Yesaia 10
1 Wɔnnue, wɔn a wɔhyɛ mmara a ɛmmfa ɛkwan mu, wɔn a wɔhyɛ mmaraden a ɛde nhyɛsoɔ ba,
Terrible things will happen to you judges who are unjust and who make unfair laws.
2 de tena ahiafoɔ ahofadie so, de atɛntenenee bɔ me nkurɔfoɔ a wɔhyɛ wɔn so no atirimuɔden. Wɔma akunafoɔ yɛ amanehunufoɔ na wɔbɔ nwisiaa korɔno.
You refuse to help poor people, and you do not allow them to get the things that they should get. You [allow people to] steal things from widows and do unfair things to orphans.
3 Ɛdeɛn na mobɛyɛ akontabuo da no, ɛberɛ a amanehunu firi akyirikyiri reba? Hwan nkyɛn na mobɛdwane akɔpɛ mmoa? Ɛhefa na mobɛgya mo ahodeɛ?
When I punish you by sending people from distant lands to cause you to experience disasters, (to whom will you run to get help?/there will be no one who can help you.) [RHQ] Your valuable possessions will certainly [not be safe] [RHQ] anywhere.
4 Ɛnka mo hwee sɛ mobɛfra nneduafoɔ mu anaa sɛ mobɛtotɔ wɔ atɔfoɔ mu. Nanso yeinom nyinaa akyi no, ne bo nnwooɛ, na wama ne nsa so ayɛ krado.
You will be able only to stumble along as you are taken away with other prisoners, or [else] your corpses will lie on the ground with others who have been killed. But even after that happens, Yahweh will still be very angry with you. He will still be ready to strike you again with his fist.
5 “Nnome nka Asiriani no, mʼabufuo abaa, deɛ ɔkura mʼabufuhyeɛ poma no!
[Yahweh says], “Terrible things will happen to Assyria. [It is true that their army] is like a rod/club [DOU] with which I [punish other nations] because I am very angry with those nations [DOU].
6 Meresoma no akɔ ɔman a wɔnnim Onyankopɔn so. Meregya no kwan ma wakɔ nnipa a wɔhyɛ me abufuo so sɛ wɔnkɔgye korɔnodeɛ abrane so na wɔnhwim afɔdeɛ, na wɔntiatia wɔn so sɛ dɔteɛ wɔ mmɔntene so.
[Sometimes] I send the armies of Assyria to attack a godless nation, to fight against [other] people who have caused me to be angry. I send them to capture people and to seize and take away their possessions, and to trample them like [SIM] people walk on mud in the streets.
7 Nanso ɛnyɛ yei ne deɛ ɔpɛ sɛ ɔyɛ ɛnyɛ yei ne deɛ ɛwɔ nʼadwene mu. Ne botaeɛ ne sɛ ɔbɛsɛe, sɛ ɔde aman bebree bɛba wɔn awieeɛ.
But the [king of Assyria] does not understand, he does not realize [that he is only like a weapon in my hand]. He wants [only] to destroy people, to get rid of many nations.
8 Na ɔbisa sɛ, ‘Ahemfo nyinaa nnyɛ mʼasahene anaa?
He says, ‘All of my army commanders will soon be kings [of these nations that I conquer]!
9 Kalno nyɛɛ sɛ Karkemis anaa? Hamat nte sɛ Arpad na Samaria nte sɛ Damasko anaa?
We destroyed Calno [city] like we destroyed Carchemish [city], We destroyed Hamath [city] like we destroyed Arpad [city]; we destroyed Samaria just like we destroyed Damascus.
10 Ampa ara, megyee ahoni ahennie ahodoɔ abrane soɔ, ahennie a wɔn nsɛsodeɛ sene deɛ ɛwɔ Yerusalem ne Samaria no.
We were able to destroy [all] those kingdoms [that were full] of idols, kingdoms whose idols were greater than the idols in Jerusalem and Samaria.
11 Merentumi ne Yerusalem ne ne nsɛsodeɛ nni anaa, sɛdeɛ mene Samaria ne nʼahoni diiɛ no?’”
So we will defeat Jerusalem and destroy the idols that are there, just like we destroyed Samaria and the idols that were there!’
12 Sɛ Awurade wie nʼadwuma a ɛtia Bepɔ Sion ne Yerusalem nyinaa a, ɔbɛka sɛ, “Mɛtwe Asiriahene aso wɔ nʼakoma pirim ne nʼani a ɛnsɔ adeɛ no ho.
