2 Mose 20

1 Afei, Onyankopɔn kaa nsɛm yi kyerɛɛ wɔn:

Then God said this [to the Israeli people: ]

2 “Mene Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn a meyii mo firii nkoasom mu wɔ Misraim no.

“I am Yahweh God, the one you [worship]. I am the one who brought you out of Egypt. I am the one who freed you from being slaves [there].

3 “Monnsom onyame foforɔ biara nnka me ho.

[So] you must worship [only] me; you must not worship any other god.

4 Monnyɛ ohoni anaa biribiara a ɛsɛ adeɛ a ɛwɔ ewiem, anaa deɛ ɛwɔ asase so, anaa deɛ ɛwɔ nsuo mu, anaa deɛ ɛwɔ asase ase.

You must not carve/make for yourselves any idol that represents anything in the sky or that is on the ground or that is in the water under the ground/earth.

5 Monnkoto ohoni biara nsom no ɛkwan biara so, na me, Awurade mo Onyankopɔn, meyɛ ninkunfoɔ. Na me ne onyame foforɔ bi nkyɛ mo dɔ a modɔ me no. Na sɛ nnipa bi bɔne a wayɛ enti metwe wɔn aso a, metwe wɔn aso kɔsi wɔn awontoatoasoɔ a wɔtan me no nyinaa so.

You must not bow down to any idol and worship it, because I am Yahweh God, and I (am very jealous/want you to worship me only). I will punish those who sin and hate me. I will punish not only them, but I will punish (their descendants, down to the third and fourth generation/their children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren).

6 Na medɔ awoɔ ntoatoasoɔ mpem a wɔdɔ me na wɔdi mʼahyɛdeɛ so.

But I will steadfastly love thousands of generations of those who love me and obey my commandments (OR, I will love for thousands of generations.)

7 Mommmɔ Awurade Onyankopɔn din basabasa. Sɛ moyɛ saa a, ɔbɛbu mo fɔ.

Do not use my name carelessly (OR, for wrong/evil purposes), because I am Yahweh God, the one whom you [should worship], and I will certainly punish those who use my name for wrong/evil purposes [LIT].

8 Monkae homeda na monni no sɛ ɛda kronkron.

Do not forget that the seventh day [of every week] is mine, so dedicate those days to me.

9 Nnansia na momfa nyɛ mo nnwuma nyinaa,

There are six days each week for you to do all your work,

10 na ɛda a ɛtɔ so nson no yɛ homeda ma Awurade Onyankopɔn. Saa ɛda no, ɛnsɛ sɛ moyɛ adwuma biara; ɛnsɛ sɛ mo mmammarima, mo mmabaa anaa mo asomfoɔ anaa mo anantwie anaa mo ahɔhoɔ yɛ adwuma biara.

but the seventh day is a day of rest, a day dedicated to me, Yahweh God, the one whom you [should worship]. On that day you must not do any work. You and your sons and daughters and your male and female slaves must not work. You must not even force your livestock to work, and you must not allow foreigners to work, those who are living in your country.

11 Ɛfiri sɛ, Awurade de nna nsia na ɛbɔɔ ɛsoro, asase ne ɛpo ne biribiara a ɛwɔ ne nyinaa mu, ɛnna ɔhomee ne nnanson so; enti ɔhyiraa homeda no so sɛ wɔmfa nhome.

I, Yahweh, created the sky, the earth, the ocean, and everything that is in them, in six days. Then I stopped my work of creating everything, and rested on the seventh day. That is the reason that I, Yahweh, have blessed the rest day and set it apart [to be a sacred/special day].

12 Di wʼagya ne wo maame ni na wo nna aware wɔ asase a Awurade, wo Onyankopɔn, de bɛma wo no.

Honor/Respect your fathers and your mothers, in order that you may live a long time in the land that I, Yahweh God, will give you.

13 Nni awu.

Do not murder anyone.

14 Nsɛe awadeɛ.

Do not (commit adultery/have sex with anyone other than your spouse).

15 Mmɔ korɔno.

Do not steal anything.

16 Nni adansekurumu.

Do not falsely accuse anyone [of committing a crime].

