Yeremia 16

1 Afei, Awurade asɛm baa me nkyɛn sɛ:

And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:

2 “Ɛnsɛ sɛ wo ware na wowo mmammarima anaa mmammaa wɔ ha.”

Thou shalt not take thee a wife, neither shalt thou have thee sons and daughters in this place.

3 Yei ne deɛ Awurade ka fa mmammarima ne mmammaa a wɔwo wɔn asase yi so mmaa a wɔyɛ wɔn maamenom ne mmarima a wɔyɛ wɔn agyanom no ho:

For thus saith the Lord concerning the sons and daughters, that are born in this place, and concerning their mothers that bore them: and concerning their fathers, of whom they were born in this land:

4 “Owuyareɛ bɛkunkum wɔn. Wɔrensu wɔn na wɔrensie wɔn, mmom wɔbɛyɛ sɛ sumina a ɛgugu fam. Wɔbɛtotɔ akofena ano na ɛkɔm bɛkunkum wɔn na wɔn afunu bɛyɛ aduane ama ewiem nnomaa ne asase so mmoa.”

They shall die by the death of grievous illnesses: they shall not be lamented, and they shall not be buried, they shall be as dung upon the face of the earth: and they shall be consumed with the sword, and with famine: and their carcasses shall be meat for the fowls of the air, and for the beasts of the earth.

5 “Nhyɛne efie a ayie yɛ apontoɔ wo mu; nkɔsu wɔn abia, na mma wɔn hyɛden, ɛfiri sɛ mayi me nhyira, me dɔ ne mʼahummɔborɔ afiri saa nnipa yi so,” Awurade na ɔseɛ.

For thus saith the Lord: Enter not into the house of feasting, neither go thou to mourn, nor to comfort them: because I have taken away my peace from this people, saith the Lord, my mercy and commiserations.

6 “Atitire ne mpapahwekwaa bɛwu wɔ asase yi so. Wɔrensie wɔn, na wɔrensu wɔn, na obiara remmɔ ne ho akam, na wɔn enti, obiara renyi ne ti mfa nkae wɔn.

Both the great and the little shall die in the land: they shall not be buried nor lamented, and men shall not cut themselves, nor make themselves bald for them.

7 Obiara remma wɔn a wɔdi awufoɔ no ho awerɛhoɔ no aduane mfa nkyekye wɔn werɛ, owufoɔ no agya anaa ne maame mpo, na obiara mma wɔn nsã nso mfa nkyekye wɔn werɛ.

And they shall not break bread among them to him that mourneth, to comfort him for the dead: neither shall they give them to drink of the cup, to comfort them for their father and mother.

8 “Na nhyɛne efie a apontoɔ kɔ so wɔ mu nkɔtena ase, nnidi na nnom.

And do not thou go into the house of feasting, to sit with them, and to eat and drink.

9 Na yei ne deɛ Awurade Otumfoɔ, Israel Onyankopɔn no seɛ: Wo nkwanna mu a, wʼani tua no, mede ahosɛpɛ ne anigyeɛ nnyegyeɛ, ayeforɔkunu ne ayeforɔyere ahosɛpɛ nne a ɛwɔ ha no, bɛba awieeɛ.

For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold I will take away out of this place in your sight, and in your days the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride.

10 “Sɛ woka yeinom nyinaa kyerɛ saa nnipa yi na wɔbisa wo sɛ, ‘Adɛn enti na Awurade abɔ mmɔm a ɛyɛ hu sei atia yɛn? Ɛdeɛn mfomsoɔ na yɛayɛ? Bɔne bɛn na yɛayɛ atia Awurade, yɛn Onyankopɔn’ a,

And when thou shalt tell this people all these words, and they shall say to thee: Wherefore hath the Lord pronounced against us all this great evil? what is our iniquity? and what is our sin, that we have sinned against the Lord our God?

11 ɛnneɛ ka kyerɛ wɔn sɛ, ‘Ɛfiri sɛ mo agyanom gyaa me hɔ kɔdii anyame foforɔ akyi, kɔsom wɔn sɔree wɔn, Awurade asɛm nie. Wogyaa me na wɔanni me mmara so.

