The Lord's Sword
1 The Lord spoke to me. 2 “Mortal man,” he said, “denounce Jerusalem. Denounce the places where people worship. Warn the land of Israel 3 that I, the Lord, am saying: I am your enemy. I will draw my sword and kill all of you, good and evil alike. 4 I will use my sword against everyone from south to north. 5 Everyone will know that I, the Lord, have drawn my sword and that I will not put it away.
6 “Mortal man, groan as if your heart is breaking with despair. Groan in sorrow where everyone can watch you. 7 When they ask you why you are groaning, tell them it is because of the news that is coming. When it comes, their hearts will be filled with fear, their hands will hang limp, their courage will fail, and their knees will tremble. The time has come; it is here.” The Sovereign Lord has spoken.
8 The Lord said to me, 9 “Mortal man, prophesy. Tell the people what I, the Lord, am saying:
A sword, a sword is sharpened and polished.
10 It is sharpened to kill,
polished to flash like lightning.
There can be no rejoicing,
for my people have disregarded every warning and punishment.
11 The sword is being polished,
to make it ready for use.
It is sharpened and polished,
to be put in the hands of a killer.
12 Howl in grief, mortal man;
this sword is meant for my people
and for all the leaders of Israel.
They are going to be killed
with all the rest of my people.
Beat your breast in despair!
13 I am testing my people,
and if they refuse to repent,
all these things will happen to them.
14 “Now, mortal man, prophesy. Clap your hands, and the sword will strike again and again. It is a sword that kills, a sword that terrifies and slaughters. 15 It makes my people lose courage and stumble. I am threatening their city with a sword that flashes like lightning and is ready to kill. 16 Cut to the right and the left, you sharp sword! Cut wherever you turn. 17 I also will clap my hands, and my anger will be over. I, the Lord, have spoken.”
The Sword of the King of Babylonia
18 The Lord spoke to me. 19 “Mortal man,” he said, “mark out two roads by which the king of Babylonia can come with his sword. Both of them are to start in the same country. Put up a signpost where the roads fork. 20 One will show the king the way to the Ammonite city of Rabbah, and the other the way to Judah, to the fortified city, Jerusalem. 21 The king of Babylonia stands by the signpost at the fork of the road. To discover which way to go, he shakes the arrows; he consults his idols; he examines the liver of a sacrificed animal. 22 Now! His right hand holds the arrow marked ‘Jerusalem’! It tells him to go and set up battering rams, to shout the battle cry, to place battering rams against the gates, to throw up earthworks, and to dig trenches. 23 The people of Jerusalem won't believe this because of the treaties they have made. But this prediction is to remind them of their sins and to warn them that they will be captured. 24 This then is what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying: Your sins are exposed. Everyone knows how guilty you are. You show your sins in your every action. You stand condemned, and I will hand you over to your enemies.
25 “You wicked, unholy ruler of Israel, your day, the day of your final punishment, is coming. 26 I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken. Take off your crown and your turban. Nothing will be the same again. Raise the poor to power! Bring down those who are ruling! 27 Ruin, ruin! Yes, I will make the city a ruin. But this will not happen until the one comes whom I have chosen to punish the city. To him I will give it.
A Sword and the Ammonites
28 “Mortal man, prophesy. Announce what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying to the Ammonites, who are insulting Israel. Say to them:
‘A sword is ready to destroy;
It is polished to kill, to flash like lightning.
29 The visions that you see are false, and the predictions you make are lies. You are wicked and evil, and your day is coming, the day of your final punishment. The sword is going to fall on your necks.
30 “‘Put up the sword! I will judge you in the place where you were created, in the land where you were born. 31 You will feel my anger when I turn it loose on you like a blazing fire. And I will hand you over to brutal men, experts at destruction. 32 You will be destroyed by fire. Your blood will be shed in your own country, and no one will remember you any more.’” The Lord has spoken.
