A Call to Repentance
1 The Lord says, “People of Israel, if you want to turn, then turn back to me. If you are faithful to me and remove the idols I hate, 2 it will be right for you to swear by my name. Then all the nations will ask me to bless them, and they will praise me.”
3 The Lord says to the people of Judah and Jerusalem, “Plow up your unplowed fields; do not plant your seeds among thorns. 4 Keep your covenant with me, your Lord, and dedicate yourselves to me, you people of Judah and Jerusalem. If you don't, my anger will burn like fire because of the evil things you have done. It will burn, and there will be no one to put it out.”
Judah Is Threatened with Invasion
5 Blow the trumpet throughout the land!
Shout loud and clear!
Tell the people of Judah and Jerusalem
to run to the fortified cities.
6 Point the way to Zion!
Run for safety! Don't delay!
The Lord is bringing disaster
and great destruction from the north.
7 Like a lion coming from its hiding place,
a destroyer of nations has set out.
He is coming to destroy Judah.
The cities of Judah will be left in ruins,
and no one will live in them.
8 So put on sackcloth, and weep and wail
because the fierce anger of the Lord
has not turned away from Judah.
9 The Lord said, “On that day kings and officials will lose their courage; priests will be shocked and prophets will be astonished.”
10 Then I said, “Sovereign Lord, you have completely deceived the people of Jerusalem! You have said there would be peace, but a sword is at their throats.”
11 The time is coming when the people of Jerusalem will be told that a scorching wind is blowing in from the desert toward them. It will not be a gentle wind that only blows away the chaff— 12 the wind that comes at the Lord's command will be much stronger than that! It is the Lord himself who is pronouncing judgment on his people.
Judah Is Surrounded by Enemies
13 Look, the enemy is coming like clouds. Their war chariots are like a whirlwind, and their horses are faster than eagles. We are lost! We are doomed!
14 Jerusalem, wash the evil from your heart, so that you may be saved. How long will you go on thinking sinful thoughts?
15 Messengers from the city of Dan and from the hills of Ephraim announce the bad news. 16 They have come to warn the nations and to tell Jerusalem that enemies are coming from a country far away. These enemies will shout against the cities of Judah 17 and will surround Jerusalem like men guarding a field, because her people have rebelled against the Lord. The Lord has spoken.
18 Judah, you have brought this on yourself by the way you have lived and by the things you have done. Your sin has caused this suffering; it has stabbed you through the heart.
Jeremiah's Sorrow for His People
19 The pain! I can't bear the pain!
My heart! My heart is beating wildly!
I can't keep quiet;
I hear the trumpets
and the shouts of battle.
20 One disaster follows another;
the whole country is left in ruins.
Suddenly our tents are destroyed;
their curtains are torn to pieces.
21 How long must I see the battle raging
and hear the blasts of trumpets?
22 The Lord says, “My people are stupid;
they don't know me.
They are like foolish children;
they have no understanding.
They are experts at doing what is evil,
but failures at doing what is good.”
Jeremiah's Vision of the Coming Destruction
23 I looked at the earth—it was a barren waste;
at the sky—there was no light.
24 I looked at the mountains—they were shaking,
and the hills were rocking back and forth.
25 I saw that there were no people;
even the birds had flown away.
26 The fertile land had become a desert;
its cities were in ruins
because of the Lord's fierce anger.
( 27 The Lord has said that the whole earth will become a wasteland, but that he will not completely destroy it.)
28 The earth will mourn;
the sky will grow dark.
The Lord has spoken
and will not change his mind.
He has made his decision
and will not turn back.
29 At the noise of the cavalry and archers
everyone will run away.
Some will run to the forest;
others will climb up among the rocks.
Every town will be left empty,
and no one will live in them again.
30 Jerusalem, you are doomed!
Why do you dress in scarlet?
Why do you put on jewelry and paint your eyes?
You are making yourself beautiful for nothing!
Your lovers have rejected you
and want to kill you.
31 I heard a cry, like a woman in labor,
a scream like a woman bearing her first child.
It was the cry of Jerusalem gasping for breath,
stretching out her hand and saying,
“I am doomed!
They are coming to kill me!”
