Unfaithful Israel
1 The Lord says, “If a man divorces his wife, and she leaves him and becomes another man's wife, he cannot take her back again. This would completely defile the land. But, Israel, you have had many lovers, and now you want to return to me! 2 Look up at the hilltops. Is there any place where you have not acted like a prostitute? You waited for lovers along the roadside, as an Arab waits for victims in the desert. You have defiled the land with your prostitution. 3 That is why the rains were held back, and the spring showers did not come. You even look like a prostitute; you have no shame.
4 “And now you say to me, ‘You are my father, and you have loved me ever since I was a child. 5 You won't always be angry; you won't be mad at me forever.’ Israel, that is what you said, but you did all the evil you could.”
Israel and Judah Must Repent
6 When Josiah was king, the Lord said to me, “Have you seen what Israel, that unfaithful woman, has done? She has turned away from me, and on every high hill and under every green tree she has acted like a prostitute. 7 I thought that after she had done all this, she would surely return to me. But she did not return, and her unfaithful sister Judah saw it all. 8 Judah also saw that I divorced Israel and sent her away because she had turned from me and had become a prostitute. But Judah, Israel's unfaithful sister, was not afraid. She too became a prostitute 9 and was not at all ashamed. She defiled the land, and she committed adultery by worshiping stones and trees. 10 And after all this, Judah, Israel's unfaithful sister, only pretended to return to me; she was not sincere. I, the Lord, have spoken.”
11 Then the Lord told me that, even though Israel had turned away from him, she had proved to be better than unfaithful Judah. 12 He told me to go and say to Israel, “Unfaithful Israel, come back to me. I am merciful and will not be angry; I will not be angry with you forever. 13 Only admit that you are guilty and that you have rebelled against the Lord, your God. Confess that under every green tree you have given your love to foreign gods and that you have not obeyed my commands. I, the Lord, have spoken.
14 “Unfaithful people, come back; you belong to me. I will take one of you from each town and two from each clan, and I will bring you back to Mount Zion. 15 I will give you rulers who obey me, and they will rule you with wisdom and understanding. 16 Then when you have become numerous in that land, people will no longer talk about my Covenant Box. They will no longer think about it or remember it; they will not even need it, nor will they make another one. 17 When that time comes, Jerusalem will be called ‘The Throne of the Lord,’ and all nations will gather there to worship me. They will no longer do what their stubborn and evil hearts tell them. 18 Israel will join with Judah, and together they will come from exile in the country in the north and will return to the land that I gave your ancestors as a permanent possession.”
The Idolatry of God's People
19 The Lord says,
“Israel, I wanted to accept you as my child
and give you a delightful land,
the most beautiful land in all the world.
I wanted you to call me father
and never again turn away from me.
20 But like an unfaithful wife,
you have not been faithful to me.
I, the Lord, have spoken.”
21 A noise is heard on the hilltops:
it is the people of Israel crying and pleading
because they have lived sinful lives
and have forgotten the Lord their God.
22 Return, all of you who have turned away from the Lord;
he will heal you and make you faithful.
You say, “Yes, we are coming to the Lord because he is our God. 23 We were not helped at all by our pagan worship on the hilltops. Help for Israel comes only from the Lord our God. 24 But the worship of Baal, the god of shame, has made us lose flocks and herds, sons and daughters—everything that our ancestors have worked for since ancient times. 25 We should lie down in shame and let our disgrace cover us. We and our ancestors have always sinned against the Lord our God; we have never obeyed his commands.”
Uuhasha waIsrael
1 Omuwa ota ti: “Ngele oku na omusamane ta henge po omukadhi, nomukadhi ta ka hokanwa kugulwe, ita vulu we oku mu hokanununa. Shika otashi nyateke oshilongo nayi. Ihe ngoye Israel, sho wa hondelwa kaaholike yoye oyendji, oto galukile tuu kungame? 2 Yelutha utale omeho goye u ligamene kiikulundundu. Oku na tuu ehala mpoka inoo hondelelwa po? Owa tegamene aasamane yoye pooha dhoondjila wa fa Omuarabia a langela oshihakanwa mombuga. Owa nyateke oshilongo noluhondelo lwoye. 3 Omolwashoka omvula ya keelelwa okuloka, omvula yontemuno ya kala inaayi loka we. Nando wa kala moluhondelo, ino sa ohoni.
4 “Nongashingeyi oto lombwele ndje to ti: ‘Ongoye tate, nou hole ndje okuza kuugundjuka. 5 Ino hala okugeyagana aluhe noino hala okukonenena ndje sigo aluhe.’ Israel, osho to popi, ihe oto longo iihuna ayihe to vulu oku yi huna.”
