Yohane 15

1 “Mene nokware bobe no, na mʼAgya ne okuafo no.

[Jesus talked to us as we were walking along. Speaking figuratively of the need for us to live in a way that God wants us to, he said], “I am like [MET] a genuine vine, [not like those Jewish leaders who do not teach the truth]. My father is like [MET] a gardener who [works to] take care of a vineyard.

2 Dua mman biara a ɛnsow aba no otwa kyene, na dua mman biara a ɛsow no, oyiyi ho na asow aba bebree.

[Just like a gardener] cuts off the branches that bear no grapes [MET], [God gets rid of those who do not please him even though they say that they belong to him]. Those branches that bear fruit, [the gardener] trims so that they may bear more grapes. [Similarly, my Father disciplines/corrects those who live as he wants them to live].

3 Me nsɛm a maka akyerɛ mo no ama mo ho afi dedaw.

You are already [like] the branches [that a gardener] trims because [you have believed] the message that I have told you.

4 Montena me mu na me nso mentena mo mu. Dua mman biara ankasa rentumi nsow aba gye sɛ ɛfam ne dutan no ho. Saa ara nso na morentumi nsow aba gye sɛ mote me mu.

Remain having a close relationship with me. [If you do that], I will remain having a close relationship with you. A branch [of a vine] cannot bear fruit [if it is cut off and left] by itself. To bear fruit, it must remain attached to the vine. Similarly, you cannot [live the way that God wants you to] if you do not remain united to me [MET].

5 “Mene bobe no; na mo ne dua mman no. Obiara a ɔte me mu na mete ne mu no bɛsow aba bebree; sɛ mokwati me a, morentumi nyɛ hwee.

I am [like] [MET] a vine. You are [like] [MET] the branches. All those who have a close relationship with me and with whom I have a close relationship will [do much that pleases God, like] [MET] [a vine that] bears much fruit. [Remember that] you can do nothing [HYP] [that truly pleases God] without my [help].

6 Obiara a ɔntena me mu no te sɛ dua mman a wɔatwa atow akyene a so nni mfaso; ɛwo a wɔboaboa ano de gu ogya mu hyew.

[A gardener cuts off and] throws away useless branches. Then, after they dry up, [he] picks them up and throws them into a fire and burns them [SIM]. Similarly, everyone who does not remain having a close relationship with me, [God] will get rid of.

7 Sɛ mote me mu na me nsɛm nso tena mo mu a, ɛno de, biribiara a mopɛ a mubebisa no wɔde bɛma mo.

If you remain having a close relationship with me and you keep [living in accordance with] my message, you can ask [God to do] anything for you, and he will do it.

8 Wɔn a wɔyɛ mʼasuafo nokware mu no sow aba bebree de hyɛ mʼAgya anuonyam.

The way my Father is honored is by your {The way you honor my Father is by} doing much that pleases him [MET], and by doing that, you will show that you are my disciples.

9 “Sɛnea Agya no dɔ me no, saa ara na me nso medɔ mo, Montena me dɔ mu.

I have loved you just as [my] Father has loved me. Now keep living in [a way that is appropriate for those whom] I love.

10 Sɛ mudi mʼahyɛde so a mobɛtena me dɔ mu sɛnea madi mʼAgya ahyɛde so na ɛno nti ɔda so dɔ me no.

If you obey what I have commanded you, you will be acting in [a way that is appropriate for those whom] I love, just like I have obeyed what my Father has commanded me and I act [in a way that is appropriate for someone] whom he loves.

11 Maka eyinom nyinaa akyerɛ mo sɛnea ɛbɛyɛ a mubenya mʼanigye no bi na ama mo anigye awie pɛyɛ.

I have told you these things so that you may be joyful as I [am joyful], and that you may be completely joyful.

12 Mʼahyɛde ne sɛ monnodɔ mo ho mo ho sɛnea medɔ mo no.

What I am commanding you is this: Love each other just like I have loved you.

13 Ɔdɔ biara nsen sɛ obi bewu ama ne nnamfonom.

The best way that people can show that they love someone is to die for that person. There is no way that you can love someone in a greater way than that.

14 Sɛ mudi nea mehyɛ mo sɛ monyɛ no so a na moyɛ me nnamfonom.

You [show that you] are my friends if you keep doing what I have commanded you.

