Yeremia 29

1 Eyi ne krataa mu nsɛm a odiyifo Yeremia kyerɛw fii Yerusalem kɔmaa nnommum no mu mpanyimfo nkae, asɔfo, adiyifo ne nnipa a wɔaka nyinaa a Nebukadnessar afa wɔn afi Yerusalem akɔ Babilonia no.

And these are the words of the letter which Jeremiah, the prophet, sent from Jerusalem to the remnant of the elders of the transmigration, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had led away from Jerusalem to Babylon,

2 (Eyi yɛ bere a ɔhene Yehoiakyin ne ɔhemmea no, asennii adwumayɛfo, Yuda ne Yerusalem ntuanofo, adwumfo ahorow nyinaa afi Yerusalem akɔ nnommum mu no akyi.)

after king Jeconiah, with the queen, and the eunuchs, and the leaders of Judah and of Jerusalem, and the craftsmen and engravers, had departed from Jerusalem.

3 Ɔde krataa no hyɛɛ Safan babarima Elasa ne Hilkia babarima Gemaria nsa, wɔn na Yudahene Sedekia somaa wɔn kɔɔ Ɔhene Nebukadnessar nkyɛn wɔ Babilonia no. Krataa no mu nsɛm ni:

It was sent by the hand of Elasah, the son of Shaphan, and by Gemariah, the son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah, the king of Judah, sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, saying:

4 Nea Asafo Awurade, Israel Nyankopɔn, ka kyerɛ wɔn a mema wɔfaa wɔn nnommum fi Yerusalem kɔɔ Babilonia no nyinaa ni:

“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to all who have been taken away, whom I have caused to be transferred from Jerusalem to Babylon:

5 “Munsisi afi, na momfa mmɔ atenase; monyɛ nturo na munni mu aba.

Build houses and live in them. And plant gardens, and eat from their fruit.

6 Monwareware, na monwowo mmabarima ne mmabea. Monhwehwɛ yerenom mma mo mmabarima na momfa mo mmabea nso mma aware, na wɔn nso nwowo mmabarima ne mmabea. Monnɔ wɔ hɔ na mo so antew.

Take wives, and conceive sons and daughters. And give wives to your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, and let them bear sons and daughters. And be multiplied there, and do not choose to be few in number.

7 Afei, monhwehwɛ kuropɔn a mema wotuu mo kɔtenaa so no asomdwoe ne yiyedi. Mommɔ Awurade mpae mma no, efisɛ ne yiyedi mu na mo nso mubedi yiye.”

And seek the peace of the city, to which I have caused you to be taken away, and pray to the Lord on its behalf. For your peace will be in its peace.

8 Yiw, sɛɛ na Asafo Awurade, Israel Nyankopɔn se: “Mommma adiyifo ne nkɔmhyɛfo a wɔwɔ mo mu no nnaadaa mo. Munntie wɔn adae a mohyɛ wɔn nkuran ma wɔsoso no.

For thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Do not allow your prophets and your diviners, who are in your midst, to seduce you. And you should pay no attention to your dreams, which you are dreaming.

9 Wɔhyɛ atoro nkɔm wɔ me din mu. Mensomaa wɔn,” Awurade na ose.

For they prophesy falsely to you in my name, and I have not sent them, says the Lord.

10 Nea Awurade se ni: “Sɛ mosom Babilonia mfe aduɔson a, mɛba abɛhwɛ mo na mɛma mʼadom mu bɔhyɛ sɛ mede mo bɛba ha bio no aba mu.

For thus says the Lord: When the seventy years will begin to be completed in Babylon, I will visit you. And I will raise up over you my good word, so that I may lead you back to this place.

11 Minim nhyehyɛe a mewɔ ma mo,” Awurade na ose, “Nhyehyɛe a ɛde mo besi yiye na ɛrenhaw mo, nhyehyɛe a ɛbɛma mo anidaso ne awiei pa.

For I know the thoughts that I think over you, says the Lord: thoughts of peace and not of affliction, so that I may give you patience and an end.

12 Afei mobɛfrɛ me na moaba abɛbɔ me mpae, na metie mo.

And you shall call upon me, and you shall go forth. And you shall pray to me, and I will heed you.

13 Mobɛhwehwɛ me na mubehu me, sɛ mode mo koma nyinaa hwehwɛ me a.

You shall seek me. And you will find me, when you have sought me with your whole heart.

14 Mubehu me,” Awurade na ose, “na meyi mo afi nkoasom mu de mo asan aba. Mɛboaboa mo ano afi amanaman ne mu ne faako a mepam mo kɔɔ no nyinaa,” Awurade na ose, “na mede mo bɛsan aba faako a mituu mo fi kɔɔ nnommum mu no bio.”

And I will be found by you, says the Lord. And I will lead you back from your captivity. And I will gather you from all the nations and all the places, to which I have expelled you, says the Lord. And I will return you from the place to which I sent you into captivity.

15 Mobɛka se, “Awurade ama yɛn adiyifo wɔ Babilonia,”

For you have said: ‘The Lord has raised up prophets for us in Babylon.’

16 nanso, sɛɛ na Awurade ka fa ɔhene a ɔte Dawid ahengua so ne nnipa a wɔaka wɔ kuropɔn no mu nyinaa, mo manfo a wɔne mo ankɔ nnommum mu no.

For thus says the Lord, to the king who sits upon the throne of David, and to all the people who live in this city, to your brothers who have not departed with you in the transmigration:

17 Yiw, nea Asafo Awurade se ni: “Mɛma afoa, ɔkɔm ne ɔyaredɔm aba wɔn so, na wɔayɛ sɛ borɔdɔma a asɛe enti wontumi nni.

Thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will send among them the sword, and famine, and pestilence. And I will make them like the bad figs, which cannot be eaten, because they are very bad.

