God's Assurance to Israel
1 God says,
“Be silent and listen to me, you distant lands!
Get ready to present your case in court;
you will have your chance to speak.
Let us come together to decide who is right.
2 “Who was it that brought the conqueror from the east
and makes him triumphant wherever he goes?
Who gives him victory over kings and nations?
His sword strikes them down as if they were dust.
His arrows scatter them like straw before the wind.
3 He follows in pursuit and marches safely on,
so fast that he hardly touches the ground!
4 Who was it that made this happen?
Who has determined the course of history?
I, the Lord, was there at the beginning,
and I, the Lord, will be there at the end.
5 “The people of distant lands have seen what I have done;
they are frightened and tremble with fear.
So they all assemble and come.
6 The skilled workers help and encourage each other.
7 The carpenter says to the goldsmith, ‘Well done!’
The one who beats the idol smooth
encourages the one who nails it together.
They say, ‘The soldering is good’—
and they fasten the idol in place with nails.
8 “But you, Israel my servant,
you are the people that I have chosen,
the descendants of Abraham, my friend.
9 I brought you from the ends of the earth;
I called you from its farthest corners
and said to you, ‘You are my servant.’
I did not reject you, but chose you.
10 Do not be afraid—I am with you!
I am your God—let nothing terrify you!
I will make you strong and help you;
I will protect you and save you.
11 “Those who are angry with you
will know the shame of defeat.
Those who fight against you will die
12 and will disappear from the earth.
13 I am the Lord your God;
I strengthen you and tell you,
‘Do not be afraid; I will help you.’”
14 The Lord says,
“Small and weak as you are, Israel,
don't be afraid; I will help you.
I, the holy God of Israel, am the one who saves you.
15 I will make you like a threshing board,
with spikes that are new and sharp.
You will thresh mountains and destroy them;
hills will crumble into dust.
16 You will toss them in the air;
the wind will carry them off,
and they will be scattered by the storm.
Then you will be happy because I am your God;
you will praise me, the holy God of Israel.
17 “When my people in their need look for water,
when their throats are dry with thirst,
then I, the Lord, will answer their prayer;
I, the God of Israel, will never abandon them.
18 I will make rivers flow among barren hills
and springs of water run in the valleys.
I will turn the desert into pools of water
and the dry land into flowing springs.
19 I will make cedars grow in the desert,
and acacias and myrtles and olive trees.
Forests will grow in barren land,
forests of pine and juniper and cypress.
20 People will see this and know
that I, the Lord, have done it.
They will come to understand
that Israel's holy God has made it happen.”
The Lord's Challenge to False Gods
21 The Lord, the king of Israel, has this to say:
“You gods of the nations, present your case.
Bring the best arguments you have!
22 Come here and predict what will happen,
so that we will know it when it takes place.
Explain to the court the events of the past,
and tell us what they mean.
23 Tell us what the future holds—
then we will know that you are gods!
Do something good or bring some disaster;
fill us with fear and awe!
24 You and all you do are nothing;
those who worship you are disgusting!
25 “I have chosen a man who lives in the east;
I will bring him to attack from the north.
He tramples on rulers as if they were mud,
like a potter trampling clay.
26 Which of you predicted that this would happen,
so that we could say that you were right?
None of you said a word about it;
no one heard you say a thing!
27 I, the Lord, was the first to tell Zion the news;
I sent a messenger to Jerusalem to say,
‘Your people are coming! They are coming home!’
28 When I looked among the gods,
none of them had a thing to say;
not one could answer the questions I asked.
29 All these gods are useless;
they can do nothing at all—
these idols are weak and powerless.”
Ndjambi ma yanene Israel
1 Ndjambi ma tja nai:
“Mwineye mu puratene ku ami,
makoverwa wokokure!
Viwaṋa, rirongereye okuyandja
otjiposa tjeṋu mombanguriro;
mamu pewa oruveze okuhungira.
Ngatu wongare tu tye kutja ngu ri osemba ouṋe.
2 “Owaṋi ngwa pendura omuhuure okuza komuhuka,
nu ngu mu pa outoṋi ngamwa akuhe ku ma i,
na kombanda yozombara noviwaṋa wina?
Enga re mari ve twere ve sane koruuma.
Oviku vye mavi ve rimbi
tjimuna oviyaya mombepo.
3 Eye meve rambere, nu ma kayenda nokuhinatjipo,
ama tupuka tjinene nai
nga tje hi nokuṱuna pehi.
4 Owaṋi ngwa tjita oviṋa mbi
kutja vi yenenisiwe?
Owaṋi ngwa mema
ozondekurona okuza kombutiro?
Ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona,
opu mba ri kombutiro, nami,
ngu mbi riMuhona,
me kara po nga kondjandero.
5 “Oviwaṋa vyomakoverwa hi wokokure
vya muna imbi mbi mba tjita;
ovyo vya uruma navi zezera.
Ovyo avihe otji vya worongana navi ya.
6 Ovandu mave vaterasana nokupanḓiparisasana.
7 Omuungure onongo ma tja
nai komuhambure wongoldo:
‘Wa ungura nawa!’
Omurumendu ngu hambura
otjiserekarera otjiheze,
ma panḓiparisa ingwi ngu
tji papera kumwe nozomboha.
