Yeremia 9
1 Ao, sɛ me etiri yɛ asutire, na mʼaniwa yɛ nisuo abura a, anka mɛsu awia ne anadwo ama me nkurɔfoɔ a wɔakunkum wɔn no.
Oh, that my head were a spring of water, and my eyes a fountain of tears! I would weep day and night over the slain daughter of my people.
2 Ao, sɛ mewɔ akwantufoɔ asoeɛ wɔ anweatam no so a, anka mɛgya me nkurɔfoɔ hɔ na mafiri wɔn nkyɛn; ɛfiri sɛ wɔn nyinaa yɛ awaresɛefoɔ, nnipa kuo a wɔnni nokorɛ.
If only I had a traveler’s lodge in the wilderness, I would abandon my people and depart from them, for they are all adulterers, a crowd of faithless people.
3 “Wɔsiesie wɔn tɛkrɛma te sɛ agyan de di atorɔ; Ɛnyɛ nokorɛ so na wɔnam di yie wɔ asase yi so. Wɔyɛ bɔne toatoa so; na wɔnnye me nto mu,” Awurade na ɔseɛ.
“They bend their tongues like bows; lies prevail over truth in the land. For they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not take Me into account,”
4 “Monhwɛ yie wɔ mo nnamfonom ho; monnnye mo nuammarima mpo nni. Ɛfiri sɛ onuabarima biara yɛ ɔdaadaafoɔ, na adamfo biara yɛ osekuni.
“Let everyone guard against his neighbor; do not trust any brother, for every brother deals craftily, and every friend spreads slander.
5 Adamfo daadaa adamfo, na wɔn mu biara nka nokorɛ. Wɔn tɛkrɛma akokwa atorodie mu, na wɔde bɔneyɛ ha wɔn ho.
Each one betrays his friend; no one tells the truth. They have taught their tongues to lie; they wear themselves out committing iniquity.
6 Wote nnaadaa mfimfini; na wɔn nnaadaa mu wɔmpɛ sɛ wɔgye me to mu,” sɛdeɛ Awurade seɛ nie.
You dwell in the midst of deception; in their deceit they refuse to know Me,”
7 Ɛno enti, sei na Asafo Awurade seɛ, “Hwɛ, mɛnane wɔn asɔ wɔn ahwɛ, na ɛdeɛn bio na mɛtumi ayɛ ɛsiane me nkurɔfoɔ yi bɔne nti?
Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Behold, I will refine them and test them, for what else can I do because of the daughter of My people?
8 Wɔn tɛkrɛma yɛ agyan a ano wɔ borɔ; ɛka nnaadaasɛm. Obiara kasa asomdwoeɛ mu kyerɛ ne yɔnko, nanso nʼakoma mu deɛ, ɔsum no afidie.
Their tongues are deadly arrows; they speak deception. With his mouth a man speaks peace to his neighbor, but in his heart he sets a trap for him.
9 Ɛnsɛ sɛ metwe wɔn aso wɔ yei ho?” Sei na Awurade seɛ. “Ɛnsɛ sɛ mʼankasa metɔ ɔman a ɛte sei so awere anaa?”
Should I not punish them for these things? declares the LORD. Should I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?”
10 Mɛsu na mɛtwa adwo ama mmepɔ no, mɛbɔ abubuo a ɛfa anweatam adidibea ho. Ayɛ fo na obi mfa hɔ bio, na wɔnte anantwie su wɔ hɔ. Ewiem nnomaa no atutu kɔ na mmoa no nso adwane kɔ.
I will take up a weeping and wailing for the mountains, a dirge over the wilderness pasture, for they have been scorched so no one passes through, and the lowing of cattle is not heard. Both the birds of the air and the beasts have fled; they have gone away.
11 “Mɛyɛ Yerusalem mmubuiɛ sie, sakraman atuo; na mɛma Yuda nkuro ada mpan sɛdeɛ obiara ntumi ntena hɔ.”
“And I will make Jerusalem a heap of rubble, a haunt for jackals; and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.”
12 Onipa bɛn na ɔnim nyansa ara sɛ ɔbɛte yei ase? Hwan na Awurade akyerɛkyerɛ no a ɔbɛtumi akyerɛ aseɛ? Adɛn enti na wɔasɛe asase no ama ada mpan sɛ anweatam a obiara ntumi mfa soɔ?
Who is the man wise enough to understand this? To whom has the mouth of the LORD spoken, that he may explain it? Why is the land destroyed and scorched like a desert, so no one can pass through it?
13 Awurade kaa sɛ, “Esiane sɛ wɔapo me mmara a mehyɛ maa wɔn no enti, wɔanyɛ ɔsetie amma me na wɔanni me mmara so.
And the LORD answered, “It is because they have forsaken My law, which I set before them; they have not walked in it or obeyed My voice.
