Yesaia 66
1 Sɛɛ na Awurade se: “Ɔsoro yɛ mʼahengua, na asase yɛ me nan ntiaso. Ofi a wubesi ama me no wɔ he? Ɛhe na ɛbɛyɛ me homebea?
Yahweh [also] said this: “[All of] heaven is [like] my throne, and the whole earth is [like] my footstool. So you could certainly not [RHQ] build a house [that would be adequate] for me to live in and rest!
2 Ɛnyɛ me nsa na ɛyɛɛ eyinom nyinaa, na ɛma ɛbae ana?” Awurade na ose. “Obi a mʼani sɔ no ni: nea ɔwɔ ahobrɛase ne ahonu honhom, na ne ho popo wɔ mʼasɛm ho.
I [MTY] have created everything; all things exist because I made them. [That is true because I], Yahweh, have said it. The people I am [most] pleased with are those who are humble, who [patiently endure it when they] (suffer/are afflicted), and who tremble when they hear me [rebuking them].
3 Nanso obi a ɔde nantwinini bɔ afɔre no saa onipa no ara kum nnipa, na nea ɔma oguamma no, saa onipa no ara bu ɔkraman kɔn mu; nea ɔbɔ aduan afɔre no saa onipa no ara de prako mogya bɔ afɔre, nea ɔhyew nnuhuam a ɛwɔ din no saa onipa no ara som ɔbosom. Wɔafa wɔn ankasa akwan na wɔn akra ani gye wɔn akyiwade ho;
You have enjoyed [continually] doing the things that you want to do: [Some of] you slaughter oxen [to sacrifice them to me], but you also bring human sacrifices [to your idols]! You sacrifice lambs [to me], but you kill dogs [to offer them to your gods]. You offer grain to me, but you also bring pigs’ blood [to your idols]. You burn incense [to me], but you also praise your idols. You enjoy doing those disgusting things.
4 enti me nso mɛpɛ ayayade ayɛ wɔn na mede nea wosuro bɛba wɔn so. Efisɛ mefrɛe no, obiara annye so, mekasae no, obiara antie. Wɔyɛɛ bɔne wɔ mʼani so na wɔyɛɛ nea mempɛ.”
When I called [out to you], you did not answer. When I spoke, you did not pay attention. You did [many] things that I say are evil; you chose [to do] things that I did not like. So [now] I will punish you by causing you to experience the things that you are [very] afraid of.”
5 Muntie Awurade asɛm, mo a mote nʼasɛm a mo ho popo: “Mo nuanom mmarima a wɔtan mo, na me din nti wotwa mo gyaw no, aka se, ‘Momma wɔnhyɛ Awurade anuonyam, na yɛahu mo anigye!’ Nanso wɔn anim begu ase.
But you people who tremble when you hear what Yahweh says, listen to what he says [now]: “Some of your people hate you and reject you because you belong to me. They make fun of you, and they say, ‘Yahweh should show his glorious power! We want to see him [do something to cause] you to be truly happy.’ But [some day] those people will be [very] disgraced.”
6 Muntie huuyɛ a efi kuropɔn no mu, muntie gyegyeegye a efi asɔredan no mu! Ɛyɛ Awurade nnyigyei a ɔde retua nʼatamfo ka sɛnea ɛfata wɔn.
[At that time], you will listen to the noise in the city. You will hear the shouting in the temple. It will be the sound of Yahweh shouting while he is punishing his enemies!
7 “Ansa na ɔbea bɛkyem no, ɔwo; ansa na ɔbɛte awoyaw no ɔwo ɔbabarima.
No one [RHQ] ever heard that a woman gave birth to a baby when she was just starting to have birth pains.
8 Hena na wate biribi sɛɛ ho asɛm pɛn? Hena na wahu biribi sɛɛ pɛn? Wobetumi de da koro akyekyere ɔmansin, anaa ɔman mu, bere sin bi mu ana? Nanso awo ka Sion ara pɛ a ɔwo ne mma.
Certainly no one [RHQ] ever heard about such a thing happening, and no one has ever seen it happen. [Similarly], no one ever [RHQ] heard that a nation was created in one instant, not even in one day. But Jerusalem is like [MET] [a woman who] gives birth to children as soon as she starts to have birth pains.
9 Mede obi bedu awoko ano a memma no nwo ana?” Sɛnea Awurade se ni. “Misiw awotwaa ano bere a awo adu so ana?” Wo Nyankopɔn na ose.
Women certainly do not [RHQ] bring infants to the time when they are ready to be born and then do not allow them to be born. [Similarly, he will do for Jerusalem] [MET] [what he has promised to do]: [He will cause Jerusalem to be full of people again]. [That will happen because] Yahweh has said it.
10 Mo ne Yerusalem ani nnye na munni ahurusi mma no, mo a modɔ no nyinaa; mo ne no nsɛpɛw mo ho yiye, mo a mudi ne ho awerɛhow nyinaa.
You people in [APO] Jerusalem, rejoice! And all you people who love Jerusalem should also be happy. You people who were sad because of [what happened to Jerusalem], you should now be glad.
11 Mubenum nʼawerɛkyekye nufu no amee; mobɛnom aboro so na mo ani begye nea abu so atra so no ho.
[You people in Jerusalem] will [have everything that you need] like [MET] a baby that gets all it needs from its mother’s breasts. You will enjoy all the abundant and glorious things [MET] in the city.
12 Na sɛɛ na Awurade se: “Mede asomdwoe bɛma no sɛ asubɔnten, ne amanaman no ahonya nso sɛ asuten a ayiri. Mubenum na waturu mo wɔ ne basa so na obegyigye mo agoru wɔ nʼanankoroma so.
