God Is Lord of the Future
1 Listen to this, people of Israel,
you that are descended from Judah:
You swear by the name of the Lord
and claim to worship the God of Israel—
but you don't mean a word you say.
2 And yet you are proud to say
that you are citizens of the holy city
and that you depend on Israel's God,
whose name is the Lord Almighty.
3 The Lord says to Israel,
“Long ago I predicted what would take place;
then suddenly I made it happen.
4 I knew that you would prove to be stubborn,
as rigid as iron and unyielding as bronze.
5 And so I predicted your future long ago,
announcing events before they took place,
to keep you from claiming
that your idols and images made them happen.
6 “All I foretold has now taken place;
you have to admit my predictions were right.
Now I will tell you of new things to come,
events that I did not reveal before.
7 Only now am I making them happen;
nothing like this took place in the past.
If it had, you would claim that you knew all about it.
8 I knew that you couldn't be trusted,
that you have always been known as a rebel.
That is why you never heard of this at all,
why no word of it ever came to your ears.
9 “In order that people will praise my name,
I am holding my anger in check;
I am keeping it back and will not destroy you.
10 I have tested you in the fire of suffering,
as silver is refined in a furnace.
But I have found that you are worthless.
11 What I do is done for my own sake—
I will not let my name be dishonored
or let anyone else share the glory
that should be mine and mine alone.”
Cyrus, the Lord's Chosen Leader
12 The Lord says,
“Listen to me, Israel, the people I have called!
I am God, the first, the last, the only God!
13 My hands made the earth's foundations
and spread the heavens out.
When I summon earth and sky,
they come at once and present themselves.
14 “Assemble and listen, all of you!
None of the gods could predict
that the man I have chosen would attack Babylon;
he will do what I want him to do.
15 I am the one who spoke and called him;
I led him out and gave him success.
16 “Now come close to me and hear what I say.
From the beginning I have spoken openly
and have always made my words come true.”
(Now the Sovereign Lord has given me his power and sent me.)
The Lord's Plan for His People
17 The holy God of Israel,
the Lord who saves you, says:
“I am the Lord your God,
the one who wants to teach you for your own good
and direct you in the way you should go.
18 “If only you had listened to my commands!
Then blessings would have flowed for you
like a stream that never goes dry.
Victory would have come to you
like the waves that roll on the shore.
19 Your descendants would be as numerous as grains of sand,
and I would have made sure they were never destroyed.”
20 Go out from Babylon, go free!
Shout the news gladly; make it known everywhere:
“The Lord has saved his servant Israel!”
21 When the Lord led his people through a hot, dry desert,
they did not suffer from thirst.
He made water come from a rock for them;
he split the rock open, and water flowed out.
22 “There is no safety for sinners,” says the Lord.
Elo ge a ǃgoaxaǁaeb di ǃKhū
1 “Jakob ommi dido,
sadu Israels ǀons ǀkha ge ǂgaihedo,
tsî Judab kamanaga xu ge hādo;
sadu ǃKhūb ǀons tawa ra nūdo,
tsî Israels Eloba ra ǀgoreǀîdo,
xawe amab tsî ǂhanu ǀgaub ǃnâs ose,
ǃgâ du re!
2 ǁÎn ge ǁîn ǂûna ǃanu ǃās ǃoa ra ǂgaisen
tsîn ge Israels Elob ai ra ǂgomaiǂnûi.
ǁÎb ge ǃKhūb Hoaǀgaixab ti ǀon hâ.
3 “ǃKharu ge xūna ta ge ǀnai ge ǂanǂan,
ǁîn ge ti amsa xu ge ǂoaxa
tsî ta ge ǁîna ge ǂan kai.
O ta ge ǁîna ǃnapetamase ge ī kai
tsîn ge hā tsî ge ǃkharu.
4 Tita ge karosa du a ǃkhaisa a ǂan
tsî sadu ǃaoba ǀurib khami
tsî sadu ǃūs brons-i khami karosa ǃkhaisa.
5 ǀNai ta ge nēna sado ge ǂanǂan,
ǃkharun nîs aiǃâ ta ge ǁîna sado ge ǂanǂan,
nēti du mî tidese:
‘Ti īb ge ǁîna ge dī, ti ǃgaoǂuisa ība
tsî ti ǂnâhesa īb ge ǁîna ge mîmā.’
6 “ǁNâu du ge ge, xawe nēsi nēn hoana mû
tsî du ǁîsa ǂanǂan tide?
Nēsisa xu ǃaruǀî ta ge ǀasa xūna nî ǁnâu kai du,
ǂganǃgâsa xūn ǀū du ge ina.
