Kwadwom 1
1 Ao, sɛdeɛ kuropɔn no adane amamfo nie, kuropɔn a anka nnipa ahyɛ no ma? Ɛdeɛn enti na wayɛ okunafoɔ baa a kane no na anka woyɛ kɛseɛ wɔ amanaman no mu? Deɛ na ɔyɛ ɔhemmaa wɔ amantam no mu no abɛyɛ afenaa ɛnnɛ.
See her seated by herself, the town which was full of people! She who was great among the nations has become like a widow! She who was a princess among the countries has come under the yoke of forced work!
2 Ɔsu yaayaaya anadwo, nisuo sensane nʼafono so. Nʼadɔfoɔ nyinaa mu no, ɔbiara nni hɔ a ɔkyekyere ne werɛ. Nʼayɔnkofoɔ nyinaa adi no hwammɔ Wɔayɛ nʼatamfoɔ.
She is sorrowing bitterly in the night, and her face is wet with weeping; among all her lovers she has no comforter: all her friends have been false to her, they have become her haters.
3 Amanehunu ne adwumaden akyi no, Yuda kɔ nnommumfa mu. Ɔte amanaman no mu na ɔnni ahomegyebea Wɔn a wɔtaa no nyinaa ati no wɔ nʼahokyere mu.
Judah has been taken away as a prisoner because of trouble and hard work; her living-place is among the nations, there is no rest for her: all her attackers have overtaken her in a narrow place.
4 Akwan a ɛkɔ Sion no di awerɛhoɔ, ɛfiri sɛ obiara nkɔ nʼafahyɛ ase. Nʼapono nyinaa adeda mpan, na nʼasɔfoɔ si apinie, ne mmabaawa di yea, na ɔwɔ yeadie a emu yɛ den.
The ways of Zion are sad, because no one comes to the holy meeting; all her doorways are made waste, her priests are breathing out sorrow: her virgins are troubled, and it is bitter for her.
5 Nʼatamfoɔ abɛyɛ ne wuranom; wɔn a wɔ ne no ayɛ dom ho adwo wɔn. Awurade ama awerɛhoɔ aba ne so nʼamumuyɛ bebrebe enti. Ne mma kɔ nnommumfa mu. Wɔayɛ nneduafoɔ ama ɔtamfoɔ.
Those who are against her have become the head, everything goes well for her haters; for the Lord has sent sorrow on her because of the great number of her sins: her young children have gone away as prisoners before the attacker.
6 Animuonyam nyinaa atu afiri Ɔbabaa Sion so kɔ. Ne mmapɔmma ayɛ sɛ aforoteɛ a wɔnnya adidibea; na wɔde mmerɛyɛ adwane wɔ wɔn ataafoɔ anim.
And all her glory has gone from the daughter of Zion: her rulers have become like harts with no place for food, and they have gone in flight without strength before the attacker.
7 Nʼamanehunu ne ananteananteɛ nna mu no, Yerusalem kae ademudeɛ nyinaa a na ɛwɔ no wɔ nna a atwam no mu. Ne nkurɔfoɔ kɔtɔɔ ɔtamfoɔ no nsa mu no, na obiara nni hɔ a ɔbɛboa no. Nʼatamfoɔ de wɔn ani hwɛɛ no na wɔseree ne sɛeɛ.
Jerusalem keeps in mind, in the days of her sorrow and of her wanderings, all the desired things which were hers in days gone by; when her people came into the power of her hater and she had no helper, her attackers saw their desire effected on her and made sport of her destruction.
8 Yerusalem ayɛ bɔne kɛseɛ enti ne ho agu fi. Wɔn a wɔdi no ni no sopa no, ɛfiri sɛ wɔahunu nʼadagya; ɔno ankasa gu ahome na ɔdane nʼani.
Great is the sin of Jerusalem; for this cause she has become an unclean thing: all those who gave her honour are looking down on her, because they have seen her shame: now truly, breathing out grief, she is turned back.
9 Nʼafideyɛ atu aka ne ntadeɛ mu; wannwene ne daakye ho. Nʼasehweɛ yɛ nwanwa; obiara ankyekyere ne werɛ. “Ao Awurade hwɛ mʼamanehunu, ɛfiri sɛ ɔtamfoɔ adi nkonim.”
In her skirts were her unclean ways; she gave no thought to her end; and her fall has been a wonder; she has no comforter: see her sorrow, O Lord; for the attacker is lifted up.
10 Ɔtamfoɔ no de ne nsa too nʼademudeɛ nyinaa so; ɔhunuu sɛ amanaman rehyɛne ne kronkronbea hɔ, nnipa a woabra sɛ wɔnnhyɛne wʼasafo mu no.
The hand of her hater is stretched out over all her desired things; for she has seen that the nations have come into her holy place, about whom you gave orders that they were not to come into the meeting of your people.
11 Ne nkurɔfoɔ nyinaa si apinie ɛberɛ a wɔrepɛ aduane; wɔde wɔn ademudeɛ sesa aduane de nya ahoɔden. “Ao, Awurade, hwɛ na dwene me ho, ɛfiri sɛ wɔbu me animtia.”
