Mateo 3
1 Bere a Yesu ne nʼawofo wɔ Nasaret no, Osuboni Yohane bɛkaa asɛm wɔ Yudea sare so se,
While [Jesus was still in Nazareth town], John, [whom the people called] the Baptizer, went to a desolate place in Judea [district].
2 “Monsakra mo adwene; momfa mo ho mma Onyankopɔn na ɔsoro ahenni no abɛn”
He was preaching [to the people who came there]. He kept saying, “[You need to] turn away from your sinful behavior, because God [MET] will soon begin to rule [over people, and he will reject you if you do not turn away from your sinful life].”
3 Yohane ne nea odiyifo Yesaia kaa ne ho asɛm se, “Obi nne reteɛ mu wɔ sare so se, ‘Mommɔ kwan mma Awurade; momma nʼatempɔn nteɛ!’”
John was the person who [fulfilled] what was said by Isaiah the prophet {what Isaiah the prophet [predicted] when he said}, long ago: In a desolate area ([people will hear someone/someone will be heard]) shouting [to the people who pass by], Prepare [yourselves to receive] the Lord when he comes! [Make yourselves ready so that you will be prepared when he comes] [MET, DOU], just like people [improve and] straighten out the road [for an important official!]
4 Saa bere no na Yohane fura yoma ho nwi ntama bɔ aboa nhoma abɔso. Na nʼaduan yɛ mmoadabi ne ɛwo.
John wore [coarse] clothing made from camel’s hair. And [as the prophet Elijah did long ago], he wore a leather belt around his waist. His food was [only] grasshoppers and honey [that he found] in that desolate area.
5 Yerusalemfo ne Yudeafo ne nnipa a wɔte Asubɔnten Yordan ho no nyinaa kɔɔ ne nkyɛn wɔ sare no so hɔ kotiee asɛm no bi.
[People who lived in] Jerusalem [city] [MTY], many [HYP] [people who lived in other places in] Judea [district] [MTY], and many [HYP] [people who lived in] the area around the Jordan [River] [MTY] came to John [to hear him preach].
6 Wɔkaa wɔn bɔne ma ɔbɔɔ wɔn asu wɔ Asubɔnten Yordan mu.
After [they heard him tell them to turn away from their sinful behavior], they [openly] confessed their sins, and as a result they were baptized by John {John baptized them} in the Jordan River.
7 Yohane huu sɛ Farisifo ne Sadukifo pii reba ne nkyɛn ma wabɔ wɔn asu no, ɔka kyerɛɛ wɔn se, “Awɔ mma! Hena na ɔka kyerɛɛ mo se munguan mfi Onyankopɔn abufuw a ɛreba no ano?
After John noted that many men of the Pharisee [religious group] and of the Sadducee [religious group] were coming [to him] to be baptized {in order that he would baptize them}, he said to them, “You people are [evil like poisonous] snakes [MET]! I warn you that God will some day punish [MTY] everyone who sins. (And do not think that you can escape from his punishing you [MTY] [if you do not turn from your sinful behavior]!/Did someone tell you that you can escape from his punishing you [MTY] [if you do not turn from your sinful behavior]?) [RHQ]
8 Monkɔbɔ ɔbra pa mfa nkyerɛ sɛ moasakra ampa.
Do what is appropriate [IDM] for people who have truly turned away from their sinful behavior [before you come to me in order to be baptized] {[that I baptize you]}.
9 Na monnhoahoa mo ho sɛ moyɛ Abraham asefo, efisɛ Onyankopɔn betumi ama saa abo yi adan nnipa ma wɔabɛyɛ Abraham asefo.
[God promised to give Abraham many descendants. In order to fulfill that promise], God [does not need you! I] tell you that he can change these stones to make them descendants of Abraham. So do not start to say to yourselves, ‘Since we are descendants of [our ancestor] Abraham, [God will not punish us even though we have sinned].’
