Jeremiah Questions the Lord
1 “Lord, if I argued my case with you,
you would prove to be right.
Yet I must question you about matters of justice.
Why are the wicked so prosperous?
Why do dishonest people succeed?
2 You plant them, and they take root;
they grow and bear fruit.
They always speak well of you,
yet they do not really care about you.
3 But, Lord, you know me;
you see what I do
and how I love you.
Drag these evil people away like sheep to be butchered;
guard them until it is time for them to be slaughtered.
4 How long will our land be dry,
and the grass in every field be withered?
Animals and birds are dying
because of the wickedness of our people,
people who say, ‘God doesn't see what we are doing.’”
5 The Lord said,
“Jeremiah, if you get tired racing against people,
how can you race against horses?
If you can't even stand up in open country,
how will you manage in the jungle by the Jordan?
6 Even your relatives, members of your own family, have betrayed you;
they join in the attacks against you.
Do not trust them, even though they speak friendly words.”
The Lord's Sorrow because of His People
7 The Lord says,
“I have abandoned Israel;
I have rejected my chosen nation.
I have given the people I love
into the power of their enemies.
8 My chosen people have turned against me;
like a lion in the forest
they have roared at me,
and so I hate them.
9 My chosen people are like a bird
attacked from all sides by hawks.
Call the wild animals
to come and join in the feast!
10 Many foreign rulers have destroyed my vineyard;
they have trampled down my fields;
they have turned my lovely land into a desert.
11 They have made it a wasteland;
it lies desolate before me.
The whole land has become a desert,
and no one cares.
12 Across all the desert highlands
people have come to plunder.
I have sent war to destroy the entire land;
no one can live in peace.
13 My people planted wheat, but gathered weeds;
they have worked hard, but got nothing for it.
Because of my fierce anger
their crops have failed.”
The Lord's Promise to Israel's Neighbors
14 The Lord says, “I have something to say about Israel's neighbors who have ruined the land I gave to my people Israel. I will take those wicked people away from their countries like an uprooted plant, and I will rescue Judah from them. 15 But after I have taken them away, I will have mercy on them; I will bring each nation back to its own land and to its own country. 16 If with all their hearts they will accept the religion of my people and will swear, ‘As the Lord lives’—as they once taught my people to swear by Baal—then they will also be a part of my people and will prosper. 17 But if any nation will not obey, then I will completely uproot it and destroy it. I, the Lord, have spoken.”
Jeremiab ge ǃKhūba ra dîǃnâ
1 Sats ǃKhūts ge a ǂhanu-ai, ti ǁhōba ta ga sats tawa ǀkhī-ūo,
xawe ta ge ti ǁhōba sats ǀkha ra ǀgoragu ǂgao.
Tarexan eloxoresana a ǃgâiǃgâxa?
Tarexab ǀhôagaon ûiba ǃgâiǃgâxase ra aiǃgû?
2 Sats ge ǁîna ra ǃhana, tsîn ge ra ǃnomaǃkhō;
ǀomkhâi tsîn ge ra ǂûtani.
Sats ge ǁîn amǁgaugu ai ǀgūse hâ
tsî ǂgaogu âna xu a ǃnū.
3 Xawets ge sats ǃKhūtsa a ǂan te,
titats ge ra mû tsîts ge ti ǂgaoba sa ǃoagu ra ǃâitsâ.
ǁÎna gūn ǂāhe nîn xase tsububē,
î ǁîna khai, ǂātsēs ǃaroma.
4 Mâ ǁaeb kōseb ǃhūba nî ǃoa
tsî ǃaub ǀgân hoana nî ǂnâ?
ǁNān hîa ǁîb ǃnâ ǁan hân di ǂkhabasib
ge xamarin, ǀgurun tsî ǀhomanina ra hîkākā.
ǁÎn ra “Sada ǀamsab ge ǁîba mû tide” ti mî xui-ao.
