Hesekiel 36

1 “Onipa ba, hyɛ nkɔm kyerɛ Israel mmepɔw na ka se: ‘Israel mmepɔw, muntie Awurade asɛm.

And you, son of man, be a prophet about the mountains of Israel, and say, You mountains of Israel, give ear to the word of the Lord:

2 Sɛɛ na Otumfo Awurade se: Sɛɛ na ɔtamfo no ka faa wo ho, “Aaa! Tete sorɔnsorɔmmea no abɛyɛ yɛn dea.”’

This is what the Lord has said: Because your hater has said against you, Aha! and, The old waste places are our heritage, we have taken them:

3 Ɛno nti, hyɛ nkɔm na ka se, ‘Sɛɛ na Otumfo Awurade se: Esiane sɛ wɔasɛe mo na wɔataataa mo wɔ afa nyinaa, na ɛno nti mobɛyɛɛ aman a aka no agyapade ne nnipa no ahohora nsɛnka ne atwetwesi,

For this cause be a prophet, and say, This is what the Lord has said: Because, even because they have been glad over you and put you to shame on every side, because you have become a heritage for the rest of the nations, and you are taken up on the lips of talkers and in the evil talk of the people:

4 ɛno nti, Israel mmepɔw, muntie Otumfo Awurade asɛm: Sɛɛ na Otumfo Awurade ka kyerɛ mmepɔw ne nkoko, nsubon ne abon, nnwiriwii a ada mpan ne nea ayɛ amamfo, nkurow amamfo a wɔadwiriw agu na aman no nkae a atwa wɔn ho ahyia no di wɔn ho fɛw.

For this reason, you mountains of Israel, give ear to the word of the Lord; this is what the Lord has said to the mountains and to the hills, to the streams and to the valleys, to the unpeopled wastes and to the towns where no one is living, from which the goods have been taken and which have been put to shame by the rest of the nations who are round about:

5 Sɛɛ na Otumfo Awurade se: Mifi anem a emu yɛ den mu akasa atia amanaman a aka no ne Edom nyinaa, efisɛ wɔde fɛwdi ne adwemmɔne ayɛ me man wɔn agyapade, sɛnea wobetumi afom ne didibea.’

For this cause the Lord has said: Truly, in the heat of my bitter feeling I have said things against the rest of the nations and against all Edom, who have taken my land as a heritage for themselves with the joy of all their heart, and with bitter envy of soul have made attacks on it:

6 Ɛno nti, hyɛ nkɔm a ɛfa Israel asase ho, na ka kyerɛ mmepɔw ne nkoko, subon ne abon se, ‘Sɛɛ na Otumfo Awurade se: Mede ninkutwe mu anibere kasa, efisɛ amanaman no abu wo animtiaa.

For this cause be a prophet about the land of Israel, and say to the mountains and to the hills, to the streams and to the valleys, This is what the Lord has said: Truly, in my bitter feeling and in my wrath I have said these things, because you have undergone the shame of the nations:

7 Enti sɛɛ na Otumfo Awurade se: Mema me nsa so ka ntam sɛ amanaman a atwa wo ho ahyia no nso, wobebu wɔn animtiaa.

For this cause the Lord has said, See, I have taken an oath that the nations which are round about you are themselves to undergo the shame which they have put on you.

8 “‘Nanso mo, Israel mmepɔw, mubenya mman, asow aba ama me nkurɔfo Israelfo, efisɛ ɛrenkyɛ wɔbɛba fie.

But you, O mountains of Israel, will put out your branches and give your fruit to my people Israel; for they are ready to come.

9 Mo ho hia me na mehu mo mmɔbɔ; wobefuntum mo na wɔadua mo so aba,

For truly I am for you, and I will be turned to you, and you will be ploughed and planted:

10 na mɛma wo so nnipa adɔɔso, Israelfi nyinaa mpo, nnipa bɛtena wo nkurow no so bio, na wobesisi nnwiriwii no nso.

And I will let your numbers be increased, all the children of Israel, even all of them: and the towns will be peopled and the waste places will have buildings;

11 Mɛma mmarima ne mmoa adɔɔso wɔ mo so na wɔbɛwowo na wɔadodɔ, mɛma nnipa atena wo mu te sɛ kan no na wɔbɛma woadi yiye asen kan no. Na afei mubehu sɛ mene Awurade no.

