Amos 5
1 Tie asɛm yi, mo Israelfoɔ, saa mmenabɔ yi fa mo ho:
Listen to the words of the funeral song I am singing for you, Israel:
2 “Ɔbabunu Israel ahwe ase a ɔrensɔre bio, wɔapo no ɔno ara asase so, na ɔnni obi a ɔbɛpagya no.”
Fallen, no more to rise, is the virgin Israel! Hurled down upon her own soil she lies, with no one to lift her up!
3 Deɛ Otumfoɔ Awurade seɛ nie: “Kuropɔn a ɔde mmarima ahoɔdenfoɔ apem ko ma Israel no, emu ɔha pɛ na ɛbɛka; Kuro a ɔde ahoɔdenfoɔ ɔha no, emu edu pɛ na ɛbɛka.”
For the Lord God says this: The city that marches out with a thousand soldiers has only a hundred left, and the one that marches out with a hundred has only ten left.
4 Deɛ Awurade ka kyerɛ Israelfoɔ nie: “Monhwehwɛ me na monnya nkwa;
For the Lord says this to Israel: Seek me and live,
5 Monnhwehwɛ Bet-El, monnkɔ Gilgal, na monntu ɛkwan nkɔ Beer-Seba nso. Ampa ara Gilgal bɛkɔ nnommumfa mu na wɔbɛhwe Bet-El ase koraa.”
But do not seek Bethel, do not enter Gilgal, do not go over to Beer-sheba. For Gilgal will enter exile, and Bethel will go to destruction.
6 Monhwehwɛ Awurade na monnya nkwa, anyɛ saa a ɔbɛpra Yosef efie te sɛ ogya; ɛbɛhye, na Bet-El rennya obi nnum no.
Seek the Lord and live, or he will cast fire on the house of Joseph, and it will devour and there will be no one to quench it for Bethel.
7 Mo a moma atemmuo yɛ nwono na mototo tenenee ase.
You who turn judgment to bitter wormwood, and cast righteousness into the dirt:
8 Deɛ ɔbɔɔ nsoromma, Akokɔbaatan ne ne mma, deɛ ɔdane esum yɛ no adekyeeɛ na ɔma awia dane adesaeɛ. Deɛ ɔboaboa ɛpo mu nsuo ano na ɔhwie gu asase so, ne din ne Awurade.
He who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns deep darkness into dawn, who darkens day again into night, who summons the waters of the sea, and pours them out on the earth’s surface, the Lord is his name!
9 Ɔsɛe abandenden ntɛm so na ɔbubu kuropɔn a wɔabɔ ho ban nso,
He causes destruction to burst over the strong. He brings devastation on the fortress.
10 motane deɛ ɔtenetene wɔ asɛnniiɛ na mobu deɛ ɔka nokorɛ animtiaa.
You who hate the arbiters at the city gate, and abhor anyone who speaks the truth:
11 Motiatia ohiani so na mohyɛ no gye aduane firi ne nkyɛn. Enti, ɛwom sɛ mode aboɔ a wɔatwa asisi afie akɛseɛ deɛ, nanso morentena mu; ɛwom sɛ moayɛ bobe nturo a ɛyɛ fɛ deɛ nanso morennom emu nsã.
Because you trample on the weak, and tax their grain, although you have built houses of hewn stone, you will not live in them, although you have planted charming vineyards, you will not drink their wine.
12 Na menim mo mmarato dodoɔ ne mo bɔne akɛseɛ no. Mohyɛ teneneefoɔ so na mogye adanmudeɛ mobu ahiafoɔ ntɛnkyea wɔ asɛnniiɛ.
For I know how many are your crimes, and how great are your sins! You persecutors of the righteous, takers of bribes! You deny the poor their justice at the city gate.
13 Ɛno enti, ɔnyansafoɔ yɛ komm saa mmerɛ yi mu, ɛfiri sɛ, ɛyɛ mmerɛ bɔne.
It would be wise to keep quiet in such an evil time.
