The Punishment of Jerusalem
The Prophet Speaks:
1 The purest gold is ruined
and has lost its shine;
jewels from the temple
lie scattered in the streets.
2 These are Zion's people,
worth more than purest gold;
yet they are counted worthless
like dishes of clay.
3 Even jackals nurse their young,
but my people are like ostriches
that abandon their own.
4 Babies are so thirsty
that their tongues are stuck
to the roof of the mouth.
Children go begging for food,
but no one gives them any.
5 All who ate expensive foods
lie starving in the streets;
those who grew up in luxury
now sit on trash heaps.
6 My nation was punished worse
than the people of Sodom,
whose city was destroyed
in a flash without the help
of human hands.
7 The leaders of Jerusalem
were purer than snow
and whiter than milk;
their bodies were healthy
and glowed like jewels.
8 Now they are blacker than tar,
and no one recognizes them;
their skin clings to their bones
and is drier than firewood.
9 Being killed with a sword
is better than slowly
starving to death.
10 Life in the city is so bad
that loving mothers have boiled
and eaten their own children.
11 The Lord was so fiercely angry
that he burned the city of Zion
to the ground.
12 Not a king on this earth
or the people of any nation
believed enemies could break
through her gates.
13 Jerusalem was punished because
her prophets and her priests
had sinned and caused the death
of innocent victims.
14 Yes, her prophets and priests
were covered with blood;
no one would come near them,
as they wandered
from street to street.
15 Instead, everyone shouted,
“Go away! Don't touch us!
You're filthy and unfit
to belong to God's people!”
So they had to leave
and become refugees.
But foreign nations told them,
“You can't stay here!”
16 The Lord is the one
who sent them scattering,
and he has forgotten them.
No respect or kindness
will be shown
to the priests or leaders.
17 Our eyes became weary,
hopelessly looking
for help from a nation
that could not save us.
18 Enemies hunted us down
on every public street.
Our time was up;
our doom was near.
19 They swooped down faster
than eagles from the sky.
They hunted for us in the hills
and set traps to catch us
out in the desert.
20 The Lord's chosen leader
was our hope for survival!
We thought he would keep us safe
somewhere among the nations,
but even he was caught
in one of their traps.
21 You people of Edom
can celebrate now!
But your time will come
to suffer and stagger
around naked.
22 The people of Zion
have paid for their sins,
and the Lord will soon
let them return home.
But, people of Edom,
you will be punished,
and your sins exposed.
Jerusalems, ǁnās âs khaoǃgâ
1 Mâtib kha ǃhuniǀuriba ge ǃkhaeǃkhaehe, mâtib ǃūmû ǃhuniǀuriba ǂkhaib âba ge ǂoaǃnâ.
ǃAnusib ǀuidi ge ǃgangu ǁhôadi ǃnâ aoxūhe hâse ǁgoe.
2 Mâti gu ǃgomǀgausa ǀgôagu Sions digu, ǃhuniǀurib ǁkhāsiba ge ūhâ iga
nēsisa ǂgoasūdi ase ra mûhesa, sūǂnubi-aob di sîsenni ase.
3 ǀGiridi xawedi ge samdi âde daisi nîse ǂkhamron âde ra mā,
xawe ti ǁaes di ôas ge a ǀkhomoǃnâ, ǃgaroǃhūb di ǀamidi khami.
4 Dai ra ǀgôaro-i di nammi ge ǂkharub ai, ǁgâs xa ra ǂae,
ǀgôaron ge pere-e ra ǂgan, xawe i ge khoe-i xare-e ǁîna mā tama hâ.
5 ǃGâi xūna gere ǂûn ge ǃâs xa ǃgangu ǃnâ ra ǁō
ǁNān hîa ǂhoaǀapa ǃkhain ǃnâ ge kaikaihen ge nēsi nētsē tsaodi ai ra ǁgoe.
6 ǁKharab ti khoen dib ge Sodoms ǁoreb ǃgâ-ai a kai,
ǁîs ǀguis mûsǀapirob ǃnâ ge dabaǃkhupuhe, huiǃom-i tsîn ǁîsǀî ǃoa kaihe tamase.
7 ǁÎs di ǃanun ge tsamaros ǃgâ-ai ǃanu tsî dai-i ǃgâ-ai ge ǃuri i;
ǁîn ge robainǀuidi ǃgâ-ai ǀapa soros â-i ge i, safirdi khami ge ī i.
