The Lord's Punishment of Jerusalem
1 The Lord in his anger has covered Zion with darkness.
Its heavenly splendor he has turned into ruins.
On the day of his anger he abandoned even his Temple.
2 The Lord destroyed without mercy every village in Judah
And tore down the forts that defended the land.
He brought disgrace on the kingdom and its rulers.
3 In his fury he shattered the strength of Israel;
He refused to help us when the enemy came.
He raged against us like fire, destroying everything.
4 He aimed his arrows at us like an enemy;
He killed all those who were our joy and delight.
Here in Jerusalem we felt his burning anger.
5 Like an enemy, the Lord has destroyed Israel;
He has left her forts and palaces in ruins.
He has brought on the people of Judah unending sorrow.
6 He smashed to pieces the Temple where we worshiped him;
He has put an end to holy days and Sabbaths.
King and priest alike have felt the force of his anger.
7 The Lord rejected his altar and deserted his holy Temple;
He allowed the enemy to tear down its walls.
They shouted in victory where once we had worshiped in joy.
8 The Lord was determined that the walls of Zion should fall;
He measured them off to make sure of total destruction.
The towers and walls now lie in ruins together.
9 The gates lie buried in rubble, their bars smashed to pieces.
The king and the noblemen now are in exile.
The Law is no longer taught, and the prophets have no visions from the Lord.
10 Jerusalem's old men sit on the ground in silence,
With dust on their heads and sackcloth on their bodies.
Young women bow their heads to the ground.
11 My eyes are worn out with weeping; my soul is in anguish.
I am exhausted with grief at the destruction of my people.
Children and babies are fainting in the streets of the city.
12 Hungry and thirsty, they cry to their mothers;
They fall in the streets as though they were wounded,
And slowly die in their mothers' arms.
13 O Jerusalem, beloved Jerusalem, what can I say?
How can I comfort you? No one has ever suffered like this.
Your disaster is boundless as the ocean; there is no possible hope.
14 Your prophets had nothing to tell you but lies;
Their preaching deceived you by never exposing your sin.
They made you think you did not need to repent.
15 People passing by the city look at you in scorn.
They shake their heads and laugh at Jerusalem's ruins:
“Is this that lovely city? Is this the pride of the world?”
16 All your enemies mock you and glare at you with hate.
They curl their lips and sneer, “We have destroyed it!
This is the day we have waited for!”
17 The Lord has finally done what he threatened to do:
He has destroyed us without mercy, as he warned us long ago.
He gave our enemies victory, gave them joy at our downfall.
18 O Jerusalem, let your very walls cry out to the Lord!
Let your tears flow like rivers night and day;
Wear yourself out with weeping and grief!
19 All through the night get up again and again to cry out to the Lord;
Pour out your heart and beg him for mercy on your children—
Children starving to death on every street corner!
20 Look, O Lord! Why are you punishing us like this?
Women are eating the bodies of the children they loved!
Priests and prophets are being killed in the Temple itself!
21 Young and old alike lie dead in the streets,
Young men and women, killed by enemy swords.
You slaughtered them without mercy on the day of your anger.
22 You invited my enemies to hold a carnival of terror all around me,
And no one could escape on that day of your anger.
They murdered my children, whom I had raised and loved.
