Yeremia 5
1 “Munni akɔneaba wɔ Yerusalem mmɔnten so, monhwɛ mo ho nhyia nhwɛ, monhwehwɛ guabɔbea nyinaa. Sɛ muhu onipa baako mpo a ɔyɛ pɛ na odi nokware a, mede kuropɔn yi ho bɛkyɛ no.
Roam about through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and notice, and search in its broad places, if ye can find one man, if there be one that executeth justice, that searcheth for truth: and I will pardon it.
2 Ɛwɔ mu wɔka se, ‘Sɛ Awurade te ase yi,’ nanso wɔda so ka ntam hunu.”
And though they say, “As the Lord liveth!” surely they only swear to a falsehood.
3 Awurade, wʼani mpɛ nokware ahu ana? Wobɔɔ wɔn hwee fam, nanso wɔante yaw biara; wodwerɛw wɔn, nanso wɔpoo nteɛso. Wɔyɛɛ wɔn anim dennen sen ɔbo na wɔansakra wɔn adwene.
O Lord, are not thy eyes [directed] to the truth? thou didst strike them, but they felt it not; thou didst make an end of them, [yet] they refused to accept correction: they made their faces harder than a rock, they refused to return.
4 Misusuw se, “Eyinom nko ara ne ahiafo no; wɔyɛ nkwaseafo nso, efisɛ wonnim Awurade akwan, nea wɔn Nyankopɔn hwehwɛ.
Yet I myself thought, Oh these are but poor; they are foolish; for they knew not the way of the Lord, the ordinance of their God.
5 Enti mɛkɔ ntuanofo no nkyɛn akɔkasa akyerɛ wɔn; ampa ara wonim Awurade akwan nea wɔn Onyankopɔn hwehwɛ.” Nanso wɔn nso de adwene koro abubu konnua no atetew nkyehama no mu.
I had better go unto the great men, and let me speak with them; for these surely know the way of the Lord, the ordinance of their God; but these altogether have broken the yoke, burst the bands.
6 Ɛno nti gyata bi a ofi kwae mu bɛtow ahyɛ wɔn so, pataku bi a ofi nweatam so bɛtetew wɔn mu. Ɔsebɔ bi bɛtɛw abɛn wɔn nkurow, na obiara a obeyi ne ti no ɔbɛtetew ne mu nketenkete, efisɛ wɔn atuatew no ano yɛ den na wɔn akyirisan aboro so.
Therefore slayeth them the lion out of the forest, the wolf of the deserts wasteth them, the leopard lieth in wait against their cities: every one that cometh out thence shall be torn in pieces; because many are their transgressions, very numerous are their backslidings.
7 “Adɛn nti na ɛsɛ sɛ mede mo ho kyɛ mo? Mo mma apo me, wɔde anyame a wɔnyɛ anyame aka ntam. Memaa wɔn nea wohia nyinaa, nanso wɔbɔɔ aguaman na wɔbɔɔ yuu kɔɔ nguamanfo afi mu.
How shall I for this pardon thee? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by those that are not gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlot's house.
8 Mpɔnkɔnini aniberefo a wɔhwɛ wɔn yiye, wɔn mu biara su di ne yɔnko yere akyi.
As robust horses they rose by times in the morning: every one neighed after the wife of his neighbor.
9 Ɛnsɛ sɛ metwe wɔn aso wɔ eyi ho?” Sɛɛ na Awurade se. “Ɛnsɛ sɛ, mʼankasa metɔ ɔman a ɛte sɛɛ so were ana?
Shall I not for these things inflict punishment? saith the Lord: and shall on a nation such as this my soul not be avenged?
10 “Momfa ne bobe nturo no mu na monsɛe no, nanso monnsɛe no koraa. Mompempan ne mman no, efisɛ saa nnipa yi nyɛ Awurade dea.
Scale ye her walls, and destroy; but make not a full end: remove her young shoots; for they are not the Lord's.
11 Israelfi ne Yudafi anni me nokware koraa,” Awurade na ose.
For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me, saith the Lord.
12 Wɔadi atoro afa Awurade ho, wɔkae se, “Ɔrenyɛ hwee! Ɔhaw biara remma yɛn so; yɛrenhu afoa anaa ɔkɔm da.
They have denied the Lord, and said, “He existeth not; nor will evil come over us; and the sword and famine shall we not see.
13 Adiyifo no yɛ mframa bi kɛkɛ na asɛm no nte wɔn mu; enti momma nea wɔka no mmra wɔn so.”
And the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them:” thus shall it be done unto them.
14 Enti eyi ne nea Asafo Awurade, Nyankopɔn se: “Esiane sɛ, nnipa no aka saa nsɛm yi nti, mɛyɛ me nsɛm a ɛwɔ wʼanom no ogya na saa nnipa yi ayɛ nnyina a ogya no bɛhyew.
Therefore thus hath said the Lord the God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth to be a fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.
15 Israelfi,” Awurade na ose, “Mede ɔman bi a ɛwɔ akyirikyiri rebetia wo, tete man a ɛyɛ ɔmantease, nnipa a munnim wɔn kasa, na monnte wɔn kasa ase.
Lo, I will bring over you a nation from afar, O house of Israel, saith the Lord: it is a mighty nation, it is a most ancient nation, a nation whose language thou wilt not know, and thou wilt not understand what they speak.
