2 Ahemfo 17
1 Ela babarima Hosea hyɛɛ aseɛ dii ɔhene wɔ Israel no, na ɔhene Ahas nso adi ɔhene wɔ Yuda mfirinhyia dumienu. Ɔdii ɔhene wɔ Samaria mfeɛ nkron.
In the twelfth year of the reign of Ahaz over Judah, Hoshea son of Elah became king of Israel, and he reigned in Samaria nine years.
2 Ɔyɛɛ bɔne wɔ Awurade ani so, nanso na ne bɔne no nnɔɔso sɛ Israel ahemfo a wɔdii adeɛ ansa na ɔrebɛdi adeɛ no.
And he did evil in the sight of the LORD, but not like the kings of Israel who preceded him.
3 Asiriahene Salmaneser kɔɔ ɔhene Hosea so, kɔdii ne so nkonim enti, ɔhyɛɛ Israel ma wɔtuaa apeatoɔ a emu yɛ duru maa Asiria.
Shalmaneser king of Assyria attacked him, and Hoshea became his vassal and paid him tribute.
4 Afei, ɔhene Hosea bisaa mmoa firii Misraimhene a wɔfrɛ no So nkyɛn, sɛ ɔmmoa no na ɔntete ne ho mfiri Asiriahene tumi ase. Ɔbɔɔ pɔ tiaa Asiriahene. Ɛberɛ a Asiriahene hunuu ɛpɔ bɔne a wabɔ no, ɔkyeree no de no too afiase wɔ nʼatuateɛ ho.
But the king of Assyria discovered that Hoshea had conspired to send envoys to King So of Egypt, and that he had not paid tribute to the king of Assyria as in previous years. Therefore the king of Assyria arrested Hoshea and put him in prison.
5 Na Asiriahene ko faa asasetam no nyinaa, na ɔtuaa Samaria mfeɛ mmiɛnsa.
Then the king of Assyria invaded the whole land, marched up to Samaria, and besieged it for three years.
6 Akyire yi, ɔhene Hosea ahennie mfeɛ nkron mu no, Samaria hwee ase, ma wɔtwaa Israelfoɔ asuo kɔɔ Asiria. Wɔbɔɔ wɔn atenaseɛ wɔ Halah nkuro wɔ asuo Habor a ɛwɔ Gosan a ɛfra Media nkuropɔn no mu no so.
In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria captured Samaria and carried away the Israelites to Assyria, where he settled them in Halah, in Gozan by the Habor River, and in the cities of the Medes.
7 Saa amanehunu yi baa Israelman so, ɛfiri sɛ, nnipa no somm anyame foforɔ, yɛɛ bɔne tia Awurade, wɔn Onyankopɔn a ɔyii wɔn firii wɔn nkoasom mu wɔ Misraim.
All this happened because the people of Israel had sinned against the LORD their God, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. They had worshiped other gods
8 Wɔsuasuaa abosonsom aman nneyɛɛ a enti Awurade pamoo wɔn firii asase a ɛda wɔn anim no so, ne ɔsom a Israel ahemfo de aba no.
and walked in the customs of the nations that the LORD had driven out before the Israelites, as well as in the practices introduced by the kings of Israel.
9 Na Israelfoɔ no nso nam esum ase, ayɛ nneɛma pii a na ɛnsɔ Awurade wɔn Onyankopɔn ani. Wɔsisii abosonnan maa wɔn ho wɔ wɔn nkuro nyinaa so, ɛfiri wɔn nkuro akɛseɛ a wɔatwa afasuo afa ho, kɔsi nkuraaseɛ.
The Israelites secretly did things against the LORD their God that were not right. From watchtower to fortified city, they built high places in all their cities.
10 Wɔsisii afadum kronkron ne Asera afɔrebukyia wɔ kokoɔ biara so ne dua biara a ɛyɛ frɔmm ase.
They set up for themselves sacred pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree.
