Yesaia 23
1 Nkɔmhyɛ a ɛfa Tiro ho: Tarsis ahyɛn, muntwa adwo! Efisɛ wɔasɛe Tiro na wɔannyaw no ofi anaa hyɛngyinabea. Wufi Kipro asase so abɛka asɛm akyerɛ wɔn.
[I received] this message [from Yahweh] about Tyre [city]: You [sailors on] [APO] ships from Tarshish, weep, because [the harbor of] Tyre and all the houses [in the city] have been destroyed. The reports that you heard in Cyprus [island] about Tyre [are true].
2 Monyɛ komm, mo nnipa a mowɔ supɔw no so ne mo Sidon aguadifo a po so adwumayɛfo ama mo ayɛ adefo.
You people who live along the coast [near Tyre], and merchants of Sidon [city], mourn silently. Your sailors went across the seas [to many places like Tyre].
3 Nsu akɛse no so na aduan fi Sihor nam bae; Nil ho nnɔbae na ɛyɛɛ Tiro foto, na ɔbɛyɛɛ amanaman aguadibea.
They sailed across deep seas to buy grain in Egypt and [other] crops that are grown along the Nile [River]. Tyre became the city where people from [all] nations bought and sold goods.
4 Animguase nka wo, Sidon, ne wo, po so abandennen, efisɛ po akasa se, “Menkyemee da, na menwoo da; mentetew mmabarima anaa mmabea da.”
But now you people in Sidon should be ashamed, because [you trusted in Tyre], which has been a strong fortress [on an island] in the sea. [Tyre is like a woman who is saying], “[Now it is as though] I have not given birth to [any] children, or raised [any] sons or daughters.”
5 Sɛ asɛm no du Misraim a, wobedi yaw wɔ nkra a efi Tiro no ho.
When [the people of] Egypt hear what has happened to Tyre, they will grieve very much.
6 Muntwa nkɔ Tarsis; muntwa adwo, mo a mowɔ supɔw no so.
Sail to Tarshish [and tell them what happened]; weep, you people who live along the coast.
7 Eyi ne mo ahosɛpɛw kuropɔn no, teteete kuropɔn no, nea wɔatu akɔtena akyirikyiri nsase so no ana?
[The people in] the very old city [of Tyre] were [RHQ] previously joyful. Traders [PRS] from Tyre established colonies in many distant nations.
8 Hena na ɔbɔɔ atirimpɔw yi de tiaa Tiro, nea ɔkyekyɛ ahenkyɛw, nea nʼaguadifo yɛ ahenemma, na nʼadetɔnfo agye din wɔ asase so?
People from Tyre appointed kings [over other places]; their traders were wealthy; they were [as powerful and wealthy as] [MET] kings. [So], who [RHQ] caused the people of Tyre to experience this disaster?
9 Asafo Awurade na ɔbɔɔ ne tirimpɔw se, ɔbɛbrɛ anuonyam mu ahomaso ase na wabrɛ wɔn a wɔagye din wɔ asase yi so nyinaa ase.
It was the Commander of the armies of angels who did it; he did it in order to cause [you people in] Tyre not to be proud any more, to humiliate you men who are honored all over the world.
10 Yɛ wʼasase so adwuma te sɛnea wɔyɛ wɔ Nil ho no Tarsis Babea, efisɛ wunni hyɛngyinabea bio.
You people of Tarshish, you must grow crops in your land [instead of trading]; spread out over your land like [SIM] the Nile [River] spreads over the land [of Egypt] when it floods, because there is no harbor [in Tyre for your ships] now.
11 Awurade ama ne nsa so wɔ po no so ama ahenni ahorow a ɛwɔ hɔ no repopo. Wahyɛ Kanaan ho mmara se, wɔnsɛe nʼaban.
[It is as though] Yahweh stretched out his hand over the sea and shook the kingdoms of the earth. He commanded that in Phoenicia/Canaan all its fortresses must be destroyed.
12 Ɔkae se, “Wʼahurisidi no nso ha ara, Sidon Babea Ɔbabun a wɔadwerɛw wo! “Sɔre, twa kɔ Kipro; hɔ mpo worennya ahotɔ.”
He said to the people of Sidon, “You will never rejoice again, because you will be crushed; even if you flee to Cyprus [island], you will not escape destruction.”
13 Monhwɛ Babiloniafo asase no saa nnipa a mprempren wɔnka hwee no! Asiriafo ayɛ no baabi a nweatam so mmoa te; wosisii wɔn anotua aban bebree, wodwiriw nʼaban gui ma ɛdan nnwiriwii.
Think about what happened in Babylonia: the people who were in that land have disappeared. [The armies of] Assyria have caused that land to become a place where wild animals from the desert live. The Assyrians built dirt ramps to the top of the walls [of the city of Babylon]; [then they entered the city and] tore down the palaces and caused the city to become [a heap of] rubble.
14 Muntwa adwo, Tarsis ahyɛn; wɔasɛe wʼaban!
[So] wail, you [sailors on the] ships of Tarshish, because the harbor [in Tyre where your ships stop] is destroyed!
15 Saa bere no wɔrenkae Tiro mfe aduɔson a ɛyɛ ɔhene nkwanna. Nanso mfe aduɔson akyi no, nea ɛbɛto Tiro no bɛyɛ sɛnea ɛwɔ oguamanfo no dwom mu no:
For seventy years, which is as long as kings usually live, people will forget about Tyre. [But then it will be rebuilt]. What will happen there will be like what happened to a prostitute in this song:
16 “Ma sankuten no so, pase fa kuropɔn no mu, oguamanfo a wɔnnkae wo; bɔ sankuten no yiye, to nnwom bebree, sɛnea wɔbɛkae wo.”
“You harlot, whom people had forgotten, play your harp well, and sing many songs, in order that people will remember you again.”
17 Mfe aduɔson akyi, Awurade ne Tiro bedi. Ɔbɛsan akodi ne paa sɛ oguamanfo na ɔne ahenni a ɛwɔ asase so nyinaa adi gua.
[It is true that] after seventy years Yahweh will restore Tyre. Their merchants will again earn a lot of money by buying things from and selling things to many [other] nations [HYP].
18 Nanso nea obenya ne ne mfaso nyinaa wɔde bɛto hɔ ama Awurade; wɔremmoaboa ano na wɔremfa nsie. Ne mfaso no bɛkɔ wɔn a wɔsom wɔ Awurade anim no nkyɛn, na wɔanya aduan bebree ne ntade pa.
[But] their profits will be given to Yahweh. [The merchants] will not hoard their money; instead, they will give it to Yahweh’s priests in order that they [can] buy food and nice clothes.