5 ǃKhūb ge ra mî:
“Khoen ǀkha ǃkhoeǀnûgus ǃnâts ga tsauo,
mâtits hān ǃoagu a ǃkhoeǀnûgu ǁkhā Jeremiatse?
ǃGorasa ǃhūb aits ga ǁnāo,
mâtits Jordanni di haiǀgoms ǃnâ ǁnâi nî dī?
6 Sa ǃgâsagu, sa ǂhunuma ǀaokhoen tsîn xawen ra gāxaǃnâ tsio,
ǁîn on ge ǃgarise ra ǂgaiǃgon tsi.
Tā ǁîna ǂgomǃgâ, ǂkhîxaǃnâsen ga ǃhoa-ū tsio.”
ǃKhūb ge ǁîb khoen ǂama ra ǃoa
7 ǃKhūb ge ra mî:
“Tita ge Israelǁaesa ge ǁnāxū;
ti ǀumisa ta ge ge ǂhara.
Ti ǀnamsabena ta ge ge māǁnâ
khākhoen ǃomǁae.
8 Ti ǀumis ge xam-i ase,
haiǀgoms ǃnâ ge ība te.
ǁÎn ge tita ǃoagu ge dabasen
ǁnā-amaga ta ge ǁîna ǁkhan hâ.
9 Ti ǀumisa kha tita anxa anise ība;
hoa ǀkhāga xu ǀaugu xa ra ǁnāǂamhesa?
ǂGai re ǀguruna,
în hā amǃnâxa nē ǂûǁaes ǃnâ.
10 ǂGui ǃûi-aogu ge ti draibeǃhanaba ge hîkākā,
ti amǃnâsa gu ge ge dāǂkhū;
ti ǃgâi amǃnâsa gu ge ǃū-aisa ǃgaroǃhūse ge dī.
11 ǁÎn ge ǁîba ǃū-aisase ge dī; ǃū-aisaseb ge tita ǃaroma ra ǃoa.
Hoaraga ǃhūban ge ǃū-aisase ge dī; tsî i ge khoe-i xare-e ǁae tama hâ.
12 Hoaraga ǀgapi ǃkhaidi ǃgaroǃhūb didi ǂaman ge hîkākā-aona ge hā;
nē ǀams ǃhūb disa xu naus kōse; ǂkhî-i xare-i ge khoena ge ǀkhaiba.
13 ǁÎn ge ǃhoroba ǃhana tsî ǁîǁhaina ge ǃgao;
ǁîn ge ge ǀhupuǀhupusen, xawen ge hōǂgābasensa hō tama ge i.
ǃGaos ân xan ge nî tao;
ǃKhūb ǁaib di ǁkhôasib xa.”
ǃKhūb di mîmâis Israeli ǀgūkhoen ǃoa
14 Nētib ge ǃKhūba ra mî: “Ti ǂkhaba ǀgūkhoen, ti ǁaes Israelsa ta ge ǀumis ase mā ǃhūba ra tsâǀkhā ǂgaon xasa, mû tita ge ǁîna ǃhūb âna xu nî tsubuǂui tsî ta ge Judaba ǁîna xu nî ǃnoraǃnora. 15 Tsî ta ga ǁîna tsubuǂuis khaoǃgâ ta ge ǁîna ǀkhomxa tsî mâ-i hoa-e ǁkhawa ǁî-i ǀumis ǁga tsî ǁî-i ǃhūb ǁga nî oahā-ū. 16 Tsî i ge nî ī, ti ǁaes di daogan ga ǂōrisase ǁkhāǁkhāsen, tsî ti ǀons tawa ‘ǃKhūb a ûitsama ǃkhais ao’ ti nūo, ti khoenan Baali tawan nî nūse ge ǁkhāǁkhā hâ i khami, on ge khoen ǁaegu nî ǂnubikhâihe. 17 Xawe ǁnâuǀnam tama ga i ǁaesa ta ge hoaragase ǃhomǂui tsî nî hîkākā”
tib ge ǃKhūba ra mî.