Israel's Moral Corruption
1 It's hopeless! I am like a hungry person who finds no fruit left on the trees and no grapes on the vines. All the grapes and all the tasty figs have been picked. 2 There is not an honest person left in the land, no one loyal to God. Everyone is waiting for a chance to commit murder. Everyone hunts down their own people. 3 They are all experts at doing evil. Officials and judges ask for bribes. The influential people tell them what they want, and so they scheme together. 4 Even the best and most honest of them are as worthless as weeds.
The day has come when God will punish the people, as he warned them through their watchmen, the prophets. Now they are in confusion. 5 Don't believe your neighbor or trust your friend. Be careful what you say even to your husband or wife. 6 In these times sons treat their fathers like fools, daughters oppose their mothers, and young women quarrel with their mothers-in-law; your enemies are the members of your own family.
7 But I will watch for the Lord; I will wait confidently for God, who will save me. My God will hear me.
The Lord Brings Salvation
8 Our enemies have no reason to gloat over us. We have fallen, but we will rise again. We are in darkness now, but the Lord will give us light. 9 We have sinned against the Lord, so now we must endure his anger for a while. But in the end he will defend us and right the wrongs that have been done to us. He will bring us out to the light; we will live to see him save us. 10 Then our enemies will see this and be disgraced—the same enemies who taunted us by asking, “Where is the Lord your God?” We will see them defeated, trampled down like mud in the streets.
11 People of Jerusalem, the time to rebuild the city walls is coming. At that time your territory will be enlarged. 12 Your people will return to you from everywhere—from Assyria in the east, from Egypt in the south, from the region of the Euphrates River, from distant seas and far-off mountains. 13 But the earth will become a desert because of the wickedness of those who live on it.
The Lord's Compassion on Israel
14 Be a shepherd to your people, Lord, the people you have chosen. Although they live apart in the wilderness, there is fertile land around them. Let them go and feed in the rich pastures of Bashan and Gilead, as they did long ago.
15 Work miracles for us, Lord, as you did in the days when you brought us out of Egypt. 16 The nations will see this and be frustrated in spite of all their strength. In dismay they will close their mouths and cover their ears. 17 They will crawl in the dust like snakes; they will come from their fortresses, trembling and afraid. They will turn in fear to the Lord our God.
18 There is no other god like you, O Lord; you forgive the sins of your people who have survived. You do not stay angry forever, but you take pleasure in showing us your constant love. 19 You will be merciful to us once again. You will trample our sins underfoot and send them to the bottom of the sea! 20 You will show your faithfulness and constant love to your people, the descendants of Abraham and of Jacob, as you promised our ancestors long ago.
Ovayuki va pwa mo moshilongo
1 Woo ame, osheshi ame nda ningwa ngaashi mefimbo loiimati ye likolwa nongaashi mefimbo omashila omiviinyu a pupudululwa. Kape na vali nande eeviinyu dokulya, neenghwiyu dokulombo edi omwenyo wange we di hala. 2 Ovadiinini va pwa mo moshilongo, ndele kape nomuyuki vali mokati kovanhu. Vo aveshe ohava nangele va tileshi ohonde. Ohava kongo, keshe umwe, mukwao e mu yule. 3 Ohava longo owii nomake avali u wanifwe noupenda? Omupangeli ta fininike, nomutokoli ta tokolele oimaliwa, nomunaenghono ta popi olwisho lomomwenyo waye. Oinima ya tya ngaha tave i liningile. 4 Ou muwa unene muvo, oku li ngaashi ekiya, nomuyuki waaveshe, oye mwii e nonhele i dule ongubu yomano. Efiku la popiwa kovanangeli voye, efiku longhone otali uya. Okupiyaanekwa kwavo otaku va hange. 5 Inamu itavela omukweni, nye inamu lineekela ookaume. Omwalikadi ou e li mekolo loye mu umikila oshivelo shokanya koye. 6 Osheshi omona omumati ta dini xe, nomona okakadona otaka tu eemhata naina, noshitenya shomwalikadi otashi tu ondubo nainamweno. Ovanaita nomunhu, ovo ovaneumbo vaye.
Pomafiku oluhepo Israel ote ke lininipika, ndele te ke lineekela Omwene
7 Ndelenee ame ohandi lyaamene omesho ange kOmwene, handi teelele Kalunga kexupifo lange. Kalunga kange ota ka uda nge! 8 Omutondi wange, ino kala nokuhafela nge! Nande nda punduka, ohandi yambuka po vali. Nande ndi kale omutumba momilaulu, Omwene Oye ouyelele wange. 9 Nda hala okuhumbata ehandu lOmwene, osheshi ame nda nyona kuye; fiyo ta yukifa oshinima shange, ndele ta ningile nge ouyuki. Ye ota ka twala nge mouyelele nohandi mono omhito okutala ouyuki waye. 10 Nomutondadi wange yo, ote ke shi mona, nohoni otai ka tuvika ou, ta ti kwaame: “Omwene Kalunga koye oku li peni?” Nokuhokwa omesho ange otae ke mu tala, opo nee ota ka lyatwa ngaashi onhata yomomapandavanda. 11 Efiku tali uya lokutungulula omakuma oye. Mefiku tuu olo eengaba tadi ka ehena kokule. 12 Mefiku tuu olo vo otave ke uya kwoove tava di kuAsiria nomoilando yomuEgipiti, nokudja kuEgipiti fiyo okoshikandjo shaEufrat, nokefuta fiyo okefuta likwao, nokomhunda fiyo okomhunda ikwao. 13 Ndelenee edu tali ka ninga ofuka molwoonakukalamo mulo, omolwoilonga yavo.
14 Oshiwana shoye shi lifa nodibo yoye, ongudu youfita wefyuululo loye tai kala ya tongolwa moixwa yomuKarmel. Nai wandjele muBasan nomuGilead ngaashi pomafiku oshito. 15 Ngaashi pomafiku etembu loye, eshi wa dja muEgipiti ohandi ke mu talifa oilonga yoikumwifa. 16 Oiwana tai ke shi mona ndele tai fifwa ohoni meenghono davo adishe. Vo otave ke likwata komilungu, nomatwi avo otaa ka fita. 17 Vo otava ka lafa ondwi ngaashi eyoka ngaashi oilihedi otava ka holoka nokudja mo meehotengulu davo nokukakama, heeno, vo otave ke uya kOmwene Kalunga ketu nokukakama, ndele vo tave ke ku tila.
18 Olyelye ou e ku fa, Kalunga, ho dimi po owii, ndele to koya po omatauluko oshixupe shefyuululo loye? Ye ita handuka fiyo alushe, ndelenee Ye a hokwa ouwanghenda. 19 Ye ote ke tu filulula onghenda, noilonga yetu ii Ye ote i lyatele poshi. Heeno, omatimba avo aeshe Ove to ke a ekela mokule mwi mefuta. 20 Ove oto ka hololela Jakob oudiinini, nokuhololela Abraham ouwanghenda, ou Ove wa anenene ootatekulu vetu okudja mefimbo lonale.
