True Worship
1 The Lord said:
Heaven is my throne;
the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house
could you build for me?
In what place will I rest?
2 I have made everything;
that's how it all came to be.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
The people I treasure most
are the humble—
they depend only on me
and tremble when I speak.
3 You sacrifice oxen to me,
and you commit murder;
you sacrifice lambs to me
and dogs to other gods;
you offer grain to me
and pigs' blood to idols;
you burn incense to me
and praise your idols.
You have made your own choice
to do these disgusting things
that you enjoy so much.
4 You refused to answer
when I called out;
you paid no attention
to my instructions.
Instead, you did what I hated,
knowing it was wrong.
Now I will punish you
in a way you dread the most.
The Lord Will Help Jerusalem
5 If you tremble
when the Lord speaks,
listen to what he says:
“Some of your own people hate
and reject you because of me.
They make fun and say,
‘Let the Lord show his power!
Let us see him
make you truly happy.’
But those who say these things
will be terribly ashamed.”
6 Do you hear that noise
in the city and those shouts
coming from the temple?
It is the Lord shouting
as he punishes his enemies.
7 Have you ever heard of a woman
who gave birth to a child
before having labor pains?
8 Who ever heard of such a thing
or imagined it could happen?
Can a nation be born in a day
or come to life in a second?
Jerusalem is like a mother
who gave birth to her children
as soon as she was in labor.
9 The Lord is the one
who makes birth possible.
And he will see that Zion
has many more children.
The Lord has spoken.
10 If you love Jerusalem,
celebrate and shout!
If you were in sorrow
because of the city,
you can now be glad.
11 She will nurse and comfort you,
just like your own mother,
until you are satisfied.
You will fully enjoy
her wonderful glory.
12 The Lord has promised:
“I will flood Jerusalem
with the wealth of nations
and make the city prosper.
Zion will nurse you at her breast,
carry you in her arms,
and hold you in her lap.
13 I will comfort you there
like a mother
comforting her child.”
14 When you see this happen,
you will celebrate;
your strength will return
faster than grass can sprout.
Then everyone will know
that the Lord provides help
for his servants,
but he is angry
with his enemies.
15 The Lord will come down
like a whirlwind
with his flaming chariots.
He will be furiously angry
and punish his enemies
with fire.
16 The Lord's fiery sword
will bring justice
everywhere on this earth
and execute many people.
A Threat and a Promise
17 Some of you get yourselves ready and go to a garden to worship a foreign goddess. You eat the meat of pigs, lizards, and mice. But I, the Lord, will destroy you for this.
18 I know everything you do and think! The time has now come to bring together the people of every language and nation and to show them my glory 19 by proving what I can do. I will send the survivors to Tarshish, Pul, Lud, Meshech, Tubal, Javan, and to the distant islands. I will send them to announce my wonderful glory to nations that have never heard about me.
20 They will bring your relatives from the nations as an offering to me, the Lord. They will come to Jerusalem, my holy mountain, on horses, chariots, wagons, mules, and camels. It will be like the people of Israel bringing the right offering to my temple. 21 I promise that some of them will be priests and others will be helpers in my temple. I, the Lord, have spoken.
22 I also promise that you will always have descendants and will never be forgotten, just as the new heavens and the new earth that I create will last forever. 23 On the first day of each month and on each Sabbath, everyone will worship me. I, the Lord, have spoken.
24 My people will go out and look at the dead bodies of those who turned against me. The worms there never die, the fire never stops burning, and the sight of those bodies will be disgusting to everyone.
Muhona ma pangura oviwaṋa
1 Muhona ma tja nai: “Eyuru oro otjihavero tjandje tjouhona, nehi oro okahavero kozombaze zandje. Hapo ongendjuwo, ndji mamu yenene okundjitungira, nu opoṋa peṋe pu mape yenene ami okusuva po? 2 Owami omuini ngu mba uta ouye auhe; nu oviṋa avihe ovyandje. Mbi nohange na imba mbe risusuparisa na mbe ritanaura, na imba mbe nondira ku ami na mbe nonḓuviro ku ami.
3 “Ovandu ve tjita otja pu mave vanga. Avihe ku wo vya sana, nangarire tji mave zepa ongombe okurira ombunguhiro poo tji mave punguha omundu; nangarire tji mave punguha ondjona poo tji mave teya engoti rombwa; nangarire tji mave punguha ombunguhiro yovikurya poo ombinḓu yombinda; nangarire tji mave twimisa ovyomoro omuwa poo tji mave kumbu kotjiserekarera tjotjisenginina. Owo ve kara nonyuṋe moviṋa oviyaukise avihe. 4 Ami otji me eta otjiwonga kombanda yawo, imbi oviṋa mbi ve tira tjinene, orondu kapa ri omundu ngwa itavera ami tji mba isana poo ngwa puratena tji mba hungira. Owo va toorora okuhina onḓuviro nave tjiti ouvi.”
