The Lord's Sword
1 The Lord spoke to me. 2 “Mortal man,” he said, “denounce Jerusalem. Denounce the places where people worship. Warn the land of Israel 3 that I, the Lord, am saying: I am your enemy. I will draw my sword and kill all of you, good and evil alike. 4 I will use my sword against everyone from south to north. 5 Everyone will know that I, the Lord, have drawn my sword and that I will not put it away.
6 “Mortal man, groan as if your heart is breaking with despair. Groan in sorrow where everyone can watch you. 7 When they ask you why you are groaning, tell them it is because of the news that is coming. When it comes, their hearts will be filled with fear, their hands will hang limp, their courage will fail, and their knees will tremble. The time has come; it is here.” The Sovereign Lord has spoken.
8 The Lord said to me, 9 “Mortal man, prophesy. Tell the people what I, the Lord, am saying:
A sword, a sword is sharpened and polished.
10 It is sharpened to kill,
polished to flash like lightning.
There can be no rejoicing,
for my people have disregarded every warning and punishment.
11 The sword is being polished,
to make it ready for use.
It is sharpened and polished,
to be put in the hands of a killer.
12 Howl in grief, mortal man;
this sword is meant for my people
and for all the leaders of Israel.
They are going to be killed
with all the rest of my people.
Beat your breast in despair!
13 I am testing my people,
and if they refuse to repent,
all these things will happen to them.
14 “Now, mortal man, prophesy. Clap your hands, and the sword will strike again and again. It is a sword that kills, a sword that terrifies and slaughters. 15 It makes my people lose courage and stumble. I am threatening their city with a sword that flashes like lightning and is ready to kill. 16 Cut to the right and the left, you sharp sword! Cut wherever you turn. 17 I also will clap my hands, and my anger will be over. I, the Lord, have spoken.”
The Sword of the King of Babylonia
18 The Lord spoke to me. 19 “Mortal man,” he said, “mark out two roads by which the king of Babylonia can come with his sword. Both of them are to start in the same country. Put up a signpost where the roads fork. 20 One will show the king the way to the Ammonite city of Rabbah, and the other the way to Judah, to the fortified city, Jerusalem. 21 The king of Babylonia stands by the signpost at the fork of the road. To discover which way to go, he shakes the arrows; he consults his idols; he examines the liver of a sacrificed animal. 22 Now! His right hand holds the arrow marked ‘Jerusalem’! It tells him to go and set up battering rams, to shout the battle cry, to place battering rams against the gates, to throw up earthworks, and to dig trenches. 23 The people of Jerusalem won't believe this because of the treaties they have made. But this prediction is to remind them of their sins and to warn them that they will be captured. 24 This then is what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying: Your sins are exposed. Everyone knows how guilty you are. You show your sins in your every action. You stand condemned, and I will hand you over to your enemies.
25 “You wicked, unholy ruler of Israel, your day, the day of your final punishment, is coming. 26 I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken. Take off your crown and your turban. Nothing will be the same again. Raise the poor to power! Bring down those who are ruling! 27 Ruin, ruin! Yes, I will make the city a ruin. But this will not happen until the one comes whom I have chosen to punish the city. To him I will give it.
A Sword and the Ammonites
28 “Mortal man, prophesy. Announce what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying to the Ammonites, who are insulting Israel. Say to them:
‘A sword is ready to destroy;
It is polished to kill, to flash like lightning.
29 The visions that you see are false, and the predictions you make are lies. You are wicked and evil, and your day is coming, the day of your final punishment. The sword is going to fall on your necks.
30 “‘Put up the sword! I will judge you in the place where you were created, in the land where you were born. 31 You will feel my anger when I turn it loose on you like a blazing fire. And I will hand you over to brutal men, experts at destruction. 32 You will be destroyed by fire. Your blood will be shed in your own country, and no one will remember you any more.’” The Lord has spoken.
Egongamwele lyOmuwa
1 Omuwa okwa lombwele ndje a ti: 2 “Muna gwomuntu, lombwela Jerusalem. Hunganekela omahala agehe moka aantu haa gongala komambo. Londodha oshilongo Israel 3 kutya ongame, Omuwa, tandi ti: Ngame omutondi gwoye. Otandi pweya mo egongamwele lyandje e tandi mu dhipaga po amuhe, aawanawa naawinayi sha faathana. 4 Otandi ka ukitha egongamwele lyandje kushaa ngoka gwokuumbangalantu sigo okuumbugantu. 5 Shaa ngoka ota ka tseya kutya ongame, Omuwa, nda pweya mo egongamwele lyandje noitandi li shuna mo we.
6 “Muna gwomuntu, yematela montaneho yawo u na omutima gwa nyanyagulwa nogwa sa oluhodhi olunene. 7 Ngele taye ku pula omolwashike wa yemata, ya lombwela kutya omolwonkundana ndjoka tayi ya. Uuna tayi thiki, omitima dhawo otadhi ka haluka kuumbanda, iikaha yawo otayi ka endjelela komvulwe, omukumo gwawo gwa tyololoka, noongolo dhawo tadhi kakama. Esiku lya thiki; lye ya.” Omuwa Omupangeliawike a popi.
