1 There will be no way for them to escape from this time of trouble.
The Future King
The land of the tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali was once disgraced, but the future will bring honor to this region, from the Mediterranean eastward to the land on the other side of the Jordan, and even to Galilee itself, where the foreigners live.
2 The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light.
They lived in a land of shadows,
but now light is shining on them.
3 You have given them great joy, Lord;
you have made them happy.
They rejoice in what you have done,
as people rejoice when they harvest grain
or when they divide captured wealth.
4 For you have broken the yoke that burdened them
and the rod that beat their shoulders.
You have defeated the nation
that oppressed and exploited your people,
just as you defeated the army of Midian long ago.
5 The boots of the invading army
and all their bloodstained clothing
will be destroyed by fire.
6 A child is born to us!
A son is given to us!
And he will be our ruler.
He will be called, “Wonderful Counselor,”
“Mighty God,” “Eternal Father,”
“Prince of Peace.”
7 His royal power will continue to grow;
his kingdom will always be at peace.
He will rule as King David's successor,
basing his power on right and justice,
from now until the end of time.
The Lord Almighty is determined to do all this.
The Lord Will Punish Israel
8 The Lord has pronounced judgment on the kingdom of Israel, on the descendants of Jacob. 9 All the people of Israel, everyone who lives in the city of Samaria, will know that he has done this. Now they are proud and arrogant. They say, 10 “The brick buildings have fallen down, but we will replace them with stone buildings. The beams of sycamore wood have been cut down, but we will replace them with the finest cedar.”
11 The Lord has stirred up their enemies to attack them. 12 Syria on the east and Philistia on the west have opened their mouths to devour Israel. Yet even so the Lord's anger is not ended; his hand is still stretched out to punish.
13 The people of Israel have not repented; even though the Lord Almighty has punished them, they have not returned to him. 14 In a single day the Lord will punish Israel's leaders and its people; he will cut them off, head and tail. 15 The old and honorable men are the head—and the tail is the prophets whose teachings are lies! 16 Those who lead these people have misled them and totally confused them. 17 And so the Lord will not let any of the young men escape, and he will not show pity on any of the widows and orphans, because all the people are godless and wicked and everything they say is evil. Yet even so the Lord's anger will not be ended, but his hand will still be stretched out to punish.
18 The wickedness of the people burns like a fire that destroys thorn bushes and thistles. It burns like a forest fire that sends up columns of smoke. 19 Because the Lord Almighty is angry, his punishment burns like a fire throughout the land and destroys the people, and it is each of us for ourselves. 20 Everywhere in the country people snatch and eat any bit of food they can find, but their hunger is never satisfied. They even eat their own children! 21 The people of Manasseh and the people of Ephraim attack each other, and together they attack Judah. Yet even so the Lord's anger is not ended; his hand is still stretched out to punish.
1 ǁÎn nē ǂōǂōsiba xu nî ûiǂoa ǀgau-i xare-i ge nî ǀkhai.
ǃGoaxaǁaeb gao-aob
ǂGuro ǁaegu ǃnâb ge Sebulonni ǃhūb tsî Naftalib ǃhūb tsîkha ge taotao; xaweb ge nēsi Mediteraneahurib ǀkhāb di ǀkharib, Jordanni nau ǀkhāb tsî Galileab ǂûb tsîgu tawa ǃhaokhoen ra ǁanpa, ǃgôasiba ge hā-ū.
2 ǃKhaenas ǃnâ ûi hân
ge kai ǃnâba ge mû.
Kai ǃkhaenas sommi ǃnâ gere ûin
aib ge ǃnâba ge hā.
3 Sats ge ǁaesa ge ǂguiǂgui,
sats ge ǁîn ǃgâiaǂgaoba ge kaikai.
ǃGaos tsēs ain ra ǃgâiaǂgao,
tamas ka io ǁkhâuǁnân hâ ǁuiban ra ǀgoragu tsēs ai,
khamin ge sa aiǃâ ra dâ.
4 Sats ge ǁîn ai gere ǁgâi ǃnaob
tsî ǁîn ǃhōdi ai ǁgoe haib tsîkha khôa xui-ao.
ǁGâiǀā-aon di ǂnau-ūhaibats
ge Midianǁînats ge ǀnai ǂnauǂkhū khami ge khôa.
5 Mâ ǁharob hoab toroǃkhamaogu gere dāǃgâ-ūheb
tsî ǁîgu ǀaoxa saran hoan
ge ǀaesa nî khau-ūhe.
6 ǀGôa-e da ge ǁorabahe hâ!
ǀGôaba da ge māhe hâ!
ǀGaib ge ǁîb ǃhōra ai hâ.
