Daniel 9
1 Ahasweros babarima Dario (a nʼase firi Media) a wɔyɛɛ no ɔhene wɔ Babilonia ahennie so no
[Now I am going to tell you about what happened] when Darius, who was from the Mede people-group and who was the son of Xerxes, ruled as the King of Babylonia.
2 afe a ɛdi ɛkan no, me, Daniel, metee aseɛ firii atwerɛsɛm mu sɛdeɛ Awurade de maa Odiyifoɔ Yeremia sɛ, Yerusalem bɛda mpan mfirinhyia aduɔson.
During the first year that he was the king, I, Daniel, was studying/reading the [holy] books/Scriptures the message that Yahweh had given to the prophet Jeremiah. In that message Jeremiah had written that Jerusalem would [be destroyed and] remain ruined for seventy years.
3 Ɛno enti, mefiraa ayitoma de nsõ huraa me ho dii mmuada. Afei mede nkotosrɛ kɔɔ Awurade Onyankopɔn anim kɔbɔɔ mpaeɛ srɛɛeɛ.
[After I read that], I pleaded to Yahweh my God [to help us], praying and (fasting/abstaining from eating food). [While doing that, I was wearing] rough cloth and [sitting in] ashes [to show that I was very sad about what was going to happen to us].
4 Mebɔɔ Awurade me Onyankopɔn mpaeɛ, na mepaee mu kaa sɛ: “Ao Awurade, wo a wo so na woyɛ Onyankopɔn nwanwani! Wo a wodi ɔdɔ apam so—ɔdɔ apam a woayɛ ama wɔn a wɔdɔ wo na wɔdi wo mmara so.
I confessed [the sins that we had committed], and [this is what I] prayed: Lord, you are great and awesome! You have faithfully done what you said that you would do for us. You faithfully love those who love you and who do what you have commanded [that they should do].
5 Yɛayɛ bɔne, na yɛayɛ mfomsoɔ. Yɛabɔ atirimuɔden na yɛate atua; yɛakwati wo mmara ne wo nhyɛ.
But we [Israelis] have sinned. We have done things that are wrong. We have done wicked things, and we have rebelled [against you]. We have turned away from [obeying] your commands [DOU].
6 Yɛantie wʼasomfoɔ adiyifoɔ a wɔkasaa wɔ wo din mu kyerɛɛ yɛn ahemfo ne ahenemma ne agyanom ne nnipa a wɔwɔ asase no so nyinaa.
Your prophets spoke for you [MTY], [giving your messages to] kings, to our other rulers, to our [other] ancestors, and to all the Israeli people, but we have refused to (pay attention to/heed) those prophets.
7 “Awurade, woyɛ ɔteneneeni, nanso ɛnnɛ deɛ, yɛn anim agu ase, Yudafoɔ ne Yerusalemfoɔ ne Israelfoɔ nyinaa, wɔn a wɔbɛn ne wɔn a wɔwɔ akyirikyiri a wɔabɔ apansam. Esiane yɛn amumuyɛ enti, yɛn anim agu ase.
Lord, you always do what is righteous/just/fair, but we have caused ourselves to be ashamed [IDM]. This is [still] true about all of the Israelis who live in Jerusalem and who live in other places in Judea. It is [also] true about all us Israelis whom you scattered, who [were taken to] other countries, some near [Israel] and some far away, because we were very unfaithful/disloyal to you.
8 Ao, Awurade, aniwuo aka yɛn ne yɛn ahemfo, ahenemma ne yɛn agyanom, ɛfiri sɛ, yɛayɛ bɔne atia wo.
Lord, we and our kings and our other rulers and our [other] ancestors have done very shameful things and have sinned against you.
9 Ɛwom sɛ, yɛate Awurade yɛn Onyankopɔn anim atua, nanso ɔyɛ ahummɔborɔ na ɔde bɔne kyɛ.
Although we have rebelled against you, you act mercifully [toward us] and you [are willing/ready] to forgive us.
10 Yɛanyɛ ɔsetie amma Awurade yɛn Onyankopɔn, na yɛanni ne mmara a ɔnam nʼasomfoɔ adiyifoɔ so de maa yɛn no so.
Yahweh our God, when you gave your laws to your prophets who served you, and they told us to conduct our lives according to those laws, we did not (listen to/heed) you.
11 Israel nyinaa abu wo mmara so, na wɔafiri ho a wɔmpɛ sɛ wɔyɛ ɔsetie ma wo. “Enti, nnome ne atemmuo a wɔaka ntam atwerɛ wɔ Onyankopɔn ɔsomfoɔ Mose Mmara mu no, wɔahwie agu yɛn so, sɛ yɛayɛ bɔne atia wo enti.
