5 Mose 15

1 Mfirinhyia nson biara awieeɛ, montwa mo aka mu.

“At the end of every seven years, you must (cancel all debts/tell people who owe you money that they do not need to pay it back).

2 Ɛkwan a ɛsɛ sɛ mofa so nie: Ɛsɛ sɛ boseabɔni biara a wabɔ ne yɔnko Israelni bosea no, ɔde kyɛ no. Ɛnsɛ sɛ wɔdan wɔn yɔnko anaa wɔn busuani ka, ɛfiri sɛ, Awurade ɛberɛ a wɔde bosea kyɛ no aduru.

Do it like this: Each of you who has lent money to a fellow Israeli must cancel that debt. You must not insist that he pay it back. You must do that because Yahweh has declared that the debts must be canceled [every seven years].

3 Saa bosea a wɔtwa mu yi ka mo yɔnkonom Israelfoɔ nko ara. Ahɔhoɔ a wɔte mo mu no nka ho.

[During that year] you may require foreigners [who live among you] to pay what they owe you, but you must not try to require that any fellow Israeli pay you what he owes you.

4 Ɛnsɛ sɛ ahiafoɔ ba mo mu ɛfiri sɛ, Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn bɛhyira mo wɔ asase a ɔde rema mo sɛ mo agyapadeɛ sononko no so.

Yahweh our God will bless you in the land that he is giving to you. If you obey Yahweh our God and obey all the commandments that I am giving to you today, there will not be any poor people among you.

5 Sɛ moto mo bo ase di Awurade mo Onyankopɔn mmara a mede rema mo ɛnnɛ yi so a, mobɛnya saa nhyira yi.

6 Awurade mo Onyankopɔn bɛhyira mo sɛdeɛ wahyɛ mo bɔ no. Mobɛbɔ aman bebree bosea nanso mo deɛ, morenkɔ aboseabɔ da. Mobɛdi aman bebree so nanso wɔrenni mo so.

Yahweh our God will bless you like he has promised to do, and you will [be able to] lend money to people of other people-groups, but you will not [need to] borrow from any of them. You will control [the finances of] many people-groups, but they will not control your [finances].

7 Sɛ moduru nkuro a Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn, de rema mo no so na sɛ ahiafoɔ wɔ hɔ a, mommpirim mo akoma anaa mommma mo nsam nyɛ den wɔ wɔn so.

“In the towns that Yahweh our God is giving to you, if there are any Israelis who are poor, do not be selfish [IDM] and refuse [IDM] to help them.

8 Mmom, mongo mo nsam na momfɛm wɔn deɛ ɛhia wɔn.

Instead, be generous [IDM] and lend to them the money that they need.

9 Monhwɛ na moannya saa adwemmɔne yi wɔ mo tirim sɛ ɛka mu twa berɛ no reyɛ aduru so enti, obi bɛbisa mo bosea a moremma no. Sɛ moammɔ ahiafoɔ no bosea na sɛ wɔsu frɛ Awurade a, wɔbɛbu mo fɔ sɛ moayɛ bɔne.

Be sure that you do not say to yourself, ‘The year when debts will be canceled is near, [so I do not want to lend anyone any money now, because he will not need to pay it back when that year comes].’ It would be evil to even think that. If you act in an unfriendly way toward a needy fellow Israeli, and give him nothing, he will cry out to Yahweh about you, and [Yahweh will say that] you have sinned [by not helping that person].

10 Momma no akoma pa mu na Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn, bɛhyira mo ne biribiara a mobɛyɛ so.

Give freely to poor people and give generously [IDM].

11 Ɛberɛ biara, mobɛhunu ahiafoɔ wɔ mo mu. Ɛno enti na merehyɛ mo sɛ, biribiara a mowɔ no, mo ne ahiafoɔ ne mo nuanom Israelfoɔ nkyɛ.

If you do that, Yahweh will bless you in everything that you do. There will always be some poor people in your land, so I command you to give generously to poor [DOU] people.”

12 Sɛ wo nua Hebrini barima anaa ɔbaa tɔn ne ho ma wo na ɔsom wo mfirinhyia nsia a, afe a ɛtɔ so nson no, gya no ɛkwan.

“If any of your fellow Israeli men or women sell themselves to one of you [to become your slave], you must free them after they have worked for you for six years. When the seventh year comes, you must free them.

