Yesaia 41

1 “Monyɛ komm wɔ mʼanim, mo nsupɔ! Ma aman no nhyɛ wɔn ho den! Ma wɔmmra ha mmɛkasa; momma yɛn mmom nhyia mu wɔ asɛnniiɛ hɔ.

Be silent [and hearken] unto me, O ye Coastlands, And let the Races of Men renew their strength, —Let them approach, then, let them speak, Together, for controversy, let us draw near: —

2 “Hwan na wakanyane deɛ ɔfiri apueeɛ no, afrɛ no tenenee mu sɛ ɔmmɛsom no? Ɔde aman hyɛ ne nsa na ɔbrɛ ahemfo ase wɔ nʼanim. Ɔde nʼakofena ma wɔdane mfuturo, ɔde ne bɛma ma wɔdane ntɛtɛ a mframa bɔ hwete.

Who roused up one from the East, In righteousness, called him to his feet, —Set before him nations And over kings, caused him to rule, His sword, made [them] like dust, His bow like driven chaff:

3 Ɔtaa wɔn na ɔkɔ nʼanim a biribiara enti ne ho, wɔ ɛkwan a ɔmfaa so da so.

He pursued them passed along safely, —Upon the path of his own feet, entered he not?

4 Hwan na wayɛ yei akɔsi awieeɛ, afrɛ awoɔ ntoatoasoɔ afiri mfitiaseɛ? Me Awurade, mene Ahyɛaseɛ ne Awieeɛ no. Mene ɔno ara.”

Who hath wrought and performed, Calling the generations, in advance? I, Yahweh, [who am] First, And with them who are last, I, am the Same!

5 Nsupɔ no ahunu na wɔbɔ hu; nsase ano ho popo. Wɔtwi bɛn, na wɔba anim;

Coastlands have seen, so they fear, The ends of the earth, are in dread, —They have drawn near, and have come:

6 na obiara boa ne yɔnko na ɔka kyerɛ ne nua sɛ, “Yɛ den!”

Every man, to his neighbour, giveth help, —And to his brother, saith Take courage!

7 Odwumfoɔ hyɛ sikadwumfoɔ nkuran, na deɛ ɔde asaeɛ yɛ no tromtrom boa deɛ ɔbɔ atomboɔ so. Ɔka fa ɔsɔ no ho sɛ, “Ɛyɛ pa ara.” Ɔbobɔ ohoni no mu nnadewa sɛdeɛ ɛrentu nhwe fam.

So, the carver, hath encouraged, the goldsmith, he that maketh smooth with the hammer, him that smiteth the anvil, —Saying of the welding, It is, good, Then hath he fastened it with nails—it must not totter!

8 “Nanso wo, Ao Israel, me ɔsomfoɔ, Yakob, deɛ mayi no no, mo, mʼadamfo Abraham asefoɔ.

But, thou, Israel, my Servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, —The seed of Abraham my loving one;

9 Mefaa wo firi nsase ano, firi nʼakyirikyiri ntweaso, na mefrɛɛ wo. Mekaa sɛ, ‘Woyɛ me ɔsomfoɔ’; mapa wo na me ne wo wɔ hɔ.

Thou whom I have taken hold of from the ends of the earth, And from the extremities thereof, have called thee, —And said to thee, My Servant, thou! I have chosen thee and not cast thee off,

10 Nsuro, na me ne wo wɔ hɔ; mma wʼabasam mmu, na mene wo Onyankopɔn. Mɛhyɛ wo den, na mɛboa wo; mede me tenenee nsa nifa bɛpagya wo.

Do not fear, for with thee, I am! Look not around, for, I, am thy God, —I have emboldened thee, Yea I have helped thee, Yea I have upheld thee with my righteous right-hand.

11 “Wɔn a wɔn bo afu wo no nyinaa, ampa ara wɔn ani bɛwu na wɔn anim agu ase; wɔn a wɔtia wo no rensɛ hwee na wɔbɛwu.

Lo! they shall turn pale and be ashamed—All they who have been incensed against thee, —They shall become as nothing and perish—The men who have been thine accusers:

12 Ɛwom sɛ wobɛhwehwɛ wʼatamfoɔ deɛ, nanso worenhunu wɔn. Wɔn a wɔtu wo so sa no rensɛ hwee koraa.

Thou shalt seek them, but shalt not find them—The men who have contended with thee, They shall become as nothing, and as a thing of nought—The men who have warred against thee;

13 Na mene Awurade, wo Onyankopɔn, deɛ ɔkura wo nsa nifa mu na ɔka kyerɛ wo sɛ, nsuro; mɛboa wo.

For I, Yahweh thy God am firmly grasping thy right-hand, —Who am saying unto thee Do not fear! I, have become thy helper!

14 Nsuro, Ao, ɔsonsono Yakob, Ao Israel a wo sua, na mʼankasa mɛboa wo,” Awurade na ɔseɛ, wo gyefoɔ, Israel Ɔkronkronni no.

Do not fear, Thou worm Jacob, Ye men of Israel, —I, have become thy helper, Declareth Yahweh, And thy redeemer The Holy One of Israel.

15 “Hwɛ, mede wo bɛyɛ nhusoɔ apa, a ɛyɛ mono, ano yɛ nnam na ɛwɔ ɛse bebree. Wobɛhuhu mmepɔ no so na woadwiri wɔn, na woama nkokoɔ ayɛ sɛ ntɛtɛ.

Lo! I have made of thee a new pointed threshing sledge, owning teeth, —Thou shalt thresh mountains and crush them, And, hills—like chaff, shalt thou make:

16 Wobɛhuhu wɔn so, mframa bɛma wɔn so, na ahum abɔ wɔn akɔ. Nanso wʼani bɛgye wɔ Awurade mu na woahyɛ Israel Ɔkronkronni no animuonyam.

