The Lord's Message to the Israelites in Egypt
1 The Lord spoke to me concerning all the Israelites living in Egypt, in the cities of Migdol, Tahpanhes, and Memphis, and in the southern part of the country. 2 The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, said, “You yourselves have seen the destruction I brought on Jerusalem and all the other cities of Judah. Even now they are still in ruins, and no one lives in them 3 because their people had done evil and had made me angry. They offered sacrifices to other gods and served gods that neither they nor you nor your ancestors ever worshiped. 4 I kept sending you my servants the prophets, who told you not to do this terrible thing that I hate. 5 But you would not listen or pay any attention. You would not give up your evil practice of sacrificing to other gods. 6 So I poured out my anger and fury on the towns of Judah and on the streets of Jerusalem, and I set them on fire. They were left in ruins and became a horrifying sight, as they are today.
7 “And so I, the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, now ask why you are doing such an evil thing to yourselves. Do you want to bring destruction on men and women, children and babies, so that none of your people will be left? 8 Why do you make me angry by worshiping idols and by sacrificing to other gods here in Egypt, where you have come to live? Are you doing this just to destroy yourselves, so that every nation on earth will make fun of you and use your name as a curse? 9 Have you forgotten all the wicked things that have been done in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem by your ancestors, by the kings of Judah and their wives, and by you and your wives? 10 But to this day you have not humbled yourselves. You have not honored me or lived according to all the laws that I gave you and your ancestors.
11 “So then, I, the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, will turn against you and destroy all Judah. 12 As for the people of Judah who are left and are determined to go and live in Egypt, I will see to it that all of them are destroyed. All of them, great and small, will die in Egypt, either in war or of starvation. They will be a horrifying sight; people will make fun of them and use their name as a curse. 13 I will punish those who live in Egypt, just as I punished Jerusalem—with war, starvation, and disease. 14 None of the people of Judah who are left and have come to Egypt to live will escape or survive. Not one of them will return to Judah, where they long to live once again. No one will return except a few refugees.”
15 Then all the men who knew that their wives offered sacrifices to other gods, and all the women who were standing there, including the Israelites who lived in southern Egypt—a large crowd in all—said to me, 16 “We refuse to listen to what you have told us in the name of the Lord. 17 We will do everything that we said we would. We will offer sacrifices to our goddess, the Queen of Heaven, and we will pour out wine offerings to her, just as we and our ancestors, our king and our leaders, used to do in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. Then we had plenty of food, we were prosperous, and had no troubles. 18 But ever since we stopped sacrificing to the Queen of Heaven and stopped pouring out wine offerings to her, we have had nothing, and our people have died in war and of starvation.”
19 And the women added, “When we baked cakes shaped like the Queen of Heaven, offered sacrifices to her, and poured out wine offerings to her, our husbands approved of what we were doing.”
20 Then I said to all the men and the women who had answered me in this way, 21 “As for the sacrifices which you and your ancestors, your kings and your leaders, and the people of the land offered in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem—do you think that the Lord did not know about them or that he forgot them? 22 This very day your land lies in ruins and no one lives in it. It has become a horrifying sight, and people use its name as a curse because the Lord could no longer endure your wicked and evil practices. 23 This present disaster has come on you because you offered sacrifices to other gods and sinned against the Lord by not obeying all his commands.”
24-25 I told all the people, especially the women, what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, was saying to the people of Judah living in Egypt: “Both you and your wives have made solemn promises to the Queen of Heaven. You promised that you would offer sacrifices to her and pour out wine offerings to her, and you have kept your promises. Very well, then! Keep your promises! Carry out your vows! 26 But now listen to the vow that I, the Lord, have made in my mighty name to all you Israelites in Egypt: Never again will I let any of you use my name to make a vow by saying, ‘I swear by the living Sovereign Lord!’ 27 I will see to it that you will not prosper, but will be destroyed. All of you will die, either in war or of disease, until not one of you is left. 28 But a few of you will escape death and return from Egypt to Judah. Then the survivors will know whose words have come true, mine or theirs. 29 I, the Lord, will give you proof that I will punish you in this place and that my promise to bring destruction on you will come true. 30 I will hand over King Hophra of Egypt to his enemies who want to kill him, just as I handed over King Zedekiah of Judah to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia, who was his enemy and wanted to kill him.”
