Yesaia 9
1 Nanso, wɔn a na wɔwɔ ahohiahia mu no, wɔrenni awerɛhoɔ bio. Kane no ɔbrɛɛ Sebulon ne Naftali nsase no ase, nanso daakye bi ɔbɛhyɛ Galilea a ɛyɛ amanamanmufoɔ ɔman na ne kwan da Yordan ne ɛpo ntam no animuonyam.
However, those in Judah who have been distressed/worried will not [continue to] suffer. Previously, Yahweh humbled [the people in] the land [where the tribes of] Zebulun and Naphtali [live]. But in the future he will honor [the people who live in] that Galilee region, along the road between the Jordan [River] and the [Mediterranean] Sea, where [many] foreigners live.
2 Nnipa a wɔnam sum mu ahunu hann kɛseɛ; wɔn a wɔte asase a ɛso sum kabii soɔ no, hann bi apue wɔn so.
[Some day, it will be as though] [MET] the people who walked in darkness will see a great light. A [great] light will shine on those who live in a land where they have great troubles/distress.
3 Woatrɛ ɔman no mu; woama wɔn ani agye mmoroso; wɔdi ahurisie wɔ wʼanim sɛdeɛ nnipa di ahurisie otwaberɛ, sɛdeɛ nnipa ho sɛpɛ wɔn wɔ ɛberɛ a wɔrekyɛ afodeɛ.
[Yahweh], you will cause us people in Israel to rejoice; we will become very happy. We will rejoice about what you [have done] like [SIM] people rejoice when they harvest their crops, [or] like soldiers rejoice when they divide up among themselves the things that they have captured in a battle.
4 Sɛdeɛ da a Midian dii nkoguo no, saa ara na woadwɛre kɔnnua a ɛda wɔn so no; saa ara na woayi nhyɛsofoɔ poma a ɛda wɔn mmatire so.
You will cause us to no longer be slaves [MET] [of those who captured us]; you will lift the heavy burdens from our shoulders. [It will be as though] you will break the rods of those who oppressed us, like you did when you destroyed [the army of] the Midian people-group.
5 Ɔkofoɔ mpaboa a wɔhyɛ de kɔ sa ne atadeɛ biara a mogya akeka mu no wɔbɛgya agu hɔ na wɔahye. Wɔde bɛsɔ ogya.
The boots that the enemy soldiers have worn and their clothing which has stains of blood on them will all be burned up; they will only be fuel for a [big] fire.
6 Ɛfiri sɛ, wɔawo akokoaa ama yɛn, wɔama yɛn ɔbabanin, na amammuo no bɛda ne mmati so. Na wɔbɛfrɛ no Ɔfotufoɔ Nwanwani, Otumfoɔ Onyankopɔn, Daa Agya, Asomdwoeɛ Wura.
Another reason that we will rejoice is that a [special] child will be born for us; [a woman will give birth to] a son, who will be our ruler. And his names will be ‘Wonderful Counselor’, ‘Mighty/Powerful God’, ‘[Our] Everlasting Father’, and ‘Prince/Ruler [who enables us to have] Peace’.
7 Nʼamammuo no nkɔsoɔ ne nʼasomdwoeɛ bɛtena hɔ daa. Ɔbɛtena Dawid ahennwa so abu nʼahennie, Ɔde atɛntenenee ne teneneeyɛ bɛhyɛ aseɛ na wama atim afiri saa ɛberɛ no akɔsi daa apem. Asafo Awurade mmɔdemmɔ bɛyɛ yei.
His rule, and the peace that he [brings/causes], will never end. He will rule [MTY] fairly and justly [DOU], like [his ancestor King] David did. This will happen because the Commander of the armies of angels greatly desires that it happen.
8 Awurade ato Yakob nkra a ɛtia no, na ɛbɛka Israel.
The Lord has warned the people of Israel, the descendants of Jacob; he has said that [he will punish] them.
9 Nnipa no nyinaa bɛhunu, Efraim ne wɔn a wɔtete Samaria a wɔde ahohoahoa ne ahomasoɔ akoma kasa no,
And all the people in Samaria and [other places in] Israel know that, [but] they are very proud and arrogant [DOU]. They say, “Our city has been destroyed, but we will [take away the broken bricks from the ruins] [and] replace them with carefully cut stones. Our sycamore-fig trees have been cut down [by our enemies], but we will plant cedar trees [in their place].”
