1 Your immortal spirit is in every one of them, 2 and so you gently correct those who sin against you. You remind them of what they are doing, and warn them about it, so that they may abandon their evil ways and put their trust in you, Lord.
The Sins of the Canaanites
3-4 You hated the people who lived in your holy land long ago, because they did horrible things: they practiced magic and conducted unholy worship; 5 they killed children without mercy and ate the flesh and blood of human beings. They were initiated into secret rituals 6 in which parents murdered their own defenseless children. It was your will for our ancestors to destroy these people, 7 so that the land which you consider the most precious of all lands would be a suitable home for your people. 8 But even in this you showed mercy toward their enemies, since they were only human beings. You sent hornets ahead of your army, to destroy the enemy gradually. 9 You could have allowed the righteous to destroy those ungodly people in battle; you could have wiped them out immediately with wild animals or with one harsh command. 10 But instead, you carried out your sentence gradually, to give them a chance to repent, even though you knew that they came from evil stock, that they had been wicked since birth, and that they would never change their way of thinking. 11 Their whole nation was cursed from the start, and though you had not punished them for their sins, it was not because you were afraid of anyone.
God Is Sovereign
12 You created those wicked people, and no one can speak in their defense or condemn you for destroying them. No one can question what you have done or challenge your judgment. 13 All things are under your care, and there is no other god to whom you must justify your decisions. 14 No king or ruler on earth can accuse you of punishing those people unfairly. 15 You are righteous, and you rule everything righteously. You have never used your power to condemn a person who does not deserve to be punished. 16 Your strength is the source of justice. You can show mercy to everyone, because you are the Lord of all. 17 You show your strength when people doubt that your power is perfect, and you punish anyone who knows your power but dares to ignore it. 18 Even though you have absolute power, you are a merciful judge. You could take action against us whenever you like, but instead, you rule us with great patience.
19 By the things you have done you have taught your people that a person who is righteous must also be kind. You have given your people abundant hope by allowing them to repent of their sins. 20 You were very careful and patient in punishing your people's enemies; even when they deserved to die, you gave them every opportunity to give up their sinful ways. 21 But you judged your own people very strictly, even though you had made covenants with their ancestors and had solemnly promised to give them good things.
22 Yes, you punish us, but you punish our enemies ten thousand times more, so that when we judge others, we may remember your goodness, and when we are being judged, we may look for mercy.
The Punishment of the Egyptians
23 And so you tormented those who were foolish enough to live wickedly—you tormented them with the horrible things they worshiped. 24 They had wandered far away from the truth and worshiped the most disgusting and horrible animals. They were deceived as easily as little children. 25 And so you punished them for their stupidity, and your judgment made them look like fools. 26 It was a light punishment, but those who pay no attention to such warnings deserve to feel the full weight of God's judgment. 27 When they were punished with those creatures they considered gods, they became bitterly disillusioned and recognized that the true God was the one they had always refused to acknowledge. That is why they suffered the final punishment.
1 Sa ǁōǁoasa gagas ge ǁîn hoan ǃnâ hâ 2 tsîts ge sa ǃoagu ge ǁorena tsaurase ra hui-unu. Sats ge ǁîna dīn ra xūn xa ǂâiǂâiǃnâ tsî ra ǃkhâikhom, în ǁnā ǀgaub ai ǁîn di ǂkhaba dīga ǁnāxū tsî sats ǃKhūtsa ǂgomǃgâ.
Kanaanǁîn di ǁoren
3-4 Gaxu ǁae-i ǃkharu hâse ge sa ǃanu ǃhūb ǃnâ ǁan hâ i khoenats ge ǁîn gere dī ǃaorosa xūn, ǃgaidīb tsî ǃanuoǃnâ ǀgoreǀîdi ǃaroma ge ǃhuisa i. 5 ǁÎn ge ǀkhomoǃnâse ǀgôarona ǃgam tsî khoen di ǁgan-i tsî ǀaob tsîna ǂû tsî gere ā. ǁÎn ǂganǃgâsa ǃoabadi ǀkha ge tsoatsoa 6 ǁîdi ǃnân ge ǁgûna, ǁîn di ǂhunuma ǀgôan, huisen ǁoana gere ǃgamde. ǁNā-amagas ge sida aboxagu nî ǁîna hîkākāsa ge mā-am, 7 îb nē ǃhūb, hoa ǃhūgu xa satsa ǃgomǀgausababa sa khoen di ama-ai hâǃkhai kai. 8 Xawets ge nēs tsîn ǃnâ ǁîn tsîn a khoe xui-ao, ǁîn di khākhoena ra ǀkhomxa. Sats ge sa toroǂnubis aiǃâ, khākhoenan nî ǁaeb ǀkha hîkākā ga ǃkhā ra xoxona ge sîǂui. 9 ǁNā eloxoresa khoena torob ǃnâ hîkākās ǃaromats ge sa ǂhanu-ai khoen ǀguina ga mā-am hâ. Sats ge ǁîna ǁnātimîsi ǁaixa ǀgurun tamas ka io ǀgui ǁkhō mîmās ǀkha ga hîkākā hâ. 10 Sats ge ǁîn tsî ǁîn di aboxagu hoaragase ǂkhaba tsî tātsēs tsîna dī-unusen tide ǃkhaisats a ǂan, xawes tsîna ǁîna ǃhobasenn nîga ǁaeb ǀkha gere ǁkhara. 11 ǁÎn di hoaraga ǃhaos ge tsoatsoasa xu ge ǀâxarehe hâ i tsî ǁînats ga ǁîn ǁoren ǃaroma ǁkhara tama hâ i, xawes ge ǁnāsa ǁînats gere ǃao ti ǂâibasen tama hâ.