11 Wɔhyee nnuhwam wɔ asɔreeɛ hɔ, te sɛ deɛ aman a Awurade apamo wɔn afiri asase a ɛda wɔn anim no so no yɛeɛ pɛ. Enti, Israelfoɔ yɛɛ bɔne bebree hyɛɛ Awurade abufuo.
They burned incense on all the high places like the nations that the LORD had driven out before them. They did wicked things, provoking the LORD to anger.
12 Aane, Awurade kɔkɔbɔ pɔtee ne ne ntimu no nyinaa akyi, wɔsomm ahoni.
They served idols, although the LORD had told them, “You shall not do this thing.”
13 Awurade somaa nʼadiyifoɔ ne ademuhunufoɔ ntoatoasoɔ ma wɔkɔbɔɔ Israel ne Yuda kɔkɔ sɛ, “Monnane mfiri mo akwammɔne nyinaa ho. Monyɛ ɔsetie mma mʼahyɛdeɛ ne me mmara, deɛ mehyɛɛ mo agyanom sɛ wɔnni so no nyinaa, deɛ menam mʼasomfoɔ adiyifoɔ no so de maa mo no.”
Yet through all His prophets and seers, the LORD warned Israel and Judah, saying, “Turn from your wicked ways and keep My commandments and statutes, according to the entire Law that I commanded your fathers and delivered to you through My servants the prophets.”
14 Nanso, Israelfoɔ no antie. Na wɔyɛɛ asoɔden sɛ wɔn agyanom, na wɔannye Awurade, wɔn Onyankopɔn, anni.
But they would not listen, and they stiffened their necks like their fathers, who did not believe the LORD their God.
15 Wɔpoo ne mmara ne nʼapam a ɔne wɔn agyanom yɛeɛ no. Na wɔamfa ne kɔkɔbɔ no anyɛ hwee. Wɔsomm abosomhuhuo, ma wɔdanee nnipa teta. Wɔhwɛɛ aman a atwa wɔn ho ahyia no nhwɛsoɔ so, nam so yɛɛ asoɔden maa Awurade nhyɛ a ɔhyɛɛ sɛ wɔnnsuasua wɔn no.
They rejected His statutes and the covenant He had made with their fathers, as well as the decrees He had given them. They pursued worthless idols and themselves became worthless, going after the surrounding nations that the LORD had commanded them not to imitate.
16 Wɔantie Awurade wɔn Onyankopɔn nhyɛ no nyinaa, na wɔyɛɛ nantwie mma mmienu ahoni a wɔaguo. Wɔsii Asera afɔrebukyia, somm Baal ne ewiem atumfoɔ nyinaa.
They abandoned all the commandments of the LORD their God and made for themselves two cast idols of calves and an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the host of heaven and served Baal.
17 Na mpo, wɔde wɔn ankasa mmammarima ne wɔn mmammaa bɔɔ afɔdeɛ wɔ ogya mu. Wɔkɔɔ abisa, wɔyɛɛ abayisɛm, nam so tɔn wɔn ho maa bɔne, de hyɛɛ Awurade abufuo.
They sacrificed their sons and daughters in the fire and practiced divination and soothsaying. They devoted themselves to doing evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking Him to anger.
18 Na ɛsiane sɛ Awurade bo fuiɛ enti, ɔpepaa wɔn firii nʼanim. Yuda abusuakuo nko ara na ɛkaa wɔn wɔ asase no so.
So the LORD was very angry with Israel, and He removed them from His presence. Only the tribe of Judah remained,
19 Na mpo, nnipa a wɔwɔ Yuda anni Awurade, wɔn Onyankopɔn, ahyɛdeɛ so. Wɔfaa ɛkwan bɔne a Israel faa so no so.
and even Judah did not keep the commandments of the LORD their God, but lived according to the customs Israel had introduced.
20 Ɛno enti, Awurade poo Israel asefoɔ nyinaa. Ɔde wɔn maa wɔn atamfoɔ, nam so twee wɔn aso, kɔsii sɛ wɔsɛee wɔn.
