Hesekiel 16
1 Awurade asɛm baa me nkyɛn sɛ:
Yahweh gave me another message. He said,
2 “Onipa ba, fa akyiwadeɛ a Yerusalem yɛ no si nʼanim
“You human, cause the people of Jerusalem to think about their detestable behavior.
3 na ka sɛ, ‘Yei ne deɛ Otumfoɔ Awurade ka kyerɛ Yerusalem: Wo nananom ne wʼawoɔ firi Kanaanfoɔ asase so; na wʼagya yɛ Amorini ɛnna wo maame nso yɛ Hetini.
Say to them, ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord says to you people of Jerusalem: [It is as though you are a woman who] [MET] was born in the country where the Canaan people-group lived. [It is as though] [MET] your father belonged to the Amor people-group and your mother belonged to the Heth people-group.
4 Ɛda a wɔwoo wo no, wɔantwa wo funuma, na wɔamfa nsuo annware wo sɛ wo ho bɛte nso, wɔamfa nkyene ansra wo, na wɔamfa ntoma ankyekyere wo ho.
[It is as though] [MET] on the day that you were born, your umbilical cord was not cut, and your body was not washed in water, and it was not rubbed with salt or wrapped in strips of cloth, [like Israeli babies always are].
5 Obiara anhunu wo mmɔbɔ, na obiara yam anhyehye no sɛ ɔbɛyɛ yeinom biara ama wo. Mmom wɔtoo wo twenee wiram, ɛfiri sɛ ɛda a wɔwoo woɔ no, wɔbuu wo animtiaa.
No one pitied you or acted kindly toward you by doing those things for you. Instead, [it was as though] [MET] you were thrown into a field, because on the day that you were born, you were despised {everyone despised you}.
6 “‘Mebɛpuee wo so, na mehunuu sɛ worewɔ wo nan na woda mogya mu, na sɛdeɛ na woda hɔ no, meka kyerɛɛ wo sɛ, “Nya nkwa!”
Then [it was as though] [MET] I passed by and saw you lying in your own blood and kicking. And while you lay there kicking in your own blood, I said to you, “I want you to remain alive!”
7 Mehwɛɛ wo ma wonyiniiɛ sɛ afifideɛ. Wonyiniiɛ, wofɛeɛ bɛyɛɛ abohemaa mu deɛ ne ho fɛ pa ara. Wo nufu bobɔeɛ na wo ho nwi fuiɛ, wo a na anka woda adagya.
[It was as though] I caused you to grow up, like plants in the field grow; you grew up and became tall and became like [MET] a very beautiful jewel. [It was as though] [MET] your breasts (formed/became large), and your hair became long, although you were still naked [DOU].
8 “‘Akyire yi mebɛpuee wo so, na mehwɛɛ woɔ na mehunuu sɛ woaso awadeɛ no, mede mʼatadeɛ fa bi kataa wʼadagya so. Mesuae kyerɛɛ wo na mene wo yɛɛ apam na wobɛyɛɛ me dea, Otumfoɔ Awurade na ɔseɛ.
When I saw you several years later, [it was as though] [MET] I saw that you were old enough to have sex [EUP]. So [it was as though] [MET] I spread the corner of my robe over [to symbolize that I would marry you], with the result that you were no longer naked. I solemnly promised [that I would marry you] and made a marriage agreement with you, and you became my wife. That is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say.
9 “‘Mede nsuo dwaree wo, na mehohoroo wo ho mogya na mede sradeɛ ahodoɔ srasraa wo.
[And then it was as though] [MET] I bathed you and washed the blood from you and put ointment on your body.
10 Mede atadeɛ a wɔanwono ano hyɛɛ wo, na mehyɛɛ wo mmoa wedeɛ mpaboa. Mede nwera papa firaa wo na mede ntadeɛ aboɔden guguu so.
[It was as though] [MET] I put a fine linen robe on you and gave you other expensive clothes. I put an embroidered dress on you and put leather sandals on your feet.
