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.

Now these are the words of the letter which Jeremiah the prophet sent to the residue of the elders of the captivity, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people, whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried away captive 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 the departure of Jeconiah the king, and the queen, and the eunuchs, and the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the artificers, and the smiths, 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:

by the hand of Elasah, the son of Shaphan, and 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 saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, to all the captives whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem to Babylon:

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

Build ye houses and dwell in them; and plant gardens and eat the fruit of them.

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 ye wives, and have sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and increase ye there, and be not diminished.

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 ye the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray for it to Jehovah, for in its peace shall be your 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 saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: Let not your prophets and your diviners, who are in the midst of you, deceive you, neither hearken to your dreams which ye cause to be dreamed.

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

For they prophesy falsely to you in my name; I have not sent them, saith Jehovah.

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 saith Jehovah: Surely, when seventy years shall be completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will perform for you my good promise, that I would bring you again 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 designs which I have in mind concerning you, designs of good and not of evil, to give you a happy end, and fulfill your hopes.

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

Then ye shall call upon me, and go in peace; ye shall pray to me, and I will hear you;

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

ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye search for me with all your 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, saith Jehovah, and I will bring you back from captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith Jehovah; and I will bring you again to the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive.

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

Since ye say, Jehovah hath raised us up prophets 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.

behold, thus saith Jehovah concerning the king that sitteth upon the throne of David, and concerning all the people that dwell in this city, your brethren that went not forth with you into captivity, —

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 saith Jehovah of hosts: Behold, I will send upon them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and I will make them like vile figs, which cannot be eaten for badness.

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 persecute them with the sword, and with famine, and with pestilence, and I will give them up to oppression in all kingdoms of the earth, to be a curse, and an astonishment, and a hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations whither I drive them;

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.

because they have not hearkened to my words, saith Jehovah, when I sent to them my servants, the prophets, rising early and sending them; but ye would not hear, saith Jehovah.

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

Hear ye, therefore, the word of Jehovah, all ye of the captivity, whom I have sent from Jerusalem to 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 saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab, the son of Kolaiah, and concerning Zedekiah, the son of Maaseiah, who prophesy a lie to you in my name: Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and he shall slay them 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 from them shall be taken a curse among all the captives of Judah that are at Babylon, so that they shall say, “Jehovah make thee like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted 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.

because they have practised villany in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbors' wives, and have spoken lying words in my name, which I commanded them not. But I know it, and am a witness, saith Jehovah.

24 Ka kyerɛ Nehelamni Semaia se,

And to Shemaiah, the Nehelamite, shalt thou 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 saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: Because thou hast sent letters in thy name to all the people that are at 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.

Jehovah hath made thee priest in the room of Jehoiada the priest, that there should be officers in the house of Jehovah against every one that is mad and prophesieth, and that thou shouldst put him into the stocks, and into prison;

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

now, therefore, why hast thou not reproved Jeremiah of Anathoth, who prophesieth 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 he hath sent to us at Babylon, saying, This captivity is long. Build ye houses and dwell in them, and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them.

29 Ɔsɔfo Sefania kenkan krataa no kyerɛɛ odiyifo Yeremia.

And Zephaniah the priest read this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet.

30 Na Awurade asɛm baa Yeremia nkyɛn se,

Then came the word of Jehovah 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 captivity, saying, Thus saith Jehovah concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because Shemaiah the prophet hath prophesied to you, and I sent him not, and he hath 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.

therefore thus saith Jehovah: Behold, I will punish Shemaiah, the Nehelamite, and his offspring. There shall descend from him not a man to dwell among this people, and he shall not behold the good which I will do for my people, saith Jehovah; for he hath spoken rebellion against Jehovah.