Atemmufoɔ 4
1 Ehud wuo akyi no, Israelfoɔ no yɛɛ bɔne wɔ Awurade ani so bio.
After Ehud died, the Israelis again started doing things Yahweh said were very evil.
2 Enti, Awurade de wɔn hyɛɛ Kanaanhene Yabin a na ɔdi adeɛ wɔ Hasor no nsa. Na ɔsahene a ɔtua nʼakodɔm ano no din de Sisera a na ɔte Haroset-Hagoyim.
So he allowed the army of Jabin, one of the kings of Canaan land, who ruled in Hazor [city], to conquer the Israelis. The commander of his army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth-Haggoyim.
3 Na Sisera wɔ nnadeɛ nteaseɛnam aha nkron, na ɔde atirimuɔden hyɛɛ Israelfoɔ no so mfirinhyia aduonu. Afei Israelfoɔ no su frɛɛ Awurade pɛɛ mmoa.
Sisera’s [army] had 900 chariots. For 20 years he oppressed the Israelis. Then they pleaded to Yahweh to help them.
4 Debora a na ɔyɛ Lapidot yere ne odiyifoɔ baa na ɔbɛyɛɛ Israelfoɔ ɔtemmufoɔ.
At that time Deborah, who was the wife of Lappidoth, was a prophetess who had become the leader in Israel.
5 Na ɔtenaa Debora Abɛ Dua ase a ɛwɔ Rama ne Bet-El ntam wɔ Efraim bepɔ asase no so. Ɛhɔ na na Israelfoɔ no kɔ ma ɔdi wɔn nsɛm.
She would sit under her palm tree at a place between Ramah and Bethel, in the hilly area where the descendants of Ephraim lived, and people would come to her and ask her to settle disputes between them.
6 Ɛda bi, ɔsoma ma wɔkɔfrɛɛ Abinoam babarima Barak a na ɔte Kedes wɔ Naftali asase so. Ɔka kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Sei na Awurade, Israel Onyankopɔn hyɛ wo sɛ yɛ: Kɔboaboa akofoɔ ɔpedu ano firi Naftali ne Sebulon mmusuakuo mu wɔ Tabor bepɔ so hɔ.
One day she summoned Barak, the son of Abinoam, when he was in Kedesh, in the area where the descendants of Naphtali lived. She said to him, “This is what Yahweh, the God whom we Israelis worship, is commanding you to do: ‘Take with you 1,000 men, some from the descendants of Naphtali and some from the descendants of Zebulun, and lead them to Tabor Mountain.
7 Mɛdaadaa Yabin akodɔm sahene Sisera ne ne nteaseɛnam ne akofoɔ akɔ Asubɔnten Kison ho. Ɛhɔ na mɛma woadi ne so nkonim.”
Yahweh will lure Sisera, the commander of King Jabin’s army, to come with his chariots and his army, to the Kishon River, [a few miles away]. I will enable your men to defeat them there.’”
8 Barak ka kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Sɛ wo ne me bɛkɔ dea, mɛkɔ!”
Barak replied, “I will go only if you go with me.”
9 Debora buaa no sɛ, “Mate, me ne wo bɛkɔ, nanso worennya animuonyam biara wɔ dwumadie yi mu, ɛfiri sɛ, Awurade nkonimdie wɔ Sisera so no bɛfiri ɔbaa nsam.” Enti, Debora ne Barak kɔɔ Kedes.
She replied, “Okay, I will go with you. But because that is what you have decided to do, Yahweh will enable a woman to defeat Sisera, and the result will be that (you will not be honored/people will not honor you) [for doing that].”
10 Kedes hɔ, Barak frɛfrɛɛ Sebulon abusuakuo ne Naftali abusuakuo mu nnipa nyinaa, na akofoɔ ɔpedu ne no kɔeɛ. Debora nso kaa wɔn ho kɔeɛ.
So Deborah went with Barak to Kedesh. There he summoned men from Zebulun and Naphtali. Ten thousand men came to him, and then they went together with Deborah [to Tabor Mountain].
11 Na Kenini Heber atwe ne ho afiri Kenifoɔ a wɔyɛ Mose akonta Hobab asefoɔ no ho, akɔsi ne ntomadan wɔ dua kɛseɛ bi a ɛsi Saananim a ɛbɛn Kedes no ho.
At that time Heber, one of the descendants of the Ken people-group, had moved [with his wife Jael] from the area where that group lived, and set up his tent near the big oak tree at Zaanannim, near Kedesh. Heber was a descendant of Moses’ brother-in-law Hobab.
12 Ɛberɛ a wɔka kyerɛɛ Sisera sɛ Abinoam ba Barak aforo kɔ Tabor bepɔ so no,
Someone told Sisera that Barak had gone up on Tabor Mountain [with an army].
13 ɔboaboaa ne nnadeɛ nteaseɛnam aha nkron ano ne nʼakofoɔ nyinaa, na wɔtu tene firii Haroset-Hagoyim kɔɔ Asubɔnten Kison ho.