11 Mede agudeɛ siesiee wo. Mede nkapo guu wʼabakɔn, mede kɔnmuadeɛ too wo kɔn mu,
[It was as though] [MET] I put bracelets on your arms and a necklace around your neck. Those things all had nice jewels fastened to them.
12 na mede kawa hyɛɛ wo hwene mu, ɛnna mede asomuadeɛ hyɛɛ wʼasom na mebɔɔ wo abotire a ɛyɛ fɛ.
I put a gold ring in your nose and fastened earrings to your ears and put a beautiful crown on your head.
13 Enti wɔde sikakɔkɔɔ ne dwetɛ siesiee wo. Wʼaduradeɛ yɛɛ nwera papa ne ntoma a ne boɔ yɛ den ne deɛ wɔadi mu adwini. Wʼaduane yɛɛ esiam papa, ɛwoɔ ne ngo. Wo ho yɛɛ fɛ na wobɛyɛɛ ɔhemmaa.
So [it was as though] you wore gold and silver ornaments. You had clothes made from fine (linen/white cloth) and other expensive embroidered material/cloth. You ate [bread made from] fine flour, honey, and olive oil. You became very beautiful, like [MET] a queen.
14 Na wʼahoɔfɛ enti, wo din hyetaa wɔ amanaman mu, ɛfiri sɛ animuonyam a mahyɛ wo no ma wʼahoɔfɛ no di mu, Awurade asɛm nie.
You were very beautiful, with the result that people in other nations heard about you, because they knew that I, Yahweh the Lord, am the one who had caused you to become very beautiful.
15 “‘Nanso wʼahoɔfɛ enti, wogyee wo ho diiɛ na wode wo din a ahyeta no bɔɔ adwaman. Wogyaa wo ho maa obiara a ɔretwam na woyɛɛ wɔn adɔeɛ.
But [it was as though] [MET] you realized that because people knew that you were very beautiful, you could [earn a lot of money by] becoming a prostitute. [It was as though] you had sex with [EUP] every man who came along, and they all enjoyed your beauty.
16 Wode wo ntadeɛ no bi kɔyɛɛ sorɔnsorɔmmea hɔ hyirenn, ɛhɔ na wokɔbɔɔ adwaman. Ɛnsɛ sɛ nneɛma a ɛtete sei sisi koraa, na ɛnsɛ sɛ ɛba nso.
[It was as though] you took some of your clothes to make beautifully decorated shrines, and that is where you had sex with those men. Those things should certainly never occur!
17 Afei wode wo nnwinneɛ fɛfɛ a mede maa wo no, deɛ mede sikakɔkɔɔ ne dwetɛ yɛeɛ no yɛɛ ahoni maa wo ho na wo ne wɔn bɔɔ adwaman.
You took the fine gold and silver jewelry that I gave you, and you made male idols for yourself, in order to have sex with them.
18 Wode wo ntadeɛ a wɔadi mu adwini hyehyɛɛ wɔn na wode me ngo ne nnuhwam brɛɛ wɔn.
You took some of your embroidered clothes to put on those idols, and you burned oil and incense in front of them [to honor them].
19 Bio, aduane a mede maa woɔ no, esiam papa, ɛwoɔ ne ngo a mede maa wo sɛ di no, wode brɛɛ wɔn sɛ afɔrebɔdeɛ a ɛyi hwa. Saa na ɛsiiɛ, Otumfoɔ Awurade asɛm nie.
And the [bread that was made from] fine flour and the olive oil and honey that I gave to you to eat, you offered to be a fragrant sacrifice to those idols. I, Yahweh the Lord, declare that is what happened.
20 “‘Wofaa wo mmammarima ne wo mmammaa, a me ne wo woo wɔn no kɔbɔɔ afɔdeɛ sɛ aduane maa ahoni. Wʼadwamammɔ no nnɔɔso anaa?
And you even took your sons and daughters who were [as though they were] [MET] my children, and sacrificed them to be food for the idols. That was much worse [RHQ] than your becoming a prostitute.
