Nnwom 78
1 Asaf dwom. Me nkurɔfo, muntie me nkyerɛkyerɛ; monyɛ aso mma mʼanom nsɛm.
My friends, listen to what I am going to teach you; pay careful attention [IDM] to what I say.
2 Mɛkasa wɔ abebu 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 yɛahu; 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 nneyɛe a ɛfata nkamfo no, ne tumi ne anwonwade 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 ahyɛde maa Yakob na ɔyɛɛ mmara wɔ Israel, nea ɔhyɛɛ yɛn nenanom 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 sɛnea ɛbɛyɛ a nkyirimma besua, mpo mmofra a wonnya 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 remfi ne nneyɛe, na wobedi nʼahyɛde 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 nenanom, a na wɔyɛ asoɔdenfo ne atuatewfo, wɔn a wonni Onyankopɔn nokware wɔ wɔn koma mu na woyɛ honhom mu atorofo ma no 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 Ɛwɔ mu sɛ na Efraim mmarima kurakura agyan, nanso ɔko da no woguanee;
[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 wodi 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 fii nea wayɛ, anwonwade a wayɛ akyerɛ wɔn no.
They forgot what he had done; they forgot about the miracles that they had seen him perform.
12 Ɔyɛɛ anwonwade wɔ wɔn nenanom 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 po mu na ɔde wɔn faa mu. Ɔmaa nsu no gyinaa sɛ afasu.
[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 ogyatɛn 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 sare so, na ɔmaa wɔn nsu a ɛdɔɔso sɛ po;
He split rocks open in the desert, giving to our ancestors plenty of water from deep inside the earth.
16 Ɔmaa asuti fii abotan mu na ɔmaa nsu sen sɛ nsubɔnten.
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 sare 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 Wɔhyɛɛ da kaa aduan a wɔpɛ, de sɔɔ Onyankopɔn hwɛe.
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 se, “Onyankopɔn betumi ato pon wɔ sare so ana?
They insulted God by saying, “We don’t think he can supply food for us [here] in this desert!
20 Ɔde ade bɔɔ ɔbotan mu no, nsu tue fii mu, na nsuwa sen buu so. Na obetumi ama yɛn aduan nso? Obetumi ama ne nkurɔfo nam ana?”
[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 Bere a Awurade tee nea wɔreka no, ne bo fuw yiye; ne gya beguu Yakob so, na nʼabufuwhyew 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 efisɛ na wonni Onyankopɔn mu gyidi anaasɛ ne nkwagye mu ahotoso.
[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 wɔ ɔhyɛ so; na obuee ɔsorosoro apon.
But God spoke to the sky above them; he commanded it to open [like] a door,
24 Ɔtɔɔ mana guu fam maa nnipa no sɛ wunni, ɔmaa wɔn ɔsoro aduan.
and [then food] fell down like rain, [food which they named] ‘manna’; God gave them grain from (heaven/the sky).
25 Nnipa dii abɔfo aduan; ɔmaa wɔn aduan a wobetumi adi nyinaa.
[So] the people ate the food that angels eat, [and] God gave to them all the manna that they wanted.
26 Ogyaa apuei mframa fi ɔsoro, na ofi ne tumi mu bɔɔ atɔe mframa.
[Later], he caused the wind to blow from the east, and by his power he also sent wind from the south,
27 Ɔtɔɔ nam sɛ mfutuma guu wɔn so, nnomaa a wotu bebree sɛ mpoano nwea.
and the wind brought birds which were as numerous as the grains of sand on the seashore.
28 Ɔma wɔbaa fam kɔɔ wɔn atenae, ne wɔn ntamadan 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 Wodidi maa aduan no boroo wɔn so efisɛ ɔmaa wɔn nea 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 wobefi aduan a wɔhwehwɛ no ho, bere a ɛhyehyɛ wɔn anom mpo no,
But before they had eaten all that they wanted, and while they were still eating it,
31 Onyankopɔn abufuw sɔree wɔn so; okum ahoɔdenfo a wɔwɔ wɔn mu twitwaa Israel mmerante gui.
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 Eyinom nyinaa akyi, wɔkɔɔ so yɛɛ bɔne; nʼanwonwade 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 otwaa wɔn nna so te sɛ ahuru yɛɛ wɔn mfe awiei huhuuhu.
So, he caused their lives to end as quickly as a puff of wind ends; they died when disasters suddenly struck them.
34 Bere biara a Onyankopɔn bekum wɔn no, wɔhwehwɛ no na wɔpere wɔn ho san ba 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 Nyankopɔn no yɛ wɔn Gyefo.
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 atwa atoro akyerɛ no;
But they [tried to] deceive God by what they said [MTY]; their words [MTY] were [all] lies.
37 wɔn koma nni no nokware, na wonni nʼapam no so.
They were not loyal to him; they disregarded/ignored the agreement that he had made with them.