So he gathered his troops with their 900 chariots, and they marched from Harosheth-Haggoyim to the Kishon River.
14 Afei, Debora ka kyerɛɛ Barak sɛ, “Yɛ ahoboa! Ɛnnɛ ne ɛda a Awurade de Sisera so nkonimdie bɛma wo, ɛfiri sɛ, Awurade atu sa adi wʼanim.” Enti, Barak dii nʼakodɔm ɔpedu anim sianee Tabor bepɔ no kɔkoeɛ.
Then Deborah said to Barak, “Get ready! This is the day that Yahweh will enable your [army] to defeat the army of Sisera. Yahweh is going ahead of you!” So Barak led his men as they descended from Tabor Mountain.
15 Ɛberɛ a Barak to hyɛɛ wɔn so no, Awurade maa huboa bɔɔ Sisera, ne nteaseɛnamkafoɔ ne nʼakofoɔ no nyinaa. Ɛbaa saa no, Sisera huri firii ne teaseɛnam mu sii fam dwaneeɛ.
As they advanced, Yahweh caused Sisera and all his chariots and his army to have great difficulty maneuvering/moving around. So Sisera jumped down from his chariot and ran away.
16 Barak nteaseɛnam ne ɔtamfoɔ no akodɔm no ara kɔsii Haroset-Hagoyim, kunkumm Sisera akofoɔ no nyinaa. Anka wɔn mu baako mpo.
But Barak and his men pursued the other chariots and the enemy soldiers as far as Harosheth-Haggoyim. They killed all of the men in Sisera’s army. Not one man survived.
17 Sisera dwane kɔhyɛɛ Kenini Heber yere Yael ntomadan mu, ɛfiri sɛ, na Heber abusuafoɔ ne Hasorhene Yabin wɔ ayɔnkofa.
But Sisera ran to Jael’s tent. He did that because [his boss], King Jabin of Hazor [city], was a good friend of [Jael’s husband] Heber.
18 Yael firii adi kɔhyiaa Sisera ka kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Owura, bra me ntomadan yi mu. Bra mu. Nsuro.” Enti, ɔkɔɔ ntomadan no mu maa ɔde nnasoɔ kataa ne so.
Jael went out to greet Sisera. She said to him, “Sir, come into my tent! Do not be afraid!” So he went into the tent [and lay down], and she covered him with a blanket.
19 Sisera ka kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Mesrɛ wo, sukɔm de me enti ma me nsuo.” Enti ɔmaa no nufosuo sɛ ɔnnom, na ɔsane kataa ne so.
He said to her, “I’m thirsty; can you give me some water?” So she opened a leather container of milk, and gave him a drink. Then she covered him with the blanket again.
20 Sisera ka kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Gyina ntomadan no ano na sɛ obi bɛbisa wo sɛ obi wɔ ha a, ka sɛ dabi.”
He said to her, “Stand in the entrance of the tent. If someone comes and asks ‘Is anyone else here?’, say ‘No.’”
21 Nanso, ɔbrɛ enti, Sisera faa mu daeɛ. Yael, a ɔyɛ Heber yere, yɛɛ brɛoo kɔɔ ne so. Ɔde hamre ne pɛɛwa na ɛkɔeɛ. Ɔde pɛɛwa no sii ne moma so de hama no bɔɔ so, kɔsii sɛ ɛhwiree ne moma mu sii fam ma ɔwuiɛ.
Sisera was very exhausted, so he soon was asleep. While he was sleeping, Jael crept quietly to him, holding a hammer and a tent peg. She pounded the peg into his skull, and all the way through his head into the ground, and he died.
22 Ɛberɛ a Barak baa sɛ ɔrebɛhwehwɛ Sisera no, Yael pue bɛhyiaa no. Ɔka kyerɛɛ no sɛ, “Bra na menkyerɛ wo ɔbarima a worehwehwɛ noɔ no.” Enti, ɔdii nʼakyi kɔɔ ntomadan no mu kɔhunuu Sisera sɛ wawu da hɔ a pɛɛwa si ne moma so.
When Barak passed by Jael’s tent to look for Sisera, she went out to greet him. She said, “Come in, and I will show you the man you are searching for!” So he followed her into the tent, and he saw Sisera lying there, dead, with the tent peg through his head.
23 Ɛda no na Israel hunuu sɛ Onyankopɔn adi Kanaanhene Yabin so nkonim.
On that day God enabled the Israelis to defeat [the army of] Jabin, the king of the people of Canaan.
24 Na ɛno akyi no, Israel nyaa ahoɔden tiaa ɔhene Yabin ara kɔsii sɛ akyire yi, wɔsɛee no.
From that time, the Israeli people continued to become stronger, and [the army of] King Jabin continued to become weaker. Finally the Israelis were able to completely subdue the people ruled by the king of Canaan.
