God Promises to Rescue His People
1 Israel, the Lord who created you says,
“Do not be afraid—I will save you.
I have called you by name—you are mine.
2 When you pass through deep waters, I will be with you;
your troubles will not overwhelm you.
When you pass through fire, you will not be burned;
the hard trials that come will not hurt you.
3 For I am the Lord your God,
the holy God of Israel, who saves you.
I will give up Egypt to set you free;
I will give up Ethiopia and Seba.
4 I will give up whole nations to save your life,
because you are precious to me
and because I love you and give you honor.
5 Do not be afraid—I am with you!
“From the distant east and the farthest west
I will bring your people home.
6 I will tell the north to let them go
and the south not to hold them back.
Let my people return from distant lands,
from every part of the world.
7 They are my own people,
and I created them to bring me glory.”
Israel Is the Lord's Witness
8 God says,
“Summon my people to court.
They have eyes, but they are blind;
they have ears, but they are deaf!
9 Summon the nations to come to the trial.
Which of their gods can predict the future?
Which of them foretold what is happening now?
Let these gods bring in their witnesses
to prove that they are right,
to testify to the truth of their words.
10 “People of Israel, you are my witnesses;
I chose you to be my servant,
so that you would know me and believe in me
and understand that I am the only God.
Besides me there is no other god;
there never was and never will be.
11 “I alone am the Lord,
the only one who can save you.
12 I predicted what would happen,
and then I came to your aid.
No foreign god has ever done this;
you are my witnesses.
13 I am God and always will be.
No one can escape from my power;
no one can change what I do.”
Escape from Babylon
14 Israel's holy God, the Lord who saves you, says,
“To save you, I will send an army against Babylon;
I will break down the city gates,
and the shouts of her people will turn into crying.
15 I am the Lord, your holy God.
I created you, Israel, and I am your king.”
16 Long ago the Lord made a road through the sea,
a path through the swirling waters.
17 He led a mighty army to destruction,
an army of chariots and horses.
Down they fell, never to rise,
snuffed out like the flame of a lamp!
18 But the Lord says,
“Do not cling to events of the past
or dwell on what happened long ago.
19 Watch for the new thing I am going to do.
It is happening already—you can see it now!
I will make a road through the wilderness
and give you streams of water there.
20 Even the wild animals will honor me;
jackals and ostriches will praise me
when I make rivers flow in the desert
to give water to my chosen people.
21 They are the people I made for myself,
and they will sing my praises!”
Israel's Sin
22 The Lord says,
“But you were tired of me, Israel;
you did not worship me.
23 You did not bring me your burnt offerings of sheep;
you did not honor me with your sacrifices.
I did not burden you by demanding offerings
or wear you out by asking for incense.
24 You didn't buy incense for me
or satisfy me with the fat of your animals.
Instead you burdened me with your sins;
you wore me out with the wrongs you have committed.
25 And yet, I am the God who forgives your sins,
and I do this because of who I am.
I will not hold your sins against you.
26 “Let us go to court; bring your accusation!
Present your case to prove you are in the right!
27 Your earliest ancestor sinned;
your leaders sinned against me,
28 and your rulers profaned my sanctuary.
So I brought destruction on Israel;
I let my own people be insulted.”
Ndjambi ma kwizike okuyama otjiwaṋa tje
1 Israel, Muhona ngwe ku mema nu ngwe ku zezenga ma tja nai:
“O tira, ami mbe ku kutura;
mbe ku isana kena, oove owandje.
2 Tji mo kondo omeva omakoto,
ami me kara puna ove;
omaumba woye kamaaye ku tanana.
Tji mo tuurungire momuriro, ko nokupya ko;
oviwonga ovizeu mbi mavi ya kavi
nokukuhihamisa ko omutima.
3 Orondu ami owami Muhona, Ndjambi woye,
Omuyapuke wa Israel, Omuyame woye.
Ami me yandja Engipte konyoneno kutja mbi ku kuture,
me yandja Etiopie na Seba wina.
4 Ami me yandja omihoko otja otjipimba
kutja mbi yamene po omuinyo woye,
ove tjinga au ri otjihuze ku ami,
nu ambe ku suvera nokukuyozika.
5 O tira, ami mbi ri puna ove!
“Okuza kokure komuhuka na kokure kongurova
ami me eta ozondekurona zoye,
nu e ze woronganisa.
6 Ami me raere komukuma wokeyuva kokunene
kutja u ze ese ze yende,
nomukuma wokeyuva kokumuho kutja au he ze tjaere.
Kotoreye otjiwaṋa tjandje okuza komahi wokokure,
okuza kovikoro avihe vyouye.
7 Otjo otjiwaṋa tjandje omuini,
ami mbe tji memena kondjozikiro yandje.”
