Turn Back to the Lord
1 Listen, nation of Israel,
to my mournful message:
2 You, dearest Israel, have fallen,
never to rise again—
you lie deserted in your own land,
with no one to help you up.
3 The Lord God has warned,
“From every ten soldiers
only one will be left;
from a thousand troops,
only a hundred will survive.”
4 The Lord keeps saying,
“Israel, turn back to me
and you will live!
5 Don't go to Gilgal or Bethel
or even to Beersheba.
Gilgal will be dragged away,
and Bethel will end up
as nothing.”
6 Turn back to the Lord,
you descendants of Joseph,
and you will live.
If you don't, the Lord
will attack like fire.
Bethel will burn to the ground,
and no one can save it.
7 You people are doomed!
You twist the truth
and trample on justice.
8 But the Lord created the stars
and put them in place.
He turns darkness to dawn
and daylight to darkness;
he scoops up the ocean
and empties it on the earth.
9 God destroys mighty soldiers
and strong fortresses.
Choose Good Instead of Evil!
The Lord said:
10 You people hate judges
and honest witnesses;
11 you abuse the poor and demand
heavy taxes from them.
You have built expensive homes,
but you won't enjoy them;
you have planted vineyards,
but you will get no wine.
12 I am the Lord, and I know
your terrible sins.
You cheat honest people
and take bribes;
you rob the poor of justice.
13 Times are so evil
that anyone with good sense
will keep quiet.
14 If you really want to live,
you must stop doing wrong
and start doing right.
I, the Lord God All-Powerful,
will then be on your side,
just as you claim I am.
15 Choose good instead of evil!
See that justice is done.
Maybe I, the Lord All-Powerful,
will be kind to what's left
of your people.
Judgment Is Coming
16 This is what the Lord has sworn:
Noisy crying will be heard
in every town and street.
Even farmers will be told
to mourn for the dead,
together with those
who are paid to mourn.
17 Your vineyards will be filled
with crying and weeping,
because I will punish you.
I, the Lord, have spoken!
When the Lord Judges
18 You look forward to the day
when the Lord comes to judge.
But you are in for trouble!
It won't be a time of sunshine;
all will be darkness.
19 You will run from a lion,
only to meet a bear.
You will escape to your house,
rest your hand on the wall,
and be bitten by a snake.
20 The day when the Lord judges
will be dark, very dark,
without a ray of light.
What the Lord Demands
21 I, the Lord, hate and despise
your religious celebrations
and your times of worship.
22 I won't accept your offerings
or animal sacrifices—
not even your very best.
23 No more of your noisy songs!
I won't listen
when you play your harps.
24 But let justice and fairness
flow like a river
that never runs dry.
25 Israel, for forty years
you wandered in the desert,
without bringing offerings
or sacrifices to me.
26 Now you will have to carry
the two idols you made—
Sakkuth, the one you call king,
and Kaiwan, the one you built
in the shape of a star.
27 I will force you to march
as captives beyond Damascus.
I, the Lord God All-Powerful,
have spoken!
ǃHobasens ǃoa hâ ǂgais
1 ǁNâu re nē mîdi, sas ǂama ta ra ǁnae ǃgaetsanas dide, Israelse:
2 ǂKhamkhoes Israels ge go ǁnā,
tsîs ge ǁkhawa khâi tide.
ǁÎs ge ǁnāxūhe hâse ǃhūb ai ǁgoe,
khoe-i xare-i ge ǁîsa ūkhâi tama hâ.
3 Nētib ge ǃKhūb Eloba ra mî: “ǀGuiǀoadisigu ǀkha ra ǁnāǂam ǃās ge ǀguikaidisigu ǀkha ǀgui ra ǃgau tsî ǀguikaidisigu ǀkha ra ǂoas ge disigu ǀkha ǀgui Israelsa ra ǃgauba.”
4 Nētib ge ǃKhūba Israelǁaes ǃoa ra mî: “Tita ôa re, o du ge nî ûi. 5 Tā Betelsa ôa, tā Gilgals ǁga ǃgû tamas ka io Bersebas ǃoa ǃkharu. Gilgals ge ǃkhōsis ǃnâ nî ǃgû-ūhe tsî Betels ge nî hîkākāhe.”
6 ǃKhūba ôa re, o du ge nî ûi. ǁNā tamas ka io, ob ge ǁîba Josefi omma ǀaeǁhabub khami nî hāǂam tsî Betelsa nî khauǃkhū tsî khoe-i xare-i ge ǁîsa ǀari ǁkhā tide. 7 Sadu ge ǂhanuba dabaǃkhuni tsî ǂhanu-aisiba ǂaidi ǀkha ra dāǃgâ.
8 ǁNāb ǀgamirode ge kurub,
ǃkharagaǃnâgu ǀgamirode.
ǃKhaenaba ǁgoas ǃnâ ra ǀkharaǀkharab
tsî tsēba ǃkhaenab ǃnâb.
