Unfaithful Israel
1 The Lord says, “If a man divorces his wife, and she leaves him and becomes another man's wife, he cannot take her back again. This would completely defile the land. But, Israel, you have had many lovers, and now you want to return to me! 2 Look up at the hilltops. Is there any place where you have not acted like a prostitute? You waited for lovers along the roadside, as an Arab waits for victims in the desert. You have defiled the land with your prostitution. 3 That is why the rains were held back, and the spring showers did not come. You even look like a prostitute; you have no shame.
4 “And now you say to me, ‘You are my father, and you have loved me ever since I was a child. 5 You won't always be angry; you won't be mad at me forever.’ Israel, that is what you said, but you did all the evil you could.”
Israel and Judah Must Repent
6 When Josiah was king, the Lord said to me, “Have you seen what Israel, that unfaithful woman, has done? She has turned away from me, and on every high hill and under every green tree she has acted like a prostitute. 7 I thought that after she had done all this, she would surely return to me. But she did not return, and her unfaithful sister Judah saw it all. 8 Judah also saw that I divorced Israel and sent her away because she had turned from me and had become a prostitute. But Judah, Israel's unfaithful sister, was not afraid. She too became a prostitute 9 and was not at all ashamed. She defiled the land, and she committed adultery by worshiping stones and trees. 10 And after all this, Judah, Israel's unfaithful sister, only pretended to return to me; she was not sincere. I, the Lord, have spoken.”
11 Then the Lord told me that, even though Israel had turned away from him, she had proved to be better than unfaithful Judah. 12 He told me to go and say to Israel, “Unfaithful Israel, come back to me. I am merciful and will not be angry; I will not be angry with you forever. 13 Only admit that you are guilty and that you have rebelled against the Lord, your God. Confess that under every green tree you have given your love to foreign gods and that you have not obeyed my commands. I, the Lord, have spoken.
14 “Unfaithful people, come back; you belong to me. I will take one of you from each town and two from each clan, and I will bring you back to Mount Zion. 15 I will give you rulers who obey me, and they will rule you with wisdom and understanding. 16 Then when you have become numerous in that land, people will no longer talk about my Covenant Box. They will no longer think about it or remember it; they will not even need it, nor will they make another one. 17 When that time comes, Jerusalem will be called ‘The Throne of the Lord,’ and all nations will gather there to worship me. They will no longer do what their stubborn and evil hearts tell them. 18 Israel will join with Judah, and together they will come from exile in the country in the north and will return to the land that I gave your ancestors as a permanent possession.”
The Idolatry of God's People
19 The Lord says,
“Israel, I wanted to accept you as my child
and give you a delightful land,
the most beautiful land in all the world.
I wanted you to call me father
and never again turn away from me.
20 But like an unfaithful wife,
you have not been faithful to me.
I, the Lord, have spoken.”
21 A noise is heard on the hilltops:
it is the people of Israel crying and pleading
because they have lived sinful lives
and have forgotten the Lord their God.
22 Return, all of you who have turned away from the Lord;
he will heal you and make you faithful.
You say, “Yes, we are coming to the Lord because he is our God. 23 We were not helped at all by our pagan worship on the hilltops. Help for Israel comes only from the Lord our God. 24 But the worship of Baal, the god of shame, has made us lose flocks and herds, sons and daughters—everything that our ancestors have worked for since ancient times. 25 We should lie down in shame and let our disgrace cover us. We and our ancestors have always sinned against the Lord our God; we have never obeyed his commands.”
Ouhaṱakama wa Israel
1 Muhona ma tja: “Omurumendu tja haṋika nomukazendu we, nomukazendu a i na karira owomurumendu warwe, omurumendu we ingwi omutenga ke nokusora okukemukotora rukwao. Otjiṋa otja ihi katji nakuzunḓa ehi are? Nungwari Israel, ove wa ri nozombarise ozengi. Nu nambano movanga okukotoka ku ami! 2 Ṱumununa omeho woye kozondomba zozondundu. Pe nopoṋa pemwe pu u ha tjitire oukorondu are? Ove wa undjira ozombarise meṋe yondjira tjimuna Omuaraba tje undja okupunda ovandu mokuti onguza. Ove wa zunḓa ehi noukorondu nouvi woye. 3 Ombura opu i ha zu okuroka, notjiseseta opu tji ha zu okuya. Ove nangarire nao u munika otja omukorondu, nu ko nohoṋi.
4 “Nu nambano ove motja nai ku ami: ‘Oove tate, nu we ndji suvera okuza kounatje wandje. 5 Mo ṱomazenge aruhe, nu mo pindike na ami nga aruhe are?’ Israel, inga onge ri omambo ngu wa hungira, nungwari ove wa tjita oviṋa avihe ovivi otja poo sora!”
