< 1 Mose 4 >
1 Adam de ne ho kaa ne yere Hawa ma onyinsɛn, woo abarimaa a wɔfrɛ no Kain. Na ɔkae se, Awurade adaworoma, mawo ɔbabarima.
Adam (had sex/slept) with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son whom she named Cain, [which sounds like the word that means ‘produce’], because, she said, “By Yahweh’s help I have produced a son.” Some time later she gave birth to another son, and she named him Abel.
2 Akyiri no, ɔsan woo nʼakyi babarima too no din Habel. Na Habel bɛyɛɛ oguanhwɛfo, na Kain nso bɛyɛɛ okuafo.
[After those boys grew up], Abel (tended/took care of) sheep and goats, and Cain became a farmer.
3 Nna bi akyi no, Kain de nʼafum nnɔbae bi kɔbɔɔ Awurade afɔre.
One day Cain harvested some of the crops he had grown and brought them to Yahweh as a gift for him,
4 Habel nso de ne nyɛmmoa no mu mmakan a wɔadodɔ srade kɔbɔɔ Onyankopɔn afɔre. Awurade ani sɔɔ Habel afɔrebɔ no.
and Abel took from his flock some of the first lambs that had been born [and killed them] and, as a gift, gave to Yahweh the fatty parts, [which were the best parts]. Yahweh was pleased with Abel and his offering,
5 Nanso Kain afɔrebɔ no de, nʼani ansɔ. Asɛm no anyɛ Kain dɛ, na ne bo fuwii.
but he was not pleased with Cain and his offering. So Cain became very angry, and his face looked dejected.
6 Awurade bisaa Kain se, “Adɛn nti na wo bo afuw? Adɛn nti na woamuna saa?
Yahweh said to Cain, “(You should not be angry!/Why are you angry?) [RHQ] (You should not scowl like that!/Why do you scowl like that?) [RHQ]
7 Sɛ woyɛ ade pa a, anka wɔrennye wo nto mu ana? Sɛ wonyɛ ade pa de a, bɔne gyina wo pon ano, ɛrehwehwɛ wo ako atia wo, nanso ɛsɛ sɛ wudi no so.”
If you had done what was right (OR, if you do what is right) [RHQ], I would accept your offering. But if you do not do what is right, [your desire to] sin [is ready to attack you like a wild animal that] [PRS] crouches outside the doorway, [ready to spring on its victim] [MET]. [Your desire to] sin wants to control you, but you must (control/not obey) it.”
8 Da bi Kain ka kyerɛɛ ne nua Habel se, “Ma yɛnkɔ afum.” Bere a wɔwɔ afum hɔ no, Kain tow hyɛɛ ne nua Habel so, kum no.
But one day, Cain said to his younger brother Abel, “Let’s go for a walk in the fields.” [So they went together]. And when they were in the countryside, suddenly Cain attacked Abel and killed him.
9 Awurade bisaa Kain se, “Wo nua Habel wɔ he?” Kain buae se, “Minnim. Mɛyɛ dɛn ahu? Me na mehwɛ me nua so ana?”
[Later, even though] Yahweh [knew what Cain had done], he said to Cain, “[Do you know] where Abel, your younger brother, is?” Cain replied, “No, I do not know. (My job is not to guard my younger brother!/Am I supposed to take care of my younger brother?)” [RHQ]
10 Awurade bisaa Kain se, “Dɛn na woayɛ yi? Tie! Wo nua mogya su fi asase so frɛ me.
Yahweh said, “You have done a terrible thing [RHQ]! So now [it is as though] your younger brother’s voice is crying to me from the ground, demanding that his death must be avenged.
11 Mprempren, wɔadome wo, apam wo afi asase a ebuee nʼano gyee wo nua mogya fii wo nsam no so.
You have killed your younger brother, and the ground has soaked up his blood. So now I will expel you from this land and curse your efforts to produce crops.
12 Sɛ woyɛ asase no so adwuma sɛ dɛn ara a, worennya nnɔbae biara mfi so. Wobɛyɛ ɔkobɔfo, akyinkyin asase so.”
You will till the ground to plant crops, but the ground will produce very few [HYP] crops. And you will continually wander around the earth, and not have any place to live permanently.”
13 Kain kae se, “Awurade mʼasotwe boro me so.
Cain replied, “You are punishing me more then I can endure.
