Babylon Will Fall
The Lord said:
1 City of Babylon,
You are delicate
and untouched,
but that will change.
Surrender your royal power
and sit in the dirt.
2 Start grinding grain!
Take off your veil.
Strip off your fancy clothes
and wade across rivers.
3 You will suffer the shame
of going naked,
because I will take revenge,
and no one can escape.
4 I am the Lord All-Powerful,
the holy God of Israel.
I am their Savior.
5 Babylon, be silent!
Sit in the dark.
No longer will nations
accept you as their queen.
6 I was angry with my people.
So I let you take their land
and bring disgrace on them.
You showed them no mercy,
but were especially cruel
to those who were old.
7 You thought that you
would be queen forever.
You didn't care what you did;
it never entered your mind
that you might get caught.
8 You think that you alone
are all-powerful,
that you won't be a widow
or lose your children.
All you care about is pleasure,
but listen to what I say.
9 Your magic powers and charms
will suddenly fail,
then you will be a widow
and lose your children.
10 You hid behind evil
like a shield and said,
“No one can see me!”
You were fooled by your wisdom
and your knowledge;
you felt sure that you alone
were in full control.
11 But without warning,
disaster will strike—
and your magic charms
won't help at all.
12 Keep using your magic powers
and your charms
as you have always done.
Maybe—just maybe—
you will frighten somebody!
13 You have worn yourself out,
asking for advice
from those who study the stars
and tell the future
month after month.
Go ask them how to be saved
from what will happen.
14 People who trust the stars
are as helpless as straw
in a flaming fire.
No one can even keep warm,
sitting by a fire
that feeds only on straw.
15 These are the fortunetellers
you have done business with
all of your life.
But they don't know
where they are going,
and they can't save you.
Babilon matji pangurwa
1 Muhona ma tja nai:
“Babilon, heruka kotjihavero tjoye tjouhona
u haame pehi moruuma.
Momayuva nga kapita ove wa ri
otja omusuko omukohoke
okutja otjihuro tji tji ha haverwa,
nungwari ove ko tji ri
omutarazu nomumanise rukwao.
Ove nambano wa rira omukarere!
2 Tanaura otjikweyero u kweye ovikokotwa!
Isa ko ewiwiri kotjiuru!
Hukura ozombanda zoye ongongo nḓo;
huta ombanda yoye ndji kokozoka u konde ozonḓonḓu!
3 Ovandu mave ku munu au ri muzu;
mave ku munu awa susuparisiwa nu awa ṱohoṋi.
Ami omundu me mu sutisire ouvi we,
nu kape na ngu me ndji tjaere.”
4 Omuyapuke wa Israel. Eye Omukuture wetu,
ena re oMuhona Omunamasaaehe.
5 Muhona ma tja nai kObabilon:
“Haama monḓorera awa mwina, musuko wOvakaldea;
owo kave nokuuhara amave ku isana
kutja oove ombara oserekaze yomihoko!
6 Ami mba ṱomazenge notjiwaṋa tjandje;
ami mbe tji vara aayo ka tjandje rukwao.
Mbe tji twa kehi youvara woye,
nove ko na pu we tji ṱira ondjenda;
nangarire ovakurundu we ve tjinda noutwe.
7 We ripura kutja aruhe mo rire ombara oserekaze,
notji u ha yakurire oviṋa mbi momutima
poo okuripura kutja ovyo avihe mavi kayanda vi.
8 “Puratena ku ihi, ove ngu u
nanukira oviṋa vyonyuṋe,
ove ngu u ripura kutja oove
omuṋingandu nu ko natjipo.
Ove u tja oove omunene otja Ndjambi,
nokutja kape nomundu warwe ngu ri otja ove,
ove wa tjangovasi komoo rire omuhepundu
nu komoo rire ongandji.
9 Nungwari moruveze orusupi,
moure weyuva rimwe
oviṋa aviyevari mbi mavi tjitwa kove.
Nandi wa ungurisa oundjai pu pe ṱeki pi
mo zepaisa omurumendu
woye novanatje voye wina.
10 “Ove we riyameka kouvi woye;
we ripura kutja kape na umwe ngu me ku munu.
Ounongo nondjiviro yoye vye ku pukisa,
ove we rihungirira nai momutima:
‘Owami ngu mbi ri Ndjambi erike,
kape na warwe ngu ri otja ami.’
11 Otjiwonga matji ya kombanda yoye,
nu kape noundjai woye nangarire
umwe mbu mau tji tjaere.
Onyoneno mai ya kombanda yoye nai,
indji onyoneno ndji u hi na wa rorere okurota.
12 Kara uri nomasengiro noundjai woye;
ove we rikenda na vyo okuza koumutanda woye.
Ngahino ovyo mavi rire ombatero yorive kove;
ngahino mo yenene
okutirisa na vyo ovanavita na ove.
13 Ongondjero yoye omungandjo,
nokutja u novayandjandunge ovengi.
Ovatjiwe voye vozonyose ngave ye nu ve ku yame,
imba ovandu mbe konḓonona ozonyose,
mbe saneka omayuru
nu mbe ku raera omueze auhe
ihi tji matji tjitwa kove.
14 “Tara, owo mave sana koviyaya vyovihozu,
nomuriro mau ve ningiririsa.
Owo kamaave yenene okuriyama oveni,
otururumo matu rire otupyu tjinene ku wo,
kape na okukara ekara
nandarire rimwe okuhaama po.
15 Imbwi ombu ri ouwa porwe
owo mbu mave ku tjitire,
okutja imba ovatjiwe vozonyose kuyo
ningire ko ondunge ngunda au nomuinyo.
Owo avehe mave ku esa
nave twara ozondjira zawo oveni,
nu kape nokusewa umwe ngu me ku yama.”
