The Lord Was Like an Enemy
The Prophet Speaks:
1 The Lord was angry!
So he disgraced Zion
though it was Israel's pride
and his own place of rest.
In his anger he threw Zion down
from heaven to earth.
2 The Lord had no mercy!
He destroyed the homes
of Jacob's descendants.
In his anger he tore down
every walled city in Judah;
he toppled the nation
together with its leaders,
leaving them in shame.
3 The Lord was so furiously angry
that he wiped out
the whole army of Israel
by not supporting them
when the enemy attacked.
He was like a raging fire
that swallowed up
the descendants of Jacob.
4 He attacked like an enemy
with a bow and arrows,
killing our loved ones.
He has burned to the ground
the homes on Mount Zion.
5 The Lord was like an enemy!
He left Israel in ruins
with its palaces
and fortresses destroyed,
and with everyone in Judah
moaning and weeping.
6 He shattered his temple
like a hut in a garden;
he completely wiped out
his meeting place,
and did away with festivals
and Sabbaths
in the city of Zion.
In his fierce anger he rejected
our king and priests.
7 The Lord abandoned his altar
and his temple;
he let Zion's enemies
capture her fortresses.
Noisy shouts were heard
from the temple,
as if it were a time
of celebration.
8 The Lord had decided
to tear down the walls of Zion
stone by stone.
So he started destroying
and did not stop
until walls and fortresses
mourned and trembled.
9 Zion's gates have fallen
facedown on the ground;
the bars that locked the gates
are smashed to pieces.
Her king and royal family
are prisoners
in foreign lands.
Her priests don't teach,
and her prophets don't have
a message from the Lord.
10 Zion's leaders are silent.
They just sit on the ground,
tossing dirt on their heads
and wearing sackcloth.
Her young women can do nothing
but stare at the ground.
11 My eyes are red from crying,
my stomach is in knots,
and I feel sick all over.
My people are being wiped out,
and children lie helpless
in the streets of the city.
12 A child begs its mother
for food and drink,
then blacks out
like a wounded soldier
lying in the street.
The child slowly dies
in its mother's arms.
13 Zion, how can I comfort you?
How great is your pain?
Lovely city of Jerusalem,
how can I heal your wounds,
gaping as wide as the sea?
14 Your prophets deceived you
with false visions
and lying messages—
they should have warned you
to leave your sins
and be saved from disaster.
15 Those who pass by
shake their heads and sneer
as they make fun and shout,
“What a lovely city you were,
the happiest on earth,
but look at you now!”
16 Zion, your enemies curse you
and snarl like wild animals,
while shouting,
“This is the day
we've waited for!
At last, we've got you!”
17 The Lord has done everything
that he had planned
and threatened long ago.
He destroyed you without mercy
and let your enemies boast
about their powerful forces.
18 Zion, deep in your heart
you cried out to the Lord.
Now let your tears overflow
your walls day and night.
Don't ever lose hope
or let your tears stop.
19 Get up and pray for help
all through the night.
Pour out your feelings
to the Lord,
as you would pour water
out of a jug.
Beg him to save your people,
who are starving to death
at every street crossing.
Jerusalem Speaks:
20 Think about it, Lord!
Have you ever been this cruel
to anyone before?
Is it right for mothers
to eat their children,
or for priests and prophets
to be killed in your temple?
21 My people, both young and old,
lie dead in the streets.
Because you were angry,
my young men and women
were brutally slaughtered.
22 When you were angry, Lord,
you invited my enemies
like guests for a party.
No one survived that day;
enemies killed my children,
my own little ones.
