Yesaia 9
1 Nanso wɔn a na wɔwɔ ahohiahia mu no renni awerɛhow bio. Kan no ɔbrɛɛ Sebulon ne Naftali nsase no ase, nanso daakye bi ɔbɛhyɛ Galilea a ɛyɛ amanamanmufo man na ne kwan da Yordan ne po ntam no anuonyam.
However, those in Judah who have been distressed/worried will not [continue to] suffer. Previously, Yahweh humbled [the people in] the land [where the tribes of] Zebulun and Naphtali [live]. But in the future he will honor [the people who live in] that Galilee region, along the road between the Jordan [River] and the [Mediterranean] Sea, where [many] foreigners live.
2 Nnipa a wɔnam sum mu ahu Hann kɛse; wɔn a wɔte asase a so sum kabii no, hann bi apue wɔn so.
[Some day, it will be as though] [MET] the people who walked in darkness will see a great light. A [great] light will shine on those who live in a land where they have great troubles/distress.
3 Woatrɛw ɔman no mu woama wɔn ani agye mmoroso wodi ahurusi wɔ wʼanim sɛnea nnipa di ahurusi otwabere, sɛnea nnipa ho sɛpɛw wɔn wɔ bere a wɔrekyɛ asade no.
[Yahweh], you will cause us people in Israel to rejoice; we will become very happy. We will rejoice about what you [have done] like [SIM] people rejoice when they harvest their crops, [or] like soldiers rejoice when they divide up among themselves the things that they have captured in a battle.
4 Te sɛ da a Midian dii nkogu no, woadwerɛw konnua a ɛda wɔn so no, abaa a ɛda wɔn mmati, wɔn nhyɛsofo pema.
You will cause us to no longer be slaves [MET] [of those who captured us]; you will lift the heavy burdens from our shoulders. [It will be as though] you will break the rods of those who oppressed us, like you did when you destroyed [the army of] the Midian people-group.
5 Ɔkofo mpaboa a wɔhyɛ de kɔ sa ne atade biara a mogya akeka mu, wobegyaw agu hɔ na wɔahyew; ɛbɛyɛ nea ɛma ogya dɛw.
The boots that the enemy soldiers have worn and their clothing which has stains of blood on them will all be burned up; they will only be fuel for a [big] fire.
6 Na wɔawo akokoaa ama yɛn, wɔama yɛn ɔbabarima, na amammui no bɛda ne mmati so. Na wɔbɛfrɛ no Ɔfotufo Nwonwani, Otumfo Nyankopɔn, Daa Agya, Asomdwoe Wura.
Another reason that we will rejoice is that a [special] child will be born for us; [a woman will give birth to] a son, who will be our ruler. And his names will be ‘Wonderful Counselor’, ‘Mighty/Powerful God’, ‘[Our] Everlasting Father’, and ‘Prince/Ruler [who enables us to have] Peace’.
7 Nʼamammui no nkɔso ne Nʼasomdwoe bɛtena hɔ daa. Ɔbɛtena Dawid ahengua so abu Nʼahenni, Ɔde atɛntrenee ne treneeyɛ befi ase na wama atim afi saa bere no akosi daa apem. Asafo Awurade mmɔdemmɔ bɛyɛ eyi.
His rule, and the peace that he [brings/causes], will never end. He will rule [MTY] fairly and justly [DOU], like [his ancestor King] David did. This will happen because the Commander of the armies of angels greatly desires that it happen.
8 Awurade ama Yakob nkra a etia no, na ɛbɛka Israel.
The Lord has warned the people of Israel, the descendants of Jacob; he has said that [he will punish] them.
9 Nnipa no nyinaa behu, Efraim ne wɔn a wɔtete Samaria a wɔde ahohoahoa ne ahomaso koma kasa no,
And all the people in Samaria and [other places in] Israel know that, [but] they are very proud and arrogant [DOU]. They say, “Our city has been destroyed, but we will [take away the broken bricks from the ruins] [and] replace them with carefully cut stones. Our sycamore-fig trees have been cut down [by our enemies], but we will plant cedar trees [in their place].”
10 “Ntayaa no abubu agu fam nanso yɛde abo a wɔatwa bɛto bio. Wɔabubu borɔdɔma nnua no nanso yɛde sida besi anan mu.”
