The Prophet Condemns the People's Sins
1 Don't think that the Lord is too weak to save you or too deaf to hear your call for help! 2 It is because of your sins that he doesn't hear you. It is your sins that separate you from God when you try to worship him. 3 You are guilty of lying, violence, and murder.
4 You go to court, but you do not have justice on your side. You depend on lies to win your case. You carry out your plans to hurt others. 5-6 The evil plots you make are as deadly as the eggs of a poisonous snake. Crush an egg, out comes a snake! But your plots will do you no good—they are as useless as clothing made of cobwebs! 7 You are always planning something evil, and you can hardly wait to do it. You never hesitate to murder innocent people. You leave ruin and destruction wherever you go, 8 and no one is safe when you are around. Everything you do is unjust. You follow a crooked path, and no one who walks that path will ever be safe.
The People Confess Their Sin
9 The people say, “Now we know why God does not save us from those who oppress us. We hope for light to walk by, but there is only darkness, 10 and we grope about like blind people. We stumble at noon, as if it were night, as if we were in the dark world of the dead. 11 We are frightened and distressed. We long for God to save us from oppression and wrong, but nothing happens.
12 “Lord, our crimes against you are many. Our sins accuse us. We are well aware of them all. 13 We have rebelled against you, rejected you, and refused to follow you. We have oppressed others and turned away from you. Our thoughts are false; our words are lies. 14 Justice is driven away, and right cannot come near. Truth stumbles in the public square, and honesty finds no place there. 15 There is so little honesty that those who stop doing evil find themselves the victims of crime.”
The Lord Prepares to Rescue His People
The Lord has seen this, and he is displeased that there is no justice. 16 He is astonished to see that there is no one to help the oppressed. So he will use his own power to rescue them and to win the victory. 17 He will wear justice like a coat of armor and saving power like a helmet. He will clothe himself with the strong desire to set things right and to punish and avenge the wrongs that people suffer. 18 He will punish his enemies according to what they have done, even those who live in distant lands. 19 From east to west everyone will fear him and his great power. He will come like a rushing river, like a strong wind.
20 The Lord says to his people, “I will come to Jerusalem to defend you and to save all of you that turn from your sins. 21 And I make a covenant with you: I have given you my power and my teachings to be yours forever, and from now on you are to obey me and teach your children and your descendants to obey me for all time to come.”
Kēbo-aob ge khoen ǁorena ra ǀgoraǃgâ
1 Mû, ǃKhūb ǃommi ge ores ǃaroma ǃnubu tama, tamas ka ios ge ǁîb ǂgaesa ǁnâus ǃaroma ǂgansa tama hâ. 2 Xawe sadu ǁoren ge sadu tsî sadu Elob tsîdu ǁaegu ǁhāba ǁgui hâ, tsî sadu ǁoren ge ǁîb aisa sado xu gaugau hâna, ǁîb ǁnâu tidese. 3 Sa ǃomkha ǀaob xa ǀuriǀurihe hâ xui-ao tsî sa ǀkhunuga ǁoreb xa. Sa amǁgaukha ge ǂhumiba ge ǃhoa, sa namma ǀgoemîde.
4 Khoe-i xare-i ge ǂhanu-aisib ǀkha ǁae tama hâ, khoe-i xare-i ge ǂhauǃnâse ǂhanub ǁga ī tama hâ. ǁÎn ge ǀkhaiǃnâ ǀkhomadi ai ra ǂgomaiǂnûi, ǁîn ge ra ǂhumi, ǁgâiǀāba ǀgamǀkhā tsî dīsāde ra ǁora. 5 ǁÎn ge ǃgaidi ǃupude khore kai tsî ǀnûiǃkhamga ra dī. ǁÎn ǃupude ra ǂû khoe-i hoa-i ge ra ǁō tsî i ge khôasa ǃupusa xu ǃgāxa ǀao-e ra ǂoaxa. 6 ǁÎn ǀhū-oms ge a sara kai ǁoa, kurun gen ǀkhas tsîna. ǁÎn ǀapedi a ge ǂkhaba tsî ǂkhabadīb ge ǁîn ǃomǁae hâ. 7 ǁÎn ǂaidi ge ǂkhabab ǃaroma ra ǃkhoe tsîn ge ǀhapio ǀaoban nî ǂnâxūse ra ǃnoe. ǁÎn ǂâidi ge a ǂkhabadīb di, tsî hîkākās tsî khôaǂkhūs tsîra ge ǁîn ǃgangu ǃnâ hâ. 8 ǁÎn ge ǂkhîb daoba a ǀū tsî ǁîn daogu ǃnâ-i ge ǂhanu-aisi xare-e ǀkhai. ǁÎn daogan ge ǀhôagaosib ǀkha ge kuru; ǁîgu ǃnâ ra ǃgû khoe-i hoa-i ge ǂkhîba a ǀū.
