Yeremia 5

1 “Monni akɔneaba wɔ Yerusalem mmɔntene so, monhwɛ mo ho nhyia nhwɛ, monhwehwɛ adwaberem nyinaa. Sɛ mohunu onipa baako mpo a ɔyɛ pɛ na ɔdi nokorɛ a, mede kuropɔn yi ho bɛkyɛ no.

Go about through the streets of Jerusalem, and see, and consider, and seek in the broad places thereof, if you can fins a man that executeth judgement, and seeketh faith: and I will be merciful unto it.

2 Ɛwom sɛ wɔka sɛ, ‘Sɛ Awurade te ase yi,’ nanso wɔda so ka ntam hunu.”

And though they say: The Lord liveth; this also they will swear falsely.

3 Ao Awurade, wopɛ nokorɛ enti wobɔɔ wɔn hwee fam, nanso wɔante yea biara; wodwerɛɛ wɔn, nanso wɔpoo ntenesoɔ. Wɔyɛɛ wɔn anim denden kyenee ɔboɔ na wɔpoo ahunu.

O Lord, thy eyes are upon truth: thou hast struck them, and they have not grieved: thou hast bruised them, and they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than the rock, and they have refused to return.

4 Mesusuu sɛ, “Yeinom nko ara ne ahiafoɔ no; wɔyɛ nkwaseafoɔ nso, ɛfiri sɛ wɔnnim Awurade akwan, deɛ wɔn Onyankopɔn hwehwɛ.

But I said: Perhaps these are poor and foolish, that know not the way of the Lord, the judgement of their God.

5 Enti mɛkɔ ntuanofoɔ no nkyɛn akɔkasa akyerɛ wɔn; ampa ara wɔnim Awurade akwan deɛ wɔn Onyankopɔn hwehwɛ.” Nanso wɔn nso de adwene korɔ abubu kɔnnua no atete nkyehoma no mu.

I will go therefore to the great men, and I will speak to them: for they known the way of the Lord, the judgement of their God: and behold these have together broken the yoke more, and have burst the bonds.

6 Ɛno enti gyata bi a ɔfiri kwaeɛm bɛto ahyɛ wɔn so, pataku bi a ɔfiri anweatam so bɛtete wɔn mu. Ɔsebɔ bi bɛtɛ wɔn abɛn wɔn nkuro na obiara a ɔbɛyi ne ti no ɔbɛtete ne mu nketenkete, ɛfiri sɛ wɔn adɔnyɛ no ano yɛ den na wɔn akyirisane aboro so.

Wherefore a lion out of the wood hath slain them, a wolf in the evening, hath spoiled them, a leopard watcheth for their cities: every one that shall go out thence shall be taken, because their transgressions are multiplied, their rebellions are strengthened.

7 “Adɛn enti na ɛsɛ sɛ mede mo ho kyɛ mo? Mo mma apo me wɔde anyame a wɔnyɛ anyame aka ntam. Memaa wɔn deɛ wɔhia nyinaa, nanso, wɔbɔɔ adwamam na wɔbɔɔ yuu kɔɔ adwamanfoɔ afie mu.

How can I be merciful to thee? thy children have forsaken me, and swear by them that are not gods: I fed them to the full, and they committed adultery, and rioted in the harlot’s house.

8 Mpɔnkɔnini aniberefoɔ a wɔhwɛ wɔn yie, wɔn mu biara su di ne yɔnko yere akyi.

They are become as amorous horses and stallions, every one neighed after his neighbor’s wife.

9 Ɛnsɛ sɛ metwe wɔn aso wɔ yei ho?” Sei na Awurade seɛ. “Ɛnsɛ sɛ mʼankasa metɔ ɔman a ɛte sei so were anaa?

Shall I not visit for these things, sayeth the Lord? and shall not my soul take revenge on such a nation?

10 “Momfa ne bobe nturo no mu na monsɛe no, nanso monnsɛe no koraa. Mompempan ne mman no, ɛfiri sɛ saa nnipa yi nyɛ Awurade dea.

Scale down the walls thereof, and throw them down, but do not utterly destroy: take away the branches thereof, because they are not the Lord’s.

11 Israel fiefoɔ ne Yuda fiefoɔ anni me nokorɛ koraa,” Awurade na ɔseɛ.

For the house of Israel, and the house of Juda have greatly transgressed against me, saith the Lord.

12 Wɔadi atorɔ afa Awurade ho, wɔkaa sɛ, “Ɔrenyɛ hwee! Ɔhaw biara remma yɛn so; yɛrenhunu akofena anaa ɛkɔm da.

They have denied the Lord, and said, It is not he: and the evil shall not come upon us: we shall not see the sword and famine.

13 Adiyifoɔ no yɛ mframa bi kɛkɛ na asɛm no nte wɔn mu; enti momma deɛ wɔka no mmra wɔn so.”

The prophets have spoken in the wind, and there was no word of God in them: these things therefore shall befall them.

14 Enti yei ne deɛ Asafo Awurade, Onyankopɔn seɛ: “Esiane sɛ nnipa no aka saa nsɛm yi enti, mɛyɛ me nsɛm a ɛwɔ wʼanomu no ogya na saa nnipa yi ayɛ nnyina a ogya no bɛhye.

Thus saith the Lord the God of hosts: Because you have spoken this word, behold I will make my words in thy mouth as fire, and this people as wood, and it shall devour them.

15 Ao, Israel fiefoɔ,” Awurade na ɔseɛ, “Mede ɔman bi a ɛwɔ akyirikyiri rebɛtia wo, tete ɔman a ɛyɛ ɔmantease, nnipa a monnim wɔn kasa, na monnte wɔn kasa ase.