10 Onyankopɔn de nʼabonnua ato dua biara a ɛnsow aba pa ntin so sɛ ɔde betwa na ɔde agu gya mu ahyew no.
[God is] ready [to punish you if you do not turn away from your sinful behavior, just like] a man who lays his axe at the roots of a [fruit] tree [in order to] chop it down and throw it into the fire if it does not produce good fruit [MET].”
11 “Me de, mede nsu na ɛrebɔ wɔn a wɔasakra wɔn su no asu. Nanso nea odi mʼakyi reba no de, ɔso sen me a ne mpaboa mpo mensɛ sɛ mikura. Ɔno de, sɛ ɔba a, ɔde Honhom Kronkron ne ogya na ɛbɛbɔ mo asu.
“As for me, I [am not very important, because] I baptize you [only] with water. I [baptize you] because of your feeling sorry that you have sinned. But someone else will come soon who is very great; [he will do powerful deeds] (OR, [act powerfully]). [Because he is] superior to me, I am not worthy [even to do a menial task for him, such as] to carry his sandals. He will put [his] Holy Spirit [within] you [to truly change] the way you live [MET], and [he will judge others of you and punish you in] the fire [in hell]. (questioned)
12 Obehuhuw aburow no so ayiyi mu aba pa no afi ntɛtɛ no mu, na ɔde aba pa no akosie, na ɔde ogya a ennum da ahyew ntɛtɛ no pasaa.”
[He is like a farmer who wants to clear away the grain that is on the ground where it has been threshed] {[they have threshed it]}. [That farmer uses a] huge fork to throw the grain into the air [to separate the wheat from the chaff] [MET], and then he cleans up the threshing area. [Similarly], God will [separate righteous people from the evil people like a farmer who] gathers the wheat into his storage area, and then [God] will burn the [people who are like] chaff with a fire that will never be put out [MET].”
13 Yesu tee Osuboni Yohane nka no, ofii Galilea baa Asubɔnten Yordan ho sɛ Yohane mmɔ no asu.
During that time, Jesus went from Galilee [District] to the Jordan [River], where John was. [He did that] in order to be baptized by John {in order to ask that John would baptize him}.
14 Yohane huu sɛ ɔmfata sɛ ɔbɔ Yesu asu nti ɔkae se, “Wo na ɛsɛ sɛ wobɔ me asu na ɛnyɛ me.”
[When Jesus asked John to baptize him], John objected, saying, “I need to be baptized by you {you to baptize me} [because you are superior to me. Since you are not a sinner], ([you(sg)] should not come to me [to be baptized by me] {[to ask that I baptize you(sg)]}!/why do you come to me [to be baptized by me] {[ask that I baptize you(sg)]} [RHQ]?)”
15 Yesu nso ka kyerɛɛ no se, “Otwa ara na etwa sɛ wobɔ me asu sɛnea ɛbɛyɛ a nea Onyankopɔn ahyɛ ato hɔ no bɛba mu.” Yesu asɛm a ɔkae no nti, Yohane bɔɔ no asu.
But Jesus said to him, “Baptize me at this time, because in this way we [two] will do [everything that God] requires.” Then John consented to baptize him.
16 Wɔbɔɔ Yesu asu wiei no, ofii asu no mu, na hwɛ, ɔsoro buei. Ohuu Onyankopɔn Honhom sɛ ɛresian ba ne so sɛ aborɔnoma.
After he was baptized {John baptized Jesus}, Jesus immediately came up out of the water. Just then, [it was as though] the sky was opened {split apart}. Then [Jesus] saw God’s Spirit coming down upon him. He came in the form of a dove.
17 Ɛhɔ ara, nne bi fi ɔsoro kae se, “Oyi ne me Dɔba a ɔsɔ mʼani.”
Then [God] [SYN] spoke from heaven, saying, “This is my Son. I love him. I am very pleased with him.”
