A Call to Repentance
1 Listen, people of Israel, to this funeral song which I sing over you:
2 Virgin Israel has fallen,
Never to rise again!
She lies abandoned on the ground,
And no one helps her up.
3 The Sovereign Lord says, “A city in Israel sends out a thousand soldiers, but only a hundred return; another city sends out a hundred, but only ten come back.”
4 The Lord says to the people of Israel, “Come to me, and you will live. 5 Do not go to Beersheba to worship. Do not try to find me at Bethel—Bethel will come to nothing. Do not go to Gilgal—her people are doomed to exile.”
6 Go to the Lord, and you will live. If you do not go, he will sweep down like fire on the people of Israel. The fire will burn up the people of Bethel, and no one will be able to put it out. 7 You are doomed, you that twist justice and cheat people out of their rights!
8 The Lord made the stars,
the Pleiades and Orion.
He turns darkness into daylight
and day into night.
He calls for the waters of the sea
and pours them out on the earth.
His name is the Lord.
9 He brings destruction on the mighty and their strongholds.
10 You people hate anyone who challenges injustice and speaks the whole truth in court. 11 You have oppressed the poor and robbed them of their grain. And so you will not live in the fine stone houses you build or drink wine from the beautiful vineyards you plant. 12 I know how terrible your sins are and how many crimes you have committed. You persecute good people, take bribes, and prevent the poor from getting justice in the courts. 13 And so, keeping quiet in such evil times is the smart thing to do!
14 Make it your aim to do what is right, not what is evil, so that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty really will be with you, as you claim he is. 15 Hate what is evil, love what is right, and see that justice prevails in the courts. Perhaps the Lord will be merciful to the people of this nation who are still left alive.
16 And so the Sovereign Lord Almighty says, “There will be wailing and cries of sorrow in the city streets. Even farmers will be called to mourn the dead along with those who are paid to mourn. 17 There will be wailing in all the vineyards. All this will take place because I am coming to punish you.” The Lord has spoken.
18 How terrible it will be for you who long for the day of the Lord! What good will that day do you? For you it will be a day of darkness and not of light. 19 It will be like someone who runs from a lion and meets a bear! Or like someone who comes home and puts his hand on the wall—only to be bitten by a snake! 20 The day of the Lord will bring darkness and not light; it will be a day of gloom, without any brightness.
21 The Lord says, “I hate your religious festivals; I cannot stand them! 22 When you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them; I will not accept the animals you have fattened to bring me as offerings. 23 Stop your noisy songs; I do not want to listen to your harps. 24 Instead, let justice flow like a stream, and righteousness like a river that never goes dry.
25 “People of Israel, I did not demand sacrifices and offerings during those forty years that I led you through the desert. 26 But now, because you have worshiped images of Sakkuth, your king god, and of Kaiwan, your star god, you will have to carry those images 27 when I take you into exile in a land beyond Damascus,” says the Lord, whose name is Almighty God.
Eimburiro romutambo kOvaisrael
1 Purateneye, tjiwaṋa tja Israel, kembo ndi me imburire eṋe otja eimburiro roruhoze:
2 Omusuko Israel wa wire pehi
nokuhinokupenduka rukwao!
Eye wa saravara pehi
nokuhinomundu ngu me mu vatere okusekama.
3 Muhona Ndjambi ma tja nai: “Otjihuro mOisrael tji matji hindi ovarwe eyovi rimwe matji sewa nesere rimwe uriri; nu ihi tji matji hindi esere rimwe matji sewa nomurongo uriri.”
4 Muhona ma tja nai kOvaisrael: “Indjeye ku ami nu mamu hupu! 5 Amu paha Betel, nu amu i kOgilgal, amu tjindire kOberseba, Gilgal tjinga ama tji huurwa na Betel ama tji karira pouriri.”
6 Paheye Muhona nu mamu hupu! Tji mu hi nokutjita nao, eye ma raukire kotjiwaṋa tja Israel otja omuriro nu e tji seseta nokuhinaumwe mObetel ngu ma sora okuuzemisa. 7 Owee ku imba mbe tjitukisa ousemba au rire ouhasemba nave yata ousemba nozombaze!
8 Muhona ongwa mema ozonyose,
Otjose na Kanwamaihi.
