Ɛsra 9
1 Na Yudafo ntuanofo no baa me nkyɛn bɛkae se, “Israelfo bebree, na mpo, asɔfo ne Lewifo ntwee wɔn ho mfii nnipa afoforo bi a wɔte asase no so no ho. Wodi akyiwade a na Kanaanfo, Hetifo, Perisifo, Yebusifo, Amonfo, Moabfo, Misraimfo ne Amorifo yɛ no akyi.
And at the completion of these things, the heads have drawn near to me, saying, “The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not been separated from the peoples of the lands, as to their abominations, even the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Jebusite, the Ammonite, the Moabite, the Egyptian, and the Amorite,
2 Na Israelfo mmarima ware fi saa nnipa no mu, na wɔpɛ yerenom fi wɔn mu, ma wɔn mmabarima. Enti ananafo aware no ama nnipa kronkron no ho agu fi. Nea ɛsɛee asɛm no koraa ne sɛ, mpanyimfo ne ntuanofo no koraa na wodi ho fɔ kɛse.”
for they have taken of their daughters to them, and to their sons, and the holy seed have mingled themselves among the peoples of the lands, and the hand of the heads and of the seconds have been first in this trespass.”
3 Metee saa asɛm no, misunsuan me ntade mu, tutuu me tinwi fii me ti so, tutuu mʼabogyesɛ nso, tew tenaa fam ahodwiriw so.
And at my hearing this word, I have torn my garment and my upper robe, and pluck out of the hair of my head, and of my beard, and sit astonished,
4 Na wɔn a na wonya ayamhyehye wɔ Israel Nyankopɔn asɛm ho no bɛtenaa me nkyɛn wɔ ne nkurɔfo nokware a wɔanni no ho. Metenaa ase ahodwiriw so kosii anwummere afɔrebɔbere.
and to me are gathered everyone trembling at the words of the God of Israel, because of the trespass of the expulsion, and I am sitting astonished until the present of the evening.
5 Eduu afɔrebɔbere no, mesɔre gyinaa faako a na mete hɔ awerɛhow mu a masunsuan mʼatade mu no, na mibuu nkotodwe, maa me nsa so kyerɛɛ Awurade, me Nyankopɔn no.
And at the present of the evening I have risen from my affliction, and at my tearing my garment and my upper robe, then I bow down on my knees, and spread out my hands to my God YHWH,
6 Mebɔɔ mpae se: “Me Nyankopɔn, mʼani awu yiye, na mafɛre sɛ merema mʼani so kyerɛ wo. Na yɛn bɔne akɔ soro sen yɛn ti, na yɛn afɔdi adu ɔsorosoro.
and say, “O my God, I have been ashamed, and have blushed to lift up, O my God, my face to You, for our iniquities have increased over the head, and our guilt has become great to the heavens.
7 Yɛn abakɔsɛm nyinaa yɛ bɔne kɛse. Ɛno nti na yɛn ne yɛn ahemfo ne yɛn asɔfo de yɛn ho akɔhyɛ abosonsomfo ahemfo a wɔwɔ asase no so ase no. Wɔakunkum yɛn, wɔakyere yɛn nnommum, wɔabɔ yɛn korɔn, agu yɛn anim ase sɛnea yɛte nnɛ yi
From the days of our fathers we [are] in great guilt to this day, and in our iniquities we have been given—we, our kings, our priests—into the hand of the kings of the lands, with sword, with captivity, and with spoiling, and with shame of face, as [at] this day.
8 “Nanso mprempren, Awurade, yɛn Nyankopɔn, ayɛ yɛn adom ama yɛn mu kakra atena nkwa mu sɛ nkaase. Wabɔ yɛn ho ban wɔ beae kronkron ha. Yɛn Nyankopɔn abue yɛn ani, ama yɛn ahomegye kakra afi yɛn nkoasom mu.
And now, as a small moment grace has been from our God YHWH, to leave an escape for us, and to give to us a nail in His holy place, by our God’s enlightening our eyes, and by giving us a little quickening in our servitude;
9 Efisɛ na yɛyɛ nkoa, nanso ne dɔ a ɔde dɔ yɛn daa no nti, Onyankopɔn annyaa yɛn wɔ yɛn nkoasom mu. Mmom, ɔmaa Persiahene hwɛɛ yɛn yiye. Ɔkanyan yɛn, sɛnea yebetumi asan asi yɛn Nyankopɔn asɔredan no, asiesie nʼamamfo no. Wama yɛn bammɔ afasu wɔ Yuda ne Yerusalem.
for we [are] servants, and in our servitude our God has not forsaken us, and stretches out to us kindness before the kings of Persia, to give to us a quickening to lift up the house of our God, and to cause its ruins to cease, and to give to us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.
10 “Na mprempren, yɛn Nyankopɔn, asɛm bɛn na yɛwɔ ka wɔ eyinom nyinaa akyi? Efisɛ yɛapo wo mmara nsɛm
And now, what do we say, O our God, after this? For we have forsaken Your commands,
11 a wonam wʼasomfo adiyifo no so bɔɔ yɛn kɔkɔ sɛ, ‘Asase a mobɛfa no, nnipa a wɔte so no nam wɔn nneyɛe bɔne so agu ho fi koraa. Porɔwee ahyɛ asase no so ma, fi ti kosi ti.
that You have commanded by the hands of Your servants the prophets, saying, The land into which you are going to possess it, [is] a land of impurity, by the impurity of the people of the lands, by their abominations with which they have filled it—from mouth to mouth—by their uncleanness;
12 Enti mommma mo mmabea nware wɔn mmabarima, na mo mmabarima nso nware wɔn mmabea, na ɛnsɛ sɛ moboa saa aman no wɔ ɔkwan biara so, na yɛayɛ ɔman kɛse, adi asase no so nnepa, na yɛagyaw ama yɛn mma sɛ daapem agyapade.’
and now, your daughters you do not give to their sons, and their daughters you do not take to your sons, and you do not seek their peace, and their good—for all time, so that you are strong, and have eaten the good of the land, and given possession to your sons for all time.
13 “Nea ato yɛn yi fi yɛn amumɔyɛsɛm ne yɛn afɔdi. Nanso asotwe a wode ama yɛn no sua koraa sen sɛnea ɛfata yɛn, efisɛ wo Awurade, yɛn Nyankopɔn ama yɛn mu bi atena sɛ nkaase.
And after all that has come on us for our evil works, and for our great guilt (for You, O our God, have kept back of the rod from our iniquities, and have given to us an escape like this),
14 Nanso mprempren, yɛresan abu wo mmara nsɛm so, na yɛne wɔn a wɔyɛ saa akyiwade no redi aware. Nokware, wʼabufuw bɛsɛe yɛn ara akosi sɛ, nkaefo kakra no ase bɛtɔre koraa.
do we turn back to break Your commands, and to join ourselves in marriage with the people of these abominations? Are You not angry against us—even to consumption—until there is no remnant and escaped part?
15 Awurade, Israel Nyankopɔn, woyɛ ɔtreneeni. Yɛnka hwee sɛ nkaefo a wɔafi nkoasom mu. Yɛde yɛn afɔdi gyina wʼanim a anka yɛn mu biara rentumi nnyina wʼanim wɔ saa tebea yi mu.”
O YHWH, God of Israel, You [are] righteous, for we have been left an escape, as [it is] this day; behold, we [are] before You in our guilt, for there is none to stand before You concerning this.”
