1 You are doomed! You make unjust laws that oppress my people. 2 That is how you keep the poor from having their rights and from getting justice. That is how you take the property that belongs to widows and orphans. 3 What will you do when God punishes you? What will you do when he brings disaster on you from a distant country? Where will you run to find help? Where will you hide your wealth? 4 You will be killed in battle or dragged off as prisoners. Yet even so the Lord's anger will not be ended; his hand will still be stretched out to punish.
The Emperor of Assyria as the Instrument of God
5 The Lord said, “Assyria! I use Assyria like a club to punish those with whom I am angry. 6 I sent Assyria to attack a godless nation, people who have made me angry. I sent them to loot and steal and trample the people like dirt in the streets.”
7 But the Assyrian emperor has his own violent plans in mind. He is determined to destroy many nations. 8 He boasts, “Every one of my commanders is a king! 9 I conquered the cities of Calno and Carchemish, the cities of Hamath and Arpad. I conquered Samaria and Damascus. 10 I reached out to punish those kingdoms that worship idols, idols more numerous than those of Jerusalem and Samaria. 11 I have destroyed Samaria and all its idols, and I will do the same to Jerusalem and the images that are worshiped there.”
12 But the Lord says, “When I finish what I am doing on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, I will punish the emperor of Assyria for all his boasting and all his pride.”
13 The emperor of Assyria boasts, “I have done it all myself. I am strong and wise and clever. I wiped out the boundaries between nations and took the supplies they had stored. Like a bull I have trampled the people who live there. 14 The nations of the world were like a bird's nest, and I gathered their wealth as easily as gathering eggs. Not a wing fluttered to scare me off; no beak opened to scream at me!”
15 But the Lord says, “Can an ax claim to be greater than the one who uses it? Is a saw more important than the one who saws with it? A club doesn't lift up a person; a person lifts up a club.”
16 The Lord Almighty is going to send disease to punish those who are now well-fed. In their bodies there will be a fire that burns and burns. 17 God, the light of Israel, will become a fire. Israel's holy God will become a flame, which in a single day will burn up everything, even the thorns and thistles. 18 The rich forests and farmlands will be totally destroyed, in the same way that a fatal sickness destroys someone. 19 There will be so few trees left that even a child will be able to count them.
A Few Will Come Back
20 A time is coming when the people of Israel who have survived will not rely any more on the nation that almost destroyed them. They will truly put their trust in the Lord, Israel's holy God. 21 A few of the people of Israel will come back to their mighty God. 22 Even though now there are as many people of Israel as there are grains of sand by the sea, only a few will come back. Destruction is in store for the people, and it is fully deserved. 23 Yes, throughout the whole country the Sovereign Lord Almighty will bring destruction, as he said he would.
The Lord Will Punish Assyria
24 The Sovereign Lord Almighty says to his people who live in Zion, “Do not be afraid of the Assyrians, even though they oppress you as the Egyptians used to do. 25 In only a little while I will finish punishing you, and then I will destroy them. 26 I, the Lord Almighty, will beat them with my whip as I did the people of Midian at Oreb Rock. I will punish Assyria as I punished Egypt. 27 When that time comes, I will free you from the power of Assyria, and their yoke will no longer be a burden on your shoulders.”
The Invader Attacks
28 The enemy army has captured the city of Ai! They have passed through Migron! They left their supplies at Michmash! 29 They have crossed the pass and are spending the night at Geba! The people in the town of Ramah are terrified, and the people in King Saul's hometown of Gibeah have run away. 30 Shout, people of Gallim! Listen, people of Laishah! Answer, people of Anathoth! 31 The people of Madmenah and Gebim are running for their lives. 32 Today the enemy are in the town of Nob, and there they are shaking their fists at Mount Zion, at the city of Jerusalem.
33 The Lord Almighty will bring them crashing down like branches cut off a tree. The proudest and highest of them will be cut down and humiliated. 34 The Lord will cut them down as trees in the heart of the forest are cut down with an ax, as even the finest trees of Lebanon fall!
1 Owee ku imba mbe zikamisa omatwako omahasemba, na ku imba mbe tjanga omazikamisiro wokuṋiṋikiza na wo otjiwaṋa tjandje! 2 Komuhingo mbwi owo ve yeka ovasyona ondjira yousemba, nu ve tjaera ovahepe kutja ave ha munu ousemba wawo; wina ve huura ovahepundu, nu ve punda ozosewa. 3 Mamu tjiti vi meyuva Ndjambi mu me mu vere? Mamu tjiti vi, eye tji ma eta otjiwonga ku eṋe okuza kehi rokokure? Mamu tupuka ku uṋe okukaningira ombatero? Outumbe weṋu mamu u horeke pi? 4 Eṋe mamu twarewa otja ovahuurwa, nu mamu ṱu movita. Nu nangarire kutja pa tjitwa nao, omazenge wa Muhona kaye yanda; eke re ingee ra ropororerwa okuvera.
Ndjambi ma tanda Asirie
5 Muhona wa tja nai: “Owee kove, Asirie! Ami me ku ungurisa otja ongwinya yokuvera na yo imba mbu mbi nomazenge na wo. 6 Ami me hindi Ovaasirie kutja ve karwise otjiwaṋa otjirunde, ihi otjiwaṋa tji tje ndji pindikisa. Meve hindi kutja ve kapunde, ve kahuure nu ve katombe otjiwaṋa otja ondova momivanda.”
