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!
Eimbilokemo molwaIsrael neifano kelidilululo
1 Eumbo laIsrael, uda ondjovo ei, Ame handi i yelula ngaashi eimbilokemo molweni! 2 Okakadona kaIsrael ka wila po, ko itaka ka penduka po vali. Ngaashi ou a natwa po osho tali nangala kedu lalo. Kape na ou te ka yambula po.
3 Osheshi Omwene Kalunga ota ti ngaha: “Moshilando mwa dja eyovi limwe, tapa fyaala efele limwe. Ndele mwaashi mwa dja efele limwe, tapa xupifilwa eumbo laIsrael omulongo.”
4 Osheshi Omwene ota ti keumbo laIsrael: “Kongeni nge, opo nee tamu ka kala nomwenyo! 5 Ndelenee inamu kala nokukonga Betel, ndele inamu uya kuGilgal, noinamu ya kuBerseba. Osheshi Gilgal otashi ka ya shili moukwatwa, ndele Betel tashi ka manwa po sheke.” 6 Kaleni nokukonga Omwene, opo tamu ka kala nomwenyo, opo Ye aha tukile eumbo laJosef ngaashi omundilo, ou tau xwike, ndele itapa monika nande umwe te u dimi muBetel. 7 Onye ava hamu lundulula etokolo oshimha, ndele ouyuki tamu u ekeleshi poshi! 8 Oye ou a shita eenyofi, Omunghalavili nOshofi, ndele ta lundulula omulaulu neluwa, ndele ta laulike omutenya oufiku, ou ta ifana omeva efuta, ndele te a lokifile kombada yedu, 9 Oye ou ta etele divadiva ovanaenghono ehanauno nosho ehanauno tali uya kohotengulu! 10 Vo ohava tondo omulumenhu ou ha popile ouyuki poshivelo, ndele vo hava fifimana ou ha popi oshili. 11 Onghee hano eshi tamu lyataula omukwanaluhepo ndele tamu kufa kuye oilya yefendelo, nye ava hava tungu eengulu nomamanya a hongwa, ndelenee nye itamu ka kala mudo. Nye omwa twika oikokola iwa yomiviinyu, ndelenee itamu ka nwa omaviinyu ayo. 12 Osheshi Ame ondi shi shii nokutya, omatauluko eni oku li mahapu nomatimba eni madjuu, nye ava hamu tondo omuyuki, ndele tamu tambula ombubo, ndele tamu endameke ondjovo iyuki yomuxupi poshivelo. 13 Onghee hano omunaendunge ota kala nokumwena mefimbo la tya ngaha, osheshi olo efimbo lii. 14 Kongeni eshi shiwa, haashi shii, opo mu kale nomwenyo, nOmwene Kalunga komatanga ovakwaita opo a kale pamwe nanye, ngaashi tamu ti. 15 Nye omu nokutonda eshi shii nokuhola eshi shiwa, ndele diinineni ouyuki poshivelo, kashiimba Omwene Kalunga komatanga ovakwaita ta ka filonghenda oshixupe shaJosef.
16 Onghee hano, Omwene Kalunga komatanga ovakwaita. Ye Omwene ta ti ngaha: “Meendabo adishe ope nekemo, momapandavanda tava ka tya: Woo, Woo! Ndele tava kala nokunyika oluhodi, novanongo vokulila nava ifanwe okwiimba omaimbilo eefya. 17 Nosho yo moikokola aishe yomiviinyu tamu ka kala ekemo, osheshi Ame handi ende mokati kayo, Omwene ta ti.”
18 Woo ava hava djuulukwa efiku lOmwene! Efiku lOmwene tali ka kala la tya ngahelipi kunye? Tali ka kala omulaulu, haouyelele. 19 Ngaashi umwe ou ta i onhapo onghoshi, ndelenee ta shakeneke emwangha, ile te uya keumbo, ndele ta kolelele kekuma, ndele ta lika keyoka! 20 Efiku lOmwene olo omulaulu kali fi ouyelele, heeno, olo oshiwiwili kali nonhe youyelele.
21 “Ame handi tondo, Ame handi dini oivilo yeni, ndele inandi hokwa oiongalele yeni yoivilo. 22 Osheshi nande tamu etele nge omaxwikiloyambo pamwe neendjayambo deni, Ame inandi i hokwa. Nepanduloyambo leenhana deni da ondolwa Ame ihandi li tale nohokwe. 23 Kufei po oshihomo shomaimbilo eni! Ame inandi hala okupwilikina ondaka yonyalilo yoye. 24 Ndelenee etokolo liyuki nali kunguluke ngaashi omeva, nouyuki ngaashi ekungulukilo lomeva itali pwinine. 25 Nye eumbo laIsrael, omwa etela nge tuu omatomenoyambo neendjayambo momido adishe omilongo ine mombuwa, 26 ndelenee mwa humbata ohamba yeni Sakkut naKevan nomafano eni, oikalunga yeni yonyofi, ei mwe i liningila. 27 Onghee hano Ame ohandi ke mu twala moukwatwa kombada yaDamaskus, Omwene ta ti, edina laye Kalunga komatanga ovakwaita.”
