The Lord's Accusation against Israel
1 The Lord has an accusation to bring against the people who live in this land. Listen, Israel, to what he says: “There is no faithfulness or love in the land, and the people do not acknowledge me as God. 2 They make promises and break them; they lie, murder, steal, and commit adultery. Crimes increase, and there is one murder after another. 3 And so the land will dry up, and everything that lives on it will die. All the animals and birds, and even the fish, will die.”
The Lord Accuses the Priests
4 The Lord says, “Let no one accuse the people or reprimand them—my complaint is against you priests. 5 Night and day you blunder on, and the prophets do no better than you. I am going to destroy Israel, your mother. 6 My people are doomed because they do not acknowledge me. You priests have refused to acknowledge me and have rejected my teaching, and so I reject you and will not acknowledge your sons as my priests.
7 “The more of you priests there are, the more you sin against me, and so I will turn your honor into disgrace. 8 You grow rich from the sins of my people, and so you want them to sin more and more. 9 You will suffer the same punishment as the people! I will punish you and make you pay for the evil you do. 10 You will eat your share of the sacrifices, but still be hungry. You will worship the fertility gods, but still have no children, because you have turned away from me to follow other gods.”
The Lord Condemns Pagan Worship
11 The Lord says, “Wine, both old and new, is robbing my people of their senses! 12 They ask for revelations from a piece of wood! A stick tells them what they want to know! They have left me. Like a woman who becomes a prostitute, they have given themselves to other gods. 13 At sacred places on the mountaintops they offer sacrifices, and on the hills they burn incense under tall, spreading trees, because the shade is so pleasant!
“As a result, your daughters serve as prostitutes, and your daughters-in-law commit adultery. 14 Yet I will not punish them for this, because you yourselves go off with temple prostitutes, and together with them you offer pagan sacrifices. As the proverb says, ‘A people without sense will be ruined.’
15 “Even though you people of Israel are unfaithful to me, may Judah not be guilty of the same thing. Don't worship at Gilgal or Bethaven, or make promises there in the name of the living Lord. 16 The people of Israel are as stubborn as mules. How can I feed them like lambs in a meadow? 17 The people of Israel are under the spell of idols. Let them go their own way. 18 After drinking much wine, they delight in their prostitution, preferring disgrace to honor. 19 They will be carried away as by the wind, and they will be ashamed of their pagan sacrifices.
Muhona ma yandja ondjo kOvaisrael.
1 Muhona ma yandja ondjo kotjiwaṋa tji tja tura mehi ndi. Purateneye, Vaisrael, kombuze eye ndji ma hungire: “Kamu tji nouṱakame norusuvero mehi ndi, notjiwaṋa katji tjiwa kutja owami Ndjambi. 2 Otjo tji tjita omakwizikiro, tjazumba atji ye teya; otjo tji kora ovizeze, tji zepa, tji vaka nu atji katuka otukupo. Ozondjito zoutwe otji ze takavara, nomazepero ye ryamena ko. 3 Komuhingo mbwi ehi mari kukuta, nu avihe mbya tura mu ro mavi koka. Ovipuka avihe nozonḓera na wina ozohi maze koka.”
Muhona ma yandja ondjo kovapristeri
4 Muhona ma tja nai: “Ape ningi umwe ngu ma yandja ondjo kovandu poo ngu meve tena nomambo, ami me yandja ondjo ku eṋe ovapristeri. 5 Eṋe mu putara ouṱuku nomutenya, novaprofete wina kave tjiti nawa pu eṋe. Ami me kayandeka nyoko Israel. 6 Otjiwaṋa tjandje tja yanda, orondu otjo katji ndji tjiwa. Eṋe ovapristeri mwa panḓa okutjiwa ami, nu mwa imbirahi omahongero wandje, nami otji me mu imbirahi, nu me zembi ovanatje veṋu okurira ovapristeri vandje.
7 “Eṋe ovapristeri punga amu takavarera ko opunga amu tjitira ko ourunde komurungu wandje, nami otji me tjitukisa ondengero yeṋu okurira ohoṋi. 8 Eṋe mu hupisiwa i ombunguhiro yokuisapo ourunde wotjiwaṋa tjandje, neṋe otji mu vanga kutja ve tjitire ko ourunde komurungu. 9 Eṋe mamu munu omberero tjingeyo ndji yotjiwaṋa! Ami me mu vere e mu sutisire ouvi mbu mu tjita. 10 Eṋe mamu ri orukondwa rweṋu rwozombunguhiro, nungwari kamu nokukuta. Mamu rikotamene koomukuru votukwato, nungwari tjandje mamu kara nokuhinovanatje, orondu eṋe mwa humburuka na ami nu mwa kongorera oomukuru varwe.”
Muhona ma nakaura omerikotameneno kovisenginina
11 Muhona ma tja nai: “Omavinu omakuru nomape ye yeka otjiwaṋa tjandje ozondunge! 12 Owo ve ningira ondunge kotjihenḓe! Okati oku ke ve raera imbi mbi mave vanga okutjiwa! Owo ve ndji esa. Otja omukazendu punga e rira omukorondu, owo opunga ave riyandja oveni koomukuru varwe. 13 Owo ve punguhira ozombunguhiro zovinamuinyo kozondundu, nu ve twimisira ovyomoro omuwa kozondunda kehi yomiti omire omiparanga, omizire vyavyo tjinga avi ri omiwa tjinene.
“Komuhingo mbwi ovakazona veṋu otji ve rira ovakorondu, novakazona ovakwe veṋu ave katuka otukupo. 14 Nungwari ami hi nokuveverera ozondjito ozombi nḓa, orondu eṋe ovapristeri oveni mu tjitira oukorondu mozondjuwo ozonḓere, nu mu punguha ozombunguhiro koomukuru vovisenginina puna ovakorondu. Otja omuano punga amau hee ‘otjiwaṋa tji tji hi nozondunge matji yandekwa’.
15 “Nandarire kutja eṋe, tjiwaṋa tja Israel, oweṋe ovehinouṱakame ku ami, otjiwaṋa tja Juda atji ririre ko otjinandjo motjiṋa tjingetjo hi. Amu rikotamenene ko mOgilgal na mObet-Awen, nu amu tjitire mo omakwizikiro mena ra Muhona omunamuinyo. 16 Ovaisrael ovirangaranga tjimuna ousinokambe. Ami me sora vi okuveparura otja ozondjona momaryo? 17 Ovaisrael va wana noviserekarera vyovisenginina. Ve eseye ve tware ondjira yawo oveni. 18 Tji va zu nokunwa omavinu omengi owo ve yorokera oukorondu wawo, amave zeri ohoṋi pondjozikiro. 19 Owo mave twarewa aayo mave hingwa i otjivepo, nu mave ṱohoṋi mena rozombunguhiro zawo zoomukuru vovisenginina.
