Hosea 9
1 Nni ahurisie, Ao Israel; nsɛpɛ wo ho te sɛ aman a aka no. Ɛfiri sɛ woanni wo Onyankopɔn nokorɛ, wʼani gye adwamammɔ ho wɔ ayuporobea nyinaa so.
[You people of] Israel, do not shout joyfully [during your festivals] like [people of other] nations do! [I say that] because you have (not been faithful to/abandoned) me, your God. At every place where the people thresh grain you have [presented gifts to your idols like men] pay money to prostitutes.
2 Ayuporobea ne nsakyimena rentumi mma nnipa no aduane; nsã foforɔ nso bɛbɔ wɔn.
[But soon] there will not be enough grain [MTY, PRS] and wine [MTY, PRS] for you.
3 Wɔrentena Awurade asase no so bio; Efraim bɛsane akɔ Misraim na wadi aduane a ɛho nteɛ wɔ Asiria.
And you people will not remain in the land that I, Yahweh, [gave to your ancestors]. You will be [captured and] taken to [Assyria], [where you will become slaves like your ancestors were] in Egypt; and in Assyria you will be forced to eat food that Yahweh has forbidden you to eat.
4 Wɔremmɔ ahwiesa afɔdeɛ mma Awurade, na wɔn afɔrebɔ nso nsɔ nʼani. Saa afɔrebɔ yi bɛyɛ sɛ aduane a ayiasefoɔ de wɔn nsa aka; wɔn a wɔdi nyinaa ho bɛgu fi. Saa aduane no bɛyɛ wɔn ankasa dea na wɔrentumi mmfa nkɔ Awurade asɔredan mu.
You Israelis will not [be able to] give wine offerings to him, or bring sacrifices to him. None of your other sacrifices will please him; they will be unacceptable to him, like [SIM] food that is touched by people at funerals, and everyone who eats that food will become unacceptable to him. They will be permitted to eat that food themselves, but they will not [be permitted to] bring it into the temple.
5 Ɛdeɛn na mobɛyɛ wɔ mo apontoɔ da no ne Awurade afahyɛ nna no nso?
At that time you will not [RHQ] be able to celebrate the feasts and sacred festivals.
6 Mpo sɛ wɔdwane firi ɔsɛeɛ mu a Misraim bɛboaboa wɔn ano, na Memfis bɛsie wɔn. Wɔn dwetɛ ahonyadeɛ bɛfu wira, na wɔn ntomadan adane nkasɛɛ.
And even if you escape and are not killed [by the Assyrians], you will be captured by [the army of] Egypt, and you will [die and] be buried in Memphis, [the capital of Egypt]. Briers will [grow up and] cover your treasures of silver, and thorns will grow in your [ruined] tents/houses.
7 Asotwe nna no reba, akontabuo nna no aduru; ma Israel nhunu yei. Esiane mo bɔne bebrebe ne mo akokoakoko a adɔɔso enti mofa no sɛ odiyifoɔ yɛ kwasea na deɛ honhom akanyane noɔ no yɛ ɔbɔdamfoɔ.
It is now the time for Yahweh to punish you, to pay you back for all the sins that you have committed. You people will [soon] know that. You have [committed] very many sins, and you very much hate Yahweh. You consider that the prophets are foolish, and you think that those who proclaim messages from him are crazy.
8 Odiyifoɔ no ne me Onyankopɔn yɛ Efraim so wɛmfoɔ, nanso wɔasum no afidie wɔ nʼakwan nyinaa so, na ɔtane ahyɛ ne Onyankopɔn fie ma.
My God appointed [me and the other] prophets to be [like] [MET] watchmen [to warn] you people of Israel, but everywhere that we go, [it is as though] people set traps for us and people are hostile [to us, even] in the temple of our God.
9 Wɔaduru porɔeɛ bunu mu, sɛdeɛ na ɛteɛ wɔ Gibea nna no mu. Onyankopɔn bɛkae wɔn atirimuɔden na watwe wɔn aso wɔ wɔn bɔne ho.
The sins that the Israeli people have committed are as awful as [what the men of] Gibeah did long ago; [so] God will not forget the wicked things that they have done; he will punish the Israelis for [all] those sins.
10 “Ɛberɛ a mehunuu Israel no, na ɛte sɛ deɛ mahunu bobe wɔ anweatam so; ɛberɛ a mehunuu mo agyanom no, na ɛte sɛ deɛ mahunu borɔdɔma aba a ɛdi ɛkan wɔ ne dua so. Nanso ɛberɛ a wɔbaa Baal-peor nkyɛn no wɔdwiraa wɔn ho maa ohoni nimguaseni no. Wɔn ho yɛɛ abofono te sɛ ohoni a wɔdɔ no no.
[Yahweh says], “When I first started [to do things to help] Israel, it seemed to me as though [SIM] I had found grapes in the desert. Your ancestors were [delightful], like [SIM] the first figs that grow on fig trees [each year]. But when they came to Peor [Mountain], they worshiped that disgusting idol Baal, and they became as disgusting as the idol that they loved.
11 Efraim animuonyam bɛtu akɔ sɛ anomaa, nyinsɛn ne awoɔ nni ne mu.
The things that cause Israel to be great will disappear like [SIM] a bird that flies away; [most of their women will] not become pregnant [DOU] or give birth to children.
12 Mpo sɛ wɔtete mmɔfra a, mɛma mmɔfra no awuwu wɔ wɔn nsa mu. Wɔnnue, sɛ meyi mʼani firi wɔn so a!
Even if their children are born and start to grow up, I will cause all of them to die [while they are still young]. Terrible things will happen to them when I abandon them!
13 Mahunu Efraim te sɛ Tiro, a ɛda baabi a ɛyɛ. Nanso Efraim de ne mma bɛbrɛ okumfoɔ no.”
I have seen Israel become beautiful and prosperous like Tyre [city] was [before it was destroyed], but now the people of Israel will [be forced to] take their children to be slaughtered [by their enemies].”
14 Fa ma wɔn, Ao, Awurade, ɛdeɛn na wode bɛma wɔn? Ma wɔn yafunu a ɛpɔn ne nufoɔ a nufosuo nni muo.
Yahweh, [I do not know] [RHQ] what I should ask for my people. So I ask that you do this one thing: Cause the women who are pregnant to have miscarriages and unable [to nurse their babies].
15 “Wɔn atirimuɔdensɛm nyinaa a wɔdii wɔ Gilgal enti, mefaa wɔn ho tan wɔ hɔ. Wɔn nnebɔne enti mɛpam wɔn afiri me fie. Merennɔ wɔn bio; ɛfiri sɛ wɔn ntuanofoɔ nyinaa yɛ atuatefoɔ.
[Yahweh says], “Because of all the wicked things that my people did at Gilgal, that is where I started to hate them. [And now], because of [all] the sinful things that they have done, I will expel them from my country. I will not love them any longer; all their leaders rebel [against me].
16 Efraim agyigya, ne nhini akusa, enti wɔnso aba. Sɛ wɔwo mma mpo a, mɛkunkum wɔn mma a wɔdɔ wɔn no.”
Israel is like [MET] a grapevine that is dried up; [like a vine] [MET] whose roots are withered and that produces no fruit. Even if the [women of Israel] give birth to [more] children, I will cause those children, whom they love, to die.
17 Me Onyankopɔn bɛpo wɔn, ɛfiri sɛ, wɔannyɛ ɔsetie amma no; Wɔbɛkyinkyini aman no mu.
The people of Israel have not obeyed me, their God, so I will reject them. [As a result], they will wander among the [other] nations, [searching for a place to live].”
