Sakaria 8

1 Asafo Awurade asɛm baa me nkyɛn bio.

And there is a word of Jehovah of Hosts, saying:

2 Yei ne deɛ Asafo Awurade seɛ: “Metwe Sion ho ninkunu pa ara; metwe ne ho ninkunu anibereɛ so.”

'Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: I have been zealous for Zion with great zeal, With great heat I have been zealous for her.

3 Deɛ Awurade seɛ nie, “Mɛsane akɔ Sion na makɔtena Yerusalem. Afei wɔbɛfrɛ Yerusalem Nokorɛ Kuropɔn, na Asafo Awurade bepɔ no, wɔbɛfrɛ no Bepɔ Kronkron.”

Thus said Jehovah: I have turned back unto Zion, And I have dwelt in the midst of Jerusalem, And Jerusalem hath been called 'The city of truth,' And the mountain of Jehovah of Hosts, 'The holy mountain.'

4 Deɛ Asafo Awurade seɛ nie: “Nkɔkoraa ne mmerewa bɛtenatena Yerusalem mmɔntene so bio a obiara kura poma, ɛsiane onyini enti.

Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: Again dwell do old men and old women, In broad places of Jerusalem, And each his staff in his hand, Because of abundance of days.

5 Na mmarimaa ne mmaayewa a wɔredi agorɔ bɛhyɛ kuropɔn no mmɔntene so ma.”

And broad places of the city are full of boys and girls, Playing in its broad places.

6 Deɛ Asafo Awurade seɛ nie: “Nkaeɛfoɔ yi deɛ, ɛbɛyɛ wɔn nwanwa saa ɛberɛ no, na me nso ɛbɛyɛ me nwanwa anaa?”

Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: Surely it is wonderful in the eyes of the remnant of this people in those days, Also in Mine eyes it is wonderful, An affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts.

7 Deɛ Asafo Awurade seɛ nie: “Mɛgye me nkurɔfoɔ afiri aman a ɛwɔ apueeɛ ne atɔeɛ no so.

Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: Lo, I am saving My people from the land of the rising, And from the land of the going in, of the sun,

8 Mede wɔn bɛsane aba abɛtena Yerusalem; wɔbɛyɛ me nkurɔfoɔ, na mayɛ wɔn Onyankopɔn wɔ nokorɛ ne tenenee mu.”

And I have brought them in, They have dwelt in the midst of Jerusalem, And they have been to Me for a people, And I am to them for God, In truth and in righteousness.

9 Deɛ Asafo Awurade seɛ nie: “Mo a afei na morete nsɛm a adiyifoɔ no kaeɛ no; adiyifoɔ a na wɔwɔ hɔ ɛberɛ a wɔtoo Asafo Awurade fie fapem no, monhyɛ mo ho den, na moatumi asi asɔredan no.

Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: Let your hands be strong, Ye who are hearing in these days these words from the mouth of the prophets, That in the day the house of Jehovah of Hosts Hath been founded, the temple [is] to be built.

10 Ɛberɛ no nnya nsoeɛ no, na wɔntua apaadie ho ka mma nnipa anaa mmoa. Atamfoɔ enti, na obiara ntumi nkɔ nʼadwuma so asomdwoeɛ mu, ɛfiri sɛ na mede mpaapaemu aba wɔn mu.

For, before those days there hath been no hiring of man, Yea, a hiring of beasts there is none; And to him who is going out, And to him who is coming in, There is no peace because of the adversary, And I send all men — each against his neighbour.

11 Nanso, afei deɛ, merenyɛ nkaeɛfoɔ yi sɛdeɛ meyɛɛ kane no,” sɛdeɛ Asafo Awurade seɛ nie.

And now, not as [in] the former days [am] I to the remnant of this people, An affirmation of Jehovah of Hosts.

12 “Aba no bɛnyini yie, bobe bɛso nʼaba, asase no bɛbɔ nʼaduane na ɔsoro nso bɛtɔ ne bosuo. Mede saa nneɛma yi nyinaa bɛma nkaeɛfoɔ yi sɛ wɔn agyapadeɛ.