Israel otji tji ri otjihongonone tja Muhona
8 Ndjambi ma tja nai:
“Tumbuzireye otjiwaṋa tjandje kombanguriro!
Owo ve nomeho, nungwari kave munu;
ve nomatwi, nungwari kave zuu.
9 Oviwaṋa avihe ngavi ye kombanguriro.
Omukuru uṋe wawo vovisenginina
ngu ma yenene okuuka oruveze ndu maru ya?
Ouṋe mokati kawo ngwa ukire
imbi mbi mavi tjitwa nambano?
Oomukuru vovisenginina mba
ngave eterere ovahongononene vawo
okuraisa kutja owo ve ri osemba
nokutja ve hongonone ouatjiri wawo.
10 “Tjiwaṋa tja Israel, eṋe oweṋe ovahongononene vandje.
Ami mbe mu toorora kutja mu rire ovakarere vandje,
kokutja mu ndji tjiwe nu mu kambure mu ami,
nokutja mu tjiwe kutja ami
owami ngu mbi ri Ndjambi erike.
Posi yandje kape nomukuru warwe;
ke na indu wa ri po nu kamaa kakara po.
11 “Ami erike owami ngu mbi ri Muhona,
owami erike ngu me yenene okumuyama.
12 Ami mba zuvarisa imbi mbi mavi tjitwa,
nu tjazumba eya okumuyama.
Kape nomukuru wozonganda ngwa tjitire otjiṋa hi;
oweṋe ovahongonene vandje.
13 Ami owami Ndjambi,
nu aruhe otjinga ame kara nao.
Kape na ngu ma yenene
okuhakana umwe meke randje;
ami me tjiti otjiṋa,
nu kape ngu ma sora okutjirundurura.”
Ondauriro okuza kObabilon
14 Omuyapuke wa Israel, Muhona ngu yama eṋe, ma tja nai:
“Ami me hindi otjimbumba tjovita tji matji karwisa Babilon
kutja mbi mu yame;
ami me teya omivero vyotjihuro,
nu ondavaerero yovature vatjo mai rire omaririro.
15 Ami owami Muhona, Omuyapuke weṋu.
Owami Omuute weṋu, Vaisrael,
nu owami ombara yeṋu.”
16 Rukuru Muhona wa ungurire ondjira mokuvare,
omurari mokati komeva omazeu.
17 Eye wa twara otjimbumba tjOvaengipte tjovita
otjimbumba tjomatemba wovita noukambe.
Owo va wa, nu kamaave sekama ko rukwao,
va zemisiwa otja orururumo rwemunine.
18 Nungwari Muhona ma tja nai:
“Amu kakatere kovitjitwa vyoruveze ndwa kapita,
nu amu kara na ko na tja noviṋa vyarukuru.
19 Tareye, ami me ungura oviṋa ovipe.
Ovyo nai mavi tjitwa;
eṋe mamu vi munu nambano.
Ami me ungura ondjira,
ndji mai tuurunga okuti onguza,
nu me mu pe omipupo vyomeva mu kwo.
20 Nandarire ovipuka vyokuti mavi ndji yozike;
ozombandje nozombo maze ndji tanga,
indu tji me pupisa ozonḓonḓu mokuti orunguza,
kokutja mbi yandje
omeva kotjiwaṋa tjandje otjitoororwa.
21 Otjo otjiwaṋa tji mbe riungurira omuini,
notjo matji imbura ondangero yandje!”
Ourunde wa Israel
22 Muhona ma tja:
“Nungwari ove, Israel, ko kondjere okurikendera ami;
ove ko na pu we rikotamena ku ami.
23 Ove ko na pu we ndji etera ozonḓu
okuzepunguha ze rire ozombunguhiro ozoningiririsiwa;
ko na pu we ndji yozika
nozombunguhiro zovinamuinyo.
Ami hi ku kurungisire mokukuningira
ozombunguhiro zovikurya,
nu hi ku kondjisire mokukuningira ovyomoro omuwa.
24 Ove ko na pu we ndji randera ovyomoro omuwa,
nu ko ndji harisire onḓi
yozonḓura zovinamuinyo vyoye.
Moruveze rwanao ove we
ndji kurungisa nouvi woye,
nu we ndji urisa nozongatukiro nḓu wa tjita.
25 Nu vari, ami, owami Ndjambi
ngu mbi ku isira ozongatukiro zoye
mena rokutja me vanga okutjita nao.
Ami hi nokurizemburuka nouvi woye rukwao.
26 “Ngatu yende kombanguriro; ngatu rondorasane!
Yandja otjiposa tjoye u raise kutja u ri osemba.
27 Iho mukururume omutenga wa turire ondjo;
ovanane voye va turire ondjo komurungu wandje,
28 novahongore voye va yamburura otjouyapuke tjandje.
Ami otji mba yandeka Israel;
mba yambururisa otjiwaṋa tjandje omuini.”
