< Exodus 23 >

1 “Do not tell to others (false rumors/untrue reports) about other people. Do not help someone who is guilty by (testifying falsely/lying) [about what happened].
“Nkeka nkontomposɛm. Wo ne ɔbɔnefoɔ nni nsawɔsoɔ, na woanni adansekurumu.
2 Do not join a group of people who are planning to do something evil. Do not testify the way the [crowd wants you to], if that will prevent [the judge from deciding the case] justly/fairly.
“Mfa wo ho nhyehyɛ nnipadɔm bi a wɔpɛ sɛ wɔyɛ bɔne mu. Sɛ woredi adanseɛ a, nhwɛ nnipa dodoɔ bi so nni mma wɔn.
3 When a poor person is on trial, do not [testify in] his favor [just] because he is poor [and you feel sorry for him].
Nka sɛ obi yɛ ohiani enti wobɛdi adanseɛ ama no.
4 If you see someone’s bull or donkey when it is wandering away [loose], take it back to [its owner, even if the owner] is your enemy.
“Sɛ wohunu wo ɔtamfoɔ nantwie anaa nʼafunumu a wayera a, kyere no kɔma ne wura no.
5 If you see someone’s donkey that has fallen down [because of its heavy load], help the owner to get the donkey up again, [even if] he is someone who hates you. Do not just walk away [without helping him].
Sɛ wokɔto sɛ wo ɔtamfoɔ repagya nʼafunumu agyina ne nan so wɔ adesoa duruduru ase a, ntwa ne ho nkɔ. Boa no.
6 Decide the cases of poor people who are on trial [as] fairly [as you decide the cases of other people].
“Sɛ obi yɛ ohiani a, ɛnkyerɛ sɛ ɛsɛ sɛ wɔbu tia no.
7 Do not accuse people falsely. Do not decide that innocent and righteous [DOU] people should be executed, because I will (punish/not forgive) people who do such an evil thing.
Mfa asɛm a wonhunuiɛ nto obi so; mma wɔnkum obi a ɔnyɛɛ bɔne biara. Merempene so saa.
8 Do not accept money that is a bribe, because officials who accept bribes are not able to [MTY] decide what is right to do, and they do not allow innocent people to be treated fairly.
“Nnye adanmudeɛ na adanmudegyeɛ fira onipa ani. Adanmudegyeɛ fira anyansafoɔ ani ma wɔsi gyinaeɛ de tia onyamesuroni asɛm.
9 Do not mistreat foreigners [who live among you]. You know [how people often treat] foreigners, because the Egyptians [did not treat you well when] you were foreigners there.
“Nhyɛ ahɔhoɔ so; wonim sɛdeɛ woyɛ ɔmamfrani a ɛteɛ. Kae deɛ wohunuu wɔ Misraim asase so hɔ no.
10 Plant [seeds] in your ground and gather the harvest for six years.
“Dua na twa na ɛntoatoa so saa ara nkɔsi mfeɛ nsia.
11 But during the seventh year you must not plant anything. [If things grow without your planting seeds], allow poor people [to harvest and] eat the crops. If there are still crops (left over/that they do not harvest), allow wild animals to eat them. Do the same thing with your grapevines/vineyards and your olive trees.
Na mfeɛ nson so deɛ, ma asase no nna hɔ kwa na ma ahiafoɔ ntwa nnɔbaeɛ biara a ɛbɛnyini wɔ so no; nkaeɛ no, gya ma mmoa nwe. Wo bobe turo ne wo ngo dua turo hyɛ saa mmara yi ase.
12 [You may] work for six days [each week], but on the seventh day you must rest [and not work]. And on the seventh day you must allow your work animals and your slaves and the foreigners [who live among you] also [to rest and] be refreshed.
“Nnansia na fa yɛ adwuma na home ne nnanson so. Yei bɛma wʼanantwie, wo mfunumu, wo fiefoɔ, wʼasomfoɔ ne wʼahɔhoɔ nso ahome.
