< Obadia 1 >

1 Anisoadehu a Awurade Nyankopɔn daa no adi faa Edom asase ho kyerɛɛ Obadia ni: Yɛate asɛm a efi Awurade nkyɛn. Wɔsomaa ɔnanmusini bi kɔɔ aman so kɔkae se, “Monsɔre na momma yɛnkɔko ntia Edom.”
This is a message that Yahweh our God gave to me, Obadiah, about the Edom [people-group]. Yahweh our God has told me this about [the people of] Edom: “I, Yahweh, have sent a messenger to other nations, telling them to prepare to go and attack Edom.”
2 Awurade ka kyerɛ Edom se: “Hwɛ, mɛbrɛ wo ase. Mɛyɛ wo ketewa wɔ aman no mu, na wɔabu wo animtiaa.
And Yahweh says this to the people of Edom: “I will soon cause you to become the weakest and most despised nation [on the earth].
3 Wayɛ ahantan adaadaa wo ho, Wo a wote abotan ntokuru mu na woayɛ wʼatenae wɔ mmepɔw so, na woka kyerɛ wo ho se, ‘Hena na obetumi ayi me asi fam?’
Your [capital city] is high in the rocky cliffs, and you are very proud; you think that you are safe from being attacked by your enemies [RHQ], but you [IDM] have deceived yourselves.
4 Sɛ wutu kɔ wim sɛ akɔre, na woyɛ wo berebuw wɔ nsoromma ntam mpo a, hɔ na mɛba abɛtwe wo adwira fam.” Sɛnea Awurade se ni.
And I tell you that even if [you had wings and] could fly higher than eagles fly, and if you could make your homes among the stars, I would bring you [crashing] down from there.
5 “Sɛ akorɔmfo ba wo so, anaa adwowtwafo ba wo so anadwo a, atoyerɛnkyɛm bɛn na ɛrento wo? Na wɔrennwia wo nneɛma dodow a wɔpɛ ana? Sɛ bobe abatewfo ba wo so a, ɛnyɛ bobe aba kakraa bi pɛ na wobegyaw ama wo ana?
When thieves break into someone’s house during the night, they certainly [RHQ] steal only the things that they want. And people who pick grapes always [RHQ] leave a few grapes on the vines. But your country will be completely destroyed!
6 Na wo Esau de, wobewia wʼademude a wode asie na wɔayɛ wo dosodoso.
Everything that is valuable will be taken away. [Your enemies] will find and take away even the valuable things that you have hidden.
7 Wɔn a wo ne wɔn wɔ nkabom nyinaa bedi wo huammɔ. Wɔn a wʼadwene yɛ wo sɛ wo ne wɔn te asomdwoe mu no bɛdaadaa wo adi wo so, wɔn a wodi wʼaduan no asum wo afiri, nanso, wunhui.
All (your allies/nations who promised to help you) will turn against you, and they will force you to leave your country/land. Those with whom you have peace now will trick/deceive you and defeat you. Those who eat meals with you now are planning to trap you, and [then they will say to you], ‘You are not [RHQ] as clever [as you thought you were]!’
8 “Saa da no,” Awurade na ose, “Merensɛe anyansafo a wɔwɔ Edom ana, mmarima a wɔte asɛm ase a wɔwɔ Esau mmepɔw so ana?
I, Yahweh, declare that at the time that I destroy Edom, I will punish the men who live in those cliffs who [thought that they] were wise.
9 Teman wʼakofo bɛbɔ hu ne obiara a ɔwɔ Esau bepɔw so no, wobetwitwa mo atɔre mo ase.
The soldiers from Teman [town] will become terrified; all you people who are descendants of Esau will be (wiped out/killed).
10 Esiane basabasayɛ a woyɛ tiaa wo nua Yakob no nti aniwu bɛka wo, na wɔbɛsɛe wo koraa.
You acted cruel in a cruel way toward your relatives who are descendants of Jacob, [the twin brother of your ancestor Esau]. So now you will be disgraced forever; you will be completely destroyed.
11 Da a wugyinaa ntentenso hwɛɛ no haa, maa ananafo faa nʼahonyade kɔe na ahɔho hyɛn ne kurow apon mu, na wɔbɔɔ Yerusalem so ntonto no, na wote sɛ wɔn mu baako.
Foreigners entered the gates of Jerusalem and (cast lots/threw small stones that were marked) to decide what valuable things they would take away; but you were as bad as those foreigners, because you just stood there [and did not help the Israelis].