8 ǁÎn ge ǃkhâb ǃgâ-ai ai ǃkhae tsî ǃgangu tsîn ǃnâ mûǃāhe tama hâ,
khōb ân ge ǂkhōb ai ǂae hâ, ǀae-i kōsen ge ǂnâ hâ.
9 ǁNān gôab ǀkha ǃgamhen hân ge ǃâs xa ge ǁōn ǃgâ-ai a ǃgâiǃgâ,
ǁnān hîa ǂkhabu tsî ra ǁōna, ǃhanagu ǂûna ūǀkhī tama amaga.
10 ǃOmgu ǀkhomxaǃnâ taradi digu ge ǁîdi di ǂhunuma ǀgôana ge sâi.
ǁÎn ge ǁîde ge ǂû kaiba, ti khoen ge hîkākāheo.
11 ǃKhūb ge ǁaixasib âba ge dīǀoaǀoa, ǀgammi ǁîb ǁaixasib dibab ge ge ǁhōǂui.
ǁÎb ge Sions tawa ǀaesa ge khau, ǃgaoǃgaogu âsa ge hapusa.
12 ǃHūbaib di gao-aogu tamas ka io ǁanǂgāsaben ǃhūbaib din hoan ge ge ǂgom tama hâ i
khākhoeb tsî mâǃoasabeb nî Jerusalems ǂgâ-amdi ǃnâ ǂgâsa.
13 Xawes ge ǁnāsa ǁîs kēbo-aogu di ǁoreb tsî pristergu âs di ǃûǂamdi,
ǂhanu-ain ǀaoba ge ǁîs ǃnâ ǂnâxūgu ǃaroma ge ī.
14 ǁÎgu ge ǂgī hân xase ǃgangu ǃnâ gere ǁhapuma
ǁnātikōse ǀaob xa ǀuriǀurihe hâse, tsî khoe-i xare-i xa tsâǀkhāhe ǁoase.
15 “Bē! ǃAnuoǃnâ go a xuige! Tā tsâǀkhā ge!” ti gu ge ǁîgu ǃoa ge ǂgaiǂui.
ǃKhoeni tsî gu ge ǁaes ǁaegu hâma on ge “ǁÎgu ge nēpa ǃaruǀî a hâ ǁoa” ti gere mî.
16 ǃKhūb ge aitsama ǁîna ge ǀgora; ǃaruǀîb ge ǁîn ai ǂâisa ǂnûi tide.
ǁÎn ge pristerga ge ǃgôa tama i; kaigan ge ǀkhom tama ge i.
17 Sida mûdi ge ge kōǁkhui, ǁause huibǀî;
sida ǂgō-omga xu da ge ǁaes hui da ǁoa ge isa gere kō.
18 Mâ dāǃharos sida dis hoas ain ge gere ǀkhuri da, sida ǃgangu ǃnâ da ge ǃgû ǁoa is kōse.
Sida ǀams ge a ǀgū, sida tsēdi ge a ǃgôatoasa, sida ǀams ge go hā.
19 Sida ǃgôaǃgonaon ge ǃariǃkhān ǀhommi din ǃgâ-ai ge ǃhae i;
ǁÎn ge ǃhomgu ai ge ǃgôaǃgon da, ǃgaroǃhūb ǃnân ge ge ǃâuǁgoe da.
20 Sida ǂguis di ǀommi, ǃKhūb di ǀnausabeban ge ǁîn āgu ǃnâ ge ǃkhō;
ǁÎb xa da “ǁÎb sommi ǃnaka da ge ǁaedi ǁaegu nî ǁan” ti ge mîba.
21 ǃGâiaǂgao, î dâ re Edommi ôas, Usǃhūb ǃnâ ǁan hâse.
Sas ǂamas tsînas ge ǀgabisa nî hā, āǀhoro tsîs ge nî ǀōǀkhā kaisen.
22 Sa ǂhanuoǃnâsib ge nî toa Sions ôase, ǃaruǀîb ge ǁîba sasa ǃkhōsabese ūǀgara tide.
Xawe sas Edommi ôasa, sa ǁoreba ǁkhara tsîb ge ǃKhūba sa ǂhanuoǃnâsiba nî ǂhaiǂhai.
