Nnwom 78
1 Asaf dwom. Ao me nkurɔfoɔ, montie me nkyerɛkyerɛ; monyɛ aso mma mʼanomu nsɛm.
My friends, listen to what I am going to teach you; pay careful attention [IDM] to what I say.
2 Mɛkasa wɔ abɛbuo mu, mɛka ahintasɛm, teteete nneɛma no,
I am going to give you some sayings that wise people have said. They will be sayings about things that happened long ago, things that were difficult to understand [MET],
3 nneɛma a yɛate na yɛahunu; nneɛma a yɛn agyanom aka ho asɛm akyerɛ yɛn.
things that we have heard and known previously, things that our parents and grandparents told us.
4 Yɛremfa nkame wɔn mma; yɛbɛka akyerɛ nkyirimma; Awurade nneyɛɛ a ɛfata nkamfo no, ne tumi ne anwanwadeɛ a wayɛ no.
We will tell these things to our children [LIT], and we will also tell to our grandchildren [about] Yahweh’s power and the glorious/great things that he has done.
5 Ɔyɛɛ ahyɛdeɛ maa Yakob na ɔyɛɛ mmara wɔ Israel, deɛ ɔhyɛɛ yɛn nananom sɛ wɔnkyerɛ wɔn mma,
He gave laws and commandments to the Israeli people, [those who are the descendants of] Jacob [DOU], and he told our ancestors to teach them to their children
6 sɛdeɛ ɛbɛyɛ a, nkyirimma bɛsua mpo mmɔfra a wɔnnya nwoo wɔn, na wɔn nso akyerɛkyerɛ wɔn mma.
in order that their children would [also] know them and then they would teach them to their children.
7 Afei wɔde wɔn ho bɛto Onyankopɔn so, na wɔn werɛ remfiri ne nneyɛɛ, na wɔbɛdi nʼahyɛdeɛ so.
In that way, they also would trust in God, and not forget the things that he has done; instead, they would obey his commandments.
8 Wɔrenyɛ sɛ wɔn nananom, a na wɔyɛ asoɔdenfoɔ ne atuatefoɔ, wɔn a wɔn akoma mu wɔnni Onyankopɔn nokorɛ na woyɛ honhom mu atorofoɔ ma noɔ no.
They would not be like their ancestors, who were very stubborn and kept rebelling [against God]; they did not continue firmly trusting in God, and they did not worship only him.
9 Ɛwom sɛ na Efraim mmarima kurakura agyan, nanso ɔko da no, wɔdwaneeɛ;
[The soldiers of] the tribe of Ephraim had bows [and arrows] but they ran away [from their enemies] on the day that they fought a battle with their enemies.
10 Wɔanni Onyankopɔn apam no so wɔampɛ sɛ wɔdi ne mmara no so.
They did not do what they had agreed with God that they would do; they refused to obey his laws.
11 Wɔn werɛ firii deɛ wayɛ, anwanwadeɛ a wayɛ akyerɛ wɔn no.
They forgot what he had done; they forgot about the miracles that they had seen him perform.
12 Ɔyɛɛ anwanwadeɛ wɔ wɔn nananom anim wɔ Soan mantam a ɛwɔ Misraim asase so.
While our ancestors were watching, God performed miracles in the area around Zoan [city] in Egypt.
13 Ɔkyɛɛ ɛpo mu na ɔde wɔn faa mu. Ɔmaa nsuo no gyinaa sɛ afasuo.
[Then] he caused the [Red] Sea to divide, causing the water [on each side] to pile up like a wall, with the result that [our ancestors] walked through it [on dry ground].
14 Ɔde omununkum dii wɔn anim awia na ɔde ogyadum dii wɔn anim anadwo nyinaa.
He led them by a [bright] cloud during the day and by a fiery light during the night.
15 Ɔpaee ɔbotan mu wɔ ɛserɛ so, na ɔmaa wɔn nsuo a ɛdɔɔso sɛ ɛpo;
He split rocks open in the desert, giving to our ancestors plenty of water from deep inside the earth.
16 Ɔmaa asutire firii abotan mu na ɔmaa nsuo tenee sɛ nsubɔntene.
He caused a stream of water to flow from the rock; the water flowed like a river [DOU].
17 Nanso, wɔkɔɔ so yɛɛ bɔne tiaa no, wɔsɔre tiaa Ɔsorosoroni no wɔ ɛserɛ no so.
But [our ancestors] continued to sin against God; in the desert they rebelled against the one who is greater than any other god.
18 Wɔboapa sɔɔ Onyankopɔn hwɛeɛ; wɔbisaa aduane a wɔpɛ.
By demanding that God give them the food that they desired, they tried to find out if he would always do what they requested him to do.