Ovaisrael nOvajuda mave sokuritanaura
6 Josija tja ri ombara, Muhona wa tja ku ami: “Ove wa muna Israel, ingwi omukazendu omuhinouṱakame, tja tjita are? Eye we ndji pa etambo, nu wa tjitira oukorondu we kondundu aihe onde na kehi yomuti auhe mbwa nyomoka. 7 Ami mbe ripura kutja eye tja zu nokutjita oviṋa mbi avihe, tjiri, ma tanaukire ku ami; nungwari eye ka kotokere ko. Nomuangu we omuhinouṱakame Juda oviṋa mbi avihe we vi muna. 8 Juda wina wa muna kutja ami mba haṋika na Israel ne mu ramba, eye tjinga e ndji pa etambo, nu a rira omukorondu. Nungwari Juda, omuangu omuhinouṱake wa Israel, katirire ko. Eye wina wa rira omukorondu, 9 nu ka ṱire ko ohoṋi oparukaze. Eye wa zunḓa ehi, nu wa tura ondjo, indu tje rikotamena komawe nomiti. 10 Nu kombunda yaimbi avihe, Juda, omuhinouṱakame omuangu wa Israel, wa tjita aayo ma kotoka ku ami; nungwari eye ka ri nouṱakame. Ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona, owami ngu mba hungire.”
11 Muhona we ndji raera nai: “Nangarire kutja Israel we ndji pa etambo, eye wa raisa okurira omusemba pu Juda omuhinouṱakame. 12 Nu katje nai ku Israel: ‘Muhinouṱakame Israel, kotoka ku ami. Ami mbi notjari, nu hi nokuṱomazenge na ove nga aruhe. 13 Rihepura uriri kutja u nondjo, nokutja wa pirukira Muhona, Ndjambi woye. Rihepura kutja wa suverera oomukuru vovisenginina kehi yomiti avihe mbya nyomoka, nokutja ko karere nonḓuviro komatwako wandje. Ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona, owami ngu mba hungire.’
14 “Tjiwaṋa otjihinouṱakame, kotoka; orondu owami omuhona woye. Ami me toora umwe weṋu motjihuro ngamwa atjihe, na vevari monganda ngamwa aihe, nu me mu kotora kondundu Sion. 15 Me mu pe ovahongore mbu mave kara nonḓuviro ku ami, nowo mave honaparere eṋe nondjiviro nozondunge. 16 Nu momayuva ngo tji mwa takavara mehi, ovandu kave tji nakutja: ‘Otjipwikiro tjOmerikutiropamwe wa Muhona tji ri pi?’ Owo kave tji nokuripura nokurizemburuka na tjo rukwao; kave tji nokutjihepa, nu kave nokuungura tjarwe. 17 Oruveze ndo tji rweya, Jerusalem matji isanewa kutja ‘Otjihavero tjouhona tja Muhona,’ nu oviwaṋa avihe mavi woronganene mbo okurikotamena ku ami. Owo kave tji nokutjita imbi mbi mave raerwa i omitima vyawo omirangaranga nominauvi. 18 Momayuva ngo Israel ma kawana na Juda, nu aveyevari mave zu kouhuura kehi rokokunene kweyuva, nu mave kotoka kehi, ndi mba yandja kooiho mukururume okurira ouini wawo oukarerere.”
Omaisaneno kondanaukiro
19 Muhona ma tja nai:
“Israel, ami mbe ripura okukuyakura
otja omuatje wandje
nokukupa ehi enyandise,
ehi ewa emanise mouye auhe.
Wina mbe ripura kutja u ndji isane Iho,
nokutja o he ndji pe etambo rukwao.
20 Nungwari otja omukazendu ngu hi
nouṱakame komurumendu we,
ove opunga awa kara
nokuhinouṱakame ku ami.
Ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona,
owami ngu mba hungire.”
21 Ombosiro ya zuvaka
kozondomba zozondundu;
oyo oyOvaisrael mbu mave
riri nokuriheka,
tjinga ava poka nava zemba
Muhona, Ndjambi wawo.
22 Kotokeye, oweṋe amuhe mbu
mwa humburuka na Muhona.
Eye me mu verukisa,
nu me mu tjiti okurira ovaṱakame!
Eṋe mamu tja nai: “Ii, eṱe matu ya ku Muhona, Ndjambi wetu. 23 Eṱe katu vatererwe i oviserekarera vyovisenginina vyetu oparukaze mokurikotamena ku vyo kozondomba zozondundu; avihe mbi omungandjo. Ombatero ku Israel i za ku Muhona, Ndjambi wetu erike. 24 Nungwari Baal, omukuru wondjambu, wa nyona otupanda twozonyanda nozongombe zootate mukururume, novazandu novakazona vawo, noviṋa avihe owo mbi va ungurira okuza koruveze orukuru. 25 Twa sokusaravara amatu ṱohoṋi, nu atwe rikutjire ondjambu yetu. Eṱe nootate mukururume aruhe twa tura ondjo komurungu wa Muhona, Ndjambi wetu okuza koumutanda wetu nga ku ndinondi; eṱe katu karere ko nonḓuviro komatwako we.”