[But, I, Yahweh, say that] after I [have used Assyria to] finish what I want to do to punish the people in Jerusalem [DOU], I will punish the king of Assyria because he has been very proud and arrogant/boastful [DOU].
13 Ɛfiri sɛ ɔka sɛ, “‘Mede mʼahoɔden na ayɛ yei, na ɛfiri me nyansa mu, ɛfiri sɛ mewɔ nimdeɛ. Mesɛee amanaman ahyeɛ. Mefoo wɔn ademudeɛ; mebrɛɛ wɔn ahemfo ase te sɛ ɔbrane.
He says, ‘By my own great power [MTY] I have done these things. I have been able to do them because I am very wise and very intelligent. My army removed the barriers [at the borders] of nations and carried away all their valuable things. My army has knocked down their kings like [SIM] a ferocious bull would.
14 Sɛdeɛ obi tene ne nsa hyɛ pirebuo mu no, saa ara nso na mɛtene me nsa wɔ amanaman no ahonyadeɛ so; sɛdeɛ wɔtase nkosua a wɔagya hɔ no saa ara na mɛboaboaa amanaman no nyinaa ano; obiara ammɔ ne ntaban mu, na wammue nʼano ansu.’”
Like [MET] a farmer reaches into a bird’s nest [to take away the eggs], we have taken away the treasures of other countries [DOU]. The people were not like birds that would flap their wings or chirp loudly [to protest about their eggs being stolen]; the people did not object at all [to their treasures being stolen].’
15 Akuma ma ne ho so tra deɛ ɔtoɔ? Anaasɛ ɛwan hoahoa ne ho kyɛn deɛ ɔde no yɛ adwuma anaa? Ayɛ te sɛ deɛ abaa tumi danedane deɛ ɔmaa no so, anaa sɛ aporibaa ankasa tumi nante!
[But I, Yahweh, say that] an axe certainly cannot [RHQ] boast about being stronger than the person who uses it, and a saw is not greater than the person who uses it. A rod cannot control the one who holds it [RHQ], and a wooden club cannot lift up a person [RHQ]. [So the king of Assyria should not boast that he has done these things with his own wisdom and strength].
16 Afei Awurade, Asafo Awurade de ɔyaredɔm bɛbɔ nʼakofoɔ ahoɔdenfoɔ no; na ne kɛseyɛ mu no, ɔbɛma ogya adɛre ahye wɔn animuonyam.
And [I], the Commander of the armies of angels, will send a plague among the proud soldiers of Assyria; it will be like [MET] a fire that will kill them and get rid of their glory/wealth.
17 Israel Hann no bɛdane ogya. Wɔn Kronkronni no bɛdane ogya dɛreɛ; ɔde dakoro bɛhye na wasɛe ne nkasɛɛ ne nnɛnkyɛnse.
[I], Yahweh, who am like [MET] a light for the people of Israel, will be the fire; [I], the Holy One, will be like a flame. [The soldiers of Assyria are like] [MET] thorns and briers, and I will burn them up in one night.
18 Asiria kwaeɛ ne nʼasase bereɛ animuonyam no, ɛbɛsɛe pasapasa te sɛ ɔyarefoɔ a ne so reteɛ.
There are glorious forests and fertile farmlands in Assyria, but I will completely destroy them; they will be like [SIM] a [very] sick person who shrivels up and then dies.
19 Nnua a ɛbɛka wɔ ne kwaeɛ mu bɛyɛ kakra bi a abɔfra bɛtumi akyerɛ ne dodoɔ.
There will be very few trees left in those forests; even a child will be able to count them.”
20 Ɛda no, Israel nkaeɛfoɔ, Yakob fiefoɔ a wɔbɛka no remfa wɔn ho nto no so bio. Awurade, Israel Kronkronni no a ɔbɔɔ wɔn hwee fam no mmom na wɔde wɔn ho bɛto no so nokorɛm.
In the future there will be only a few people left in Israel; not many descendants of Jacob will still be alive. [But] they will no longer rely on [the king of Assyria], [the king of the nation] that tried to destroy them. Instead, they will faithfully/sincerely trust in Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel.
21 Nkaeɛfoɔ no bɛsane aba. Yakob nkaeɛfoɔ no bɛsane aba Otumfoɔ Onyankopɔn no nkyɛn.
Those Israelis will return to their mighty God.
22 Ao Israel, ɛwom sɛ wo nkurɔfoɔ dɔɔso sɛ mpoano anwea deɛ, nanso nkaeɛfoɔ bi pɛ na wɔbɛsane aba. Wɔahyɛ ɔsɛeɛ ho mmara denden a ɛbɛbunkam nnipa no so, na mmara no yɛ.
