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 that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem unto 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 that Jeconiah the king, and the queen-mother, and the eunuchs, [and] the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, and the craftsmen, and the smiths, were 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:

by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan, and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, (whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent unto Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar 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 the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, unto all the captivity, whom I have caused to be carried away captive from Jerusalem unto 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 beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters; and multiply 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 the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray unto the LORD for it: for in the peace thereof shall ye have 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 the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: Let not your prophets that be in the midst of you, and your diviners, deceive you, neither hearken ye 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 unto you in my name: I have not sent them, saith 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 saith the LORD, After seventy years be accomplished for Babylon, I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return 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 toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope in your latter end.

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

And ye shall call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.

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

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

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

For ye have said, The LORD 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.

for thus saith the LORD concerning the king that sitteth upon the throne of David, and concerning all the people that dwell in this city, your brethren that are not gone 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 the LORD of hosts: Behold, I will send upon them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like vile figs, that cannot be eaten, they are so 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 after them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be tossed to and fro among all the kingdoms of the earth, to be an execration, and an astonishment, and an hissing, and a reproach, among all the nations whither I have driven 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 the LORD, wherewith I sent unto them my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; but ye would not hear, saith the LORD.

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

Hear ye therefore the word of the LORD, all ye of the captivity, whom I have sent away 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 the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and concerning Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah, which prophesy a lie unto you in my name: Behold, I will deliver them into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar 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 of them shall be taken up a curse by all the captives of Judah which are in Babylon, saying, The LORD make thee like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king 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 wrought folly in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbours’ wives, and have spoken words in my name falsely, which I commanded them not; and I am he that knoweth, and am witness, saith the LORD.

24 Ka kyerɛ Nehelamni Semaia se,

And concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite thou shalt speak, saying,

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 speaketh the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying, Because thou hast sent letters in thine own name unto 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.

The LORD hath made thee priest in the stead of Jehoiada the priest, that ye should be officers in the house of the LORD, for every man that is mad, and maketh himself a prophet, that thou shouldest put him in the stocks and in shackles.

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 rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth, which maketh himself a prophet 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.’”

forasmuch as he hath sent unto us in Babylon, saying, [The 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 the LORD unto 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 them of the captivity, saying, Thus saith the LORD concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because that Shemaiah hath prophesied unto 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 the LORD, Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite, and his seed; he shall not have a man to dwell among this people, neither shall he behold the good that I will do unto my people, saith the LORD: because he hath spoken rebellion against the LORD.