1 Akutu, ongahelipi Omwene mehandu laye okwa tuvika noilemo omona okakadona kaSion! Efimano laIsrael meulu okwe li ekelashi poshi, ndele ina dimbulukwa oshipundi sheemhadi daye mefiku lehandu laye. 2 Omwene okwa hanauna nokuhenonghenda eenhele adishe dokukala kwaJakob, moupyuhandu waye Ye okwa hanauna po eehotengulu domona okakadona kaJuda nokwe di ngumaunina poshi; okwa xutula ouhamba neehamba dao. 3 Mehanyo lehandu laye okwa teta po keshe oluvinga laIsrael. Eke laye lokolulyo okwe li alula moipafi yomutondadi. NomuJakob okwa lungwinifa ngaashi elaka lomundilo tali lafa po ashishe keembinga adishe. 4 Okwa shila outa waye ngaashi omutondadi. Okwa kala ofika eke laye la yeluka ngaashi omunaita, ndele okwa dipaa po keshe eshi sha li sha wapalela omesho ometwali lomona okakadona kaSion. Oupyuhandu waye okwe u tila ngaashi omundilo. 5 Omwene okwe lininga ngaashi omutondadi, Ye okwa pona po Israel; eengulu doupuna adishe okwe di pona po, eehotengulu okwe di ngumauna po. Ndele okwa hapupalifa okulila nokukema kwomona okakadona kaJuda. 6 Ndele etwali laye okwe li hanauna po ngaashi oshikunino. Onhele yaye mwene yoshivilo okwe i hanauna po. Omwene okwa dimbwifila muSion oshivilo nEshabata, ndele mehandu laye la xwama okwa ta mo ohamba nomupristeli. 7 Omwene okwa ekelashi oaltari yaye notembeli yaye e i dinifa. Ye okwa yandja momake ovatondadi omakuma eengulu doupuna. Ovo va kalukila pombada motembeli yOmwene nokukuwilila ngaashi mefiku loshivilo. 8 Omwene osho a pangela a ngumaune po omakuma omona okakadona kaSion. Ye okwa shila ko oshiyelekifongodi, ndele Ye ina alula eke laye kehanauno. Heeno, eehote nomakuma okwe a nyikifa oluhodi, vo aveshe kumwe ova teyauka. 9 Oivelo yasho ya ningina medu, omakumba asho Ye e a tatula po nokwa teyaula po. Ohamba yasho novakulunhu vasho ve li mokati kovapaani. Kape nomalombwelo vali, novaxunganeki vasho ihava tambula vali omamoniko kOmwene. 10 Ovakulunhu vomona okakadona kaSion va kala omutumba poshi, va mwena. Komitwe davo ove lifundila ondwi yedu, vo ova djala eeshako. Oukadona vomuJerusalem ova nyongameka omitwe davo pedu. 11 Omesho ange a twiyala komahodi; eshi shomeni lange osha fuluka. Omutima wange wa hala okutopa omolwenyonauko lomona okakadona koshiwana shange. Osheshi ounona nouhanana tava pundile po meendabo doshilando. 12 Ohava ti kooina: “Oilya nomaviinyu oku li peni?” Eshi tava pundile meendabo doshilando ongaashi eendjashe, eshi eemwenyo davo tadi fudile momakolo ooina. 13 Oundobwedi ulipi ame ndi ku etele ndele handi dulu oku ku faafanifa nashike, oove Jerusalem? Ohandi ke ku faafanifa nashike, ame ndi dule oku ku hekeleka, oove okakadona, omona waSion? Osheshi enyonauko loye olinene li fike pefuta, kape na ou ta dulu oku ku velula? 14 Ovaxunganeki voye ve ku monena oinima yoipupulu noyoulai. Vo inave ku hololela owii woye, opo okukala kwoye ku lunduluke, ndelenee vo ove ku monena omaxunganeko oipupulu nomapukifo. 15 Aveshe ava hava ende nondjila, ohava pandula nomake molwoye, tava shiki omwilwa, ndele tava pukapuka komitwe molwomona okakadona Jerusalem: “Oshilando osho tuu osho ve shi tile: sha wanenena mewapalo, osho ehafo ledu alishe?” 16 Ovatondi voye aveshe otave ku ekamene omakanya avo. Vo otava sheke nokukweshela omayoo ndele tava ti: “Ofye otwe shi pona po, heeno, olo efiku twe li teelela. Fye otwe li hanga, twe li mona nee.”
17 Omwene okwa shakenifa eshi Ye e shi nuninine. Ondjovo yaye okwe i wanifa, ei Ye e i tongele pomafiku onalenale; okwe shi ngumauna po ke nonghenda, nomutondadi okwe mu hafifa molwoye, nokwa yelulila pombada oluvinga lomunaita naave. 18 Ifana pombada kOmwene, ove ohotekuma yomona okakadona kaSion! Tondokifa omahodi oye ngaashi omulonga omutenya noufiku. Ino dimbwa, u tulumukwe; eisho loye inali fifikina. 19 Penduka po! Ingida moufiku omefimbo lenangelo longuloshi. Tilashi omwenyo woye ngaashi omeva okoshipala shOmwene. Yelula kuye omake oye omolweemwenyo dounona voye, ovo tava file ondjala pomashakeneno omapandavanda aeshe. 20 Tala, Omwene, Ove u diladile olyelye ou we shi ningila ngaha! Ovalikadi ovo mbela ve nokulya oshiimati shomadimo avo nokutya, ouhanana ava hava humbatelwa momake? Ovapristeli novaxunganeki mbela ve nokudipaelwa motembeli yOmwene? 21 Pedu momapandavanda opa nangala ovanyasha novakulunhu. Oukadona vange novamati vange va wila po keongamukonda. Ove we va dipaa mefiku loye lehandu; wa twa uhe nonghenda. 22 Ovatilifi vange we va shivila nge keembinga adishe ngaashi efiku loshivilo. Nefiku olo lehandu lOmwene kapa li nande umwe a ya onhapo, ile e lixupifa. Ava nde va tekula nonde va kulifa, omutondadi wange okwe va mana po.
