< Hosea 2 >

1 “Frɛ wo nuabarimanom, ‘Me nkurɔfo’ na frɛ wo nuabeanom, ‘Mʼadɔfo.’”
Say to your brother, My people, and to your sister, Pitied.
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.
Plead with your mother, plead: for she is not my wife, and I am not her husband: and I will remove her fornication out of my presence, and her adultery 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.
that I may strip her naked, and make her again as she was at the day of her birth: and I will make her desolate, and make her as a dry land, and will kill her with thirst.
4 Merennɔ ne mma, efisɛ wɔyɛ aguaman mma.
And I will not have mercy upon her children; for they are children of fornication.
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.’
And their mother went a-whoring: she that bore them disgraced [them]: for she said, I will go after my lovers, that give me my bread and my water, and my garments, and my linen clothes, my oil and my necessaries.
6 Eyi nti, mede nsɔe besiw no kwan; mɛto ɔfasu afa ne ho, sɛnea ɛbɛyɛ a ɔrenhu kwan.
Therefore, behold, I hedge up her way with thorns, and I will stop the ways, and she shall not find her path.
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.’
And she shall follow after her lovers, and shall not overtake them; and she shall seek them, but shall not find them: and she shall say, I will go, and return to my former husband; for it was better with me 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.
And she knew not that I gave her her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied silver to her: but she made silver and gold [images] 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 return, and take away my corn in its season, and my wine in its time; and I will take away my raiment and my linen clothes, so that she shall not cover her nakedness.
10 Enti afei mɛbɔ no adagyaw wɔ nʼadɔfo anim; obiara rentumi nnye no mfi me nsam.
And now I will expose her uncleanness before her lovers, and no one shall by any means deliver her out of my hand.
11 Metwa nʼafahyɛ nyinaa so: nʼafirihyia afahyɛ, Ɔsram Foforo afahyɛ Homeda afahyɛ ne nʼafahyɛ ahorow nyinaa.
And I will take away all her gladness, her feasts, and her festivals at the new moon, and her sabbaths, and all her solemn assemblies.
12 Mɛsɛe ne bobe ne borɔdɔma nnua, nea ɔka se nʼadɔfo de tuaa no ka no; mɛyɛ ne nyinaa nkyɛkyerɛ, ama wuram mmoa awe.
And I will utterly destroy her vines, and her fig-trees, all things of which she said, These are my hire which my lovers have given me: and I will make them a testimony, and the wild beasts of the field, and the birds of the sky, and the reptiles of the earth shall 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.
And I will recompense on her the days of Baalim, wherein she sacrificed to them, and put on her ear-rings, and her necklaces, and went after her lovers, and forgot me, saith the Lord.
14 “Enti merekɔdaadaa no; mede no bɛkɔ nweatam so na makasa bɔkɔɔ akyerɛ no wɔ hɔ.
Therefore, behold, I [will] cause her to err, and will make her as desolate, and will speak comfortably to her.
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.
And I will giver her possessions from thence, and the valley of Achor to open her understanding: and she shall be afflicted there according to the days of her infancy, and according to the days of her coming up out of the land of Egypt.
16 “Saa da no,” sɛɛ na Awurade se, “Wobɛfrɛ me ‘me kunu’; na woremfrɛ me ‘me wura’ bio.
And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord, [that] she shall call me, My husband, and shall no longer call me Baalim.
17 Meyi Baal ahorow din no afi nʼano; na ɔrenkankye wɔ wɔn din mu bio.
And I will take away the names of Baalim out of her mouth, and their names shall be remembered no more at all.
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.
And I will make for them in that day a covenant with the wild beasts of the field, and with the birds of the sky, and with the reptiles of the earth: and I will break the bow and the sword and the battle from off the earth, and will cause thee to dwell safely.
19 Mɛware wo afebɔɔ; mɛda trenee ne atɛntrenee, ahummɔbɔ ne ayamhyehye adi akyerɛ wo.
And I will betroth thee to myself for ever; yea, I will betroth thee to myself in righteousness, and in judgment, and in mercy, and in tender compassions;
20 Mɛware wo nokware mu, ama woahu Awurade.
and I will betroth thee to myself in faithfulness: and thou shalt know the Lord.
21 “Saa da no, megye wo so,” nea Awurade se ni. “Megye ɔsoro so, na ɔsoro de osu begye asase so,
And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord, I will hearken to the heaven, and it shall hearken 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 shall hearken to the corn, and the wine, and the oil; and they shall hearken to Jezrael.
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 to me on the earth; and will love her that was not loved, and will say to that which was not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art the Lord my God.

< Hosea 2 >