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!
Eigidho lyeitedhululo
1 Pulakeneni, ne Aaisraeli, kelilo lyoosa tandi li mu hekumununine:
2 Omukadhona Israel a pundukila po,
ita penduka tuu we!
Okwa lala i iyekelahi pevi,
nokape na ngo te mu yambula po.
3 Omuwa Omupangeliawike ota ti: “Oshilando shoka shomuIsrael tashi tumu aakwiita eyuvi, ethele alike tali galuka ko; noshikwawo shoka tashi tumu ethele, omulongo ayeke taa ka galuka ko.”
4 Omuwa ota lombwele Aaisraeli ta ti: “Ileni kungame, notamu ka kala mu na omwenyo. 5 Inamu ya ko kuBeersheba, mu ka ninge elongelokalunga. Inamu kambadhala okumona ndje kuBetel, oshoka Betel otashi ka hanagulwa po. Inamu ya kuGilgal, oshoka aantu yasho otaa ka pangulilwa muupika.”
6 Kongeni Omuwa, notamu ka kala mu na omwenyo. Ngele itamu shi ningi, ota ka koloka ko a hwama a fa omulilo ta lambele Aaisraeli. Omulilo otagu ka lungunitha po Aabetel, nokape na ngoka ta vulu oku gu dhima. 7 Yaye ne mboka hamu goyokitha ompango nohamu lyatele pevi uuyuuki!
8 Omuwa okwa mbumbinga oonyothi,
Oshothi nOkalimbanombwa.
Omilema ote dhi shitukitha uuyelele,
nomutenya uusiku.
Ota gongaleke omeya gomefuta
note ga wayulile kombanda yevi.
Edhina lye oye Omuwa.
9 Ota hanagula po aanankondo nomapopilongulu gawo.
10 Ne aantu ohamu tondo ngoka ta popile uuyuuki nohamu hugu ngoka ta hokolola oshili mompangu. 11 Ne omwa thindile oohepele kongudhi nomwe ya yugu iilya yawo. Osho nduno itamu ka kalelela mo momagumbo goondhopi ga tungika nenge mu nwe omaviinu ga za miitsambe yeni yo opala. 12 Ngame ondi shi oondjo dheni odhindji nomayono geni omadhigu. Ohamu tidhagana aantu aawanawa, ohamu taamba oombumbo nohamu thininike aafupi, yaa tokolelwe eutho lyu uka miihokolola. 13 Onkee omunandunge oha mwena pethimbo ndika ewinayi.
14 Lalakaneneni okulonga uuyuuki, haashoka sha goyoka, opo mu kale mu na omwenyo. Nena Omuwa Kalunga Omunankondoawike ota kala shili nane, ngaashi mwa hala a kale. 15 Tondeni uuwinayi, holeni uuyuuki nokutala kutya uuyuuki otau pangele miihokolola. Pamwe Omuwa ota sile ohenda aantu yoshigwana shika mboka ya hupu ko ye na omwenyo.
16 Omuwa Kalunga Omunankondoawike ota ti ngeyi: “Otaku kala etakumo nelilagano lyoluhodhi momapandaanda goshilando. Naanamapya otaa ki ithanwa, ye ye ya lile oosa ya tegama naalilasa aafutwa. 17 Otaku ka kala etakumo miitsambe ayihe yomiviinu. Ayihe mbika otayi ka ningwa, oshoka otandi ya, ndi mu geele.” Ndhika odha popiwa kOmuwa.
18 Uudhigu ou thike peni tau ke mu adha mboka mwa yuulukwa esiku lyOmuwa! Esiku ndyoka otali mu etele uuwanawa washike? Esiku ndyoka otali ke mu ningila esiku lyomilema nohalyuuyelele. 19 Otali ka kala ngomuntu ta fadhuka po onkoshi e ta tsakaneke emwanka. Nenge ngomuntu ngoka te ya kegumbo nosho ta kwatelele kekuma, ota lika keyoka! 20 Esiku lyOmuwa otali ke etelela omilema nohauyelele; otali ka kala esiku eluudhe lyaa na eminikilo.
21 Omuwa ota ti: “Otandi tondo iituthi yeni yomalongelokalunga; itandi vulu oku yi idhidhimikila! 22 Sho tamu etele ndje omafikilondjambo niikulyandjambo, itandi yi taamba nando; itandi taamba iimuna mbyoka mwo ondodha notamu yi etele ndje omayambo. 23 Mwenekeni embolongondjo lyoondjimbo dheni; inandi hala okupulakena uuharpa weni. 24 Peha lyasho, tondokitheni eutho lya fa efundja nuuyuuki wa fa omulonga itaagu pwine.
25 “Aaisraeli ne, inandi mu pula nando oontselelandjambo niikulyandjambo momimvo ndhiyaka omilongo ne, sho nde mu enditha mombuga. 26 Ihe ngashingeyi, molwashoka mwa simaneke oshiyelekela shaSakkut, oshikalungakwaniilwa sheni, naKewan, oshikalunganyothi sheni, otamu ka humbata iiyelekela mbyoka, 27 sho tandi mu fala muupika handiyaka yaDamaskus,” Omuwa osho ta ti, oongoka e na edhina lye Kalunga Omunankondoawike.