12 Anka ɛnsɛ sɛ wubu wo nua animtiaa bere a ɔwɔ asiane mu, anaa sɛ wudi ahurusi wɔ Yudafo so bere a wɔwɔ ɔsɛe mu, na mpo wohoahoa wo ho bere a wɔwɔ ahohia mu no.
You should not have (gloated/been happy) about the disaster that the Israelis were experiencing. You should not have been happy when their towns were ruined. You should not have made fun [of them] when they were suffering.
13 Anka ɛnsɛ sɛ wode nsrabɔ hyɛn me nkurɔfo kurow apon no mu wɔ wɔn amanehunuda, anka ɛnsɛ sɛ woserew wɔ bere a wɔwɔ ɔhaw mu. Afei nso anka ɛnsɛ sɛ wode wo nsa to wɔn ahode so gye wɔ bere a wɔwɔ amanehunu mu.
They are my people, so you should not have entered their [city] gates when they were experiencing those disasters and you should not have laughed at them. And you should not have taken away their [valuable] possessions.
14 Anka ɛnsɛ sɛ wotɛw wɔn nkwantanan so kunkum nʼaguanfo Na wuyi wɔn a aka no ma wɔ wɔn amanehunuda no mu.
You should not have stood at crossroads to catch those who were [trying to] escape. You should not have [captured them and] put them into the hands of [their enemies] when they were experiencing those disasters.”
15 “Awurade da no abɛn ama amanaman nyinaa. Na hwɛ, Edom, sɛnea woyɛɛ no saa ara na wɔbɛyɛ wo. Wo nneyɛe bɛsan abegu wʼapampam.
“There will soon be the time when I, Yahweh, will judge [and punish] all the nations. And you [people of Edom] will experience the same [disasters] that you caused [others to experience]. The same evil things that you have done to others will happen to you.
16 Sɛnea mononom nsã wɔ me bepɔw kronkron so no, saa ara na amanaman no nyinaa bɛkɔ so anom, saa ara na ɛbɛkɔ so da biara na wɔbɛyɛ te sɛ nea wonni hɔ.
[My people in Jerusalem have been punished] because I was very angry with them. [It is as though] [MET] they drank [a cup of very bitter liquid] on Zion, my sacred hill. But [I] will punish [MET] all the other nations even more severely, and cause them to disappear completely.
17 Na ogye bɛba Sion bepɔw so na ɛbɛyɛ kronkronbea, na Yakob nsa bɛsan aka nʼagyapade.
But some [people in Jerusalem will escape], and Jerusalem will become a very holy/sacred place. Then the descendants of Jacob will [conquer and] possess again the land that truly belongs to them.
18 Yakob bɛyɛ ogya na Yosef ayɛ ogyatannaa; Esau bɛyɛ adehunu bi na wɔde no bɛto ogya so ahyew no a obiara renka wɔ Esau ase.” Nea Awurade se ni.
The descendants [MTY] of Jacob and his son Joseph will be like [MET] a fire, and the people [MTY] of Edom will be like [MET] stubble that will be completely burned in that fire. Not one person will remain alive. [That will surely happen because] I, Yahweh, have said it.”
19 Nkurɔfo a wofi Negeb no bɛtena Esau mmepɔw so, Na wɔn a wofi nkoko no ase no, bɛfa Filisti asase no, na wɔbɛfa Efraim ne Samaria mfuw atena so, na Benyamin nso afa Gilead.
The Israeli people [who live] in the southern desert are the ones who will capture Edom. And those [who live in] the western foothills will capture the Phoenicia [region] and the areas of Ephraim and Samaria. And people of the tribe of Benjamin will conquer the Gilead [region].
20 Nnipakuw yi a wɔyɛ Israelfo a wotwaa wɔn asu kɔɔ Kanaan no bɛfa Kanaan asase no akosi Sarefat; na Yerusalemfo a wotwaa wɔn asu a wɔte Safarad no bɛfa Negeb nkurow no adi so.
Those who were (exiled in/forced to go to) [Babylon] will [return to their land] [and] capture the Phoenicia [region] as far north as Zarephath [on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea]. People of Jerusalem who were captured and taken to Sardis, [the capital city of the Lydia region], will capture the towns in the southern desert.
21 Agyefo bɛkɔ Sion bepɔw so, akodi Edom mmepɔw no so. Na ahenni no bɛyɛ Awurade de!
The army of Jerusalem will attack Edom and conquer it, and Yahweh will be their king.

< Obadia 1 >