ǁÎb ge: “Buruburuxa ǀApemā-aob,”
“ǀGaisa Elob,” “ǀAmo ǁGûb,”
“ǂKhîb Gao-aob” ti nî ǀonǂgaihe.
7 ǁÎb ǀgaib ge ǃaruǀîǀgui nî khoraǂuisen
tsî ǁîb gaosib ge ǀamo ǂkhîba nî ūhâ.
Gao-aob Davidi saoǃgonaoseb ge nî ǂgaeǂgui;
ǁîb ǀgaibab ge ǂhanub tsî ǂhanu-aisib ai nî ǃgaoǃgao,
nēsi tsî ǀamosib kōse.
ǃKhūb Hoaǀgaixab ge nēn hoanab nî dīse mîmâi hâ.
ǃKhūb ge Israela nî ǁkhara
8 ǃKhūb ge mîmāsa Israeli ǃoagu ge sîǂui, ā Jakob di surib ǃoagu. 9 Hoaraga khoen, Efraimmi din tsî Samariab ǃnâ ǁan hân tsîn hoan ge ǁîb ge ǁnāsa dī ǃkhaisa nî ǂan. Xawen ge ǂnīǂnīsenxasib tsî ǃnâudanaxasib tsîkha ǀkha ge mî: 10 “ǂGoa-omgu ge ge ǃkhom, xawe da ge ǁkhawa ǀuidi ǀkha nî om; ǀnomahaidi ge ge ǁhāǁnâhe, xawe da ge ǁîde sederhaidi ǀkha nî ǃkhōǃkhuni.”
11 ǃKhūb ge ǁîn khākhoena ǁîn ǃoagu ge ǃkhāǃnâ. 12 Siriaǁîna aiǂoasǀkhāba xu tsî Filisteǁîna huriǂoasǀkhāba xu; ǁîn ge Israela ǁkhowa-amsa ams ǀkha nî hara. Nēn hoan ǃnâb ge ǁîb ǁaiba bē tide; ǁîb ǃommi ge ǁkharab nîse khoraǂuisa.
13 Israeli khoen ge ǁîna ge ǂnaub ǃoa dabasen tama ge i, tamas ka io ǃKhūb Hoaǀgaixaba ôa tama ge i. 14 ǁNā-amagab ge ǃKhūba ǀgui tsēs ǃnâ Israelǁîn danas tsî ǂareb, ǁnâub tsî ǂāb tsîna ge ǁaraǁnâ. 15 Kaikhoegu tsî ǂamsagu tsîgu ge a dana tsî kēbo-aogu ǂhumiba ra ǁkhāǁkhāgu ge a ǂare! 16 Nē khoena gere ǂgaeǂguigu ge ǁîna ge ǂgaeǂhapu tsî ǁîgu xa ge ǂgaeǂguihe hâ in hoan ge ǃgommi ǃnâ ge ǁnāxūmâihe. 17 ǁNā-amagab ge ǃKhūba ǁîn ǂkham khoega ǀkhom tide, ǁkhātib ge ǁîn ǃguniǀgôan tsî ǃoataradi tsîna ǀkhom tide; mâ-i hoa-i a eloxoresa tsî ǂkhabadī-ao xui-ao tsî ams hoas ǂkhabase gere ǃhoa xui-ao. Xawes tsînab ge ǃKhūb ǁaiba ǀam tide, ǁîb ǃommi ge ǁkharas ǃaroma nî khoraǂuihe.
18 Eloxoresasib ge ǀaes, ǀkhininin tsî ǁkhūn tsîna ra ǂhubiǂuis khami ra ǂhubi; ǁîs ge kai, ǀgom haide ra ǂhubiǂui, ǀanni ǀguib nî ǃgause. 19 ǃKhūb Hoaǀgaixab ǁaib ǃnâ-us ge ǃhūb ge ǂhubihesa tsîn ge khoena ǀaes di oli-i ase nî ī; Khoe-i khoe-e ra ǀkhom-i ge nî ǀkhai. 20 ǁÎn ge amǀkhāba xu gere ǂû, xawe noxopa ge ǃâsa i, ǁîn ge ǁareǀkhāba xu gere ǂû, xawes tsîna ge ǁâ tama hâ i. ǁÎn ǂûn di ôan ǁgan-en ge gere ǂû. 21 Manaseb ge Efraimmi ǃoagu ra ǃkham tsî Efraimma Manaseb ǃoagu; tsîn ge hoana Judab ǃoagu ge khâi. Xawes tsînab ge ǃKhūb ǁaiba bē tama ge i; ǁîb ǃommi ge noxopa ǁîn ǃoagu ge khoraǂuisa i.