13 Make certain that you obey everything that I have commanded [you to do]. Do not pray to [MTY] other gods. Do not even mention their names.”
“Monni nsɛm a maka yi nyinaa so na monkae nso sɛ, ɛnsɛ sɛ mobɔ onyame foforɔ biara din.
14 “Every year you must celebrate three festivals to [honor] me.
“Afe biara mu, monhyɛ fa mprɛnsa mfa nhyɛ me animuonyam.
15 [The first one] is the Festival of Bread That Has No Yeast. Celebrate it in the month [that is named] Abib. That is the month in which you left Egypt. Celebrate it in the way that I commanded you. And always bring [LIT] an offering when you come to worship me.
“Deɛ ɛdi ɛkan no, monni Apiti Afahyɛ. Sɛ ɛduru so a, nnanson mu, obiara nni burodo a mmɔreka nni mu sɛdeɛ mehyɛɛ mo no. Ɛsɛ sɛ afe biara mohyɛ saa fa yi wɔ ɔbosome Abib mu, bosome a mode tu firii Misraim no mu. “Ɛduru saa ɛberɛ no a, obiara mmrɛ me afɔrebɔdeɛ.
16 The second one is the Festival of Harvesting. During that festival you must offer to me the first parts/harvest of your crops that grow from the seeds that you planted. The third one is the Festival of Living in Temporary Shelters. That will be after you finish harvesting your grain and grapes and fruit.
“Ɛno akyiri, Otwa Afahyɛ na ɛdi so. Saa afahyɛ yi duru so a, momfa mo aduanekan mmrɛ me. “Deɛ ɛtwa toɔ yɛ afudeɛ anoboa afahyɛ a ɛsɛ sɛ wɔdi no ɔtwa berɛ no akyiri.
17 Every year, at each of these times, all the men must gather together to worship me, Yahweh God.
“Afahyɛ ahodoɔ mmiɛnsa yi mu nyinaa, ɛsɛ sɛ Israel mmarima nyinaa ba Awurade Onyankopɔn anim.
18 When you sacrifice an animal [and offer it] to me, you must not offer bread that has been baked with yeast. [When you] offer sacrifices, [burn] the fat [from the animals on that same day]. Do not allow any fat to remain until the next morning.
“Mfa mmoa a wɔde wɔn bɔɔ afɔdeɛ no mogya nka burodo a mmɔreka wɔ mu ho mma me. “Saa ara nso na mmoa a wɔde wɔn bɔɔ afɔdeɛ no sradeɛ no, mommma adeɛ nnkye so.
19 Each year, when you harvest your crops, bring to the place where you worship me, Yahweh God, the first part of what you harvest. When you kill a (young animal/kid [or lamb or calf)], do not [prepare to eat it by] boiling it in its mother’s milk.”
“Sɛ motwa mo mfudeɛ a, momfa otwakane mu nyiyimu a ɛsɔ ani mmrɛ me; wɔde bɛma Awurade mo Onyankopɔn. “Nnoa abirekyie ba wɔ ne maame nufosuo mu.
20 “Note this: I am going to send an angel ahead of you, to guard you as you travel and to bring you safely to the place that I have prepared [for you]. Pay attention to what he says and obey him. Do not rebel against him, because he will have my authority [MTY] and he will (punish/not forgive) [LIT] you if you rebel against him.
“Meresoma ɔbɔfoɔ na wadi mo anim de mo akɔ asase a masiesie ama mo no so dwoodwoo.
Momfa anidie mma no na monni ne nsɛm so; monnsɔre ntia no, ɛfiri sɛ, ɔremfa mo amumuyɛ nkyɛ mo. Ɔyɛ mʼananmusini, na me din na ɛda ne so.
22 But if you pay attention to what he says and if you do all that I tell you [to do], I will fight strongly [DOU] against all of your enemies.
Na sɛ moto mo bo ase, na motie no, di me nsɛm nyinaa so a, mɛyɛ ɔtamfoɔ matia mo atamfoɔ.