1 Muhona wa hungira notjinyo tjandje kOvaisrael avehe, mba tura mOengipte movihuro mbi ooMigdol na Takpanhes na Memfis, na motukondwa twokeyuva kokumuho kwehi. 2 Muhona Omunamasaaehe, Ndjambi wa Israel, wa tja nai ku ami: “Eṋe oveni mwa muna omanyoneno ngu mba eta kOjerusalem na kovihuro ovikwao avihe vya Juda. Nandarire nambano ovyo omatundu, nu kape na umwe ngwa tura mu vyo. 3 Ihi tja tjitwa nai, ovature vavyo tjinga ava tjitire ourunde, nu ave ndji pindikisire mokupunguhira oomukuru varwe ozombunguhiro na mokukarera oomukuru, owo na eṋe nooiho mukururume mbu mu hi na mwe ve tjivirwe. 4 Ami mba kara pokumutumina ovakarere vandje avehe, imba ovaprofete, mbe mu raera kutja amu ha tjiti oviṋa oviyaukise ami mbi mba tonda. 5 Nungwari eṋe kamu puratenene ko, nu kamu ningire ko na tja. Eṋe kamu isire ozondjito zeṋu ozombi zokupunguhira oomukuru varwe ozombunguhiro. 6 Ami otji mba tirira omazenge nomapindi wandje kovihuro vya Juda na momivanda vya Jerusalem, ne vi nyosa nomuriro. Ovyo vya isiwa omatundu navi rire ombunikiro ondjaukise otja tjinga avi ri ndinondi.
7 “Komuhingo mbwi ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona Omunamasaaehe, Ndjambi wa Israel, me pura nambano kutja okutjavi tji mu ritjitira oviṋa ovivi otja imbi. Mu vanga okueta oviwonga kovarumendu novakazendu novanatje novanyame kutja ape ha hupu umwe wovandu veṋu are? 8 Eṋe mu ndji pindikisira tjike tji mu rikotamena koviserekarera vyovisenginina mokupunguha ozombunguhiro koomukuru varwe muno mOengipte mu mwe ya okutura? Mwa tjitira kutja mu rinyone oveni, kokutja oviwaṋa avihe mouye vi mu nyekerere nu vi ungurise ena reṋu otja osengiro are? 9 Mwa zemba ozondjito azehe zourunde, nḓa tjitwa movihuro vya Juda, na momivanda vya Jerusalem i ooiho mukururume nozombara za Juda novakazendu vazo, na eṋe novakazendu vazo, na eṋe novakazendu veṋu are? 10 Nungwari eṋe nga ku ndinondi kamuye risusuparisa. Kamuye ndji yozika, nu kamuya ṱakamisa omatwako nomazikamisiro wandje ngu mba yandjere ku eṋe na kooiho mukururume.
11 “Ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona Omunamasaaehe, Ndjambi wa Israel, otji me taurire mu eṋe, nu e yandeke otjiwaṋa tja Juda atjihe. 12 Ami me yandeke Ovajuda avehe, mba sewa po nu mbe rimanene okukatura kOengipte. Avehe vawo, ovanene nouṱiṱi, mave kokere mOengipte, nu mave ṱu movita poo i ondjara. Owo mave rire ombunikiro ondjaukise; ovandu mave ve nyekerere nu mave ungurisa ena rawo otja osengiro. 13 Otja punga amba verere Jerusalem novita nondjara nomutjise omuzeu, opunga ame vere imba Ovajuda mba tura mOengipte. 14 Kape na umwe wawo ngwe ya kOengipte okuyekutura, ngu ma taura poo ngu ma hupu. Kape na umwe wawo ngu ma yaruka kOjuda, ku ve zera okukatura rukwao. Kape na ngu ma yaruka posi yovataure tjiva.”