38 Nanso na ɔyɛ ahummɔbɔ; ɔde wɔn amumɔyɛ kyɛɛ wɔn a wansɛe wɔn. Mpɛn pii, ɔtwentwɛn nʼabufuw so na wanhwie nʼabufuwhyew 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 twa mu na ɛnsan 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 sare no so hɔ, na mpɛn ahe na wɔamma ne werɛ anhow wɔ asase wosee no so!
Many times our ancestors rebelled against God in the desert and caused him to become very sad.
41 Wɔsɔɔ Onyankopɔn hwɛɛ bere biara; na woyii Israel Ɔkronkronni no abufuw.
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 fii ne tumi no, da a ogyee wɔn fii wɔn nhyɛsofo 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 da a ɔyɛɛ nsɛnkyerɛnne nwonwaso wɔ Misraim no ne nʼanwonwade wɔ Soan mantam mu no.
They forgot about when he performed many miracles in the area near Zoan [city] in Egypt.
44 Ɔmaa wɔn nsubɔnten dan mogya; wɔantumi annom wɔn nsuten mu nsu.
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 bɛhaw wɔn na mpɔtorɔ 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 tɛwtɛw bedii wɔn mfuw so aduan na ɔde wɔn nnɔbae nso maa mmoadabi.
He sent locusts to eat their crops and the other things that grew in their fields.
47 Ɔde mparuwbo sɛee wɔn bobe na ɔde sukyerɛmma sɛee wɔn ankye nnua.
He sent hail that destroyed the grapevines, and sent frost that ruined the figs.
48 Ɔde sukyerɛmma kum wɔn anantwi ɔde anyinam kum wɔn nyɛmmoa.
He sent hail that killed their cattle and sent lightning that killed their sheep and cows.
49 Ohwiee nʼabufuwhyew guu wɔn so, abufuw, anibere ne ɔtan; abɔfo asɛefo kuw 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 kwan maa nʼabufuw; na wamfa wɔn nkwa ankyɛ 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 Okunkum Misraimfo mmakan nyinaa, Ham ntamadan mu nnipa mu abakan.
He also caused all the firstborn sons of the people of Egypt to die.
52 Nanso oyii ne nkurɔfo fii mu sɛ nguankuw; odii wɔn anim sɛ nguan wɔ sare 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 Odii wɔn anim dwoodwoo, enti wɔansuro; nanso wɔn atamfo de, po asorɔkye bu faa wɔn so.
He led them safely, and they were not afraid, but their enemies were drowned in the sea.
54 Sɛɛ na ɔyɛ de wɔn baa nʼasase kronkron no ahye so, bepɔw asase a ɔde ne nsa nifa gyee 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 Ɔpam amanaman a wɔwɔ wɔn anim no na ɔkyekyɛɛ wɔn nsase no mu maa wɔn sɛ wɔn agyapade; ɔbɔɔ Israel mmusuakuw no atenase wɔ wɔn afi 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 hwɛe, 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 nokware na wɔannya gyidi, ahotoso 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 abufuw na wɔn ahoni maa ne ninkutwe 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 fuwii; na ɔpoo Israel korakora.
He saw what they were doing and became very angry, so he rejected the Israeli people.
60 Ogyaw nʼatenae a ɛwɔ Silo no, ntamadan 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 nnommum mu, nʼanuonyam kɔɔ atamfo nsam.
He allowed their enemies to capture [the sacred chest], [which was the symbol of] his power and his glory.
62 Ɔde ne nkurɔfo maa afoa; ne bo fuw nʼagyapade yiye.
Because he was angry with his people, he allowed them to be killed [MTY] [by their enemies].
63 Ogya hyew wɔn mmerante kum wɔn, na wɔn mmabaa annya ayeforohyia dwom anto;
Young men were killed in battles, with the result that the young women had no one to marry.
64 Wɔn asɔfo wuwuu afoa ano, na wɔn akunafo 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 sɛnea ofi nna mu no, sɛnea ɔbarima a wabow nsa nyan fi 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 nʼatamfo ma woguan kɔɔ wɔn akyi; ɔhyɛɛ wɔn aniwu 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 ntamadan no, na wamfa Efraim abusuakuw 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 abusuakuw no, Bepɔw Sion a ɔdɔ no no.
Instead he chose [the area where] the tribe of Judah [lived]; he chose Zion Hill, which he loves.
69 Osii ne kronkronbea te sɛ sorɔnsorɔmmea, te sɛ asase a etim 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 Oyii ne somfo Dawid, ɔfrɛɛ no fii nguannan mu;
He chose David, who served him [faithfully], and took him from the pastures
71 fii nguan akyi na ɔde no bae se ɔmmɛyɛ oguanhwɛfo mma ne nkurɔfo Yakob, mma Israel a wɔyɛ nʼagyapade.
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 koma 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.