5 Purateneye ku imbi Muhona mbi ma hungire, eṋe mbu mu nondira ku ye, nu mbu mu nonḓuviro ku ye: “Mena rokutja mwa ṱakama mu ami, ovandu veṋu tjiva ve mu humisa, nu ve mu imbirahi. Owo ve mu nyekerera ave tja: ‘Muhona nga raise ounene we, nu nge mu yame kutja eṱe tu mune enyando reṋu.’ Nungwari owo oveni mave ṱisiwa ohoṋi! 6 Purateneye! Indji ondokohero onene motjihuro na imbwi omungunda mondjuwo ya Muhona ovyo ombosiro ya Muhona ngu ma vere ovanavita na ye!
7 “Otjihuro tjandje otjiyapuke tji ri otja omukazendu ngu ma hakahana okupanduka okanatje okazandu ngunda e hiya muna ozongama. 8 Owaṋi ngwa zuva otjiṋa otja ihi? Owaṋi ngwa muna oviṋa mbya sana ngwi? Indu ehi ri kwatwa meyuva rimwe are? Indu otjiwaṋa tji kwatwa motjikando tjimwe are? Sion ngunda atji ri pokumuna ozongama, tjandje otjiwaṋa tja kwatwa. 9 Amu tjangovasi ami me eta otjiwaṋa tjandje popezu nombandukiro ne tji tjaere okupandukwa.” Muhona ongwa hungire.
10 Nyandeye puna Jerusalem; yorokereye otjihuro hi,
eṋe amuhe mbu mwe tji suvera!
Nyandeye, nyandeye puna tjo,
eṋe amuhe mbu mwe tji ṱira oruhoze!
11 Eṋe mamu ri namu kuta
tjimuna okanatje ku make nyamu kevere raina.
12 Muhona ma tja nai: “Ami me mu etere ohange ongarerere; outumbe woviwaṋa mau pupire ku eṋe otja onḓonḓu, ndji ha pwire. Eṋe mamu kara otja ounatje mbu mau nyamisisiwa i ina, mbu pukatwa nau rerwa norusuvero. 13 Ami me mu huhumiṋa tjimuna ina tjinga e huhumiṋa omuatje we mOjerusalem omu mamu munu mo omahuhumiṋino. 14 Tji mamu munu oviṋa mbi amavi tjitwa, omitima vyeṋu mavi yoroka; novitjitwa mbi mavi mu pe omasa nomberukiro. Otji mamu tjiwa kutja ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona, mbi vatera imba mbe nonḓuviro ku ami, nu mbi ṱomazenge novanavita na ami.”
15 Nu tara, Muhona ma tukuruka momuriro; eye ma kavire kovivava vyotjipukupuku okuvera imba eye mbe nomazenge tjinene na wo. 16 Orondu Muhona ma yenenisa ombanguriro nomuriro, nu ma vere ovandu avehe mouye auhe nengaruvyo, mbu meve munu ovanandjo; novengi mave ṱu.
17 Muhona ma tja nai: “Ondjandero yeya popezu ku imba mbe rikohororera okurikotamena kovisenginina, mbe kayenda moruteto kovikunino ovizere, nu mbe rya onyama yombinda nomapuku, novikurya vyarwe oviyaukise. 18 Ami me tjiwa omeripuriro nozondjito zawo, nu meya okuworonganisa ovandu voviwaṋa avihe. Tji va worongana mave munu ounene wandje, 19 nu mave tjiwa kutja owami ngwi ngu meve vere.
“Nungwari ami me hupisa tjiva vawo, nu meve hindi koviwaṋa na komahi wokokure nga nge hiya zuva ondangu yandje, nu nge hiya muna ounene nouvara wandje, okutja ooSpanie na Libie na Lidie puna ovarumendu vawo ovarumbire vomauta na Tubal na Grike. Owo mave zuvarisa ondangero yandje mokati koviwaṋa mbi. 20 Owo mave eterere ovakweṋu avehe okuza koviwaṋa, ve rire otjiyandjewa tjombunguhiro ku ami. Owo mave ve eta kondundu yandje ondjapuke mOjerusalem ava kavire koukambe nousinokambe nozongamero, nu averi momatemba wovita na kovihavero ovitjindwa tjimuna Ovaisrael tji ve eta ozombunguhiro zovikurya kondjuwo ya Muhona movitjuma ovikohoke. 21 Tjiva vawo meve tjiti ve rire ovapristeri nOvalevi.
22 “Otja eyuru epe nehi epe punga amaye karerere momasa wandje, ozondekurona zeṋu nena reṋu opunga amaye karerere momasa wandje, ozondekurona zeṋu nena reṋu opunga amavi karerere. 23 Meyuva arihe rOmatendameno wOmueze na mesabata arihe, ovandu voviwaṋa avihe mave ya okurikotamena muno mOjerusalem.” Muhona ma tja nai. 24 “Nu tji mave piti, mave munu oturova twaimba mbe ndji pirukira. Omativa ngu maye ve ri kamaaye koka, nomuriro mbu mau ve seseta kamaau zemisiwa. Ombunikiro yawo mai rire ondjaukise kovandu avehe.”
