God Promises to Rescue His People
1 Israel, the Lord who created you says,
“Do not be afraid—I will save you.
I have called you by name—you are mine.
2 When you pass through deep waters, I will be with you;
your troubles will not overwhelm you.
When you pass through fire, you will not be burned;
the hard trials that come will not hurt you.
3 For I am the Lord your God,
the holy God of Israel, who saves you.
I will give up Egypt to set you free;
I will give up Ethiopia and Seba.
4 I will give up whole nations to save your life,
because you are precious to me
and because I love you and give you honor.
5 Do not be afraid—I am with you!
“From the distant east and the farthest west
I will bring your people home.
6 I will tell the north to let them go
and the south not to hold them back.
Let my people return from distant lands,
from every part of the world.
7 They are my own people,
and I created them to bring me glory.”
Israel Is the Lord's Witness
8 God says,
“Summon my people to court.
They have eyes, but they are blind;
they have ears, but they are deaf!
9 Summon the nations to come to the trial.
Which of their gods can predict the future?
Which of them foretold what is happening now?
Let these gods bring in their witnesses
to prove that they are right,
to testify to the truth of their words.
10 “People of Israel, you are my witnesses;
I chose you to be my servant,
so that you would know me and believe in me
and understand that I am the only God.
Besides me there is no other god;
there never was and never will be.
11 “I alone am the Lord,
the only one who can save you.
12 I predicted what would happen,
and then I came to your aid.
No foreign god has ever done this;
you are my witnesses.
13 I am God and always will be.
No one can escape from my power;
no one can change what I do.”
Escape from Babylon
14 Israel's holy God, the Lord who saves you, says,
“To save you, I will send an army against Babylon;
I will break down the city gates,
and the shouts of her people will turn into crying.
15 I am the Lord, your holy God.
I created you, Israel, and I am your king.”
16 Long ago the Lord made a road through the sea,
a path through the swirling waters.
17 He led a mighty army to destruction,
an army of chariots and horses.
Down they fell, never to rise,
snuffed out like the flame of a lamp!
18 But the Lord says,
“Do not cling to events of the past
or dwell on what happened long ago.
19 Watch for the new thing I am going to do.
It is happening already—you can see it now!
I will make a road through the wilderness
and give you streams of water there.
20 Even the wild animals will honor me;
jackals and ostriches will praise me
when I make rivers flow in the desert
to give water to my chosen people.
21 They are the people I made for myself,
and they will sing my praises!”
Israel's Sin
22 The Lord says,
“But you were tired of me, Israel;
you did not worship me.
23 You did not bring me your burnt offerings of sheep;
you did not honor me with your sacrifices.
I did not burden you by demanding offerings
or wear you out by asking for incense.
24 You didn't buy incense for me
or satisfy me with the fat of your animals.
Instead you burdened me with your sins;
you wore me out with the wrongs you have committed.
25 And yet, I am the God who forgives your sins,
and I do this because of who I am.
I will not hold your sins against you.
26 “Let us go to court; bring your accusation!
Present your case to prove you are in the right!
27 Your earliest ancestor sinned;
your leaders sinned against me,
28 and your rulers profaned my sanctuary.
So I brought destruction on Israel;
I let my own people be insulted.”
Elob ge ǁîb khoenab nî huisa ra mîmâi
1 Xawe Jakotse, nēsib ge ǃKhūb satsa ge kurub,
tsî Israeltse, satsa ge ǂnubiba ra mî:
“Tā ǃao, tita ge go ore tsi xuige;
tita ge ǀons âts ai go ǂgai tsi, sats ge a ti.
2 ǁGammi ǃnâ-uts ga ǃkharu, o ta ge sats ǀkha nî hâ;
ǃāgu tsîn ge dâuǂam tsi tide.
ǀAes ǃnâ-uts ga ǃkharu, xawets ge ǂhubi tide,
tsî ǀaeǁhabub on ge ǂhubi tsi tide.
3 Tita ǃKhūta sa Elo xui-ao,
Israeli di ǃAnuta, sa Ore-aota.
Egipteba ta ge sa xoremaris ase ge mā,
Etiopiab tsî Sebab tsîkha sa ǁamaǃkhunis ase.
4 Sats ge ti mûǁae a ǃgomǀgausa,
tsî a ǃgôaǃgôasa tsî ta ge ǀnam tsi.
Sa amǃnâ ta ge khoena ge mā,
sa ûib ǃaroma ta ge ǁaede ge ǁamaǃkhuni.
5 Tā ǃao, tita ge sats ǀkha hâ xuige!
“Sa suriba ta ge aiǂoasa xu nî hā-ū
tsî huriǂoasa xu ta ge nî ǀhaoǀhao du.
6 ǃKhawagas ǃoa ta ge ‘ǁîna māǁnâ’ ti nî mî
tsî ǀApas ǃoa ta ge ‘ǁîna tā ǃkhōǀgara’ ti nî mî.
Ti ôaga ǃnūseba xu ǀkhī-ū
tsî ti ôade ǃhūbaib di ǀkhâuǀamde xu.
7 Mâ-i hoa-i ti ǀons ǀkha ta ge ǂgai-i,
ti ǂkhaisib ǃaroma ta ge kuru-i,
tita xa ǂnubihe tsî kuruhe i hoa-e.”
Israeli ge ǃKhūb di ǃkhō-amao
8 “Ti khoena ǂgaihā,
ǁnān mûde ūhâ, xawe mû tamana;
ǁnān ǂgaede ūhâ, xawe ǁnâu tamana!
