Yesaia 42
1 “Me ɔsomfoɔ a mahyɛ no den nie, deɛ mayi noɔ na ɔsɔ mʼani; mede me Honhom bɛgu no so na ɔde atɛntenenee bɛbrɛ aman no.
[Yahweh says, “I want you people to know about] my servant, whom I encourage. I have chosen him, and I am pleased with him. I have given him my Spirit, and he will make certain that all the people-groups do what is right/just.
2 Ɔrenteam anaa ɔremma ne nne so. Ɔremma ne nne so wɔ mmɔntene so.
He will not [show his power by] shouting [DOU] or by talking very loudly.
3 Demmire a ayɛ mmerɛ no, ɔremmu mu. Kanea ntoma a ɛnnɛre yie no, ɔrennum. Nokorɛ mu na ɔbɛda tenenee adi;
He will not get rid of [anyone who is weak like] [MET] a smashed reed, and he will not [end the life of anyone who is helpless like] [MET] someone would extinguish a dimly burning wick [of an oil lamp]. He will faithfully/continually make sure that judges decide cases justly.
4 ɔrenhinhim na nʼabamu remmu kɔsi sɛ ɔde tenenee bɛba asase so. Ne mmara so na amanaman no de wɔn ani bɛtoɔ.”
He will not become exhausted or discouraged all during the time that he is causing things to be done justly throughout the earth. Even [people living on the islands in] [MTY] the oceans will confidently wait for [him to teach them] his laws.”
5 Yei ne deɛ Onyankopɔn, Awurade no seɛ, deɛ ɔbɔɔ ɔsoro na ɔtrɛɛ mu, deɛ ɔtwee asase mu ne deɛ ɛfiri mu nyinaa, deɛ ɔma wɔn a wɔte so ahome, na ɔma wɔn a wɔnante soɔ no nkwa:
Yahweh our God created the sky and spread it out. He also created the earth and everything on it. He gives breath to all the people on the earth; he causes them to live [DOU]. [And he is the one who says to his special servant],
6 “Me, Awurade, mafrɛ wo tenenee mu; mɛsɔ wo nsa. Mɛhwɛ wo so na mede wo ayɛ apam ama nkurɔfoɔ no ne kanea ama amanamanmufoɔ,
“I, Yahweh, have chosen you to show people that I always act righteously/fairly. I will grasp your hand and protect you, and I will present you to [my Israeli] people to be the one who will put into effect my agreement with them. [You will be like] a light to the [other] nations.
7 na woabue ani a afira, na woayi nneduafoɔ afiri afiase na woagye wɔn a wɔda afiase amena mu, wɔn a wɔte esum kabii mu no.
You will enable blind [IDM] people to see, you will free those who are in prison (OR, who are bound [by the guilt of their sins]) [MET] and release those who are in dark dungeons.
8 “Mene Awurade; me din ne no! Meremfa mʼanimuonyam mma obi anaa mʼayɛyie mma ahoni.
I am Yahweh; that is my name. I will not allow anyone else to receive the honor that only I deserve. And I will not allow idols to be praised like only I should be praised.
9 Hwɛ, nneɛma dada no atwam, na nneɛma foforɔ no mepae mu ka; ansa na ɛbɛba mu no meka kyerɛ mo.”
Everything that I have prophesied has happened, and now I will tell about other things that will happen. I will tell you things that will happen before they happen.”
10 Monto dwom foforɔ mma Awurade! Nʼayɛyie mfiri asase ano, mo a mokɔ ɛpo so ne deɛ ɛwo mu nyinaa, mo nsupɔ ne wɔn a wɔtete so nyinaa.
Sing a new song to Yahweh! Sing to praise him throughout the world! All you people who sail across the oceans, and all you creatures that live in the oceans, and all you people who live on islands far away, sing!
11 Ma anweatam ne ɛso nkuro mma wɔn nne so; ma atenaeɛ a Kedar te soɔ no nsɛpɛ wɔn ho. Ma nnipa a wɔwɔ Sela nto anigye dwom; ma wɔn nteam mfiri mmepɔ no atifi!
You people who live in towns in the desert, sing loudly! You people who live in the Kedar [area in the north of Arabia], you rejoice also! You people in Sela [city in Edom], you also should sing joyfully; shout [to praise him] from the tops of your mountains!
12 Ma wɔnhyɛ Awurade animuonyam; na wɔmpae mu nka nʼayɛyie no wɔ nsupɔ no so.
Even people who live on distant islands should honor Yahweh and sing to praise him.
13 Awurade bɛpue aba sɛ ɔkatakyie, te sɛ ɔkofoni no, ɔbɛhyɛ ne mmɔdemmɔ mu den; ɔde nteam bɛyɛ ɔkofrɛ na ɔbɛdi nʼatamfoɔ so nkonim.
[It will be as though] Yahweh will march out like [SIM] a mighty soldier; he will show that he is very angry. He will shout a battle-cry, and [then] he will defeat all his enemies.
