Yesaia 59
1 Ampa ara Awurade nsa nyɛ tiaa sɛ ɛrennye nkwa, na nʼasom nyɛ den sɛ ɛrente asɛm.
Listen to this! Yahweh’s power [MTY] is not ended/gone, with the result that he cannot save [you]. He has not become deaf [MTY], with the result that he cannot hear [you when you call to him for help].
2 Nanso, mo amumuyɛ na atete mo ne mo Onyankopɔn ntam; mo bɔne ama nʼanim ahinta mo, a enti ɔrente.
But, you have separated yourselves from your God by the sins that you have committed. Because of your sins, he has turned away from you, with the result that he does not pay attention to what you request him to do.
3 Na mogya akeka mo nsa ho, afɔdie afɔre mo nsateaa. Mo ano akeka atorɔsɛm, mo tɛkrɛma de amumuyɛsɛm di nsekuro.
You do violent things [MTY] [to others], with the result that your hands are stained with their blood. You [constantly] tell [MTY] lies, and you say [MTY] evil things [about others].
4 Obiara nhwehwɛ atɛntenee; obiara mfa nokorɛdie mmɔ ne nkuro. Wɔde wɔn ho to nsɛmhuhuo so na wɔtwa nkontonpo; wonyinsɛn ɔhaw na wɔwo bɔne.
When you accuse someone in court, what you say is not fair and it is not true. You accuse people falsely. You are [constantly] planning to cause trouble for others, and then you do those evil things that you planned.
5 Wɔhwane ananka nkosua na wɔnwono ananse ntontan. Deɛ ɔdi wɔn nkosua biara bɛwu, emu baako nso bɔ a, ɛpae ahuritia.
What you plan to do to harm people [MET] is as dangerous as the eggs of a (cobra/poisonous snake), because cobras will hatch from those eggs. You trap people like [MET] spiders trap/catch insects in their webs.
6 Wɔn ntontan nyɛ mma aduradeɛ; wɔrentumi mfa deɛ wɔyɛ nkata wɔn ho. Wɔn nneyɛɛ yɛ nneyɛɛ bɔne, na wɔdi akakabensɛm.
We people cannot hide/cover our skin with clothes made of spider webs [MET], and similarly you cannot hide the evil things that you have done. You are [constantly] acting [MTY] violently.
7 Wɔtu mmirika kɔyɛ bɔne; wɔnkyɛre opira ne awudie ho. Baabiara a wɔbɛkɔ no, wɔsɛe hɔ pasaa.
You [SYN] are very quick to go and do evil things, and you hurry to murder people [MTY] who are innocent. You are [continually] thinking about sinning. Wherever you go, you destroy things and cause people to suffer.
8 Asomdwoeɛ kwan no, wɔnnim; atɛntenenee nni wɔn akwan so. Wɔadane wɔn akwan nkontonkyi. Obiara a ɔnante soɔ no rennya asomdwoeɛ.
You do not know how to act peacefully or to treat others fairly. You always are (dishonest/deceiving others) [MET], and those who imitate your behavior never have any inner peace.
9 Enti atɛntenenee ne yɛn ntam aware, na adetenenee mmɛn yɛn. Yɛhwehwɛ hann, nanso ne nyinaa yɛ esum; deɛ ɛhyerɛn, nanso yɛnam esum kabii mu.
Because of that, God does not rescue us [from our enemies]; [it seems that] he is not acting fairly/righteously toward us. We expect [God to give us] light, but all [he gives us] is darkness [DOU].
10 Yɛayɛ te sɛ anifirafoɔ. Yɛkeka afasuo ho hwehwɛ kwan te sɛ nnipa a wɔnni ani. Owigyinaeɛ no, yɛsuntisunti sɛdeɛ onwunu adwoɔ; yɛduru ahoɔdenfoɔ mu a, yɛte sɛ awufoɔ.
We are like [SIM] blind people who have to feel along a wall to be able to walk anywhere. We stumble [and trip] at noontime like [SIM] we would when it is dark. We are like [SIM] dead people who are among healthy people.
11 Yɛn nyinaa pɔ so te sɛ sisire; yɛde awerɛhoɔ kurum sɛ mmorɔnoma. Yɛhwehwɛ atɛntenenee nso yɛnhunu bi; ɔgyeɛ nanso ɛwɔ akyirikyiri.
We growl like [SIM] [hungry] bears; we continually moan like [SIM] doves. We seek [people who do] what is just/fair, but we cannot find any [anywhere]. [We want God] to rescue us, but [it seems that] he is far away.
