Yeremia 3
1 “Sɛ ɔbarima gyaa ne yere na ɔbaa no kɔware ɔbarima foforɔ a, ɛsɛ sɛ ɔbarima no sane kɔ ɔbaa no nkyɛn anaa? Ɛremma asase no ho ngu fi koraa anaa? Nanso, wo ne adɔfoɔ bebree abɔ adwaman, na seesei deɛ wobɛsane aba me nkyɛn anaa?” Awurade na ɔseɛ.
“[Moses wrote that] if a man divorces his wife and then she marries another man, her first husband certainly must not [RHQ] take her back again [to be his wife], because that would certainly [RHQ] cause the whole nation to become unacceptable to me. But you have more [idols than] prostitutes have men whom they have slept with! So, [why should I accept you if] you return to me?” [RHQ] says Yahweh.
2 “Ma wʼani so hwɛ nkokoɔ no so. Baabi wɔ hɔ a wɔntoo wo monnaa da anaa? Wotenaa kwankyɛn twɛnee adɔfoɔ, wotenaa sɛ mmoahwɛfoɔ a wɔdi atutena wɔ anweatam so. Woagu asase no ho fi wode wʼadwamammɔ ne wʼamumuyɛ na ayɛ.
“Look up at the barren hilltops. On every hilltop there are [RHQ] [idols that you have worshiped]. [It is as though] they are all lovers with whom you have had sex. [It is as though] you have sat along the roadsides like an Arab, waiting [to attack and steal things from] those who pass by. Because of worshiping idols and all the other wicked things that you have done, you have caused the [entire] land to become unacceptable to me.
3 Enti wɔatwe obosuo asan, na osutɔberɛ nsuo antɔ. Nanso wʼanim ayɛ sɛ odwamanfoɔ a ɔmfɛre hwee; wʼani nwu hwee.
That is why I have not sent you any rain at the times of the year when you needed it. But you are like prostitutes [MET] who are not at all ashamed [for what they have done].
4 Nanso, woka kyerɛ me sɛ: ‘Mʼagya, mʼadamfo firi me mmabunuberɛ mu,
Now each of you says to me, ‘You are my father! You have loved me ever since I was young!
5 wobo bɛfu biribiara anaa? Wʼabofuhyeɛ no bɛkɔ so daa anaa?’ Sei na wokasa, nanso woyɛ bɔne nyinaa sɛdeɛ wotumi.”
So surely you will not [RHQ] be angry with me forever!’ But you will not quit sinning!”
6 Ɔhene Yosia adedie berɛ so no, Awurade ka kyerɛɛ me sɛ, “Woahunu deɛ Israel a ɔnni nokorɛ no ayɛ? Wakɔ nkokoɔ nyinaa so ne dua adendan nyinaa ase akɔsɛe awadeɛ wɔ hɔ.
[One day] when Josiah was the king of Judah, Yahweh said to me, “Have you seen what the people of Israel have done? They have turned away from me, like a woman who has abandoned her husband and sleeps with other men. They have gone up on every hilltop and under every big tree and worshiped idols there [MET].
7 Mesusuu sɛ, anka wayɛ yeinom nyinaa akyi no, ɔbɛsane aba me nkyɛn, nanso wamma, na ne nuabaa Yuda a ɔno nso nka nokorɛ no hunuiɛ.
I thought that they would return to me, so I said to them, ‘Come back to me!’ But they refused. So I sent them away [to other countries, like a man] writes a note saying that he is divorcing his wife and then sends his wife away because she has committed adultery [MET].
8 Memaa Israel a ɔnni nokorɛ no awaregyaeɛ nwoma na mepamoo no ɛsiane nʼawaresɛe abrabɔ. Nanso mehunuu sɛ ne nuabaa Yuda a ɔnni nokorɛ no ansuro; ɔno nso kɔbɔɔ awaresɛeɛ bra.
The people of Judah saw what I did to them. But they are just like the people of Israel. They are not afraid [of what I will do to them]. They also [have turned away from me and are worshiping idols like] women who abandon their husbands and go to other men [MET].
9 Esiane sɛ Israel adwamammɔ anyɛ no asɛm hia enti, ɔde efi kaa asase no na ɔne aboɔ ne nnua bɔɔ adwaman.
They thought that worshiping idols did not matter to me, so they have made the [entire] land unacceptable to me by worshiping idols of wood and stone.
10 Yeinom nyinaa akyi no, ne nuabaa Yuda a ɔnni nokorɛ no ansane nʼakyi nokorɛm amma me nkyɛn. Ɔde nʼanim na ɛkyerɛeɛ,” sɛdeɛ Awurade seɛ nie.
The people of Judah have pretended to return to me, but they have not really done that. [This is true because I], Yahweh, have said it.”
11 Awurade ka kyerɛɛ me sɛ, “Israel a ɔnni nokorɛ no tene sene Yuda nkontompo ni.
Then Yahweh said to me, “The people of Israel have turned away from me, but what the people of Judah have done is worse.
12 Kɔ, fa wʼani kyerɛ atifi fam kɔka saa nsɛm yi kyerɛ wɔn: “‘Sane wʼakyi, Israel a ɔnni nokorɛ,’ Sei na Awurade seɛ, ‘Meremmuna nkyerɛ wo bio, ɛfiri sɛ meyɛ mmɔborɔhunufoɔ,’ sei na Awurade seɛ, ‘Me bo renfu afebɔɔ.
So go and tell this to the people of Israel: ‘Yahweh says this to you Israeli people who have turned away from him: I am merciful. I will not continue to be angry with you forever. So return to me.