8 Omuwa okwa lombwele ndje a ti: 9 “Muna gwomuntu, hunganeka.
Lombwela aantu shoka ngame, Omuwa, tandi popi.
Egongamwele, egongamwele
olya tsa nolya yagwa.
10 Olyu upikwa lya tsa li dhipage,
lya yagwa li tayime ngolwaadhi.
Itaku kala we enyanyu.
Oshigwana shandje osha dhina elondodho negeelo.
11 Egongamwele olya yagwa,
olyu upikilwa iilonga.
Olya tsa lya yagwa,
li kale meke lyomudhipagi.
12 Muna gwomuntu, kololoka, u yemate.
Egongamwele ndika lyu uka aantu yandje
naawiliki ayehe yaIsrael.
Ayehe otaa ka dhipagwa po
pamwe noshihupe ashihe shaantu yandje.
Ikwata ombandamutse meihupulo!
13 Otandi yeleke aantu yandje.
Ngele taa tindi okwiitedhulula,
mbika ayihe otayi ke ya ningilwa.
14 “Muna gwomuntu, hunganeka ngashingeyi. Hakela nomake goye, negongamwele otali ka hahala lwaali, lutatu. Egongamwele otali dhipaga, egongamwele tali halutha notali ulula. 15 Otali tyololokitha aantu yandje noku ya lontaukitha. Otandi tilitha oshilando shawo negongamwele tali tayima lya fa olwaadhi nolya hala okudhipaga. 16 Gongamwele lya tsa, fegula ko olulyo nolumoho! Keka mpoka to thikile. 17 Nangame wo otandi ka hakela nomake gandje, nondjahi yandje otayi ka pola. Ongame, Omuwa, nda popi.”
Egongamwele lyomukwaniilwa gwaBabilonia
18 Omuwa okwa lombwele ndje a ti: 19 “Muna gwomuntu, ndhindhilika oondjila mbali moka omukwaniilwa gwaBabilonia ta vulu okweenda negongamwele lye. Adhihe mbali otadhi zi moshilongo shimwe. Tula po omandhindhiliko mpoka oondjila tadhi topokele. 20 Endhindhiliko limwe otali ulukile omukwaniilwa ondjila yu uka koshilando shAayammoni Rabba, nekwawo oondjoka yu uka kuJuda, koshilandohote Jerusalem. 21 Omukwaniilwa gwaBabilonia ota thikama pendhindhiliko poompagiila dhoondjila. Opo a mone ondjila ndjoka ta yi nayo, ota shikashika iikuti; ota pula omayele kiimenka ye; ota simonona ehuli lyoshimuna sha yambwa. 22 Ngashingeyi! Olulyo lwe olwa yelutha endhindhiliko lyoshikuti ‘Jerusalem’. Otashi mu lombwele, a ye aka dhike iikumunithi yekuma, a kuge onkugo, a tule iikumunithi pomiyelo, a tunge omutuni gwekondekela ye a fule omikanka. 23 Aajerusalem inaye shi itaala, molwaashoka oye na euvathano nayo. Ihe eanekelo ndika otali ya dhimbulutha uulunde wawo, li ya londodhe kutya otaa ka kwatwa po. 24 Shika osho shoka ngame, Omuwa Omupangeliawike, tandi popi. Uulunde weni we ya puuyelele. Shaa ngoka okwa tseya, nkene ne aalunde. Otamu holola uulunde weni miilonga yeni ayihe. Omwa pangulwa, notandi ke mu gandja kaatondi yeni.
25 “Muleli ngoye omukeenakalunga gwaIsrael, ngoka wi inyateka, esiku lyegeelo lyoye lyahugunina olya thikana. 26 Ongame, Omuwa Omupangeliawike, nda popi. Ihula oshishani, kutha ko egala. Itashi ka kala we ngaaka. Omufupi ota nenepekwa, nomunene ota fupipikwa. 27 Omakulukuma, omakulukuma! Otandi ningi oshilando omakulukuma. Ihe shika itashi ningwa, sigo ngoka tandi hogolola a geele oshilando, a thiki. Nena otandi shi mu pe.”
Egongamwele nAayammoni
28 “Muna gwomuntu, hunganeka. Tumbula shoka ngame, Omuwa Omupangeliawike, tandi lombwele Aayammoni, mboka taa tuku Israel. Ya lombwela to ti:
‘Egongamwele otali ka hanagula;
olya yagelwa okutsela,
tali adhima lya fa olwaadhi.
29 Omamoniko tamu mono, iifundja; omahunganeko tamu hunganeke, odhanakalindi. One aakolokoshi naalunde, esiku lyeni olya thikana, esiku lyokugeelwa kweni kwahugunina. Egongamwele otali ke mu keka koothingo.
30 “ ‘Shuna mo egongamwele! Otandi ke mu pangulila mehala moka mwa shitilwa, mevi moka mwa valelwa. 31 Otandi ke mu poolela ondjahi yandje ya fa omulilo gwa hwama. Otandi ke mu gandja kaantu aapwidhi, oonkulungu dhokuhanagula. 32 Otamu ka lunguna po komulilo. Ombinzi yeni otayi ka tikila mevi lyeni yene, nopwaa na we ngoka te ke mu dhimbulukwa.’ ” Omuwa oye a popi.