Behold I will bring upon you a nation from afar, O house of Israel, saith the Lord: a strong nation, an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou shalt not know, nor understand what they say.

16 Wɔn agyan mmɔtɔwa te sɛ damena a ano da hɔ; wɔn nyinaa yɛ nnɔmmarima.

Their quiver is as an open sepulchre, they are all valiant.

17 Wɔbɛsɛe mo nnɔbaeɛ ne mo aduane, asɛe mo mmammarima ne mo mmammaa; wɔbɛsɛe mo nnwankuo ne mo anantwikuo, asɛe mo bobe ne mo mmɔrɔdɔma. Wɔde akofena bɛsɛe nkuropɔn a ɛwɔ banbɔ a mode mo werɛ ahyɛ mu no.

And they shall eat up thy corn, and thy bread: they shall devour thy sons, and thy daughters: they shall eat up thy flocks, and thy herds: they shall eat thy vineyards, and thy figs: and with the sword they shall destroy thy strong cities, wherein thou trustest.

18 “Afei saa nna no mu mpo,” sei na Awurade seɛ, “Merensɛe mo korakora.

Nevertheless in those days, saith the Lord, I will not bring you to utter destruction.

19 Na sɛ nnipa no bisa sɛ, ‘Adɛn enti na Awurade, yɛn Onyankopɔn, ayɛ yɛn sei’ a, mobɛka akyerɛ wɔn sɛ, ‘Sɛdeɛ moagya me hɔ akɔsom ananafoɔ anyame wɔ mo ankasa mo asase so no, saa ara na seesei mobɛsom ananafoɔ wɔ asase a ɛnyɛ mo dea so.’

And if you shall say: why hath the Lord our God done all these things to us? thou shalt say to them: As you have forsaken me, and served a strange god in your own land, so shall you serve strangers in a land that is not your own.

20 “Monka yei nkyerɛ Yakob fiefoɔ na mo mpae mu nka wɔ Yuda sɛ:

Declare ye this to the house of Jacob, and publish it in Juda, saying:

21 Montie, mo nkwaseafoɔ ne nnipa a monni adwene, mowɔ ani nso monhunu adeɛ, na mowɔ aso nso monte asɛm:

Hear, O foolish people, and without understanding: who have eyes, and see not: and ears, and hear not.

22 Ɛnsɛ sɛ mosuro me anaa?” Sei na Awurade seɛ. “Ɛnsɛ sɛ mo ho popo wɔ mʼanim anaa? Mede anwea ato hyeɛ ama ɛpo, ɛhyeɛ a ɛwɔ hɔ daa a ɛrentumi ntra. Asorɔkye bɛbɔ nanso ɛrentumi mmu mfa so; ɛbɛhuru so nanso ɛrentumi ntra.

Will not you then fear me, saith the Lord: and will you not repent at my presence? I have set the sand a bound for the sea, an everlasting ordinance, which it shall not pass over: and the waves thereof shall toss themselves, and shall not prevail: they shall swell, and shall not pass over it.

23 Nanso, saa nnipa yi wɔ asoɔden ne atuateɛ akoma; wɔatwe wɔn ho afiri me ho kɔ.

But the heart of this people is become hard of belief and provoking, they are revolted and gone away.

24 Wɔnnka nkyerɛ wɔn ho sɛ, ‘Momma yɛnsuro Awurade yɛn Onyankopɔn, a ɔma osu tɔ wɔ ne mmerɛ mu, deɛ ɔma yɛn awerɛhyɛmu wɔ ɔtwaberɛ nnapɛn a wahyɛ no ho.’

And they have not said in their heart: let us fear the Lord our God, who giveth us the early and the latter rain in due season: who preserveth for us the fullness of the yearly harvest.

25 Mo amumuyɛ abɔ yeinom agu; mo bɔne ama adepa abɔ mo.

Your iniquities have turned these things away, and your sins have withholden good things from you.

26 “Amumuyɛfoɔ bi wɔ me nkurɔfoɔ yi mu a wɔtɛ sɛ nnipa a wɔsum nnomaa afidie, na wɔte sɛ wɔn a wɔsum mfidie yi nnipa.

For among my people are found wicked men, that lie in wait as fowlers, setting snares and traps to catch men.

27 Sɛdeɛ nnomaa ahyɛ kɛntɛn ma no saa ara na nsisie ahyɛ wɔn afie ma; wɔayeyɛ adefoɔ na wɔanya tumi.

As a net is full of birds, so their houses are full of deceit: therefore are they become great and enriched.

28 Wɔadodɔre sradeɛ ama wɔn ho ayɛ srasra. Wɔn amumuyɛsɛm no nni awieeɛ; wɔnnka nwisiaa asɛm mma wɔn nni bem, na wɔmmɔ ahiafoɔ tumi ho ban.

They are grown gross and fat: and have most wickedly transgressed my words. They have not judged the cause of the widow, they have not managed the cause of the fatherless, they have not judged the judgement of the poor.

29 Ɛnsɛ sɛ metwe wɔn aso wɔ yeinom ho anaa?” Sei na Awurade seɛ. “Ɛnsɛ sɛ mʼankasa metɔ ɔman a ɛte sei so were anaa?

Shall I not visit for these things, saith the Lord? or shall not my soul take revenge on such a nation?

30 “Adeɛ a ɛyɛ hu ne ahodwirie asi wɔ asase no so:

Astonishing and wonderful things have been done in the land.

31 Adiyifoɔ no hyɛ nkɔntorɔ, asɔfoɔ no de wɔn dibea di tumi, na me nkurɔfoɔ no pɛ no saa ara. Nanso awieeɛ no, ɛdeɛn na wobɛyɛ?”

The prophets prophesied falsehood, and the priests clapped their hands: and my people loved such things: what then shall be done in the end thereof?