21 Wokumm me mma de wɔn bɔɔ afɔdeɛ maa ahoni no.
You slaughtered [those who were like] [MET] my children, and offered them to be sacrifices to the gods!
22 Akyiwadeɛ a woyɛeɛ ne wʼadwamammɔ akyi no, woankae wo mmabunu ɛberɛ a na wo ho da hɔ na worewowɔ wo nan wɔ mogya mu no.
All during the time when you were acting like a prostitute and doing other detestable things, you did not think about the time when [it was as though] you were very young, naked [DOU], lying in your own blood and kicking.
23 “‘Nnome! Nnome nka wo, Otumfoɔ Awurade na ɔseɛ. Wʼamumuyɛ nyinaa akyi no,
So I, Yahweh the Lord, declare that terrible things will happen to you. In addition to all the other wicked things that you did,
24 wosii banbɔ pie maa wo ho, na woyɛɛ abosonnan tentene wɔ adwabɔeɛ biara.
you built a shrine to worship idols in every [city] square/plaza.
25 Borɔno so baabiara wosisii abosonnan atentene, na wosɛee wʼahoɔfɛ ɛfiri sɛ honam akɔnnɔ bɔne enti wode wo ho maa obiara a ɔretwam.
At the beginning of every street you built a shrine, and showed people your beautiful body, offering it to have sex with every man who walked by, becoming a better known prostitute every day.
26 Wo ne Misraimfoɔ a honam akɔnnɔ ayɛ wɔn ma no bɔɔ adwaman, na wode honam akɔnnɔ bɔne hyɛɛ me abufuo.
[It was as though] [MET] you had sex with men from Egypt who were eager to have sex with you, men who lived near to Israel. You caused me to become very angry because you became more eager to have sex with more and more of them.
27 Enti metenee me nsa wɔ wo so na metee wʼahyeɛ so. Mede wo maa wʼatamfoɔ aniberefoɔ, Filistifoɔ mmammaa a wʼahohwi bra no yɛɛ wɔn nwanwa.
So I punished [IDM] you and caused your enemies to capture some of your country. I enabled your greedy enemies from Philistia to defeat you; and even they were shocked because of your disgraceful behavior.
28 Wo ne Asiriafoɔ nso bɔɔ adwaman, ɛfiri sɛ biribiara mmee wo. Na ɛno akyi koraa woammee ara.
[It was as though] you had sex with soldiers from Assyria, too, because you always wanted more sex. And after that, you still were not satisfied.
29 Afei wotoaa wo honam akɔnnɔ bɔne no so de Babilonia, a ɛyɛ adwadifoɔ asase kaa ho, nanso yei ammee wo ara.
So you also had sex [with soldiers from] Babylonia, a country full of merchants/businessmen, but even that did not satisfy you.
30 “‘Wonni ahohyɛsoɔ koraa, Otumfoɔ Awurade asɛm nie, sɛ wotumi yɛ saa nneɛma yi nyinaa te sɛ odwamanfoɔ a nʼani nwu hwee.
I, Yahweh the Lord, declare that when you did all those things, acting like [MET] a bold prostitute, you were showing that you were ready to do anything that you wanted to [IDM].
31 Wosisii banbɔ pie wɔ mmorɔno so na wosisii abosonnan atentene wɔ adwaberem biara, na wonsɛ odwamanfoɔ, ɛfiri sɛ wopoo akatua.
When you built shrines to worship idols on every street corner and in every city square/plaza, you were not like a prostitute: Prostitutes charge money, but you refused to take money for what you did.
32 “‘Wo, ɔyere waresɛefoɔ, wopɛ ahɔhoɔ sene wo ara wo kunu!
You are like [MET] a woman who commits adultery: You prefer to [have sex with] strangers rather than with your husband.
33 Odwamanfoɔ biara gye akatua, nanso wodeɛ, wode nneɛma kyekyɛ wʼadɔfoɔ nyinaa de hyɛ wɔn afono mu sɛ, wɔmfiri baabiara mmra wo nkyɛn.