19 Wɔkasa tiaa Onyankopɔn sɛ, “Onyankopɔn bɛtumi ato ɛpono wɔ ɛserɛ so anaa?
They insulted God by saying, “We don’t think he can supply food for us [here] in this desert!
20 Ɔde adeɛ bɔɔ ɔbotan mu no, nsuo to firi mu baeɛ, na nsuwa bebree tenee hɔ. Na ɔbɛtumi ama yɛn aduane nso? Ɔbɛtumi ama ne nkurɔfoɔ ɛnam anaa?”
[It is true that] he struck the rock, with the result that water gushed/flowed out, [but] (can he also provide bread and meat for [us], his people?/we doubt that he can also provide bread and meat for us, his people.)” [RHQ]
21 Ɛberɛ a Awurade tee deɛ wɔreka no, ne bo fuu yie; ne ogya bɛguu Yakob so, na nʼabufuhyeɛ sɔre tiaa Israel,
So, when Yahweh heard that, he became very angry, and he sent a fire to burn up [some of] his Israeli [people]. [MTY, DOU]
22 ɛfiri sɛ, na wɔnni Onyankopɔn mu gyidie anaasɛ ne nkwagyeɛ mu ahotosoɔ.
[He did that] because they did not trust in him, and they did not believe that he would rescue them.
23 Nanso, ɔkasa kyerɛɛ ɔsoro ɔhyɛ so; na ɔbuee ɔsorosoro apono.
But God spoke to the sky above them; he commanded it to open [like] a door,
24 Ɔtɔɔ mana firi soro maa nnipa no sɛ wonni, ɔmaa wɔn ɔsoro aduane.
and [then food] fell down like rain, [food which they named] ‘manna’; God gave them grain from (heaven/the sky).
25 Nnipa dii abɔfoɔ aduane; ɔmaa wɔn aduane a wɔbɛtumi adi nyinaa.
[So] the people ate the food that angels eat, [and] God gave to them all the manna that they wanted.
26 Ɔmaa apueeɛ mframa bɔ firii sorosoro, na ɔde ne tumi bɔɔ atɔeɛ mframa.
[Later], he caused the wind to blow from the east, and by his power he also sent wind from the south,
27 Ɔtoo ɛnam sɛ mfuturo guu wɔn so, nnomaa a wɔtu bebree sɛ mpoano anwea.
and the wind brought birds which were as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore.
28 Ɔma wɔbaa fam kɔɔ wɔn atenaeɛ, ne wɔn ntomadan ho nyinaa.
God caused those birds to fall [dead] in the middle of (their camp)/the area where the people had put up their tents. [There were dead birds] all around their tents.
29 Wɔdidi maa aduane no boroo wɔn so ɛfiri sɛ ɔmaa wɔn deɛ wɔhwehwɛ.
[So] the people [cooked the birds and] ate the meat and their stomachs were full, because God had given them what they wanted.
30 Nanso ansa na wɔbɛfiri aduane a wɔhwehwɛeɛ no ho, ɛberɛ a ɛhyehyɛ wɔn anomu mpo no,
But before they had eaten all that they wanted, and while they were still eating it,
31 Onyankopɔn abufuo sɔree wɔn so; ɔkum ahoɔdenfoɔ a wɔwɔ wɔn mu twitwaa Israel mmeranteɛ guiɛ.
God was [still] very angry with them, and he caused their strongest men to die; he got rid of [many of] the finest [young] Israeli men.
32 Yeinom nyinaa akyi, wɔkɔɔ so yɛɛ bɔne; nʼanwanwadeɛ akyi no, wɔannye anni.
In spite of all that, the people continued to sin; in spite of all the miracles that God had performed, they still did not trust that he [would take care of them].
33 Enti, ɔtwaa wɔn nna so te sɛ ahuro yɛɛ wɔn mfeɛ awieeɛ huhuuhu.
So, he caused their lives to end as quickly as a puff of wind ends; they died when disasters suddenly struck them.
34 Ɛberɛ biara a Onyankopɔn bɛkum wɔn no, wɔhwehwɛɛ no, na wɔpere wɔn ho sane baa ne nkyɛn.
When God caused [some of] them to die, [the others] turned to God; they repented and earnestly asked God [to save them].
35 Wɔkaee sɛ Onyankopɔn yɛ wɔn botan, sɛ Ɔsorosoro Onyankopɔn no yɛ wɔn Gyefoɔ.
They remembered that God is [like] a huge rock ledge [under which they would be safe] [MET], and that he, who was greater than any other god, is the one who protected/rescued them.
36 Nanso, wɔde wɔn ano bɛdaadaa no, na wɔde wɔn tɛkrɛma twaa atorɔ kyerɛɛ no;
But they [tried to] deceive God by what they said [MTY]; their words [MTY] were [all] lies.
37 wɔn akoma anni no nokorɛ, na wɔanni nʼapam no so.
