The Lord's Answer to Habakkuk
1 I will climb my watchtower and wait to see what the Lord will tell me to say and what answer he will give to my complaint.
2 The Lord gave me this answer: “Write down clearly on tablets what I reveal to you, so that it can be read at a glance. 3 Put it in writing, because it is not yet time for it to come true. But the time is coming quickly, and what I show you will come true. It may seem slow in coming, but wait for it; it will certainly take place, and it will not be delayed. 4 And this is the message: ‘Those who are evil will not survive, but those who are righteous will live because they are faithful to God.’”
Doom on the Unrighteous
5 Wealth is deceitful. Greedy people are proud and restless—like death itself they are never satisfied. That is why they conquer nation after nation for themselves. 6 The conquered people will taunt their conquerors and show their scorn for them. They will say, “You take what isn't yours, but you are doomed! How long will you go on getting rich by forcing your debtors to pay up?”
7 But before you know it, you that have conquered others will be in debt yourselves and be forced to pay interest. Enemies will come and make you tremble. They will plunder you! 8 You have plundered the people of many nations, but now those who have survived will plunder you because of the murders you have committed and because of your violence against the people of the world and its cities.
9 You are doomed! You have made your family rich with what you took by violence, and have tried to make your own home safe from harm and danger! 10 But your schemes have brought shame on your family; by destroying many nations you have only brought ruin on yourself. 11 Even the stones of the walls cry out against you, and the rafters echo the cry.
12 You are doomed! You founded a city on crime and built it up by murder. 13 The nations you conquered wore themselves out in useless labor, and all they have built goes up in flames. The Lord Almighty has done this. 14 But the earth will be as full of the knowledge of the Lord's glory as the seas are full of water.
15 You are doomed! In your fury you humiliated and disgraced your neighbors; you made them stagger as though they were drunk. 16 You in turn will be covered with shame instead of honor. You yourself will drink and stagger. The Lord will make you drink your own cup of punishment, and your honor will be turned to disgrace. 17 You have cut down the forests of Lebanon; now you will be cut down. You killed its animals; now animals will terrify you. This will happen because of the murders you have committed and because of your violence against the people of the world and its cities.
18 What's the use of an idol? It is only something that a human being has made, and it tells you nothing but lies. What good does it do for its maker to trust it—a god that can't even talk! 19 You are doomed! You say to a piece of wood, “Wake up!” or to a block of stone, “Get up!” Can an idol reveal anything to you? It may be covered with silver and gold, but there is no life in it.
20 The Lord is in his holy Temple; let everyone on earth be silent in his presence.
Enyamukulo lOmwene
1 Ame onda hala okuya konhele yange yenangelo, ndi kale kohotekuma, ndele nda hala ndi mone osho te shi lombwele nge, naasho nde shi nyamukulwa mokukema kwange. 2 Opo nee Omwene okwa nyamukula nge, ndele ta ti: “Emoniko li shanga, ove u li nyolele moipelende yelova, li shiive okuleshwa noupu, 3 osheshi emoniko tali ka teelela efimbo la nunwa. Ndelenee ohali endelele kefikilo lalo, lo itali ka puka. Nongeenge ola kala ko, li teelela. Osheshi olo tali ka fika shili, lo itali kala ko.
4 “Tala, omwenyo waye we linenepeka noinau yuka. Ndelenee omuyuki ta ka kala e nomwenyo keitavelo laye. 5 Navali: Omaviinyu hae mu kengelele. Omulumenhu omulinenepeki ita kala po. Oye ou ha makula okanya kaye ngaashi oshovafi, nongaashi efyo itali kuta, osho ye e li. Ye ote liongelele oiwana aishe, novanhu aveshe ote ve lishilile.” 6 Vo aveshe itave ke mu ningila eyeletumbulo neimbilosheko neetumbutumbu, ndele tava ti: “Woo ou, te likongele oinima ihapu ihe fi yaye, fiyo onaini hano, ndele te litwike oshikolo shemona lombabyona.” 7 Ovahepeki voye itava ka fikama diva, naava tave ku fininike itava ka penduka? Opo ove to ningi oixuulwa yavo. 8 Osheshi ngaashi ove wa nyeka oiwana ihapu, oiwana aishe ei ya xupa ko, tai ke ku nyeka molwohonde yovanhu nomolwoukolokoshi wa ningila oshilongo noshilando noonakukalamo aveshe.
9 Woo ou, ta nyekele eumbo laye emona loulunde, opo a tungile pombada oshihadi shaye, e lixupife ye mwene meke lomupya. 10 Omapukululo oye a fifa ohoni eumbo loye, eshi wa nyonauna po oiwana ihapu, ndele we linyonena omwenyo woye. 11 Osheshi emanya lomekuma tali ingida, nomuti wonhikifo tau mu nyamukula. 12 Woo ou, ta tungu oshilando nohonde ndele ta diki ohotengulu noulunde. 13 Tala, eshi itashi di kOmwene womatanga ovakwaita, oiwana eshi hai lihepekele omundilo, novanhu otave lilolola oshimha? 14 Osheshi edu otali ka yada eshiivo lefimano lOmwene, ngaashi omeva haa tuvikile efuta.
15 Woo ou, ta nwefa omukwao, ndele ta lumbakanifa oshinuwa nehandu ndele te mu kolwifa a mone epenge laye. 16 Ove we likutifa nohoni, hanefimano. Paife naave yo nwa hano, opo okuhafukalekwa kwoye ku monike. Eholo lOmwene waye lokolulyo otali ke ku tilwa, noto fi ohoni ponhele yefimano. 17 Etinho, we li tinhififa Libanon, tali uya kombada yoye nehanauno eli la halukifa oifitukuti omolwohonde yovanhu nomolwoukolokoshi wa ningilwa oshilongo noshilando noonakukalamo aveshe.
18 Oshihongwafano sha hongwa komuhongi washo oshi nekwafo lashike? Ile oshitelekwafano omuxunganeki woipupulu, omuteleki washo eshi te shi lineekele, ndele ta ningi oikalunga ihe nondaka oi nekwafo lashike? 19 Woo ou, ta lombwele oshiti, ndele ta ti: “Pashuka!” Nokemanya ihali popi: “Penduka!” Oikalunga oyo tai dulu tuu mbela okulonga eendunge? Tala, oya kwatelwa kumwe koshingoldo nokoshisiliveli, ndele kai na nande omhepo muyo. 20 Ndelenee Omwene omo e li motembeli yaye iyapuki. Edu alishe, mwena koshipala shaKalunga!