Prostitutes are paid, but [it is as though] you give gifts to all your lovers; you bribe them to come to you from everywhere to have sex with you.
34 Enti wʼadwamammɔ mu no wonte sɛ afoforɔ; obiara mma wo hɔ sɛ yɛ no adɔeɛ. Wo ne wɔn bɔ abira koraa, ɛfiri sɛ wotua ka na obiara mma wo hwee.
So although you act like [MET] a prostitute, you are not like other prostitutes: No one needs to request you to have sex [EUP] with them. You are the opposite of other prostitutes; instead of them giving any money to you, you give men money to have sex with you.
35 “‘Enti, wo odwamanfoɔ, tie Awurade asɛm!
Therefore, [you people of] Jerusalem, who are like a prostitute [MET], listen to what I, Yahweh the Lord, am saying about you!
36 Yei ne deɛ Otumfoɔ Awurade seɛ. Esiane sɛ wohwie wʼahonya guiɛ na wodaa wʼadagya adi, wo ho a woma ɛyɛɛ wo dɛ dodo wɔ wo ne wʼadɔfoɔ nhyiamu, wʼahoni a ɛyɛ akyiwadeɛ na afei wo mma mogya a wode maa wɔn no enti,
I say that [what you have done is as though] [MET] you took off your clothes and acted like a prostitute and had sex with men who are not your husband. [What I mean is that you have been worshiping] detestable idols, and you have murdered [MTY] your own children to be sacrifices to them.
37 merebɛboaboa wʼadɔfoɔ a wode wɔn gyee wʼani nyinaa ano; wɔn a wodɔɔ wɔn ne wɔn a woampɛ wɔn. Mɛboaboa wɔn nyinaa ano atia wo afiri wo ho baabiara, na mɛpa wo ho wɔ wɔn anim, na wɔbɛhunu wʼadagya nyinaa.
So [what I am going to do is as though] I will gather those who you think have loved you and those whom you hated. I will gather them around you [to attack you], and [what I will do is as though] I will strip your clothes off you, and they will see you when you are completely naked.
38 Mede asotwe a wɔde ma mmaa awaresɛefoɔ ne mogya hwiegufoɔ bɛyɛ wʼatemmuo. Mede me mogya aweretɔ a ɛfiri mʼabufuhyeɛ ne me ninkunutweɛ abufuo mu bɛba wo so.
I will punish you like women who commit adultery and who murder people [MTY] are punished. I will get revenge on you and get rid of you because I am extremely angry with you.
39 Afei, mede wo bɛma wʼadɔfoɔ na wɔbɛbubu banbɔ pie a woahɔre, asɛe abosonnan atentene no. Wɔbɛpa wo ho ntoma. Wɔbɛfa wo nnwinneɛ fɛfɛ no, na wagya wo hɔ adagya mu.
I will allow [your enemies who you thought] loved you [IRO] to defeat you, and they will tear down your shrines. [It will be as though] they will strip off your fancy clothes and take away your fine jewelry and cause you to be completely naked [DOU].
40 Wɔde nnipadɔm a wɔbɛsi wo aboɔ na wɔde wɔn akofena atwitwa wo mu nketenkete bɛba wo so.
They will bring a mob to attack you, and that mob will throw stones at you and cut you to pieces with their swords.
41 Wɔbɛhyehye wʼafie na wɔatwe wʼaso wɔ mmaa bebree anim. Mɛtwa wʼadwamammɔ no so na woagyae akatua a wotua wʼadɔfoɔ no.
They will burn down your houses and punish you while many women are watching. I will cause your acting like a prostitute and paying your lovers to have sex with you to end.
42 Afei mʼabufuhyeɛ ano bɛdwo na me ninkunutweɛ abufuo no bɛfiri wo so. Mɛyɛ bɔkɔɔ na mebo remfu bio.
Then I will no longer be angry [DOU] with you. I will stop being jealous [because of your worshiping gods other than me only].
