Another Promise of Hope
1 While I was still in prison in the courtyard, the Lord's message came to me again. 2 The Lord, who made the earth, who formed it and set it in place, spoke to me. He whose name is the Lord said, 3 “Call to me, and I will answer you; I will tell you wonderful and marvelous things that you know nothing about. 4 I, the Lord, the God of Israel, say that the houses of Jerusalem and the royal palace of Judah will be torn down as a result of the siege and the attack. 5 Some will fight against the Babylonians, who will fill the houses with the corpses of those whom I am going to strike down in my anger and fury. I have turned away from this city because of the evil things that its people have done. 6 But I will heal this city and its people and restore them to health. I will show them abundant peace and security. 7 I will make Judah and Israel prosperous, and I will rebuild them as they were before. 8 I will purify them from the sins that they have committed against me, and I will forgive their sins and their rebellion. 9 Jerusalem will be a source of joy, honor, and pride to me; and every nation in the world will fear and tremble when they hear about the good things that I do for the people of Jerusalem and about the prosperity that I bring to the city.”
10 The Lord said, “People are saying that this place is like a desert, that it has no people or animals living in it. And they are right; the towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem are empty; no people or animals live there. But in these places you will hear again 11 the shouts of gladness and joy and the happy sounds of wedding feasts. You will hear people sing as they bring thank offerings to my Temple; they will say,
‘Give thanks to the Lord Almighty,
because he is good
and his love is eternal.’
I will make this land as prosperous as it was before. I, the Lord, have spoken.”
12 The Lord Almighty said, “In this land that is like a desert and where no people or animals live, there will once again be pastures where shepherds can take their sheep. 13 In the towns in the hill country, in the foothills, and in southern Judah, in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem, and in the towns of Judah, shepherds will once again count their sheep. I, the Lord, have spoken.”
14 The Lord said, “The time is coming when I will fulfill the promise that I made to the people of Israel and Judah. 15 At that time I will choose as king a righteous descendant of David. That king will do what is right and just throughout the land. 16 The people of Judah and of Jerusalem will be rescued and will live in safety. The city will be called ‘The Lord Our Salvation.’ 17 I, the Lord, promise that there will always be a descendant of David to be king of Israel 18 and that there will always be priests from the tribe of Levi to serve me and to offer burnt offerings, grain offerings, and sacrifices.”
19 The Lord said to me, 20 “I have made a covenant with the day and with the night, so that they always come at their proper times; and that covenant can never be broken. 21 In the same way I have made a covenant with my servant David that he would always have a descendant to be king, and I have made a covenant with the priests from the tribe of Levi that they would always serve me; and those covenants can never be broken. 22 I will increase the number of descendants of my servant David and the number of priests from the tribe of Levi, so that it will be as impossible to count them as it is to count the stars in the sky or the grains of sand on the seashore.”
23 The Lord said to me, 24 “Have you noticed how people are saying that I have rejected Israel and Judah, the two families that I chose? And so they look with contempt on my people and no longer consider them a nation. 25 But I, the Lord, have a covenant with day and night, and I have made the laws that control earth and sky. 26 And just as surely as I have done this, so I will maintain my covenant with Jacob's descendants and with my servant David. I will choose one of David's descendants to rule over the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I will be merciful to my people and make them prosperous again.”
Omakwizikiro omakwao womaundjiro
1 Ami ngunda ambi ri motjovakamburwa morupanda rwondjuwo youhona, ombuze ya Muhona otji ye ya ku ami rukwao. 2 Muhona ngwa ungura ehi, nu ngwe ri zezenga ne ri zikamisa, wa hungira ku ami. Eye, wena Muhona, wa tja nai: 3 “Kwa ku ami, nami me itavere; ami me ku raere oviṋa ovihimise mbi u he i. 4 Ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona, Ndjambi wa Israel, me tja ozondjuwo za Jerusalem na inḓa zouhona za Juda maze haṋewa. Kahepero okukarwisa ozondunduvahi nḓa tungwa i Ovababilon. 5 Okutjita nao oko maku urisa otjihuro uriri noturova twaimba mbu me tono momazenge na momapindi wandje. Ami mba yandja etambo kotjihuro hi mena romaurunde ovandu vatjo ngu va tjita. 6 Nungwari, tara, ami me verukisa otjihuro hi novandu vatjo, nu meve pe omberukiro rukwao. Ami meve raisire ohange nombwiro onyingi. 7 Me ṋingaparisa otjiwaṋa tja Juda notja Israel, nu me vi tungurura otja tji vya ri rutenga. 8 Me vi kohorora kourunde wavyo auhe, nu me vi isire omauvi nomapirukiro wavyo. 9 Jerusalem matji rire omburo yondjoroka nondjozikiro nohivo ku ami moviwaṋa avihe mouye; ovyo mavi tira navi zezera tji vya zuu ouwa mbu mbi tjita kovandu va Jerusalem, nouṋingandu mbu mba eta kotjihuro hi.”
