Babylon Will Be Captured
1 The Lord told me to say:
Announce what will happen
and don't leave anything out.
2 Raise the signal flags;
shout so all nations can hear—
Babylon will be captured!
Marduk, Babylon's god,
will be ashamed and terrified,
and his idols broken.
3 The attack on the Babylonians
will come from the north;
they and their animals will run,
leaving the land empty.
Israel and Judah Will Return to Their Land
4 The Lord said:
People of Israel and Judah,
when these things happen
you will weep, and together
you will return to your land
and worship me,
the Lord your God.
5 You will ask the way to Zion
and then come and join with me
in making an agreement
you won't break or forget.
6 My people, you are lost sheep
abandoned in the mountains
by their shepherds.
You don't even remember
your resting place.
7 I am your true pastureland,
the one who gave hope
to your ancestors.
But you abandoned me,
so when your enemies found you,
they felt no guilt
as they gobbled you up.
8 Escape from Babylonia,
my people.
Get out of that country!
Don't wait for anyone else.
9 In the north I am bringing
great nations together.
They will attack Babylon
and capture it.
The arrows they shoot
are like the best soldiers,
always finding their target.
10 Babylonia will be conquered,
and its enemies will carry off
everything they want.
Babylon Will Be Disgraced
The Lord said:
11 People of Babylonia,
you were glad
to rob my people.
You had a good time,
making more noise
than horses
and jumping around
like calves threshing grain.
12 The city of Babylon
was like a mother to you.
But it will be disgraced
and become nothing
but a barren desert.
13 My anger will destroy Babylon,
and no one will live there.
Everyone who passes by
will be shocked to see
what has happened.
14 Babylon has rebelled against me.
Archers, take your places.
Shoot all your arrows at Babylon.
15 Attack from every side!
Babylon surrenders!
The enemy tears down
its walls and towers.
I am taking my revenge
by doing to Babylon what it did
to other cities.
16 There is no one in Babylonia
to plant or harvest crops.
Even foreigners who lived there
have left for their homelands,
afraid of the enemy armies.
17 Israel is a flock of sheep
scattered by hungry lions.
The king of Assyria
first gobbled Israel up.
Then Nebuchadnezzar,
king of Babylonia,
crunched on Israel's bones.
18 I, the Lord All-Powerful,
the God of Israel,
punished the king of Assyria,
and I will also punish
the king of Babylonia.
19 But I will bring Israel
back to its own land.
The people will be like sheep
eating their fill
on Mount Carmel
and in Bashan,
in the hill country of Ephraim
and in Gilead.
20 I will rescue a few people
from Israel and Judah.
I will forgive them so completely
that their sin and guilt
will disappear,
never to be found.
The Lord's Commands to the Enemies of Babylonia
21 The Lord said:
I have told
the enemies of Babylonia,
“Attack the people of Merathaim
and Pekod.
Kill them all!
Destroy their possessions!”
22 Sounds of war
and the noise of destruction
can be heard.
23 Babylonia was a hammer
pounding every country,
but now it lies broken.
What a shock to the nations
of the world!
24 Babylonia challenged me,
the Lord God All-Powerful,
but that nation doesn't know
it is caught in a trap
that I set.
25 I've brought out my weapons,
and with them I will put a curse
on Babylonia.
26 Come from far away,
you enemies of Babylon!
Pile up the grain
from its storehouses,
and destroy it completely,
along with everything else.
27 Kill the soldiers of Babylonia,
because the time has come
for them to be punished.
28 The Babylonian army
destroyed my temple,
but soon I will take revenge.
Then refugees from Babylon
will tell about it in Zion.
29 Attack Babylon, enemy archers;
set up camp around the city,
and don't let anyone escape.
It challenged me, the holy God,
so do to it
what it did to other cities.
Proud Babylon Will Fall
30 People of Babylon,
I, the Lord, promise
that even your best soldiers
will lie dead in the streets.
31 Babylon, you should be named,
“The Proud One.”
But the time has come when I,
the Lord All-Powerful,
will punish you.
32 You are proud,
but you will stumble and fall,
and no one will help you up.
