Yeremia 16

1 Afei Awurade asɛm baa me nkyɛn se:

Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

2 “Ɛnsɛ sɛ woware na wowo mmabarima anaa mmabea wɔ ha.”

“Do not take a wife for yourself, and do not have sons or daughters for yourself in this place.

3 Sɛɛ na Awurade ka fa mmabarima ne mmabea a wɔwo wɔn asase yi so; mmea a wɔyɛ wɔn nanom ne mmarima a wɔyɛ wɔn agyanom no ho:

For Yahweh says this to the sons and daughters who are born in this place, to the mothers who bear them, and to the fathers who caused them to be born in this land,

4 “Owuyare bekunkum wɔn. Wɔrensu wɔn na wɔrensie wɔn, mmom wɔbɛyɛ sɛ sumina a egugu fam. Wɔbɛtotɔ afoa ano na ɔkɔm bekunkum wɔn na wɔn afunu bɛyɛ aduan ama wim nnomaa ne asase so mmoa.”

'They will die diseased deaths. They will not be mourned or buried. They will be like dung on the ground. For they will come to an end by sword and famine, and their corpses will be food for the birds of the skies and the beasts of the earth.'

5 “Nhyɛn ofi a ayiyɛ aponto wo mu; nkosu wɔn abia, na mma wɔn hyɛden, efisɛ mayi me nhyira, me dɔ ne mʼahummɔbɔ afi saa nnipa yi so,” Awurade na ose.

For the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 'Do not enter a house where there is mourning. Do not go to mourn or to show sympathy for them, for I have taken away my peace from this people—this is Yahweh's declaration—and my steadfast love and mercy.

6 Atitiriw ne mpapahwekwa bewuwu wɔ asase yi so. Wɔrensie wɔn na wɔrensu wɔn na obiara remmɔ ne ho kam, na ɔrenyi ne ti wɔ wɔn nti.

Both the great and the small will die in this land. They will not be buried, and no one will mourn for them or cut themselves or shave their heads for them.

7 Obiara remma wɔn a wodi awufo no ho awerɛhow no aduan mfa nkyekye wɔn werɛ, owufo no agya anaa ne na mpo, obiara remma wɔn nsa mfa nkyekye wɔn werɛ.

No one must share any food in mourning to comfort them because of the deaths, and none must give a comforting cup to his father or his mother in order to comfort them.

8 “Na nhyɛn ofi a aponto kɔ so wɔ mu nkɔtena ase, nnidi na nnom.

You must not go to a banquet house to sit with them in order to eat or drink.'

9 Na sɛɛ na Awurade Tumfo, Israel Nyankopɔn no se: Wo nkwanna mu a wʼani tua no, mede ahosɛpɛw ne anigye nnyigyei, ayeforokunu ne ayeforo ahosɛpɛw nne a ɛwɔ ha no bɛba awiei.

For Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this, 'See, before your eyes, in your days and in this place, I am about to put an end to the sound of joy and the sound of gladness, the sound of the groom and the sound of the bride.'

10 “Sɛ woka eyinom nyinaa kyerɛ saa nnipa yi na wobisa wo se, ‘Adɛn nti na Awurade abɔ atoyerɛnkyɛm a ɛyɛ hu sɛɛ atia yɛn? Dɛn mfomso na yɛayɛ? Bɔne bɛn na yɛayɛ atia Awurade, yɛn Nyankopɔn’ a,

Then it will happen that you will report all these words to this people, and they will say to you, 'Why has Yahweh decreed all this great disaster against us? What is our iniquity and sin that we sinned against Yahweh our God?'

11 ɛno de ka kyerɛ wɔn se, ‘Efisɛ mo agyanom gyaw me hɔ kodii anyame foforo akyi, kɔsom wɔn sɔree wɔn, Awurade asɛm ni. Wogyaw me na wɔanni me mmara so.

So say to them, 'Because your ancestors abandoned me—this is Yahweh's declaration—and they went after other gods and worshiped and bowed down to them. They abandoned me and have not kept my law.