14 Nnɛ, woapam me afi asase so ne wʼanim. Mɛyɛ ɔkobɔfo akyinkyin asase so na obiara a obenya me no bekum me.”
You are about to expel me from the ground [that I have been cultivating], and I will no longer be able to come (into your presence/and talk with you). Furthermore, I will be continually wandering around the earth with no place to live permanently, and anyone who sees me will kill me.”
15 Nanso Awurade ka kyerɛɛ no se, “Ɛnte saa koraa! Obiara a obekum Kain no benya Kain asotwe no mpɛn ason.” Afei, Awurade hyɛɛ Kain agyirae bi sɛnea ɛbɛyɛ a, obiara a obehyia no no renkum no.
But Yahweh said to him, “No, that will not happen. I will put a mark on you to warn anyone who sees you that [I will punish him severely if] he kills you. I will punish that person seven times as severely as I am punishing you.” Then Yahweh put a mark on Cain’s forehead.
16 Enti Kain guan fii Awurade anim, kɔtenaa Nod asase so wɔ Eden apuei fam.
So Cain left Yahweh and went to live in the land called Nod, [which means ‘wandering’], which was east of Eden.
17 Kain de ne ho kaa ne yere na onyinsɛn, woo ɔbabarima, too no din Henok. Saa bere no, Kain kyekyeree kurow bi de too ne ba Henok.
Some time later, Cain (had sex/slept) with his wife, and she [became pregnant and] gave birth to a son, whom she named Enoch. Then Cain started to build a city, and he named the city ‘Enoch’, the same name that his son had.
18 Henok woo Irad. Irad woo Mehuyael. Mehuyael woo Metusael. Metusael woo Lamek.
Enoch [grew up and married and] became the father of a son whom he named Irad. When Irad [grew up he] became the father of a son whom he named Mehujael. Mehujael [grew up and] became the father of a son whom he named Methuselah. Methuselah [grew up and] became the father of Lamech.
19 Lamek waree mmea baanu a wɔn din de Ada ne Sila.
When Lamech [grew up he] married two women. The name of one was Adah and the other was Zillah.
20 Ada woo Yabal a nʼasefo yɛ wɔn a wɔte ntamadan mu yɛn mmoa.
Adah gave birth to [a son she named] Jabal.
21 Na Yabal nuabarima din de Yubal a nʼasefo yɛ mmɛnhyɛnfo ne sankubɔfo.
Later, Jabal was the first person who lived in tents because he traveled from place to place to take care of livestock. His younger brother’s name was Jubal. He was the first person who made/played a (lyre/stringed instrument) and a flute.
22 Sila woo ɔbabarima a wɔfrɛ no Tubal-Kain. Na ɔyɛ kɔbere atomfo ne nnade ahorow nyinaa atomfo agya. Na Tubal-Kain wɔ nuabea bi a ne din de Naama.
[Lamech’s other wife] Zillah gave birth to a son whom she named Tubal-Cain. Later Tubal-Cain became a (blacksmith/one who made tools from bronze and iron). Tubal-Cain had a younger sister whose name was Naamah.
23 Da bi, Lamek ka kyerɛɛ ne yerenom Ada ne Sila se, “Muntie me, me yerenom makum aberante bi a, ɔtow hyɛɛ me so, piraa me.
One day Lamech said to his two wives, “Adah and Zillah, listen carefully to what I am saying. A young man struck me and wounded me, so I killed him.
24 Sɛ Kain so aweretɔ bɛyɛ mpɛn ason a, ɛno de, me Lamek de, nea obekum me no, nʼasotwe bɛyɛ mpɛn aduɔson ason.”
Yahweh said long ago that he would avenge and punish anyone who killed Cain seven times as much as he punished Cain [for killing his younger brother]. So if anyone [tries to] kill me, I will punish him 77 times as much [as Yahweh punished Cain].”
25 Akyiri no, Adam de ne ho kaa ne yere Hawa. Na ɔwoo ɔbabarima bio. Na wɔtoo no din Set kae se, “Onyankopɔn ama me ɔba foforo asi Habel a Kain kum no no anan mu.”
Adam continued to (have sex/sleep) with [EUP] his wife, and she [became pregnant and] gave birth to another son, whom she named Seth, [which sounds like the Hebrew word that means ‘given’], because, she said, “God has given me another child to take the place of Abel, since Cain killed him.”
26 Set nso woo ɔbabarima na ɔtoo no din Enos. Saa bere no mu na nnipa fitii ase bɔɔ Awurade din.
When Seth grew up, he became the father of a son whom he named Enosh. About that time people began to worship Yahweh [again].