They were not loyal to him; they disregarded/ignored the agreement that he had made with them.
38 Nanso na ɔyɛ ahummɔborɔ; ɔde wɔn amumuyɛ kyɛɛ wɔn a wansɛe wɔn. Mpɛn bebree ɔtwentwɛnee nʼabufuo so na wanhwie nʼabufuhyeɛ nyinaa.
But God was merciful to his people. He forgave them for having sinned and did not get rid of them. Many times he refrained from becoming angry [with them] and restrained from furiously/severely [punishing them] [MTY].
39 Ɔkaee sɛ wɔyɛ ɔhonam ara kwa, mframa bi a ɛbɔ twam na ɛnsane nʼakyi.
He remembered/considered that they were only humans who die; they [disappear quickly] [SIM], like a wind that blows by and then is gone.
40 Mpɛn ahe na wɔansɔre antia no wɔ ɛserɛ no so hɔ, na mpɛn ahe na wɔamma ne werɛ anho wɔ asase wesee no so?
Many times our ancestors rebelled against God in the desert and caused him to become very sad.
41 Wɔsɔɔ Onyankopɔn hwɛeɛ ɛberɛ biara; na wɔyii Israel Ɔkronkronni no abufuo.
Many times they did evil things, to find out [if they could do those things without God punishing them]. They frequently caused the holy God of Israel to become disgusted/sad.
42 Wɔn werɛ firii ne tumi no, ɛda a ɔgyee wɔn firii wɔn nhyɛsofoɔ nsam no,
They forgot about his [great] power, and they (forgot/did not think) about the time when he rescued them from their enemies.
43 ɛda a ɔyɛɛ nsɛnkyerɛnneɛ nwanwasoɔ wɔ Misraim no ne nʼanwanwadeɛ wɔ Soan mantam mu no.
They forgot about when he performed many miracles in the area near Zoan [city] in Egypt.
44 Ɔmaa wɔn nsubɔntene danee mogya; wɔantumi annom wɔn asutene mu nsuo.
He caused the [Nile] River (OR, their sources of water) to become [red like] blood, with the result that the people of Egypt had no water to drink.
45 Ɔmaa nwansenadɔm baa wɔn so bɛhaa wɔn na mponkyerɛne nso bɛsɛee wɔn asase.
He sent among the people of Egypt swarms of flies that bit them, and he sent frogs that ate up everything.
46 Ɔmaa mmɛbɛ bɛdii wɔn mfuo so aduane na ɔde wɔn mfudeɛ nso maa ntutummɛ.
He sent locusts to eat their crops and the other things that grew in their fields.
47 Ɔde asukɔtweaa sɛee wɔn bobe na ɔde nsukyeneeɛ sɛee wɔn ankye nnua.
He sent hail that destroyed the grapevines, and sent frost that ruined the figs.
48 Ɔde sukyerɛmma kumm wɔn anantwie ɔde anyinam kumm wɔn nyɛmmoa.
He sent hail that killed their cattle and sent lightning that killed their sheep and cows.
49 Ɔhwiee nʼabufuhyeɛ guu wɔn so, abufuo, anibereɛ ne ahohia; abɔfoɔ asɛefoɔ kuo no.
Because God was fiercely angry with the people of Egypt, he caused them to be very distressed. The disasters that struck them were like a group of angels that destroyed [everything].
50 Ɔbɔɔ ɛkwan maa nʼabufuo; na wamfa wɔn nkwa ankyɛre wɔn mmom ɔde wɔn maa ɔyaredɔm.
He did not lessen his being angry [with them], and he did not (spare their lives/prevent them from dying); he sent a (plague/serious illness) that killed [many of] them.
51 Ɔkunkumm Misraimfoɔ mmakan nyinaa, Ham ntomadan mu nnipa mu abakan.
He also caused all the firstborn sons of the people of Egypt to die.
52 Nanso ɔyii ne nkurɔfoɔ firii mu sɛ nnwankuo; ɔdii wɔn anim sɛ nnwan wɔ ɛserɛ no so.
Then he led his people out [of Egypt] like [a shepherd leads] his sheep [SIM], and he guided them [while they walked] through the desert.
53 Ɔdii wɔn anim dwoodwoo, enti wɔansuro; nanso wɔn atamfoɔ deɛ, ɛpo asorɔkye bu faa wɔn so.
He led them safely, and they were not afraid, but their enemies were drowned in the sea.
54 Sei na ɔyɛ de wɔn baa nʼasase kronkron no ahyeɛ so, bepɔ asase a ɔde ne nsa nifa gyeeɛ no.
[Later] he brought them to [Canaan], his sacred land, to [Zion] Hill (OR, the hilly area) and by his power [MTY] he enabled them to conquer [the people who were living there].
