Yesaia 41

1 “Monyɛ komm wɔ mʼanim, mo nsupɔw! Ma aman no nhyɛ wɔn ho den! Ma wɔmmra ha mmɛkasa; momma yɛmmɔ mu nhyia wɔ asennii hɔ.

Be silent [and hearken] unto me, O ye Coastlands, And let the Races of Men renew their strength, —Let them approach, then, let them speak, Together, for controversy, let us draw near: —

2 “Hena na wakanyan nea ofi apuei no, afrɛ no trenee mu sɛ ɔmmɛsom no? Ɔde aman hyɛ ne nsa na ɔbrɛ ahemfo ase wɔ nʼanim. Ɔde nʼafoa ma wɔdan mfutuma, ɔde ne bɛmma ma wɔdan ntɛtɛ a mframa bɔ hwete.

Who roused up one from the East, In righteousness, called him to his feet, —Set before him nations And over kings, caused him to rule, His sword, made [them] like dust, His bow like driven chaff:

3 Ɔtaa wɔn na ɔkɔ nʼanim a biribiara nti ne ho, wɔ kwan a ɔmfaa so da no so.

He pursued them passed along safely, —Upon the path of his own feet, entered he not?

4 Hena na wayɛ eyi akosi awiei, afrɛ awo ntoatoaso afi mfiase? Me Awurade, meka adikanfo ne akyikafo ho, Mene ɔno ara.”

Who hath wrought and performed, Calling the generations, in advance? I, Yahweh, [who am] First, And with them who are last, I, am the Same!

5 Nsupɔw no ahu na wɔbɔ hu; nsase ano ho popo. Wotwiw bɛn, na wɔba anim;

Coastlands have seen, so they fear, The ends of the earth, are in dread, —They have drawn near, and have come:

6 na obiara boa ne yɔnko na ɔka kyerɛ ne nua se, “Yɛ den!”

Every man, to his neighbour, giveth help, —And to his brother, saith Take courage!

7 Odwumfo hyɛ sikadwumfo nkuran, na nea ɔde asae yɛ no trontrom boa nea ɔbɔ atommo so. Ɔka fa nea ɔsɔw no ho se, “Eye pa ara.” Ɔbobɔ ohoni no mu nnadewa sɛnea ɛrentu nhwe fam.

So, the carver, hath encouraged, the goldsmith, he that maketh smooth with the hammer, him that smiteth the anvil, —Saying of the welding, It is, good, Then hath he fastened it with nails—it must not totter!

8 “Nanso wo, Israel, me somfo, Yakob, nea mayi no no, mo, mʼadamfo Abraham asefo.

But, thou, Israel, my Servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, —The seed of Abraham my loving one;

9 Mefaa wo fii nsase ano, fii nʼakyirikyiri ntwea so, na mefrɛɛ wo. Mekae se, ‘Woyɛ me somfo’; mapaw wo na mempoo wo ɛ.

Thou whom I have taken hold of from the ends of the earth, And from the extremities thereof, have called thee, —And said to thee, My Servant, thou! I have chosen thee and not cast thee off,

10 Enti nsuro, na mene wo wɔ hɔ; mma wo werɛ nhow, na mene wo Nyankopɔn. Mɛhyɛ wo den, na mɛboa wo; mede me trenee nsa nifa bɛma wo so.

Do not fear, for with thee, I am! Look not around, for, I, am thy God, —I have emboldened thee, Yea I have helped thee, Yea I have upheld thee with my righteous right-hand.

11 “Wɔn a wɔn bo afuw wo no nyinaa, ampa ara wɔn ani bewu na wɔn anim agu ase; wɔn a wɔsɔre tia wo no rensɛ hwee na wobewuwu.

Lo! they shall turn pale and be ashamed—All they who have been incensed against thee, —They shall become as nothing and perish—The men who have been thine accusers:

12 Ɛwɔ mu sɛ wobɛhwehwɛ wʼatamfo de, nanso worenhu wɔn. Wɔn a wotu wo so sa no rensɛ hwee koraa.

Thou shalt seek them, but shalt not find them—The men who have contended with thee, They shall become as nothing, and as a thing of nought—The men who have warred against thee;

13 Na mene Awurade, wo Nyankopɔn, nea okura wo nsa nifa mu na ɔka kyerɛ wo se, Nsuro; mɛboa wo.

For I, Yahweh thy God am firmly grasping thy right-hand, —Who am saying unto thee Do not fear! I, have become thy helper!

14 Nsuro, osunson Yakob, Israel a wusua, na me ankasa mɛboa wo,” Awurade na ose, wo gyefo, Israel Ɔkronkronni no.

Do not fear, Thou worm Jacob, Ye men of Israel, —I, have become thy helper, Declareth Yahweh, And thy redeemer The Holy One of Israel.

15 “Hwɛ, mede wo bɛyɛ nhuwso apa, a ɛyɛ amono, ano yɛ nnam na ɛwɔ ɛse bebree. Wubehuhuw mmepɔw no so na woadwiriw wɔn, na woama nkoko ayɛ sɛ ntɛtɛ.