7 Nēsi ǀgui ta ge ǁîna gaxu ǁae-i ǃkharu tamase ge kuru,
nētsēs aiǃâ du ge ǁîna ga ǁnâu tama hâ,
î du tā ‘ǀNai da ge ǁîna ǂan i’ ti mî.
8 Sats ge tātsē ge ǁnâu tama hâ i, sats ge ǁîna ge ǀū i,
ǀnaisa xus ge sa ǂgaes ge ǁkhowa-amsa tama hâ isa.
Tita a ǂan xui-ao, îǂhôaoǃnâsets ge sîsen ǃkhaisa,
tsîts ǃnaetsēs âtsa xu khâikhâisenaob ti nî ǂgaihesa.
9 “Ti ǀons ǃaroma ta ge ti ǁaiba ge ǁkhae-ai,
ti koas ǃaroma ta ge ǁîba satsa xu ge ǃkhō-oa,
î ta tā ǁaraǁnâ tsi.
10 Mû, tita ge ge ǃanuǃanu tsi,
xawe ǀhaiǀhurib khami tamas
tita ge ǁganoms tsunitsunis dis ǃnâ ge ǃâitsâ tsi.
11 Tita ǃaroma, tita ǃaroma ta ge ǁnāsa ge dī.
Tare-i ǃaromas ti ǀonsa ǁnâi nî ǀuriǀurihe?
Ti ǂkhaisiba ta ge ǀnî-e mā tide.”
ǃKhūb ǁhûiǂuisa ǂgaeǂgui-aob Koresi
12 “Jakotse tsî Israeltse, tita xa ge ǂgaihetse,
ǃgâ te re: ‘Tita ge a ǁÎ, tita ge ǂguro ta
tsî tita ge ǀuni ta.
13 Ti ǃommi ge ǃhūbaib ǃgaoǃgaoba ge ǁguiba
tsî ti amǀkhāb ǃommi ge ǀhomma ge ǃāǂuiba.
Tita ge ǁîga ǂgaihā,
o gu ge ǂgōse ǀguipa ge mâ.’
14 “Hoado, ǀhao î ǃgâ!
Tari-i ǁîn ǁaegu hâ-e nē xūna ge ǂanǂan?
ǃKhūb ge ǁîba ǀnam;
ǁîb di ǃaromasab ge Babilons ai ǁgauǂui
tsîb ge ǁîb ǁôaba Xaldeaǁîn ǃoagu nî hâ.
15 Tita, tita xawe ta ge ǃhoa tsî ǁîba ge ǂgai,
tita ge ǁîba ge hā-ū tsîb ge daob âba nî ǃgâiǃgâ.
16 “Tita ǃoa ǀgū, î nēsa ǃgâ:
‘Tsoatsoasa xu ta ge ǂganǃgâsib ǃnâ ge ǃhoa tama hâ i,
ǁnā xūn di ǂnubihes ǃnâ ta ge ǀnai ǁnāpa ge hâ i.’ ”
Nēsib ge ǃKhūb Elob tsî ǁîb Gagab tsîkha go sî te.
ǃKhūb ǀapes ǁîb ǁaes ǃaroma
17 Nētib ge ǃKhūb, sa Ore-aob,
Israels di ǃAnuba ra mî:
“Tita ge ǃKhūta, sa Elota,
sa ǃgâib ǃaroma gere ǁkhāǁkhā tsi ta,
ǃgûǃnâts nî daob ai ge ǂgaeǂgui tsi ta.
18 “Ae, ti mîmādets ga ǃgâ hâo!
Ob ge sa ǂkhîba dâu ra ǃāb khami ga ī hâ
tsî sa ǃgâiǃgâba hurib ǃgabigu khami!
19 Sa surib ge ǃhūb khami ga ī hâ
tsî sa ôananôaguba ǃhorob khami.
ǁÎn ǀons ge tātsē ǁarahe tide
tamas ka io ti aiǃâba xu hîkākāhe tide.”
20 Babilonsa xu ǂoa, Xaldeaba xu ǃhū!
Nēsa ǃgâiaǂgaob ǂgais ǀkha ǂanǂan,
ǁîsa aoǁnâ, î ǃhūbaib ǀams kōse sîǂui,
î nēti mî: “ǃKhūb ge ǁîb ǃgāb Jakoba go ore!”
21 ǃGaroǃhūba-un ge ǂgaeǂguiǂuihe,
on ge ge ǁgâ tama hâ i.
ǁÎb ge ǁîn ǃaroma ǃgareǀuiba xu ǁgam-e ge dâu kai;
ǁîb ge ǃgareǀuiba khôaǁkhowa-am tsî
ǁgamma ge dâuǂoaxa kai.
22 “ǂKhî-i ǁnāpa a ǀkhai,
ǂkhaba khoen ǃaroma”
tib ge ǃKhūba ra mî.