I will set your villages on fire,
and everything around you
will go up in flames.
33 You Babylonians were cruel
to Israel and Judah.
You took them captive, and now
you refuse to let them go.
34 But I, the Lord All-Powerful,
will rescue and protect them.
I will bring peace to their land
and trouble to yours.
35 I have declared war on you,
your officials, and advisors.
36 This war will prove
that your prophets
are liars and fools.
And it will frighten
your warriors.
37 Then your chariot horses
and the foreigners in your army
will refuse to go into battle,
and the enemy will carry away
everything you treasure.
38 Your rivers and canals
will dry up.
All of this will happen,
because your land
is full of idols,
and they have made fools
of you.
39 Never again will people live
in your land—
only desert animals, jackals,
and unclean birds.
40 I destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah
and the nearby towns,
and I will destroy Babylon
just as completely.
No one will live there again.
Babylonia Is Invaded
The Lord said:
41 Far to the north,
a nation and its allies
have been awakened.
They are powerful
and ready for war.
42 Bows and arrows and swords
are in their hands.
The soldiers are cruel
and show no pity.
The hoofbeats of their horses echo
like ocean waves
crashing against the shore.
The army has lined up for battle
and is coming to attack you,
people of Babylonia!
43 Ever since your king heard
about this army,
he has been weak with fear;
he twists and turns in pain
like a woman giving birth.
44 Babylonia, I will attack you
like a lion from the forest,
attacking sheep in a meadow
along the Jordan.
In a moment the flock runs,
and the land is empty.
Who will I choose to attack you?
I will do it myself!
No one can force me to fight
or chase me away.
45 Listen to my plans for you,
people of Babylonia.
Your children will be dragged off,
and your country destroyed.
46 The sounds of your destruction
will be heard among the nations,
and the earth will shake.
Babilon tashi teka po
1 Ndika olyo elaka ndyoka Omuwa e li pe ndje tali popi oshilando Babilon naantu yasho.
2 “Hokololeleni iigwana onkundana! Yi uvitheni!
Yelutheni ombaaneli, mu tomone onkundana!
Inamu yi holeka nando!
Babilon osha teka po!
Kalunga kasho Merodak okwa nyankulwa po!
Iimenka yaBabilon oya sithwa ohoni,
iiyelekela yasho iinyanyalithi ya singulwa po!
3 “Oshigwana tashi zi kuumbangalantu, otashi ya okuponokela Babilonia notashi shi ningi ombuga. Aantu niinamwenyo otayi yi ontuku, nokape na ngoka ta kala mo.”
Egaluko lyaIsrael
4 Omuwa ota ti: “Ethimbo otali ya, uuna Aaisraeli nAajuda ayehe taa ke ya taa lili, taa kongo ndje, Kalunga kawo. 5 Otaa ka pula ondjila yu uka kuSion notaye yi landula. Otaa ka hangana nangame ehangano lyaaluhe noitaye li yono we.
6 “Aantu yandje oya fa oonzi ndhoka omusita e dhi kanithile moondundu. Oye endaenda ya fa oonzi tadhi londakana oondundu, noya dhimbwa kaandjawo. 7 Oya ponokelwa kwaayehe ye ya mono. Aatondi yawo otaa ti: ‘Oya yono kOmuwa, onkee shoka twa ningi, oshi li mondjila. Oohekulu oyi inekele Omuwa, nayo yene oya li ye na oku mu inekela.’
8 “Aaisraeli ne, zii mo muBabilonia! Shi thigii po! Ningeni shanamutango oku shi thiga po! 9 Otandi ka sikumudha engathithi lyiigwana muumbangalantu noku yi ponokelitha Babilonia. Otaa ka tsa ompola molugodhi, ya kondjithe oshilongo noku shi lala. Oyo oondjumbeta oonkulungu, aashoneki yiikuti ihaayi palutha. 10 Babilonia otashi ka luwa po, naamboka taye shi lu po, otaa ka kagunyuna po ashihe ye shi hala. Ongame, Omuwa, nda popi.”