Man and beast will be increased in you, and they will have offspring and be fertile: I will make you thickly peopled as you were before, and will do more for you than at the first: and you will be certain that I am the Lord.

12 Mɛma nkurɔfo, me nkurɔfo Israelfo, anantew wo so. Wɔbɛfa wo na wobɛyɛ wɔn agyapade na woremma wonni mmakɔm bio.

Yes, I will have you walked on by the feet of men, even my people Israel; they will have you for a heritage and you will be theirs, and never again will you take their children from them.

13 “‘Sɛɛ na Otumfo Awurade se: Esiane sɛ nkurɔfo ka kyerɛ wo se, “Wukum nnipa we na woma wo man no hwere nʼadehye,”

This is what the Lord has said: Because they say to you, You, O land, are the destruction of men, causing loss of children to your nation;

14 ɛno nti worenkum nnipa nwe bio na woremma wo man nhwere nʼadehye bio, Otumfo Awurade asɛm ni.

For this reason you will no longer take the lives of men and will never again be the cause of loss of children to your nation, says the Lord.

15 Meremma wonte amanaman no fɛwdi bio, na worenhu nkurɔfo no animtiaabu bio, na wo man nso renhwe ase bio, Otumfo Awurade asɛm ni.’”

And I will not let the shaming of the nations come to your ears, and no longer will you be looked down on by the peoples, says the Lord.

16 Awurade asɛm baa me nkyɛn se,

Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying,

17 “Onipa ba, bere a Israelfo te wɔn ankasa asase so no, wɔde wɔn abrabɔ ne wɔn nneyɛe guu asase no ho fi. Na wɔn abrabɔ te sɛ ɔbea ɔsram-sram afide wɔ mʼani so.

Son of man, when the children of Israel were living in their land, they made it unclean by their way and their acts: their way before me was as when a woman is unclean at the time when she is kept separate.

18 Enti mihwiee mʼabufuwhyew guu wɔn so, efisɛ wɔahwie mogya agu asase no so na wɔde wɔn abosom agu hɔ fi.

So I let loose my wrath on them because of those whom they had violently put to death in the land, and because they had made it unclean with their images:

19 Mebɔɔ wɔn ahwete wɔ amanaman mu, na wɔhwete faa amanaman mu; migyinaa wɔn abrabɔ ne wɔn nneyɛe so buu wɔn atɛn.

And I sent them in flight among the nations and wandering through the countries: I was their judge, rewarding them for their way and their acts.

20 Na baabiara a wɔkɔɔ wɔ amanaman mu no, woguu me din kronkron ho fi, efisɛ wɔka faa wɔn ho se, ‘Eyinom yɛ Awurade nkurɔfo, nanso na ɛsɛ sɛ wofi nʼasase so.’

And when they came among the nations, wherever they went, they made my holy name unclean, when it was said of them, These are the people of the Lord who have gone out from his land.

21 Me din kronkron ho hia me, nea Israelfi guu ho fi wɔ amanaman a wɔkɔɔ so mu no.

But I had pity for my holy name which the children of Israel had made unclean wherever they went.

22 “Ɛno nti, ka kyerɛ Israelfi se, ‘Sɛɛ na Otumfo Awurade se: Israelfi, ɛnyɛ mo nti na merebɛyɛ saa nneɛma yi, na mmom me din kronkron no nti, nea muguu ho fi wɔ amanaman a mokɔɔ so mu no.

For this cause say to the children of Israel, This is what the Lord has said: I am doing this, not because of you, O children of Israel, but because of my holy name, which you have made unclean among the nations wherever you went.

23 Mɛda me din kɛseyɛ no kronkronyɛ a moagu ho fi wɔ amanaman mu no adi, din a moagu ho fi wɔ wɔn mu no. Sɛ mefa wo so da me ho adi sɛ ɔkronkronni ma wohu a, afei amanaman no behu sɛ mene Awurade no, Otumfo Awurade asɛm ni.

And I will make holy my great name which has been made unclean among the nations, which you have made unclean among them; and it will be clear to the nations that I am the Lord, says the Lord, when I make myself holy in you before their eyes.

24 “‘Na meyi mo afi amanaman no mu, mɛboaboa mo ano afi nsase no nyinaa so de mo asan aba mo ankasa asase so.

For I will take you out from among the nations, and get you together from all the countries, and take you into your land.