14 Monhwehwɛ papa, na moanya nkwa na ɛnyɛ bɔne. Na Asafo Awurade Onyankopɔn bɛka wo ho, sɛdeɛ moka sɛ ɔyɛ no.
Seek good and not evil, that you may live, so the Lord, God of hosts, may be with you, as you have claimed he is.
15 Monkyiri bɔne, na monnɔ papa; Monni atɛn tenenee wɔ asɛnniiɛ. Ebia, Asafo Awurade Onyankopɔn bɛnya ahummɔborɔ ama Yosef nkaeɛfoɔ.
Hate evil and love good, establish justice at the city gate. Perhaps the Lord, the God of hosts, will be gracious to a surviving remnant of Joseph.
16 Enti deɛ Awurade, Asafo Awurade Onyankopɔn seɛ nie: “Mmenabɔ bɛba mmorɔno nyinaa so na ɔyea ne apinisie bɛba mmɔntene so. Wɔbɛfrɛ akuafoɔ ama wɔabɛsu na agyamfoɔ abɛtwa adwo.
Therefore the Lord, the God of hosts, says: In all the public squares there will be wailing, in every street the sound of mourning. They will summon the farmers to mourning, and professional mourners to wailing.
17 Wɔbɛbɔ mmena wɔ bobeturo nyinaa mu, ɛfiri sɛ mɛnante mo mu,” sɛdeɛ Awurade seɛ nie.
In all vineyards there will be lamenting, when I pass through your midst, says the Lord.
18 Nnome nka wɔn a wɔpɛ sɛ Awurade da no ba! Deɛn enti na mopɛ sɛ Awurade da no ba? Saa ɛda no bɛyɛ esum, na ɛnnyɛ hann.
Fools who long for the day of the Lord! What does the day of the Lord mean to you? It is darkness, and not light.
19 Ɛbɛyɛ te sɛ ɔnipa a ɔdwane firi gyata anim na ɔkohyia sisire, sɛ deɛ owura ne fie de ne nsa to ɔfasuo so, na ɔwɔ ka no.
It is as when one flees from a lion, and is attacked by a bear, as when one reaches home, leans his hand on the wall, and a snake bites him.
20 Na Awurade da no bɛyɛ esum; ɛrenyɛ hann, ɛbɛyɛ esum kabii a ɛhan nsensaneɛ biara nni mu.
Won’t the Lord’s day be darkness and not light, murky darkness without a ray of light in it?
21 “Mekyiri na mepo mo nyamesom mu apontoɔ; mʼani nnye mo afahyɛ nhyiamu ho.
I hate, I despise your feasts, I will not smell the savor of your festivals,
22 Ɛwom sɛ mode ɔhyeɛ afɔdeɛ ne aduane afɔdeɛ brɛ me deɛ, nanso merennye. Mode asomdwoeɛ afɔdeɛ brɛ me nanso mʼani rensɔ.
I will not be pleased with your burnt offerings, your grain offerings, I will not accept the peace offerings of your fattened calves.
23 Momfa mo nnwontoɔ gyegyeegye no mfiri me so! Merentie mo asankuten so nnwom.
Spare me the noise of your songs, I will not listen to the melody of your lyres.
24 Mmom, momma atɛntenenee ntene sɛ asubɔnten, na tenenee nyɛ sɛ asutene a ɛrenwe da!
But let justice roll on as a flood of waters, and righteousness like an unfailing stream.
25 “Israelfoɔ, ɛnyɛ me na mode afɔrebɔdeɛ ne ayɛyɛdeɛ brɛɛ me mfeɛ aduanan wɔ ɛserɛ so anaa?
Was it only sacrifices and grain offerings you brought me during the forty years in the wilderness, Israel?
26 Mode mo ho nyinaa ato Molek nyame, ne mo honi Rɛfan so; wɔyɛ ahoni a moayɛ sɛ mobɛsom wɔn.
But now you will lift up your “king” Sikkuth and “star god” Kiyyun, your idols which you have made for yourselves,
27 Ɛno enti, mɛtwa mo asuo akɔ Damasko nohoa,” sɛdeɛ Awurade a ne din ne Onyankopɔn Otumfoɔ seɛ nie.
as I drive you into exile beyond Damascus, says the Lord, whose name is the God of hosts.
