Ezekiel 33
1 Yahweh gave me another message. He said,
Awurade asɛm baa me nkyɛn sɛ:
2 “You human, speak to your fellow Israelis and say this to them: ‘When I bring an enemy army [MTY] to attack a country, and the people of that country choose one of their men and appoint him to be a watchman,
“Onipa ba, kasa kyerɛ wo ɔman mma na ka kyerɛ wɔn sɛ: ‘Sɛ metwe mʼakofena wɔ asase bi so, na sɛ asase no so nnipa yi wɔn mmarima no mu baako sɛ ɔnyɛ ɔwɛmfoɔ mma wɔn,
3 if he sees the enemy army [MTY] coming to attack his country, and he blows a trumpet to warn the people,
na ɔhunu sɛ akofena reba abɛtia asase no a, ɔhyɛne totorobɛnto de bɔ nnipa no kɔkɔ.
4 if anyone hears the trumpet and does not heed the warning, and as a result he is killed by the sword [of one of his enemies], he will be responsible for his own death [MTY].
Na sɛ obi te totorobɛnto no nnyegyeeɛ na wanna ne ho so, na sɛ akofena no bɛkum no a, ne mogya bɛbɔ ɔno ankasa tiri so.
5 If he had heeded the warning, he would have (have saved his life/still be alive). But because he heard the sound of the trumpet and did not heed that warning, his death will be his own fault.
Esiane sɛ ɔtee totorobɛnto no nnyegyeeɛ na wantie kɔkɔbɔ no enti, ne mogya bɛbɔ nʼankasa tiri so. Sɛ ɔtiee kɔkɔbɔ no a, anka ɔnyaa ne tiri didii mu.
6 But if the watchman sees the enemy army [MTY] coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people, and one of his people is killed by an enemy sword, that person will die because of his sin, but I will consider that the watchman is responsible for that man’s death.’
Nanso sɛ ɔwɛmfoɔ no hunu sɛ akofena no reba na wanhyɛne totorobɛnto no ammɔ nnipa no kɔkɔ, na sɛ akofena no ba bɛkum wɔn mu baako a, wɔbɛfa saa onipa no akɔ wɔ ne bɔne enti, nanso mɛma ɔwɛmfoɔ no abu owufoɔ no mogya ho akonta.’
7 So, you human, I have appointed you to be a watchman for the Israeli people [MTY]. So always listen to what I say and warn the people for me.
“Onipa ba, mayɛ wo ɔwɛmfoɔ ama Israel efie, ɛno enti tie mʼanum nsɛm na fa kɔkɔbɔ a ɛfiri me nkyɛn ma wɔn.
8 When I say to some wicked person, ‘You wicked person, you will surely die [because of your sins,’ you must tell him that]. If you do not speak to that person to warn him that he should turn away from his sins, that wicked person will die because of his sins, but I will say that you are responsible for his death [MTY].
Sɛ meka kyerɛ omumuyɛfoɔ sɛ, ‘Ao omumuyɛfoɔ owuo na wobɛwuo,’ na sɛ wʼankasa ankyerɛ no amma wamfiri nʼakwan so a, saa omumuyɛfoɔ no bɛwu ne bɔne mu, na mɛma woabu ne mogya ho akonta.
9 But if you warn that wicked person that he should turn away from his sins, and he does not do that, he will die because of his sins, but you will have saved your life.
Nanso sɛ wobɔ omumuyɛfoɔ no kɔkɔ sɛ ɔmfiri nʼakwan so na sɛ wanyɛ a, ne bɔne enti, ɔbɛwu, nanso worenni ne mogya ho fɔ.
10 You human, say to the Israeli people, ‘This is what you all are saying: “[The guilt that we have for] disobeying God’s laws and sinning is like a heavy weight on us, and it is hurting us, and we are slowly dying. So what can we do to continue to remain alive?”’
“Onipa ba, ka kyerɛ Israel efie sɛ: ‘Yei ne deɛ moreka: “Yɛn mfomsoɔ ne yɛn nnebɔne hyɛ yɛn so, yɛresɛe ɛsiane yeinom enti. Na ɛdeɛn na yɛbɛyɛ na yɛanya nkwa?”’
11 Say to them, ‘Yahweh the Lord says, “As surely as I am alive, I am not happy when wicked people die; I would prefer that they turn away from their wicked behavior and continue to live. So repent! Turn away from your evil behavior! You Israeli people, do you really want to die [RHQ]?”’
Ka kyerɛ wɔn sɛ, ‘Sɛ mete ase yi, Otumfoɔ Awurade asɛm nie, mʼani nnye amumuyɛfoɔ wuo ho, na mmom mepɛ sɛ wɔdane firi wɔn akwan so na wɔnya nkwa. Monnane! Monnane mfiri mo amumuyɛ akwan no so! Adɛn enti na ɛsɛ sɛ mowuwuo, Ao Israel efie?’
