2 Ahemfo 3
1 Ahab babarima Yoram na ɔdii ɔhene wɔ Israel ɛberɛ a na Yudahene Yehosafat adi adeɛ mfeɛ dunwɔtwe wɔ Yuda no. Ɔdii adeɛ wɔ Samaria mfeɛ dumienu.
Joram, son of Ahab, became king of Israel in the eighteenth year of the reign of King Jehoshaphat of Judah. He reigned in Samaria for twelve years.
2 Ɔyɛɛ Awurade ani so bɔne. Nanso, na nʼamumuyɛ no nte sɛ nʼagya ne ne maame deɛ no. Ɔsɛee Baal adum kronkron a nʼagya siiɛ no.
He did evil in the Lord's sight, but not like his father and mother had done, for he got rid of the stone image of Baal that his father had made.
3 Nanso ɔtoaa ahonisom so, sɛdeɛ Nebat babarima Yeroboam dii Israelfoɔ anim, ma wɔyɛɛ no.
However, he still held on to the sins that Jeroboam, son of Nebat, had made Israel commit—he did not give them up.
4 Na Moabhene Mesa ne ne nkurɔfoɔ yɛn nnwan. Na wɔtua apeatoɔ a ɛyɛ nnwan mma ɔpeha ne nnwennini ɔpeha ho nwi ma Israelhene afe biara.
Mesha, king of Moab, was a sheep breeder. He used to provide a tribute to the king of Israel of one hundred thousand lambs and the wool of one hundred thousand rams.
5 Nanso, Ahab wuo akyi no, Moabhene sɔre tiaa Israelhene.
But after Ahab died, the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.
6 Enti, ɔhene Yoram firii Samaria boaboaa Israel akodɔm ano.
Immediately King Joram called up the whole Israelite army and left Samaria.
7 Ɛkwan so no, ɔtoo nkra yi kɔmaa Yudahene Yehosafat sɛ, “Moabhene asɔre atia me. Wobɛboa me na me ne no ako anaa?” Na Yehosafat buaa sɛ, “Adɛn enti na meremmoa wo. Wo ne me yɛ anuanom, na mʼakodɔm yɛ wo dea na wotumi di wɔn anim. Mpo mʼapɔnkɔ da wo da.”
On his way he sent a message to Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, saying, “The king of Moab has rebelled against me. Will you join me in an attack on Moab?” Jehoshaphat replied, “Yes, I will join you. You and I are as one, my men and your men are as one, and my horses and your horses are as one.”
8 Na Yehosafat bisaa sɛ, “Ɛkwan bɛn na yɛbɛfa so akɔ?” Yoram buaa sɛ, “Yɛbɛtoa wɔn afiri Edom ɛserɛ so.”
Then he asked, “Which way shall we go?” “We'll take the road through the desert of Edom,” he replied.
9 Edomhene ne nʼakodɔm kɔkaa wɔn ho, na asraadɔm mmiɛnsa no de nnanson twaa ntwahokwan a ɛfa ɛserɛ so no. Nanso, na nsuo nni hɔ ma mmarima no anaa wɔn mmoa.
So the king of Israel, the king of Judah, and the king of Edom set off. Having followed an indirect route for seven days, they ran out of water for their army and for their animals.
10 Israelhene teaam bisaa sɛ, “Yɛnyɛ yɛn ho ɛdeɛn? Awurade de yɛn baasa aba ha sɛ Moabhene nni yɛn so.”
“What are we doing?” complained the king of Israel. “The Lord has brought us three kings here to hand us over to the Moabites!”
11 Nanso, Yudahene Yehosafat bisaa sɛ, “Enti Awurade odiyifoɔ biara nka yɛn ho ha? Sɛ wɔn mu bi wɔ ha a, yɛbɛtumi abisa Awurade deɛ yɛnyɛ.” Ɔhene Yoram mpanimfoɔ no mu baako kaa sɛ, “Safat babarima Elisa wɔ ha. Na ɔyɛ Elia ɔboafoɔ.”
But Jehoshaphat asked, “Isn't there a prophet of the Lord here with us? Let us consult the Lord through him.” One of the king of Israel's officers answered, “Elisha, son of Shaphat, is here. He was Elijah's assistant.”
12 Enti, Yehosafat kaa sɛ, “Ɛnneɛ, Awurade bɛtumi akasa afa ne so.” Na Israelhene, Yudahene ne Edomhene kɔɔ Elisa nkyɛn abisa.
Jehoshaphat agreed, “The Lord communicates by him.” So the king of Israel, Jehoshaphat, and the king of Edom went to see him.
13 Elisa ka kyerɛɛ Israelhene sɛ, “Wo ho nhia me. Kɔ wʼagya ne wo maame adiyifoɔ abosonsomfoɔ no nkyɛn.” Nanso, ɔhene Yoram kaa sɛ, “Dabi! Na ɛyɛ Awurade na ɔfrɛɛ yɛn ahemfo baasa yi baa ha, sɛ Moabhene nsɛe yɛn!”
Elisha said to the king of Israel, “What have I got to do with you? Go to your own prophets, those of your father and your mother.” But the king of Israel said to him, “No—because it's the Lord who has brought these three kings here to hand them over to the Moabites!”
