The Lord's Sword
1 The Lord spoke to me. 2 “Mortal man,” he said, “denounce Jerusalem. Denounce the places where people worship. Warn the land of Israel 3 that I, the Lord, am saying: I am your enemy. I will draw my sword and kill all of you, good and evil alike. 4 I will use my sword against everyone from south to north. 5 Everyone will know that I, the Lord, have drawn my sword and that I will not put it away.
6 “Mortal man, groan as if your heart is breaking with despair. Groan in sorrow where everyone can watch you. 7 When they ask you why you are groaning, tell them it is because of the news that is coming. When it comes, their hearts will be filled with fear, their hands will hang limp, their courage will fail, and their knees will tremble. The time has come; it is here.” The Sovereign Lord has spoken.
8 The Lord said to me, 9 “Mortal man, prophesy. Tell the people what I, the Lord, am saying:
A sword, a sword is sharpened and polished.
10 It is sharpened to kill,
polished to flash like lightning.
There can be no rejoicing,
for my people have disregarded every warning and punishment.
11 The sword is being polished,
to make it ready for use.
It is sharpened and polished,
to be put in the hands of a killer.
12 Howl in grief, mortal man;
this sword is meant for my people
and for all the leaders of Israel.
They are going to be killed
with all the rest of my people.
Beat your breast in despair!
13 I am testing my people,
and if they refuse to repent,
all these things will happen to them.
14 “Now, mortal man, prophesy. Clap your hands, and the sword will strike again and again. It is a sword that kills, a sword that terrifies and slaughters. 15 It makes my people lose courage and stumble. I am threatening their city with a sword that flashes like lightning and is ready to kill. 16 Cut to the right and the left, you sharp sword! Cut wherever you turn. 17 I also will clap my hands, and my anger will be over. I, the Lord, have spoken.”
The Sword of the King of Babylonia
18 The Lord spoke to me. 19 “Mortal man,” he said, “mark out two roads by which the king of Babylonia can come with his sword. Both of them are to start in the same country. Put up a signpost where the roads fork. 20 One will show the king the way to the Ammonite city of Rabbah, and the other the way to Judah, to the fortified city, Jerusalem. 21 The king of Babylonia stands by the signpost at the fork of the road. To discover which way to go, he shakes the arrows; he consults his idols; he examines the liver of a sacrificed animal. 22 Now! His right hand holds the arrow marked ‘Jerusalem’! It tells him to go and set up battering rams, to shout the battle cry, to place battering rams against the gates, to throw up earthworks, and to dig trenches. 23 The people of Jerusalem won't believe this because of the treaties they have made. But this prediction is to remind them of their sins and to warn them that they will be captured. 24 This then is what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying: Your sins are exposed. Everyone knows how guilty you are. You show your sins in your every action. You stand condemned, and I will hand you over to your enemies.
25 “You wicked, unholy ruler of Israel, your day, the day of your final punishment, is coming. 26 I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken. Take off your crown and your turban. Nothing will be the same again. Raise the poor to power! Bring down those who are ruling! 27 Ruin, ruin! Yes, I will make the city a ruin. But this will not happen until the one comes whom I have chosen to punish the city. To him I will give it.
A Sword and the Ammonites
28 “Mortal man, prophesy. Announce what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying to the Ammonites, who are insulting Israel. Say to them:
‘A sword is ready to destroy;
It is polished to kill, to flash like lightning.
29 The visions that you see are false, and the predictions you make are lies. You are wicked and evil, and your day is coming, the day of your final punishment. The sword is going to fall on your necks.
30 “‘Put up the sword! I will judge you in the place where you were created, in the land where you were born. 31 You will feel my anger when I turn it loose on you like a blazing fire. And I will hand you over to brutal men, experts at destruction. 32 You will be destroyed by fire. Your blood will be shed in your own country, and no one will remember you any more.’” The Lord has spoken.
Engaruvyo ra Muhona
1 Muhona wa hungira ku ami a tja: 2 “Muatje womundu, zika omeho woye mOjerusalem nu u hungire ohunga oruveze romerikotameneno watjo. Hungira omaukiro kehi ra Israel amo tja: 3 Ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona, me tja nai: Ami me ku sekamene. Me nana engaruvyo randje motjihweka nu e mu zepa amuhe, ovasemba novahasemba. 4 Ami me ungurisa engaruvyo randje ku auhe okuza komukuma wokeyuva kokumuho. 5 Auhe ma tjiwa kutja ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona, owami ngu mba nana engaruvyo randje, nu himee ri yarura mo motjihweka.
6 “Muatje womundu, tjema aayo omutima woye wa nyaika nu kara noruhoze poṋa omundu auhe pu me ku munu. 7 Tji mave ku pura kutja oruhoze rwa tjike ndu u naro, ve raera kutja omena rOmbuze, ndji mai ya. Oyo tji ye ya, omitima vyawo mavi mumapara nomaoko wawo maye rekareka aya remana; owo mave rihahiza, nozongoro zawo maze zezera. Oruveze rweya; orondwi.” Muhona Ndjambi ongwa hungire nai.
8 Muhona wa tja nai ku ami: 9 “Muatje womundu, uka. Raera ovandu imbi ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona, mbi me hungire:
Engaruvyo, engaruvyo ra upikwa
nu ra keṋakeṋisiwa.
