Jerusalem Is Surrounded by Enemies
1 People of Benjamin, run for safety! Escape from Jerusalem! Sound the trumpet in Tekoa and build a signal fire in Beth Haccherem. Disaster and destruction are about to come from the north. 2 The city of Zion is beautiful, but it will be destroyed; 3 kings will camp there with their armies. They will pitch their tents around the city, and each of them will camp wherever they want. 4 They will say, “Prepare to attack Jerusalem! Get ready! We'll attack at noon!” But then they will say, “It's too late, the day is almost over, and the evening shadows are growing long. 5 We'll attack by night; we'll destroy the city's fortresses.”
6 The Lord Almighty has ordered these kings to cut down trees and build mounds in order to besiege Jerusalem. He has said, “I will punish this city because it is full of oppression. 7 As a well keeps its water fresh, so Jerusalem keeps its evil fresh. I hear violence and destruction in the city; sickness and wounds are all I see. 8 People of Jerusalem, let these troubles be a warning to you, or else I will abandon you; I will turn your city into a desert, a place where no one lives.”
Rebellious Israel
9 The Lord Almighty said to me, “Israel will be stripped clean like a vineyard from which every grape has been picked. So you must rescue everyone you can while there is still time.”
10 I answered, “Who would listen to me if I spoke to them and warned them? They are stubborn and refuse to listen to your message; they laugh at what you tell me to say. 11 Your anger against them burns in me too, Lord, and I can't hold it in any longer.”
Then the Lord said to me, “Pour out my anger on the children in the streets and on the gatherings of the young people. Husbands and wives will be taken away, and even the very old will not be spared. 12 Their houses will be given to others, and so will their fields and their wives. I am going to punish the people of this land. 13 Everyone, great and small, tries to make money dishonestly; even prophets and priests cheat the people. 14 They act as if my people's wounds were only scratches. ‘All is well,’ they say, when all is not well. 15 Were they ashamed because they did these disgusting things? No, they were not at all ashamed; they don't even know how to blush. And so they will fall as others have fallen; when I punish them, that will be the end of them. I, the Lord, have spoken.”
Israel Rejects God's Way
16 The Lord said to his people, “Stand at the crossroads and look. Ask for the ancient paths and where the best road is. Walk in it, and you will live in peace.”
But they said, “No, we will not!” 17 Then the Lord appointed sentries to listen for the trumpet's warning. But they said, “We will not listen.”
18 So the Lord said, “Listen, you nations, and learn what is going to happen to my people. 19 Listen, earth! As punishment for all their schemes I am bringing ruin on these people, because they have rejected my teaching and have not obeyed my words. 20 What do I care about the incense they bring me from Sheba, or the spices from a distant land? I will not accept their offerings or be pleased with their sacrifices. 21 And so I will make these people stumble and fall. Parents and children will die, and so will friends and neighbors.”
Invasion from the North
22 The Lord says, “People are coming from a country in the north; a mighty nation far away is preparing for war. 23 They have taken up their bows and swords; they are cruel and merciless. They sound like the roaring sea, as they ride their horses. They are ready for battle against Jerusalem.”
24 “We have heard the news,” say the people of Jerusalem, “and our hands hang limp; we are seized by anguish and pain like a woman in labor. 25 We don't dare go to the countryside or walk on the roads, because our enemies are armed and terror is all around us.”
26 The Lord says to his people, “Put on sackcloth and roll in ashes. Mourn with bitter tears as you would for an only child, because the one who comes to destroy you will suddenly attack. 27 Jeremiah, test my people, as you would test metal, and find out what they are like. 28 They are all stubborn rebels, hard as bronze and iron. They are all corrupt, going around and spreading gossip. 29 The furnace burns fiercely, but the waste metals do not melt and run off. It is useless to go on refining my people, because those who are evil are not taken away. 30 They will be called worthless dross, because I, the Lord, have rejected them.”
