Sin and Shame
1 The Lord said to the people of Israel:
If a divorced woman marries,
can her first husband
ever marry her again?
No, because this
would pollute the land.
But you have more gods
than a prostitute has lovers.
Why should I take you back?
2 Just try to find one hilltop
where you haven't gone
to worship other gods
by having sex.
You sat beside the road
like a robber in ambush,
except you offered yourself
to every passerby.
Your sins of unfaithfulness
have polluted the land.
3 So I, the Lord, refused
to let the spring rains fall.
But just like a prostitute,
you still have no shame
for what you have done.
4 You call me your father
or your long-lost friend;
5 you beg me to stop being angry,
but you won't stop sinning.
The Lord Asks Israel To Come Back to Him
6 When Josiah was king, the Lord said:
Jeremiah, the kingdom of Israel was like an unfaithful wife who became a prostitute on the hilltops and in the shade of large trees. 7-8 I knew that the kingdom of Israel had been unfaithful and committed many sins, yet I still hoped she might come back to me. But she didn't, so I divorced her and sent her away.
Her sister, the kingdom of Judah, saw what happened, but she wasn't worried in the least, and I watched her become unfaithful like her sister. 9 The kingdom of Judah wasn't sorry for being a prostitute, and she didn't care that she had made both herself and the land unclean by worshiping idols of stone and wood. 10 And worst of all, the people of Judah pretended to come back to me. 11 Even the people of Israel were honest enough not to pretend.
12 Jeremiah, shout toward the north:
Israel, I am your Lord—
come back to me!
You were unfaithful
and made me furious,
but I am merciful,
and so I will forgive you.
13 Just admit that you rebelled
and worshiped foreign gods
under large trees everywhere.
14 You are unfaithful children,
but you belong to me.
Come home!
I'll take one or two of you
from each town and clan
and bring you to Zion.
15 Then I'll appoint wise rulers
who will obey me,
and they will care for you
like shepherds.
16 You will increase in numbers,
and there will be no need
to remember the sacred chest
or to make a new one.
17 The whole city of Jerusalem
will be my throne.
All nations will come here
to worship me,
and they will no longer follow
their stubborn, evil hearts.
18 Then, in countries to the north,
you people of Judah and Israel
will be reunited,
and you will return to the land
I gave your ancestors.
19 I have always wanted
to treat you as my children
and give you the best land,
the most beautiful on earth.
I wanted you to call me “Father”
and not turn from me.
20 But instead, you are like a wife
who broke her wedding vows.
You have been unfaithful to me.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
The People Confess Their Sins
The Lord said:
21 Listen to the noise
on the hilltops!
It's the people of Israel,
weeping and begging me
to answer their prayers.
They forgot about me
and chose the wrong path.
22 I will tell them, “Come back,
and I will cure you
of your unfaithfulness.”
They will answer,
“We will come back, because you
are the Lord our God.
23 On hilltops, we worshiped idols
and made loud noises,
but it was all for nothing—
only you can save us.
24 Since the days of our ancestors
when our nation was young,
that shameful god Baal has taken
our crops and livestock,
our sons and daughters.
25 We have rebelled against you
just like our ancestors,
and we are ashamed of our sins.”
Uuhasha waIsrael
1 Omuwa ota ti: “Ngele oku na omusamane ta henge po omukadhi, nomukadhi ta ka hokanwa kugulwe, ita vulu we oku mu hokanununa. Shika otashi nyateke oshilongo nayi. Ihe ngoye Israel, sho wa hondelwa kaaholike yoye oyendji, oto galukile tuu kungame? 2 Yelutha utale omeho goye u ligamene kiikulundundu. Oku na tuu ehala mpoka inoo hondelelwa po? Owa tegamene aasamane yoye pooha dhoondjila wa fa Omuarabia a langela oshihakanwa mombuga. Owa nyateke oshilongo noluhondelo lwoye. 3 Omolwashoka omvula ya keelelwa okuloka, omvula yontemuno ya kala inaayi loka we. Nando wa kala moluhondelo, ino sa ohoni.
4 “Nongashingeyi oto lombwele ndje to ti: ‘Ongoye tate, nou hole ndje okuza kuugundjuka. 5 Ino hala okugeyagana aluhe noino hala okukonenena ndje sigo aluhe.’ Israel, osho to popi, ihe oto longo iihuna ayihe to vulu oku yi huna.”