Israel naJuda oye na okwiitedhulula
6 Omuwa okwa lombwele ndje muuyuni womukwaniilwa Josia ta ti: “Owa mona tuu, omuhasha Israel nkene a ningi? Okwa londo koondundu adhihe oondeendeka nokwa yi momizile dhomiti adhihe omitalala e ta lalwa naye nkoka. 7 Onda dhiladhila kutya ngele a gwanitha mbika, ota ka galukila kungame. Ihe ina galuka nando, nomumwayina omuhasha Juda okwe shi tala wo. 8 Juda okwa mono kutya onda henge po Israel, nonde mu tidha po, oshoka okwa pilamene ndje e ta ningi ohonda. Ihe Juda, omumwayina gwaIsrael, ina tila ndje. Naye wo okwa ningi ohonda 9 noina sa nando ohoni. Okwa nyateke oshilongo noluhondelo, sho a simaneke omamanya nomiti omitalala. 10 Nokonima yaambika ayihe Juda, omumwayina omuhasha gwaIsrael, ina galukila kungame. Okwi ifethitha ashike, ihe ine shi ninga moshili. Ongame Omuwa nda popi.”
11 Omuwa okwa lombwele ndje kutya Israel nando okwe mu pilamene, okwa ningi ngaa hwepo e vule omwiiteki Juda. 12 Okwa lombwele ndje, ndi ka lombwele Israel ndi tye: “Israel ngoka wi iteka ndje, galukila kungame. Ngame omunamutimahenda noihandi geye osima. Itandi ku geele we sigo aluhe. 13 Zimina owala kutya ngoye omunandjo, nowa tsu ondumbo nOmuwa, Kalunga koye. Hempulula kutya owa saagelele iikalunga yokiilongo momuti kehe omutalala noino vulika kiipango yandje. Ongame Omuwa nda popi.
14 “Aantu ne mboka mwi iteka ndje, galukeni; one aantu yandje. Otandi ka kutha gumwe gwomune moshilando kehe, nayaali yomoludhi kehe notandi ke mu galulila kondundu Sion. 15 Otandi ke mu pa aaleli haa vulika kungame, notaye mu lele nuunongo noondunge. 16 Nongele mwi indjipala oyendji moshilongo shoka, aantu itaa ka tumbula we oshikethahangano. Itaye ke shi dhiladhila we nenge ye shi dhimbulukwe; itaye shi pumbwa we noitaa ka pangela we oshipe. 17 Uuna ethimbo ndyoka nali thiki, Jerusalem otashi ka ithanwa ‘Oshipangelapundi shOmuwa’, niigwana ayihe oko tayi ka gongala yi simaneke ndje. Itaa ka ninga we, ngaashi omitima dhawo omiwinayi nodha tangalala tadhi ya lombwele. 18 Israel ota hangana naJuda, noyo ayehe otaa zi muupongekwa moshilongo shokuumbangalantu notaa galukile koshilongo shoka nde shi pele oohekulu, shi ninge eliko lyawo.”
Iimenka yaantu yaKalunga
19 Omuwa ota ti:
“Israel, onda halele ndi ku taambe omumwandjemati,
otandi ku pe evi lyo ondoka,
evi ewanawa muuyuni auhe.
Onde ku halele, u ithane ndje tate,
noku na mpoka no ka pilamena ndje we.
20 Ihe owa fa omukulukadhi ti iteka pomusamane gwe,
ngoye ino inekela ndje.
Ongame Omuwa nda popi.”
21 Ewi otali igidha muule koondungu dhoondundu.
Oyo Aaisraeli taa kugu notaa galikana,
oshoka oya kala moondjo
noya dhimbwa Omuwa Kalunga kawo.
22 Galukeni, one amuhe mboka mwi iteka Omuwa;
ote ke mu aludha e te mu ningi aainekelwa.
Otamu ti: “Eeno, otatu ya kOmuwa, oshoka oye Kalunga ketu. 23 Inatu mona ekwatho miinonoma yuupagani koondungu dhoondundu. Ekwatho lyaIsrael otali zi ashike kOmuwa Kalunga ketu. 24 Ihe okulongela Baal, oshikalunga shohoni, oshe tu kanithitha oonzi dhetu, osho wo aanona yetu aamati naakadhona — ashihe shoka ootatekulu ya longelele muuyuni wonale. 25 Natu laleni mohoni e tatu pitika ondhino yi tu kwidhidhike. Otse nootatekulu twa yono aluhe kOmuwa Kalunga ketu; inatu vulika nando kiipango ye.”