ǃKhūb di gôab
1 ǃKhūb di mîs ge tita ǃoa ge hā: 2 “Khoenôa ǀgôatse, sa aisa Jerusalems ai ǃammâi, îdi sa mîde ǃanusigu ǃoa dâuǂoa, îts Israeli ǃhūb ǃoagu kēbo 3 tsî ǁîba mîba: Nētib ge ǃKhūba ra mî: Tita ge sats ǃoagu hâ tsî ta ge ti gôaba ǁhōb âba xu ǂgaeǂui tsî ǂhanu-ain tsî eloxoresan tsîn hoana ǃhūba xu nî ǃgamǂui. 4 ǂHanu-ain tsî eloxoresan tsîn hoana ta ǃhūba xu nî ǃgamǂui, amagab ge ti gôaba ǁhōb âba xu ǁgans hoas ǃoagu nî ǂoaxa, ǃkhawagasa xu ǀapas kōse. 5 On ge hoana nî ǂan, tita ǃKhūta ge ti gôaba ǁhōb âba xu ǂgaeǂui tsîb ǁkhawa ǂgā-oahe tide ǃkhaisa.
6 “ǀHâimâinǀom re satsa khoenôa ǀgôatse, ǀhâimâinǀom re tsûaǂgaob tsî ǃgaes ǀkha ǁîn mûǁae. 7 Tsî sats ǃoan ga, ‘Tarexats ra ǀhâimâinǀom’ ti a mî, ots ge nî mî: ‘ǂHôas ra hā xui-ao. ǁÎs ga hā, ob ge mâ ǂgaob hoaba nî ǂkhabu, tsî ǃomgu hoagu ge nî ǃopo tsîs ge mâ gagas hoasa nî ǂkhabuǂâi tsîs ge mâ ǁgoas hoasa ǁgam-i khami nî ǂkhabu. Mû ǁîs ge ra hā tsîs ge nî ī,’ ”
tib ge ǃKhūb Eloba ra mî.8 ǃKhūb di mîs ge tita ǃoa ge hā: 9 “Khoenôa ǀgôatse kēbo, îts mî: Nētib ge ǃKhūba ra mî:
“Gôab, gôab ge ǀāǀāhe tsî ǂkhanuǂkhanuhe hâ.
10 ǁÎb ge ǀāǀāhe hâ ǂāb nîga,
ǁîb ge ǂkhanuǂkhanuhe hâ napab khamib nî ǂkhaiga.
ǃGâiaǂgao da kha nî, ti ôab di haib,
mâ hais hoasa ra ǃharaxūb ǂama?
11 Gôab ge māhe hâ ǂkhanuǂkhanuǀkhāhe
tsîb nî sîsenūhese.
ǁÎb ge ǀāǀāhe tsî ǂkhanuǂkhanuǀkhāhe hâ,
ǃgamaob ǃomǁaeb nî māhese.
12 Ā îts ǃgae, khoenôa ǀgôatse,
nē gôab ge ti ǁaes ǃoagu nî hā,
ǁîb ge Israeli gaoǀgôagu ǃoagu nî hā.
ǁÎgu ge gôaba māǁnâhe hâ,
ti ǁaes din ǀkha ǀhûpe.
ǁNā-amaga tîb âts ai ǂnau re!
13 Ti ǁaesa ta ge ra ǃâitsâ,
tsî dī-unusen ǂgao taman ga i,
on ge nē xūn hoana ǁîn ǀkha nî ī,”
tib ge ǃKhūb Eloba ra mî.14 “ǁNā-amaga khoenôa ǀgôatse kēbo, îts ǁapunǃom, ob ge gôaba ǀgam tsî ǃnona ǃnāde nî ǁgôaxa ǁînab nî ǃgamse. Nēb ge gôab kai ǃgams ǁîn hoana ǃkhōǂgā hâs diba. 15 ǁÎn ǂgaogu ge ǃaob xa ge ǂkhabu tsîn ge ǂguina dao-amdi hoadi tawa ge ǁnā. Gôab ge napab khami ra ǂkhai, ǁîb ge ǂhomisase hâ ǃgamsa ǃoa. 16 Sats ǀā gôatse, amǀkhāb tsî ǁareǀkhābǀî ǁhā, ǀāǀkhāb ra unusen ǀkhāb hoab ai. 17 Tita tsîn ge ǁapunǃom tsî ti ǁaiba nî ǁgôa kai. Tita ǃKhūta ge ǁîsa go mî.”
