Babylon Will Fall
The Lord said:
1 City of Babylon,
You are delicate
and untouched,
but that will change.
Surrender your royal power
and sit in the dirt.
2 Start grinding grain!
Take off your veil.
Strip off your fancy clothes
and wade across rivers.
3 You will suffer the shame
of going naked,
because I will take revenge,
and no one can escape.
4 I am the Lord All-Powerful,
the holy God of Israel.
I am their Savior.
5 Babylon, be silent!
Sit in the dark.
No longer will nations
accept you as their queen.
6 I was angry with my people.
So I let you take their land
and bring disgrace on them.
You showed them no mercy,
but were especially cruel
to those who were old.
7 You thought that you
would be queen forever.
You didn't care what you did;
it never entered your mind
that you might get caught.
8 You think that you alone
are all-powerful,
that you won't be a widow
or lose your children.
All you care about is pleasure,
but listen to what I say.
9 Your magic powers and charms
will suddenly fail,
then you will be a widow
and lose your children.
10 You hid behind evil
like a shield and said,
“No one can see me!”
You were fooled by your wisdom
and your knowledge;
you felt sure that you alone
were in full control.
11 But without warning,
disaster will strike—
and your magic charms
won't help at all.
12 Keep using your magic powers
and your charms
as you have always done.
Maybe—just maybe—
you will frighten somebody!
13 You have worn yourself out,
asking for advice
from those who study the stars
and tell the future
month after month.
Go ask them how to be saved
from what will happen.
14 People who trust the stars
are as helpless as straw
in a flaming fire.
No one can even keep warm,
sitting by a fire
that feeds only on straw.
15 These are the fortunetellers
you have done business with
all of your life.
But they don't know
where they are going,
and they can't save you.
Okutakumina Babilon
1 “Babilon, kuluka ko koshipangelapundi shoye,
kuutumba pevi montsi yevi.
Owa li nale wa fa omufuko,
oshilando ihaashi sindika,
ihe ku shi we omvalekele nomulelwa ondembula.
Ngashingeyi wa ningi omupika!
2 Kutha omuhi, nkwalula omunziya!
Isiikulula oshipala!
Hula mo utale ohema yoye ombwanawa!
Humina ohema yoye, u ka tokole omilonga!
3 Aantu otaa tala epenge lyoye;
otaa ka tala okufupipikwa kwoye nohoni yoye.
Ondi na onkone, nokape na ngoka ta politha ndje.”
4 Kalunga kaIsrael omuyapuki ote tu mangulula —
edhina lye Omuwa Omunankondoawike.
5 “Shilando ngoye, omufuko gwAababilon,
kuutumba wa tya thilu, inda momilema;
ito ithanwa we omunyekadhi gwiigwana.
6 Onda geele aantu yandje;
onda kala nayo ya fa yaa shi yandje.
Onde ya gandja miikaha yoye,
ongoye noino ya sila nando ohenda;
naakulupe owe ya ningi onyanya.
7 Owa dhiladhila u kale omunyekadhi aluhe.
Ino ipula niinima mbika
nenge u dhiladhile, nkene tayi ka hula po.
8 “Pulakena shika, ngoye omuholi gwiipala,
ngoka u li nawa e to ipopile to ti:
‘Ongame omunene nokaku na we.
Kandi na mpoka tandi ningi omuselekadhi
nenge ndi kale ndaa na oluvalo.’
9 Ihe ohaluka yowala, mesiku limwe
iinima mbika ayihe tayi ka ningwa.
Nando ou na oonganga odhindji noompulile ku mana,
omusamane gwoye oto ke mu kanitha,
oye pamwe naamwoye.
10 “Owa kala wa hokwa uuwinayi woye;
owa dhiladhila kutya kape na ngoka te ku mono.
Owa pukithwa koondunge nokuunongo woye.
Owi ipopile wa ti: ‘Ongame kalunga,
kaku na we gulwe a fa ndje.’
11 Oshiponga otashi ku ya,
nokaku na onganga tayi vulu oku shi kodheka.
Ehanagulo otali ku adha ohaluka —
ehanagulo inoo li yaguma nale.
12 Holoka noonganga noompulile dhoye,
ndhoka wa li ho anekelitha okuza muugundjuka woye.
Pamwe otadhi ke ku kwatha ngaa;
pamwe to ka halutha tuu aatondi yoye.
13 Owi ilolokitha nomayele gaagandjindunge yoye oyendji.
Aakonekinyothi yoye naa holoke po, opo ye ku hupithe —
aantu mboka haa koneke oonyothi,
mboka haa konenene oshipala shegulu,
naye ku lombwele omwedhi nomwedhi
shoka tashi ku ningilwa.
14 “Otaa ka fa etutu,
nomulilo otagu ke ya lungunitha po!
Itaa ka vula nando okwiihupitha.
Omalaka gomulilo otage ke ya latha po,
kagu shi omulilo gwokuhuhulukwa.
15 Mbika ayihe otaye yi ku ningile,
oomboka mwa longele kumwe nayo okuza kuugundjuka woye.
Shaa ngoka gwomuyo oti iyukile,
kaku na ngoka ta vulu oku ku hupitha.”