9 A di ǁaedi hoade ǂgaeǀhao tsî khoena hāǀhao.
Tari-i ǁîn di-e nēsa ge ǂanǂan-e
tsî tari-i ǁîn di-e ī ge xūna ge aimûǀgaru-e?
An ǁnâi ǁîn a ǂhanu ti nî mî ǀhûǀguitimî-aona hā,
an ǃgâ tsî ǃkhōǃgâ, ‘Nēs a ama ǃkhaisa.’
10 “Sadu ge ti ǃkhō-amaodo,
tsî ti ǃoaba-aodu, ǁhûiǂui ta gedo,
tib ge ǃKhūba ra mî;
tita ǂan tsî du tita ǃnâ nî ǂgomse
tsî tita a ǁÎ ǃkhaisa du nî ǁnâuǃāse.
Tita aiǃâ i ge elo-i xare-e ge ǀkhai i,
tamas ka io i ge tita khaoǃgâs tsîna hâ tide.
11 “Tita, tita ge ǃKhūta,
tsî tita xōǀkhā i ge ǀnî ore-ao-e a ǀkhai.
12 Tita ge ǂanǂan, ore tsî gere ǂanǂan ta,
ǃhao elo-i sadu ǁaegu ǂanhe tama hîa;
tsî sadu ge ti ǀhûǀguitimî-aodo, tib ge ǃKhūba ra mî.
13 Tita ge Elota tsî ǃgoaxaǁaeb ǃnâs tsîna ta ge a ǁÎ;
khoe-i xare-i ge ti ǁôaba xu oreǂui ǁkhā tide;
tita ga dī, o tari-e ǁnāsa mâǃoa ǁkhā?”
Babilonsa xu ûiǂoas
14 Nētib ge ǃKhūb, sa Ore-aob, Israeli di ǃAnuba ra mî:
“Sadu ǃaroma ta ge khoe-e Babilons ǁga ge sî;
tsî ta ge ǁîn hoana ǃkhōsis ǃnâ ge ū,
tsî Xaldeaǁîn ǃgâiaǂgaob ge ǃoab ǁnaeb ǃnâ nî ǀkharaǀkharahe.
15 Tita ge ǃKhūta, sadu ǃAnuta,
Israels di Kuru-aota, sadu Gao-aota.”
16 Nētib ge ǃKhūba ra mî, ǁnāb hurib ǃnâ-u daoba ge kurub,
ǀgaisa ǁgamgu ǃnâ-u ǃganna ge ǁguiba.
17 ǁNāb torokunidi tsî hāgu,
toroǂnubis tsî toroǃkhamaogu tsîna ge hîkākāba.
ǁÎgu ge ǁkhawa gu khâi tidese ge ǁnā,
ǃnâiǀarisa ǃamǀaetsurib khami gu ge ge ǀarihe.
18 “Tā ǃkharu ge xūn xa ǂâi,
tamas ka io ǀoro xūn xa ǂâiǂâisen.
19 Mû, tita ge ǀasa xū-e nî dī.
Mûǂan tamats kha hâ, ǀnai i go ītsoatsoasa?
ǃGaroǃhūb ǃnâ ta ge daoba nî kuru
tsî ǃgaroǃhūb ǃnâ ǃāga nî dâu kai.
20 Xamarin ge tita ǃgôasiba nî mā,
ǀgirin tsî ǀamin tsîn ona.
Tita ge ǃgaroǃhūb ǃnâ ǁgam-e ra mā ta
tsî ǀgopaǃhūb ǃnâ ǃāga,
tsî ti ǁaes ǁhûiǂui ta hâsa ǁgam-e ra ā kai ta.
21 Khoen aitsama ta ge ǂnubina,
ti koasa nî ǂanǂanse!”
Israeli ǁoren
22 “Jakotse, titats ge ǂgaiǀî tama ge i;
Israeltse, tita xats ge ge tsau!
23 Khauǁguibas ǃaroma du ge sadu gūna ǀkhī-ū tama ge i,
tamas ka io sadu ǁguibadi ǀkha tita ǃgôasiba mā tama ge i.
Mādi ǀkha ta ge tita du nî ǃoabase ǁgari du tama ge i,
tamas ka io ǃgâihamxūn ǃaroma ǀhupuǀhupu du tama ge i.
24 ǃGâihamxūna du ge mari-i ǀkha ǁamaba te tama ge i,
tamas ka io sadu kausa ǁguibadi ǀkha ǂkhîǂkhî te tama ge i.
Xawe du ge sadu ǁoren ǀkha ge ǂkhabu kai te;
sadu tsūdīgu ǀkha du ge ge ǃnao-ai te.
25 Xawe tita ge ǁnāta sadu ǁorena ra ǀariǂui ta;
tsî sadu ǁorena ta ge ǃaruǀî ǂâihō tide.
26 “ǀAu te, a da ǁnâuǃgâǃkhaib ǃoa ǃgû!
Sadu ǁhōba sī māǂgā re,
sadu ǂhanu-aisiba ǂnoabas ǃaroma.
27 ǂGuro aboxagu âdu ge ǁore
tsî sadu ǂgaeǂgui-aogu ge ti ǃoagu khâikhâisen xui-ao.
28 ǁNā-amaga ta ge sadu gaoǀgôaga ǀuriǀuri
tsî Jakoba hîkākāheb nîse ge māǁnâ
tsî Israela khoesisa ǀhanas ǃoa ra taotao.”
