< Hosea 2 >

1 “Frɛ wo nuabarimanom, ‘Me nkurɔfo’ na frɛ wo nuabeanom, ‘Mʼadɔfo.’”
So call your brothers, My People, and your sisters, Compassion.
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.
Accuse, accuse your mother: for she is not my wife, and I will not be her husband. Let her put her acts of infidelity out of her sight, and her lovers 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.
else I will strip her bare, expose her as she was on the day of her birth, make her like the wilderness, let her become like a parched land, and let her die of thirst.
4 Merennɔ ne mma, efisɛ wɔyɛ aguaman mma.
And on her children I will have no pity, since they are 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 become a prostitute, she who conceived them has behaved shamefully. She has said, “I will go after my lovers who gave me my bread and my water, my wool, my flax, my oil, and my drink.”
6 Eyi nti, mede nsɔe besiw no kwan; mɛto ɔfasu afa ne ho, sɛnea ɛbɛyɛ a ɔrenhu kwan.
That is why I am going to hedge up her ways with thorns, and build a wall about her, so that she cannot find her paths.
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 will not overtake them. She will seek them, but not find them. In time she will say, “I will go back to my first husband, I was better off then 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.
She herself did not know that it was I who gave her the grain, the sweet wine, and the oil, who lavished on her silver and gold – that they used in worshipping 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.
So I will take back my grain at the harvest, and my sweet wine in its season. I will withdraw my wool and my flax, given to cover her nakedness;
10 Enti afei mɛbɔ no adagyaw wɔ nʼadɔfo anim; obiara rentumi nnye no mfi me nsam.
and so I will strip her naked before her lovers, and no one shall deliver her out of my hand.
11 Metwa nʼafahyɛ nyinaa so: nʼafirihyia afahyɛ, Ɔsram Foforo afahyɛ Homeda afahyɛ ne nʼafahyɛ ahorow nyinaa.
I will end all her celebrations, her yearly feasts, her new moons, and her sabbaths, all her festivals.
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 lay waste her vines and her fig trees, of which she says, “These are my wages which my lovers have given me.” I will make them a thicket, and the wild animals will eat 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.
In this way I will punish her for the days of the Baals, in which she made offerings to them, and decked herself with earrings and jewels, and went after her lovers, but forgot me, – declares the Lord.
14 “Enti merekɔdaadaa no; mede no bɛkɔ nweatam so na makasa bɔkɔɔ akyerɛ no wɔ hɔ.
So I am going to court her, bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly 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.
I will give her from there her vineyards, and the valley of Achor as a door of hope. There she will respond as in the days of her youth, as in the days when she came up from the land of Egypt.
16 “Saa da no,” sɛɛ na Awurade se, “Wobɛfrɛ me ‘me kunu’; na woremfrɛ me ‘me wura’ bio.
At that time, declares the Lord, you will call me your husband, and will no more call me your master.
17 Meyi Baal ahorow din no afi nʼano; na ɔrenkankye wɔ wɔn din mu bio.
I will remove the name of the Baals from her mouth, their names never again uttered.
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 for them a covenant with the wild animals, the birds of the sky, and the creatures that crawl on the earth. I will break the bow and the sword, banish battle from the land, and I will make them lie down in safety.
19 Mɛware wo afebɔɔ; mɛda trenee ne atɛntrenee, ahummɔbɔ ne ayamhyehye adi akyerɛ wo.
I will take you for my wife forever, I will take you for my wife in righteousness, in justice, in kindness, and in mercy.
20 Mɛware wo nokware mu, ama woahu Awurade.
I will take you for my wife 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 answer – declares the Lord, I will answer the empty skies, and they will answer the dry earth.
22 na asase nso begye nnɔbae so: bobe foforo ne ngodua, na wɔn nso agye so se ‘Yesreel’, ‘Onyankopɔn na wadua.’
The earth will answer with grain, and new wine and oil, and they will answer 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 plant her in the land. I will have compassion to No-Compassion, I will say to Not-My-People, “You are my people,” and they will say, “You are my God.”

< Hosea 2 >