Yahweh has promised, “I will cause Jerusalem to be full of valuable things that come from other nations; those things will pour into Jerusalem; it will be like [SIM] a big flood. I will take care of the people of Jerusalem like women care for the babies that they nurse.
13 Sɛnea ɛna kyekye ne ba werɛ no saa ara na mɛkyekye mo werɛ; na mubenya awerɛkyekye wɔ Yerusalem.”
I will comfort you people in Jerusalem like [MET] mothers comfort their children.”
14 Sɛ muhu eyi a, mo koma ani begye na mobɛyɛ frɔmfrɔm sɛ sare; wobehu Awurade nsa wɔ ne nkoa so, nanso wobehu nʼabufuwhyew wɔ nʼatamfo so.
When you see [those things happen], you [SYN] will rejoice. Your [old] bones will become strong [again] like [SIM] grass [that grows quickly/well in the springtime]. [When that happens, everyone] will know that Yahweh has power [MTY] to help those who worship and obey him, but that he is angry with his enemies.
15 Hwɛ, Awurade de ogya reba, na ne nteaseɛnam te sɛ mfɛtɛ; ɔde nʼabufuw bɛba wɔ anibere so, na ɔde gyaframa ayɛ nʼanimka.
Yahweh will come down with flames of fire, and his chariots [will come down] like [SIM] a whirlwind; he will be extremely angry, and he will punish [his enemies] by burning them in a fire.
16 Ogya ne nʼafoa, na Awurade de bebu nnipa nyinaa atɛn, na wɔn a wɔbɛtotɔ wɔ Awurade nsa ano bɛyɛ bebree.
[It is as though] [MET] Yahweh has a [big] sword, and he will judge and execute many people.
17 “Wɔn a wɔtew wɔn ho na wodwira wɔn ho de kɔ nturo mu, na wodi ɔbaako a ɔfra wɔn a wɔwe mprakonam ne akisi ne nneɛma a ɛyɛ akyiwade akyi no, wɔbɛbɔ mu ahu wɔn awiei,” sɛnea Awurade se ni.
Yahweh says, “Some of you people purify/bathe yourselves and [then] go to a garden to worship your gods. You eat the meat of pigs and lizards and mice, [and other things that I have forbidden you to eat]. So I will get rid of you [for doing that].
18 “Esiane wɔn nneyɛe ne wɔn nsusuwii nti, Me, mereba abɛboaboa amanaman ne ɔkasa ahorow ano, na wɔbɛba abehu mʼanuonyam.
I know [all] the [evil] things that you think and do. [It is now time] for me to gather together the people who live in all nations and who speak all languages, and to show them that I am very great.
19 “Na mɛyɛ nsɛnkyerɛnne bi wɔ wɔn mu, na mede nkae no mu bi bɛkɔ amanaman no mu: Tarsis, Libiafo ne Lidiafo (wɔn a wɔagye din wɔ agyantow mu), Tubal ne Helafo, ne asupɔw a ɛwɔ akyirikyiri a wɔntee me din a ahyeta na wonhuu mʼanuonyam no. Wɔbɛpae mu aka mʼanuonyam wɔ amanaman mu.
I will put a mark on them, and those whom I have spared will go to various [distant] countries: to Tarshish, Put, Lud, Meshech, Tubal, Javan, and to distant islands. I will send them to proclaim to nations that have never heard about me that I am very great and glorious.
20 Na wɔde mo nuabarimanom nyinaa befi amanaman nyinaa so bɛba me bepɔw kronkron a ɛwɔ Yerusalem no so sɛ, afɔrebɔde ama Awurade. Wɔtete apɔnkɔ so ne nteaseɛnam mu ne asako mu ne mfurumpɔnkɔ ne yoma so bɛba,” sɛɛ na Awurade se. “Wɔde wɔn bɛba sɛnea Israelfo de wɔn aduan afɔre kɔ Awurade asɔredan mu, wɔ afahyɛ nkuruwa a ho tew mu.
Then they will bring back here your relatives [who have been (exiled/forced to go to other countries)], to be like [SIM] an offering to me. They will come on horses, in chariots, on mules, and on camels. They will come to [Zion, ] my sacred hill in Jerusalem. That will be like [SIM] the offerings that [my] Israeli people used to bring in the correct manner to the temple.
21 Na meyi wɔn mu bi ayɛ asɔfo ne Lewifo,” Awurade, na ose!
[I solemnly promise that] I will appoint some of them to be priests, and others to do other work in my temple. [That will surely happen because I], Yahweh, have said it.
22 “Sɛnea ɔsorosoro foforo ne asase foforo bɛtena hɔ no, saa ara na mo din ne mo asefo bɛtena hɔ,” sɛnea Awurade se ni.
I [also] promise that just like the new heaven and the new earth will last forever, you will always have descendants, and you [MTY] will always be honored.
23 “Efi Ɔsram Foforo baako kɔpem foforo, efi Homeda baako kosi foforo no, adesamma nyinaa bɛba abɛkotow me,” sɛnea Awurade se ni.
At every festival to celebrate the Sabbath [each week] and the new moon [each month], everyone will [come and] worship me. [That will surely happen because] I, Yahweh, have said it.
24 “Na wobefi adi akohu wɔn a wɔtew atua tiaa me no afunu; wɔn asunson renwu, na wɔn gya nso rennum, na wɔn ho bɛyɛ adesamma nyinaa nwini.”
Then they will go out [of Jerusalem] and look at the corpses of those who rebelled against me. The maggots in those corpses will never die, the fire will never stop burning them, and everyone [who sees their corpses] will detest them.”