13 Gye wo afɔdie to mu, woayɛ dɔm atia Awurade, wo Onyankopɔn, woakyekyɛ wʼadɔeɛ mu ama ananafoɔ anyame wɔ dua biara a adendan ase, na woanyɛ ɔsetie amma me,’” sɛdeɛ Awurade seɛ nie.
But you must admit/say that you are guilty, and that you have rebelled against me, Yahweh, your God, that you have worshiped idols under big trees everywhere, and you have not obeyed me. You have turned away from me.
14 “Monsane mo akyi, mo akyirisanfoɔ,” sɛdeɛ Awurade seɛ nie, “ɛfiri sɛ meyɛ mo kunu. Mɛyi wo; ɔbaako bɛfiri kuro mu na mmienu afiri abusuakuo mu, na mede mo aba Sion.
But you belong to me. So I will take you, one from [each] city and two from [each] clan, and bring you [back] to Jerusalem [from the countries to which you were exiled].
15 Afei mɛma mo nnwanhwɛfoɔ a wɔda mʼakoma so, wɔn a wɔde nimdeɛ ne nteaseɛ bɛkyerɛ mo ɛkwan.
[If you do that], I will appoint for you leaders with whom I am pleased, leaders who will guide you [well] because they will know and understand [what pleases me].
16 Saa nna no mu, sɛ mo dɔɔso bebree wɔ asase no so a,” Awurade na ɔseɛ, “nnipa renka bio sɛ, ‘Awurade yɛn ani agyina apam adaka no.’ Ɛremma wɔn adwene mu anaa wɔrenka saa bio; na wɔrenyɛ apam adaka foforɔ nso.
And when you become very numerous [DOU] in your land, you will not need to talk about the Sacred Chest that contained the Ten Commandments. You will not think about it, and you will not want to make a new one.
17 Saa ɛberɛ no, wɔbɛfrɛ Yerusalem Awurade Ahennwa, na amanaman nyinaa bɛhyia wɔ Yerusalem abɛkamfo Awurade din. Na wɔrenni wɔn akoma bɔne a ɛma wɔn yɛ asoɔden no akyi bio.
At that time people will say, “Jerusalem is [the place where] Yahweh’s throne is.” [People from] all nations will come there to worship me. And they will no longer stubbornly do the evil things that they desire.
18 Saa nna no mu, Yudafie bɛka Israel efie ho, na wɔabɔ mu afiri atifi fam asase bi so aba asase a mede maa mo agyanom sɛ agyapadeɛ no so.
At that time you people [MTY] of Israel and the people of Judah will return from [being (exiled/forced to live) in] lands to the northeast. You will return to the land that I gave to your ancestors to belong to them [forever].
19 “Mʼankasa mekaa sɛ, ‘Anka ɛbɛyɛ me anigye sɛ mɛyɛ mo sɛ mma na mama mo asase a ɛyɛ, agyapadeɛ a ɛdi mu ma ɔman biara.’ Mesusuiɛ sɛ mobɛfrɛ me ‘Agya’ na monnane mo ho mfiri mʼakyi.
You people of Israel, I wanted to accept you to be my children. I wanted to give you [this] delightful land. It is a land more desirable/pleasant than the land of any other nation! I wanted you to call me ‘father’, and I wanted you to never turn away from me.
20 Nanso, sɛdeɛ ɔbaa a ɔnni ne kunu nokorɛ no, saa ara na moanni me nokorɛ, Ao Israel efie,” sɛdeɛ Awurade seɛ nie.
But you have abandoned me like wives who have abandoned their husbands.’” [That is what] Yahweh said, and [I told it] to the people of Israel.
21 Wɔte esu bi wɔ nkokoɔ no so, ɛyɛ Israelfoɔ agyaadwotwa ne nkotosrɛ, ɛfiri sɛ wɔakyeakyea wɔn akwan na wɔn werɛ afiri Awurade, wɔn Onyankopɔn.
People will hear a noise on the barren hilltops. It will be the noise made by people weeping and pleading [for God to be merciful to them]. They will be admitting/saying that they have forgotten Yahweh their God, and that they turned away from behaving as God wanted them to.
22 “Monsane mmra, ɔyera mma; mɛsa mo akyirisane yadeɛ no.” “Aane, yɛbɛba wo nkyɛn, ɛfiri sɛ wo ne Awurade, yɛn Onyankopɔn.
Yahweh will say to them, “You Israeli people, come back to me! [If you do that], I will cause you to never turn away from me again.” [The people will reply], “We are returning to you, because you are Yahweh, our God.
23 Nokorɛm, ahoni hooyɛ wɔ nkokoɔ ne mmepɔ so no yɛ nnaadaa; nokorɛm, Awurade yɛn Onyankopɔn mu na Israel nkwagyeɛ wɔ.
We did not get any help from [the idols that we worshiped on] the hilltops; we did not get any help from making all that noise up there.
24 Ɛfiri yɛn mmɔfraase, anyame huhuo adi yɛn agyanom nsa ano adwuma so aba, wɔn nnwankuo ne anantwie, wɔn mmammarima ne wɔn mmammaa.
From the time when we were young, the shameful [god Baal] has taken away [from us] everything that our ancestors worked hard to acquire. He has taken away their flocks [of sheep] and herds [of cattle], their sons and their daughters.
25 Momma yɛmfa yɛn aniwuo nneda fam na yɛn ahohora nkata yɛn so. Yɛayɛ bɔne atia Awurade yɛn Onyankopɔn, yɛn ne yɛn agyanom; ɛfiri yɛn mmɔfraase bɛsi ɛnnɛ yɛanyɛ ɔsetie amma Awurade, yɛn Onyankopɔn.”
So, now we should lie down feeling very ashamed [DOU], because we and our ancestors have sinned against Yahweh our God, and we have never obeyed him.”
