1 The people of Israel were like a grapevine that was full of grapes. The more prosperous they were, the more altars they built. The more productive their land was, the more beautiful they made the sacred stone pillars they worship. 2 The people whose hearts are deceitful must now suffer for their sins. God will break down their altars and destroy their sacred pillars.
3 These people will soon be saying, “We have no king because we did not fear the Lord. But what could a king do for us anyway?” 4 They utter empty words and make false promises and useless treaties. Justice has become injustice, growing like poisonous weeds in a plowed field.
5 The people who live in the city of Samaria will be afraid and will mourn the loss of the gold bull at Bethaven. They and the priests who serve the idol will weep over it. They will wail when it is stripped of its golden splendor. 6 The idol will be carried off to Assyria as tribute to the great emperor. The people of Israel will be disgraced and put to shame because of the advice they followed. 7 Their king will be carried off, like a chip of wood on water. 8 The hilltop shrines of Aven, where the people of Israel worship idols, will be destroyed. Thorns and weeds will grow up over their altars. The people will call out to the mountains, “Hide us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!”
The Lord Pronounces Judgment on Israel
9 The Lord says, “The people of Israel have not stopped sinning against me since the time of their sin at Gibeah. So at Gibeah war will catch up with them. 10 I will attack this sinful people and punish them. Nations will join together against them, and they will be punished for their many sins.
11 “Israel was once like a well-trained young cow, ready and willing to thresh grain. But I decided to put a yoke on her beautiful neck and to harness her for harder work. I made Judah pull the plow and Israel pull the harrow. 12 I said, ‘Plow new ground for yourselves, plant righteousness, and reap the blessings that your devotion to me will produce. It is time for you to turn to me, your Lord, and I will come and pour out blessings upon you.’ 13 But instead you planted evil and reaped its harvest. You have eaten the fruit produced by your lies.
“Because you trusted in your chariots and in the large number of your soldiers, 14 war will come to your people, and all your fortresses will be destroyed. It will be like the day when King Shalman destroyed the city of Betharbel in battle, and mothers and their children were crushed to death. 15 That is what will happen to you, people of Bethel, because of the terrible evil that you have done. As soon as the battle begins, the king of Israel will die.”
1 Israels ge a ǀkhaexaǃnâ draibehai, ǁîs ǂûtanib di ǃnāǂamsasiba xu ra ǂûtanibasensa, altardi ais ge ra ǂguiǂgui, ǃhūb âs di ǃgâibahes ǃoan ge ǃgâi īga ge kuru. 2 ǂGaob ân ge a ǂkhaba on ge nēsi ǀhapis âna nî tani; ǁîn altarde khôa tsîb ge īgu âna nî hîkākā.
3 On ge nî mî: “Sida ge gao-ao-e ūhâ tama hâ, ǃKhūba da ǃao tama xui-ao. Tsî tare-eb kha gao-aoba nî dība da?” 4 Gao-aogu ge mîde ra ǃhoa, ǂkhabase gu ge ge nū, ǃgaeǀhaosa dīs ǀkha tsîs ge ǀgoraǃgâsa ǃgāxa hai-i khami ra ǁhao, ǃhūǃgaohe hâ ǃhanab ǃnâ.
5 Samarias ǁanǂgāsaben ge Bet-Avens di tsâub ǂama ǃao tsî nî ǃoa, ǁîs di khoen tsî ǁgôa-elopristergu ge ǁîs ai nî ǀkhū, ǂkhaisib âsa xus ga bēo. 6 ǁKhātib ge ǁîb ona gao-aob Jaredi ǃnarexūse Asiriab ǃoa nî tanihe. Efraimmi ge nî taotaohe, Israeli ge taob xa nî dāhe ǁîb ǀapes ǃaroma. 7 Gao-aob Samarias dib ge nî hîkākāhe, tsî hai-i khami ǁgam-i ai nî dâubēhe. 8 Tsî di ge ǀgapi ǃkhaidi ǂkhabab Israeli dib dide nî hîkākāhe. ǁKhūn tsî ǀkhininin ge altars ai nî ǁhai tsîn ge ǃhomgu ǃoa “ǃGū-ai da re!” ti mî tsî ǃnâugu ǃoa “ǁNā-ai da re!” ti nî mî.
ǃKhūb ge Israeli ǂama ǀgoraǃgâsa ra gowaǂui
9 Gibeas tsēde xus ge ra ǁore Israelse; ǁnāpan ge sī ge mâ. ǂHanuoǃnâsib di torob, sida ôagu ai ra dīheb ge Gibeasa tsâǀkhā tide. 10 ǂGao ta kao ta ge ǁîna nî ǁkhara, tsî di ge ǁaede ǁîn ǃoagu nî ǀhaoǀhaosen, ǁîn ǀgamǃnâgu ǁoren ǃaroma ǁîna nî ǃgaese.
11 Efraimmi ge a dāǃnâ ǁkhā, ǂkham taretsâu, ǁnā-amaga ta ge tita ǃaob âs di îsasiba ge īǂam. Judab ge nî ǃhūǃgao, Jakob ge nî ǂhauǂhaubasen. 12 ǂHanu-aisiba ǃhanabasen, hâhâ ra ǀnammi ǂûna ǃgaobasen; ǀasa ǃhana-e ǃhūǃgaobasen re; ǃKhūba ôas ǁaeb go ǀoa xuige; ǁîb ge nî hā, ǂhanu-aisiba sa ai nî ǀapiǁnâse. 13 ǂKhabasiba du ge ge ǃhūǃgao, ǂhanuoǃnâsiba du ge ge ǃgaobasen.
ǂHumib ǂûna du ge ge ǂû tsî du ge sadu ǃkhamaogu di ǂguisib ǃnâ ge ǂgomaiǂnûi. 14 Torob ge nî khâi ǁaedi ǁaegu tsî di ge hoaraga ǁkhui-omdi âdo nî hîkākāhe, Salmanni ge Bet-Arbela torob ǁaeb ǃnâ hîkākā khami; ǁgûdi ge ôasan ǀkha ǃâdi ǃnâ ge ǂkhūǂkhūhe. 15 ǁNās ǁkhās xase i ge ǀnî-e sas ǀkha nî dī Betelse, sa ǂkhabasib di kaisib ǃaroma; ǁgoaǂnobos aib ge Israels gao-aoba nî hîkākāhe.