Owo mave tja: ‘Omanyosiro wohanga owo omawa!’
Nowo mave papere otjiserekarera
poṋa patjo nozomboha kutja tji zikame.
8 “Nungwari ove, Israel, mukarere wandje,
oove otjiwaṋa ami tji mba toorora,
ozondekurona za Abraham, epanga randje.
9 Ami mbe ku eta okuza komaandero wouye;
mbe ku isana okuza kokure kozohwiki zouye
ne tja nai kove: ‘Oove omukarere wandje!’
Hi ku imbirahire ko, nungwari mbe ku toorora.
10 O tira, ami mbi ri puna ove!
Owami Ndjambi woye, o urumisiwa i otjiṋa!
Me ku tjiti kutja u rire omunamasa nu me ku vatere;
me ku tjevere nu me ku yama.
11 “Imba mbe nomazenge na ove
mave ṱohoṋi yokuhaverwa.
Imba mbe ku rwisa mave ṱu;
12 mo ve paha, nungwari komoo ve munu,
mave yandekwa nave rire pouriri.
13 Owami Muhona, Ndjambi woye;
me ku zeuparisa ne tja: ‘O tira, ami me ku vatere.’ ”
14 Muhona ma tja nai:
“Israel, ove ngu u ri okaṱiṱi notjingundi,
o tira! Ami me ku vatere.
Ami, ngu mbi ri Omuyapuke wa Israel,
owami ngu me ku yama.
15 Ami me ku tjiti okurira otja
otjikokozorwa tjomakondero
tji tji nomayo omape nomatwe.
Ove mo ke ozondundu no ze hahaura;
ozondunda maze nyanyauka okurira oruuma.
16 Mo ze yumbu meyuru,
nombepo mai ze piza,
nozo maze rimbarisiwa i otjivepo.
Ove mo yoroka, tjinga ambi ri Ndjambi woye;
mo ndji tanga, tjinga
ambi ri Omuyapuke wa Israel.
17 “Ovasyona novahepauke tji mave paha omeva,
nomiriu vyawo tji vya kukutisiwa i onyota,
ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona,
me zuu ongumbiro yawo.
Ami, ngu mbi ri Ndjambi wa Israel,
himee ve esa ko.
18 Ami me pupisa ozonḓonḓu
mozondundu nḓa kuruka,
notuharwi twomeva motutjandja;
ami me tjitukisa okuti onguza ku rire omarindi,
nu me tjiti kutja mehi nda
kukuta mu kare otuharwi.
19 Ami me hapisa otupapa notusu
nomimbango nomiṋinga mokuti onguza;
omahwa maye hapa mehi nda kuruka,
omahwa womizema nomiṱati nomiparara.
20 Ovandu mave munu oviṋa mbi nave tjiwa kutja,
ami ngu mbi ri Muhona,
owami ngu mbe vi tjita.
Nowo mave kambura kutja Omuyapuke wa Israel,
ongwa zikamisa oviṋa mbi.”
Muhona ma tanda oomukuru vovisenginina
21 Muhona, Ombara ya Israel, ma tja nai:
“Oweṋe vakuru voviwaṋa, yandjeye otjiposa tjeṋu!
Eteye omaraisiro omasemba
tjinene ngu mu na wo!
22 Indjeye mba nu mu zuvarise kutja imbi mbi
mavi katjitwa tu vi tjiwe tji mavi ya.
Handjaurireye ombanguriro imbi
ovitjitwa vyoruveze ndwa kapita,
nu mu tu raere kutja mavi hee tjike.
23 Tu raereye oviṋa vyoruveze ndu maru ya,
otji matu tjiwa kutja oweṋe oomukuru.
Tjiteye otjiṋa otjiwa poo eteye otjiwonga;
tjiteye nai kutja atuhe tu ṱire nu tu urume!
24 Eṋe, oweṋe oviṋa uriri,
nu avihe mbi mu tjita, oviporoporo;
imba mbe rikotamena ku eṋe,
owo ovayaukise.
25 “Ami mba pendura omurumendu okuza keyuva
kokunene kutja me ye,
mbe mu isana kena okuza
komukuma wokomuhuka.
Eye ma tombo ovahongore aayo owo omunoko
tjimuna omuungure
wozonyungu tje yata omunoko.
26 Ouṋe weṋu ngwa zuvarisa kutja oviṋa mbi
mavi katjitwa kutja eṱe tu tje,
eye u ri osemba?
Kape na umwe weṋu ngwa hungirira vyo;
kape na umwe ngwa zuva
amamu hungire otjiṋa hi.
27 Ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona,
owami ngu mba ri omutenga
okuraera Sion indji ombuze;
ami mba hinda omuzuvarise
wenyando kOjerusalem okukatja:
‘Ovandu voye mave ya!’
28 Ami tji mba tara mokati koomukuru
kapa ri umwe ngwa ri notjiṋa okuhungira.
Kapa ri omundu ngwaa yenene
okuzira omapuriro nguye pura.
29 Oomukuru mba avehe owo oviporoporo;
kave nomasorero okutjita otjiṋa oparukaze,
oviserekarera vyawo ozombepo uriri.”
