Sakaria 8

1 Asafo Awurade asɛm baa me nkyɛn bio.

And there is a word of YHWH of Hosts, saying,

2 Sɛɛ na Asafo Awurade se: “Metwe Sion ho ninkunu pa ara; metwe ne ho ninkunu anibere so.”

“Thus said YHWH of Hosts: I have been zealous for Zion with great zeal, With great heat I have been zealous for her.

3 Nea Awurade se ni, “Mɛsan akɔ Sion na makɔtena Yerusalem. Afei wɔbɛfrɛ Yerusalem Nokware Kuropɔn, na Asafo Awurade bepɔw no, wɔbɛfrɛ no Bepɔw Kronkron.”

Thus said YHWH: I have turned back to Zion, And I have dwelt in the midst of Jerusalem, And Jerusalem has been called The City of Truth, And The Mountain of YHWH of Hosts, The Holy Mountain.

4 Nea Asafo Awurade se ni: “Nkwakoraa ne mmerewa bɛtenatena Yerusalem mmɔnten so bio a obiara kura pema, esiane onyin nti.

Thus said YHWH of Hosts: Again old men and old women dwell In broad places of Jerusalem, And each his staff in his hand, Because of abundance of days.

5 Na mmarimaa ne mmeawa a wɔredi agoru bɛhyɛ kuropɔn no mmɔnten so ma.”

And broad places of the city are full of boys and girls, Playing in its broad places.

6 Nea Asafo Awurade se ni: “Nkae no de, ɛbɛyɛ wɔn nwonwa saa bere no, na me nso ɛbɛyɛ me nwonwa ana?”

Thus said YHWH of Hosts: Surely it is wonderful in the eyes of the remnant of this people in those days, Also in My eyes it is wonderful, A declaration of YHWH of Hosts.

7 Nea Asafo Awurade se ni: “Megye me nkurɔfo afi aman a ɛwɔ apuei ne atɔe no so.

Thus said YHWH of Hosts: Behold, I am saving My people from the land of the rising, And from the land of the going in, of the sun,

8 Mede wɔn bɛsan aba abɛtena Yerusalem; wɔbɛyɛ me nkurɔfo, na mayɛ wɔn Nyankopɔn wɔ nokware ne trenee mu.”

And I have brought them in, They have dwelt in the midst of Jerusalem, And they have been to Me for a people, And I am to them for God, In truth and in righteousness.

9 Nea Asafo Awurade se ni: “Mo a afei na morete nsɛm a adiyifo no kae no; adiyifo a na wɔwɔ hɔ bere a wɔtoo Asafo Awurade fi fapem no, monhyɛ mo ho den, na moatumi asi asɔredan no.

Thus said YHWH of Hosts: Let your hands be strong, You who are hearing in these days these words from the mouth of the prophets, That in the day the house of YHWH of Hosts has been founded, The temple [is] to be built.

10 Bere no nnya nsoe no, na wontua apaade mma nnipa anaa mmoa. Atamfo nti, na obiara ntumi nkɔ nʼadwuma so asomdwoe mu, efisɛ na mede mpaapaemu aba wɔn mu.

For before those days there has been no hiring of man, Indeed, a hiring of beasts there is none; And to him who is going out, And to him who is coming in, There is no peace because of the adversary, And I send all men—each against his neighbor.

11 Nanso afei de, merenyɛ nkae yi sɛnea meyɛɛ kan no,” sɛnea Asafo Awurade se ni.

And now, not as [in] the former days [am] I to the remnant of this people, A declaration of YHWH of Hosts.

12 “Aba no benyin yiye, bobe bɛsow nʼaba, asase no bɛbɔ nʼaduan na ɔsoro nso bɛtɔ ne bosu. Mede saa nneɛma yi nyinaa bɛma nkae yi sɛ wɔn agyapade.

Because of the sowing of peace, The vine gives her fruit, And the earth gives her increase, And the heavens give their dew, And I have caused the remnant of this people To inherit all these.

13 Mo, Yuda ne Israel, moayɛ nnome wɔ aman no mu, nanso megye mo na moayɛ nhyira. Munnsuro, na monhyɛ mo ho den.”

And it has come to pass, As you have been a reviling among nations, O house of Judah, and house of Israel, So I save you, and you have been a blessing, Do not fear, let your hands be strong.

14 Nea Asafo Awurade se ni: “Sɛnea meyɛɛ mʼadwene sɛ mede atoyerɛnkyɛm bɛba mo so, na mannya ahummɔbɔ bere a mo agyanom fuw me bo no,

For thus said YHWH of Hosts: As I purposed to do evil to you, When your fathers made Me angry—said YHWH of Hosts—And I did not relent,

15 saa ara na afei mayɛ mʼadwene sɛ mɛyɛ Yerusalem ne Yuda yiye. Munnsuro.

So I have turned back, I have purposed, in these days, To do good with Jerusalem, And with the house of Judah—do not fear!

16 Nea ɛsɛ sɛ moyɛ ni: Munni mo ho mo ho nokware. Mummu atɛntrenee wɔ mo asennii;

These [are] the things that you do: Each speak truth with his neighbor, Judge [with] truth and peaceful judgment in your gates,

17 mommmɔ pɔw bɔne ntia mo ho mo ho, na monnnɔ ntam hunu. Mikyi saa nneɛma yi nyinaa,” sɛnea Awurade se ni.

And do not devise the evil of his neighbor in your heart, And do not love a false oath, For all these [are] things that I have hated, A declaration of YHWH.”

18 Asafo Awurade asɛm baa me nkyɛn bio.

And there is a word of YHWH of Hosts to me, saying,

19 Nea Asafo Awurade se ni: “Asram anan, anum, ason ne du mu mmuadadi no bɛyɛ anigye ne ahosɛpɛwmmere, na ɛbɛyɛ anigye afahyɛ ama Yuda. Enti monnɔ nokware ne asomdwoe.”

“Thus said YHWH of Hosts: The fast of the fourth, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth [months], are to the house of Judah for joy and for rejoicing, and for pleasant appointed times, and the truth and the peace they have loved.

20 Nea Asafo Awurade se ni, “Nnipa bebree ne wɔn a wɔtete nkuropɔn bebree so bɛba ara,

Thus said YHWH of Hosts: Yet peoples come, and inhabitants of many cities,

21 na nnipa a wofi kuropɔn baako so bɛkɔ foforo so akɔka se, ‘Momma yɛnkɔ mprempren ara nkɔsrɛ Awurade na yɛnhwehwɛ Asafo Awurade. Me de, merekɔ.’

Indeed, inhabitants of one Have gone to another, saying, We go diligently, To appease the face of YHWH, To seek YHWH of Hosts—I go, even I.

22 Na nnipa bebree ne aman akɛse bɛba Yerusalem abɛhwehwɛ Asafo Awurade no, na wɔakotow asrɛ no.”

Indeed, many peoples have come in, and mighty nations, To seek YHWH of Hosts in Jerusalem, And to appease the face of YHWH.

23 Nea Asafo Awurade se ni: “Nna no mu, nnipa du a wɔka kasa ahorow na wofi aman ahorow so bɛba abeso Yudani atade mmuano mu, na wɔbɛka se, ‘Wo ne yɛn nkɔ, efisɛ yɛate sɛ Onyankopɔn ka wo ho.’”

Thus said YHWH of Hosts: In those days ten men of all languages of the nations take hold, Indeed, they have taken hold on the skirt of a man, a Jew, saying, We go with you, for we heard God [is] with you!”