7 Nungwari ombara ya Asirie i nomeripuriro wayo oini woutwe momutima. Oyo ye rimana okuyandeka oviwaṋa ovingi. 8 Oyo i rihiva ai tja: “Ovahongore vandje avehe owo kazombara are? 9 Ami mba huura ovihuro ooKalno na Karkemis na Hamat na Arpad. Wina mba huura ovihuro Samaria na Damaskus. 10 Ami mba roporora eke randje okuvera na ro omauhona nga nge rikotamena koomukuru vovisenginina, oomukuru voviserekarera ovihongwa ovingi tjinene pu imbi ovya Jerusalem novya Samaria. 11 Otja punga amba nyona Samaria noviserekarera vyoomukuru vatjo avehe vovisenginina, kapunga ame tjiti kOjerusalem noviserekarera vyatjo are?”
12 Nungwari Muhona ma tja nai: “Ami tji mba mana oviungura, mbi me tjiti kondundu Sion na mOjerusalem, me vere ombara ya Asirie mena romerihiviro nomeritongamisiro wayo aehe.”
13 Ombara ya Asirie i rihiva ai tja: “Oviṋa avihe ami mbe vi tjita omuini. Mbi nomasa, owami onongo nu mbi nozondunge. Ami mba isa po omiruko mbya haṋa omahi woviwaṋa, nu mba huura ovihuze, mbi va pwikire. Otja ondwezu yongombe ami mba tomba otjiwaṋa tji tja tura mo. 14 Oviwaṋa vyouye vya ri otja otjiruwo tjonḓera, nami mba wonga outumbe wavyo tjimuna omundu tji ma wongo omai nga isiwa nao uriri. Kape notjivava tji tja pakapaka okundjitirisa, nu kape notjinyo tji tja yahamwa okundjirokohera!”
15 Nungwari Muhona ma tja nai: “Ekuva mari sora okutya kutja oro enanḓengu pu ingwi ngu ma ke na ro are? Otjikonde matji sora okutya kutja otjo otjinanḓengu pu ingwi ngu ma kondo na tjo are? Ongwinya kai yere omundu; omundu ongu yera ongwinya.”
16 Muhona Ndjambi Omunamasaaehe opu ma hindire ohoko kutja a vere na yo imba mba ṋuna. Otutu twawo otunamasa matu sesetwa i omuriro omusesete. 17 Ndjambi ngu ri ondjerera ya Israel ma rire omuriro. Omuyapuke wa Israel ma rire orururumo ndu maru seseta oviṋa ngamwa avihe moure weyuva rimwe, nangarire omakuiya nominanyiva. 18 Eye ma nyono omahwa we nga nyomoka nawa tjinene, notjikunino tje tjomiti vyovihape tjimuna omutjise omuzeu tji u yendayenda amau zepa omundu. 19 Mape kara omiti ouṱiṱi vyehwa re uriri, nangarire okanatje okazandu mbi make yenene okuvivara.
Ovandu ouṱiṱi mave kotoka
20 Oruveze maru ya, otjiwaṋa tja Israel tji tja hupa, nonganda ya Jakob ndja yamwa, mu mave isa okuriyameka kOvaasirie mbe ve tona. Owo mave riyameke nouṱakame ku Muhona, Omuyapuke wa Israel. 21 Otjihupe tja Israel matji kotoka ku Ndjambi wawo omunamasa. 22 Nangarire kutja nambano pe nOvaisrael ovengi tjinene mbe ṱeki peheke pomukuro wokuvare, maku kakotoka ovandu ouṱiṱi uriri. Omayandekero ya tyerwa otjiwaṋa, nombanguriro osemba mai ya otja omupupo. 23 Tjiri, Muhona Ndjambi Omunamasaaehe ma eta omanyoneno kombanda yehi arihe otja pa heya.
Muhona ma vere Asirie
24 Muhona Ndjambi Omunamasaaehe opu ma tjere nai: “Tjiwaṋa tjandje tji tja tura mOsion! Amu tira Ovaasirie, nangarire kutja owo mave mu ṋiṋikiza tjimuna Ovaengipte tjaave tjiti. 25 Moure woruveze orusupi ami me isa okuvera eṋe, tjazumba otji meve yandeke momazenge wandje. 26 Ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona Omunamasaaehe, meve tono nongora yandje tjimuna tji mba tonene Ovamidian pOruuwa rwa Oreb. Ami me vere Asirie otja tji mba vera Engipte mOmuronga wOtuu. 27 Meyuva ndo ami me mu kutura kouvara wOvaasirie, nomutwaro wawo omuzeu kau tji nokumuhavera rukwao koviṱuve vyeṋu.”
Omurwise ma ru
28 Otjimbumba tjovita tjOvaasirie tja huura otjihuro Aja! Otjo tja tuurunga otjihuro Migron, nu tja isa omitwaro vyatjo mOmikmas. 29 Otjo tja tanana omuṱurukira natji karara mOgeba. Ovature votjihuro Rama mave zezera, nu imba mba tura mOgibea, otjihuro tjombara Saul, va taura. 30 Ravaereye, vature va Galim! Purateneye, vature va Lajesa! Zireye, vature va Anatot! 31 Ovature va Madmena mave taura, novature va Gebim mave kaṱara. 32 Ndinondi ovanavita ve ri motjihuro Nob, nu mu tjo omu mave hutire ondundu Sion ozongomi, ihi otjihuro Jerusalem.
33 Muhona Ndjambi Omunamasaaehe meve kundu pehi tjimuna otutavi twokozondomba zomiti tu tu tja ndwipa tji matu kerwa pehi. Nu imba ovirangaranga noveritongamise mokati kawo mave wisirwa pehi nave susuparisiwa. 34 Muhona meve vanda pehi tjimuna omiti mbi ri mokati kehwa epote tji vi kerwa pehi nekuva, wina tjimuna omiti omiwamiwa vya Libanon otji mavi u.
