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.
“Who will provide water for my head, and a fount of tears for my eyes? And then I will weep day and night for the slain 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.
Who will provide me, in the wilderness, with a lodging place along the road? And then I will forsake my people, and withdraw from them. For they are all adulterers, a union of transgressors.
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.
And they have bent their tongue, like a bow, to send forth lies and not the truth. They have been strengthened upon the earth. And they have gone from one evil to another. But they have not known 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 each one guard himself against his neighbor, and let him have no trust in any brother of his. For every brother will utterly overthrow, and every friend will advance deceitfully.
5 Adamfo daadaa adamfo, na wɔn mu biara nka nokorɛ. Wɔn tɛkrɛma akokwa atorodie mu, na wɔde bɔneyɛ ha wɔn ho.
And a man will deride his brother, and they will not speak the truth. For they have taught their tongue to speak lies; they have labored to commit iniquity.
6 Wote nnaadaa mfimfini; na wɔn nnaadaa mu wɔmpɛ sɛ wɔgye me to mu,” sɛdeɛ Awurade seɛ nie.
Your habitation is in the midst of deceit. In their deceitfulness, they have refused to know 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?
Because of this, thus says the Lord of hosts: “Behold, I will refine them, and I will test them. For what else can I do before the face 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 tongue is a wounding arrow; it has spoken deceit. With his mouth, he speaks peace with his friend, and then he secretly lies in ambush 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?”
Shall I not visit upon them concerning these things, says the Lord? Or shall my soul not take vengeance on a nation of this kind?
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 weeping and lamentation over the mountains, and mourning over the beautiful places in the desert. For they have been scorched because no man is passing through them. And they have not heard the voice of any occupant. From the birds of the air, even to the cattle, they have migrated and withdrawn.
11 “Mɛyɛ Yerusalem mmubuiɛ sie, sakraman atuo; na mɛma Yuda nkuro ada mpan sɛdeɛ obiara ntumi ntena hɔ.”
And I will make Jerusalem into piles of sand and into a lair for serpents. And I will make the cities of Judah desolate, so much so that there will be no 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 wise man who understands this, and to whom a word from the mouth of the Lord may be given, so that he may announce this: why the land has perished, and has been scorched like a desert, so much so that no one passes 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 said: “It is because they have abandoned my law, which I gave to them, and they have not listened to my voice, and they have not walked by it.
14 Mmom, wɔadi wɔn akoma asoɔden akyi, wɔadi Baalnom akyi sɛdeɛ wɔn agyanom kyerɛɛ wɔn no.”
And they have gone after the depravity of their own heart, and after Baal, which they learned from their fathers.”
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.
For this reason, thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Behold, I will feed this people with absinthe, and I will give them the water of gall to 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 disperse them among nations, which they and their fathers have not known. And I will send the sword after them, until they are consumed.”
17 Sɛdeɛ Awurade tumfoɔ seɛ nie: “Dwene ho! Frɛ mmaa agyaadwotwafoɔ no, frɛ wɔn a wɔakwadare mu pa ara.
Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Consider and call upon the women mourners, and let them approach. And send to those women who are wise, and let them hurry.
18 Ma wɔmmra ntɛm mmesu ngu yɛn so kɔsi sɛ yɛn ani so bɛtaataa nisuo na nisuo adware yɛn.
‘Let them hasten to take up a lamentation over us. Let our eyes shed tears, and our eyelids run 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 voice of lamentation has been heard from Zion: ‘How is it that we have been devastated and greatly confounded? Our tabernacles have been thrown down because we have forsaken the land.’”
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.
“Therefore, listen, O women, to the word of the Lord! And let your ears take up the word of his mouth. And teach your daughters to lament. And let each one teach her neighbor to mourn:
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 through our windows. It has entered our houses to perish the little children from the outdoors, the youths from the streets.’”
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.’”
“Speak: Thus says the Lord: And the corpses of men will fall like manure over the face of the countryside, and like hay behind the back of the reaper, and there will be 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.
Thus says the Lord: “The wise man should not glory in his wisdom, and the strong man should not glory in his strength, and the rich man should not glory 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 he who glories should glory in this: to know me and to know me well. For I am the Lord, who accomplishes mercy and judgment and justice upon the earth. For these things are pleasing to me, says the Lord.
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 approaching, says the Lord, when I will visit upon all who are 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.”
upon Egypt, and upon Judah, and upon Edom, and upon the sons of Ammon, and upon Moab, and upon all who have shaved off their hair, living in the desert. For all the nations are uncircumcised in body, but all the house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.”