14 “Mayɛ komm akyɛre, mayɛ dinn na mahyɛ me ho so. Nanso, afei, te sɛ ɔbaa a ɔrewoɔ no, meteam, mehome a ɛnsi so na mehome ɔherɛ so.
[He will say], “I have remained silent [DOU] for a long time; I have restrained myself [from doing what I need to do]. But now, like [SIM] a woman who is giving birth to a baby, I will cry out and gasp and pant.
15 Mɛsɛe mmepɔ ne nkokoɔ no na mahye ɛso afifideɛ nyinaa. Mɛdane nsubɔntene ma ayɛ nsupɔ, na mama atadeɛ awewe.
I will level off the hills and mountains, and I will cause all the plants and trees to dry up. I will cause the rivers to become small streams, and little islands will appear in them, and I will cause all the pools to become dry.
16 Mɛdi anifirafoɔ anim afa ɛkwan a wɔnnim so, akwan a wɔnnim so papa so na mɛkyerɛ wɔn kwan. Mɛma esum no ayɛ hann wɔ wɔn anim, na mayɛ mmea a ɛyɛ mmomkyi mmɔnka no tromtrom. Yeinom ne nneɛma a mɛyɛ; merennya wɔn mu.
[My people who have been taken to Babylonia are like] [MET] blind people, [but] I will lead them along a road on which they have not walked before, on a road that they have not seen before. They have felt [very helpless, as though] they were walking in the darkness, but I will take away that darkness and I will make smooth the road that is in front of them. Those are the things that I will do for them; I will not abandon them.
17 Na wɔn a wɔde wɔn ho to ahoni so, na wɔka kyerɛ nsɛsodeɛ sɛ, ‘Moyɛ yɛn anyame’ no, mɛpam wɔn animguaseɛ mu.”
But those who trust in carved idols, and say to images, ‘You are our gods,’ will be completely humiliated/disgraced.”
18 “Tie, wo ɔsotifoɔ; hwɛ, wo onifirani na hunu!
You [Israeli people who have acted toward God like] deaf [people], listen [to what Yahweh says]! “You [who have been like] [MET] blind [people], look!
19 Hwan ne ɔnifirafoɔ sɛ me ɔsomfoɔ, na ɔyɛ ɔsotifoɔ sɛ ɔbɔfoɔ a mesoma noɔ? Hwan na nʼani afira sɛ deɛ ɔde ne werɛ ahyɛ me mu? Anaa hwan na nʼani afira sɛ Awurade ɔsomfoɔ?
No people are [RHQ] as blind as my people, who [should have been] serving me. No people are [RHQ] as much like [MET] deaf people as [the Israelis, who should have been] my messengers. No people are [RHQ] as much like [MET] blind people as those whom I chose to serve me.
20 Woahunu nneɛma bebree, nanso amfa wo ho; Wʼasom da ɛkwan, nanso wonte hwee.”
You see and know what are the right things to do, but you do not do them. You hear [what I say to you], but you do not pay attention.”
21 Ɛsɔɔ Awurade ani ne tenenee enti sɛ ɔbɛma ne mmara ayɛ kɛseɛ na anya animuonyam.
Because Yahweh is righteous, he has honored his glorious laws.
22 Nanso saa nnipa a wɔawia wɔn na wɔafo wɔn yi, wɔn nyinaa aka amena mu anaa wɔde wɔn asie wɔ nneduadan mu. Wɔayɛ wɔn afodeɛ na wɔnni obi a ɔbɛgye wɔn; wɔayɛ wɔn korɔnodeɛ na wɔnni obi a ɔbɛka sɛ, “Momfa wɔn nsane nkɔ.”
But [the armies of Babylon have destroyed Jerusalem] and have completely (plundered/taken away) [DOU] all the valuable things, and they have captured Yahweh’s people and taken them away and put them in prison. They have been captured easily, because there was no one to protect them; there was no one to say that they should be allowed to return home.
23 Mo mu hwan na ɔbɛtie yei anaa ɔbɛdwene ho yie akyire yi?
Who among you will listen carefully to these things? Who will pay attention from now on?
24 Hwan na ɔde Yakob maa sɛ ɔmmɛyɛ korɔnodeɛ, na ɔde Israel maa afomfoɔ? Ɛnyɛ Awurade a yɛayɛ bɔne atia no no? Ɛfiri sɛ wɔannante nʼakwan so; na wɔanni ne mmara so.
Who allowed the valuable possessions of the people of Israel to be stolen [RHQ, DOU]? It was Yahweh, because he is he one against whom we had sinned; we did not conduct our lives like he wanted us to, and we did not obey his laws.
25 Enti ɔhwiee nʼabufuhyeɛ guu wɔn so, akodie mu basabasayɛ. Ɛde egyadɛreɛ bunkam wɔn so, nanso wɔante aseɛ. Ɛhyee wɔn, nanso amfa wɔn ho.
Therefore, he was extremely angry with us, and he caused our soldiers to be destroyed in battles. [It was as though] [MET] he lit a fire around us, but we did not understand [what he was trying to tell us]. [His being angry with us was like] a fire that would burn us up, but we did not pay attention [IDM].