17 Mma wʼani mmerɛ wo yɔnko fie anaa ne yere anaa nʼasomfoɔ anaa nʼanantwie anaa ne mfunumu anaa biribiara a ɛyɛ ne dea.”

Do not (covet/desire to have) someone else’s house, someone else’s wife, someone else’s male or female slave, someone else’s livestock, someone else’s donkeys, or anything else that some other person owns.”

18 Nnipa no nyinaa hunuu ayerɛmo ne wisie kumɔnn wɔ bepɔ no so. Wɔtee aprannaa ne totorobɛnto nne a ɛyɛ hu a ɛrebɔ dendeenden. Enti, wɔte gyinaeɛ a ehu ama wɔn ho rewoso.

When the people heard the thunder and saw the lightning, and when they heard the sound of the trumpet and saw the smoke on the mountain, they were afraid and trembled. They stood at a distance,

19 Wɔka kyerɛɛ Mose sɛ, “Ka asɛm biara a Onyankopɔn aka akyerɛ wo sɛ ka kyerɛ yɛn, na yɛbɛtie. Na mma Onyankopɔn ankasa nkasa nkyerɛ yɛn na yɛanwuwu.”

and said to Moses/me, “If you speak to us, we will listen. But do not let God speak any more to us. [We are afraid that] if he speaks [any more] to us, we will die.”

20 Mose nso ka kyerɛɛ wɔn sɛ, “Monnsuro na Onyankopɔn pɛ sɛ ɔda ne tumi adi kyerɛ mo sɛdeɛ ɛbɛyɛ a, ɛfiri ɛnnɛ rekɔ, mobɛsuro sɛ mobɛyɛ bɔne atia no.”

Moses/I replied, “Do not be afraid! God has come to determine/test [how you will behave]. He wants you to revere him, and to not sin.”

21 Nanso, nnipa no tee wɔn ho gyinaa akyirikyiri baabi. Mose deɛ, ɔwuraa esum kabii no mu kɔɔ baabi a Onyankopɔn wɔ hɔ.

Then, as the people [watched from] a distance, Moses/I went close to the black cloud where God was.

22 Awurade ka kyerɛɛ Mose sɛ, “Ka saa asɛm yi kyerɛ Israelfoɔ no. ‘Modi ho adanseɛ nokorɛm sɛ, mefiri soro ada me pɛ adi akyerɛ mo.

Yahweh said to Moses/me, “Say this to the Israeli people: ‘You have heard how I, Yahweh, have spoken to you from heaven. I told you that you must not make any idols of silver or gold [that you will worship instead] of me.

23 Monkae sɛ ɛnsɛ sɛ moyɛ anaa mosom ahoni a wɔde sika anaa dwetɛ anaa biribi foforɔ ayɛ.

24 “‘Dɔteɛ afɔrebukyia na monyɛ mma me. Ɛso na mommɔ mo afɔdeɛ mma me. Mo ɔhyeɛ afɔdeɛ ne asomdwoeɛ afɔdeɛ a mode nnwan ne anantwie bɔ no nyinaa mommɔ mma me. Baabi a mɛkyerɛ mo sɛ monsi afɔrebukyia no na monsi na mɛba hɔ abɛhyira mo.

Make for me an altar from dirt. Sacrifice on it the animals that you will burn completely. Also sacrifice on it the animals that you will not burn completely, to maintain fellowship with me. Worship me [MTY] in any place that I choose for you to honor/worship me; and if you do that, I will come to you and bless you.

25 Motumi de aboɔ nso si afɔrebukyia, nanso aboɔ a wɔntwaeɛ na momfa nsi. Sɛ mode afidie bi twa aboɔ no di no adwini a, ɛnyɛ sɛ wɔde si, ɛfiri sɛ, moagu ho fi.

If you make for me an altar from stones, do not make it from stones that you have cut [to make them look nice], because you will make the altar unsuitable for [worshiping] me if you use tools to cut the stones.

26 Monnyɛ atrapoe mma afɔrebukyia no anyɛ saa a, obi bɛhwɛ mo ntadeɛ ase ahunu mo adagya mu.’

Do not make an altar that has steps in front of it, because if you do that, [people] could see your naked [buttocks] as you go up the steps.’”