15 Ovarumendu avehe, mbaa ve tjiwa kutja ovakazendu vawo ave punguhire oomukuru varwe ozombunguhiro, novakazendu avehe, mba kuramene mbo, nOvaisrael mba turire komukuma wokeyuva kokumuho kwa Engipte, avehe kumwe, mba ri otjimbumba otjinene, va tja nai ku ami: 16 “Eṱe matu panḓa okupuratena komambo ngu we tu raera mena ra Muhona. 17 Eṱe matu tjiti oviṋa avihe mbi twa tja matu tjiti: Matu twimisa ovyomoro omuwa komukuru wetu Ombara Oserekaze yEyuru, nu matu i tiririre ozombunguhiro zomavinu tjimuna eṱe nootate mukururume nozombara zetu novahongore vetu tjiyatu tjiti movihuro vya Juda na momivanda vya Jerusalem. Momayuva ngo eṱe twa ri novikurya ovingi, twa ningaparere nu katwa ri noumba. 18 Nungwari okuza ndi tji twa isa okutwimisira omukuru wetu Ombara Oserekaze yEyuru ovyomoro omuwa, na indu tji twa isa okuitiririra ozombunguhiro zomavinu, otji twa yaruka okukara nouhepe, novandu vetu va ṱa movita nokuṱa i ondjara.”
19 Novakazendu va weza okuhungira ave tja: “Eṱe tjiyatu tereke omavanda, nga ri nosaneno yOmbara Oserekaze yEyuru, nokuitwimisira ovyomoro omuwa nokuitiririra ozombunguhiro zomavinu, ovarumendu vetu ave tjaterwa i imbi mbi matu tjiti.”
20 Ami arire tji mba ziri otjiwaṋa atjihe, ovarumendu novakazendu, novandu avehe mbe ndji zira komuhingo mbo, e tja: 21 “Ozombunguhiro eṋe nooiho mukururume nozombara zeṋu novahongore veṋu novandu avehe vehi nḓuyamu punguhire movihuro vya Juda na momivanda vya Jerusalem, mamu tjangovasi Muhona keeze tjiwa poo we ze zemba are? 22 Meyuva tjingero ndo ehi reṋu otji ra rira ongaango namu ha tura omundu. Oro ra rira ombunikiro ondjaukise, novandu ve ungurisa ena raro otja osengiro, Muhona tjinde e hi nokuuhara ama zara ozondjito zeṋu ozombi ozondjaukise. 23 Oumba mbwi wa nambano weya ku eṋe, tjinga amwa twimisira oomukuru varwe ovyomoro omuwa, namwa tura ondjo komurungu wa Muhona mokuhinokukara nonḓuviro komatwako na komazikamisiro na komaraerero we aehe.”
24-25 Ami mba raera otjiwaṋa atjihe, tjinene ovakazendu avehe, omambo, nga hungirwa i Muhona Omunamasaaehe, Ndjambi wa Israel, kotjiwaṋa tja Juda atjihe tji tji tura mOengipte, indu tja tja nai: “Eṋe novakazendu veṋu mwa tjita omakwizikiro omanene kombara Oserekaze yEyuru. Eṋe mwa kwizika kutja mamu i twimisire ovyomoro omuwa, nokutja mamu i tiririre ozombunguhiro zomavinu; nu mwa yenenisa omakwizikiro weṋu nga. Osemba, vari! Ṱakamiseye omakwizikiro weṋu. Yeneniseye otuyano tweṋu! 26 Nungwari nambano purateneye koruyano ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona, ndu mba tjita mena randje enamasa ku eṋe Ovaisrael amuhe moengipte: Ami himee yandjere rukwao ngamwa auhe weṋu okutamuna ena randje mokutjita oruyano ama tja: ‘Ami me yana ku Muhona Ndjambi omunamuinyo!’ 27 Orondu ami hi nakumuṋingaparisa rukwao, nungwari me mu yandeke. Amuhe mamu tu movita poo mamu ṱu i ondjara, nga tji pe hi nokusewa omundu. 28 Nungwari tjiva veṋu mave taurire onḓiro nave yaruka kOjuda okuza kOengipte. Tjazumba imba mba hupu, mave tjiwa kutja omambo nge nouatjiri owauṋe, owandje poo owawo. 29 Ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona, me mu pe otjiraisiro tjokutja me mu verere mehi ndi, nokutja omakwizikiro wandje wokumuyandeka maye yenenisiwa. 30 Ami me yandja Hofra, ombara ya Engipte, kovanavita na ye mbu mave vanga okumuzepa tjimuna tji mba yandjere Sidkija, ombara ya Juda, mouvara wa Nebukadnesar, ombara ya Babilon, ngwa ri omunavita na ye, nu ngwa vangere okumuzepa.”