All [of us] Israeli people have disobeyed your laws, and we have turned away from [obeying] what you said. We have sinned against you. As a result, [you] have caused us to experience the terrible things that your servant Moses said/wrote [would happen to us] if we sinned against you.
12 Ɔhaw kɛseɛ a wobɔɔ ho kɔkɔ sɛ wobɛyɛ atia yɛn ne yɛn ahemfo no, woayɛ. Ɔsoro ase nyinaa, biribiara nsii sɛdeɛ asi wɔ Yerusalem no bi da.
You warned us and our rulers that you would punish Jerusalem severely by causing a great disaster there, a disaster that would be worse than any disaster that any other city had ever experienced, and you have done what you said that you would do.
13 Sɛdeɛ wɔatwerɛ wɔ Mose mmara mu no, saa amanehunu yi nyinaa aba yɛn so, nanso yɛnhwehwɛɛ Awurade yɛn Onyankopɔn mmɔborɔhunu, sɛ yɛbɛfiri yɛn bɔne ho na yɛapɛ nokorɛ akyiri ɛkwan.
[You] punished us just like Moses wrote [that you would do]. But, Yahweh our God, we still have not tried, by turning away from our sinning and by heeding your truth, to persuade you to act mercifully toward us.
14 Awurade antwentwɛn sɛ ɔde amanehunu no bɛba yɛn so, ɛfiri sɛ Awurade yɛn Onyankopɔn yɛ pɛ biribiara a ɔyɛ mu, nanso yɛanyɛ ɔsetie amma no.
So, because we did not obey you, you prepared to punish us, and [then] you did punish us, because you always do what is righteous/just/fair.
15 “Ao, Awurade yɛn Onyankopɔn, wo a wode nsa a ɛyɛ den yii wo nkurɔfoɔ firii Misraim, de gyee din a atena hɔ abɛsi ɛnnɛ yi, yɛayɛ bɔne, yɛayɛ mfomsoɔ.
O Lord our God, you brought your people out of Egypt by your great power [MTY], and by doing that you have caused people from that time until the present time to know that you are great [IDM] [even though] we have sinned and done wicked things.
16 Awurade, sɛdeɛ wo tenenee nneyɛɛ nyinaa teɛ no enti, yi wʼabofuo ne wʼanibereɛ firi wo kuropɔn Yerusalem ne wo bepɔ kronkron no so. Esiane yɛn bɔne ne yɛn agyanom amumuyɛ enti, nnipa a atwa Yerusalem ho ahyia no nyinaa di Yerusalem ne wo nkurɔfoɔ ho fɛw.
Lord, Jerusalem is your city, and [your temple was built there] on your sacred hill. Now all the people who live in nearby [countries/nations] despise Jerusalem and [us] your people because of our sins and because of the evil things that our ancestors did. But [now], because you do what is righteous/just, [we ask you to] not be angry with Jerusalem any longer.
17 “Na afei yɛn Onyankopɔn, tie wʼakoa mpaeɛbɔ, ne ne nkotosrɛ. Wo enti, Ao, Awurade, te wʼanim bio kyerɛ wo kronkronbea hɔ a agyigya no.
O Lord our God, listen to what I am praying and pleading [for you to do]. (For your own sake/In order that people will know that you are very great), act kindly [IDM] concerning your temple, which was destroyed [by the armies of Babylonia].
18 Yɛ aso, Ao, me Onyankopɔn na tie; bue wʼani, na hwɛ kuropɔn a wo Din da soɔ a agyigya no. Ɛnyɛ yɛn tenenee enti na yɛde yɛn nkotosrɛ aba wʼanim, na mmom ɛyɛ wo mmɔborɔhunu bebrebe no enti.
My God, listen [to my prayer]. Look [at us] and see our troubles, and see that this city that belongs to you [MTY] has been ruined/destroyed. We are praying to you because you are merciful, not because we have done what is right/good.
19 Ao, Awurade, tie! Ao, Awurade, fa kyɛ! Ao, Awurade, tie na yɛ! Wo enti, me Onyankopɔn, ntwentwɛn wo nan ase, ɛfiri sɛ, wo Din da wo kuropɔn ne wo nkurɔfoɔ so.”
Lord, listen [to us]! Lord, forgive us! Lord, this city and these people belong to you, so [we plead with you to] heed what we are saying and act [to help us] right now, (for your own sake/in order that people will know that you are very great)!
20 Ɛberɛ a merekasa na merebɔ mpaeɛ, na mereka me ne me nkurɔfoɔ Israelfoɔ bɔne akyerɛ, na mede mʼadesrɛ reto Awurade me Onyankopɔn anim ama ne bepɔ kronkron no,
I continued praying and confessing the sins that my people and I had committed, and pleading with Yahweh my God that he would restore [the temple on] the sacred hill [in Jerusalem].
