The People's Insincere Repentance
1 The people say, “Let's return to the Lord! He has hurt us, but he will be sure to heal us; he has wounded us, but he will bandage our wounds, won't he? 2 In two or three days he will revive us, and we will live in his presence. 3 Let us try to know the Lord. He will come to us as surely as the day dawns, as surely as the spring rains fall upon the earth.”
4 But the Lord says, “Israel and Judah, what am I going to do with you? Your love for me disappears as quickly as morning mist; it is like dew, that vanishes early in the day. 5 That is why I have sent my prophets to you with my message of judgment and destruction. What I want from you is plain and clear: 6 I want your constant love, not your animal sacrifices. I would rather have my people know me than burn offerings to me.
7 “But as soon as they entered the land at Adam, they broke the covenant I had made with them. 8 Gilead is a city full of evil people and murderers. 9 The priests are like a gang of robbers who wait in ambush for someone. Even on the road to the holy place at Shechem they commit murder. And they do all this evil deliberately! 10 I have seen a horrible thing in Israel: my people have defiled themselves by worshiping idols.
11 “And as for you, people of Judah, I have set a time to punish you also for what you are doing.
Ekumaido lokulidilululifa
1 Otava ti: “Efraim, ohandi ku ningi ngahelipi, akutu Juda, ohandi ku ningi shike, eshi ohole yeni i li ngaashi oshilemo shongula, nongaashi omume tai yaumuka diva? 2 Nge pa pita omafiku avali, Oye te ku nyumuna, mefiku etitatu Oye te tu pendula, opo fye tu kale nomwenyo koshipala shaye. 3 Ndele natu shiiveni hano, heeno, natu lalakaneni okushiiva Omwene. Ye ote uya shili, ngaashi etendo leluwa, ndele ote ke uya kufye ngaashi odula, ngaashi odula yokulombo, ei tai tutike edu.”
4 Akutu Efraim, ohandi ku ningi ngahelipi, akutu Juda, ohandi ku ningi shike, eshi ohole yeni i li ngaashi oshilemo shongula, nongaashi omume tai yaumuka diva? 5 Onghee nee nde va dengifa kovaxunganeki, nde va dipaifa neendjovo domokanya kange. Etokolo lange li li poluhaela ngaashi ouyelele wongula. 6 Osheshi efilonghenda nda hala, hayambo. Okushiiva Kalunga nda hala, osheshi ku dule omaxwikiloyambo.
7 Ndelenee ova nyona ehangano ngaashi Adam; opo tuu va efa nge. 8 Gilead oshilando shovakolokoshi, shi yadi eenghatu dohonde. 9 Nongudu yovapristeli oi li ngaashi oimhulu ya holamena. Ohava dipaele mondjila yaSekem, heeno, ova longa oilonga yoixuna. 10 Mepata laIsrael nda mona mo oilonga yoixuna: omu noluhaelo laEfraim. Israel okwe linyateka. 11 Naave yo Juda, wa nuninwa eteyo, Ame ngeenge handi lundulula okukala kwoshiwana shange.