So the LORD rejected all the descendants of Israel. He afflicted them and delivered them into the hands of plunderers, until He had banished them from His presence.
21 Na ɛberɛ a Awurade tee Israel firii Dawid ahemman ho no, wɔfaa Nebat babarima Yeroboam, de no dii wɔn so ɔhene. Na Yeroboam maa Israelfoɔ gyaee Awurade akyidie, ma wɔyɛɛ bɔne kɛseɛ.
When the LORD had torn Israel away from the house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Nebat king, and Jeroboam led Israel away from following the LORD and caused them to commit a great sin.
22 Na Israelfoɔ no kɔɔ so nantee Yeroboam akwammɔne no so. Wɔannyae ahonisom ho bɔneyɛ no,
The Israelites persisted in all the sins that Jeroboam had committed and did not turn away from them.
23 kɔsii sɛ, ne korakora, Awurade pepaa wɔn firii hɔ, sɛdeɛ nʼadiyifoɔ hyɛɛ ho nkɔm sɛ ɛbɛba no. Enti, wɔtwaa Israel asuo kɔɔ Asiria asase so baabi a wɔte bɛsi ɛnnɛ yi.
Finally, the LORD removed Israel from His presence, as He had declared through all His servants the prophets. So Israel was exiled from their homeland into Assyria, where they are to this day.
24 Na Asiriahene twee nnipa akuakuo firii Babilonia, Kuta ne Awa, Hamat ne Sefarwaim, de wɔn bɛduaa Samaria nkuro so, ma wɔsii Israelfoɔ ananmu. Enti Asiriafoɔ no faa Samaria ne Israel nkuro a ɛkeka ho no.
Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sepharvaim and settled them in the towns of Samaria to replace the Israelites. They took possession of Samaria and lived in its towns.
25 Nanso, ɛsiane sɛ saa ahɔhoɔ atutenafoɔ yi ansom Awurade ɛberɛ a wɔduruu hɔ ara pɛ no enti, Awurade maa agyata kɔɔ wɔn mu, kɔkunkumm wɔn mu bi.
Now when the settlers first lived there, they did not worship the LORD, so He sent lions among them, which killed some of them.
26 Enti, wɔde nkra kɔmaa Asiriahene sɛ, “Nnipa a woabɔ wɔn atenaseɛ wɔ Israel nkuro so no nnim sɛdeɛ wɔsom asase no so Onyankopɔn. Wasoma agyata akɔ wɔn mu, akɔsɛe wɔn, ɛfiri sɛ, wɔansom no anisɔ mu.”
So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, “The peoples that you have removed and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the requirements of the God of the land. Because of this, He has sent lions among them, which are indeed killing them off.”
27 Ɛnna Asiriahene nso hyɛɛ sɛ, “Soma asɔfoɔ a wɔatwa wɔn asuo no mu baako firi Samaria, na ɔnsane nkɔ Israel. Ma ɔnkyerɛ ahɔhoɔ no ɛkwan a wɔfa so som asase no so Onyankopɔn.”
Then the king of Assyria commanded: “Send back one of the priests you carried off from Samaria, and have him go back to live there and teach the requirements of the God of the land.”
28 Enti, asɔfoɔ a wɔatwa wɔn asuo afiri Samaria no mu baako sane kɔɔ Bet-El, kɔkyerɛɛ ahɔhoɔ no kwan a wɔfa so som Awurade.
Thus one of the priests they had carried away came and lived in Bethel, and he began to teach them how they should worship the LORD.
29 Nanso, saa ahɔhoɔ akuakuo ahodoɔ yi kɔɔ so somm wɔn ankasa anyame. Kuro biara a wɔtete mu no, wɔde wɔn ahoni kɔsisii abosonnan a Israelfoɔ no asisi no mu.
Nevertheless, the people of each nation continued to make their own gods in the cities where they had settled, and they set them up in the shrines that the people of Samaria had made on the high places.
