The Lord Will Punish the King of Judah
1-3 The Lord sent me to the palace of the king of Judah to speak to the king, his officials, and everyone else who was there. The Lord told me to say:
I am the Lord, so pay attention! You have been allowing people to cheat, rob, and take advantage of widows, orphans, and foreigners who live here. Innocent people have become victims of injustice, and some of them have even been killed. But now I command you to do what is right and see that justice is done. Rescue everyone who has suffered from injustice.
4 If you obey me, the kings from David's family will continue to rule Judah from this palace. They and their officials will ride in and out on their horses or in their chariots. 5 But if you ignore me, I promise in my own name that this palace will lie in ruins. 6 Listen to what I think about it:
The palace of Judah's king
is as glorious as Gilead
or Lebanon's highest peaks.
But it will be as empty
as a ghost-town
when I'm through with it.
7 I'll send troops to tear it apart,
and its beautiful cedar beams
will be used for firewood.
8 People from different nations will pass by and ask, “Why did the Lord do this to such a great city as Jerusalem?” 9 Others will answer, “It's because the people worshiped foreign gods and broke the agreement that the Lord their God had made with them.”
King Jehoahaz
The Lord said:
10 King Josiah is dead,
so don't mourn for him.
Instead, mourn for his son
King Jehoahaz,
dragged off to another country,
never to return.
11-12 Jehoahaz became king of Judah after his father King Josiah died. But Jehoahaz was taken as a prisoner to a foreign country. Now I, the Lord, promise that he will die there without ever seeing his own land again.
King Jehoiakim
The Lord told me to say:
* 13 King Jehoiakim, you are doomed!
You built a palace
with large rooms upstairs.
14 You put in big windows
and used cedar paneling
and red paint.
But you were unfair
and forced the builders to work
without pay.
* 15 More cedar in your palace
doesn't make you a better king
than your father Josiah.
He always did right—
he gave justice to the poor
and was honest.
16 That's what it means
to truly know me.
So he lived a comfortable life
and always had enough
to eat and drink.
17 But all you think about
is how to cheat
or abuse or murder
some innocent victim.
18 Jehoiakim, no one will mourn
at your funeral.
They won't turn to each other
and ask,
“Why did our great king
have to die?”
19 You will be given a burial
fit for a donkey;
your body will be dragged
outside the city gates
and tossed in the dirt.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
King Jehoiachin and the People of Jerusalem
The Lord told me to say:
20 People of Jerusalem,
the nations you trusted
have been crushed.
Go to Lebanon and weep;
cry in the land of Bashan
and in Moab.
21 When times were good,
I warned you.
But you ignored me,
just as you have done
since Israel was young.
22 Now you will be disgraced
because of your sins.
Your leaders will be swept away
by the wind,
and the nations you trusted
will be captured and dragged
to a foreign country.
23 Those who live in the palace
paneled with cedar
will groan with pain
like women giving birth.
24 King Jehoiachin, son of Jehoiakim, even if you were the ring I wear as the sign of my royal power, I would still pull you from my finger. 25 I would hand you over to the enemy you fear, to King Nebuchadnezzar and his army, who want to kill you. 26 You and your mother were born in Judah, but I will throw both of you into a foreign country, where you will die, 27 longing to return home.
28 Jehoiachin, you are unwanted
like a broken clay pot.
So you and your children
will be thrown into a country
you know nothing about.
29 Land of Judah, I am the Lord.
Now listen to what I say!
30 Erase the names
of Jehoiachin's children
from the royal records.
He is a complete failure,
and so none of them
will ever be king.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
Eehamba Sallum, Jehoiakim naKonja tadi xunganekwa
1 Omwene osho ta ti: Inda ko kouhamba wohamba yaJuda, ove u popye ondjovo ei, 2 u tye: “Uda ondjovo yOmwene, ove ohamba yaJuda u li omutumba kolukalwapangelo laDavid, ove mwene novapiya voye novanhu voye ava hava piti mo moivelo ei.” 3 Omwene osho ta ti: “Longeni eshi sha yuka, wanifeni ouyuki nye mu xupife oonakunyekwa momake ovahepeki, omunailongo nofiye nomufiyekadi inamu va ningila osho inashi yuka, ndele inamu va hepeka ndele inamu tilashi ohonde ihe netimba monhele ei. 4 Osheshi ngeenge tamu wanifa shili ondjovo ei, moivelo ei yomouhamba tamu ya, eehamba odo tadi ka kala omutumba kolukalwapangelo laDavid, tadi ende momatemba oita nokeenghambe, heeno, ohamba pamwe novapiya vayo noshiwana shayo. 5 Ndelenee ngeenge itamu udu eendjovo odo, ohandi lianene mwaame mwene, Omwene osho ta ti, ongulu ei otai ka ninga onduba yomakuma.