10 Muhona wa tja nai: “Ovandu ve tja otjirongo hi tji ri otja okuti onguza, kamu novandu poo ovinamuinyo. Nowo ve ri osemba; ovihuro vya Juda nomivanda vya Jerusalem vi ri tjo, kamu novandu novinamuinyo. Nungwari movirongo mbi mo zuu mo rukwao 11 ozondavaerero zenyando nozondjoroka, nozombosiro ozombwa zomikandi vyotukupo. Mo zuu ovandu amave imbura, tji mave punguhire ozombunguhiro zokutja okuhepa mondjuwo yandje; owo mave tja:
‘Itjeye okuhepa ku Muhona Omunamasaaehe,
eye tjinga e ri omuwa,
norusuvero rwe orukarerere.’
Ami me yarura ko ehi ndi kutja ri ṋingapare otja tji ra ri rutenga. Ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona, owami ngu mba hungire.”
12 Muhona Omunamasaaehe wa tja nai: “Mehi ndi ndi ri otja okuti onguza, nu mu mu hi novandu novipuka, na movihuro avihe vyaro mamu kara omaryo rukwao ovarise ku mave twara ozonḓu zawo. 13 Movihuro, mbi ri mehi rozondunda na movivanda, na mehi rokomukuma wokeyuva kokumuho kwa Juda, na mehi ra Benjamin, na movihuro mbya kondoroka Jerusalem, na movihuro vya Juda, ovarise mave vara ozonḓu zawo rukwao. Ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona, owami ngu mba hungire.”
14 Muhona wa tja nai: “Tara, omayuva maye ya ami mu me yenenisa omakwizikiro wandje ngu mba tjita kotjiwaṋa tja Israel notja Juda. 15 Momayuva ngo ami me toorora ondekurona osemba ya David okurira ombara. Ombara ndji mai tjiti ousemba nouatjiri mehi arihe. 16 Otjiwaṋa tja Juda matji yamwa, novature va Jerusalem mave tura mouyara. Otjihuro matji isanewa kutja ‘Muhona Ondjamo yetu’. 17 Ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona, mba kwizika kutja aruhe mape kara ondekurona ya David, ndji mai rire ombara mOisrael, 18 nokutja wina aruhe mape kara ovapristeri momuhoko wa Levi mbu mave ndji karere nokundjipunguhira ozombunguhiro ozoningiririsiwa nozovikurya nozovinamuinyo.”
19 Muhona wa tja nai ku ami: 20 “Ami mba tjita omerikutiropamwe puna omutenya nouṱuku, kokutja aruhe ovyo vi kare po motuveze twavyo otusemba; omerikutiropamwe nga kamaaye teyewa ko. 21 Momuhingo tjingewo ami mba tjita omerikutiropamwe nomukarere wandje David kutja eye aruhe ma kara nondekurona, ndji mai rire ombara; nu wina mba tjita omerikutiropamwe novapristeri vomuhoko wa Levi kutja aruhe mave ndji karere; nomerikutiropamwe nga kamaaye teyewa ko. 22 Ami me takavarisa otjivaro tjozondekurona zomukarere wandje David, notjivaro tjovapristeri vomuhoko wa Levi kokutja ave ha yenene okuvarwa tjimuna ozonyose keyuru poo eheke pomukuro wokuvare tji vi ha sora okuvarwa.”
23 Muhona wa tja nai ku ami: 24 “U tjiwa kutja nai ovandu ve tja ami mba nakaura Israel na Juda, inga omaṱunḓu yevari ngu mba toorora are? Nowo ve tara nonyengo kotjiwaṋa tjandje, nu kave uhara amave tji vara otja otjiwaṋa rukwao. 25 Nungwari ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona, mbi nomerikutiropamwe puna omutenya nouṱuku, nu mba twa po omazikamisiro nge tjevera ehi neyuru. 26 Nu, tjiri, otja tjinga amba tjita nai, otjinga ame ṱakamisa omakwizikiro wandje ngu mba tjita kozondekurona za Jakob nozomukarere wandje David. Ami me toorora ovanane mozondekurona za David okuhonaparera ozondekurona za Abraham noza Isak noza Jakob. Ami me ṱotjari notjiwaṋa tjandje, nu me tji ṋingaparisa rukwao.”
