The Prophet Condemns the People's Sins
1 Don't think that the Lord is too weak to save you or too deaf to hear your call for help! 2 It is because of your sins that he doesn't hear you. It is your sins that separate you from God when you try to worship him. 3 You are guilty of lying, violence, and murder.
4 You go to court, but you do not have justice on your side. You depend on lies to win your case. You carry out your plans to hurt others. 5-6 The evil plots you make are as deadly as the eggs of a poisonous snake. Crush an egg, out comes a snake! But your plots will do you no good—they are as useless as clothing made of cobwebs! 7 You are always planning something evil, and you can hardly wait to do it. You never hesitate to murder innocent people. You leave ruin and destruction wherever you go, 8 and no one is safe when you are around. Everything you do is unjust. You follow a crooked path, and no one who walks that path will ever be safe.
The People Confess Their Sin
9 The people say, “Now we know why God does not save us from those who oppress us. We hope for light to walk by, but there is only darkness, 10 and we grope about like blind people. We stumble at noon, as if it were night, as if we were in the dark world of the dead. 11 We are frightened and distressed. We long for God to save us from oppression and wrong, but nothing happens.
12 “Lord, our crimes against you are many. Our sins accuse us. We are well aware of them all. 13 We have rebelled against you, rejected you, and refused to follow you. We have oppressed others and turned away from you. Our thoughts are false; our words are lies. 14 Justice is driven away, and right cannot come near. Truth stumbles in the public square, and honesty finds no place there. 15 There is so little honesty that those who stop doing evil find themselves the victims of crime.”
The Lord Prepares to Rescue His People
The Lord has seen this, and he is displeased that there is no justice. 16 He is astonished to see that there is no one to help the oppressed. So he will use his own power to rescue them and to win the victory. 17 He will wear justice like a coat of armor and saving power like a helmet. He will clothe himself with the strong desire to set things right and to punish and avenge the wrongs that people suffer. 18 He will punish his enemies according to what they have done, even those who live in distant lands. 19 From east to west everyone will fear him and his great power. He will come like a rushing river, like a strong wind.
20 The Lord says to his people, “I will come to Jerusalem to defend you and to save all of you that turn from your sins. 21 And I make a covenant with you: I have given you my power and my teachings to be yours forever, and from now on you are to obey me and teach your children and your descendants to obey me for all time to come.”
Omuprofete ma nyengwa omauvi wotjiwaṋa
1 Amu tjangovasi okuoko kwa Muhona kwa ngundipara tjinene okumuvatera, nokutja eye omboro okumuzuvira, tji mamu ku ombatero! 2 Ayee! Nungwari ozongatukiro zeṋu onḓe mu pora ku Ndjambi weṋu, tji mu kondja okurikotamena ku ye; nu omena rourunde weṋu eye tje he mu zuvire. 3 Orondu eṋe mwa tura ondjo yokuzepa nomake, nokutjita outwe nominwe, nokukora ovizeze nomiṋa, nokuhokora ouhasemba neraka.
4 Eṋe mu yenda kombanguriro, nungwari kape na ngu tjita omahongonona omasemba, nu kape na ngu hungira ouatjiri mombanguriro. Mu riyameka kovizeze nokuhungira omatiku; eṋe mu kara nomeripuriro wokuhihamisa ovakweṋu. 5-6 Omeripuriro weṋu omavi; owo ye zepa otja omai wonyoka youzuwo; ngu ma ri ku wo ma koka, nu rimwe tji ra pamunwa, tjandje mamu piti esu. Ozondjito zeṋu zoutwe ze ri otja otuauvi; katu yenenene okuungurwa po ozombanda, nomundu kamaa pu okurikutjira two. Nungwari ovakweṋu mave kamburwa mu two nave tu. 7 Eṋe aruhe mu ripura ouvi, nu kamu wombo okuutjita. Kamu ivaiva okuzepa ovandu ovehinandjo. Apehe pu mamu i, pe sewa omatundu nonyoneno. 8 Nungwari ondjira yohange kamu yi i. Ngamwa atjihe tji mu tjita otjo otjihasemba; mu twara ondjira ongoko, nu kape nomundu tja twara ondjira ndjo, ngu ma munu ohange.
Otjiwaṋa matji rihepura omauvi watjo
9 Ovandu ve tja: “Eṱe nambano matu tjiwa kutja omena ratjike Ndjambi tje he tu yama ku imba mbe tu ṋiṋikiza, nokutja okutjavi tji tu hi nokumuna ouṱakame wa Muhona. Tu paha ondjerera, nungwari ndji ri po onḓorera porwayo, nombaera yeyuva wina, nungwari tu kayenda monḓorera. 10 Tu ṋuṋunga apehe aayo oweṱe ovapoṱu; tu putara omutenya aayo ouṱuku, aayo tu ri monḓorera yotjovakoke. 11 Atuhe tu wenena otja ozongu, nu tu posa otja ozonguti amatu undju ousemba mbu hi na indu maau ya nondjamo ndja humburuka kokure na eṱe.
12 “Muhona, ozongatukiro zetu kove ozengi, nourunde wetu mau tu rondora. Eṱe matu u tjiwa auhe. 13 Eṱe twe ku pirukira, atu ku imbirahi natu panḓa okukukongorera. Twa ṋiṋikiza ovakwetu, nu twa poka kove. Omeripuriro wetu ye ri posyo; omambo wetu owo ovizeze. 14 Ousemba wa isiwa po, nouṱakame u ri ohumburuko. Pomarandasaneno kape kara ouatjiri, nomasembamisiro kaye munu po oruveze. 15 Ouṱakame wa zenga, nu ingwi ngu penga ourunde, u pundwa oviṋa vye.”
Muhona me rirongerere okuyama otjiwaṋa tje
Muhona wa muna oviṋa mbi avihe, nu a nyengwa tjinene kutja kape nousemba nu u munika. 16 Eye wa kumwa tja muna kutja kape nomundu okuvatera ovaṋiṋikiziwa. Eye otji ma ungurisa omasa we omuini okuveyama nokumuna outoṋi. 17 Eye ma zara ousemba otja ohako yotjitenda yovita, nondjamo otja ekori routoṋi rovita. Eye ma zara nonḓero onene yokusembamisa oviṋa, nokuvera nokusutisa ouhasemba auhe mbu tjitwa kovandu. 18 Eye ma vere ovanavita na ye otja ku imbi mbi va tjita, nandarire imba mba tura komahi wokokure. 19 Okuza komukuma wokomuhuka nowokongurova auhe ma yozike ena ra Muhona, nu ma tira omasa we omanene. Eye meya otja onḓonḓu, ndji mai rauka nomasa, notja otjipukupuku.
20 Muhona ma tja nai kotjiwaṋa tje: “Ami meya kOjerusalem okumuyeura nokumuyama amuhe mbu mamu isa omauvi weṋu. 21 Omerikutiropamwe wandje ku eṋe owonga: Ami mbe mu pa Ombepo yandje nomahongero wandje kutja ye rire oweṋu nga aruhe; nokuza ku nambano eṋe mamu kara nonḓuviro ku ami, nu mamu hongo ovanatje veṋu nozondekurona zeṋu kutja ze kare nonḓuviro ku ami oure woruveze aruhe ndu maru ya.”
