Atemmufo 3

1 Awurade gyaw aman bi wɔ asase no so a na ɔnam so pɛ sɛ ɔsɔ Israelfo a wɔnkɔɔ Kanaan ko no bi da hwɛ.

These are the nations that the LORD left to test all the Israelites who had not known any of the wars in Canaan,

2 Ɔyɛɛ saa de kyerɛɛ Israel nkyirimma a wɔnkɔɔ ɔko da no sɛnea wobenya akodi ho nimdeɛ.

if only to teach warfare to the subsequent generations of Israel, especially to those who had not known it formerly:

3 Saa aman no ni: Filistifo (wɔn a na wɔhyɛ Filistifo ahemfo baanum bi ase no), Kanaanfo nyinaa, Sidonfo, Hewifo a na wɔte Lebanon bepɔw no so fi Baal Hermon bepɔw ho de kosi Lebo Hamat.

the five rulers of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites who lived in the mountains of Lebanon from Mount Baal-hermon to Lebo-hamath.

4 Wogyaw saa nkurɔfo yi de sɔɔ Israelfo no hwɛe, pɛɛ sɛ wohu sɛ wobedi mmara a Awurade nam Mose so hyɛ maa wɔn agyanom no so ana.

These nations were left to test the Israelites, to find out whether they would keep the commandments of the LORD, which He had given their fathers through Moses.

5 Enti Israelfo no tenaa Kanaanfo, Hetifo, Amorifo, Perisifo, Hewifo ne Yebusifo no mu.

Thus the Israelites continued to live among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.

6 Na wodii wɔn ho aware. Israelfo mmabarima no warewaree wɔn mmabea na wɔde Israelfo mmabea nso maa wɔn mmabarima aware. Na Israelfo no som wɔn anyame.

And they took the daughters of these people in marriage, gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.

7 Israelfo no yɛɛ nea ɛyɛ Awurade ani so bɔne. Wɔn werɛ fii Awurade wɔn Nyankopɔn, na wɔsom Baalim ahoni ne Asera nnua.

So the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD; they forgot the LORD their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs.

8 Awurade abufuw mu yɛɛ den tiaa Israel nti, ɔde wɔn hyɛɛ Aramhene Kusan-Risataim nsam. Na Israelfo yɛɛ Kusan-Risataim nkoa mfirihyia awotwe.

Then the anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He sold them into the hand of Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram-naharaim, and the Israelites served him eight years.

9 Nanso Israelfo su frɛɛ Awurade no, oyii ɔbarima bi sɛ ogyefo maa wɔn. Ne din ne Otniel a ɔyɛ Kaleb nua kumaa Kenas babarima.

But when the Israelites cried out to the LORD, He raised up Othniel son of Caleb’s younger brother Kenaz as a deliverer to save them.

10 Awurade honhom baa ne so, enti ɔbɛyɛɛ Israel otemmufo. Ɔko tiaa Aramhene Kusan-Risataim na Awurade maa Otniel dii ne so nkonim.

The Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he became Israel’s judge and went out to war. And the LORD delivered Cushan-rishathaim king of Aram into the hand of Othniel, who prevailed against him.

11 Enti asomdwoe baa asase no so mfirihyia aduanan. Na Kenas babarima Otniel wui.

So the land had rest for forty years, until Othniel son of Kenaz died.

12 Bio, Israelfo no yɛɛ nea ɛyɛ Awurade ani so bɔne, na ɛno nti, Awurade de tumi hyɛɛ Moabhene Eglon nsa ma odii Israel so.

Once again the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD. So He gave Eglon king of Moab power over Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD.

13 Eglon boaboaa Amonfo ne Amalekfo ano ma wɔbɛkaa ne ho na wɔkɔtow hyɛɛ Israelfo so. Wodii wɔn so, faa kuropɔn Yeriko.

After enlisting the Ammonites and Amalekites to join forces with him, Eglon attacked and defeated Israel, taking possession of the City of Palms.

14 Israelfo no som Moabhene Eglon mfirihyia dunwɔtwe.

The Israelites served Eglon king of Moab eighteen years.

15 Nanso Israelfo no su frɛɛ Awurade bio no, Awurade maa wɔn ogyefo. Ne din ne Ehud, Gera babarima a ɔyɛ abenkumma na ofi Benyamin abusuakuw mu. Israelfo no somaa Ehud sɛ ɔmfa wɔn sonkahiri sika nkɔma Moabhene Eglon.

And again they cried out to the LORD, and He raised up Ehud son of Gera, a left-handed Benjamite, as their deliverer. So they sent him with tribute to Eglon king of Moab.

16 Enti Ehud bɔɔ afoa anofanu a ne tenten yɛ nsateaa dunwɔtwe. Ɔde hyɛɛ ne srɛ nifa ho de siee nʼatade mu.

Now Ehud had made for himself a double-edged sword a cubit long. He strapped it to his right thigh under his cloak

17 Ɔde sonkahiri sika no brɛɛ Eglon a wayɛ kɛse tobonn no.

and brought the tribute to Eglon king of Moab, who was an obese man.

