The Prophet as a Refugee
1 The Lord spoke to me. 2 “Mortal man,” he said, “you are living among rebellious people. They have eyes, but they see nothing; they have ears, but they hear nothing, because they are rebellious.
3 “Now, mortal man, pack a bundle just as a refugee would and start out before nightfall. Let everyone see you leaving and going to another place. Maybe those rebels will notice you. 4 While it is still daylight, pack your bundle for exile, so that they can see you, and then let them watch you leave in the evening as if you were going into exile. 5 While they are watching, break a hole through the wall of your house and take your pack out through it. 6 Let them watch you putting your pack on your shoulder and going out into the dark with your eyes covered, so that you can't see where you are going. What you do will be a warning to the Israelites.”
7 I did what the Lord told me to do. That day I packed a bundle as a refugee would, and that evening as it was getting dark I dug a hole in the wall with my hands and went out. While everyone watched, I put the pack on my shoulder and left.
8 The next morning the Lord spoke to me. 9 “Mortal man,” he said, “now that those Israelite rebels are asking you what you're doing, 10 tell them what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying to them. This message is for the prince ruling in Jerusalem and for all the people who live there. 11 Tell them that what you have done is a sign of what will happen to them—they will be refugees and captives. 12 The prince who is ruling them will shoulder his pack in the dark and escape through a hole that they dig for him in the wall. He will cover his eyes and not see where he is going. 13 But I will spread out my net and trap him in it. Then I will take him to the city of Babylon, where he will die without having seen it. 14 I will scatter in every direction all the members of his court and his advisers and bodyguards, and people will search for them to kill them.
15 “When I scatter them among the other nations and in foreign countries, they will know that I am the Lord. 16 I will let a few of them survive the war, the famine, and the diseases, so that there among the nations they will realize how disgusting their actions have been and will acknowledge that I am the Lord.”
The Sign of the Trembling Prophet
17 The Lord spoke to me. 18 “Mortal man,” he said, “tremble when you eat, and shake with fear when you drink. 19 Tell the whole nation that this is the message of the Sovereign Lord to the people of Jerusalem who are still living in their land: They will tremble when they eat and shake with fear when they drink. Their land will be stripped bare, because everyone who lives there is lawless. 20 Cities that are now full of people will be destroyed, and the country will be made a wilderness. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
A Popular Proverb and an Unpopular Message
21 The Lord spoke to me. 22 “Mortal man,” he said, “why do the people of Israel repeat this proverb: ‘Time goes by, and predictions come to nothing’? 23 Now tell them what I, the Sovereign Lord, have to say about that. I will put an end to that proverb. It won't be repeated in Israel any more. Tell them instead: The time has come, and the predictions are coming true!
24 “Among the people of Israel there will be no more false visions or misleading prophecies. 25 I, the Lord, will speak to them, and what I say will be done. There will be no more delay. In your own lifetime, you rebels, I will do what I have warned you I would do. I have spoken,” says the Sovereign Lord.
26 The Lord said to me, 27 “Mortal man, the Israelites think that your visions and prophecies are about the distant future. 28 So tell them that I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying: There will be no more delay. What I have said will be done. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!”
Kēbo-aoba ǃhūsabeb ase
1 ǃKhūb di mîs ge tita ǃoa ge hā: 2 “Khoenôa ǀgôatse, sats ge khâikhâisenxa ommi din ǁaegu ǁan hâ, mûn nîse mûde ūhâ, xawe mû tamana, ǁnâun nîse ǂgaede ūhâ, xawe ǁnâu tamana, khâikhâisenxa ommi din a xui-ao.
3 “ǁNā-amaga, khoenôa ǀgôatse, ǃkhōsis di ǁgaruba ǂhomibasen, îts tsēa ǁîn di mûǁae ǃkhōsis ǃnâ ǃgû. ǃKhōsis ǃnâ ra ǃgû-i khamits ge sa ǃāsa xu nau ǃās ǃoa ǁîn mûǁae nî ǃgû. ǀNîsin ge nî ǁnâuǃā, khâikhâisenxa ommi din a xawe. 4 Sats ge sa ǁgaruba tsēa ǁîn mûǁae nî tani, ǃkhōsis di ǁgarub ase tsî ūǃgûhe ra ǃkhōsabe-i asets ge ǃuia ǁîn mûǁae ǂoa tsî nî ǃgû. 5 ǁÎn mûǁae ǂnubiǂgoaba khaoǃkhopa, îts ǁnāpa-u ǁgarub âts ǀkha ǂoa. 6 ǁÎn mûǁae ǁgarub âtsa ǃhōs ai tani hâse ǃkhaeb ǃnâ ǂoaxa. Ais âtsa ǃgū-ai, îts tā ǃhūba mû ǁkhā, Israeli ommi din ǃaroma ta ge satsa saose dī xui-ao.”
7 Tita ge mîmāhe ta ge khami ǀgui ge dī. Ti ǁgaruba ta ge ǂgāǃnâsase tsēa tani hâse ge ǂoaxa, ǃkhōsabe-i di ǁgarub ase. ǃUis ǃnâ ta ge ǂnubiǂgoaba ti ǃomkha ǀkha ge khaoǃkhopa. Tita ge ǃkhaeb ǃnâ ti xūna ǃhōs ai tani hâse ǁîn mûǁae ge ǂoaxa.