18 Mede afoa, ɔkɔm ne ɔyaredɔm betiw wɔn, na mɛyɛ wɔn atantanne ama ahenni a ɛwɔ asase no so nyinaa, ne nnome ne ahodwiriwde, fɛwdi ne animtiaabude wɔ amanaman a mepam wɔn kɔɔ so no mu.

And I will pursue them with the sword, and with famine, and with pestilence. And I will give them over to affliction, amid all the kingdoms of the earth: as a curse, and in stupor, and with hissing, and as a disgrace among all the nations to which I have driven them out.

19 Efisɛ, wɔantie me nsɛm,” sɛɛ na Awurade se, “nsɛm a mede somaa mʼasomfo adiyifo mpɛn bebree baa mo nkyɛn. Na mo nnommum nso antie,” Awurade na ose.

For they have not listened to my words, says the Lord, which I sent to them through my servants, the prophets, rising while it was still night, and sending. But you have not listened, says the Lord.

20 Afei muntie Awurade asɛm, mo nnommum a mama mo afi Yerusalem akɔ Babilonia no nyinaa.

Therefore, listen to the word of the Lord, all you of the transmigration, whom I have sent away from Jerusalem into Babylon.

21 Sɛɛ na Asafo Awurade, Israel Nyankopɔn ka fa Kolaia babarima Ahab ne Maaseia babarima Sedekia a wɔde me din rehyɛ mo atoro nkɔm no ho ni: “Mede wɔn bɛhyɛ Babiloniahene Nebukadnessar nsa, na wakum wɔn wɔ mo anim.

Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, to Ahab, the son of Kolaiah, and to Zedekiah, the son of Maaseiah, who prophesy falsely to you in my name: Behold, I will deliver them into the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, and he will strike them down before your eyes.

22 Esiane wɔn nti, Yuda nnommum a wɔwɔ Babilonia nyinaa de saa nnome yi bɛdome sɛ: ‘Awurade nyɛ wo sɛ, Sedekia ne Ahab a Babiloniahene hyew wɔn wɔ ogya mu no.’

And a curse will be taken up about them, by all the captives of Judah that are in Babylon, saying: ‘May the Lord make you like Zedekiah, and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon fried in the fire!’

23 Na wɔayɛ akyiwade a ɛboro so wɔ Israel: wɔne wɔn yɔnkonom yerenom adeda de asɛe aware, na wɔde me din adi atoro a menka nkyerɛɛ wɔn sɛ wɔnyɛ. Minim na midi ho adanse,” Awurade na ose.

For they have acted foolishly in Israel, and they have committed adultery with the wives of their friends, and they have spoken lying words in my name, which I did not command them. I am the Judge and the Witness, says the Lord.

24 Ka kyerɛ Nehelamni Semaia se,

And to Shemaiah of Nehelam, you shall say:

25 “Nea Asafo Awurade, Israel Nyankopɔn se ni: Wokyerɛw krataa wɔ wo din mu kɔmaa nnipa a wɔwɔ Yerusalem nyinaa, ɔsɔfo Maaseia babarima Sefania, ne asɔfo a aka no nyinaa. Woka kyerɛɛ Sefania se,

Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Similarly, you have sent letters in your name to all the people that are in Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah, the son of Maaseiah, the priest, and to all the priests, saying:

26 ‘Awurade ahyɛ wo sɔfo asi Yehoiada anan mu se hwɛ Awurade fi no so; Ɛsɛ sɛ wode nkɔnsɔnkɔnsɔn ne dade konnua gu obiara a wabɔ dam na ɔyɛ ne ho sɛ odiyifo no.

‘The Lord has made you priest in place of Jehoiada, the priest, so that you would be the ruler in the house of the Lord over every man who raves and prophesies, to send him to the stocks and to prison.

27 Afei adɛn nti na wonka Yeremia a ofi Anatot a ɔyɛ ne ho sɛ odiyifo wɔ mo mu no anim?

And now why have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth, who prophesies to you?

28 Ɔde saa nkra yi abrɛ yɛn wɔ Babilonia: Ɛbɛkyɛ. Ɛno nti munsisi afi mfa nyɛ atenae; monyɛ nturo na munni mu aba.’”

For about this, he has sent to us in Babylon, saying: It is a long time. Build houses and live in them. And plant gardens, and eat from their fruits.’”

29 Ɔsɔfo Sefania kenkan krataa no kyerɛɛ odiyifo Yeremia.

Thus, Zephaniah, the priest, read this letter, in the hearing of Jeremiah the prophet.

30 Na Awurade asɛm baa Yeremia nkyɛn se,

And the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah, saying:

31 “Fa saa nkra yi kɔma nnommum no nyinaa se, ‘Eyi ne nea Awurade ka fa Nehelamni Semaia ho: Esiane sɛ wahyɛ mo nkɔm a mpo mansoma no, na wama moagye atoro adi nti,

“Send to all those of the transmigration, saying: Thus says the Lord to Shemaiah of Nehelam: Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, though I did not send him, and because he has caused you to trust in a lie:

32 nea Awurade se ni: Nokware, mɛtwe Nehelamni Semaia ne nʼasefo aso. Ɔrennya obiara a ɔbɛka wɔ saa nkurɔfo yi mu, na ɔrenhu nneɛma pa a mɛyɛ ama me nkurɔfo, efisɛ waka atuatew nsɛm atia me,’” Awurade na ose.

For this reason, thus says the Lord: Behold, I will visit upon Shemaiah of Nehelam, and upon his offspring. There will not be, for him, even one man sitting in the midst of this people. And he will not see the good that I will accomplish for my people, says the Lord. For he has spoken a betrayal against the Lord.”