Elob ǀguib ge a Gao-ao
12 Sats ge ǁnā ǂkhaba khoena ge kuru tsî i ge ǀgui khoe-i tsîna ǁîna ra ǁkhaubase ǃhoa tide tamas ka io ǁînats ge hîkākā ǃkhais ǃaroma satsa ǀgoraǃgâ tide. ǀGui khoe-i tsîn ge dīts ge xūn xa dî tsi tamas ka io sa ǀgoraǃgâsa ǁgoaǂui ǁoa. 13 Hoaraga xūn ge sa sâub ǃnaka hâ tsî i ge ǀnî elo-i, ǁî-i aits nî ǂhanuts a ǃkhaisa ǁgau-i xare-e a ǀkhai. 14 ǀGuis khami ī gao-ao-i tamas ka io ǂgaeǂgui-ao-i, ǃhūbaib ai hâ-i ge ǂhanuoǃnâsets ge nē khoena ǁkharase a ǀhapimā tsi ǁoa. 15 Sats ge a ǂhanu-ai tsîts ge mâ xū-i hoa-e ǂhanu-aise ra ǂgaeǂgui. Sats ge tātsēs tsîna sa ǀgaib ǀgoraǃgâs diba, ǁkharaba anu tama khoe-i ai ge sîsenū tama hâ i. 16 Sa ǀgaib ge a ǂhanu-aisib di tsoatsoa tsîts ge ǁîba, sats a hoan di ǃKhū xui-ao ǀkhommats khoe-i hoa-e nî ǁgause a sîsenū ǁkhā. 17 Khoen ga sa ǀgaib a dīǀoaǀoasa ǃkhais xa îganǀgē, ots ge sa ǀgaiba ra ǁgau tsî mâ-i hoa-i sa ǀgaiba ǂan xawe ra kākāsen-e ra ǁkhara. 18 Hoaraga xūnats dī ǁkhā ǀgaibats ūhâ xawes tsînats ge a ǀkhomxaǃnâ ǀgoraǃgâ-ao. ǂGaots ra ǁae-i hoa-i aits ge sida ǃoagu, ǂgaots ra xū-i hoa-e dī ǁkhā, xawets ge ǁnās ǃās ǃnâ sida, kai ǃnūǃnâxasib ǀkha ra ǂgaeǂgui.
19 Dīts ge xūn ǀkhats ge sa khoena, ǂhanu-ai khoe-i nî ǁkhāti ǃgâis tsîna hî ǃkhaisa ge ǁkhāǁkhā. Sats ge sa khoena ǁîn di ǁorena xun nî ǃhobasen ǃkhais di mā-ams ǀkha, ǃnāǂamsa ǃâubasensa ge mā. 20 Sats ge sa khoen di khākhoena ǁkharas ǃnâ kaise ǂōrisa tsî ge ǃnūǃnâxa i; ǁōban anu hâ ǁaeb tsîn aits ge ǁîna ǁîn di ǂkhaba daoga xu oas di ǃēsa gere mā. 21 Xawets ge sa khoena kaise ǁkhōse ge ǀgoraǃgâ ǁîn aboxagu ǀkhats ǃgaeǀhaodi, ǁînats ǃgâi xūna nî mās dide mîmâi hâ hîa.
22 Sidats ge ra ǁkhara, xawe sida khākhoenats ge sida xa disiǀoadisi ǃnāde ǃnāsase ra ǁkhara, nauna da ga ǀgoraǃgâ, o da sa ǃgâisib xa nî ǂâi tsî sida ga ǀgoraǃgâheo ǀkhomma nî ǃâubasen ǁkhāse.
Egipteǁîn di ǁkharab
23 Sats ge ǁnān hîa gâsib ǃnâ ǂkhabase gere ûina, ui-uisa xūn hîan gere ǀgoreǀîn ǀkha ge tsûtsû. 24 ǁÎn ge amaba xu ǃnū tsî hoan xa ui-uisa ǀgurun tsî xamarina gere ǀgoreǀî. Tsîn ge ǂkham ǀgôaron khami supuse gere ǀhôagaoǃnâhe. 25 ǁNā-amagats ge ǁîna ǁîn di gâresib ǃaroma ge ǁkhara tsîs ge sa ǀgoraǃgâsa ǁîna gân khami ge ī kai. 26 Nēb ge ge supu ǁkhara i, xawe ǁnān hîa ge nēti ī ǃkhâikhomdi ai ǂâisa ǂnûi tama hâ in ge ǀoasa ǀgoraǃgâs Elob disan nî hōǃâ ǃkhaisa anu hâ. 27 ǁÎn gere elon ase ǃgapaǀî ǀgurun tsî xamarin ǀkhan ge ǁkharahe, on ge kaise ǃan tsî ǁnāb ǁîn gere ǂkhāb a ama Elo ǃkhaisa ge mûǂan. ǁNā-amagas ge ǀuni ǁkharaban ge tsâsa.