Because of the sowing of peace, The vine doth give her fruit, And the earth doth give her increase, And the heavens do give their dew, And I have caused the remnant of this people To inherit all these.

13 Mo, Yuda ne Israel, moayɛ nnome wɔ aman no mu, nanso mɛgye mo na moayɛ nhyira. Monnsuro, na monhyɛ mo ho den.”

And it hath come to pass, As ye have been a reviling among nations, O house of Judah, and house of Israel, So I save you, and ye have been a blessing, Do not fear, let your hands be strong.

14 Deɛ Asafo Awurade seɛ nie: “Sɛdeɛ meyɛɛ mʼadwene sɛ mede atoyerɛnkyɛm bɛba mo so, na mannya ahummɔborɔ ɛberɛ a mo agyanom fuu me bo no,

For, thus said Jehovah of Hosts, As I did purpose to do evil to you, When your fathers made Me wroth, Said Jehovah of Hosts, and I did not repent,

15 saa ara na afei mayɛ mʼadwene sɛ, mɛyɛ Yerusalem ne Yuda yie. Monnsuro.

So I have turned back, I have purposed, in these days, To do good with Jerusalem, And with the house of Judah — fear not!

16 Deɛ ɛsɛ sɛ moyɛ nie: Monni mo ho mo ho nokorɛ. Mommu atɛntenenee wɔ mo asɛnniiɛ;

These [are] the things that ye do: Speak ye truth each with his neighbour, Truth and peaceful judgment judge in your gates,

17 mommmɔ po bɔne ntia mo ho mo ho, na monnnɔ ntam hunu. Mekyiri saa nneɛma yi nyinaa,” sɛdeɛ Awurade seɛ nie.

And each the evil of his neighbour ye do not devise in your heart, And a false oath ye do not love, For all these [are] things that I have hated, An affirmation of Jehovah.'

18 Asafo Awurade asɛm baa me nkyɛn bio.

And there is a word of Jehovah of Hosts unto me, saying:

19 Deɛ Asafo Awurade seɛ nie: “Abosome ɛnan, enum, nson ne edu mu mmuadadie no bɛyɛ anigyeɛ ne ahosɛpɛ mmerɛ, na ɛbɛyɛ anigyeɛ afahyɛ ama Yuda. Enti monnɔ nokorɛ ne asomdwoeɛ.”

'Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: The fast of the fourth, and the fast of the fifth, and the fast of the seventh, and the fast of the tenth [months], are to the house of Judah for joy and for rejoicing, and for pleasant appointed seasons, and the truth and the peace they have loved.

20 Deɛ Asafo Awurade seɛ nie, “Nnipa bebree ne wɔn a wɔtete nkuropɔn bebree so bɛba ara,

Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: Yet come do peoples, and inhabitants of many cities,

21 na nnipa a wɔfiri kuropɔn baako so bɛkɔ foforɔ so akɔka sɛ, ‘Momma yɛnkɔ seesei ara nkɔsrɛ Awurade na yɛnhwehwɛ Asafo Awurade. Me deɛ, merekɔ.’

Yea, gone have inhabitants of one To another, saying: We go diligently, To appease the face of Jehovah, To seek Jehovah of Hosts — I go, even I.

22 Na nnipa bebree ne aman akɛseɛ bɛba Yerusalem abɛhwehwɛ Asafo Awurade no, na wɔakoto asrɛ no.”

Yea, come in have many peoples, and mighty nations, To seek Jehovah of Hosts in Jerusalem, And to appease the face of Jehovah.

23 Deɛ Asafo Awurade seɛ nie: “Nna no mu, nnipa edu a wɔka kasa ahodoɔ na wɔfiri aman ahodoɔ so bɛba abɛsɔ Yudani atadeɛ mmuano mu na wɔbɛka sɛ, ‘Wo ne yɛn nkɔ, ɛfiri sɛ yɛate sɛ Onyankopɔn ka wo ho.’”

Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: In those days take hold do ten men of all languages of the nations, Yea, they have taken hold on the skirt of a man, a Jew, saying: We go with you, for we heard God [is] with you!