12 Na mo de, moayɛ amumɔyɛsɛm asen mo agyanom. Monhwɛ sɛnea mo mu biara di ne koma bɔne asoɔden akyi wɔ bere a anka ɛsɛ sɛ ɔyɛ osetie ma me.

But you yourselves have brought about more wickedness than your ancestors, for see, each person is walking by the stubbornness of his wicked heart; there is no one who listens to me.

13 Ɛno nti, metu mo afi saa asase yi so de mo akɔ asase a, mo anaasɛ mo agyanom nnim so, na mobɛsom anyame foforo wɔ hɔ awia ne anadwo, na merenhu mo mmɔbɔ.’

So I will throw you from this land to a land that you have not known, neither you nor your ancestors, and you will worship other gods there by day and night, for I will not give any favor to you.'

14 “Nanso nna no reba,” Awurade na ose, “a nnipa renka bio se, ‘Sɛ Awurade te ase yi, nea oyii Israelfo fii Misraim,’

Therefore, behold, the days are coming—this is Yahweh's declaration—when it will no longer be said, 'As Yahweh lives, the one who brought up the people of Israel from the land of Egypt.'

15 mmom, wɔbɛka se, ‘Sɛ Awurade te ase yi nea oyii Israelfo fii atifi fam asase ne aman a otuu wɔn kɔɔ so nyinaa.’ Efisɛ mɛsan de wɔn aba asase a mede maa wɔn tete agyanom no no so.

but, 'As Yahweh lives, the one who brought up the people of Israel from the land of the north and from the lands where he had scattered them.' For I will bring them back to the land that I gave to their ancestors.

16 “Na mprempren, mɛsoma apopofo bebree a wɔbɛkyere wɔn.” Awurade na ose. “Ɛno akyi, mɛsoma akɔfa abɔmmɔfo bebree a wɔbɛtaataa wɔn wɔ mmepɔw ne nkoko nyinaa so ne abotan atokuru mu.

Behold! I will send for many fishermen—this is Yahweh's declaration—so they will fish the people out. After this I will send for many hunters so they will hunt for them among all the mountains and hills, and in rock crevices.

17 Mʼani tua wɔn akwan nyinaa; enhintaw me, na wɔn bɔne nso nhintaw wɔ mʼani so.

For my eye is on all their ways; they cannot be hidden from before me. Their iniquity cannot be concealed from before my eyes.

18 Metua wɔn amumɔyɛ ne wɔn bɔne so ka mprenu, efisɛ wɔde aniwude nsɛsode a enni nkwa ne wɔn ahoni a ɛyɛ akyiwade abɛhyɛ mʼagyapade so ma de agu mʼasase ho fi.”

I will first pay back double for their iniquity and sin for their polluting of my land with their disgusting idol figures, and for their filling my inheritance with their disgusting idols.”

19 Awurade, mʼahoɔden ne mʼabandennen, mʼahohia mu guankɔbea, wo nkyɛn na amanaman no bɛba; wobefi nsase ano aka se, “Yɛn agyanom annya biribiara sɛ anyame huhuw, ahoni a wɔn so nni mfaso na wɔammoa wɔn.

Yahweh, you are my stronghold and my refuge, my place of safety in the day of distress. The nations will go to you from the ends of the earth and say, “Surely our ancestors inherited deceit. They are empty; there is no profit in them.

20 Nnipa yɛ wɔn ankasa anyame ana? Yiw, nanso wɔnyɛ nokware anyame!”

Do people make gods for themselves? But they are not gods.”

21 “Ɛno nti mɛkyerɛkyerɛ wɔn, saa bere yi nea mɛkyerɛ wɔn, me tumi ne mʼahoɔden. Afei wobehu sɛ me din ne Awurade.

Therefore see! I will cause them to know in this time, I will cause them to know my hand and my power, so they will know that Yahweh is my name.