10 “Ntayaa no abubu agu fam nanso yɛde aboɔ a wɔatwa bɛto bio. Wɔabubu borɔdɔma nnua no nanso yɛde ntweneduro bɛsi anan mu.”
11 Nanso Awurade ahyɛ Resin atamfoɔ den atia wɔn, na ɔhyɛ wɔn atamfoɔ no nkuran.
But Yahweh brought the armies of [Assyria], the enemies of King Rezin [of Syria, to fight] against Israel and incited [other] nations [to attack Israel].
12 Aramfoɔ a wɔfiri apueeɛ fam, Filistifoɔ a wɔfiri atɔeɛ fam, abue wɔn anom amene Israel. Nanso yeinom nyinaa akyiri no ne bo nnwooɛ na ne nsa da so wɔ soro.
[The army of] Syria [came] from the east, and [the army of] Philistia [came] from the west, and they destroyed Israel [like a wild animal tears another animal apart and] [MET] devours it. But even after that happened, Yahweh was still very angry with them. He was ready to strike them with his fist again.
13 Nanso nnipa no nsane nkɔɔ deɛ ɔtwee wɔn aso no nkyɛn, na wɔmmpɛɛ Asafo Awurade no akyiri kwan nso.
[But even though] Yahweh punished his people [like that], they [still] did not return to him [and worship him]. They [still] did not request the Commander of the armies of angels [to assist them].
14 Enti Awurade bɛtwa etire ne dua afiri Israel ho na ɛberɛ ne demmire nso, ɔde da koro pɛ bɛtwa;
Therefore, in one day Yahweh will get rid of [those who are like] Israel’s head and [those who are like] its tail; the [ones who are like] the top of the palm tree and the [ones who are like] the bottom.
15 mpanimfoɔ ne akunini no ne etire no, na atorɔ adiyifoɔ no ne dua no.
The leaders [DOU] of Israel are the head, and the prophets who tell lies are the tail.
16 Wɔn a wɔkyerɛ nnipa yi kwan no nnkyerɛ wɔn kwan pa, na wɔn a wɔnya akwankyerɛ no nso fom kwan.
The leaders of the people have misled them; they have caused the people that they are ruling to be confused.
17 Enti Awurade ani rennye mmeranteɛ no ho, na ɔrenhunu nwisiaa ne akunafoɔ mmɔbɔ ɛfiri sɛ, obiara nni nyamesu na wɔyɛ amumuyɛfoɔ. Ano biara ka ahuhusɛm. Nanso yeinom nyinaa akyi no, ne bo nnwooɛ, na ne nsa da so wɔ soro.
For that reason, Yahweh is not pleased with the young men [of Israel], and he does not [even] act mercifully toward the widows and orphans, because they are all ungodly and wicked, and they all say things that are foolish. [But] Yahweh still is angry with them; he is ready to strike them with his fist again.
18 Nokorɛm atirimuɔden hye te sɛ ogya; ɛhye nnɛnkyɛnse ne nkasɛɛ, ɛde ogya to kwaeɛbirentuo mu hye no, na ɛnam wisie kumɔnn mu foro kɔ soro.
When people do wicked things, it is like [SIM] a brushfire [that spreads rapidly]. It burns up [not only] briers and thorns; it starts a big fire in the forests from which clouds of smoke will rise.
19 Asafo Awurade abufuo so enti, asase no bɛkyene na nnipa bɛyɛ mmabaa ama ogya no; na obiara remfa ne nua ho nkyɛ no.
[It is as though] the [whole] land is burned [black] because the Commander of the armies of angels is extremely angry with the Israeli people. They will become like [SIM] fuel for that great fire, and no one will try to rescue even his [own] brother [from that fire].
20 Nifa so, wɔbɛfom aduane adi, nanso ɛkɔm bɛde wɔn; benkum so, wɔbɛdidi, nanso wɔremmee. Obiara bɛwe ne ba ɛnam.
Israeli people will attack their neighbors on the right [to get food from them], but they will still be hungry. They will [kill those who live in houses] on the left and eat their flesh, but their stomachs will still not be full.
21 Manase bɛdane Efraim na Efraim adane Manase na wɔbɛbɔ mu atia Yuda. Nanso yeinom nyinaa akyi no, ne bo nnwoeɛ, na wama ne nsa so ayɛ krado.
[People of the tribes of] Manasseh and Ephraim will attack each other, and [then] they will both attack the people of Judah. But even after that happens, Yahweh will still be very angry with them. He will be ready to strike them with his fist again.
