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.
How desolate sits the city of Jerusalem, once filled with people! She has become like a widow, she who was once great among the nations. The queen of all the world has become a slave-laborer.
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 cries bitterly through the night, tears rolling down her cheeks. Despite all her many lovers, no one comes to comfort her. Betrayed by all her friends, they are now her enemies.
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 dragged off into captivity, suffering miserably under brutal slavery; she lives among the nations but has no place of her own where she can rest. Those chasing her have brought her down and she cannot escape.
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.
Even the roads to Zion are in mourning because no one travels on them to go to the religious festivals. All her gates are empty. Her priests groan in sadness. Her girls are suffering. She herself is in bitter distress.
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 hated her now control her; her enemies enjoy life, because the Lord has made her suffer due to all her sins of rebellion. Her children have been taken away as prisoners of the enemy.
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.
All the glory has left the Daughter of Zion. Her leaders are like deer that can't find any grass to eat. They don't even have the strength to run away when the hunter comes after them!
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.
As she wanders around in her misery, Jerusalem thinks back to all the wonderful things she once had in the old days. When her enemies conquered her people, she didn't receive any help. Her enemies gloated over her, and laughed at her downfall.
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.
Jerusalem sinned terribly which is why she is now treated as someone unclean. Everyone who used to honor her now despise her, because they've seen her naked and ashamed. She herself groans as she turns away.
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.”
Her uncleanness contaminates her skirts. She didn't think about what would happen. Her fall was a shock, and no one was there to comfort her. “Please, Lord, see how much I'm suffering, because the enemy has won!” she says.
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 invader has stolen all her treasures. She even had to watch as heathen nations went into her sanctuary, people you had forbidden to enter.
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.”
All her people groan, looking for bread. They have spent what they value the most to buy food so they can stay alive. “Please, Lord, look and see what's happening to me,” she says. “It's as if I'm worthless!
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.
Don't you care anything about it, all you people passing by? Take a look and see! Is there any suffering as bad as mine, punished by the Lord when he became angry?
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.
He sent down fire from heaven that destroyed my bones. He spread out a net to catch my feet, tripping me over. He abandoned me, leaving me sick all day long.
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.
He took my rebellious sins and twisted them together into a yoke that he tied to my neck. He took away all my strength, and handed me over defenseless to my enemies.
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 brushed aside all my strong soldiers defending me. He called up an army to attack me, to crush my young men. The Lord has trampled down the virgin Daughter of Judah like grapes in a winepress.
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.”
This is why I'm weeping, tears flowing from my eyes, because there's is no one here to comfort me, no one to make me feel better. There's nothing left for my children because the enemy has conquered us.”
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 holds out her hands in distress, but there's no one to comfort her. The Lord issued orders against Jacob, and his neighbors became his enemies. Jerusalem is to them something disgusting.
18 “Awurade yɛ ɔteneneeni, nanso manni nʼahyɛdeɛ so. Montie, mo amanaman nyinaa monhwɛ me yea. Me mmeranteɛ ne mmabaawa kɔ nnommumfa mu.
“The Lord has done what's right, because I rebelled against his instructions. Listen, everyone everywhere; look at what I'm suffering. My young women and young men have been taken off into captivity.
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 called out for help to my lovers, but they betrayed me. My priests and elders starved to death in the city as they tried to find food to keep themselves alive.
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.
Can't you see, Lord, how upset I am? inside I am in turmoil; my heart is breaking because I've been so rebellious. Outside, the sword kills those I love; inside, it's like I'm living in the house of 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.
People hear me groaning, but no one comes to comfort me. All my enemies have heard about the bad things that have happened to me, and they're delighted that it was you who did it. Please bring about the day of judgment that you promised so they can end up 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.”
May you see all the evil things they've done! Treat them the same way as you've treated me as a result of all my rebellious sins, for I'm groaning all the time, and I'm sick at heart.”