11 Nanso Awurade ahyɛ Resin atamfo den atia wɔn, na ɔhyɛ wɔn atamfo no nkuran.
But Yahweh brought the armies of [Assyria], the enemies of King Rezin [of Syria, to fight] against Israel and incited [other] nations [to attack Israel].
12 Aramfo a wofi apuei fam, Filistifo a wofi atɔe fam, abue wɔn anom amene Israel. Nanso eyinom nyinaa akyi no ne bo nnwoo ɛ, na ne nsa da so wɔ soro.
[The army of] Syria [came] from the east, and [the army of] Philistia [came] from the west, and they destroyed Israel [like a wild animal tears another animal apart and] [MET] devours it. But even after that happened, Yahweh was still very angry with them. He was ready to strike them with his fist again.
13 Nanso nnipa no nsan nkɔɔ nea ɔtwee wɔn aso no nkyɛn, na wɔnhwehwɛɛ Asafo Awurade no akyi kwan nso.
[But even though] Yahweh punished his people [like that], they [still] did not return to him [and worship him]. They [still] did not request the Commander of the armies of angels [to assist them].
14 Enti Awurade betwa eti ne dua afi Israel ho na berɛw ne demmire nso, ɔde da koro pɛ;
Therefore, in one day Yahweh will get rid of [those who are like] Israel’s head and [those who are like] its tail; the [ones who are like] the top of the palm tree and the [ones who are like] the bottom.
15 mpanyimfo ne akunini no ne eti no, na atoro adiyifo no ne dua no.
The leaders [DOU] of Israel are the head, and the prophets who tell lies are the tail.
16 Wɔn a wɔkyerɛ nnipa yi kwan no, nkyerɛ wɔn ɔkwan pa, na wɔn a wonya akwankyerɛ no nso, fom kwan.
The leaders of the people have misled them; they have caused the people that they are ruling to be confused.
17 Enti Awurade ani rennye mmerante no ho, na ɔrenhu ayisaa ne akunafo mmɔbɔ efisɛ, obiara nni nyamesu na wɔyɛ amumɔyɛfo, ano biara ka ahuhusɛm. Nanso eyinom nyinaa akyi no ne bo nnwoo ɛ, na ne nsa da so wɔ soro.
For that reason, Yahweh is not pleased with the young men [of Israel], and he does not [even] act mercifully toward the widows and orphans, because they are all ungodly and wicked, and they all say things that are foolish. [But] Yahweh still is angry with them; he is ready to strike them with his fist again.
18 Nokware, atirimɔden hye te sɛ ogya; ɛhyew nnɛnkyɛnse ne nsɔe, ɛde ogya to kwaeberentuw mu hyew no, na ɛnam wusiw kumɔnn mu foro kɔ soro.
When people do wicked things, it is like [SIM] a brushfire [that spreads rapidly]. It burns up [not only] briers and thorns; it starts a big fire in the forests from which clouds of smoke will rise.
19 Ɛnam Asafo Awurade abufuw so, asase no bɛkyen na nnipa bɛyɛ mmabaa ama ogya no; na obiara remfa ne nua ho nkyɛ no.
[It is as though] the [whole] land is burned [black] because the Commander of the armies of angels is extremely angry with the Israeli people. They will become like [SIM] fuel for that great fire, and no one will try to rescue even his [own] brother [from that fire].
20 Nifa so, wɔbɛfom aduan adi, nanso ɔkɔm bɛde wɔn; benkum so wobedidi, nanso wɔremmee. Obiara bɛwe ne ba nam.
Israeli people will attack their neighbors on the right [to get food from them], but they will still be hungry. They will [kill those who live in houses] on the left and eat their flesh, but their stomachs will still not be full.
21 Manase bɛdan Efraim na Efraim adan Manase na wɔbɛbɔ mu atia Yuda. Nanso eyinom nyinaa akyi no ne bo nnwoo ɛ, na ne nsa da so wɔ soro.
[People of the tribes of] Manasseh and Ephraim will attack each other, and [then] they will both attack the people of Judah. But even after that happens, Yahweh will still be very angry with them. He will be ready to strike them with his fist again.