1 Akutu, ongahelipi Omwene mehandu laye okwa tuvika noilemo omona okakadona kaSion! Efimano laIsrael meulu okwe li ekelashi poshi, ndele ina dimbulukwa oshipundi sheemhadi daye mefiku lehandu laye. 2 Omwene okwa hanauna nokuhenonghenda eenhele adishe dokukala kwaJakob, moupyuhandu waye Ye okwa hanauna po eehotengulu domona okakadona kaJuda nokwe di ngumaunina poshi; okwa xutula ouhamba neehamba dao. 3 Mehanyo lehandu laye okwa teta po keshe oluvinga laIsrael. Eke laye lokolulyo okwe li alula moipafi yomutondadi. NomuJakob okwa lungwinifa ngaashi elaka lomundilo tali lafa po ashishe keembinga adishe. 4 Okwa shila outa waye ngaashi omutondadi. Okwa kala ofika eke laye la yeluka ngaashi omunaita, ndele okwa dipaa po keshe eshi sha li sha wapalela omesho ometwali lomona okakadona kaSion. Oupyuhandu waye okwe u tila ngaashi omundilo. 5 Omwene okwe lininga ngaashi omutondadi, Ye okwa pona po Israel; eengulu doupuna adishe okwe di pona po, eehotengulu okwe di ngumauna po. Ndele okwa hapupalifa okulila nokukema kwomona okakadona kaJuda. 6 Ndele etwali laye okwe li hanauna po ngaashi oshikunino. Onhele yaye mwene yoshivilo okwe i hanauna po. Omwene okwa dimbwifila muSion oshivilo nEshabata, ndele mehandu laye la xwama okwa ta mo ohamba nomupristeli. 7 Omwene okwa ekelashi oaltari yaye notembeli yaye e i dinifa. Ye okwa yandja momake ovatondadi omakuma eengulu doupuna. Ovo va kalukila pombada motembeli yOmwene nokukuwilila ngaashi mefiku loshivilo. 8 Omwene osho a pangela a ngumaune po omakuma omona okakadona kaSion. Ye okwa shila ko oshiyelekifongodi, ndele Ye ina alula eke laye kehanauno. Heeno, eehote nomakuma okwe a nyikifa oluhodi, vo aveshe kumwe ova teyauka. 9 Oivelo yasho ya ningina medu, omakumba asho Ye e a tatula po nokwa teyaula po. Ohamba yasho novakulunhu vasho ve li mokati kovapaani. Kape nomalombwelo vali, novaxunganeki vasho ihava tambula vali omamoniko kOmwene. 10 Ovakulunhu vomona okakadona kaSion va kala omutumba poshi, va mwena. Komitwe davo ove lifundila ondwi yedu, vo ova djala eeshako. Oukadona vomuJerusalem ova nyongameka omitwe davo pedu. 11 Omesho ange a twiyala komahodi; eshi shomeni lange osha fuluka. Omutima wange wa hala okutopa omolwenyonauko lomona okakadona koshiwana shange. Osheshi ounona nouhanana tava pundile po meendabo doshilando. 12 Ohava ti kooina: “Oilya nomaviinyu oku li peni?” Eshi tava pundile meendabo doshilando ongaashi eendjashe, eshi eemwenyo davo tadi fudile momakolo ooina. 13 Oundobwedi ulipi ame ndi ku etele ndele handi dulu oku ku faafanifa nashike, oove Jerusalem? Ohandi ke ku faafanifa nashike, ame ndi dule oku ku hekeleka, oove okakadona, omona waSion? Osheshi enyonauko loye olinene li fike pefuta, kape na ou ta dulu oku ku velula? 14 Ovaxunganeki voye ve ku monena oinima yoipupulu noyoulai. Vo inave ku hololela owii woye, opo okukala kwoye ku lunduluke, ndelenee vo ove ku monena omaxunganeko oipupulu nomapukifo. 15 Aveshe ava hava ende nondjila, ohava pandula nomake molwoye, tava shiki omwilwa, ndele tava pukapuka komitwe molwomona okakadona Jerusalem: “Oshilando osho tuu osho ve shi tile: sha wanenena mewapalo, osho ehafo ledu alishe?” 16 Ovatondi voye aveshe otave ku ekamene omakanya avo. Vo otava sheke nokukweshela omayoo ndele tava ti: “Ofye otwe shi pona po, heeno, olo efiku twe li teelela. Fye otwe li hanga, twe li mona nee.”
17 Omwene okwa shakenifa eshi Ye e shi nuninine. Ondjovo yaye okwe i wanifa, ei Ye e i tongele pomafiku onalenale; okwe shi ngumauna po ke nonghenda, nomutondadi okwe mu hafifa molwoye, nokwa yelulila pombada oluvinga lomunaita naave. 18 Ifana pombada kOmwene, ove ohotekuma yomona okakadona kaSion! Tondokifa omahodi oye ngaashi omulonga omutenya noufiku. Ino dimbwa, u tulumukwe; eisho loye inali fifikina. 19 Penduka po! Ingida moufiku omefimbo lenangelo longuloshi. Tilashi omwenyo woye ngaashi omeva okoshipala shOmwene. Yelula kuye omake oye omolweemwenyo dounona voye, ovo tava file ondjala pomashakeneno omapandavanda aeshe. 20 Tala, Omwene, Ove u diladile olyelye ou we shi ningila ngaha! Ovalikadi ovo mbela ve nokulya oshiimati shomadimo avo nokutya, ouhanana ava hava humbatelwa momake? Ovapristeli novaxunganeki mbela ve nokudipaelwa motembeli yOmwene? 21 Pedu momapandavanda opa nangala ovanyasha novakulunhu. Oukadona vange novamati vange va wila po keongamukonda. Ove we va dipaa mefiku loye lehandu; wa twa uhe nonghenda. 22 Ovatilifi vange we va shivila nge keembinga adishe ngaashi efiku loshivilo. Nefiku olo lehandu lOmwene kapa li nande umwe a ya onhapo, ile e lixupifa. Ava nde va tekula nonde va kulifa, omutondadi wange okwe va mana po.
