Yeremia 40
1 Ɔsahene Nebusaradan a otua ɔhene awɛmfo ano no gyaa Yeremia wɔ Rama akyi no, asɛm no fi Awurade nkyɛn baa Yeremia hɔ. Ohuu sɛ wɔagu Yeremia nkɔnsɔnkɔnsɔn wɔ nnommum a wofi Yerusalem ne Yuda a na wɔde wɔn rekɔ Babilonia no mu.
[The soldiers from Babylonia] captured me and many other people from Jerusalem and [other places in] Judah. They [planned to] take us to Babylon. So they fastened chains around our wrists and took us to Ramah [town north of Jerusalem]. While we were there, I was released. [This is how it happened]:
2 Bere a ɔsahene a otua awɛmfo no ano no huu Yeremia no, ɔka kyerɛɛ no se, “Awurade, wo Nyankopɔn, na ɔhyɛɛ saa amanehunu yi maa beae yi.
[Nebuzaradan, ] the captain of the [king’s] bodyguards, [found that I was there]. He summoned me and said to me, “Yahweh your God said that he would cause this land to experience a disaster.
3 Na afei, Awurade ama aba mu, wayɛ sɛnea ɔkaa se ɔbɛyɛ no. Eyinom nyinaa baa mu, efisɛ mo saa nnipa yi yɛɛ bɔne tiaa Awurade na moanyɛ osetie amma no.
And now he has caused it to happen. He has done just what he said [that he would do], because you people sinned against Yahweh and refused to obey him.
4 Nanso nnɛ mereyi wo afi nkɔnsɔnkɔnsɔn a egu wo nsa no mu. Sɛ wopɛ a, ma yɛnkɔ Babilonia na mɛhwɛ wo so, nanso sɛ wompɛ de a, mma. Hwɛ ɔman no nyinaa na ɛda wʼanim no, kɔ baabiara a wopɛ.”
But today I am going to take the chains off your wrists and release you. If you want to come with me to Babylon, [that will be fine]. I will take care of you. But if you do not want to come with me, do not come. [Stay here]. Look, the entire country is available; you can choose whatever part you want to go to. You can go wherever you wish.” [Then he took the chains off my wrists].
5 Na ansa na Yeremia bɛdan ne ho akɔ no, Nebusaradan ka kaa ho se, “San kɔ Ahikam babarima Gedalia a, ɔyɛ Safan nena, a Babiloniahene apa no sɛ ɔnhwɛ Yuda nkurow so no nkyɛn na wo ne no nkɔtena wɔ nnipa no mu, anaasɛ kɔ baabi foforo biara a wopɛ.” Na ɔsahene no maa Yeremia aduan ne akyɛde, na ɔmaa no kɔe.
He said, “If you [decide to] stay here, go to Gedaliah. The King of Babylon appointed him to be the governor of Judah. [You will be allowed to] stay here with the people [that he is governing]. But you can do whatever you want to.” Then Nebuzaradan gave me some food and some money, and he allowed me to go.
6 Enti Yeremia kɔɔ Ahikam babarima Gedalia nkyɛn wɔ Mispa, na ɔne no tenaa nnipa a wɔkaa wɔ asase no so no mu.
I returned to Gedaliah at Mizpah, and I stayed in Judah with the people who still remained in the land.
7 Bere a asraafo mpanyimfo no nyinaa ne wɔn mmarima a wɔda so wɔ wuram no tee sɛ, Babiloniahene ayɛ Ahikam babarima Gedalia amrado wɔ asase no so, na ɔde mmarima, mmea ne mmofra a wɔyɛ ahiafo wɔ asase no so, na wɔamfa wɔn ankɔ nnommum mu wɔ Babilonia ahyɛ ne nsa no,
The [Israeli] soldiers [who had not surrendered to the army of Babylonia] were roaming around in the countryside. Then their leaders heard someone say that the King of Babylon had appointed Gedaliah to be the governor of the very poor people [who were still in Judah], who had not been taken to Babylon.
8 wɔbaa Gedalia hɔ wɔ Mispa: Netania babarima Ismael, Karea mmabarima Yohanan ne Yonatan, Tanhumet babarima Seraia, Efai a ofi Netofa mmabarima, Yesania a ɔyɛ Maakatni babarima ne wɔn mmarima.