Jerusalems ge khākhoen xa hâǂnamihe hâ
1 ǃNorasasib ǃaroma ǃhū re, Benjaminni ôado! Jerusalemsa xu ǃhū re! Tekoas ǃnâ xâiǁnâsa xâi, î Bet-Hakerems tawa ǀaeǃkhau-e ǃkhā re. ǂKhôab ra ǀapasa xu hā tsîs hîkākās kai xuige. 2 Sions ge a îsa, xawes ge nî hîkākāhe. 3 ǃÛi-aogu tsî ǁîgu ǀgoan ge ǁîs ǃoa nî ǃgû; tentomdi âga ǁîs ǂnamipe ǂnaumâi tsî gu ge mâb hoaba ǁîb ǃkhais ai nî ǃû. 4 Tsî gu ge “Toroba ǂhomisenba re! Khâi î da tsēǃgâǁaeb ai ǁnāǂam! Tsūba da! Tsēs go toa tsî gu ǃuisomga ra gaxu xuige. 5 A da tsuxub ǃnâ khâimâ tsî omǂnamisa omga hîkākā.”
6 Nētib ge ǃKhūb Hoaǀgaixaba ra mî: Haide ǁhāǁnâ î Jerusalems ǃoagu ǁgâuǂnamiba dī re. ǁNā ǃās ge nî ǁkharahe; ǁîs ge ǁgâiǀāb xa ǀoa hâ. 7 Tsaus ra ǃgâi ǁgam-e ūǀkhī khamis ge ǁîsa ǂkhabasib âsa ra ūǀkhī. ǁGaris tsî hîkākās ge ǁîs ǃnâ ra ǁnâuhe; ǁîs ǀaeb tsî ǀhapidi ge hoaǁae ti aiǃâ hâ. 8 Jerusalemse nē ǃkhâikhomsa ū re, ǁnā tamas ka io ta ge sasa xu dabasen tsî ǃū-aisa, ǁanǃnâhe ǁoa ǃhūse nî dī si.
Mâǃoaxa Israelǁaes
9 Nētib ge ǃKhūb Hoaǀgaixaba ra mî: “ǁÎn ge ǂōrisase draibehais ǀkhas khami ǃgau kan Israeli dina nî ǃora. Hui ǁkhā du a khoe-i hoa-e ǁaeba du ūhâ hîa hui re.”
10 O ta ge “Tari-i ǀkha ta kha ǃhoa, tsî nî ǃkhâikhom, ǁnâuhe nîse? Mû! ǂGaes ân ge ǃgaohe hâ tsîn ge ǃgaoǃgâ ǁoa. Mû, mîs ǃKhūb dis ge ǁîna ǃharaxūxūse ība, tsîn ge ǁîs ǃnâ ǃgâiǃgâibasen-e ūhâ tama hâ. 11 ǁNā-amaga ta ge ǃKhūb di ǁaixasib xa ǀoa hâ tsî ta ge ǃaruǀî ǃkhō-aisen ǁoa.”
Ob ge ǃKhūba ge mî: “Ti ǁaixasiba ta ge daob ai hâ ǀgôaron ǂama ǃgangu ai nî ǁhōǂui. ǁNā-amaga ta ge ǃKhūb di ǁgôasib xa ǀoa hâ, tsî ta ge a ūdawasen ǁoa. O ta ge ǁîba nî ǁhōǂui daob ai hâ ǀgôaron ǂama, tsî ǀhû hâ ǂkhamkhoegu tsîn ǂama; aob tsî taras on ge ǁkhāti nîra ǃkhōhe, kairab, ǁnāb tsēdi xa dāhe hâb tsîn ǀkha. 12 Tsî ǁîn omdi ge nîra ǀkhara khoen di kai, ǃhanagu tsî taradi tsîn ǀkha, tita ge ǃommi âtaba nî ǀhōǂui xui-ao, nē ǃhūb di ǁansabenǀî,”
tib ge ǃKhūba ra mî.13 “ǂKhamna xu kain kōsen ra mâ-i hoa-e xūǃgunuxasiba sîsenū; tsî kēbo-aoba xu pristeri kōsen ra mâ-i hoa-e ǂkhabasiba dī xui-ao. 14 Tsîn ra ǂkhôas ti ǁaes ôas disa supuǂâixase ǂuruǂuru: ǂKhîb, ǂkhîb ti ra mîǃâ, ǂkhî-i xare-i a ǀkhai hîa. 15 Xare taon ra, ǁgaiǁgaisanan ra dī amaga? Hî-î hoaragasen ge tao tama hâ, tsîn ge ǁkhāti taob xa dākaisensa a ǀū. ǁNā-amagan ge ǁnā ran ǃnâ nî ǁnā. Tita ga ǁîna ôaǃnâ ǁaeb ain ge nî ǃnôa,”
tib ge ǃKhūba ra mî.Israeli ge Elob daoba ra ǂhara
16 Nētib ra ǃKhūba mî: “Mâ daogu ai, î du kōǂnamipe; î du ǀoro daoga dîǃgâ, mâb a ǃgâi dao ǃkhaisa, î du ǁîb ǃnâ ǃgû, o du ge sadu ǀomsa sâba nîra hōba.” Xawen ra mî: “Sida ge ǁîb ai ǃgû tide,” ti. 17 Tita ge ǁkhāti ǃûi-aoga ge mâiba du, î du xâiǁnâs ǀōb ai ǃgaoǃgâ, ti ra mîse, xawen ge “Sida ge ǃgaoǃgâ tide” ti ra mî.