12 Therefore, you human, say to your fellow Israelis, ‘If righteous people start to disobey me, their being righteous previously will not save them [from being punished]. And if wicked people turn away from their wicked behavior, they will not die because of the sins that they committed [previously]. And if righteous people start to sin, they will not be allowed to remain alive because of their formerly being righteous.’
“Ɛno enti onipa ba, ka kyerɛ wo ɔman mma sɛ, ‘Ɔteneneeni tenenee rentumi nye no nkwa wɔ ɛberɛ a ɔnnyɛ ɔsetie; na omumuyɛfoɔ amumuyɛ remma ɔnhwe ase wɔ ɛberɛ a ɔdane firi ho. Sɛ ɔteneneeni yɛ bɔne a, ɔrennya nkwa wɔ ne kane teneneeyɛ enti.’
13 If I tell righteous people that they will surely remain alive, but then they trust/think that because they have been righteous previously, they can start to do evil [and not be punished], I will not think about the righteous things that they did previously; they will die because of the evil things that they are doing.
Sɛ meka kyerɛ ɔteneneeni sɛ ɔbɛnya nkwa, na afei ɔde ne ho to ne teneneeyɛ so na ɔyɛ bɔne a, wɔrenkae ne kane tenenee adeyɛ biara. Ɔbɛwu wɔ ne bɔne a wayɛ enti.
14 And if I say to some wicked person, ‘You will surely die [because of your sins],’ that person may turn away from his sinful behavior and do what is just and right [DOU].
Na sɛ meka kyerɛ omumuyɛfoɔ sɛ, ‘Owuo na wobɛwuo,’ na afei ɔdane firi ne nnebɔne ho na ɔyɛ deɛ ɛyɛ na ɛtene,
15 For example, he may return what he took from another person to guarantee [that that person would pay back what he owes], or he may return things that he has stolen, and he may obey the laws that will enable [those who obey them] to remain alive, and he will not continue to do evil things. If that happens, he will surely remain alive; he will not die [because of the sins that he committed previously].
na sɛ ɔsane de bosea ho awowasideɛ ma, na ɔsane de deɛ wawia ma, na ɔdi ahyɛdeɛ a ɛma nkwa soɔ, na wanyɛ bɔne a, ampa ara ɔbɛnya nkwa, na ɔrenwu.
16 I will not think about the sins that he has committed; he will surely remain alive.
Wɔrenkae bɔne a wayɛ no mu biara ntia no. Wayɛ deɛ ɛyɛ na ɛtene, ampa ara ɔbɛnya nkwa.
17 Your fellow Israelis say, ‘What Yahweh does is not fair.’ But it is your behavior that is not fair.
“Nanso wo ɔman mma ka sɛ, ‘Awurade akwan ntene.’ Nanso ɛyɛ wɔn akwan mmom na ɛnteneɛ.
18 If a righteous person turns away from doing what is righteous and starts to do what is evil, [it is fair that] he die because of his sins.
Sɛ ɔteneneeni firi ne tenenee ho na ɔyɛ bɔne a, ɛno enti ɔbɛwu.
19 And if a wicked person turns away from his wicked behavior and does what is right and fair [DOU], [it is fair] for him to remain alive because of doing that.
Na sɛ omumuyɛfoɔ dane firi ne nnebɔne ho na ɔyɛ deɛ ɛyɛ na ɛtene a, ɔbɛnya nkwa.
20 But you Israeli people still say, ‘What Yahweh does is not fair.’ But I will judge each of you for what you do.”
Nanso, Ao Israel efie, moka sɛ, ‘Awurade akwan ntene.’ Nanso mɛbu obiara atɛn sɛdeɛ nʼakwan teɛ.”
21 Almost twelve years [after we had been taken to Babylonia], on the fifth day of the tenth month [of that year], a man who had escaped from Jerusalem came to me [in Babylon] and said, “Jerusalem has been captured!”
Yɛn nnommumfa afe a ɛtɔ so dumienu no bosome a ɛtɔ so edu no nnannum so, ɔbarima bi a wadwane afiri Yerusalem baa me nkyɛn bɛkaa sɛ, “Kuropɔn no ahwease!”
22 The evening before that man arrived, Yahweh took control [MTY] of me, and when that man arrived, Yahweh enabled me to speak again; I was no longer forced to be silent.
Na anwummerɛ a adeɛ rebɛkyeɛ ama ɔbarima no aba no, na Awurade nsa wɔ me so na ɔbuee mʼano ansa na ɔbarima no baa anɔpa. Enti na mʼano abue a metumi kasa.
