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.
Eyonuko lyaIsrael
1 Yaye ngame! Onda fa omuntu a sa ondjala ngoka itaa matha nando iiyimati yomakukila komiti, nomandjembele komiviinu. Omandjembele agehe noonkwiyu dhoondhiye adhihe odha toononwa ko. 2 Moshilongo kamu nomwiinekelwa, kamu na nando omuvuliki kuKalunga. Shaa ngoka ota kongo ompito, opo a dhipage. Shaa ngoka ota langele mukwawo, e mu nene ko. 3 Ayehe otaa kongo okulonga uuwinayi. Aambala naatokolihapu otaa pula oombumbo. Omunenentu ote ya hokololele shoka a hala, nosho ngeyi taa pangele kumwe. 4 Nokuli ngoka omwaanawa nomwiinekelwa gwomokati kawo ke na shilonga.
Esiku olye ya, uuna Kalunga ta geele aantu, ngaashi e ya londodhitha kaahunganeki. Ngashingeyi oye li mevundakano. 5 Ino inekela mushiinda shoye, nenge u itule kuume koye. Kotokela oohapu dhoye, nando ou kale to lombwele mukadhoye. 6 Momasiku ngaka aamati otaa tala oohe oyo aagoya, aakadhona notaa kondjitha ooyina, naafuko otaa tamanana nooyinamweno; aatondi yomusamane oyo aangandjawo.
7 Ihe ngame otandi tegelele Omuwa; ondi inekela Kalunga, ngoka ta hupitha ndje. Kalunga otu uvu ndje.
Omuwa ta hupitha
8 Yatondi yandje, inamu kala nokunyanyukilwa ndje. Nando nda punduka, otandi yambuka ishewe. Ngashingeyi ondi li momilema, ihe Omuwa ota ka minikila ndje. 9 Onda yono kOmuwa, onkee ondi na okwiidhidhimikila ondjahi ye okathimbo. Ihe pehulilo ota popile ndje notu utha uuwinayi mboka wa ningilwa ndje. Ota fala ndje puuyelele; otandi kala ndi na omwenyo notandi ka mona ehupitho lye. 10 Nena aatondi yandje otaye ke shi mona e taa sithwa ohoni — oomboka ye tu nyenkele ya ti: “Omuwa Kalunga keni oku li peni?” Otandi ke ya mona ya dhengwa noya lyatelwa pevi ngaashi uuhoho muuyanda.
11 Yantu yaJerusalem, ethimbo lyokutungulula omakuma goshilando otali ya. Pethimbo ndyoka oshilongo sheni otashi ka tamunuka. 12 Oshigwana shoye otashi ka galukila kungoye tashi zi koombinga adhihe — kuAssur muuzilo, kuEgipiti muumbugantu, kombinga yaEufrat, komafuta gokokule nokoondundu. 13 Ihe evi otali ka ninga ombuga omoluuwinayi waamboka ya kala mo.
Omuwa u uvitile Israel ohenda
14 Omuwa, kala omusita gwoshigwana shoye, aantu we yi ihogololele. Nando oyi ikalela mombuga, oku na evi ewanawa lye ya kunduka. Ya fala, u ya napithe momanapelo omanene gaBaasha naGilead, ngaashi ya li haa ningi nale.
15 Tu longela iikumitha, Omuwa, ngaashi wa ningile nale, sho we tu tembudha muEgipiti. 16 Iigwana otayi ke shi mona e tayi ka sa uunye, nonando oyo iinankondo. Mokutyololoka otaa ka mutika omakana gawo e taa thitike omakutsi gawo. 17 Otaa ki igonyena montsi ya fa omayoka; otaa ka za moohote dhawo taa ningi omahwilili e taa kwatwa kuumbanda. Muumbanda wawo otaa ka galukila kOmuwa Kalunga kawo.
18 Kaku na kalunga kalwe e ku fa, Omuwa; ongoye to dhimi po omayono gaantu yoye mboka ya hupu po. Ngoye ito kala u na ondjahi sigo aluhe, ihe ngoye oto nyanyukilwa okuholola ohole yoye yashili. 19 Oto tu sile ohenda ishewe. Oto ka lyatagulila omayono getu kohi yoompadhi dhoye e to gu umbile kondaandelo yefuta. 20 Oto ka hololela aantu yoye uudhiginini woye nohole yoye yashili, koluvalo lwaAbraham nolwaJakob, ngaashi wu uvanekele ootatekulu monalenale.
