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.
Omuwa ta geele Jerusalem
1 Akwetse! Omuwa mondjahi ye okwa tula omukadhona Sion momilema.
Okwe ekelehi esimano lyaIsrael lyomegulu,
e li umbile pevi.
Ina dhimbulukwa we oshilyatelelo shokoompadhi dhe mesiku lyondjahi ye.
2 Omuwa okwa hanagula po omagumbo gaJakob pwaa na ohenda.
Mondjahi ye okwa nyanyagula omapopilongulu gaJuda,
okwe ga kumunine pevi.
Okwa sitha oshilongo naawiliki yasho ohoni.
3 Omuupyundjahi we, a teyagula oonkondo dhaIsrael.
Okwa tindi okukwatha pokuhomona kwomutondi
nokwa hwameke muJakob omulilo tagu lungunike ayihe yopopepi.
4 Okwa lukile uutati we ongomutondi,
a yelutha olulyo lwe i ilongekidha.
Ngaashi omutondi, okwa hanagula po ashihe sho opala momeho;
momatsali gomukadhona Sion,
a poolele mo ondjahi ye ya fa omulilo.
5 Omuwa okwa fa omutondi;
okwa hanagula po Israel.
Okwa kombo po oombala dhe adhihe;
a silukitha omapopilongulu ge.
Okwi indjipalitha oluhodhi
nelilagano lyomukadhona
6 Okwa hwagununa po enkolo lye
a fa ta yonagula po oshikunino;
a halakanitha po ehala lye lyoshigongi.
Omuwa okwe ekelehi edhimbulukwo lyiituthi nOmasabati muSion.
Muupyundjahi we okwi inaga omukwaniilwa nomuyambi.
7 Omuwa okwe ekelehi oshiyambelo she
e ta thigi po otempeli ye.
Omakuma guuwa we e ga gandja kaatondi.
Oya kugu onkugo motempeli yOmuwa
ya fa yomesiku lyoshituthi.
8 Omuwa okwa li a tokola
a kumune po omadhingililokuma gaSion;
okwa tama oshiyelekithongodhi
ye ina yelutha we oshikaha she,
sigo a hanagula po ayihe thilu.
Omapopilongulu nomadhingililokuma
ogo ongotele pevi nokuyemata.
9 Iiyelo yaJerusalem oya ningine mevi,
okwa teyagula po iiyedhilitho yayo.
Omukwaniilwa naanamadhina yasho oye li muupongekwa.
Ompango ihayi longwa we,
naahunganeki ihaa mono we omamoniko taga zi kOmuwa.
10 Aawiliki yomukadhona Sion,
oya mbwata mevi ya tya thilu.
Oyi igunda ontsi momitse dhawo yo ya zala omahahi.
Aafuko Aajerusalem,
omitse dhawo odha nyongama.
11 Omeho gandje oga dhimeya kokulila,
omandjandja gandje otaga nyulukuta,
ehuli lyandje olya hililwa pevi,
oshoka oshigwana shandje osha gonwa,
aanona nuuhanona otau gundile momapandaanda goshilando.
12 Otaa pula ooyina taa ti:
“Oshithima oshi li peni?”
Otaa galangata ya fa oomwahe momapandaanda goshilando
e taa fudha mo oomwenyo dhawo ye li komagundji gooyina.
13 Omukadhona Jerusalem, nandi ku hokololele shike,
nandi ku yeleke nashike?
Olye ngoka ndi mu tule pungoye,
e ku hekeleke, omukadhona Sion?
Omupya gwoye omunene ngefuta,
olye ta vulu oku ku aludha?
14 Omamoniko gaahunganeki yoye
oga li giilombo gaa na omwago;
inaa yanuna nando uulunde woye,
oga ningi ondjambi yokupongekwa kwoye.
Oye ku lombwele omahunganeko giifundja nogomapukitho.
15 Aapitipo ayehe otaye ku hakelele omake.
Otaa hiki omwiilwa taa pukapukile omukadhona Jerusalem komitse e taa ti:
“Oshilando osho tuu shoka kwa tiwa osheopalo lyo lyene
nenyanyu lyuuyuni auhe?”
16 Aatondi yoye ayehe otaye ku nyonkele.
Otaa hiki omwiilwa yo tayi ikokota komayego.
Otaa ti: “Twe mu dhilagula po.
Ndika olyo esiku twa kala twa tegelela.
Ngashingeyi otwa thiki mulyo, twe li mono.”
17 Omuwa a tsakanitha shoka a popile,
okwa gwanitha oohapu dhe dha popilwe momasiku gonale.
Okwa hanagula pwaa na ohenda,
a pe omutondi gwoye ompito yoku ku nyonkela
nokuholola oonkondo dhe.
18 Omukadhona Sion, kuga muule, kugila Omuwa.
Omahodhi goye naga pononoke omutenya nuusiku ga fa efundja.
Ino ipa nando evululuko,
ino thithikila omeho goye.
19 Yambuka po, lilagana uusiku auhe nokomutakushi.
Omwenyo gwoye gu tilahi ongomeya koshipala shOmuwa.
Yeluthila omaako goye kuye omolwoomwenyo dhaamwoye,
mboka taa sile pookolonela dhomapandaanda kondjala.
20 Omuwa, tala u shi dhiladhile:
Olye we mu ningile ngeyi?
Omolwashike aakiintu taa li po uuhanona wawo,
oomputu ye dhi yamutha, ye dhi ukata?
Omolwashike omuyambi nomuhunganeki
taa dhipagelwa motempeli yOmuwa?
21 Aanona naakuluntu, oya kangawala pevi momapandaanda.
Aafuko yandje naamati,
oya gwila po ya sa kegongamwele.
Owe ya dhipaga mesiku lyondjahi yoye,
owe ya tsele waa na ohenda.
22 Owa hiya aahaluthi yandje koombinga adhihe,
ye ye koshituthi shomatilitho.
Mesiku lyondjahi yoye kakwa li ngoka a fadhuka po.
Ayehe mboka nda tekula nonde ya palutha,
omutondi a tula kothingo.