8 Tsî ǃnauǁgoagas ge ǃKhūb di mîsa tita ǃoa ge hā: 9 “Khoenôa ǀgôatse, Israeli di khâikhâisenxa ommi dina kha ‘Tare-ets ra dī?’ ti mîǀî tsi tama hâ? 10 ǁÎna mîba: ‘Nētib ǃKhūb Eloba ra mî: Nē ǂhôas ge Jerusalems di gaoǀgôab tsî Israeli ommi ǃnâ hân hoan ǃoagu hâ.’ 11 ǁÎna mîba: ‘Tita ge sado buruxa sao-i ase ība, tita ge dī khamin ge ǁîna nî dī-ūhe. ǁÎn ge ǃkhōsis ǃnâ ǃkhōsaben ase nî ūǃgûhe.’ 12 Tsî ǁnā gaoǀgôab, ǁîn ǁaegu hâb ge ǁgarub âba ǃhōs ai ǃkhaeb ǃnâ ǂnûi tsî nî ǂoaxa; ǁîb ge ǂnubiǂgoab ǃnâ-u khaoǃkhopa, tsî ǁnāpa-u nî ǂoa. ǁÎb ge ais âba nî ǃgū-ai, ǁîb mûra ǀkhab ǃhūba mû tidese. 13 Xawe tita ge ti ǀûisa ǁîb ai nî ǁgui tsîb ge ǁîba ǁîs xa nî ǃkhōhe tsî tita ge ǁîba Babilons tawa, Xaldeaǁîn di ǃhūb ǃnâ nî sī-ū, xaweb ge ǁnā ǃhūba mû tide tsî ǁîb ge ǁnāpa nî ǁō. 14 Tsî ǁîb ǂnamipe hân hoan, ǁîb hui-aon tsî ǁîb di ǂnubidi hoadi tsîna ta ge hoa ǂoadi ǃnâ nî ǀgaruǀgaru. Tita ge ǁîna gôab ǀkha nî ǃgôaǃgon.
15 “ǁÎn ge tita a ǃKhū ǃkhaisa nî ǂan, tita ga ǁîna ǁaedi ǃnâ ǀgaruǀgaru tsî ǃhūgu ǃnâ ǂapaǂoa kaio. 16 Xawe ta ge tita ǀnîrona gôab, ǃâtsūǀkhāb tsî ǂhīǁōb tsîna xu nî ǃkhō-oa, în ǁîna ǃgûn ra ǃkhai-i hoa-i tawa ǁaede ǁîn di ui-uisa dīgu xa ǂhôa, on ge tita a ǃKhū ǃkhaisa nî ǂan.”
ǀKhū ra kēbo-aob di saos
17 ǃKhūb di mîs ge tita ǃoa ge hā: 18 “Khoenôa ǀgôatse, sa pereba ǀkhū rase ǂû, î sa ǁgam-e ǀkhūb tsî ǃoab ǀkha ā. 19 ǃHūb di khoen ǃoa mî: ‘Nētib ge ǃKhūb Eloba Jerusalems ǁanǂgāsaben Israeli ǃnâ ǁan hân xa ra mî: ǁÎn ge ǃaob ǀkha pereb âna ǂû tsî ǁîn ǁgam-e ǃaob ǀkha nî ā, ǁîn di ǃhūb ǀoasasib âb hoab ǀkha ǁîb ǃnâ ǁan hân di ǂkhabadīb ǃaroma nî ǀkhaiǀkhaiǃnâhe xui-ao.’ 20 ǁAnǃnâsa ǃādi hoadi ge nî ǃū-aisa tsîb ge ǃhūba nî ǃgaroǃhū kai, tsî du ge tita a ǃKhū ǃkhaisa nî ǂan.”
ǂAnsa ǂkhoamî-i tsî ǂgaohe tama ǂhôas
21 ǃKhūb di mîs ge tita ǃoa ge hā: 22 “Khoenôa ǀgôatse, mâ ǂkhoamî-i Israeli ǃhūb ǃnâ a ǂansa-i hîa ‘Tsēdi ge nî gaxugaxuhe tsî mâ ai-i hoa-i ge nî kā’ ti ra mî-e? 23 ǁNā-amaga ǁîna mîba: ‘Nētib ge ǃKhūb Eloba ra mî: Tita ge nē ǂkhoamîsa nî toa kai, Israeli ǃnân ge ǁîsa ǃaruǀî sîsenū tide.’ Xawe ǁîn ǃoa mî: ‘Tsēdi ge go mâtoa mâ ai-i hoa-i nî dīǀoaǀoahesa.’
24 “ǃAruǀî-i ge ǁkhawa ǂhumi ai-i tamas ka io ǂgaeǂhapuxa kēbo-ai-e Israeli ommi ǃnâ hâ tide. 25 Xawe tita ǃKhūta ge mîs hîa ta ra ǃhoasa nî ǃhoa tsî ǁîs ge nî dīǀoaǀoahe. ǁÎs ge ǃaruǀî mâiǂuihe tide. Xawe sa khâikhâisenxa ommi dido, sadu tsēdi ǃnâ ta ge ti mîsa nî ǃhoa tsî ǁîsa nî dīǀoaǀoa,”
tib ge ǃKhūb Eloba ra mî.26 ǃKhūb di mîs ge tita ǃoa ge hā: 27 “Khoenôa ǀgôatse, Israeli ommi din ge ra mî: ‘ǁÎb ra mû ai-i ge ǃgoaxa ǂgui kurigu ǃaroma hâ tsî ge ǃgoaxa ǁaegu ǃaroma ra kēbo.’ 28 ǁNā-amaga ǁîn ǃoa mî, nētib ge ǃKhūb Eloba ra mî: ‘ǀGuis ti mîdi dis tsîn ge ǃaruǀî mâiǂuihe tide. Tsî mîs hîa ta nî ǃhoas ge nî dīǀoaǀoahe,’ ”
tib ge ǃKhūba ra mî.