43 “‘Sɛ woankae wo mmabunu nna, na wode yeinom nyinaa hyɛɛ me abufuo enti, ɛkwan biara so mɛma deɛ woayɛ no abɔ wo tiri so, Otumfoɔ Awurade na ɔseɛ. Woanyɛ nneɛma fi anka akyiwadeɛ no ho anaa?
You have forgotten [the wonderful things that I did for you] in previous years [MET]. You have caused me to become extremely angry because of all the [evil things] that you have done. In addition to all the other detestable things that you did, you committed many sexual sins. So I, Yahweh the Lord, declare that I will punish you [IDM] for doing those things.
44 “‘Obiara a ɔbu bɛ no bɛbu saa bɛ yi afa wo ho: “Sɛdeɛ ɛna teɛ no saa ara na ne babaa teɛ.”
People who [like to] quote proverbs will quote this proverb about you: “[behave] like their mothers [behave].”
45 Wo maame sopaa ne kunu ne ne mma. Wo nso saa ara na woteɛ. Wote te sɛ wo nuanom mmaa a wɔsopaa wɔn kununom ne wɔn mma. Wo maame yɛ Hetini ɛnna wʼagya yɛ Amorini.
You are like your mother; [it was as though] she detested her husband and her children. You are like your sisters, who also despised their husbands and their children. [It was as though] [MET] your father belonged to the Amor people-group and your mother belonged to the Heth people-group.
46 Na wo nuabaa panin ne Samaria a na ɔne ne mmammaa te wʼatifi fam, ɛnna wo nuabaa kumaa a ɔne ne mmammaa te wʼanafoɔ fam yɛ Sodom.
And [it was as though] [MET] your older sister was Samaria, and she and her daughters lived to the north of you, and [it was as though] your younger sister was Sodom, and she and her daughters lived to the south of you.
47 Woannante wɔn akwan mu, ansuasua wɔn akyiwadeɛ nko, na mmom, akwan nyinaa mu, wobɛyɛɛ porɔeɛ sene wɔn.
You not only imitated all [DOU] their detestable behavior, but you quickly became more sinful than they were.
48 Sɛ mete ase yi, Otumfoɔ Awurade na ɔseɛ, wo nuabaa Sodom ne ne mmammaa anyɛ deɛ wo ne wo mmammaa ayɛ no da.
I, Yahweh the Lord, solemnly declare that as surely as I am alive, [the people who lived in] [MTY] Sodom and other nearby cities never did the detestable things that you [people in Jerusalem and other places in Judah] have done.
49 “‘Yei ne bɔne a wo nuabaa Sodom yɛeɛ: Ɔno ne mmammaa yɛɛ ahantan. Wɔdidi traa so na hwee amfa wɔn ho, wɔammoa ahiafoɔ ne mmɔborɔfoɔ.
These are the sins [the people who lived in] Sodom, who were like your sister [MET]: The people who lived there and in nearby cities were arrogant. In spite of having more food to eat than they needed, they refused to help the poor and needy [DOU] people among them.
50 Wɔyɛɛ ahomasoɔ ne akyiwadeɛ wɔ mʼanim. Ɛno enti meyii wɔn sii nkyɛn sɛdeɛ woahunu no.
The people of Sodom and nearby cities [MET] were proud and did detestable things in my presence, so I got rid of them when I saw what they had been doing.
51 Samaria anyɛ bɔne a woyɛeɛ no mu fa. Woayɛ akyiwadeɛ a ɛboro deɛ wo nuammaanom no yɛeɛ no so koraa, na woama ayɛ sɛ wo nuammaa no tene, ɛsiane saa nneɛma a woayɛ no enti.
Also, [the people of] Samaria did not commit half as many sins as you have committed. You have done more disgusting things than they have done. You cause the people of Samaria to appear to be good, compared to you.
52 Gye wʼanimguaseɛ, ɛfiri sɛ woama wo nnuammaa adi bem. Wo bɔne mu yɛ duru sene wɔn deɛ, enti ayɛ sɛ wɔtene sene wo. Ɛnneɛ afei gye wʼanimguaseɛ na wama ayɛ sɛ wo nnuammaa tene.
