1 I am Isaiah, the son of Amoz.
And this is the message that I was given about Judah and Jerusalem when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were the kings of Judah:
A Guilty Nation
2 The Lord has said,
“Listen, heaven and earth!
The children I raised
have turned against me.
3 Oxen and donkeys know
who owns and feeds them,
but my people won't ever learn.”
4 Israel, you are a sinful nation
loaded down with guilt.
You are wicked and corrupt
and have turned from the Lord,
the holy God of Israel.
5 Why be punished more?
Why not give up your sin?
Your head is badly bruised,
and you are weak all over.
6 From your head to your toes
there isn't a healthy spot.
Bruises, cuts, and open sores
go without care
or oil to ease the pain.
A Country in Ruins
7 Your country lies in ruins;
your towns are in ashes.
Foreigners and strangers
take and destroy your land
while you watch.
8 Enemies surround Jerusalem,
alone like a hut
in a vineyard
or in a cucumber field.
9 Zion would have disappeared
like Sodom and Gomorrah,
if the Lord All-Powerful
had not let a few
of its people survive.
Justice, Not Sacrifices
10 You are no better
than the leaders and people
of Sodom and Gomorrah!
So listen to the Lord God:
11 “Your sacrifices
mean nothing to me.
I am sick of your offerings
of rams and choice cattle;
I don't like the blood
of bulls or lambs or goats.
12 “Who asked you to bring all this
when you come to worship me?
Stay out of my temple!
13 Your sacrifices are worthless,
and your incense disgusting.
I can't stand the evil you do
on your New Moon Festivals
or on your Sabbaths
and other times of worship.
14 I hate your New Moon Festivals
and all others as well.
They are a heavy burden
I am tired of carrying.
15 “No matter how much you pray,
I won't listen.
You are too violent.
16 Wash yourselves clean!
I hate your filthy deeds.
Stop doing wrong
17 and learn to live right.
See that justice is done.
Defend widows and orphans
and help the oppressed.”
An Invitation from the Lord
18 I, the Lord, invite you
to come and talk it over.
Your sins are scarlet red,
but they will be whiter
than snow or wool.
19 If you willingly obey me,
the best crops in the land
will be yours.
20 But if you turn against me,
your enemies will kill you.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
The Lord Condemns Jerusalem
21 Jerusalem, you are like
an unfaithful wife.
Once your judges were honest
and your people lived right;
now you are a city
full of murderers.
22 Your silver is fake,
and your wine
is watered down.
23 Your leaders have rejected me
to become friends of crooks;
your rulers are looking
for gifts and bribes.
Widows and orphans
never get a fair trial.
24 I am the Lord All-Powerful,
the mighty ruler of Israel,
and I make you a promise:
You are now my enemy,
and I will show my anger
by taking revenge on you.
25 I will punish you terribly
and burn away everything
that makes you unfit
to worship me.
26 Jerusalem, I will choose
judges and advisors
like those you had before.
Your new name will be
“Justice and Faithfulness.”
The Lord Will Save Jerusalem
27 Jerusalem, you will be saved
by showing justice;
Zion's people who turn to me
will be saved
by doing right.
28 But those rebellious sinners
who turn against me, the Lord,
will all disappear.
29 You will be made ashamed
of those groves of trees
where you worshiped idols.
30 You will be like a grove of trees
dying in a drought.
31 Your strongest leaders
will be like dry wood
set on fire by their idols.
No one will be able to help,
as they all go up in flames.
Okuliteeka kwaIsrael nokuhandukilwa kwaye
1 Emoniko laJesaja yaAmos, ye e li hololelelwa tali tongo Juda naJerusalem, opomafiku aUssia naJotam naAhas naHiskia, eehamba daJuda. 2 Akutu omaulu, udeni, nedu ove, tula momatwi oye, osheshi Omwene ota popi: “Ame onda tekula ounona nonde va kulifa, ndele vo ova twa ondubo naame. 3 Ongobe oi shii mwene wayo, nokandongi oke shii etemba lokulila mo lamwene wako, ndelenee Israel iha shiiva novanhu vange inave shi didilika.”
4 Woo, oshiwana shovalunde, ovanhu vomatimba mahapu, noludalo laava ihava udu ko, ounona ovanyoni. Ova efa Omwene, va dina Omuyapuki waIsrael ndele ve mu pilamena. 5 Omwa hala natango mu dengwe peni, eshi natango tamu twikile okuliteeka? Omutwe aushe otau vele, nomutima aushe u noudu. 6 Okudja koshififinwa fiyo okomutwe kape na nande onhele ya yela, ndelenee oipute noivadi noitoshoulwa, oyo inai tumbwa noinai mangwa, yo inai vaekwa omaadi. 7 Oshilongo sheni osha ninga omaputu, noilando yeni oya xwikwa po, omapya eni otaa teywa po kovanailongo moipafi yeni; sha ninga omaputu, ngaashi naanaa sha hanaunwa po kovanailongo. 8 Omona okakadona kaSion oye aeke a xupa po, a fa etwali mepya lomiviinyu. A fa okanduda moshikunino shomatanga, a fa oshilando sha kondekwa. 9 Omwene womatanga ovakwaita ngeno ine tu xupifila oixupe, ei ya xupa, ngeno otwa kala ngaashi Sodom notwa ninga ngaashi Gomorra.
