The Crimes of Jerusalem
1 The Lord spoke to me. 2 “Mortal man,” he said, “are you ready to judge the city that is full of murderers? Make clear to her all the disgusting things she has done. 3 Tell the city what I, the Sovereign Lord, am saying: Because you have murdered so many of your own people and have defiled yourself by worshiping idols, your time is coming. 4 You are guilty of those murders and are defiled by the idols you made, and so your day is coming, your time is up! That is why I have let the nations make fun of you and all the countries sneer at you. 5 Countries nearby and countries far away sneer at you because of your lawlessness. 6 All Israel's leaders trust in their own strength and commit murder. 7 None of you in the city honor your parents. You cheat foreigners and take advantage of widows and orphans. 8 You have no respect for the holy places, and you don't keep the Sabbath. 9 Some of your people tell lies about others in order to have them put to death. Some of them eat sacrifices offered to idols. Some are always satisfying their lusts. 10 Some of them sleep with their father's wife. Some force women to have intercourse with them during their period. 11 Some commit adultery, and others seduce their daughters-in-law or their half sisters. 12 Some of your people murder for pay. Some charge interest on the loans they make to other Israelites and get rich by taking advantage of them. They have forgotten me.” The Sovereign Lord has spoken.
13 “I will bring my fist down on your robberies and murders. 14 Do you think you will have any courage left or have strength enough to lift your hand when I am finished with you? I, the Lord, have spoken, and I keep my word. 15 I will scatter your people to every country and nation and will put an end to your evil actions. 16 And so the other nations will dishonor you, but you will know that I am the Lord.”
God's Refining Furnace
17 The Lord said to me, 18 “Mortal man, the Israelites are of no use to me. They are like waste metal—copper, tin, iron, and lead—left over after silver has been refined in a furnace. 19 So now I, the Sovereign Lord, am telling them that they are just as useless as that. I will bring them all together in Jerusalem 20 in the same way that the ore of silver, copper, iron, lead, and tin is put in a refining furnace. My anger and rage will melt them the way fire melts ore. 21 Yes, I will gather them in Jerusalem, build a fire under them, and melt them with my anger. 22 They will be melted in Jerusalem the way silver is melted in a furnace, and then they will know that they are feeling the anger of the Lord.”
The Sins of Israel's Leaders
23 The Lord spoke to me again. 24 “Mortal man,” he said, “tell the Israelites that their land is unholy, and so I am punishing it in my anger. 25 The leaders are like lions roaring over the animals they have killed. They kill the people, take all the money and property they can get, and by their murders leave many widows. 26 The priests break my law and have no respect for what is holy. They make no distinction between what is holy and what is not. They do not teach the difference between clean and unclean things, and they ignore the Sabbath. As a result the people of Israel do not respect me. 27 The government officials are like wolves tearing apart the animals they have killed. They commit murder in order to get rich. 28 The prophets have hidden these sins like workers covering a wall with whitewash. They see false visions and make false predictions. They claim to speak the word of the Sovereign Lord, but I, the Lord, have not spoken to them. 29 The wealthy cheat and rob. They mistreat the poor and take advantage of foreigners. 30 I looked for someone who could build a wall, who could stand in the places where the walls have crumbled and defend the land when my anger is about to destroy it, but I could find no one. 31 So I will turn my anger loose on them, and like a fire I will destroy them for what they have done.” The Sovereign Lord has spoken.
Uulunde waJerusalem
1 Omuwa okwa lombwele ndje a ti: 2 “Muna gwomuntu, owi ilongekidha okupangula oshilando shoka shu udha aadhipagi? Shi yelithila iinima ayihe iinyanyalithi mbyoka sha ningi. 3 Lombwela oshilando shoka ngame, Omuwa Omupangeliawike, tandi ti: Molwashoka wa dhipaga aantu yoye oyendji nowi inyateke mokusimaneka iimenka, ethimbo lyoye olya thikana. 4 Ou na uutoni wedhipago nowa nyatekwa kiimenka mbyoka wa ningi, onkee ethimbo lyoye lya thiki, lya pu po! Omolwashoka nda zimine, iigwana yi ku ningile iihelele, niilongo ayihe otayi ku sheke. 5 Iilongo yopopepi naambyoka yokokule otayi ku sheke, ngoye oshilando sha nyata noshaa na elandulathano. 6 Aawiliki yaIsrael ayehe oyi itula oonkondo dhawo yene notaa dhipaga. 7 Moshilando kamu na ngoka ta simaneke he nayina. Otamu kotokele aakwiilongo e tamu yugu aaselekadhi noothigwa. 8 Itamu simaneke omahala omayapuki noitamu yapula Esabati. 9 Yamwe yomune otaa fundju ooyakwawo, opo ye ya dhipage po. Yamwe yomune otaa li oohula dha saagelelwa iimenka. Yamwe otaa kutitha uuhalu wawo. 10 Yamwe yomune otaa lala naakulukadhi yoohe. Yamwe otaa thiminike aakiintu ye li komwedhi, ya lale nayo. 11 Yamwe otaa hondele notaa pukitha iitenya yawo iikiintu nenge aamwahe aakiintu. 12 Yamwe otaa pula Aaisraeli ooyakwawo ontanitho kongunga notaa likola moku ya yuga. Oya dhimbwa ndje.” Ongame Omuwa Omupangeliawike, nda popi.
