Isaiah 41

1 Be silent [and hearken] unto me, O ye Coastlands, And let the Races of Men renew their strength, —Let them approach, then, let them speak, Together, for controversy, let us draw near: —

“Monyɛ komm wɔ mʼanim, mo nsupɔw! Ma aman no nhyɛ wɔn ho den! Ma wɔmmra ha mmɛkasa; momma yɛmmɔ mu nhyia wɔ asennii hɔ.

2 Who roused up one from the East, In righteousness, called him to his feet, —Set before him nations And over kings, caused him to rule, His sword, made [them] like dust, His bow like driven chaff:

“Hena na wakanyan nea ofi apuei no, afrɛ no trenee mu sɛ ɔmmɛsom no? Ɔde aman hyɛ ne nsa na ɔbrɛ ahemfo ase wɔ nʼanim. Ɔde nʼafoa ma wɔdan mfutuma, ɔde ne bɛmma ma wɔdan ntɛtɛ a mframa bɔ hwete.

3 He pursued them passed along safely, —Upon the path of his own feet, entered he not?

Ɔtaa wɔn na ɔkɔ nʼanim a biribiara nti ne ho, wɔ kwan a ɔmfaa so da no so.

4 Who hath wrought and performed, Calling the generations, in advance? I, Yahweh, [who am] First, And with them who are last, I, am the Same!

Hena na wayɛ eyi akosi awiei, afrɛ awo ntoatoaso afi mfiase? Me Awurade, meka adikanfo ne akyikafo ho, Mene ɔno ara.”

5 Coastlands have seen, so they fear, The ends of the earth, are in dread, —They have drawn near, and have come:

Nsupɔw no ahu na wɔbɔ hu; nsase ano ho popo. Wotwiw bɛn, na wɔba anim;

6 Every man, to his neighbour, giveth help, —And to his brother, saith Take courage!

na obiara boa ne yɔnko na ɔka kyerɛ ne nua se, “Yɛ den!”

7 So, the carver, hath encouraged, the goldsmith, he that maketh smooth with the hammer, him that smiteth the anvil, —Saying of the welding, It is, good, Then hath he fastened it with nails—it must not totter!

Odwumfo hyɛ sikadwumfo nkuran, na nea ɔde asae yɛ no trontrom boa nea ɔbɔ atommo so. Ɔka fa nea ɔsɔw no ho se, “Eye pa ara.” Ɔbobɔ ohoni no mu nnadewa sɛnea ɛrentu nhwe fam.

8 But, thou, Israel, my Servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, —The seed of Abraham my loving one;

“Nanso wo, Israel, me somfo, Yakob, nea mayi no no, mo, mʼadamfo Abraham asefo.

9 Thou whom I have taken hold of from the ends of the earth, And from the extremities thereof, have called thee, —And said to thee, My Servant, thou! I have chosen thee and not cast thee off,

Mefaa wo fii nsase ano, fii nʼakyirikyiri ntwea so, na mefrɛɛ wo. Mekae se, ‘Woyɛ me somfo’; mapaw wo na mempoo wo ɛ.

10 Do not fear, for with thee, I am! Look not around, for, I, am thy God, —I have emboldened thee, Yea I have helped thee, Yea I have upheld thee with my righteous right-hand.

Enti nsuro, na mene wo wɔ hɔ; mma wo werɛ nhow, na mene wo Nyankopɔn. Mɛhyɛ wo den, na mɛboa wo; mede me trenee nsa nifa bɛma wo so.

11 Lo! they shall turn pale and be ashamed—All they who have been incensed against thee, —They shall become as nothing and perish—The men who have been thine accusers:

“Wɔn a wɔn bo afuw wo no nyinaa, ampa ara wɔn ani bewu na wɔn anim agu ase; wɔn a wɔsɔre tia wo no rensɛ hwee na wobewuwu.

12 Thou shalt seek them, but shalt not find them—The men who have contended with thee, They shall become as nothing, and as a thing of nought—The men who have warred against thee;

Ɛwɔ mu sɛ wobɛhwehwɛ wʼatamfo de, nanso worenhu wɔn. Wɔn a wotu wo so sa no rensɛ hwee koraa.

13 For I, Yahweh thy God am firmly grasping thy right-hand, —Who am saying unto thee Do not fear! I, have become thy helper!

Na mene Awurade, wo Nyankopɔn, nea okura wo nsa nifa mu na ɔka kyerɛ wo se, Nsuro; mɛboa wo.

14 Do not fear, Thou worm Jacob, Ye men of Israel, —I, have become thy helper, Declareth Yahweh, And thy redeemer The Holy One of Israel.

Nsuro, osunson Yakob, Israel a wusua, na me ankasa mɛboa wo,” Awurade na ose, wo gyefo, Israel Ɔkronkronni no.

15 Lo! I have made of thee a new pointed threshing sledge, owning teeth, —Thou shalt thresh mountains and crush them, And, hills—like chaff, shalt thou make:

“Hwɛ, mede wo bɛyɛ nhuwso apa, a ɛyɛ amono, ano yɛ nnam na ɛwɔ ɛse bebree. Wubehuhuw mmepɔw no so na woadwiriw wɔn, na woama nkoko ayɛ sɛ ntɛtɛ.