18 ǁNā-amaga ǁnâu du re, sadu ǁaedo; î du ǁnâuǃā, sadu ǀhû hâdo, ǁîn ǃnâ i tare-e hâ ǃkhaisa. 19 ǁNâu sats ǃhūbaitse: Mû, tita ge ǂkhaba-e nē ǁaes ǂama nîra hā kai, ǁîn di ǂâidi di ǂûtani-e: ǁÎn ti mîdi ai ǃgaoǃgâ tama i, tsî ti ǂhanuba ra aoxū xui-ao. 20 Mâ xū-i ǂamab kha ǃgâihamxūba tita nî hāba Skebasa xu, tsî hoan xa ǃgâi kalmusa ǃnū ǃhūba xu! Sadu khauǁguibadi ge ǃgâiba te tama hâ; tsî sadu ǂāǁguibadi ge tita ǂkhonba tama hâ. 21 ǁNā-amagab ra ǃKhūba nēti mî: “Mû, tita ge nē ǁaesa ǁgonǁgonǂgaodi hoade ra ǂnûiba, on ge ǁîdi xa nî ǃnôa, ǁgûgu tsî ǀgôan tsîn, ǀgūkhoeb tsî ǁîb horesab tsîn hoan ge nî kā.”
ǀApasǀkhāba xu hâ ǁnāǂgâs
22 Nētib ra ǃKhūba mî: “Mû, ǁae-i ge ǃhūb ǀapas diba xu ra ǀkhī; tsî kai ǃhao-i ge ǃhūbaib ǀkhâuǀamde xu nîra ǂkhaiǂkhaihe. 23 Khās tsî ǁhâigôab tsîran ra sîsenū; ǁîn ge a oraǂgaoxa, tsîn ge ǀkhomxaǂgaosi-e dī tide. ǁÎn dommi ge hurib khami nî ǀō, tsîn ge hān ai nî ǃgapi; ǁîn ge torodīsa ǁāǁābahe hâ aob khami ī, sas, Sionni ǀgôas ǃoagu.
24 “Sida ge gommi âba ǁnâuo, o gu ge sida ǃomga ge ǃopo. O da ge ǂōǂōsib xa ge ǃkhōhe, ǁora ra tara-i axase. 25 Tā ǃaub ǃoa ǃgûǂoa, î du tā daob ai ǃgû, khākhoeb di gôab hâ xuige, ǃhurib ge sa ǂnamipe hâ xuige.
26 “Ti ǁaes di ôase, ǀhaosara-e ana îs tsaob ǃnâ ǃhoposen; ǃoa ra ǀguise ǃnae hâb ǃaromas axase, tsûtsûsase ǃgae, ǃhaese da nî hîǀhuru-aob xa hāǂamhe xuige. 27 Tita ge satsa ti ǁaes ǃnâ ǃûiǂgō-omse ge mâi, ǁaposa ǃkhaise, ǁîn daobats nî ǂan tsî ǃâitsâga. 28 Hoan xa ǁnāǁgôaxan di ǁnāǁgôaxan ge a ǁî, ǀhoe-aose ra tanisenǃâ. ǁÎn ge brons tsî a ǂnūǀuri, hoatsaman ge a hîkākā-ao. 29 Soasoab ge khauǃkhū hâ, ǂgoaǀurib ge ǀaes xa hapuhe hâ, ǁauseb ge tsunitsuni-aoba nētikō ǂōrisase ge tsunitsuni, ǂkhaban ūǁnâhe tama hâ xui-ao. 30 Aoxūhe hâ ǀhaiǀuri-i tin ge ra ǂgaihe, ǃKhūb ge ǁîna aoxū xui-ao.”