13 Na sɛ woregya no ɛkwan a, mma no nkɔ nsapan.

When you free them, do not allow them to go (empty-handed/without giving them anything).

14 Fa nsa a emu go gya no ɛkwan na ma no wo nnwan no, wʼayuporebea mu adeɛ ne wo nsakyimena mu adeɛ bi. Wo ne no nkyɛ wʼadonneɛ bi a Awurade, wo Onyankopɔn, de ahyira wo no bi.

Give to them generously from the things with which Yahweh has blessed you—sheep, grain, and wine.

15 Monkae sɛ na moyɛ nkoa wɔ Misraim na Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn yii mo firii hɔ. Ɛno enti na mede saa mmara yi rema mo ɛnnɛ yi.

Do not forget that your ancestors were once slaves in Egypt, and Yahweh our God freed them. That is the reason that I am now commanding you to do this.

16 Na sɛ ɛba sɛ wʼakoa ka kyerɛ wo sɛ, “Merennya wo hɔ nkɔ”, ɛfiri sɛ, ɔpɛ wo ne wʼabusuafoɔ asɛm na ne ho tɔ no wɔ wo nkyɛn a,

“But one of your slaves may say, ‘I do not want to leave you.’ He loves you and your family, because you have treated him well.

17 ɛnneɛ, fa fitiiɛ bɔne nʼaso mu na ɔnyɛ wʼakoa daa. Wo mfenaa nso, yɛ wɔn saa ara.

If he says that, take him to the door of your house and, [while he stands against the doorway], pierce one of his earlobes with (an awl/a sharp pointed tool). That will indicate that he will be your slave for the rest of his life. Do the same thing to any female slave [who does not want to leave you].

18 Mma no nyɛ wo ya sɛ woregyaa wʼasomfoɔ no ama wɔafa wɔn ho akɔdie. Monkae sɛ, mfeɛ nsia ni no, wɔasom wo a sɛ wokɔfaa apaafoɔ sɛ wɔnsom wo a, anka wobɛtua apaafoɔ no sika mmɔho mmienu, na Awurade mo Onyankopɔn bɛhyira mo wɔ biribiara a moyɛ ho.

“Do not complain when you are required to free your slaves. [Keep in mind that] they served you for six years, and you paid them only half as much as you pay the servants that you hire. [If you free them, ] Yahweh our God will bless you in everything that you do.”

19 Mo anantwie ne mo nnwan mmakan anini no, monyi nsi hɔ mma Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn. Mo anantwie mmakan no, mommfa wɔn nkɔ mo mfuo mu nkɔyɛ nnwuma na monntwitwa mo nnwan mmakan ho nwi nso.

“(Set aside for/Dedicate to) Yahweh our God the firstborn male animals from your cattle and sheep. Do not force them to do any work for you, and do not (shear/cut off) the wool [of the firstborn animals to sell the wool].

20 Mmom, mo ne mo abusuafoɔ, afe biara, monnwe saa mmoa yi wɔ baabi a Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn bɛyi ama mo no wɔ nʼanim.

You and your family may [kill them and] eat their meat in the presence of Yahweh at the place that Yahweh chooses [for you to worship him].

21 Na sɛ ɛba sɛ abakan no bi adi dɛm, sɛ ebia, ɔtɔ apakye anaa nʼani afira anaa wadi ɛdɛm foforɔ bi a, mommfa no mmɔ afɔdeɛ mma Awurade mo Onyankopɔn.

But if the animals have any defects, if they are lame or blind, or if they have any other serious defect, you must not sacrifice them to Yahweh our God.

22 Mmom, momfa no nyɛ aduane mma abusuafoɔ wɔ fie. Sɛ obi ho te o, sɛ ne ho nte o, ɔtumi di bi sɛdeɛ obiara tumi we ɔtwe anaa ɔdabɔ nam no.

You may [kill and] eat [the meat of those animals] at your homes. Those who have done things that cause them to become unacceptable to God and those who have not done such things are permitted to eat that meat, just like anyone is permitted to eat the meat of a deer or an antelope.

23 Nanso, monnni mogya no. Monhwie ngu fam te sɛ nsuo.

But you must not eat any of the blood; you must drain all the blood on the ground [when you kill those animals].”