Khoen ge ǁoren âna ra ǁguiǁnâ
9 ǁNā-amagab ge ǂhanuba sada xu a ǃnū tsîb ge ǂhanu-aisiba a hō da ǁoa. ǃNâba da ra kō-ôa, tsî mû, ǃkhaenas ǀguis tsî ǃnâsasiba, xawe da ǃkhaeb ǀguib ǃnâ ra ǃgû. 10 ǂGī khoe-i khami da ge ǂnubiǂgoab ai ra tsanana, mûna ūhâ taman khami da ra tsananama. Tsuxubas khami da ge tsēa ra ǃnôa, ǀgaisan ǁaegu da ge ǁō hân khami ī. 11 Sida hoada ge bērn khami ra ā, ǂnabudi khami da ge ra ǃgae; ǂhanu-aisiba da ra ôa, xaweb a ǀkhai, oresa da ra ôa, xawes ǁîsa sida xu a ǃnū.
12 “ǃKhūtse, sida ǀhapin ge sa aiǃâ a ǂgui tsîn ge sida ǁorena sida ǃoagu ra ǃkhō-am; sida dīsādi ge sida ǀkha hâ tsî sida ǀhapina da ge a ǂan. 13 ǃÛǂams tsî ǃKhūba ǀūxūs, tsî sida Eloba saosa xu da ge ge dabasen; ǁgâiǀāb tsî khâikhâisens tsîra xa ǃhoas, ǂhumib xa ǀgamǀkhā tsî ǂgaoba xu ǂhumis ǀkha da ge ǁnāsa ge dī. 14 ǂHanub ge ǁkhae-oahe hâ tsîb ge ǂhanu-aisiba ǃnūse mâ; ǀhûhâsib ǀhaoǃkhaidi aib ge amaba ra ǃnôa tsîb ge ǂhauǃnâsiba a ǂgâ ǁoa. 15 Amab ge a ǀkhai tsî ǂkhababa xu ra ūdabasen-i ge ra amǀnē kai. ǃKhūb ge ǁnāsa mû ob ge ǃgâibahe tama ge i, ǂhanu-aisib ge ǀkhai i xui-ao.”
ǃKhūb ge ǁîb ǁaesa huiǂuis ǃoa ra ǂhomisen
16 Khoe-i xare-i ǀkhai ǃkhaisab ge ge mû tsî ǀnae nî khoe-i ǀkhai ǃkhais xa gere burugâ. ǁNā-amagab ge ǁîb ǂhunuma ǁôaba dansa ge hā-ūba bi tsî ǁîb ǂhanu-aisib ge ǁîba ge mâǃgâ. 17 ǁÎb ge ǁkhaisarab ase ǂhanu-aisiba ge ǂgaeǂgā tsî ores toroǀgapasa ge ǀgapa. ǁÎb ge ǀkhaoba sarab ase ge ǂgaeǂgā tsîb ge tauxasiba anaǂamsarab ase ge ana. 18 ǁÎn dīgu ǃoan ge nî mādawa-amhe; ǁgôasiba ǁîb mâǃoa-aon ǃoagu, dīdawa-amsa ǁîb khākhoen ǃoagu. ǃNāǃnuideb ge ǁîdi amǃnâ nî mādawa-am. 19 ǁNā-amagan ge huriǂoas dina ǃKhūb ǀonsa nî ǃaoǃgâ tsîn ge aiǂoas dina ǁîb ǂkhaisiba nî ǃao. ǁÎb ge ǀgaisase ra dâu ǃāb, ǃKhūb di ǂoab xa ra sîheb khami nî hā.
20 “ǁÎb ge Sions ǃoa Ore-aob ase nî hā, ǁnān Jakob din hîa khâikhâisendi âna xu ra ūdabasenn ǃoa”
tib ge ǃKhūba ra mî.21 Tsî tita xasa, nēs ge ti ǃgaeǀhaos ǁîn ǀkha hâsa,
tib ge ǃKhūba ra mî.“Ti Gagab sadu ai hâb tsî ti mîdi sadu ams ǃnâ ta ge ǂgādi ge sadu amde xu ǂoaxa tide, tamas ka io sadu ôan amde xu, tamas ka io sadu ôan di ôan di amde xus tsîna, nēsisa xu ǀamosib kōse”
tib ge ǃKhūba ra mî.