Your sins are worse than their sins, so they seem to be less wicked than you are. So I will punish you more than I punished them. As a result, you will be ashamed and disgraced [DOU].
53 “‘Nanso, mede Sodom siadeɛ ne ne mmammaa, Samaria siadeɛ ne ne mmammaa bɛma wɔn, na mede wo siadeɛ bɛka ho,
However, [some day] I will [the people of] Sodom and Samaria and the cities near to them [MET] to prosper again. And I will cause you to prosper again, too.
54 sɛdeɛ ɛbɛyɛ a wobɛgye wʼanimguaseɛ na wʼani bɛwu wɔ deɛ woayɛ de ama wɔn ahotɔ nyinaa ho.
You will be very ashamed [DOU] of the wicked things that you have done, and that will cause the people of those cities to be encouraged.
55 Na wo nuammaa Sodom ne ne mmammaa, Samaria ne ne mmammaa bɛsane akɔ wɔn tebea dada mu, na wo ne wo mmammaa nso bɛsane akɔ mo dada mu.
[The people of] Sodom and Samaria will prosper again, and you and the people in nearby cities will prosper also.
56 Anka woremmɔ wo nuabaa Sodom din wɔ wʼahohoahoa ɛda,
You (sneered at/despised) [the people of] Sodom when you were proud,
57 kɔsi sɛ wʼamumuyɛ ho daa hɔ. Ɛbɛsi ɛnnɛ Edom mmammaa bɔ wo ahohora, wɔne wɔn a atwa wɔn ho ahyia ne Filistifoɔ mmammaa, ɛne wɔn a atwa wo ho ahyia a wɔbɔ wo ahohora nyinaa.
before it was revealed that you were very wicked. And now [the people of] Edom and [the people of] Philistia all insult you and despise you.
58 Deɛ ɛbɛfiri nneɛma fi a woyɛ ne wʼakyiwadeɛ mu aba no bɛda wo so, Awurade asɛm nie.
And you are being punished for all your immoral behavior and other detestable things that you do.
59 “‘Yei ne deɛ Otumfoɔ Awurade seɛ: Me ne wo bɛdi no sɛdeɛ ɛfata, ɛfiri sɛ woasɛe mʼapam de abu me ntam animtiaa.
This is what I, Yahweh the Lord, say: I will continue to punish you like you deserve to be punished, because by rejecting the agreement that I made with you, you have despised that solemn agreement that you promised to obey.
60 Nanso mɛkae apam a me ne wo yɛɛ wo mmabunu berɛ mu, na me ne wo bɛyɛ apam a ɛbɛtena hɔ afebɔɔ.
But I will not forget the agreement that I made with you long ago [MET], and I will make an agreement with you that will endure forever.
61 Afei wobɛkae wʼakwan na wʼani awu ɛberɛ a wo nsa aka wo nuammaa; wɔn a wɔanyini sene woɔ ne nkumaa nyinaa. Mede wɔn bɛma wo sɛ wo mmammaa, nanso ɛrennyina apam a me ne wo ayɛ no so.
Then you will think about what you have done, and you will be ashamed about those things when you welcome [the people of] Sodom and Samaria, cities which are like [MET] older and younger sisters to you people of Jerusalem. I will [put them under your control by] causing them to become like [MET] your daughters, but they will not have the same agreement that I will make with you.
62 Enti me ne wo bɛyɛ apam na wobɛhunu sɛ mene Awurade.
I will establish my agreement with you, and you will know that I, Yahweh, [have the power to do what I say that I will do].
63 Afei sɛ meyɛ mpata ma wo wɔ deɛ woayɛ nyinaa ho a, wobɛkae na wʼani bɛwu na woremmue wʼano bio wɔ brɛ a wɔabrɛ wo ase enti, Otumfoɔ Awurade asɛm nie.’”
Then when I have forgiven you for all your sins, you will think about all the sins that you committed and you will be ashamed, and you will never again [boast about them], because you will be humiliated.’”