55 Ɔpamoo amanaman a wɔwɔ wɔn anim no na ɔkyekyɛɛ wɔn nsase no mu maa wɔn sɛ wɔn agyapadeɛ; ɔbɔɔ Israel mmusuakuo no atenaseɛ wɔ wɔn afie mu.
He expelled the people-groups while his people were advancing; he allotted part of the land for [each tribe] to possess, and he gave to the Israeli people the houses of those people who had been expelled.
56 Nanso wɔsɔɔ Onyankopɔn hwɛeɛ na wɔsɔre tiaa Ɔsorosoroni no; na wɔanni ne mmara so.
However, the Israeli people rebelled against God, who is greater than any other god, and they did many evil things to see if they could do those things without God punishing them, and they did not obey his commandments.
57 Wɔyɛɛ sɛ wɔn agyanom, wɔanni nokorɛ na wɔannya gyidie, ahotosoɔ nni wɔn mu, na wɔte sɛ agyan a asɛe.
Instead, like their ancestors did, they rebelled against God and (were not loyal to/did not faithfully [obey]) him; they were as [unreliable as] a crooked arrow [that does not go straight] [SIM].
58 Wɔde wɔn sorɔnsorɔmmea hyɛɛ no abufuo na wɔn ahoni maa ne ninkuntwe mu yɛɛ den.
Because they [worshiped] carved images of their gods on the tops of hills, they caused God to become angry [DOU].
59 Onyankopɔn tee wɔn nka no, ne bo fuiɛ; na ɔpoo Israel korakora.
He saw what they were doing and became very angry, so he rejected the Israeli people.
60 Ɔgyaa nʼatenaeɛ a ɛwɔ Silo no hɔ ntomadan a wasi wɔ nnipa mu no.
He no longer appeared to them at Shiloh in the tent where he had lived among them.
61 Ɔde Apam Adaka a ɛyɛ ne tumi no kɔɔ nnommumfa mu, nʼanimuonyam kɔɔ atamfoɔ nsam.
He allowed their enemies to capture [the sacred chest], [which was the symbol of] his power and his glory.
62 Ɔde ne nkurɔfoɔ maa akofena; ne bo fuu nʼagyapadeɛ yie.
Because he was angry with his people, he allowed them to be killed [MTY] [by their enemies].
63 Egya hyee wɔn mmeranteɛ kumm wɔn, na wɔn mmabaawa annya ayeforɔhyia dwom anto;
Young men were killed in battles, with the result that the young women had no one to marry.
64 Wɔn asɔfoɔ wuwuu akofena ano, na wɔn akunafoɔ antumi ansu.
[Many] priests were killed by [their enemies’] swords, and (the people did not allow the priests’ widows/the priests’ widows were not allowed) to mourn.
65 Afei Awurade sɔree sɛdeɛ ɔfiri nna mu no, sɛdeɛ ɔbarima a waboro nsã nyane firi nnahɔɔ mu no.
Later, [it was as though] the Lord awoke from sleeping; he was like a strong man who (became stimulated/felt that he was strong) by (OR, became sober after) [drinking] a lot of wine [SIM].
66 Ɔbobɔɔ nʼatamfoɔ ma wɔdwane kɔɔ wɔn akyi; ɔhyɛɛ wɔn aniwuo afebɔɔ.
He pushed their enemies back and caused them to be [very] ashamed for a long time [HYP] [because they had been defeated].
67 Afei ɔpoo Yosef ntomadan no, na wamfa Efraim abusuakuo no nso;
[But] he did not set up his tent where [the people of] the tribe of Ephraim lived; he did not choose their area [to do that].
68 Na mmom, ɔfaa Yuda abusuakuo no, Bepɔ Sion a ɔdɔ noɔ no.
Instead he chose [the area where] the tribe of Judah [lived]; he chose Zion Hill, which he loves.
69 Ɔsii ne kronkronbea te sɛ sorɔnsorɔmmea, te sɛ asase a ɛtim hɔ daa.
He [decided to have] his temple built [there], high up, like [his home in] heaven; he caused it to be firm, [and intended that] his temple would last forever, like the earth.
70 Ɔyii ne ɔsomfoɔ Dawid; ɔfrɛɛ no firii nnwammuo mu
He chose David, who served him [faithfully], and took him from the pastures
71 firii nnwan akyiridie, na ɔde no baeɛ sɛ ɔmmɛyɛ odwanhwɛfoɔ mma ne nkurɔfoɔ Yakob, mma Israel a wɔyɛ nʼagyapadeɛ.
where he was taking care of his [father’s] sheep, and appointed him to be the leader [MET] of the Israeli people, the people who belong to God.
72 Na Dawid de akoma pa hwɛɛ wɔn so na ɔde ne nimdeɛ dii wɔn anim.
David took care of the Israeli people sincerely and wholeheartedly, and guided them skillfully/wisely.