13 “Otandi dhenge omake gandje kumwe omolwomayugo nomadhipago muJerusalem. 14 Oto dhiladhila kutya oto kala u na omukumo nenge oonkondo u yeluthe omaako goye, uuna nda mana oku ku ningila shoka tandi ningi? Ongame, Omuwa, nda popi notandi dhiginine oohapu dhandje. 15 Otandi ka halakanitha aantu yoye niilongo ayihe nomiigwana ayihe e tandi ka hulitha po iilonga yoye iiwinayi. 16 Iigwana yilwe otayi ke ku dhina, ihe oto ka tseya kutya ongame Omuwa.”
Ezikoyelitho lyaKalunga
17 Omuwa okwa lombwele ndje a ti: 18 “Muna gwomuntu, Aaisraeli oya shunduka. Oya ningi omange; oyo oshikushu, otina, oshiyela oshiluudhe noshumbu sha thigala meziko lyomupepo, oshisiliveli sho sha yelithwa. 19 Onkee ngashingeyi ngame, Omuwa Omupangeliawike, otandi ya tseyithile kutya oya fa omange, kaye na we oshilonga. Otandi ke ya gongela ayehe muJerusalem, 20 ngaashi oshisiliveli, oshikushu, oshiyela oshiluudhe, oshumbu notina tayi tulwa meziko lyeyelitho. Ondjahi yandje nuupyundjahi otau ke ya hemukitha, ngaashi eziko tali hemuna uutale. 21 Eeno, otandi ke ya gongela muJerusalem e tandi ya temene omulilo notandi ya hemuna nondjahi yandje. 22 Otaa ka hemuninwa muJerusalem, naanaa ngaashi oshisiliveli tashi hemunwa meziko, oyo notaa ka tseya kutya Omuwa okwe ya poolele ondjahi ye.”
Uulunde waawiliki yaIsrael
23 Omuwa okwa lombwele ndje ishewe a ti: 24 “Muna gwomuntu, lombwela Aaisraeli kutya evi lyawo inali yela, onkee tandi ke li geela mondjahi yandje. 25 Aawiliki oya fa oonime tadhi gonene onyama yiiyamakuti dhe yi dhipaga. Otaa dhipaga aantu, taa yugu po iimaliwa ayihe neliko alihe taa mono, notaa indjipalekele mo aaselekadhi. 26 Aayambi otaa taaguluka ompango yandje noitaa simaneke uuyapuki. Itaa yoolola pokati koshinima oshiyapuki naashoka shaa shi oshiyapuki. Itaa nongele eyooloko pokati kiinima ya yogoka naambyoka ya nyata, nokaye na ko nasha nEsabati. Molwaashika Aaisraeli itaa simaneke ndje we. 27 Omalenga oga fa omambungu taga hwagununa po iimuna mbyoka ge yi dhipaga. Otaga dhipaga, opo ga ninge omayamba. 28 Aahunganeki oya holeke uulunde mbuka ya fa aantu taa kolonga ekuma nokaalaka. Otaa mono omamoniko giifundja e taa hunganeke dhanakalindi. Otaa uvitha oohapu dhOmuwa Omupangeliawike, ihe ngame, Omuwa, inandi dhi ya lombwela. 29 Aantu yoshilongo shika ohaa hepeke yo taa yugu. Otaa hepeke oohepele notaa kutha ombambyona kaakwiilongo. 30 Onda lengalenga, ndi konge muyo ngoka ta vulu okutunga omakuma, a thikame peha mpoka omakuma ga mwahuka, ye a popile oshilongo, uuna ondjahi yandje ya hala oku shi yona po, ihe inandi mona nando ogumwe. 31 Onkee ano otandi ya tilile ondjahi yandje ya hwama ya fa omulilo, otandi ya hanagulile po iilonga mbyoka ye yi ningi.” Omuwa Omupangeliawike a popi.