ǁNāb hurib di ǁgamma ra ǂgaib
tsî ǁîba ǃhūbaib ai ra ǁhōǂuiba,
ǁîb ge ǃKhūb ti ǀon hâ.
9 ǁÎb ge ǀgaisana ra hîkākā,
ǁîb ge ǁkhui-omga ra ǂkhūǂkhū.
10 Sadu ge ǂhanu tama ǀgoraǃgâde ra mâǃoa khoe-e ǁkhan tsî amaba ra ǃhoa khoe-e a ǃhuisa. 11 Sadu ge ǀgâsana dāǂkhū tsî ǁîna ǃhoroba ra ǁgūǀhana. Sadu ge ǁhāsa ǀuidi ǀkha omde ge ombasen, xawe du ge ǁîdi ǃnâ ǁan tide. Sadu ge îsa draibeǃhanaga ge ǂgā, xawe du ge ǁîgu ǂauxûi-e ā tide. 12 Tita ge mâtikōse di sadu ǃûǂamde a ǂgui tsî mâtikōseb sadu ǁoreba a kai ǃkhaisa a ǂan. Sadu ge ǂhanu-aina ǁgâiǀā tsî ǁamaǃkhunimari-e ra ū tsî ǂhâ hâna ǀgoraǃgâǃkhaidi tawa ra ǁkhaebē. 13 ǁNā-amaga i ge ǁnâuǃāxa-e nēti ī ǁaeb ai ra ǃnō, nēb a ǂkhaba ǁae amaga.
14 ǃGâina ôa re, ǂkhabana tama, î du ûi. Ob ge ǃKhūb Elob Hoaǀgaixaba sadu ǀkha nî hâ, sadu ǀkhab hâ ti du ra mî khami. 15 Tsū xūna ǁkhan î ǃgâina ǀnam, î du ǂhanu-aisiba ǀgoraǃgâǃkhaidi ǃnâ ǁgūba. ǀNîsib ge ǃKhūb Elob Hoaǀgaixaba, ǃgau hâ khoen Josefi dina nî ǀkhomxa.
16 ǁNā-amagab ge ǃKhūb Elob, Hoaǀgaixa ǃKhūba ra mî: “Ās tsî ǃgaes tsîra ge ǃās di ǃgangu hoagu ǃnâ nî hâ. ǃHanasîsenaogu tsîn ge ā gu hā nîse nî ǂgaihe tsî ǃoatsanadi ǁnae-aona ǃoaǀhaon nîse. 17 Hoa draibeǃhanagu ǃnâb ge ǃgaeba nî hâ, sadu ǁaegu ta nî ǃkharu amaga,”
tib ge ǃKhūba ra mî.18 Tsūb ge ǃâu du hâ sadu hîa ǃKhūb di tsēsa ra ǁkhoredo. Tare-i ǃaroma du ǃKhūb di tsēsa ra ǁkhore? ǁNā tsēs ge nî ǃkhae, ǁîs ge ǃnâ tide. 19 ǁÎs ge khoe-i xamma ǃkhoeni tsî xawe bēri ǀkha ra ǀhao i khami nî ī. Tamas ka io khoe-i oms â-i ǃnâ ǂgâ tsî i ga ǂnubiǂgoab ai ǁgâibasen, o ǀaob xa ra nâhe-i khami. 20 ǃKhūb di tsēs ge a ǃkhaeb di tsî ǃnâb di tama hâ; ǃkhaenas ǀguis, ǃnâ-i a ǀkhaise.
21 ǁKhan ta hâ, tita ge sadu di ǁâudītsēde ra uixa, tsî ta ge sadu ǁâudīgu di ǀhaodi ǃnâ ǃgâiǃgâibasen-e ūhâ tama hâ. 22 Khauǁguibadi tsî ǃhoroǁguibadi tsîde du ga hā-ūba te, xawe ta ge ǁîde ūǃoa tide. ǂKhîbagus ǁguibadi sadu di kaukauhe hâ tsâun dide ta ge kōǀîs tsîna hî tide. 23 Sadu ǁnaeb di ǂkhupiba tita xu ūbē. Tita ge sadu harpdi ǀōba ǃgâ tide. 24 Ab ǂhanuba ǁgammi khami dâuǀkhī re tsî ǂhanu-aisiba toa tama ǁgam-e ūhâ ǃāb khami.
25 “Hakadisi kurigu ǃgaroǃhūb ǃnâ du ge hâ i gu ǃnâ ǂāǁguibadi tsî ǃhoroǁguibadi tsîde hā-ūba te du gere, sadu Israelǁaes dido? 26 Sadu ge sadu gao-aob Sakuti di īb tsî sadu ǀgamiro-elob Kaiwanni di īb hîa du ge kurubasenni tsîkha nî tani, 27 tita ga sado ǃkhōsabese Damaskus nauǀkhāb kōse ǃgû-ūo,”
tib ge ǃKhūb, Hoaǀgaixa Elob ti ǀon hâba ra mî.