23 Then Yahweh gave a message to me. He said,
Afei Awurade asɛm baa me nkyɛn sɛ,
24 “You human, the people who are living in the ruins in Israel are saying, ‘Abraham was only one person, but Yahweh [promised him that he and his descendants] would possess this land. But we are many; so surely this land has been given to us [by Yahweh] to continue to possess.’
“Onipa ba, nnipa a wɔtete saa mmubuiɛ so wɔ Israel asase no so no reka sɛ, ‘Abraham mpo a ɔyɛ onipa baako no, ɔnyaa asase no nyinaa. Enti yɛn a yɛdɔɔso yi nso, nokorɛm, wɔde asase no nyinaa ama yɛn sɛ yɛn agyapadeɛ.’
25 So send a message to them. Say, ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord says: You eat meat that still has the animal’s blood in it. You still worship idols. And you still murder others [MTY]. So, (should this land belong to you?/this land should certainly not belong to you!) [RHQ]
Ɛno enti, ka kyerɛ wɔn sɛ, ‘Yei ne deɛ Otumfoɔ Awurade seɛ: Sɛ mowe ɛnam a mogya wɔ mu, na mosom mo anyame na mohwie mogya guo enti, ɛsɛ sɛ mofa asase no anaa?
26 You rely on using your swords [to obtain things that you want]. You do many detestable things. Each of you has sex with other men’s wives. So (why should you continue to possess the land of Israel?/you should not continue to possess this land!) [RHQ]’
Mode mo ho to mo akofena so. Moyɛ akyiwadeɛ na mo mu biara gu ne yɔnko yere ho fi. Ɛsɛ sɛ monya asase no anaa?’
27 Send this message to them: ‘This is what Yahweh the Lord says: As surely as I am alive, those who are left in the ruins [in Jerusalem] will also be killed by [their enemies’] swords, and those who are living in the countryside will be killed by wild animals, and those who are living in forts and caves will die from a plague.
“Ka yei kyerɛ wɔn sɛ, ‘Deɛ Otumfoɔ Awurade seɛ nie: Ampa ara sɛ mete ase yi, wɔn a wɔaka wɔ kuro no mmubuiɛ soɔ no bɛtotɔ wɔ akofena ano. Wɔn a wɔwɔ wiram no mede wɔn bɛma nkekaboa ama wɔawe wɔn na wɔn a wɔwɔ abandenden ne abodan mu no, ɔyaredɔm bɛkunkum wɔn.
28 I will cause your country to become a desolate wasteland. You will no longer be proud of being a strong country. The mountains of Israel will become very desolate, with the result that no one will walk across them.
Mɛsɛe asase no ama ayɛ afo, na nʼahomasoɔ ahoɔden no bɛba awieeɛ na Israel mmepɔ no bɛda mpan a obiara rentwam hɔ.
29 Then, when I have caused your country to become a desolate wasteland because of all the detestable things that you have done, you will know that I, Yahweh, [have the power to do what I say that I will do].’
Afei wɔbɛhunu sɛ mene Awurade no, ɛberɛ a mama asase no ada mpan wɔ akyiwadeɛ a wɔayɛ nyinaa enti.’
30 As for you, you human, your fellow Israelis [here in Babylon] are talking about you along the city walls and at the doors of their houses. They are saying to each other, ‘Come and listen to the message that has come from Yahweh!’
“Wo deɛ, onipa ba, wo ɔman mma reka wo ho nsɛm wɔ afasuo ho ne afie apono ano kyerɛ wɔn ho wɔn ho sɛ, ‘Mommra mmɛtie asɛm a ɛfiri Awurade nkyɛn aba.’
31 My people come to you as they often have done, and they sit in front of you to listen to what you say. But they do not do what you tell them that they must do. With their mouths they say that they love me, but in their inner beings they are eager to acquire things by doing what is unjust.
Me nkurɔfoɔ ba wo nkyɛn, sɛdeɛ wɔyɛ daa no, bɛtenatena wʼanim bɛtie wo nsɛm, nanso wɔmmfa nyɛ adwuma. Wɔde wɔn ano ka ahofama, nanso wɔn akoma mu deɛ wɔn ani bere asisie mu adenya.
32 To them, you are only a man who sings love songs with a beautiful voice, and you play a musical instrument well. They hear what you say, but they do not do what you tell them to do.
Nokorɛm, wɔn deɛ, wote sɛ obi a ne nne yɛ dɛ, na ɔde nnwontodeɛ to ɔdɔ nnwom, ɛfiri sɛ wɔte wo nsɛm nanso wɔmmfa nyɛ adwuma.
33 The terrible things that I have said will happen to them will surely happen. And then they will know that a prophet has been among them, [and that you are that prophet].”
“Sɛ yeinom nyinaa ba mu a, na nokorɛm ɛbɛba mu nso, na afei wɔbɛhunu sɛ odiyifoɔ bi baa wɔn mu.”