Israel naJuda oye na okwiitedhulula
6 Omuwa okwa lombwele ndje muuyuni womukwaniilwa Josia ta ti: “Owa mona tuu, omuhasha Israel nkene a ningi? Okwa londo koondundu adhihe oondeendeka nokwa yi momizile dhomiti adhihe omitalala e ta lalwa naye nkoka. 7 Onda dhiladhila kutya ngele a gwanitha mbika, ota ka galukila kungame. Ihe ina galuka nando, nomumwayina omuhasha Juda okwe shi tala wo. 8 Juda okwa mono kutya onda henge po Israel, nonde mu tidha po, oshoka okwa pilamene ndje e ta ningi ohonda. Ihe Juda, omumwayina gwaIsrael, ina tila ndje. Naye wo okwa ningi ohonda 9 noina sa nando ohoni. Okwa nyateke oshilongo noluhondelo, sho a simaneke omamanya nomiti omitalala. 10 Nokonima yaambika ayihe Juda, omumwayina omuhasha gwaIsrael, ina galukila kungame. Okwi ifethitha ashike, ihe ine shi ninga moshili. Ongame Omuwa nda popi.”
11 Omuwa okwa lombwele ndje kutya Israel nando okwe mu pilamene, okwa ningi ngaa hwepo e vule omwiiteki Juda. 12 Okwa lombwele ndje, ndi ka lombwele Israel ndi tye: “Israel ngoka wi iteka ndje, galukila kungame. Ngame omunamutimahenda noihandi geye osima. Itandi ku geele we sigo aluhe. 13 Zimina owala kutya ngoye omunandjo, nowa tsu ondumbo nOmuwa, Kalunga koye. Hempulula kutya owa saagelele iikalunga yokiilongo momuti kehe omutalala noino vulika kiipango yandje. Ongame Omuwa nda popi.
14 “Aantu ne mboka mwi iteka ndje, galukeni; one aantu yandje. Otandi ka kutha gumwe gwomune moshilando kehe, nayaali yomoludhi kehe notandi ke mu galulila kondundu Sion. 15 Otandi ke mu pa aaleli haa vulika kungame, notaye mu lele nuunongo noondunge. 16 Nongele mwi indjipala oyendji moshilongo shoka, aantu itaa ka tumbula we oshikethahangano. Itaye ke shi dhiladhila we nenge ye shi dhimbulukwe; itaye shi pumbwa we noitaa ka pangela we oshipe. 17 Uuna ethimbo ndyoka nali thiki, Jerusalem otashi ka ithanwa ‘Oshipangelapundi shOmuwa’, niigwana ayihe oko tayi ka gongala yi simaneke ndje. Itaa ka ninga we, ngaashi omitima dhawo omiwinayi nodha tangalala tadhi ya lombwele. 18 Israel ota hangana naJuda, noyo ayehe otaa zi muupongekwa moshilongo shokuumbangalantu notaa galukile koshilongo shoka nde shi pele oohekulu, shi ninge eliko lyawo.”
Iimenka yaantu yaKalunga
19 Omuwa ota ti:
“Israel, onda halele ndi ku taambe omumwandjemati,
otandi ku pe evi lyo ondoka,
evi ewanawa muuyuni auhe.
Onde ku halele, u ithane ndje tate,
noku na mpoka no ka pilamena ndje we.
20 Ihe owa fa omukulukadhi ti iteka pomusamane gwe,
ngoye ino inekela ndje.
Ongame Omuwa nda popi.”
21 Ewi otali igidha muule koondungu dhoondundu.
Oyo Aaisraeli taa kugu notaa galikana,
oshoka oya kala moondjo
noya dhimbwa Omuwa Kalunga kawo.
22 Galukeni, one amuhe mboka mwi iteka Omuwa;
ote ke mu aludha e te mu ningi aainekelwa.
Otamu ti: “Eeno, otatu ya kOmuwa, oshoka oye Kalunga ketu. 23 Inatu mona ekwatho miinonoma yuupagani koondungu dhoondundu. Ekwatho lyaIsrael otali zi ashike kOmuwa Kalunga ketu. 24 Ihe okulongela Baal, oshikalunga shohoni, oshe tu kanithitha oonzi dhetu, osho wo aanona yetu aamati naakadhona — ashihe shoka ootatekulu ya longelele muuyuni wonale. 25 Natu laleni mohoni e tatu pitika ondhino yi tu kwidhidhike. Otse nootatekulu twa yono aluhe kOmuwa Kalunga ketu; inatu vulika nando kiipango ye.”
