Malaki 2

1 Afei mo asɔfo, saa animka yi yɛ mo de.

Now this command is for you priests!

2 Sɛ moantie, sɛ moanyɛ mo adwene sɛ mobɛhyɛ me anuonyam a mede nnome bɛba mo so, na mɛdan mo nhyira ama ayɛ nnome. Yiw, madome wɔn dedaw, efisɛ monyɛɛ mo adwene sɛ mobɛhyɛ me anuonyam, sɛnea Asafo Awurade se ni.

If you will not listen and if you will not take it to heart to honor me, says the Lord Almighty, then I will place a curse on you and I will curse your blessings—in fact I have already cursed them because you haven't taken what I said to heart.

3 Mo nti mɛka mo asefo anim, na mede mo afahyɛ afɔrebɔ mmoa no agyanan bɛpete mo anim, na wɔasoa mo aka ho akɔ.

Watch out! I am going to penalize your descendants. I will spread manure on your faces from the animals you sacrifice, the manure from your religious festivals, and you will be thrown out with it.

4 Na mubehu sɛ, masoma ma wɔde saa animka yi abrɛ mo sɛnea ɛbɛyɛ a me ne Lewi apam no bɛkɔ so atena hɔ. Sɛnea Asafo Awurade se ni.

Then you will know that I sent you this command so that my agreement with Levi can continue, says the Lord Almighty.

5 Me ne no yɛɛ apam, nkwa ne asomdwoe apam. Na ehia ma nidi, enti ɔde nidi maa me na ɔde fɛre maa me din.

My agreement with him was one of life and peace, which I gave to him, and respect—he respected me. He stood in awe of me.

6 Nokware nkyerɛkyerɛ fii nʼanom, na wanka nkontomposɛm biara. Ɔne me nantew asomdwoe ne nokwaredi mu, na ɔmaa bebree dan wɔn ho fii bɔne ho.

He taught the people the truth; nothing in his teaching was false. He walked with me in peace and did what was right, and he helped many to turn way from sin.

7 “Ɛsɛ sɛ, ɔsɔfo ano kora nimdeɛ. Nnipa hwehwɛ nkyerɛkyerɛ fi ne nkyɛn, efisɛ ɔyɛ Asafo Awurade no somafo.

A priest should explain the truth about God, they should go to him to be taught, for he is the Lord Almighty's messenger.

8 Nanso moaman afi ɔkwan no so, na mo nkyerɛkyerɛ ama bebree ahintihintiw; moabu me ne Lewi apam no so.” Sɛnea Asafo Awurade se ni.

But you have turned from my way. You have made many people to fall into sin. By your teaching you have broken the agreement with Levi, says the Lord Almighty.

9 “Enti mama mo anim agu ase na mabrɛ mo ase wɔ nnipa anim, efisɛ moannantew mʼakwan so na mmom mode animhwɛ abu mmara so.”

So I have destroyed any respect you had, and humiliated you before all the people. For you have not kept my ways, and have shown favoritism in what you teach.

10 Yɛn nyinaa mfi Agya baako? Ɛnyɛ Onyankopɔn baako na ɔbɔɔ yɛn? Na, afei, adɛn nti na yenni yɛn ho yɛn ho nokware, na yɛde bu yɛn agyanom apam no so?

Don't we all have one Father? Didn't one God create us? So why are we unfaithful to each other, violating the agreement made by our forefathers?

11 Yuda anni nokware. Akyiwadeyɛ bi asi wɔ Israel ne Yerusalem mu: Yuda agu hyiadan a Awurade dɔ no ho fi, efisɛ waware ɔbea a ɔsom ananafo nyame.

The people of Judah have been unfaithful and have committed a disgusting sin in Israel and Jerusalem. For the men of Judah have defiled the Lord's Temple (which he loves) by marrying women who worship idols.

12 Ɔbarima a ɔyɛ eyi de, sɛnea ɔte biara, Awurade mpam no mfi Yakob ntamadan mu, mpo sɛ ɔde afɔrebɔde brɛ Asafo Awurade no koraa a.

May the Lord expel the family of any man who does this from the nation of Israel! May there be no one left to bring an offering to the Lord Almighty!

13 Ade a moyɛ bio ne sɛ: mode nusu fɔw Awurade afɔremuka no. Mote nusu na mutwa adwo efisɛ ɔnhwɛ mo afɔrebɔde no bio, na ɔmmfa anigye nnye mfi mo nkyɛn.

Something else you do is to pour out your tears on the Lord's altar weeping and moaning because he no longer pays attention to your offerings or doesn't want to accept them.

14 Mubisa se, “Adɛn nti?” Efisɛ Awurade te sɛ ɔdanseni a ɔda wo ne wo mmerantebere mu yere ntam, nanso woanni no nokware, ɛwɔ mu sɛ ɔyɛ wo yere wɔ aware nhyehyɛe mu de.

“Why not?” you ask. Because the Lord witnessed the vows you and your wife exchanged when you were young. You were unfaithful to her, your wife and partner joined to you by marriage contract.

15 Ɛnyɛ Awurade koro no ara na ɔbɔɔ mo? Ɔhonam fam ne honhom fam no, moyɛ ne dea. Dɛn na Onyankopɔn hwehwɛ? Ɔrehwehwɛ mma a onyamesuro wɔ wɔn mu. Enti da wo ho so wɔ honhom mu, na di wo mmerantebere mu yere nokware.

Did he not make you one, and give some of his Spirit to you? And what does he want? Children of God. So watch what you do, and don't be unfaithful to the wife you married when you were young.

16 “Mikyi awaregyae!” Sɛnea Awurade Israel Nyankopɔn se ni. “Na metan ɔbarima a ɔde abufuwhyew hyɛ ne yere so na ɔsan de ne ntama kata no so,” sɛnea Asafo Awurade se ni. Enti da wo ho so wɔ honhom mu, na di nokware.

For I hate divorce, says the Lord God of Israel, for it's a violent attack on the wife, says the Lord Almighty. So watch what you do, and don't be unfaithful.

17 Mode mo nsɛm tuatua Awurade aso. Mubisa se, “Ɔkwan bɛn so na moatuatua nʼaso?” Moka se, “Wɔn a wɔyɛ bɔne nyinaa sen wɔ Awurade anim, na wɔsɔ nʼani,” anaa “Onyankopɔn temmufo nokwafo no wɔ he?”

You have worn the Lord out with your words. “How have we worn him out?” you ask. By saying everyone who does evil is good in the sight of the Lord and he is happy with them, or by asking, where is the Lord's justice?