Etekopo lyaBabilon
11 Omuwa ota ti: “Aababilonia ne, omwa yugu oshigwana shandje. Omu na elago mwa nyanyukwa mwa fa ondema tayi yungula olupale, tamu hehema mwa fa okakambe okatsezi, 12 ihe oshilando sheni oshinene otashi ka fupipikwa nokusithwa ohoni. Babilonia otashi ka ninga oshishona shi vulike kiigwana ayihe; otashi ka notelwa nokumbugala. 13 Molwondjahi yandje kape na ngoka ta ka kala mo muBabilon; otashi ka kumuka po, naamboka taa ka pita pusho, otaa ka haluka nokukumwa.
14 “Ondjumbeta, tseni ompola, mu kondeke Babilon. Hwanunineni iikuti yeni ayihe kuBabilon, oshoka osha yono kungame, Omuwa. 15 Tseni onkalu koombinga adhihe dhoshilando! Babilon otashi igandja. Omadhingililokuma gasho otaga kumunwa po. Otandi polithile ondjahi yandje mAababilonia. Onkee polithileni ondjahi yeni muyo, mu ya ninge, ngaashi ya ningile aantu ooyakwawo. 16 Inamu etha ombuto yi kunwe moshilongo shoka nenge eteyo li teywe. Omukwiilongo kehe a kala mo, ota ka haluka kehomono lyaahanaguli e ta ka shuna koshilongo shaandjawo.”
Egaluko lyaIsrael
17 Omuwa ota ti: “Aaisraeli oya fa oonzi dha kukuma nodha halakanithwa koonime. Tango oya ponokelwa komupangeli gwaAssur. Opo ihe Nebukadnezzar, omukwaniilwa gwaBabilon, okwa kunya omasipa gawo. 18 Molwashika ngame, Omuwa Omunankondoawike, otandi ka geela omukwaniilwa Nebukadnezzar noshilongo she, naanaa ngaashi nda geelele omupangeli gwaAssur. 19 Otandi ka galulila Aaisraeli kevi lyawo. Otaa ka lya iikulya ya mena kondundu Karmel nomoshikandjo Baasha notaa ka kutitha ondjala yawo niilikolwa tayi zi miikandjo yaEfraim naGilead. 20 Ethimbo nge lya thikana, muIsrael itamu ka monika we ombedhi nuukolokoshi muJuda, oshoka otandi ka dhimina po aantu mboka nde ya hupitha ko. Ongame, Omuwa, nda popi.”
Kalunga ta geele Babilonia
21 Omuwa ota ti: “Ponokeleni aantu muMeratajim nomuPekod. Ya yapulileni Omuwa nokugana, mu ya dhipage noku ya hanagula po sheke. Gwanitheni ashihe tandi mu lombwele. Ongame, Omuwa, nda popi. 22 Oshihomo sholugodhi otashi uvika moshilongo, noku na ehanagulo enene. 23 Babilonia osha nyankagula po uuyuni auhe, ngashingeyi osilwa ndjoka oya nyanyagulwa po! Iigwana ayihe oya haluka kushoka sha ningilwa oshilongo shoka. 24 Babilonia, owa kondjitha ndje, nowa kwatwa komwigo ngoka nde ku tegele, nando ino shi tseya. 25 Onde egulula ompungulilo yandje yomatati nomondjahi yandje onde ga kutha mo, oshoka ngame, Omupangeliawike, Omuwa Omunankondoawike, ondi na iilonga tandi yi longo muBabilon. 26 Shi matukileni tamu ziilile koombinga adhihe. Matuleni iigandhi yasho. Iihakanwa yi ndumbileni ondumba ya fa ondumba yiilya. Hanagulii po oshilongo. Inamu thiga po nando oluthipa. 27 Dhipagii po aakwiita ayehe. Ya faleni konakupila. Yaye Aababilonia! Ethimbo olya thikana, ya geelwe.”
28 (Oontauki ndhoka dha zi muBabilonia nodhe ya kuJerusalem, odha hokolola, nkene Omuwa Kalunga ketu a polithile ondjahi ye mAababilonia, mboka ya hanagula po otempeli ye.)