ǃHobasens ǃoa hâ ǂgaikhâis
1 ǃKhūb ge ra mî: “ǃHobasen ǂgao du kao Israelǁaese, tita ǃoa ǃhobasen re. Tsî sadu ǁgaiǁgaisa elona du ga ti aisa xu ūbē o du ge ǀnarema tide. 2 O du ge nî nū: ‘ǃKhūb a ûitsama ǃkhais ao’ ti os ge ǁnāsa amab tsî ǂhanu-aisib ǃnâ nî ī, tsî du ge ǂhanu-aisiba nî dī tsî ǁkhāti ǂhanuse. O di ge ǁaede ǁîdi ǀkhaeba ǃKhūba xu nî ǃâubasen, ǁîb ǃnâ nî koasense.”
3 Nētib ge ǃKhūba Judab khoen tsî Jerusalems ǁanǂgāsaben ǃoa ra mî: “Sadu di ganupe ǃkhāǃkhurisa tama ǃhū-e ǃkhāǃkhuribasen, î du tā sadu ǃkhomna ǁkhūn ǃnâ tsoro. 4 ǃGaosen re ǃKhūb ǃaroma; aikhōb sadu ǂgaogu diba ūbē re, Judab khoedu tsî ǁanǂgāsabedu Jerusalems dido; îb tā ti ǁaixasib, sadu di ǂkhaba sîsengu ǃoagu ta ūhâba ǀarihe tamase nî khau ǀaes khami ī.”
ǀApasa xu hâ ǂōǂōsib
5 Xâiǁnâsa hoaraga ǃhūb ǃnâ xâi re!
ǃGari dommi ǀkha ǂgaiǂui re:
ǀHaoǀhaosen du re
î da omǂnamisa ǃādi ǁga ǃgû!
6 Sions ǃoa ǃkhauba ǃkhā re,
ǁhâ re, î tā ǁūse mâ!
Tsūǃgâba ta ra hā-ū xuige;
kai hîkākāsa ǀapasa xu.
7 Xammi gauǃkhais âba xu ra ǂoaxa
khamib ge hîkākā-aoba ǁaede xu ra ǂoaxa.
ǁÎb ge ǃkhais âba xu ra ǂoaxa
sadu ǃhūba nî ǃū-aisa xūse dīse.
8 ǁNā-amaga ǀhaosaraba ǂgaeǂgā, î ǃoa tsî ā,
ǀaexa ǁaixasib ǃKhūb dib
sada xu oa tama xuige.
9 Tsîb ge ǃKhūba ra mî: “ǁNā tsēs aib ge gao-aoba ǁkhoaǂgaosib âba nî ǂoaǃnâ; pristergu ge nî ǃhurigâ tsî kēbo-aogu ge nî burugâ.” 10 O ta ge ge mî: “ǃKhū Elotse, amasets ge nē ǁaes tsî Jerusalemsa ge ǂgaeǂhapu, ‘ǂKhîba du ge nî ūhâ’ tits ge mîo; xaweb gôaba sida ǀomdi kōse ra ǃkhā hîa.” 11 ǁNā ǁaeb ǃnâb ge ǃKhūba sadu Jerusalems dido nî mîba: “ǀGamsa ǂoab ge ǀgapi ǃkhaide xu, ti ǁaes di ôas daoba-u ra hā; ǀnupi tamas ka io ǃanuǃanu rase tama. 12 Nē xūna ǀgaidā hâ ǂoab ge tita xu nî hā. O ta ge nēsi ti ǀgoraǃgâsa ǁîn ǃoagu nî gowaǂui.”
Judab ge khākhoen xa hâǂnamihe hâ
13 Mû, ǃâudi khamib ge ra ǂoaxa tsî ǁgaoǂoas khami di ge torokunidi âba ī, tsî hān âb ge ǃariǃkhān ǃgâ-ai a ǃhae. Tsūba da, hîkākāhe da nî xui-ao.
14 “Jerusalems dido, sadu ǂgaoga ǂkhababa xu ǃanuǃanu, î du sâuhe ǁkhā. Mâ ǁaeb kōse du kha ǂkhababa sadu ǂgaogu ǃnâ nî ūhâ?