Eye u tjitukisa
onḓorera okurira ondjerera yeyuva
nondjerera yeyuva okurira onḓorera.
Eye u woronganisa omeva wokuvare
ne ye tirire kombanda yehi.
Ena re o Muhona.
9 Eye u yandeka omunamasa
na nyono oviṱunga ovinamasa vyawo.
10 Eṋe mu humisa omundu ngu kuramena ousemba, nu mu tonda ingwi ngu hungira ouatjiri mombanguriro. 11 Eṋe tjinga amwa ṋiṋikiza omusyona namu kambura otjisuta tjovikokotwa ku ye, otjinga amamu tungu ozondjuwo ozombwa zomawe, nungwari kamu nokutura ko mu zo; mamu kunu ovikunino oviwa vyomivite, nungwari kamaamu kanwa ko omavinu wavyo. 12 Ami me tjiwa kutja ozongatukiro zeṋu za takavara, nokutja omauvi weṋu omanene tjinene. Eṋe mu tatumisa ovasemba, mu kambura ovisuta vyongarera, nu mu pikamisa ouatjiri wovasyona komurungu wombanguriro. 13 Omunazondunge opu ma zu okumwina moruveze ndwi, orwo tjinga aru ri oruvi tjinene.
14 Paheye ouwa nu amu paha ko ouvi kutja mu kare nomuinyo. Muhona Ndjambi Omunamasaaehe, tjiri, ma kara puna eṋe otja tji mu heya aruhe. 15 Tondeye ouvi mu suvere ouwa nu mu ṱakamise ousemba mombanguriro. Ngahino Muhona ma tjariparere ovandu vomuhoko wa Josef mba sewa po.
16 Nu Muhona Ndjambi Omunamasaaehe otji ma tja nai: “Momivanda avihe vyotjihuro mamu kara omutambo, mozondjira azehe zomotjihuro mamu urakanwa nai: ‘Owee, owee!’ Omuungure wotutumbo novikunwa ma kaisanewa okuya koruhoze rwovaṱi puna imba ovasore vomiṱanḓu mba sutwa okutjita okutangununa omutambo. 17 Nu mamu kara ondjuriro movikunino avihe vyomivite ami tji meya okumuvera.” Muhona ongwa hungire.
18 Owee ku imba mbe rizerira Eyuva ra Muhona! Eyuva ra Muhona ndo hapo mari rire tjike ku eṋe? Oro mari rire eyuva ronḓorera nu ka rondjerera. 19 Eyuva ndo, mari sana nomundu ngwa syepo ongeyama na hakaene nongu, poo mari sana nomundu ngu ri ponganda na ṱaṱere neke re kekuma rondjuwo na rumatwa i onyoka. 20 Tjiri, eyuva ra Muhona mari eta onḓorera nu kari nokueta ondjerera. Oro mari kara neṱuku nu kari nokukara nondjerera.
21 Muhona ma tja nai: “Ami mba tonda omikandi vyeṋu, ovyo vi ndji yaukisa. Hi norutjato mozombongarero zeṋu zomayuva ngo. 22 Eṋe tji mamu ndji etere ozombunguhiro ozoningiririsiwa nozovikurya, ami hi nokuzeyakura ko. Nozombunguhiro zovinamuinyo mbya ṋunisiwa wina hi nokuzeyakura ko. 23 Iseye ondokohero yomiimbo vyeṋu! Nombosiro yovihumba vyeṋu hi vanga okuizuva. 24 Tjinenenene amu isa okutjita ousemba otja onḓonḓu ndji ha isa okupupa nu aruhe tjiteye ihi tji tjiri otjisemba otja onḓonḓu ndji pupa aruhe.
25 “Tjiwaṋa tja Israel, ozombura nḓa omirongo vine nḓu mwa kara mokuti onguza, ami hi na indu mba vangere kutja mu ndji etere oviyandjewa nozombunguhiro. 26 Nungwari nambano, eṋe mu rikotamena kotjiserekarera tjotjisenginina Sakut, omukuru weṋu ombara, notja Kewan, omukuru weṋu wonyose, mbi mwe riungurira oveni. 27 Ami otji me mu twara mouhuura kehi, ndi ri munda mbwina na Damaskus.” Muhona, ngu nena Ndjambi Omunamasaaehe, ongwa tja nao.