29 “Lombweleni oondjumbeta, ya ponokele Babilon. Tumii ko mboka ye shi okushoneka nawa iikuti. Kondekeni oshilando, inamu etha mu ze nando omuntu. Shi peni ondjambi ndjoka she yi ilongele; shi ningeni ngaashi sha ningi yakwawo, oshoka osha shongo ndje, ongame, Omuyapuki gwaIsrael. 30 Onkee ano aagundjuka yasho otaa ka sila momapandaanda goshilando, naakwiita yasho ayehe otaa ka kombwa po esiku ndyoka. Ongame, Omuwa, nda popi.
31 “Babilonia, owa kinga unene, onkee ngame, Omuwa Omunankondoawike, onda tsa ondumbo nangoye. Ethimbo olya thiki, ndi ku geele. 32 Shigwana ngoye ho inomo, oto ka punduka; oto gwile po, nokaku na ngoka te ku kwatha. Iilando yoye otandi ke yi tomeka omulilo, noshaa shoka she ku kunduka, otashi ka hanagulwa po.”
33 Omuwa Omunankondoawike ota ti: “Aaisraeli nAajuda oya hepekwa. Ayehe mboka ye ya kwata po, oye ya thitikinine mo noinaye ya etha we. 34 Ihe omumangululi gwawo oye omunankondo — edhina lye oye Omuwa Omunankondoawike. Oye mwenemwene ti ikwatele ko nota ka eta ombili kombanda yevi, ihe kAababilonia omalwa.”
35 Omuwa ota ti:
“Nakusa oBabilon!
Oonakusa aantu yasho, aaleli yasho naanongo yasho.
36 Oonakusa aahunganeki yasho yiifundja —
oya goyapala ngiini!
Oonakusa aakwiita yasho —
oya haluka ngiini!
37 Hanagulii po uukambe nomatembakwiita gasho.
Oonakusa aakwiita yasho aahehelwa —
oyo aambanda ngiini!
Hanagulii po omaliko gasho;
hakaneni iihakanwa.
38 Oluteni nalu kalaganye,
omilonga dhi pwine.
Babilonia evi lyiimenka iitilithi,
mbyoka ya thethepaleke aantu.
39 “Babilon otashi ka kalwa koombidhi, komambungu nokoondhila dha nyata. Itamu ka kala we aantu, sigo aluhe. 40 Babilon otashi ka ningwa ngaashi Sodom naGomorra, sho nde ya hanagula nomikunda dhopuushiinda wayo. Kaku na we ngoka na ka kala mo. Ongame, Omuwa, nda popi.
41 “Oku na aantu taa ziilile koshilongo shokuumbangalantu,
oshigwana oshinankondo otashi zi kokule;
aakwaniilwa oyendji otaa ilongekidhile iita.
42 Oya homata omatati nomagonga;
oyo aananyanya, kaa na nando onge.
Oshihomo shawo osha fa efuta tali pupu,
sho ya kayila uukambe wawo.
Oyi ilongekidhila okuhomona Babilonia.
43 Omukwaniilwa gwaBabilonia sho tu uvu onkundana,
omaako ge otaga gonwa.
Ye mwene ota kwatwa komahwilili
a fa omukiintu ta thetwa.
44 “Otandi ke ya nda fa onime ya hituluka mongoya yomugulu gwaJordan tayi ya melundu lyuunapelo, nohaluka otandi ka yitha Aababilonia ontuku, ya thige po oshilando shawo. Nena omupangeli ngoka tandi hogolola, ota ka lela oshigwana. Olye ta yelekwa nangame? Olye ti itakeke ndje? Omupangeli lye ta kondjitha ndje? 45 Onkee ano pulakeneni shoka nda dhiladhilile oshilando Babilon, naashoka nda sheya okuningila aantu yasho. Nokuli naanona yawo otaa ka kookololwa po, noshaa ngoka ota ka haluka. 46 Uuna Babilon tashi teka po, otaku ka kala endundumo enene tali kakamitha evi alihe, nekugagano lyehaluko otali ka uvika kiigwana.”