Thou shalt fan them and, a wind, shall carry them away, And, a whirlwind, scatter, them, —But, thou, shalt exult in Yahweh, And, in the Holy One of Israel, shalt thou boast thyself.

17 “Ohiani ne mmɔborɔni kyini pɛ nsuo, nanso ebi nni hɔ; osukɔm ama wɔn tɛkrɛma so awe. Nanso me Awurade, mɛma wɔn mmuaeɛ. Me, Israel Onyankopɔn, merennya wɔn.

As for the oppressed and the needy. Seeking water when there is none, Their tongue with thirst being parched I—Yahweh, will answer them, The God of Israel, I will not forsake them:

18 Mɛma nsubɔntene atene wɔ sorɔnsorɔmmea bonini no so, na nsutire apue wɔ bɔnhwa mu. Mɛdane anweatam ayɛ no nsubura, na nsase a awo adane nsutire bebree.

I will open, On bare hills rivers, and In the midst of plains, fountains, —I will make The desert, a lake of water, and Parched land, springs of water;

19 Mɛduadua wɔ anweatam so, ntweneduro, okuo, ohwam ne ngo nnua. Mɛduadua pepeaa, wɔ asase wesee so asɛsɛ ne kwabɔhɔrɔ abɔ mu,

I will set in the desert! Cedar, acacia, and myrtle, and oil-tree, —I will place, in the waste plain, Cypress, holm-oak, and sherbin-cedar, together

20 sɛdeɛ nnipa bɛhunu na wɔate, na wɔasusu ho na wɔate aseɛ sɛ, Awurade nsa na ayɛ saa adeɛ yi; Israel ɔkronkronni no na ɔma ɛbaeɛ.

That men may see and observe and consider and understand at once, That, the hand of Yahweh, hath done this, That the Holy One of Israel hath created it.

21 “Bɔ wo nkuro,” Awurade na ɔseɛ. “Kyerɛkyerɛ wʼasɛm mu,” Yakob Ɔhene na ɔseɛ.

Bring near your contention, Saith Yahweh, —Advance your defences, Saith the King of Jacob:

22 “Fa wʼahoni no bra na wɔmmɛka deɛ ɛbɛsi nkyerɛ yɛn. Wɔmmɛka sɛdeɛ na kane nneɛma no teɛ nkyerɛ yɛn, sɛdeɛ yɛbɛdwene ho afa na yɛahunu deɛ ɛbɛfiri mu aba. Anaa sɛ wɔmpae mu nka nneɛma a ɛbɛsi nkyerɛ yɛn.

Let them advance them, and tell us, What shall happen, —Things known in advance—what they were, tell ye, That we may lay them to our heart and mark the after-story of them, Or, things yet to come, let us hear:

23 Monka nkyerɛ yɛn deɛ ɛbɛsi daakye, na ama yɛahunu sɛ moyɛ anyame. Monyɛ biribi, sɛ ɛyɛ anaa ɛnyɛ, sɛdeɛ ɛbɛyɛ a yɛn aba mu bɛbu na ehu aka yɛn.

Tell ye the events which shall be here-after, That we may perceive that gods, ye are, —Surely ye must do something—good or bad, That we may be amazed and behold it, at once.

24 Nanso, monnka hwee, na mo nnwuma ho nni mfasoɔ; deɛ ɔfa mo no yɛ akyiwadeɛ.

Lo! ye, are, of nought, And your work is a puff of breath, —An abomination, he that chooseth you!

25 “Makanyane obi a ɔfiri atifi fam na ɔreba, deɛ ɔfiri owia apueeɛ na ɔbɔ me din. Ɔtiatia sodifoɔ so te sɛ dɔteɛ a wɔde si dan, te sɛ ɔnwomfoɔ a ɔrewɔ dɔteɛ.

I have roused up one from the North, and he hath come, From the rising of the sun, calleth he on my Name, —And he hath come, on deputies, as though they were mortar, And as a potter treadeth clay.

26 Hwan na ɔkaa yei ho asɛm firii ahyɛaseɛ, sɛdeɛ anka ɛbɛma yɛahunu, anaa waka ato hɔ, sɛdeɛ yɛbɛtumi aka sɛ, ‘Ne deɛ no yɛ’? Obiara anka yei, obiara anni ɛkan anka, obiara ante nsɛm biara amfiri wo nkyɛn.

Who hath told in advance, that we might know, And beforetime, that we might say Right! Nay, there is none who can tell. Nay, there is none who can let us hear, Nay, there is none who can understand what ye utter.

27 Me na medii ɛkan ka kyerɛɛ Sion, ‘Hwɛ, wɔn nie!’ Mɛma Yerusalem ɔsomafoɔ bi a ɔde asɛmpa bɛba.

He who is First, [can say], To Zion, Lo! there they are! And to Jerusalem, A herald of good-tidings, do I give.

28 Mehwɛ nanso obiara nni hɔ, obiara nni wɔn mu a ɔbɛtu wɔn fo, sɛ mebisa wɔn a, obiara ntumi mma mmuaeɛ.

So I look, And there is not, a Man! Even among these And there is none to advise, —That, when I ask them, can answer a word.

29 Hwɛ, wɔn nyinaa yɛ atorofoɔ! Wɔn nneyɛeɛ nka hwee; wɔn nsɛsodeɛ yɛ mframa ne basabasayɛ nko ara.

Lo! as to all of them, Vanity—nothingness, are their works, Wind and emptiness, their molten images!