So they went [to talk] to Gedaliah at Mizpah. [Those who went included] Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan and Jonathan the sons of Kareah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth, the sons of Ephai from Netophath, and Jezaniah from Maacah, and the soldiers who were with them.
9 Na Ahikam babarima Gedalia a ɔyɛ Safan nena no kaa ntam de hyɛɛ wɔn ne wɔn mmarima den se, “Munnsuro sɛ mobɛsom Babiloniafo. Montena asase no so na monsom Babiloniahene, na ebesi mo yiye.
Gedaliah solemnly promised that the soldiers from Babylonia would not harm them. He said, “Do not be afraid to do things for them. Stay [here] in this land and do things for the King of Babylon. If you do that, things will go well for you.
10 Me de, mɛtena Mispa, na masi mo anan mu wɔ Babiloniafo a, wɔba yɛn nkyɛn no mu, na mo de, monkɔboaboa nsa, ahohuru bere mu nnuaba ne ngo ano ngu adekora nkuruwa mu wɔ twabere mu, na montenatena nkurow a moafa no so.”
As for me, I will stay [here] at Mizpah to be your representative to the [officials from] Babylonia who come to [talk with] us. But you should [return to your towns, and eat the things that are produced on your land]. Harvest the grapes and the fruit [that ripen in] the (summer/hot season) and the olives, [make wine and olive oil, ] and store it.”
11 Bere a Yudafo a wɔwɔ Moab, Amon, Edom ne aman ahorow a aka no, tee sɛ Babiloniahene agyaw nkae bi wɔ Yuda na wayi Ahikam babarima Gedalia a ɔyɛ Safan nena sɛ amrado wɔ wɔn so no,
Then the Jews who had fled to Moab, Ammon, Edom, and other [nearby] countries heard people say that the King of Babylon had allowed a few people [to remain] in Judah, and that he had appointed Gedaliah to be their governor.
12 wɔn nyinaa san baa Yuda asase so fi aman a wɔbɔɔ wɔn petee no so, kɔɔ Gedalia hɔ wɔ Mispa. Na wɔboaboaa nsa ne ahohuru bere mu nnuaba bebree ano wɔ twabere mu.
So they [began to] return to Judah. They stopped at Mizpah to [talk with] Gedaliah. Then [they went to various places in Judea, and] they harvested a great amount of grapes and summer fruit.
13 Na Karea babarima Yohanan ne ntuano asraafo a wɔda so wɔ wuram no baa Gedalia nkyɛn wɔ Mispa
[Some time later, ] Johanan and all the [other] leaders of the Israeli soldiers [who had not surrendered to the army of Babylonia] came to Gedaliah at Mizpah.
14 na wɔka kyerɛɛ no se, “Wunnim sɛ, Amonhene Baalis asoma Netania babarima Ismael se, ommekum wo ana?” Nanso Ahikam babarima Gedalia annye wɔn anni.
They said to him, “Do you know that Baalis, the king of the Ammon [people-group], has sent Ishmael the son of Nethaniah to assassinate you?” But Gedaliah did not believe what they said.
15 Na Karea babarima Yohanan ka kyerɛɛ Gedalia wɔ kokoa mu wɔ Mispa se, “Ma minkokum Netania babarima Ismael, na obiara rente. Adɛn nti na ɛsɛ sɛ okum wo na ɔma Yudafo a wɔatwa wo ho ahyia no bɔ ahwete, na Yudafo nkae no yera?”
Later Johanan talked with Gedaliah privately. He said, “Allow me to go and murder Ishmael secretly. It would not be good [RHQ] to allow him to come and murder you! If you are killed, what will happen to all the Jews who have returned to this area? They will be scattered, and the other people who remain in Judah will all be killed!”
16 Nanso Ahikam babarima Gedalia ka kyerɛɛ Karea babarima Yohanan se, “Nyɛ saa ade yi! Nea woka fa Ismael ho no nyɛ nokware.”
But Gedaliah said to Johanan, “[No], I will not allow you to do that. [I think that] you are lying about Ishmael.”