[Now], the people of Israel are as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore, but only a few of them will return [from the countries to which they were exiled]. Yahweh has decided to destroy [most of the Israelis] and that is what [he must do because he is completely] just/righteous.
23 Awurade, Asafo Awurade, ɔsɛeɛ a wahyɛ ho mmara ketee na ɛbɛba asase no so nyinaa.
[Yes, ] the Commander of the armies of angels has [already] decided to destroy the entire land [of Israel].
24 Enti, yei ne deɛ Awurade, Asafo Awurade seɛ, “Ao Me nkurɔfoɔ a mote Sion monnsuro Asiriafoɔ no, wɔn a wɔde mmaa hwe mo na wɔde aporibaa bobɔ mo, sɛdeɛ Misraim yɛeɛ no.
This is what the Commander of the armies of angels says: “My people in Jerusalem, do not be afraid of the army of Assyria when they beat you with rods and clubs, like the men of Egypt did [to your ancestors long ago].
25 Ɛrenkyɛre koraa mʼabufuo a ɛtia mo no ano bɛdwo na mʼaniberɛ bɛkɔ wɔn sɛeɛ so.”
Soon I will no longer be angry with you, and [then] I will be angry with the people of Assyria and destroy them!”
26 Asafo Awurade de mpire bɛhwe wɔn, sɛdeɛ ɔbɔɔ Midian hwee fam wɔ Oreb Ɔbotan ho no; na ɔbɛtene ne poma nsuo no so, sɛdeɛ ɔyɛɛ wɔ Misraim no.
The Commander of the armies of angels will whip them. He will do to them like he did when he helped Gideon [and his 300 soldiers] to defeat the [army of the] Midian people-group, and like he did when he showed his mighty power [MTY] [by causing the army of Egypt to drown] in the [Red] Sea.
27 Ɛda no, wɔbɛyi wɔn adesoa no afiri wo mmatire so; wɔn kɔnnua afiri wo kɔn mu; wɔbubu kɔnnua no na afiri mo so.
Some day, Yahweh will cause the army of Assyria to stop oppressing you, [his people]; he will end your suffering and your being slaves of the people of Assyria [MET]; he will take away the load that you people of Judah have been carrying, and cause things to go well for you.
28 Wɔhyɛne Ayat; wɔfa Migron; na wɔkora wɔn nneɛma wɔ Mikmas.
[The army of Assyria will enter northern Judah] near Aiath [town], they will go through Migron [town] and store their supplies at Micmash [town north of Jerusalem].
29 Wɔtwam wɔ kwantempɔn no so, na wɔka sɛ, “yɛbɛda Geba anadwo yi.” Rama ho popo; Saulo kuro Gibea nso dwane.
They will cross through a mountain pass and set up their tents at Geba [town]. [People in] Ramah [town] will tremble [because of being afraid]. [The people of] Gibeah [town], where King Saul [was born], will [all] run away.
30 Teaam Ɔbabaa Galim! Tie, Ao Laisa! Anatot Mmɔborɔni!
You people of Gallim [town] will cry out [for help]. You will shout to [the people of] Laish [city near Jerusalem] to warn them! [The people of] Anathoth [town] will suffer a lot.
31 Madmena redwane; Gebimfoɔ kɔtetɛ.
[The people of] Madmenah [town north of Jerusalem will all] be running away, and [the people of] Gebim [town close to Jerusalem] will be trying to hide.
32 Ɛnnɛ ara wɔbɛgyina wɔ Nob; wɔbɛwoso wɔn nsa wɔ Ɔbabaa Sion bepɔ no so wɔ Yerusalem kokoɔ no so.
The soldiers of Assyria will stop at Nob [city outside Jerusalem]. They will shake their fists [as they threaten the people] on Zion Hill in Jerusalem.
33 Hwɛ, Awurade, Asafo Awurade no, ɔde tumi kɛseɛ bɛtwitwa dua mman no. Wɔbɛbubu nnua atentene no agu fam; deɛ ɛwoware no bɛba fam.
But listen to this! The Commander of the armies of angels with his great power will destroy [MET] the mighty army of Assyria. [It is as though they are] a huge tree [MET] that he will cut down.
34 Ɔde akuma bɛtwitwa kwaeɛm dɔtɔ agu fam. Lebanon bɛhwe ase Ɔkɛseɛ no anim.
He will destroy the [soldiers of Assyria] like men use big axes to cut down the tall trees in the forests of Lebanon.