16 Wɔn agyan mmɔtɔwa te sɛ ɔda a ano da hɔ; wɔn nyinaa yɛ dɔmmarima.
Their quiver is as an open sepulchre: they are all mighty men.
17 Wɔbɛsɛe mo nnɔbae ne mo nnuan, asɛe mo mmabarima ne mo mmabea; wɔbɛsɛe mo nguankuw ne mo anantwikuw, asɛe mo bobe ne mo mmrɔdɔma. Wɔde afoa bɛsɛe nkuropɔn a ɛwɔ bammɔ a mode mo werɛ ahyɛ mu no.
And they shall consume thy harvest, and thy bread; they shall consume thy sons and thy daughters; they shall consume thy flocks and thy herds; they shall consume thy vines and thy fig-trees; they shall depopulate thy fortified cities, those wherein thou trustedst, with the sword.
18 “Afei saa nna no mu mpo,” sɛɛ na Awurade se, “Merensɛe mo korakora.
Nevertheless even in those days, saith the Lord, will I not make a full end of you.
19 Na sɛ nnipa no bisa se, ‘Adɛn nti na Awurade, yɛn Nyankopɔn, ayɛ yɛn sɛɛ’ a, mobɛka akyerɛ wɔn se, ‘Sɛnea moagyaw me hɔ akɔsom ananafo anyame wɔ mo ankasa mo asase so no, saa ara na mprempren mobɛsom ananafo wɔ asase a ɛnyɛ mo dea no so.’
And it shall come to pass, when ye will say, For what reason hath the Lord our God done all these things unto us? that thou shalt say unto them, In the same manner as ye have forsaken me, and served strange gods in your land, so shall ye serve strangers in a land that is not yours.
20 “Monka eyi nkyerɛ Yakobfi na mo mpae mu nka wɔ Yuda se:
Announce this in the house of Jacob, and publish it in Judah, saying,
21 Muntie, mo nkwaseafo ne nnipa a munni adwene, mowɔ ani nso munhu ade, na mowɔ aso nso monte asɛm:
Do now hear this, O sottish people, who have no heart; who have eyes, and see not; who have ears, and hear not;
22 Ɛnsɛ sɛ musuro me ana?” Sɛɛ na Awurade se. “Ɛnsɛ sɛ mo ho popo wɔ mʼanim ana? Mede nwea ato ɔhye ama po, ɔhye a ɛwɔ hɔ daa a ɛrentumi ntra. Asorɔkye bɛbɔ nanso ɛrentumi mmu mfa so; ebehuru so nanso ɛrentumi ntra.
Will ye not fear me? saith the Lord; will ye not tremble at my presence, who have placed the sand as a bound for the sea by an everlasting law, which it can never pass over? and though the waves thereof be upheaved, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it.
23 Nanso saa nnipa yi wɔ asoɔden ne atuatew koma; wɔatwe wɔn ho afi me ho kɔ.
But this people hath a stubborn and a rebellious heart: they have departed [from the right] and have gone their way.
24 Wɔnnka nkyerɛ wɔn ho wɔn ho se, ‘Momma yensuro Awurade yɛn Nyankopɔn, a ɔma osu tɔ wɔ ne mmere mu, nea ɔma yɛn awerehyɛmu wɔ otwabere nnapɛn a wahyɛ no ho.’
And they have not said in their heart, Let us now fear the Lord our God, that giveth rain, the early and the latter rain, in its season: the appointed weeks of the harvest doth he ever preserve for us.
25 Mo amumɔyɛ abɔ eyinom agu; mo bɔne ama ade pa abɔ mo.
Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden what is good from you.
26 “Amumɔyɛfo bi wɔ me nkurɔfo yi mu a wɔtɛw sɛ nnipa a wosum nnomaa afiri, na wɔte sɛ wɔn a wosum mfiri yi nnipa.
For there are found among my people wicked men: they lie in wait, as he that layeth snares; they set a trap, they catch men.
27 Sɛnea nnomaa ahyɛ kɛntɛn ma no saa ara na asisi ahyɛ wɔn afi amaama; wɔayeyɛ adefo anyinya tumi,
As a coop is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore are they become great, and grown rich.
28 na wɔadodɔ srade ama wɔn ho ayɛ hanahana. Wɔn amumɔyɛsɛm no nni awiei; wɔnnka ayisaa asɛm mma wonni bem, na wɔmmɔ ahiafo tumi ho ban.
They are grown fat, they are stout; yea, they surpass even the deeds of the wicked: they pronounce no [just] sentence, the sentence of the fatherless, that they might prosper; and the cause of the needy do they not judge.
29 Ɛnsɛ sɛ metwe wɔn aso wɔ eyinom ho ana?” Sɛɛ na Awurade se. “Ɛnsɛ sɛ, mʼankasa metɔ ɔman a ɛte sɛɛ so were ana?
shall I not for these things inflict punishment? saith the Lord: or shall on a nation such as this my soul not be avenged?
30 “Ade a ɛyɛ hu ne ahodwiriw asi wɔ asase no so:
An astonishing and horrible thing is committed in the land;
31 Adiyifo no hyɛ akɔntoro, asɔfo no de wɔn dibea di tumi, na me nkurɔfo no pɛ no saa ara. Nanso awiei no dɛn na wobɛyɛ?”
The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so; but what will ye do in the end thereof?