18 Ɔde sika no maa no wiee no, Ehud gyaa wɔn a na wɔso sika no kwan ma wɔkɔɔ fie.

After Ehud had finished presenting the tribute, he ushered out those who had carried it.

19 Nanso bere a Ehud duu abo ahoni a ɛbɛn Gilgal no, ɔsan nʼakyi baa Eglon nkyɛn bɛka kyerɛɛ no se, “Mewɔ kokoamsɛm bi ka kyerɛ wo.” Enti ɔhene no maa nʼasomfo no nyinaa yɛɛ dinn na ɔmaa wɔn nyinaa fii ɔdan mu hɔ.

But upon reaching the idols near Gilgal, he himself turned back and said, “I have a secret message for you, O king.” “Silence,” said the king, and all his attendants left him.

20 Afei, Ehud kɔɔ Eglon nkyɛn. Na ɔte abansoro dan bi a emu dwo mu. Ehud ka kyerɛɛ no se, “Mewɔ asɛm bi a efi Onyankopɔn nkyɛn ka kyerɛ wo!” Bere a ɔhene Eglon sɔre fii nʼakongua mu ara pɛ,

Then Ehud approached him while he was sitting alone in the coolness of his upper room. “I have a word from God for you,” Ehud said, and the king rose from his seat.

21 Ehud de ne nsa benkum twee afoa a ɔde ahyɛ ne srɛ nifa ho no de wɔɔ ɔhene no yafunu mu.

And Ehud reached with his left hand, pulled the sword from his right thigh, and plunged it into Eglon’s belly.

22 Afoa no kɔɔ akyiri kosii sɛ ne bona no mpo wuraa ɔhene no srade mu maa ɛso katae. Enti Ehud gyaa afoa no wɔ yafunu no mu maa ne nsono tu gui.

Even the handle sank in after the blade, and Eglon’s fat closed in over it, so that Ehud did not withdraw the sword from his belly. And Eglon’s bowels emptied.

23 Afei, Ehud totoo apon no mu foroo agyanan dan no, faa ne asuten no mu guan kɔe.

Then Ehud went out through the porch, closing and locking the doors of the upper room behind him.

24 Ehud kɔe akyi no, ɔhene asomfo no baa hɔ behuu sɛ wɔatoto apon a ɛkɔ aban no so no mu. Na wodwen sɛ ɔwɔ agyananbea hɔ,

After Ehud was gone, Eglon’s servants came in and found the doors of the upper room locked. “He must be relieving himself in the cool room,” they said.

25 enti wɔtwɛnee. Wɔtwɛn ara na ɔhene no mma no, ɛhaw wɔn ma wɔkɔhwehwɛɛ safe bi. Na wobuee pon no, wohuu sɛ wɔn wura awu da fam.

So they waited until they became worried and saw that he had still not opened the doors of the upper room. Then they took the key and opened the doors—and there was their lord lying dead on the floor.

26 Bere a asomfo no retwɛn no, Ehud guan faa abo ahoni no so a ɔrekɔ Seira.

Ehud, however, had escaped while the servants waited. He passed by the idols and escaped to Seirah.

27 Oduu Efraim bepɔw asase no so no, Ehud hyɛn torobɛnto kyerɛɛ ɔman no sɛ wɔmfa akode mmra. Enti odii Israelfo kuw bi anim sian bepɔw no.

On arriving in Seirah, he blew the ram’s horn throughout the hill country of Ephraim. The Israelites came down with him from the hills, and he became their leader.

28 Ɔka kyerɛɛ wɔn se, “Munni mʼakyi. Awurade ama moadi Moabfo a wɔyɛ mo atamfo no so nkonim.” Enti wotu dii nʼakyi. Israelfo no faa asubɔnten Yordan baabi a ɛhɔ nnɔ a wofi Moab twa. Ɛno nti na obiara ntumi mfa hɔ ntwa Asubɔnten no.

“Follow me,” he told them, “for the LORD has delivered your enemies the Moabites into your hand.” So they followed him down and seized the fords of the Jordan leading to Moab, and did not allow anyone to cross over.

29 Wɔtow hyɛɛ Moabfo no so. Wokunkum wɔn dɔmmarima no bɛyɛ mpem du. Wɔn mu biara antumi anguan.

At that time they struck down about ten thousand Moabites, all robust and valiant men. Not one of them escaped.

30 Enti Israelfo dii Moabfo so nkonim saa da no, na asomdwoe baa asase no so mfirihyia aduɔwɔtwe.

So Moab was subdued under the hand of Israel that day, and the land had rest for eighty years.

31 Ehud akyi no, Anat babarima Samgar gyee Israelfo. Ɔde nantwika abaa kum Filistifo ahansia.

After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath. And he too saved Israel, striking down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad.