< Hosea 2 >

1 “Frɛ wo nuabarimanom, ‘Me nkurɔfo’ na frɛ wo nuabeanom, ‘Mʼadɔfo.’”
“Say of your brothers, ‘My people,’ and of your sisters, ‘My loved one.’
2 “Ka wo na anim, ka nʼanim, na ɔnyɛ me yere na menyɛ ne kunu. Ma ɔnsesa nʼanim a ayɛ aguaman anim no na onnyae awaresɛe a ɔde ne nufu yɛ no.
Rebuke your mother, rebuke her, for she is not My wife, and I am not her husband. Let her remove the adultery from her face and the unfaithfulness from between her breasts.
3 Anyɛ saa a mɛpa ne ho ntama na wada adagyaw te sɛ da a wɔwoo no no; mɛma wayɛ sɛ nweatam, mɛdan no asase a awo wosee na mama osukɔm akum no.
Otherwise, I will strip her naked and expose her like the day of her birth. I will make her like a desert and turn her into a parched land, and I will let her die of thirst.
4 Merennɔ ne mma, efisɛ wɔyɛ aguaman mma.
I will have no compassion on her children, because they are the children of adultery.
5 Wɔn na anyɛ ɔnokwafo na onyinsɛnee wɔn wɔ animguase mu. Ɔkae se, ‘Medi mʼadɔfo akyi, wɔn a wɔma me aduan ne nsu, ne kuntu ne nwera, ngo ne nsa.’
For their mother has played the harlot and has conceived them in disgrace. For she thought, ‘I will go after my lovers, who give me bread and water, wool and linen, oil and drink.’
6 Eyi nti, mede nsɔe besiw no kwan; mɛto ɔfasu afa ne ho, sɛnea ɛbɛyɛ a ɔrenhu kwan.
Therefore, behold, I will hedge up her path with thorns; I will enclose her with a wall, so she cannot find her way.
7 Obetiw nʼadɔfo, nanso ɔrento wɔn; ɔbɛhwehwɛ wɔn, nanso ɔrenhu wɔn. Afei, ɔbɛka se, ‘Mɛsan akɔ me kunu nkyɛn, te sɛ kan no, efisɛ, saa bere no na eye ma me sen mprempren.’
She will pursue her lovers but not catch them; she will seek them but not find them. Then she will say, ‘I will return to my first husband, for then I was better off than now.’
8 Ɔnkae sɛ me na memaa no aduan, nsa foforo ne ngo, nea ɔmaa sikakɔkɔɔ ne dwetɛ buu no so ma wɔde kɔsom Baal no.
For she does not acknowledge that it was I who gave her grain, new wine, and oil, who lavished on her silver and gold— which they crafted for Baal.
9 “Enti sɛ mʼaduan no du twabere a mɛfa mʼade, ne me nsa foforo no nso saa ara. Megye me kuntu ne me nwera, a anka mepɛ sɛ ɔde kata nʼadagyaw so no.
Therefore I will take back My grain in its time and My new wine in its season; I will take away My wool and linen, which were given to cover her nakedness.
10 Enti afei mɛbɔ no adagyaw wɔ nʼadɔfo anim; obiara rentumi nnye no mfi me nsam.
And then I will expose her lewdness in the sight of her lovers, and no one will deliver her out of My hands.
11 Metwa nʼafahyɛ nyinaa so: nʼafirihyia afahyɛ, Ɔsram Foforo afahyɛ Homeda afahyɛ ne nʼafahyɛ ahorow nyinaa.
I will put an end to all her exultation: her feasts, New Moons, and Sabbaths— all her appointed feasts.
12 Mɛsɛe ne bobe ne borɔdɔma nnua, nea ɔka se nʼadɔfo de tuaa no ka no; mɛyɛ ne nyinaa nkyɛkyerɛ, ama wuram mmoa awe.
I will destroy her vines and fig trees, which she thinks are the wages paid by her lovers. So I will make them into a thicket, and the beasts of the field will devour them.
13 Mɛtwe nʼaso wɔ nna a ɔhyew aduhuam maa Baal no ho; ɔde nkaa ne agude hyehyɛɛ ne ho, tu dii nʼadɔfo akyi, me de, ne werɛ fii me,” nea Awurade se ni.
I will punish her for the days of the Baals when she burned incense to them, when she decked herself with rings and jewelry, and went after her lovers. But Me she forgot,”
14 “Enti merekɔdaadaa no; mede no bɛkɔ nweatam so na makasa bɔkɔɔ akyerɛ no wɔ hɔ.
“Therefore, behold, I will allure her and lead her to the wilderness, and speak to her tenderly.
15 Mɛsan de ne bobe mfuw ama no. Mɛyɛ no Sɛkyɛ Bon, anidaso pon. Ɛhɔ na ɔbɛto dwom sɛnea na ɔyɛ ne mmabun bere mu no ne bere a ofii Misraim no.
There I will give back her vineyards and make the Valley of Achor into a gateway of hope. There she will respond as she did in the days of her youth, as in the day she came up out of Egypt.
16 “Saa da no,” sɛɛ na Awurade se, “Wobɛfrɛ me ‘me kunu’; na woremfrɛ me ‘me wura’ bio.
In that day,” declares the LORD, “you will call Me ‘my Husband,’ and no longer call Me ‘my Master.’
17 Meyi Baal ahorow din no afi nʼano; na ɔrenkankye wɔ wɔn din mu bio.
For I will remove from her lips the names of the Baals; no longer will their names be invoked.
18 Saa da no, mɛyɛ apam ama wɔn, wɔne wuram mmoa ne wim nnomaa ne mmoa a wɔwea wɔ asase so. Tadua, mpeaw ne ɔko, mɛbra wɔ asase no so, sɛnea wɔn nyinaa bɛtena ase asomdwoe mu.
On that day I will make a covenant for them with the beasts of the field and the birds of the air and the creatures that crawl on the ground. And I will abolish bow and sword and weapons of war in the land, and will make them lie down in safety.
19 Mɛware wo afebɔɔ; mɛda trenee ne atɛntrenee, ahummɔbɔ ne ayamhyehye adi akyerɛ wo.
So I will betroth you to Me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in loving devotion and compassion.
20 Mɛware wo nokware mu, ama woahu Awurade.
And I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will know the LORD.”
21 “Saa da no, megye wo so,” nea Awurade se ni. “Megye ɔsoro so, na ɔsoro de osu begye asase so,
“On that day I will respond—” declares the LORD— “I will respond to the heavens, and they will respond to the earth.
22 na asase nso begye nnɔbae so: bobe foforo ne ngodua, na wɔn nso agye so se ‘Yesreel’, ‘Onyankopɔn na wadua.’
And the earth will respond to the grain, to the new wine and oil, and they will respond to Jezreel.
23 Mede Israel bedua asase no so ama me ho; mɛda me dɔ adi akyerɛ nea mekae se, ‘wonyɛ me dɔfo’ no. Mɛka akyerɛ wɔn a misee wɔn sɛ ‘monyɛ me nkurɔfo’ no se ‘moyɛ me nkurɔfo,’ na wɔn nso aka se, ‘Wone me Nyankopɔn.’”
And I will sow her as My own in the land, and I will have compassion on ‘No Compassion.’ I will say to those called ‘Not My People,’ ‘You are My people,’ and they will say, ‘You are my God.’”

< Hosea 2 >