Elongelokalunga loipupulu
10 Pwilikineni ondjovo yOmwene, onye ovakulunhu vaSodom! Tuleni momatwi omhango yaKalunga ketu, nye ovanhu vaGomorra! 11 Omwene ta ti: “Omatomenoyambo eni mahapuhapu ohandi a ningi shike? Ame onda nyonyodola komaxwikiloyambo eedi nomaadi outana va ondolwa. Ohonde yeemhedi noyeedi noyoikombo inandi i hala. 12 Ngeenge nye tamu holoka koshipala shange, olyelye te mu fininike mu lyate momaluumbo ange? 13 Inamu eta vali eendjayambo dongaho; omatwimino oo, oixuna yongaho kwaame. Eehani dipe nomashabata nomaifano oiongalele, okwa tondwa komwenyo wange, oulunde pamwe noivilo inene. 14 Omwenyo wange otau tondo eehani deni, nomafimbo eni oivilo, okwa ninga omutengi mudjuu kwaame, onda loloka oku u humbata. 15 Ndele Ame ohandi mu fifimana nomesho ange, ngeenge tamu yelula omaoko eni; nonande mu indile omaindilo mahapu, itandi a udu: osheshi omake eni oku yadi ohonde. 16 Likosheni, lifeteni; kufeni po owii womoilonga yeni koshipala shange, nye mu efe okulonga owii. 17 Lilongeni okuninga ouwa; shikuleni ouyuki, hekelekeni ovafininikwa, tokoleleni, eefiye etokolo liyuki, popileni ovafiyekadi.”
Eudaneko nehanyeno
18 Tu yeni tu ka hokololeni Omwene ta ti: “Omatimba eni nande naa tilyane ngaashi ohonde, otaa ka toka ngaashi outokele weemhawe; nonande naa kale a tilyana pyu, otaa yela ngaashi omalududi a toka. 19 Ngeenge tamu dulika ndele tamu udu ko, otamu kala mo ndele tamu ka lya ouwa wedu. 20 Ndelenee ngeenge otamu anye ndele tamu, kala nokunangatela, otamu lika po keongamukonda; osheshi okanya kOmwene oke shi popya.”
21 Woo, oshilando oshidiinini osha ninga ngahelipi oshimbwada! Sho osha li shi yadi etokolo la yuka, nouyuki omo wa li, ndelenee paife osha yada ovadipai. 22 Oshisiliveli shoye osha shituka omange, nomaviinyu oye manyenye okwa nyika omeva. 23 Ovakulunhu voye ova ninga ovanandubo novakwao vovalunga; keshe umwe womuvo e hole okupewa ombubo, ndele ta lovelele ondjabi. Eefiye itadi yakulwa, neendjovo dovafiyekadi itadi fiki ko kuvo.
24 Opo nee Omwene, Omwene womatanga ovakwaita, Omunaenghono waIsrael ta popi, ta ti:
“Woo! Ehandu lange onda hala oku li polifila movatondi vange nonghone yange okwaava va twa ondubo naame. 25 Ndele eke lange otali ke ku kondjifa nohandi ka hemuna mo mwoove omange, ndi a hemunife omongwa nomute, ndele handi koona mo oholo aishe yoye. 26 Ndele onda hala ndi ku pe ovatokoli ngaashi va li mo nale, novapukululi voye ngaashi sha li pehovelo. Opo nee oto ka ifanwa oshilando shouyuki, noshilando shoudinini.” 27 Sion ota kulilwa ketokolo liyuki tave lidilululile muye okouyuki. 28 Ndelenee ovatauluki novalunde otava ka hanaunwa po sheke; naava tave liteeka Omwene otava manwa po filu. 29 Osheshi otamu ka fifwa ohoni omolwomiandi mwa li mwe di hokwa, ndele tamu ka pembifwa kohoni omolwoikunino yeni mwe i lihoololela. 30 Osheshi otamu ka kala ngaashi omwandi tau yaumuka omafo nongaashi oshikunino shihe nomeva. 31 Ndele ovanaenghono otava ka ninga oitemifo, noilonga yavo otai ka ninga eehandje, naaishe ei ivali otai pile mumwe, ndele kape nomunhu te u dimi.