21 na megu so rebɔ mpaeɛ no, Gabriel a mehunuu no kane anisoadehunu mu no de ahoɔherɛ baa me nkyɛn bɛyɛ anwummerɛ afɔrebɔ berɛ mu.
While I was praying, Gabriel, the angel/one whom I had seen in the vision previously, came flying rapidly to me, at the time in the evening when [the priests] offered sacrifices.
22 Ɔkyerɛkyerɛɛ me sɛ, “Daniel, maba ha sɛ merebrɛ wo nhunumu ne nteaseɛ.
He said to me, “Daniel, I have come to you to enable you to understand [DOU] clearly [the message that God gave to Jeremiah].
23 Wohyɛɛ aseɛ sɛ worebɔ mpaeɛ pɛ no, mmuaeɛ baeɛ, na maba sɛ merebɛka akyerɛ wo, ɛfiri sɛ, wɔbu wo yie. Enti dwene asɛm no ho na te anisoadehunu no ase.
When you began to plead [with God], he gave me a message [to pass on to you]. He loves you very much, so [he has sent me] to tell you what he said to me. So [now] (pay attention/listen carefully) in order that you may understand the meaning of what he revealed [to Jeremiah].
24 “‘Mmerɛ aduɔson ahodoɔ nson’ na wɔahyɛ ama wo nkurɔfoɔ ne wo kuropɔn kronkron no, sɛ wɔgyae mmarato, na wɔtwa bɔneyɛ so, na wɔpata atirimuɔden, na tenenee a ɛto ntwa da ba, na wɔsɔ anisoadehunu ne nkɔmhyɛ ano, na wɔsra Kronkron mu Kronkronbea hɔ ngo.
[God] has determined/declared that there will be 490 years until he frees/saves your people from [the guilt of] their sins and to atone for the evil things that they have done. Then [God] will rule everyone justly, and he will do that forever. And [what you saw in] the vision and what [Jeremiah] prophesied will (come true/be fulfilled), and the sacred temple will be dedicated [to God again].
25 “Tie na te yei ase: Ɛfiri ɛberɛ a asɛm no bɛkɔ ama wɔasi Yerusalem ayɛ no foforɔ, kɔsi sɛ Deɛ Wɔasra no Ngo no bɛba no bɛyɛ mmerɛ nson ahodoɔ ‘nson’, ne aduosia mmienu ahodoɔ ‘nson’. Wɔbɛyiyi mmorɔno ne akwan na wɔayɛ abanbɔdeɛ a ɛyɛ den, nanso ɛbɛyɛ ahohiahia berɛ mu.
You need to know and understand this: There will be 49 years from the time that [the king] commands that Jerusalem should be rebuilt until the leader/king that God has chosen will come. Then 434 years later, Jerusalem will be rebuilt, and it will have streets and will have a (moat/deep ditch filled with water) around it [to protect the city]. But that will be a time when [God’s people] will have [a lot of] troubles/difficulties/suffering.
26 Mmerɛ aduosia mmienu ahodoɔ nson akyi no, wɔbɛkum Deɛ Wɔasra no ngo no a wɔrennya ne ho asɛm biara. Ɔhene a ɔbɛba no nkurɔfoɔ bɛba abɛsɛe kuropɔn ne kronkronbea no. Awieeɛ no bɛba sɛ nsuyire, na ɔko ne emu ahoyera bɛba akɔsi awieeɛ sɛdeɛ wɔahyɛ no.
After those 434 years, the leader/king whom God has appointed will be killed [when it seems that] he will have accomplished nothing (unjustly/without having done anything wrong). After that, the temple will be destroyed by [the army of] a powerful ruler. The city and the temple will be destroyed like a flood [MET] [destroys everything]. That will be the beginning of the war and destruction that [God] has decreed [will happen].
27 Ɔbɛsi ɔno ne nnipa bebree ntam apam so dua wɔ mmerɛ ‘nson’ baako mu. Na mmerɛ ‘nson’ no mfimfini no, ɔbɛgyae afɔrebɔ ne ayɛyɛdeɛ ma. Ɔbɛdua abusudeɛ a ɛde ɔsɛeɛ bɛba wɔ asɔredan no no mu, kɔsi sɛ awieeɛ a wɔahyɛ no bɛhwie agu ne so.”
That ruler will make a strong agreement with many people. He will promise to do for seven years what he has said in that agreement. But when that time is half finished, he will prevent [priests from] giving any more offerings and sacrifices [to God]. A disgusting idol will be put on the highest part of the temple, and it will stay there until [God] gets rid of the one who put it there, which is what he said that he would do.”