Lo! I have made of thee a new pointed threshing sledge, owning teeth, —Thou shalt thresh mountains and crush them, And, hills—like chaff, shalt thou make:

16 Wubehuhuw wɔn so, mframa bɛma wɔn so, na ahum abɔ wɔn akɔ. Nanso wʼani begye wɔ Awurade mu na woahyɛ Israel Ɔkronkronni no anuonyam.

Thou shalt fan them and, a wind, shall carry them away, And, a whirlwind, scatter, them, —But, thou, shalt exult in Yahweh, And, in the Holy One of Israel, shalt thou boast thyself.

17 “Ohiani ne mmɔborɔni kyin pɛ nsu, nanso bi nni hɔ; osukɔm ama wɔn tɛkrɛma so ayow. Nanso me Awurade, mɛma wɔn mmuae. Me, Israel Nyankopɔn, merennyaw wɔn.

As for the oppressed and the needy. Seeking water when there is none, Their tongue with thirst being parched I—Yahweh, will answer them, The God of Israel, I will not forsake them:

18 Mɛma nsubɔnten ateɛ wɔ sorɔnsorɔmmea a awu no so, na nsuti apue wɔ abon mu. Mɛdan nweatam ayɛ no mmura, na nsase a awo adan nsuti bebree.

I will open, On bare hills rivers, and In the midst of plains, fountains, —I will make The desert, a lake of water, and Parched land, springs of water;

19 Meduadua wɔ nweatam so, sida, ɔkanto, ohuam ne ngonnua. Meduadua ɔpepaw wɔ asase wosee so asɛsɛ ne kwabɔhɔre abɔ mu,

I will set in the desert! Cedar, acacia, and myrtle, and oil-tree, —I will place, in the waste plain, Cypress, holm-oak, and sherbin-cedar, together

20 sɛnea nnipa behu na wɔate, na wɔasusuw ho na wɔate ase sɛ, Awurade nsa na ayɛ saa ade yi, Israel ɔkronkronni no na ɔma ɛbae.

That men may see and observe and consider and understand at once, That, the hand of Yahweh, hath done this, That the Holy One of Israel hath created it.

21 “Bɔ wo nkuro,” Awurade na ose. “Kyerɛkyerɛ wʼasɛm mu,” Yakob Hene na ose.

Bring near your contention, Saith Yahweh, —Advance your defences, Saith the King of Jacob:

22 “Fa wʼahoni no bra na wɔmmɛka nea ebesi nkyerɛ yɛn. Wɔmmɛka sɛnea na kan nneɛma no te nkyerɛ yɛn, sɛnea yebedwen ho afa na yɛahu nea ebefi mu aba. Anaasɛ wɔmpae mu nka nneɛma a ebesi nkyerɛ yɛn.

Let them advance them, and tell us, What shall happen, —Things known in advance—what they were, tell ye, That we may lay them to our heart and mark the after-story of them, Or, things yet to come, let us hear:

23 Monka yɛn nea ebesi daakye, na ama yɛahu sɛ moyɛ anyame. Monyɛ biribi, sɛ eye anaa enye, sɛnea ɛbɛyɛ a yɛn werɛ bɛhow na ehu aka yɛn.

Tell ye the events which shall be here-after, That we may perceive that gods, ye are, —Surely ye must do something—good or bad, That we may be amazed and behold it, at once.

24 Nanso, monnka hwee, na mo nnwuma so nni mfaso; nea ɔfa mo no yɛ akyiwade.

Lo! ye, are, of nought, And your work is a puff of breath, —An abomination, he that chooseth you!

25 “Makanyan obi a ofi atifi fam na ɔreba, nea ofi owia apuei na ɔbɔ me din. Otiatia ahemfo so te sɛ dɔte a wɔde si dan, te sɛ ɔnwemfo a ɔrewɔw dɔte.

I have roused up one from the North, and he hath come, From the rising of the sun, calleth he on my Name, —And he hath come, on deputies, as though they were mortar, And as a potter treadeth clay.

26 Hena na ɔkaa eyi ho asɛm fii mfiase, sɛnea anka ɛbɛma yɛahu, anaa waka ato hɔ, sɛnea yebetumi aka se, ‘Ne de no ye’? Obiara anka eyi, obiara anni kan anka, obiara ante nsɛm biara amfi wo nkyɛn.

Who hath told in advance, that we might know, And beforetime, that we might say Right! Nay, there is none who can tell. Nay, there is none who can let us hear, Nay, there is none who can understand what ye utter.

27 Me na midii kan ka kyerɛɛ Sion, ‘Hwɛ, woni!’ Memaa Yerusalem ɔsomafo a ɔde asɛmpa ba.

He who is First, [can say], To Zion, Lo! there they are! And to Jerusalem, A herald of good-tidings, do I give.

28 Mehwɛ, nanso obiara nni hɔ, obiara nni wɔn mu a obetu wɔn fo, sɛ mibisa wɔn a, obiara ntumi mma mmuae.

So I look, And there is not, a Man! Even among these And there is none to advise, —That, when I ask them, can answer a word.

29 Hwɛ, wɔn nyinaa yɛ atorofo! Wɔn nneyɛe nka hwee; wɔn nsɛsode yɛ mframa ne basabasayɛ nko ara.

Lo! as to all of them, Vanity—nothingness, are their works, Wind and emptiness, their molten images!