in it.
19 Na sɛ omumɔyɛfo dan fi ne nnebɔne ho na ɔyɛ nea eye na ɛteɛ a, obenya nkwa.
And when the evil man, turning away from his evil-doing, does what is ordered and right, he will get life by it.
20 Nanso Israelfi, moka se, ‘Awurade akwan nteɛ.’ Nanso mebu obiara atɛn sɛnea nʼakwan te.”
And still you say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O children of Israel, I will be your judge, giving to everyone the reward of his ways.
21 Yɛn asutwa afe a ɛto so dumien no sram a ɛto so du no nnaanum so, ɔbarima bi a waguan afi Yerusalem baa me nkyɛn bɛkae se, “Kuropɔn no ahwe ase!”
Now in the twelfth year after we had been taken away prisoners, in the tenth month, on the fifth day of the month, one who had got away in flight from Jerusalem came to me, saying, The town has been taken.
22 Na anwummere a ade rebɛkye ama ɔbarima no aba no, na Awurade nsa wɔ me so na obuee mʼano ansa na ɔbarima no baa anɔpa. Enti na mʼano abue a mitumi kasa.
Now the hand of the Lord had been on me in the evening, before the man who had got away came to me; and he made my mouth open, ready for his coming to me in the morning; and my mouth was open and I was no longer without voice.
23 Afei Awurade asɛm baa me nkyɛn se,
And the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
24 “Onipa ba, nnipa a wɔtete saa nnwiriwii so wɔ Israel asase no so no reka se, ‘Abraham yɛ onipa baako, nanso onyaa asase no nyinaa. Nanso yɛdɔɔso, na nokware wɔde asase no ama yɛn sɛ yɛn agyapade.’
Son of man, those who are living in these waste places in the land of Israel say, Abraham was but one, and he had land for his heritage: but we are a great number; the land is given to us for our heritage.
25 Ɛno nti, ka kyerɛ wɔn se, ‘Sɛɛ na Otumfo Awurade se: Sɛ mowe nam a mogya wɔ mu, mosom mo anyame na muhwie mogya gu nti, ɛsɛ sɛ mofa asase no ana?
For this cause say to them, This is what the Lord has said: You take your meat with the blood, your eyes are lifted up to your images, and you are takers of life: are you to have the land for your heritage?
26 Mode mo ho to mo afoa so. Moyɛ akyiwade na mo mu biara gu ne yɔnko yere ho fi. Ɛsɛ sɛ munya asase no ana?’
You put your faith in your swords, you do disgusting things, everyone takes his neighbour's wife: are you to have the land for your heritage?
27 “Ka eyi kyerɛ wɔn se, ‘Nea Otumfo Awurade se ni: Ampa ara sɛ mete ase yi, wɔn a wɔaka wɔ kurow no nnwiriwii mu no bɛtotɔ wɔ afoa ano. Wɔn a wɔwɔ wuram no mede wɔn bɛma nkekaboa ama wɔawe wɔn na wɔn a wɔwɔ abandennen ne abodan mu no, ɔyaredɔm bekunkum wɔn.
This is what you are to say to them: The Lord has said, By my life, truly, those who are in the waste places will be put to the sword, and him who is in the open field I will give to the beasts for their food, and those who are in the strong places and in holes in the rocks will come to their death by disease.
28 Mɛsɛe asase no ama ayɛ amamfo, na nʼahomaso ahoɔden no bɛba awiei na Israel mmepɔw no bɛda mpan a obiara rentwa mu wɔ hɔ.
And I will make the land a waste and a cause of wonder, and the pride of her strength will come to an end; and the mountains of Israel will be made waste so that no one will go through.
29 Afei wobehu sɛ mene Awurade no, bere a mama asase no ada mpan wɔ akyiwade a wɔayɛ nyinaa nti.’
Then they will be certain that I am the Lord, when I have made the land a waste and a cause of wonder, because of all the disgusting things which they have done,
30 “Wo de, onipa ba, wo manmma reka wo ho nsɛm wɔ afasu ho ne afi apon ano kyerɛ wɔn ho wɔn ho se, ‘Mommra mmetie asɛm a efi Awurade nkyɛn aba.’
And as for you, son of man, the children of your people are talking together about you by the walls and in the doorways of the houses, saying to one another, Come now, give ear to the word which comes from the Lord.
31 Me nkurɔfo ba wo nkyɛn, sɛnea wɔyɛ daa no, bɛtenatena wʼanim betie wo nsɛm, nanso wɔmmfa nyɛ adwuma. Wɔde wɔn ano ka ahofama, nanso wɔn koma mu de, wɔn ani bere asisi mu adenya.
And they come to you as my people come, and are seated before you as my people, hearing your words but doing them not: for deceit is in their mouth and their heart goes after profit for themselves.
32 Nokware, wɔn de, wote sɛ obi a ne nne yɛ dɛ, na ɔde nnwontode to ɔdɔ nnwom, efisɛ wɔte wo nsɛm nanso wɔmmfa nyɛ adwuma.
And truly you are to them like a love song by one who has a very pleasing voice and is an expert player on an instrument: for they give ear to your words but do them not.
33 “Sɛ eyinom nyinaa ba mu a, na nokware ɛbɛba mu nso, na afei wobehu sɛ odiyifo bi baa wɔn mu.”
And when this comes about (see, it is coming), then it will be clear to them that a prophet has been among them.
