< Nahum 2 >

1 Ɔtamfo reba wo so, Ninewe bɔ aban no ho ban, wɛn ɔkwan no, bɔ wo ho so na boa wʼahoɔden nyinaa ano!
One who scatters advances against you, O Nineveh. Guard the fortress! Watch the road! Brace yourselves! Summon all your strength!
2 Awurade de Yakob anuonyam bɛsan ama no te sɛ Israel de no, ɛwɔ mu sɛ, asɛefo no ama ada mpan na wɔasɛe ne bobe mfuw.
For the LORD will restore the splendor of Jacob like the splendor of Israel, though destroyers have laid them waste and ruined the branches of their vine.
3 Asraafo no nkatabo yɛ kɔkɔɔ; akofo no hyehyɛ ɔkɔben akotade. Nnade a wɔde yɛɛ nteaseɛnam no twa yerɛw yerɛw sɛ da a wɔyɛɛ no; mpeaw a wɔapema wɔ nnua so no rehim.
The shields of his mighty men are red; the valiant warriors are dressed in scarlet. The fittings of the chariots flash like fire on the day they are prepared, and the spears of cypress have been brandished.
4 Nteaseɛnam no twiw fa mmɔnten so, na wodi akɔneaba. Wɔte sɛ ogyatɛn a ɛredɛw; wɔbɔ yerɛdɛ te sɛ anyinam.
The chariots dash through the streets; they rush around the plazas, appearing like torches, darting about like lightning.
5 Ɔfrɛfrɛɛ nʼakofo a wodi mu, nanso wohintihintiw wɔ ɔkwan mu. Wɔde mmirika kɔ kuropɔn no afasu ho; na wɔyɛ wɔn nkataanim krado.
He summons his nobles; they stumble as they advance. They race to its wall; the protective shield is set in place.
6 Wobuebue asubɔnten apon no, na ahemfi no dwiriw gu fam.
The river gates are thrown open and the palace collapses.
7 Wɔhyɛ mmaraden sɛ wɔmfa kuropɔn no nnommum na wɔmfa wɔn nkɔ. Ne mfenaa de wɔn nsa gu wɔn koko so su te sɛ mmorɔnoma.
It is decreed that the city be exiled and carried away; her maidservants moan like doves, and beat upon their breasts.
8 Ninewe te sɛ ɔtare a mu nsu resen kɔ. Wɔteɛ mu se, “Munnyina hɔ! Munnyina hɔ!” Nanso, obiara ansan nʼakyi.
Nineveh has been like a pool of water throughout her days, but now it is draining away. “Stop! Stop!” they cry, but no one turns back.
9 Momfom dwetɛ no! Momfom sikakɔkɔɔ no! Ahonyade a ɛwɔ adekoradan mu nyinaa! Na ahonyade no dɔɔso.
“Plunder the silver! Plunder the gold!” There is no end to the treasure, an abundance of every precious thing.
10 Wɔabɔ Ninewe korɔn, wɔayɛ no pasaa! Koma botow, na nkotodwe wosowosow, nnipa ho popo na wɔn anim hoa.
She is emptied! Yes, she is desolate and laid waste! Hearts melt, knees knock, bodies tremble, and every face grows pale!
11 Mprempren he na gyata buw no wɔ, faako a wɔma wɔn mma aduan no, faako a gyatanini ne gyatabere kɔe na wɔn mma nso kɔ a wonsuro?
Where is the lions’ lair or the feeding ground of the young lions, where the lion and lioness prowled with their cubs, with nothing to frighten them away?
12 Gyata akum nea ɛbɛmee ne mma. Wabobɔ hanam ama gyatabere no. Ɔde nea wakum ahyɛ ne bon ma na ɔde hanam ahyɛ nʼatu amaama.
The lion mauled enough for its cubs and strangled prey for the lioness. It filled its dens with the kill, and its lairs with mauled prey.
13 “Me ne wo nka,” sɛnea Asafo Awurade se ni, “Mɛhyew wo nteaseɛnam na adan wusiw na afoa bekunkum wo gyatamma. Merennyaw wo hanam biara wɔ asase so. Wɔrente wʼasomafo no nne bio.”
“Behold, I am against you,” declares the LORD of Hosts. “I will send your chariots up in smoke, and the sword will devour your young lions. I will cut off your prey from the earth, and the voices of your messengers will no longer be heard.”

< Nahum 2 >