Thou shalt say to them: Because your fathers forsook me, saith the Lord: and went after strange gods, and served them, and adored them: and they forsook me, and kept not my law.

12 Na mo deɛ, moayɛ amumuyɛsɛm asene mo agyanom. Monhwɛ sɛdeɛ mo mu biara di nʼakoma bɔne asoɔden akyi wɔ ɛberɛ a anka ɛsɛ sɛ ɔyɛ ɔsetie ma me.

And you also have done worse than your fathers: for behold every one of you walketh after the perverseness of his evil heart, so as not to hearken to me.

13 Ɛno enti, mɛtu mo afiri saa asase yi so de mo akɔ asase a, mo anaa sɛ mo agyanom nnim so, na ɛhɔ mobɛsom anyame foforɔ awia ne anadwo, na merenhunu mo mmɔbɔ.’

So I will cast you forth out of this land, into a land which you know not, nor you fathers: and there you shall serve strange gods day and night, which shall not give you any rest.

14 “Nanso nna no reba,” Awurade na ɔseɛ, “a nnipa renka bio sɛ, ‘Sɛ Awurade te ase yi, deɛ ɔyii Israelfoɔ firii Misraim,’

Therefore behold the days come, saith the Lord, when it shall be said no more: The Lord liveth, that brought for the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt:

15 mmom wɔbɛka sɛ, ‘Sɛ Awurade te ase yi deɛ ɔyii Israelfoɔ firii atifi fam asase ne aman a ɔtuu wɔn kɔɔ so nyinaa.’ Ɛfiri sɛ mɛsane de wɔn aba asase a mede maa wɔn tete agyanom no so.

But, the Lord liveth, that brought the children of Israel out of the land of the north, and out of all the lands to which I cast them out: and I will bring them again into their land, which I gave to their fathers.

16 “Na seesei, mɛsoma apofofoɔ bebree a wɔbɛkyere wɔn.” Awurade na ɔseɛ. “Ɛno akyi, mɛsoma akɔfa abɔmmɔfoɔ bebree a wɔbɛtaataa wɔn wɔ mmepɔ ne nkokoɔ nyinaa so ne abotan ntokuro mu.

Behold I will send many fishers, saith the Lord, and they shall fish them: and after this I will send them many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks.

17 Mʼani tua wɔn akwan nyinaa; ɛnsumaa me, na wɔn bɔne nso nhintaeɛ wɔ mʼani so.

For my eyes are upon all their ways: they are not hid from my face, and their iniquity hath not been hid from my eyes.

18 Mɛtua wɔn amumuyɛ ne wɔn bɔne so ka mprenu, ɛfiri sɛ wɔde aniwudeɛ nsɛsodeɛ a ɛnni nkwa ne wɔn ahoni a ɛyɛ akyiwadeɛ abɛhyɛ mʼagyapadeɛ so ma de agu mʼasase ho fi.”

And I will repay first their double iniquities, and their sins: because they have defiled my land with the carcasses of their idols, and they have filled my inheritance with their abominations.

19 Ao Awurade, mʼahoɔden ne mʼaban, mʼahohia mu dwanekɔbea, wo nkyɛn na amanaman no bɛba wɔbɛfiri nsase ano aka sɛ, “Yɛn agyanom annya biribiara sɛ anyame huhuo, ahoni a wɔn ho nni mfasoɔ na wɔammoa wɔn.

O Lord, my might, and my strength, and my refuge in the day of tribulation: to thee the Gentiles shall come from the ends of the earth, and shall say: Surely our fathers have possessed lies, a vanity which hath not profited them.

20 Nnipa yɛ wɔn ankasa anyame anaa? Aane, nanso wɔnyɛ nokorɛ anyame!”

Shall a man make gods unto himself, and there are no gods?

21 “Ɛno enti mɛkyerɛkyerɛ wɔn, saa ɛberɛ yi deɛ mɛkyerɛ wɔn me tumi ne mʼahoɔden. Afei wɔbɛhunu sɛ me din ne Awurade.

Therefore, behold I will this once cause them to know, I will shew them my hand and my power: and they shall know that my name is the Lord.