15 “Dom-i ge Dansa xu ra ǂhôa; Efraimmi di ǃnâuxa ǀkhariba xu tsūǃōba ra ǂhôa. 16 ǁAede ǁîsa aoǁnâba! Jerusalemsa mîba re: Xāǂgā-aogu ge ǃnū ǃhūba xu ǃgoaxa. ǁÎgu ge domgu âga Judab ǃādiǀî ǃhâkhâi 17 tsî ǃhanaba ra ǃûi khoegu khami ǃāsa nî hâǂnamipe, tita ǃoagus ge khâikhâisen xui-ao,”
tib ge ǃKhūba ra mî.18 Sa daob tsî sa dīgu ge nēna sas ai ge hā-ū; sa ǂkhabaxasib ge ausiba ra hā-ūba; tsîs ge nēsa ǂgaob âs kōse ra sī.
Jeremiab ge khoen âb ǂama ra ǃoa
19 Ti ǃnātse, ti ǃnātse!
Ti ǂgaotse! Ti ǂgaob ge kaise ra ǃgui!
Tita ge a ǃnō ǁoa;
xâiǁnâs ǀōba ta ge go ǁnâu,
ǃkhams di ǀganaba.
20 Nē hîkākās ais ge nausa ra hā;
hoaraga ǃhūb ge ra hîǀhuruhe.
ǃNapetamase di ge ti tentomde ra hîkākāhe;
ǂgāmâisagu âde ra doaǃāhe.
21 Mâ ǁaeb kōse ta kha ǃkhauba mû
tsî xâiǁnâs ǀganaba nî ǁnâu?
22 Ob ge ǃKhūba ra mî: “Ti ǁaes ge a gâre
titan ge a ǀū.
ǁÎn ge gâ ǀgôan,
ǁnâuǃā-e ūhâ taman khami ī.
ǁÎn ge ǂkhabase dīs di ǂansa ūhâ,
xawen ge ǃgâise dīsa a ǀū.”
Jeremiab ge ǃgoaxa hîkākāsa ra mû
23 ǃHūba ta ge ge kō, tsîb ge ge ǃū-aisa i;
ǀhommi ǃoa ta ge ge kō, tsîb ge ǃnâb âba ge ǀkhai i.
24 ǃHomga ta ge ge kō, ǁîgu ge ge ǀkhū;
tsî hoaraga ǃnâuga, aisǀî tsî khaosǀî gu ra gonse.
25 Kō tsî ta ge ge mû, khoesib a ǀkhaisa;
ǀhomanin on ge ge ǁkhanabē.
26 ǂÛtanixa ǃhūba ta ge ge kō,
ǁîb ge ge ǃgaroǃhū kai;
hoa ǃādi ge ge khôaǁnâhe hâ i,
ǃKhūb ǃaroma tsî ǁîb di ǀaexa ǁaixasib ǃaroma.
27 (ǃKhūb ge nēti ra mî: “Hoaraga ǃhūb ge nî ǃgaroǃhū kai,
xawe ta ge ǁîba hoaragase hîkākā tide.”)
28 Nēs xab ge ǃhūbaiba nî ǃoa;
tsî ǀhomga ǀgapise nî ǃkhae.
Tita ge ǁîsa go ǃhoa,
tita ge ǁîsa go ǂâibasen
tsî ǁîsa ǀkharaǀkhara tide.
29 Hātoro-aogu tsî khāǁkhâu-aogu di ǂkhupib
ge mâ-i hoa-i ǃās di-e nî ǃkhoeni kai.
ǀNîn ge haiǀgomdi ǃnâ nî gau
tsî ǀnîna ǃhaogu ai nî ǃapa.
Tsî di ge hoaraga ǃāde ǁnāxūhe hâ;
khoe-i xare-i ge ǁîdi ǃnâ ǁan tama hâ.
30 Tsî sas hîǀhuruhe hâsa, tare-es ra dī?
Sas ge ǀaoǀapa sarana ana
tsî ǃhuniǀuri tsî ǀhaiǀuri-anixūn ǀkha ra anisen;
mûra âsas ge î-îxū-i ǀkha ra kaikai,
xawes ge ǁnāsa ǁause ra dī.
Sa ǀnamsagu ge ge ǂhara si
tsî gu ge sa ûiba ra ôa.
31 ǁOratsûba ūhâ taras di āb khami ra ǀō domma ta ge ra ǁnâu,
ǂōǂōsib di āba, ǂguro ǀgôa-e ra ǁora khoes dib khami.
ǁNāb ge Sions ôas di domma,
ǁîs ge ra ǃgae,
ǃomkha âsas ge ra ǀhōǂui:
“Tita ge ǂkhabu hâ!
ǁÎgu ge tita nî ǃgamse ǃgoaxa!”