16 Thou shalt fan them and, a wind, shall carry them away, And, a whirlwind, scatter, them, —But, thou, shalt exult in Yahweh, And, in the Holy One of Israel, shalt thou boast thyself.

Wubehuhuw wɔn so, mframa bɛma wɔn so, na ahum abɔ wɔn akɔ. Nanso wʼani begye wɔ Awurade mu na woahyɛ Israel Ɔkronkronni no anuonyam.

17 As for the oppressed and the needy. Seeking water when there is none, Their tongue with thirst being parched I—Yahweh, will answer them, The God of Israel, I will not forsake them:

“Ohiani ne mmɔborɔni kyin pɛ nsu, nanso bi nni hɔ; osukɔm ama wɔn tɛkrɛma so ayow. Nanso me Awurade, mɛma wɔn mmuae. Me, Israel Nyankopɔn, merennyaw wɔn.

18 I will open, On bare hills rivers, and In the midst of plains, fountains, —I will make The desert, a lake of water, and Parched land, springs of water;

Mɛma nsubɔnten ateɛ wɔ sorɔnsorɔmmea a awu no so, na nsuti apue wɔ abon mu. Mɛdan nweatam ayɛ no mmura, na nsase a awo adan nsuti bebree.

19 I will set in the desert! Cedar, acacia, and myrtle, and oil-tree, —I will place, in the waste plain, Cypress, holm-oak, and sherbin-cedar, together

Meduadua wɔ nweatam so, sida, ɔkanto, ohuam ne ngonnua. Meduadua ɔpepaw wɔ asase wosee so asɛsɛ ne kwabɔhɔre abɔ mu,

20 That men may see and observe and consider and understand at once, That, the hand of Yahweh, hath done this, That the Holy One of Israel hath created it.

sɛnea nnipa behu na wɔate, na wɔasusuw ho na wɔate ase sɛ, Awurade nsa na ayɛ saa ade yi, Israel ɔkronkronni no na ɔma ɛbae.

21 Bring near your contention, Saith Yahweh, —Advance your defences, Saith the King of Jacob:

“Bɔ wo nkuro,” Awurade na ose. “Kyerɛkyerɛ wʼasɛm mu,” Yakob Hene na ose.

22 Let them advance them, and tell us, What shall happen, —Things known in advance—what they were, tell ye, That we may lay them to our heart and mark the after-story of them, Or, things yet to come, let us hear:

“Fa wʼahoni no bra na wɔmmɛka nea ebesi nkyerɛ yɛn. Wɔmmɛka sɛnea na kan nneɛma no te nkyerɛ yɛn, sɛnea yebedwen ho afa na yɛahu nea ebefi mu aba. Anaasɛ wɔmpae mu nka nneɛma a ebesi nkyerɛ yɛn.

23 Tell ye the events which shall be here-after, That we may perceive that gods, ye are, —Surely ye must do something—good or bad, That we may be amazed and behold it, at once.

Monka yɛn nea ebesi daakye, na ama yɛahu sɛ moyɛ anyame. Monyɛ biribi, sɛ eye anaa enye, sɛnea ɛbɛyɛ a yɛn werɛ bɛhow na ehu aka yɛn.

24 Lo! ye, are, of nought, And your work is a puff of breath, —An abomination, he that chooseth you!

Nanso, monnka hwee, na mo nnwuma so nni mfaso; nea ɔfa mo no yɛ akyiwade.

25 I have roused up one from the North, and he hath come, From the rising of the sun, calleth he on my Name, —And he hath come, on deputies, as though they were mortar, And as a potter treadeth clay.

“Makanyan obi a ofi atifi fam na ɔreba, nea ofi owia apuei na ɔbɔ me din. Otiatia ahemfo so te sɛ dɔte a wɔde si dan, te sɛ ɔnwemfo a ɔrewɔw dɔte.

26 Who hath told in advance, that we might know, And beforetime, that we might say Right! Nay, there is none who can tell. Nay, there is none who can let us hear, Nay, there is none who can understand what ye utter.

Hena na ɔkaa eyi ho asɛm fii mfiase, sɛnea anka ɛbɛma yɛahu, anaa waka ato hɔ, sɛnea yebetumi aka se, ‘Ne de no ye’? Obiara anka eyi, obiara anni kan anka, obiara ante nsɛm biara amfi wo nkyɛn.

27 He who is First, [can say], To Zion, Lo! there they are! And to Jerusalem, A herald of good-tidings, do I give.

Me na midii kan ka kyerɛɛ Sion, ‘Hwɛ, woni!’ Memaa Yerusalem ɔsomafo a ɔde asɛmpa ba.

28 So I look, And there is not, a Man! Even among these And there is none to advise, —That, when I ask them, can answer a word.

Mehwɛ, nanso obiara nni hɔ, obiara nni wɔn mu a obetu wɔn fo, sɛ mibisa wɔn a, obiara ntumi mma mmuae.

29 Lo! as to all of them, Vanity—nothingness, are their works, Wind and emptiness, their molten images!

Hwɛ, wɔn nyinaa yɛ atorofo! Wɔn nneyɛe nka hwee; wɔn nsɛsode yɛ mframa ne basabasayɛ nko ara.