12 Ɛfiri sɛ, yɛn mfomsoɔ adɔɔso wɔ wʼani so, na yɛn bɔne di adanseɛ tia yɛn. Yɛn mfomsoɔ da yɛn anim daa, na yɛgye yɛn amumuyɛ to mu:
[But these things are happening] because [it is as though] our sins are piled high in the presence of God, and that they testify [PRS] against us. We cannot deny it; we know that we have done many wrong things.
13 atuateɛ ne afatwa a ɛtia Awurade, yɛn akyi a yɛdane kyerɛ yɛn Onyankopɔn, nhyɛsoɔ ne atuateɛ a yɛfoa soɔ, atorɔsɛm a ɛfiri akoma mu a yɛka.
[We know that] we have rebelled against Yahweh; we have turned away from him. We (oppress people/treat people cruelly) by what we testify [against them]; we do not allow them to get what they have a right to get. We [SYN] think about the lies that we can tell, and then we tell them.
14 Enti wɔapam atɛntenenee kɔ nʼakyi, na adetenenee akɔgyina baabi; nokorɛ ahwe ase wɔ mmɔntene so. Nokorɛdie ntumi mma mu.
[In our courts, the judges] do not decide cases/matters fairly; no one is acting righteously. In plazas where people gather together, no one tells the truth [PRS]; [it seems that people] are not allowed to say what is true.
15 Nokorɛ nni baabiara, obiara a ɔtwe ne ho firi bɔne ho no ayɛ ɔtamfoɔ. Awurade hwɛeɛ na ansɔ nʼani sɛ atɛntenenee nni hɔ.
No one tells the truth, and people try to ruin [the reputations of] those who quit doing evil. Yahweh looked around, and he saw that no one was doing what is just/fair, and he was [very] displeased.
16 Ohunuu sɛ obiara nni hɔ. Ɛyɛɛ no nwanwa sɛ obiara nni hɔ a ɔbɛpata; enti ɔno ankasa basa dii nkwagyeɛ ho dwuma maa no, na ne tenenee wowaa no.
He was disgusted when he saw that no one tried to help [those who were being treated cruelly]. So he used his own power [MTY] to rescue them; it is because he is always righteous that he did that [PRS].
17 Ɔhyɛɛ tenenee sɛ nkataboɔ, ne nkwagyeɛ dadeɛ kyɛ wɔ ne tiri so. Ɔhyɛɛ aweretɔ ntadeɛ na ɔde mmɔdemmɔ firaa sɛ ntoma.
[It is as though he is a soldier who] [MET] puts on his armor and a helmet; his continually doing what is right is like [MET] his armor, and his ability to rescue people is [like] his helmet. His being extremely angry and his being ready to get revenge [on those who do evil] are like [MET] his robes.
18 Ɔbɛgyina deɛ wɔayɛ so atua so ka. Nʼatamfoɔ bɛnya nʼabufuhyeɛ. Wɔn a wɔne no ayɛ dɔm bɛnya so akatua; nsupɔ no nso, ɔbɛtua wɔn ka sɛdeɛ ɛsɛ wɔn.
He will repay his enemies for the evil things that they have done. He will severely punish [MTY] even those who live far [from Jerusalem].
19 Ɛfiri atɔeɛ fam, nnipa bɛsuro Awurade din na ɛfiri apueeɛ wɔde anidie bɛma nʼanimuonyam. Na ɔbɛba sɛ nsuo a ayiri tɛnn, Awurade ahomeguo de no bɛba.
When that happens, people everywhere, from the east to the west, will respect and honor Yahweh [MTY], because he will come like [SIM] a rushing river that is pushed along by the strong wind that Yahweh sent.
20 “Ɔgyefoɔ no bɛba Sion, na ɔbɛyi amumuyɛsɛm nyinaa afiri Yakob asefoɔ mu,” sei na Awurade seɛ.
And Yahweh says that he will come to Jerusalem to free [his people]; he will come to rescue those in Judah who have quit (doing sinful things/their sinful behavior).
21 “Medeɛ yei yɛ me ne wɔn apam,” sɛdeɛ Awurade seɛ nie. “Me Honhom a ɔwɔ mo so, ne me nsɛm a mede ahyɛ mo anom remfiri mo anom, anaa mo mma, ne mo mma asefoɔ anom, ɛfiri saa ɛberɛ yi kɔsi daa apem,” sei na Awurade seɛ.
This is what Yahweh says to his people: “This is the agreement that I will make with you: My Spirit will not leave you, and you will always have my message. You will [be able to] declare it [MTY], and your children and grandchildren will [be able to] declare it forever.”