30 Wɔn a wɔfiri Babilonia no somm wɔn nyame Sukot-Benot ahoni. Wɔn a wɔfiri Kut somm wɔn nyame Nergal. Na wɔn a wɔfiri Hamat somm Asima.
The men of Babylon made Succoth-benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima,
31 Awifoɔ somm wɔn anyame Nibhas ne Tartak. Na mpo, nnipa a ɛfiri Sefarwain hyee wɔn ankasa mma sɛ afɔrebɔdeɛ, de maa Adramelek ne Anamelek.
the Avvites made Nibhaz and Tartak, and the Sepharvites burned their children in the fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech the gods of the Sepharvaim.
32 Saa ahɔhoɔ yi somm Awurade deɛ, nanso wɔyii asɔfoɔ bi firii wɔn mu a, na wɔbɔ afɔdeɛ wɔ abosonnan mu.
So the new residents worshiped the LORD, but they also appointed for themselves priests of all sorts to serve in the shrines of the high places.
33 Na wɔsom Awurade deɛ, nanso wɔkɔɔ so faa amanneɛ kwan a wɔn aman a wɔfiri so fa so som no so.
They worshiped the LORD, but they also served their own gods according to the customs of the nations from which they had been carried away.
34 Na yei da so kɔ so wɔ wɔn mu de bɛsi ɛnnɛ. Na wɔda so yɛ kane nnebɔne no a anka ɛsɛ sɛ wɔsom Awurade, di ne mmara, ne nkyerɛkyerɛ ne ahyɛdeɛ a ɔde maa Yakob a ɔsesaa ne din ma ɛbɛyɛɛ Israel asefoɔ no so.
To this day they are still practicing their former customs. None of them worship the LORD or observe the statutes, ordinances, laws, and commandments that the LORD gave the descendants of Jacob, whom He named Israel.
35 Nanso, na Awurade ne Yakob asefoɔ ayɛ apam, ahyɛ wɔn sɛ, “Monnsom anyame foforɔ, monnkoto wɔn, na monnsom wɔn, na mommmɔ afɔdeɛ mmma wɔn.
For the LORD had made a covenant with the Israelites and commanded them, “Do not worship other gods or bow down to them; do not serve them or sacrifice to them.
36 Awurade a ɔnam nsɛnkyerɛnneɛ akɛseɛ ne tumi so yii mo firii Misraim no nko ara na monsom no. Ɔno nko ara na ɛsɛ sɛ mosom no, na mokoto no, na mobɔ afɔdeɛ ma no.
Instead, worship the LORD, who brought you out of the land of Egypt with great power and an outstretched arm. You are to bow down to Him and offer sacrifices to Him.
37 Monhwɛ yie, na monni mmara, nkyerɛkyerɛ ne ahyɛdeɛ a ɔtwerɛ maa mo no so. Ɛnsɛ sɛ mosom anyame foforɔ biara.
And you must always be careful to observe the statutes, ordinances, laws, and commandments He wrote for you. Do not worship other gods.
38 Mommma mo werɛ mfiri apam a me ne mo yɛeɛ no, na monnsom anyame foforɔ biara.
Do not forget the covenant I have made with you. Do not worship other gods,
39 Monsom Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn nko ara. Ɔno na ɔbɛgye mo afiri mo atamfoɔ nyinaa nsam.”
but worship the LORD your God, and He will deliver you from the hands of all your enemies.”
40 Nanso, nnipa no antie, kɔɔ so faa wɔn akwan dada no so.
But they would not listen, and they persisted in their former customs.
41 Enti, ɛberɛ a ahɔhoɔ yi resom Awurade no, berɛ korɔ no ara mu, na wɔresom wɔn ahoni. Na ɛbɛsi ɛnnɛ, wɔn asefoɔ yɛ ade korɔ no ara.
So these nations worshiped the LORD but also served their idols, and to this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their fathers did.
