Judgment on Babylon
1 The Lord says,
“Babylon, come down from your throne,
and sit in the dust on the ground.
You were once like a virgin, a city unconquered,
but you are soft and delicate no longer!
You are now a slave!
2 Turn the millstone! Grind the flour!
Off with your veil! Strip off your fine clothes!
Lift up your skirts to cross the streams!
3 People will see you naked;
they will see you humbled and shamed.
I will take vengeance, and no one will stop me.”
4 The holy God of Israel sets us free—
his name is the Lord Almighty.
5 The Lord says to Babylon,
“Sit in silence and darkness;
no more will they call you the queen of nations!
6 I was angry with my people;
I treated them as no longer mine:
I put them in your power,
and you showed them no mercy;
even the aged you treated harshly.
7 You thought you would always be a queen,
and did not take these things to heart
or think how it all would end.
8 “Listen to this, you lover of pleasure,
you that think you are safe and secure.
You claim you are as great as God—
that there is no one else like you.
You thought that you would never be a widow
or suffer the loss of your children.
9 But in a moment, in a single day,
both of these things will happen.
In spite of all the magic you use,
you will lose your husband and children.
10 “You felt sure of yourself in your evil;
you thought that no one could see you.
Your wisdom and knowledge led you astray,
and you said to yourself, ‘I am God—
there is no one else like me.’
11 Disaster will come upon you,
and none of your magic can stop it.
Ruin will come on you suddenly—
ruin you never dreamed of!
12 Keep all your magic spells and charms;
you have used them since you were young.
Perhaps they will be of some help to you;
perhaps you can frighten your enemies.
13 You are powerless in spite of the advice you get.
Let your astrologers come forward and save you—
those people who study the stars,
who map out the zones of the heavens
and tell you from month to month
what is going to happen to you.
14 “They will be like bits of straw,
and a fire will burn them up!
They will not even be able to save themselves—
the flames will be too hot for them,
not a cozy fire to warm themselves by.
15 That is all the good they will do you—
those astrologers you've consulted all your life.
They all will leave you and go their own way,
and none will be left to save you.”
Babilon matji pangurwa
1 Muhona ma tja nai:
“Babilon, heruka kotjihavero tjoye tjouhona
u haame pehi moruuma.
Momayuva nga kapita ove wa ri
otja omusuko omukohoke
okutja otjihuro tji tji ha haverwa,
nungwari ove ko tji ri
omutarazu nomumanise rukwao.
Ove nambano wa rira omukarere!
2 Tanaura otjikweyero u kweye ovikokotwa!
Isa ko ewiwiri kotjiuru!
Hukura ozombanda zoye ongongo nḓo;
huta ombanda yoye ndji kokozoka u konde ozonḓonḓu!
3 Ovandu mave ku munu au ri muzu;
mave ku munu awa susuparisiwa nu awa ṱohoṋi.
Ami omundu me mu sutisire ouvi we,
nu kape na ngu me ndji tjaere.”
4 Omuyapuke wa Israel. Eye Omukuture wetu,
ena re oMuhona Omunamasaaehe.
5 Muhona ma tja nai kObabilon:
“Haama monḓorera awa mwina, musuko wOvakaldea;
owo kave nokuuhara amave ku isana
kutja oove ombara oserekaze yomihoko!
6 Ami mba ṱomazenge notjiwaṋa tjandje;
ami mbe tji vara aayo ka tjandje rukwao.
Mbe tji twa kehi youvara woye,
nove ko na pu we tji ṱira ondjenda;
nangarire ovakurundu we ve tjinda noutwe.
7 We ripura kutja aruhe mo rire ombara oserekaze,
notji u ha yakurire oviṋa mbi momutima
poo okuripura kutja ovyo avihe mavi kayanda vi.
8 “Puratena ku ihi, ove ngu u
nanukira oviṋa vyonyuṋe,
ove ngu u ripura kutja oove
omuṋingandu nu ko natjipo.
Ove u tja oove omunene otja Ndjambi,
nokutja kape nomundu warwe ngu ri otja ove,
ove wa tjangovasi komoo rire omuhepundu
nu komoo rire ongandji.
9 Nungwari moruveze orusupi,
moure weyuva rimwe
oviṋa aviyevari mbi mavi tjitwa kove.
Nandi wa ungurisa oundjai pu pe ṱeki pi
mo zepaisa omurumendu
woye novanatje voye wina.
10 “Ove we riyameka kouvi woye;
we ripura kutja kape na umwe ngu me ku munu.
Ounongo nondjiviro yoye vye ku pukisa,
ove we rihungirira nai momutima:
‘Owami ngu mbi ri Ndjambi erike,
kape na warwe ngu ri otja ami.’
11 Otjiwonga matji ya kombanda yoye,
nu kape noundjai woye nangarire
umwe mbu mau tji tjaere.
Onyoneno mai ya kombanda yoye nai,
indji onyoneno ndji u hi na wa rorere okurota.
12 Kara uri nomasengiro noundjai woye;
ove we rikenda na vyo okuza koumutanda woye.
Ngahino ovyo mavi rire ombatero yorive kove;
ngahino mo yenene
okutirisa na vyo ovanavita na ove.
13 Ongondjero yoye omungandjo,
nokutja u novayandjandunge ovengi.
Ovatjiwe voye vozonyose ngave ye nu ve ku yame,
imba ovandu mbe konḓonona ozonyose,
mbe saneka omayuru
nu mbe ku raera omueze auhe
ihi tji matji tjitwa kove.
14 “Tara, owo mave sana koviyaya vyovihozu,
nomuriro mau ve ningiririsa.
Owo kamaave yenene okuriyama oveni,
otururumo matu rire otupyu tjinene ku wo,
kape na okukara ekara
nandarire rimwe okuhaama po.
15 Imbwi ombu ri ouwa porwe
owo mbu mave ku tjitire,
okutja imba ovatjiwe vozonyose kuyo
ningire ko ondunge ngunda au nomuinyo.
Owo avehe mave ku esa
nave twara ozondjira zawo oveni,
nu kape nokusewa umwe ngu me ku yama.”