14 Mmom, wɔadi wɔn akoma asoɔden akyi, wɔadi Baalnom akyi sɛdeɛ wɔn agyanom kyerɛɛ wɔn no.”
Instead, they have followed the stubbornness of their hearts and gone after the Baals, as their fathers taught them.”
15 Ɛno enti, deɛ Asafo Awurade, Israel Onyankopɔn no seɛ nie: “Hwɛ, mɛma saa nnipa yi adi aduane a ɛyɛ nwono na wɔanom nsuo a wɔde awuduro afra.
Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “Behold, I will feed this people wormwood and give them poisoned water to drink.
16 Mɛbɔ wɔn ahwete amanaman a wɔn anaa wɔn agyanom nnim so, na mede akofena bɛtaa wɔn kɔsi sɛ mɛsɛe wɔn.”
I will scatter them among the nations that neither they nor their fathers have known, and I will send a sword after them until I have finished them off.”
17 Sɛdeɛ Awurade tumfoɔ seɛ nie: “Dwene ho! Frɛ mmaa agyaadwotwafoɔ no, frɛ wɔn a wɔakwadare mu pa ara.
This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “Take note, and summon the wailing women; send for the most skillful among them.
18 Ma wɔmmra ntɛm mmesu ngu yɛn so kɔsi sɛ yɛn ani so bɛtaataa nisuo na nisuo adware yɛn.
Let them come quickly and take up a lament over us, that our eyes may overflow with tears, and our eyelids may gush with water.
19 Wɔte agyaadwotwa nnyegyeeɛ firi Sion sɛ, ‘Wɔasɛe yɛn! Yɛn anim agu ase yie! Ɛsɛ sɛ yɛtu firi yɛn asase so ɛfiri sɛ, yɛn afie abubu.’”
For the sound of wailing is heard from Zion: ‘How devastated we are! How great is our shame! For we have abandoned the land because our dwellings have been torn down.’”
20 Afei, Ao mmaa, montie Awurade asɛm; monyɛ aso mma nsɛm a ɛfiri nʼanom. Monkyerɛ mo mmammaa sɛdeɛ wɔtwa dwo; monkyerɛ mo ho mo ho abubuo bɔ.
Now, O women, hear the word of the LORD. Open your ears to the word of His mouth. Teach your daughters to wail, and one another to lament.
21 Owuo aforo afa yɛn mpomma mu ahyɛne yɛn aban mu; apamo mmɔfra afiri mmɔntene so ne mmeranteɛ afiri ɔman adwaberem.
For death has climbed in through our windows; it has entered our fortresses to cut off the children from the streets, the young men from the town squares.
22 Ka sɛ, “Sei na Awurade seɛ, “‘Nnipa afunu bɛdeda hɔ te sɛ sumina a ɛgugu petee mu, te sɛ aburoo a otwafoɔ atwa agu nʼakyi a obiara mmoaboaa ano.’”
Declare that this is what the LORD says: “The corpses of men will fall like dung upon the open field, like newly cut grain behind the reaper, with no one to gather it.”
23 Yei ne deɛ Awurade seɛ: “Mma onyansafoɔ mfa ne nyansa nhyehyɛ ne ho anaa ɔhoɔdenfoɔ mfa nʼahoɔden nhyehyɛ ne ho anaa ɔdefoɔ mfa nʼahonya nhyehyɛ ne ho.
This is what the LORD says: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, nor the strong man in his strength, nor the wealthy man in his riches.
24 Mmom ma deɛ ɔhyehyɛ ne ho nhyehyɛ ne ho sɛ ɔwɔ nhunumu, na ɔnim sɛ, me ne Awurade a ɔyɛ adɔeɛ, na ɔbu atɛntenenee na ɔyɛ adetenenee wɔ asase so ɛfiri sɛ yeinom na ɛsɔ mʼani,” sɛdeɛ Awurade seɛ nie.
But let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD, who exercises loving devotion, justice and righteousness on the earth— for I delight in these things,”
25 “Nna bi reba,” Awurade na ɔseɛ, “A mɛtwe wɔn a wɔatwa twetia wɔ honam fam nko ara no nyinaa aso:
“Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will punish all who are circumcised yet uncircumcised:
26 Misraimfoɔ, Yudafoɔ, Edomfoɔ, Amonfoɔ, Moabfoɔ ne wɔn a wɔtete anweatam a ɛwɔ akyirikyiri nsase so nyinaa. Na nokorɛm, saa aman yi nyinaa yɛ momonotofoɔ na mpo Israel fiefoɔ nyinaa yɛ akoma mu momonotofoɔ.”
Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab, and all the inhabitants of the desert who clip the hair of their temples. For all these nations are uncircumcised, and the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.”