23 My angel will go ahead of you, and will take you to where the Amor and Heth and Periz and Canaan and Hiv and Jebus people-groups live, and I will completely get rid of them.
Me ɔbɔfoɔ bɛdi mo anim de mo aba Amorifoɔ, Hetifoɔ, Perisifoɔ, Kanaanfoɔ, Hewifoɔ ne Yebusifoɔ asase so na moatena hɔ. Na mɛsɛe saa nnipa no nyinaa wɔ mo anim.
24 Do not bow down before their gods/idols or worship them. And do not do the things [that they think that their gods want] them to do. Completely destroy their gods/idols, and smash to pieces their sacred stones.
Monnsom anyame a saa aman yi som wɔn no bi, na mommmɔ afɔdeɛ mma wɔn ɛda biara da. Monnni saa abosonsomfoɔ yi akyi. Monni wɔn so na mommubu wɔn ahoni a ɛyɛ animguasedeɛ no ngu.
25 You must worship me, Yahweh God. [If you do that], I will bless your (OR, bless [you by giving you]) food and water, and I will protect you from becoming sick.
Mo Awurade, mo Onyankopɔn nko ara na monsom no. Na mɛhyira mo ama mo anya aduane ne nsuo na mɛyi nyarewa nyinaa afiri mo so.
26 No women in your land will have (miscarriages/babies that will die after being born prematurely), and no women will be unable to become pregnant. And I will enable you to live a long time.
Apɔn anaa abonini remma mo asase no so na mɛma mo nna amee mo.
27 I will cause the people who oppose you to become very afraid of me. I will cause the people whom you fight against to become very confused. And then I will cause them to turn around and run away from you.
“Awurade ho hu bɛka aman a mobɛdi wɔn so no so nnipa nyinaa na wɔadwane wɔ mo anim.
28 I will cause your enemies to become terrified. And I will expel the Hiv, Canaan, and Heth people-groups from your land.
Mɛma kotokurodu abɛpam Hewifoɔ, Kanaanfoɔ ne Hetifoɔ afiri mo anim.
29 I will not expel [all of] them in less than one year. If I did that, your land would become deserted, and there would be very many wild animals ([that would attack you/you would not be able to control]).
Merenyɛ yeinom nyinaa afe baako pɛ mu na asase no annane ɛserɛ amma nkekaboa ammu amfa mo so.
30 I will expel those people-groups slowly, a few at a time, until the number of your people increases and you are able to live everywhere in the land.
Mɛpam wɔn nkakrankakra kɔsi sɛ mobɛdɔɔso, atumi ahyɛ asase no so ma.
31 I will cause the borders of your land to extend from the (Red Sea/Gulf of Aqaba) [in the southeast] to the Mediterranean Sea [in the northwest], and from the [Sinai] Desert [in the southwest] to the [Euphrates] River [in the northeast of the country]. I will enable you [MTY] to expel the people who live there, so that you will expel them as you occupy more of the country.
“Mɛto mo ahyeɛ afiri Ɛpo Kɔkɔɔ no ano akɔsi Filistifoɔ mpoano na mede afiri ɛserɛ a ɛwɔ anafoɔ fam no so akɔsi Asuo Eufrate, na mɛma mo adi nnipa a wɔte asase no so no so, na moapam wɔn afiri mo anim.
32 You must not make any agreement/treaty with those people or with their gods.
Mo ne wɔn nnyɛ apam biara, na saa ara nso na mo ne wɔn anyame no nnyɛ biribiara.
33 Do not allow [those people] to live in your land, in order that they do not cause you to sin against me. If you worship their gods, [you will not be able to escape from worshiping them and sinning against me, just like someone caught] in a trap [is unable to escape] [MET].”
Mommma wɔmmɛtena mo mu, ɛfiri sɛ, sɛ wɔbɛtena mo mu a, wɔde wɔn abosonsom no bɛsane mo na sɛ ɛba saa nso a, ɛbɛgu mo asu.”

< Exodus 23 >