Hesekiel 36

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

You human, prophesy about the mountains in Israel. Say to them, “You mountains in Israel, listen to what Yahweh says.

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

This is what Yahweh the Lord says: Your enemies [happily] said about you, ‘Aha! The mountains in Israel that have existed for a long time have become ours!’”

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,

Therefore prophesy about those mountains and say, “This is what Yahweh the Lord declares: [Armies of other nations] attacked you [DOU] from every direction, with the result that your land became abandoned, and people of other nations occupied you, and they spoke maliciously about you and slandered you.

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.

Therefore, you mountains in Israel, listen to this message from me. I, Yahweh the Lord, have something to say to the hills and mountains, to the ravines and valleys, to the deserted ruins and towns whose valuable possessions have been taken and their people ridiculed by the people of other nations around them. This is what I, Yahweh the Lord, declare: I am very angry [DOU] with the people of Edom and other nations; they have forced you [Israeli people] to endure them insulting you.

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.’

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.

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.

Therefore, this is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say: Lifting up my arm, I solemnly declare that the people of the nations that are around you will also endure being insulted.

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

But [I say to] you mountains in Israel that huge crops of fruit will grow on your trees for my Israeli people, because they will soon return home [from Babylonia].

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

I (am concerned about/will take care of) you, and I will bless you. I will [enable farmers to] plow the ground and plant seed there.

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

I will cause the number of people who live on you mountains and everywhere else in Israel to greatly increase. People will live in the towns and rebuild [houses where there are now only] ruins.

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.

I will cause the number of people and domestic animals to increase. People will have many children [IDM, DOU]. I will enable people to live there like they did previously, and I will enable them to prosper like they did before. Then you will know that it is I, Yahweh, [who have the power to do what I say that I will do].

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

I will enable my Israeli people to walk through your mountains. They will own you; you will be their permanent possession. Never again will their children die.

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 also what I, Yahweh the Lord, say to you: People say that [only a small amount of food is produced on your mountains, and as a result the people of Israel] die from hunger.

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

Therefore, I, Yahweh the Lord, declare that no longer will that happen.

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

No longer will the people of other nations ridicule you; no longer will they laugh at you; no longer will [the armies of] other nations conquer you. [That will surely happen because] I, Yahweh, have declared that it will happen.”

16 Awurade asɛm baa me nkyɛn se,

Yahweh gave me another message. He said,

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.

“You human, when the Israeli people were living in their own land, they (defiled it/caused it to become unacceptable to me) by the things that they did. I considered that their behavior was [disgusting], like [SIM] the rags/cloths that women use during their monthly menstrual periods.

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

So I severely punished [MTY] them, because they had murdered [MTY] many people and because they had defiled the land by [worshiping] idols there.

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

I caused them to be scattered among many nations [DOU]. I punished [MTY] them like they deserved to be punished because of their very evil behavior [DOU].

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 wherever they went among those nations, they caused my reputation [MTY] to be disgraced. What has happened is that the people in those countries said about the Israeli people, ‘They belong to Yahweh, but they were forced to leave the land that he [gave to them].’

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

But I was concerned about my reputation, which the people of Israel had disgraced among the nations to which they were forced to go.

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.

Therefore, say to the Israeli people, ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord says: You Israeli people, it is not for your sake that I am going to do these things. Instead, it is for the sake of my sacred reputation, which you have disgraced among the nations to which you were forced to go.

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.

I will show that my reputation is sacred, a reputation which you have disgraced among the nations to which you were forced to go. And when I show the nations that I am holy, the people of those nations will know that I, Yahweh, [have the power to do what I say that I will do].

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

What I will do is to bring you back from those nations. I will gather you from all the countries [to which you were forced to go], and bring you back to your own land.

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

[It will be as though] [MET] I will sprinkle clean water on you, and then you will be clean. I will cause you to be cleansed from everything that has defiled you, and I will cause you to stop worshiping idols.

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.

I will give you a completely new way of thinking [IDM]. I will enable you to stop being stubborn [IDM], and I will enable you to obey me from your inner beings [IDM].

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

I will put my Spirit within you and enable you to carefully obey all my laws [DOU].

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

You will again live in the land that I gave to your ancestors. You will be my people, and I will be your God.

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

I will free you from all your disgraceful behavior. I will cause your grain to be plentiful, and I will not send a famine to you again.

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

I will cause your fruit trees to produce plenty of fruit and your ground to produce plenty of good crops, with the result that you will no longer be ridiculed by the people of other nations because of your not having enough food.

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

When that happens, you will think about your previous evil behavior and wicked deeds, and you will (be very displeased with/hate) yourselves for your sins and the detestable things that you did.

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!

But I, Yahweh the Lord, declare that I want you to know that it is not for your sake that I will do those things. You Israeli people ought to be ashamed of your behavior.

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 also what I, Yahweh the Lord, say: At the time that I forgive you for all the sins that you have committed, I will enable you to live in your towns again and to build houses where there are now only ruins.

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.

People who walk through your country will see that your land is again cultivated instead of (being desolate/having nothing growing in it).

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.”

They will say, “This land that was ruined has become [very fertile/productive] like [SIM] the garden of Eden! The cities that were piles of ruins, empty and destroyed, now have walls around them, and people live in those cities.”

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.’

When that happens, the people in the nations that are around you that still exist will know that it is I, Yahweh, who have enabled you to rebuild what was destroyed, and to again plant crops in the fields that had nothing growing in them. I, Yahweh, have said [that it will happen], and I will cause it to happen.

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

This is also what I, Yahweh the Lord, say: Again I will heed what you Israeli people are pleading for me to do for you. I will cause your people to be as numerous as your sheep,

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.”

as numerous as the flocks of sheep that will be needed for offerings in Jerusalem during your regular festivals. The cities that are now ruined will be filled with people, and then you will know that I, Yahweh the Lord, [have the power to do what I say that I will do].’”