10 Ra upikirwa okuzepa,
ra serurirwa okukeṋakeṋa
tjimuna orutjeno rwombura.
Kape nokukara enyando,
orondu otjiwaṋa tjandje katji ningire
ko na tja nomaronga nomberero aihe.
11 Engaruvyo mari keṋakeṋisiwa
kutja ri ungurisiwe.
Oro ra upikwa nari serurwa kutja
ri tuwe momake womuzepe.
12 Ura nu u rire, muatje womundu;
engaruvyo ndi ra tyerwa otjiwaṋa
tjandje novanene avehe va Israel.
Owo mave ṱu puna otjiwaṋa tjandje atjihe.
Ripambara motjari awe rihahiza!
13 Ami me roro otjiwaṋa tjandje,
notjo tji tja panḓa okuritanaura,
oviṋa mbi avihe mavi tjitwa ku tjo.
14 “Nambano, muatje womundu, uka. Tona ozongwise, nengaruvyo mari zepa ara zepere. Oro engaruvyo, ndi zepa, engaruvyo, ndi tirisa nu ndi tjita otjiṱiro. 15 Oro mari tjiti otjiwaṋa tjandje tji rihahize novaṱi ve rire ovengi. Ami me tanda otjihuro tjawo nengaruvyo, ndi mari keṋakeṋa tjimuna orutjeno rwombura nu nda upikirwa okuzepa. 16 Konda kokunene na kokumuho, ngaruvyo etwe! Konda ngamwa akuhe ku mo tanaukire. 17 Ami wina me tono otukwise, nomazenge wandje aye u pehi. Ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona, owami ngu mba hungire.”
Engaruvyo rombara ya Babilon
18 Muhona wa tja nai ku ami: 19 “Muatje womundu, saneka ozondjira mbari ombara ya Babilon mu mai ya nengaruvyo rayo. Azeyembari maze utire mehi tjingero. Zika otjihenḓe tjoviurike ozondjira pu maze haṋikire. 20 Tjimwe matji urikire ombara ondjira yokotjihuro tjOvaamoni, Raba, notjikwao matji urike ondjira ndji yenda kOjuda, kotjihuro Jerusalem tji tja zeuparisiwa. 21 Ombara ya Babilon ya kurama potjihenḓe tjoviurike pomahakaeneno wozondjira. Oyo mai taka oviku i tjiwe kutja mai sokutwara ondjira iṋe; mai pura koviserekarera vyovisenginina nai tara ehuri rotjinamuinyo tjombunguhiro. 22 Nambano! Eke rayo rokunene ra ṱiza otjiku tji tja tjangwa ‘Jerusalem’. Otjo matji i raere kutja i yende nu i katwe po oviteye vyorumbo nu i katoṋe ombimbi, nokukatwa po oviteye vyorumbo pomuvero nokukayumba ondunduvahi nokukasa oturora. 23 Ovature va Jerusalem kave kamburire moviṋa mbi mena rotuyano tu va tjita. Nungwari omaukiro nga owokuvezemburukisa ouvi wawo nowokuveronga kutja mave kamburwa. 24 Ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona Ndjambi, otji me tja nai: Ourunde weṋu wa horoka. Omundu auhe ma tjiwa ozondjo zeṋu. Eṋe mamu raisa omauvi weṋu mozondjito zeṋu azehe. Eṋe mwa sengwa, nami me mu yandja kovanavita na eṋe.”
25 “Ove murunde, munane omuhayapuke wa Israel, eyuva roye, indi romberero yoye osenina, re ya. 26 Ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona Ndjambi, owami ngu mba hungire. Isa ko ekori roye rouhona nombeta yoye! Kape notjiṋa tji matji kara omuhingo tjingewo rukwao. Owokehi ma tongamisiwa, nowokombanda ma susuparisiwa! 27 Otjitambatundu, otjitambatundu, ii, ami me tjiti otjihuro okurira otjitambatundu. Nungwari otjiṋa hi ingee katji nokutjitwa nga ingwi ngu mba toororera okuvera otjihuro tje ya. Notjo otji me tji yandja ku ye.”
Engaruvyo nOvaamoni
28 “Muatje womundu, uka. Tjivisa imbi ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona Ndjambi, mbi me hungire kOvaamoni mbe yamburura Ovaisrael. Itja nai ku wo:
Engaruvyo ra upikirwa okunyona,
oro ra keṋakeṋisiwa kutja ri zepe
nu ri tone otja orutjeno rwombura.
29 Ovirimunikise, mbi mu muna, vi ri posyo, nomaukiro ngu mu uka, ovizeze. Oweṋe ovahasemba novanauvi, neyuva reṋu re ya, indi eyuva romberero yeṋu osenina. Engaruvyo mari wire komangoti weṋu.
30 “ ‘Yarura mo engaruvyo motjihweka! Ami me ku pangurire moṋa mu wa memenwa, mehi mu wa kwaterwa. 31 Ove mo munu omazenge wandje tji mbe ye tanaurire move tjimuna orururumo rwomuriro. Nu ami me ku yandja kovandu ovindandi mbe tjiwa okunyona. 32 Ove mo sesetwa i omuriro. Ombinḓu yoye mai tirahirwa mehi roye omuini, nu kape na ngu ma uhara ame ku zemburuka rukwao, orondu ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona, owami ngu mba hungire.’ ”