14 Na Elisa buaa sɛ, “Mmerɛ dodoɔ a Awurade Otumfoɔ a mesom no te ase yi, sɛ ɛnyɛ Yudahene Yehosafat a mebu no a, anka merenha me ho wɔ wo ho.
Elisha replied, “As the Lord Almighty lives, the one I serve, if I didn't respect the fact that Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, is here, I wouldn't even look in your direction or acknowledge you.
15 Afei, ma obi a ɔbɛtumi abɔ sankuo mmra.” Ɛberɛ a wɔrebɔ sankuo no, Awurade tumi baa Elisa so,
Now bring me a musician.” While the musician played, the Lord's power came upon Elisha,
16 ma ɔkaa sɛ, “Sɛdeɛ Awurade seɛ nie: Saa bɔnhwa a emu nsuo awe yi, wɔde nsuo bɛhyɛ no ma.
and he announced, “This is what the Lord says: This valley will be filled with pools of water. For the Lord says:
17 Worenhunu mframa anaa osuo sɛdeɛ Awurade ka no, nanso saa bɔnhwa yi, wɔbɛhyɛ no nsuo ma. Mobɛnya bi ama mo ho, mo anantwie ne mo mmoa a aka no.
You won't see any wind, you won't see any rain, but even so this valley will be filled with water. You will drink, and your cattle, and your animals.
18 Na yei yɛ ade kumaa bi ma Awurade. Ɔbɛma moadi Moab akodɔm so nkonim.
The Lord views this as something trivial to do; and he will also make you victorious over the Moabites.
19 Mobɛdi wɔn nkuropɔn papa so nkonim, mpo, nkuropɔn a wɔabɔ ho ban no. Mobɛtwitwa wɔn nnua nyinaa agu. Mobɛsisi wɔn nsuo aniwa, na mode aboɔ asɛe wɔn nsase pa.”
You will conquer every fortified town, and every important town. You will chop down every good tree, block up every spring, and spoil every good field by throwing stones on them.”
20 Na adeɛ kyeeɛ; ɛduruu ɛberɛ a wɔbɔ anɔpa afɔdeɛ no, nsuo puee prɛko pɛ. Na ɛtene firii Edom, na ankyɛre biara na nsuo abu baabiara.
The next day, around the time of the morning sacrifice, water suddenly flowed from the direction of Edom, filling the whole countryside with water.
21 Ɛberɛ a Moabfoɔ tee sɛ akodɔm mmiɛnsa reba wɔn so no, wɔn nso boaboaa mmarima a wɔbɛtumi ako, mmɔfra ne mpanin ano, de wɔn sisii wɔn ahyeɛ so.
All the Moabites had heard that the kings had come to attack them. So everyone who could wear a sword, young and old, was called up and went to guard the border.
22 Na adeɛ kyeeɛ a wɔsɔreeɛ no, na owia no abɔ wɔ nsuo no so, ama ani abere sɛ mogya.
But the next morning when they got up the sun was shining on the water, and to the Moabites on the other side it looked blood red.
23 Moabfoɔ no teaam sɛ, “Ɛyɛ mogya. Akodɔm mmiɛnsa no atwa wɔn ho ako, akunkum wɔn ho wɔn ho! Momma yɛnkɔfo asadeɛ no!”
“This is blood!” they said. “The kings and their armies must have attacked and killed each other! Moabites, let's grab the plunder!”
24 Ɛberɛ a wɔduruu Israelfoɔ nsraban mu no, Israel akodɔm gyee bum, kɔtoaa Moabfoɔ, ma wɔdwaneeɛ. Israel akodɔm no taa wɔn kɔduruu Moab asase so. Wɔgu Moabfoɔ no so nyinaa no, na wɔresɛe wɔn nneɛma.
But when the Moabites arrived at the Israelite camp, the Israelites ran out and attacked them, and they ran away from them. So the Israelites invaded their country and killed the Moabites.
25 Wɔsɛee wɔn nkuro akɛseɛ, de aboɔ kataa wɔn nsase pa so, sisii asutire nyinaa, twitwaa nnua pa nyinaa. Kir-Haraset nko ara na ɛkaeɛ, na ɛno mpo, wɔto hyɛɛ so.
They destroyed the towns, and each soldier threw stones on every good field until it was covered. They blocked up every spring and chopped down every good tree. Only Kir-haraseth still had its walls, but soldiers using slingshots surrounded it and attacked it as well.
26 Ɛberɛ a Moabhene hunuu sɛ ɔredi nkoguo no, ɔdii nʼakofoɔ ahanson anim, miaa wɔn ho, pɛɛ sɛ wɔpem fa atamfoɔ no nsraban a ɛbɛn Edomhene no mu, nanso wɔantumi.
When the king of Moab realized he'd lost the battle, he led seven hundred swordsmen in an attempt to break through and attack the king of Edom, but they weren't able to do so.
27 Enti, ɔfaa ne babarima panin a anka ɛsɛ sɛ ɔdi nʼadeɛ sɛ ɔhene no, de no bɔɔ ɔhyeɛ afɔdeɛ wɔ afasuo no ho. Yei enti, abufuo kɛseɛ baa Israel so, na wɔsane wɔn akyi kɔɔ wɔn ankasa asase so.
So the king of Moab took his firstborn son, who was meant to succeed him, and sacrificed him as a burnt offering on the town wall. Great anger came upon the Israelites, so they left and went back to their own country.