25 Mede nsu kurunnyenn bɛpete mo so na mo ho atew: Mɛtew mo ho afi nkekae ne mo ahoni nyinaa ho.

And I will put clean water on you so that you may be clean: from all your unclean ways and from all your images I will make you clean.

26 Mɛma mo koma foforo na mede honhom foforo ahyɛ mo mu. Meyi koma a ɛte sɛ ɔbo no afi mo mu na mama mo koma foforo a ɛyɛ ɔhonam.

And I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you: I will take away the heart of stone from your flesh, and give you a heart of flesh.

27 Na mede me Honhom bɛhyɛ mo mu na mama moadi mʼahyɛde so na moahwɛ adi me mmara so.

And I will put my spirit in you, causing you to be guided by my rules, and you will keep my orders and do them.

28 Mobɛtena asase a mede maa mo agyanom no so. Mobɛyɛ me nkurɔfo na mayɛ mo Nyankopɔn.

So that you may go on living in the land which I gave to your fathers; and you will be to me a people, and I will be to you a God.

29 Mɛprapra mo ho fi nyinaa. Mɛma aduan aba ama abu so na meremma ɔkɔm mma mo so.

And I will make you free from all your unclean ways: and at my voice the grain will come up and be increased, and I will not let you be short of food.

30 Mɛma nnua so aba ayɛ bebree na mfuw nso abɔ nnɔbae sɛnea ɔkɔm nti mo anim rengu ase bio wɔ amanaman no mu.

And I will make the tree give more fruit and the field fuller produce, and no longer will you be shamed among the nations for need of food.

31 Afei mobɛkae mo akwammɔne ne mo amumɔyɛ, na mo bɔne ne akyiwade nti, mo ho bɛyɛ mo nwini.

And at the memory of your evil ways and your wrongdoings, you will have bitter hate for yourselves because of your evil-doings and your disgusting ways, O children of Israel.

32 Mepɛ sɛ muhu sɛ ɛnyɛ mo nti na mereyɛ eyi, Otumfo Awurade asɛm ni. Momfɛre na momma mo ani nwu wɔ mo abrabɔ ho Israelfi!

Not because of you am I doing it, says the Lord; let it be clear to you, and be shamed and made low because of your ways, O children of Israel.

33 “‘Sɛɛ na Otumfo Awurade se: Da a mɛtew mo ho afi mo bɔne ho no, mɛma nnipa atena mo nkurow so bio na wobesisi nnwiriwii no bio.

This is what the Lord has said: In the day when I make you clean from all your evil-doings I will let the towns be peopled and there will be building on the waste places.

34 Asase a ada mpan no, wobedua so nneɛma na ɛrenna hɔ kwa sɛnea na ɛte wɔ wɔn a na wotwa mu fa hɔ no ani so no.

And the land which was waste will be farmed, in place of being a waste in the eyes of everyone who went by.

35 Wɔbɛka se, “Saa asase a ada mpan yi ayɛ sɛ Eden turo, nkuropɔn a na adan nnwiriwii, ayɛ amamfo na asɛe yi, wɔabɔ ho ban na nnipa abɛtenatena mu.”

And they will say, This land which was waste has become like the garden of Eden; and the towns which were unpeopled and wasted and pulled down are walled and peopled.

36 Afei aman a aka a atwa mo ho ahyia no behu sɛ me Awurade makyekyere nea na asɛe na madua wɔ nea na ada mpan so, me Awurade na maka na mɛyɛ.’

Then the rest of the nations round about you will be certain that I the Lord am the builder of the places which were pulled down and the planter of that which was waste: I the Lord have said it, and I will do it.

37 “Sɛɛ na Otumfo Awurade se: Metie Israelfi abisade na mayɛ eyi ama wɔn; Mɛma wɔn nkurɔfo adɔɔso sɛ nguan,

This is what the Lord has said: The children of Israel will again make prayer to me for this, that I may do it for them; I will make them increased with men like a flock.

38 wɔbɛdɔɔso sɛ nguankuw a wɔde wɔn kɔ Yerusalem sɛ afɔrebɔde wɔ nʼafahyɛnna. Saa ara na nnipa dodow bɛhyɛ nkuropɔn a adwiriw no so ma. Afei wobehu sɛ mene Awurade no.”

Like sheep for the offerings, like the sheep of Jerusalem at her fixed feasts, so the unpeopled towns will be made full of men: and they will be certain that I am the Lord.