Babilons gao-aob di gôab
18 ǃKhūb di mîs ge ǁkhawa tita ǃoa ge hā: 19 “Khoenôa ǀgôatse, ǀgam daokha Babilons gao-aob di gôaba ǂhomiba ǁnāpa-ub nî ǀkhīse. ǁÎkha hoakha ge ǀgui ǃhūb ǀguiba xu nî ǂoaxa, îts sao-e dībasen tsî ǁî-e ǃās ǃoa garu daob di tsoatsoas tawa mâi. 20 Daoba ǁgaumâi, ǁîba-ub gôaba Rabas Amonǁîn dis tsî omǂnamisa ǃās Jerusalems ǃoa nî sība. 21 Babilons gao-aob ge daokha di ǀgoras di tsoatsoas tawa mâ, aimûǀgarub nîga. ǁÎb ge ǂāga ra gongon, ǁîb ge ǁîb di ǁgôa-elo-īgu ai ra ǀape-ôa, ǁîb ge xamari-i âisa ra kō. 22 Amǀkhāb ǁôab âb ǃnâ hâ saos ge a Jerusalem. ǁÎs ge ra mîba bi, îb ǁnāǂamūxūna omkhâi, torob mîmāsa ǃauǂui, ǁâtanina ǃās dao-amdi ǃoa-ai mâi tsî ǃās ǂnubiǂgoab xōǀkha torob ǂnubiǂgoaba omkhâi. 23 Jerusalems khoen mûǁaes ge nē aimûǀgarusa ǁau xūse nî i, ǁîn ge nūs ǀkha mîmâide dī amaga. Xawes ge nēsa ǁîna ǁîn di ǃûǂamdi xa ǂâiǂâiǃnâ tsî nî ǃkhâikhom, ǃkhōsis ǃnân nî ūhesa. 24 ǁNā-amagab ge ǃKhūb Eloba nēti ra mî: Sadu ǂhanuoǃnâsib ge ǂhai amagas ge sadu ǃûǂamdi ge ǂansa, tsî gu ge sadu dīgu hoagu tsî ǁoren tsîna mûhesa. ǂÂiǂâisenhe du ra amagas ge ǃommi ǀkha du nî ǃkhōhesa.
25 “Tsî sats ǃanuoǃnâ, eloxoresa ǂgaeǂgui-aots Israeli dits, tsēs âts go hātse, ǁaeb sa ǀuniga ǁkharab diba. 26 Nētib ge ǃKhūb Eloba ra mî: Sa ǀgapas tsî sa krons tsîra ūǁnâ, ǀgui xū-i tsîn ge ǀnai i go ī ise hâ tide. ǃGamǃgamsensa-e ǀgapiǀgapi, î ǀgapiǀgapisenxa-e ǃgamǃgam. 27 Khôaǂkhū, khôaǂkhū, tita ge ǁîsa nî khôaǂkhū. Xawes ge nēsa ī tide, ǃāsa hā nî ǁkharab nî ǀkhīs kōse, o ta ge ǁîba ǁîsa nî mā.
Amonǁîn di gôab
28 “Satsa khoenôa ǀgôatse, kēbo îts mî: Nētib ge ǃKhūb Eloba ra mî, Amonǁîn tsî ǁîn di ǃharaxūb ǂama:
“Gôab ge ǂgaeǂuihe hâ ǂāb nîga,
ǁîb ge ǂkhanuǂkhanuǀkhāhe hâ ǃgammi nîga,
napab khamib nî ǂkhaiga.
29 “ǁÎn ge harebeoǃnâ aide sado ra mûba tsî ǂhumiba ra aimûǀgaruba du. ǁNā ǃanuoǃnâ, eloxoresan di ǃaogu ai du nî ǁgoese, ǁnān ǀuniga ǁkharab di ǁaeb go hān ai.
30 “Gôaba ǁkhawa ǁhōb âb ǃnâ ǂgā-oa. Tita ge ǁîs tawats ge kuruhe ǃkhais ǃnâ, sa ǂhunuma ǃhūb ǃnâ nî ǀgoraǃgâ tsi. 31 Ti ǁaiba ta ge sats ai nî ǁhōǂui. Ti ǀkhaob di ǀaesa ta ge sats ai nî ǃnâi, tsî ta ge kaise ǁkhō khoen, hîkākās ǂansa ūhân ǃomǁae nî māǁnâ tsi. 32 Sats ge ǀaes xa nî hapuhe tsîb ge sa ǀaoba ǃhūb ai nî ǂnâxūhe, tsîts ge ǃaruǀî ǂâihes tsîna hî tide. Tita ǃKhūta ge ǁîsa go mî.”