15 Memfrɛ mo nkoa bio, efisɛ akoa nnim nea ne wura yɛ. Mmom mefrɛ mo nnamfo, efisɛ maka biribiara a mete fii mʼAgya no nkyɛn akyerɛ mo.

I will no longer call you my servants, because servants do not know [why] their masters [want them to] do things. Instead, I have said that you are my friends, because I, [acting like a friend], have revealed to you everything that my Father told me.

16 Ɛnyɛ mo na mpaw me; me na mepaw mo na memaa mo adwuma sɛ monkɔyɛ na monsow aba; aba a ɛbɛtena hɔ daa, Na biribiara a mode me din bebisa no, Agya no de bɛma mo.

You did not decide to become my [disciples]. Instead, I chose you, so that you would do many things that please him [MET]. The results of what you do will last [forever]. I also chose you so that [my] Father will do for you whatever you, using my authority, ask him to do [MTY].

17 Eyi ne mʼahyɛde: Monnodɔ mo ho mo ho.

[I repeat what] I have commanded you: Love each other.”

18 “Sɛ wiase tan mo a, monkae sɛ me na ɛtan me kan ansa na ɛretan mo.

“The people who are opposed to God will hate you. When that happens, remember that they hated me first.

19 Sɛ mote ase ma wiase a ɛno de wiase bɛdɔ mo sɛ wɔn a wɔyɛ ne dea. Nanso miyii mo fii wiasefo mu; ɛno nti monyɛ wiasefo bio; eyi nti na wiasefo tan mo no.

If you belonged to those who are opposed to God [MTY], they would love [you like they love] those who belong to them. But you do not belong to those who are opposed to God [MTY]. Instead, I chose you so that you would separate yourselves from [MTY] them. That is why those who are opposed to God [MTY] hate you.

20 Monkae asɛm a meka kyerɛɛ mo no: ‘Akoa nsen ne wura.’ Sɛ wɔtan me a, mo nso wɔbɛtan mo; sɛ wotie mʼasɛm a meka no a, mo nso wobetie mo.

Remember these words that I told you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ [That means that you, who are like my servants, cannot expect people to treat you better than they treat me]. So, since they have (persecuted me/caused me to suffer), they will (persecute you/cause you to suffer) also. If they had paid attention to the things I taught them, they would pay attention to what you teach them.

21 Esiane sɛ moyɛ me dea nti na wɔbɛtaa mo, efisɛ wonnim Onyankopɔn a ɔsomaa me no.

They will treat you like that because you [belong to] me [MTY], and because they do not know the one who sent me.

22 Sɛ memmɛkaa asɛm biara nkyerɛɛ wɔn a anka wɔrenni bɔne ho fɔ. Afei de, wonni wɔn bɔne ho anoyi biara.

If I had not come and spoken [God’s message] to them, they would not be guilty [of rejecting me and my message]. But now [I have come and told them God’s message, so] they will have no excuse [when God judges them] for their sin.

23 Obiara a ɔtan me no tan mʼAgya nso.

All those who hate me, [it is as though] they hate my Father as well.

24 Sɛ manyɛ nnwuma a obiara nyɛɛ bi da no wɔ wɔn mu a anka wɔrenni bɔne ho fɔ; nanso wɔahu nea meyɛe, nso wɔtan me ne mʼAgya.

If I had not done among them the [miracles] that no one else ever did, they would not be guilty of the sin [of rejecting me]. But now, [although] they have seen [those miracles], they have hated both me and my Father.

25 Ɛsɛ sɛ eyi ba mu, sɛnea ɛbɛyɛ a nea wɔakyerɛw wɔ wɔn Mmara no mu a ɛka se, ‘Wɔtan me kwa’ no bɛba mu.

But this has happened in order that these words that have been written in their Scriptures might be fulfilled {to fulfill this that [(someone/the Psalmist]) wrote in their Scriptures}: ‘They hated me for no reason.’

26 “Mɛsoma ɔboafo a ɔyɛ nokware Honhom a ofi Agya no nkyɛn no aba mo nkyɛn na wabedi me ho adanse akyerɛ mo.

[Later] I will send to you from [my] Father the one who will (encourage/be like a legal counsel for) you. He is the Spirit [who will teach you God’s] truth. He will come from my Father. He will tell people about me.

27 Na mo nso mubedi me ho adanse, efisɛ me ne mo na ɛwɔ hɔ fi mfiase pɛɛ.”

But you [disciples] must also tell people [about me], because you have been with me from the time when I started [my ministry] [MTY].”