Breathing out grief all her people are looking for bread; they have given their desired things for food to give them life: see, O Lord, and take note; for she has become a thing of shame.
12 “Ɛmfa mo ho anaa, mo a motwam hɔ nyinaa? Monhwɛ na monhunu. Ɛyea bi wɔ hɔ a ɛte sɛ me deɛ a wɔma ɛbaa me soɔ yi anaa? Deɛ Awurade de baa me so wɔ nʼabufuhyeɛ da no.
Come to me, all you who go by! Keep your eyes on me, and see if there is any pain like the pain of my wound, which the Lord has sent on me in the day of his burning wrath.
13 “Ɔsomaa ogya firi ɔsoro, ma ɛbaa me nnompe mu. Ɔsum afidie maa me nan na ɔsane me kɔɔ mʼakyi. Ɔyɛɛ me pasaa, metɔɔ bira da mu nyinaa.
From on high he has sent fire into my bones, and it has overcome them: his net is stretched out for my feet, I am turned back by him; he has made me waste and feeble all the day.
14 “Woakyekyere me bɔne sɛ adesoa; ɔde ne nsa nwene bɔɔ mu. Abɛda me kɔn mu na Awurade atwe mʼahoɔden. Ɔde me ahyɛ wɔn a merentumi nnyina wɔn anim no nsa.
A watch is kept on my sins; they are joined together by his hand, they have come on to my neck; he has made my strength give way: the Lord has given me up into the hands of those against whom I have no power.
15 “Awurade apo ahoɔdenfoɔ a wɔwɔ me ntam nyinaa; wafrɛ akodɔm atia me sɛ wɔmmɛdwɛre me mmeranteɛ. Awurade atiatia Ɔbabaa Yuda Bunu so wɔ ne nsakyiamena hɔ.
The Lord has made sport of all my men of war in me, he has got men together against me to send destruction on my young men: the virgin daughter of Judah has been crushed like grapes under the feet of the Lord.
16 “Yeinom enti na mesu na nisuo adware me. Obiara mmɛn a ɔbɛkyekye me werɛ. Deɛ ɔbɛhyɛ me honhom den nni hɔ. Me mma agyigya ɛfiri sɛ ɔtamfoɔ no adi nkonim.”
For these things I am weeping; my eye is streaming with water; because the comforter who might give me new life is far from me: my children are made waste, because the hater is strong.
17 Sion trɛ ne nsa mu nanso obiara nni hɔ a ɔbɛkyekye ne werɛ Awurade ahyɛ ama Yakob sɛ ne mfɛfoɔ bɛyɛ nʼatamfoɔ; Yerusalem abɛyɛ afideɛ wɔ wɔn mu.
Zion's hands are outstretched; she has no comforter; the Lord has given orders to the attackers of Jacob round about him: Jerusalem has become like an unclean thing among them.
18 “Awurade yɛ ɔteneneeni, nanso manni nʼahyɛdeɛ so. Montie, mo amanaman nyinaa monhwɛ me yea. Me mmeranteɛ ne mmabaawa kɔ nnommumfa mu.
The Lord is upright; for I have gone against his orders: give ear, now, all you peoples, and see my pain, my virgins and my young men have gone away as prisoners.
19 “Mefrɛɛ mʼapamfoɔ nanso wɔyii me maeɛ. Mʼasɔfoɔ ne me mpanimfoɔ ase tɔreɛ wɔ kuropɔn no mu, ɛberɛ a wɔrepɛ aduane adi na wɔanwuwu.
I sent for my lovers, but they were false to me: my priests and my responsible men were breathing their last breath in the town, while they were looking for food to give them new life.
20 “Ao Awurade, hwɛ me mmɔborɔ! Meredi ɛyea wɔ me mu, na mʼakoma mu nso menni ahotɔ, ɛfiri sɛ mayɛ otuatefoɔ kɛseɛ. Akofena hyɛ me awerɛhoɔ wɔ abɔntene so; efie nso yɛ owuo nko ara.
See, O Lord, for I am in trouble; the inmost parts of my body are deeply moved; my heart is turned in me; for I have been uncontrolled: outside the children are put to the sword, and in the house there is death.
21 “Nnipa ate mʼapinisie, nanso obiara nni hɔ a ɔbɛkyekye me werɛ. Mʼatamfoɔ nyinaa ate mʼamanehunu wɔn ani gye deɛ woayɛ no ho. Ma nna a woahyɛ no mmra sɛdeɛ wɔbɛyɛ sɛ me.
Give ear to the voice of my grief; I have no comforter; all my haters have news of my troubles, they are glad because you have done it: let the day of fate come when they will be like me.
22 “Fa wɔn atirimuɔdensɛm nyinaa si wʼanim; na wo ne wɔn nni sɛdeɛ wo ne me adie ɛsiane mʼamumuyɛ no enti. Mʼapinisie dɔɔso na mʼakoma aboto.”
Let all their evil-doing come before you; do to them as you have done to me for all my sins: for loud is the sound of my grief, and the strength of my heart is gone.
