Hosea 7
1 bere biara a mɛsa Israel yare no, Efraim nnebɔne da adi. Samaria awurukasɛm nso da adi. Wɔyɛ nnaadaafo akorɔmfo a wobubu adan ani kɔ afi mu, ne akwamukafo a wɔbɔ korɔn wɔ mmɔnten so.
“and when I wanted to heal them [again], [I did not do it, ] [because] I saw the wicked things that [the people of] Samaria [city] and [other places in] Israel [DOU] have done. They constantly deceive others; bandits rob people in the streets.
2 Na wonhu sɛ mekae wɔn nnebɔne nyinaa. Wɔn bɔne bunkam wɔn so; egu mʼanim bere biara.
But they do not realize that I do not forget all the evil things that they do. [It is as though] they are surrounded by [all] the sins that they commit; and [it is though] those sins are [always right] in front of me [MTY].
3 “Wɔde atirimɔdensɛm gyigye ɔhene no ani, na wɔde atoro nso gyigye ahenemma no ani.
Their king is delighted with the wicked things that the people do; his officials are happy about the people’s lies.
4 Wɔn nyinaa yɛ aguamammɔfo a akɔnnɔ redɛw wɔ wɔn mu. Wɔte sɛ fononoo a wɔasɔ mu gya bere a brodotofo ahyɛ ase refɔtɔw nʼasikresiam.
[The king and his officials] are all treacherous. [They are always eager to do wicked things; ] they are like [SIM] an oven that is [very] hot: a baker mixes the dough and waits for it to expand, and he does not [need to] cause the oven to become hotter.
5 Da a ɔhene rehyɛ fa no ahenemma bow nsa, na ɔhene no fɛwdifo ne wɔn bɔ mu goru.
The king and his officials get very drunk during their festivals, carousing with others who also do foolish things.
6 Wɔn koma te sɛ fononoo; wɔde atirimpɔw bɔne kɔ ɔhene anim. Wɔn nsusuwii bɔne no dɛɛdɛɛ anadwo mu nyinaa; anɔpa, ɛdɛw te sɛ ogyatannaa.
The officials angrily plan to murder the king; it is like [SIM] they have an oven in their inner beings. All during the night their [eagerness/wanting to murder the king] is like a fire that is smouldering, but in the morning it becomes like [MET] a roaring fire.
7 Wɔn nyinaa ayɛ hyew sɛ fononoo. Wokunkum wɔn sodifo. Wɔn ahemfo nyinaa hwehwe ase na wɔn mu biara nsu mfrɛ me.
All those officials are like [MET] hot flames that completely burn up their rulers, so all their kings are murdered, and no one pleads with me [to help them].”
8 “Efraim ne aman no adi afra; Efraim yɛ ɔfam a anyinya a wonkisae.
“[The leaders of] Israel join with leaders of [godless] nations; so [the leaders of] Israel are [as worthless as] a pancake that is cooked on only one side.
9 Ananafo twe nʼahoɔden, nanso onhu. Dwen aba ne ti so, nanso nʼani mmaa so ɛ.
Joining with the rulers of foreign nations has caused Israel to be a weak [nation], but the Israelis do not realize that. Israel has become [like] [MET] a gray-haired old man, but the people of Israel do not realize it.
10 Israel ahantan di adanse tia no, nanso eyi nyinaa akyi no ɔnnsan nkɔ Awurade ne Nyankopɔn nkyɛn, na ɔnhwehwɛ no nso.
Their being proud [PRS] testifies against them, but in spite of that, they do not return to [me], Yahweh, their God, or [even] try to know me.
11 “Efraim te sɛ aborɔnoma, wotumi daadaa no na onni adwene. Ɔfrɛ Misraim, na wadan akɔ Asiria.
[The people of] Israel have become foolish and stupid like [SIM] doves. [First] they called out to Egypt [to help them], [and then] they sought help from Assyria.
12 Sɛ wɔkɔ a, mɛtow mʼasau agu wɔn so; atwe wɔn aba fam te sɛ wim nnomaa. Sɛ mete sɛ wɔretu abɔ mu a, mɛkyere wɔn.
But wherever they go [to get help], [I will not allow them to succeed]; [it will be as though] [MET] I will throw a net over them like [SIM] [a hunter uses a net to capture] birds; I will punish them for the evil things that they do.
13 Nnome nka wɔn, efisɛ wɔatwe wɔn ho afi me ho! Ɔsɛe mmra wɔn so efisɛ wɔatew me so atua! anka mepɛ sɛ migye wɔn nanso wutwa atoro fa me ho.
Terrible things will happen to them because they abandoned/deserted me! They will be destroyed because they rebelled against me. I wanted to rescue them, but they tell lies about me.
14 Wommfi wɔn koma mu nsu mfrɛ me, mmom wotwa adwo wɔ wɔn mpa so. Wɔboaboa wɔn ho ano kɔhwehwɛ aduan ne nsa foforo, nanso wɔtwe wɔn ho fi me ho.
They do not cry out to me sincerely [IDM]; they [only] lie on their beds and wail. They gather together and ask [me to give them] grain and wine, but they turn away from me.
15 Metetew wɔn, hyɛɛ wɔn den, nanso wɔbɔ pɔw bɔne tia me.
I trained/taught them and enabled them to become strong, but now they plan [to do] evil things to me.
16 Wɔnhwehwɛ Ɔsorosoroni no; wɔte sɛ tadua a asɛe, wɔn ntuanofo bɛtotɔ wɔ afoa ano efisɛ, wɔnkasa obu so. Eyi nti wobedi wɔn ho fɛw wɔ Misraim asase so.
They have rejected me, their Great God, and turned to their god Baal; they are [as useless] as [SIM] a crooked bow. Their leaders boast [that they are very strong], but they will be killed by [their enemies’] swords. As a result, [the people of] Egypt will laugh at them.”
