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 to the residue of the elders of the captivity, and to the priests, 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 Jeconiah the king, the queen mother, the eunuchs, the princes of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the smiths 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:

by the hand of Elasah the son of Shaphan and Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, (whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon). It said:

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

Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, says to all the captives whom I have caused to be carried away captive from Jerusalem to Babylon:

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

“Build houses and dwell in them. Plant gardens and eat 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 father sons and daughters. Take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, that they may bear sons and daughters. Multiply there, and don’t be 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.”

Seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captive, and pray to Yahweh for it; for in its peace you will 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 Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel says: “Don’t let your prophets who are among you and your diviners deceive you. Don’t listen to your dreams which you 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,” says Yahweh.

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 Yahweh says, “After seventy years are 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,” says Yahweh, “thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope and a future.

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

You shall call on me, and you shall go and pray to me, and I will listen to you.

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

You shall seek me and find me, when you 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.”

I will be found by you,” says Yahweh, “and I will turn again your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places where I have driven you,” says Yahweh. “I will bring you again to the place from where I caused you to be carried away captive.”

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

Because you have said, “Yahweh has 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.

Yahweh says concerning the king who sits on David’s throne, and concerning all the people who dwell in this city, your brothers who haven’t gone 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.

Yahweh of Armies says: “Behold, I will send on them the sword, the famine, and the pestilence, and will make them like rotten figs that can’t 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.

I will pursue after them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be tossed back and forth among all the kingdoms of the earth, to be an object of horror, an astonishment, a hissing, and a reproach among all the nations where 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 listened to my words,” says Yahweh, “with which I sent to them my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them; but you would not hear,” says Yahweh.

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

Hear therefore Yahweh’s word, all you captives 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.

Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, says 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 will kill 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.’

A curse will be taken up about them by all the captives of Judah who are in Babylon, saying, ‘Yahweh make you 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 done foolish things in Israel, and have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and have spoken words in my name falsely, which I didn’t command them. I am he who knows, and am witness,” says Yahweh.

24 Ka kyerɛ Nehelamni Semaia se,

Concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite you shall 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,

“Yahweh of Armies, the God of Israel, says, ‘Because you have sent letters in your own name to all the people who 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.

“Yahweh has made you priest in the place of Jehoiada the priest, that there may be officers in Yahweh’s house, for every man who is crazy and makes himself a prophet, that you should 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 have you not rebuked Jeremiah of Anathoth, who makes 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.’”

because he has sent to us in Babylon, saying, The captivity is long. Build houses, and dwell in them. Plant gardens, and eat their fruit?”’”

29 Ɔsɔfo Sefania kenkan krataa no kyerɛɛ odiyifo Yeremia.

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

30 Na Awurade asɛm baa Yeremia nkyɛn se,

Then Yahweh’s word 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 of the captives, saying, ‘Yahweh says concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: “Because Shemaiah has prophesied to you, and I didn’t send him, and 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.

therefore Yahweh says, “Behold, I will punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his offspring. He will not have a man to dwell among this people. He won’t see the good that I will do to my people,” says Yahweh, “because he has spoken rebellion against Yahweh.”’”