6 “Osheshi Omwene mokupopya ongulu youhamba wohamba yaJuda ota ti ngaha: Oove Gilead kwaame, oove oxulo yaLibanon. Oshili, Ame ohandi ke ku ninga ombuwa noilando kai novanhu. 7 Ndele ovahanauni voye handi ve ku yapulile, keshe umwe noilwifo yaye. Omiti doye omisederi omihoololwa tadi kewa po kuvo ndele tadi ekelwa momundilo. 8 Opo nee oiwana ihapu mokupitilila po oshilando eshi otava pulafana tava ti: ‘Oshilando eshi shinene, Omwene okwe shi ningila ngahelipi ngaha?’ 9 Ndele tapa ka nyamukulwa: ‘Osheshi vo ova nyonauna ehangano lOmwene, Kalunga kavo, nove linyongamena koikalunga noku i longela.’ ”
10 Inamu lila onakufya, nye inamu lila eenghali, ndelenee lileni ou ta tembuka mo, ta i, osheshi ke na vali apa ta ka alukila mo, ye ita ka mona vali oshilongo shedalo laye. 11 Osheshi Omwene mokupopya Sallum yaJosia, ohamba yaJuda, a shikula xe Josia mouhamba a tembuka mo monhele ei ota ti ngaha: “Ye ita ka aluka ko vali. 12 Osheshi konhele tuu inya ve mu twala ko onghwate, oko ta ka fila ko, oshilongo eshi ite ke shi mona vali.”
13 Woo ou, ta tungu ongulu yaye nowii, nomadimongulu aye okombada ite a tungu nouyuki, ou ta longifa omukwao oshimha note mu anyene ondjabi yaye; 14 ou ta ti: “Ame ohandi ke litungila ongulu yakula nomadimongulu manene okombada.” Ndele ta hokele mo eembululu domakende ndele te di pangelifa oipilangi omisederi ndele te i vaekifa ondomo itilyana. 15 Ou shii, oove ohamba, osheshi wa hokwa omiti omisederi! Xo ina lya, ye ina nwa vati nokwa li ha tokola pauyuki nokudiinina eshi sha yuka. Onghee ye a mona elao. 16 Oonakuhepekwa neehepele okwe va yukifila eendjovo davo opo nee ye a kala nawa. Okukala ngaha hako okushiiva nge, Omwene ta ti? 17 Ndelenee omesho oye nomutima woye itau kongo shimwe shi lili, eliko tuu loye mwene nokutilashi ohonde ihe netimba nokuhepeka nokunyeka. 18 Onghee Omwene ota popi Jehoiakim yaJosia, ohamba yaJuda, ndele ta ti: “Ye ita lilwa eenghali ngaashi tapa ingidwa: ‘Woo, omumwatate omulumenhu! Woo, omumwameme omukainhu!’ Ye ita lilwa nokukwena: ‘Woo, omwene, woo, oshingepangelo shaye!’ 19 Ngaashi okambulu taka fudikwa, osho ta fudikwa yo, ta ka kokololwa ndele ta ekelwashi kokule pondje yoivelo yaJerusalem.”
20 Londa komhunda yaLibanon, ove u ingide pombada, ondaka yoye nai udike muBasan, ingida mokule komhunda yaAbarim, osheshi ovaholike voye aveshe ova hanaunwa po. 21 Ame onde ku popifa momafiku a wapala, ndelenee ove wa tile: Ame inandi hala okupwilikina. Ondjila yoye oyo tuu ei nghee wa dja kounyasha woye, ove wa li ino pwilikina ondaka yange. 22 Ovafita voye aveshe otava ka halakanifwa komhepo idjuu, novaholike voye aveshe otava ka ya moupika. Heeno, mefimbo olo ove oto ka kala nelengaifo ndele to ka fifwa ohoni molwowii woye aushe. 23 Ove ou to kala kuLibanon noshihadi shoye we shi tungila momiti omisederi; ove oto ka kala nokukema nekemo li fike peni, omaudjuu ngeenge tae ku hange, efeto ngaashi efeto lomudali?
24 “Oshili, ngaashi Ame ndi nomwenyo, Omwene ta ti. Konja yaJehoiakim, ohamba yaJuda, nande na kale okalinga koshihako meke lange lokolulyo namulo ohandi ke mu xukula ko. 25 Ndele Ame ohandi ke ku yandja momake aava va nangela omwenyo woye, momake aava we va tila, momake aNebukadnesar, ohamba yaBabilon, nomomake Ovakaldea. 26 Ndele Ame ohandi ke ku kupula mo pamwe nanyoko, ou e ku dala, koshilongo shimwe omo inamu dalelwa mo, oko tamu ka fila. 27 Ndelenee koshilongo osho tave shi djuulukwa keemwenyo davo va shune ko, itava shuna ko.” 28 Omulumenhu ou Konja okwa kala mbela a dinika ngaashi oshitoo sha tatuka, ile ngaashi oshinima inashi halika kovanhu? Oshike hano ye mwene noludalo laye va ekelwashi nova kupulwa moshilongo vehe shi shii.
29 Akutu, oshilongo, oshilongo, oshilongo! Uda ondjovo yOmwene! 30 Omwene osho ta ti: Omulumenhu ou mu didilikeni ye ehe noludalo, ngaashi omulumenhu ehe nelao momafiku aye aeshe. Osheshi kape na nande umwe womoludalo laye ta ka kala e nelao, a kale ngeno omutumba kolukalwapangelo laDavid ye a nangale oshilongo shaJuda e shi pangele.
