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.
If only my head was a stream of waters and my eyes fountains of weeping, so that I might go on weeping day and night for the dead of the 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 in the waste land a night's resting-place for travellers, so that I might go away, far from my people! for they are all untrue, a band of false men.
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.
Their tongues are bent like a bow to send out false words: they have become strong in the land, but not for good faith: they go on from evil to evil, and they have no knowledge of me, says the Lord.
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 keep watch on his neighbour, and put no faith in any brother: for every brother will certainly be tricking his brother, and every neighbour will go about saying evil.
5 Adamfo daadaa adamfo, na wɔn mu biara nka nokorɛ. Wɔn tɛkrɛma akokwa atorodie mu, na wɔde bɔneyɛ ha wɔn ho.
Everyone will make sport of his neighbour with deceit, not saying what is true: their tongues have been trained to say false words; they are twisted, hating to come back.
6 Wote nnaadaa mfimfini; na wɔn nnaadaa mu wɔmpɛ sɛ wɔgye me to mu,” sɛdeɛ Awurade seɛ nie.
There is wrong on wrong, deceit on deceit; they have given up the knowledge of me, says the Lord.
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?
So the Lord of armies has said, See, I will make them soft in the fire and put them to the test; this I will do because of their evil-doing.
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.
His tongue is an arrow causing death; the words of his mouth are deceit: he says words of peace to his neighbour, but in his heart he is waiting secretly 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?”
Am I not to send punishment for these things? says the Lord: will not my soul take payment from 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.
Give yourselves to weeping, crying out in sorrow for the mountains; and for the fields of the waste land send up a song of grief, because they are burned up, so that no one goes through; there is no sound of cattle; the bird of the heavens and the beast are in flight and are gone.
11 “Mɛyɛ Yerusalem mmubuiɛ sie, sakraman atuo; na mɛma Yuda nkuro ada mpan sɛdeɛ obiara ntumi ntena hɔ.”
And I will make Jerusalem a mass of broken stones, the living-place of jackals; and I will make the towns of Judah a waste, with no man living there.
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 wise man able to see this? who is he to whom the word of the Lord has come, so that he may make it clear? why is the land given to destruction and burned up like a waste place, so that no one goes through?
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 said, Because they have given up my law which I put before them, giving no attention to my voice and not being guided by it;
14 Mmom, wɔadi wɔn akoma asoɔden akyi, wɔadi Baalnom akyi sɛdeɛ wɔn agyanom kyerɛɛ wɔn no.”
But they have been walking in the pride of their hearts, going after the Baals, as their fathers gave them teaching.
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.
So the Lord of armies, the God of Israel, has said, I will give them, even this people, bitter plants for food and bitter water for drink.
16 Mɛbɔ wɔn ahwete amanaman a wɔn anaa wɔn agyanom nnim so, na mede akofena bɛtaa wɔn kɔsi sɛ mɛsɛe wɔn.”
And I will send them wandering among the nations, among people strange to them and to their fathers: and I will send the sword after them till I have put an end to them.
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 armies has said: Take thought and send for the weeping women, so that they may come; and send for the wise women, so that they may come:
18 Ma wɔmmra ntɛm mmesu ngu yɛn so kɔsi sɛ yɛn ani so bɛtaataa nisuo na nisuo adware yɛn.
Let them quickly make cries of sorrow for us, so that drops may be flowing from our eyes till they are streaming 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 a sound of weeping goes up from Zion, a cry, How has destruction come on us? we are overcome with shame because we have gone away from our land; he has sent us out from our house.
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.
But even now, give ear to the word of the Lord, O you women; let your ears be open to the word of his mouth, training your daughters to give cries of sorrow, everyone teaching her neighbour a song of grief.
21 Owuo aforo afa yɛn mpomma mu ahyɛne yɛn aban mu; apamo mmɔfra afiri mmɔntene so ne mmeranteɛ afiri ɔman adwaberem.
For death has come up into our windows, forcing its way into our great houses; cutting off the children in the streets and the young men in the wide places.
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.’”
The bodies of men will be falling like waste on the open fields, and like grain dropped by the grain-cutter, and no one will take them up.
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 the word of the Lord: Let not the wise man take pride in his wisdom, or the strong man in his strength, or the man of wealth in his wealth:
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 if any man has pride, let it be in this, that he has the wisdom to have knowledge of me, that I am the Lord, working mercy, giving true decisions, and doing righteousness in the earth: for in these things I have delight, says the Lord.
25 “Nna bi reba,” Awurade na ɔseɛ, “A mɛtwe wɔn a wɔatwa twetia wɔ honam fam nko ara no nyinaa aso:
See, the day is coming, says the Lord, when I will send punishment on all those who have circumcision in the flesh;
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.”
On Egypt and on Judah and on Edom and on the children of Ammon and on Moab and on all who have the ends of their hair cut, who are living in the waste land: for all these nations and all the people of Israel are without circumcision in their hearts.
