Israel otjo ondjerera yoviwaṋa
1 Purateneye ku ami, viwaṋa vyokokure,
vandu mbu mwa tura kokure!
Ngunda ambi hiya kwatwa,
Muhona tjandje we ndji toorora,
nu we ndji zika okurira omukarere we.
2 Eye wa tjita kutja omambo wandje
ye rire omatwe okusana kengaruvyo,
we ndji tjizikiza neke re omuini.
Eye we ndji sanisa kotjiku otjitwe,
nu e ndji horeke momunguma woviku vye.
3 Eye wa tja nai ku ami: “Israel,
oove omukarere wandje;
ovandu mave ndji tangere ove.”
4 Ami mbe ripura nai:
“Mba kondja, nungwari a ri omungandjo.
Ami mba ungurisa omasa wandje aehe
ambi hi na tji mba yenenisa.”
Nu ingee ousemba wandje u ri pu Muhona;
eye me ndji pe ondjambi
mena raimbi mbi mbi ungura.
5 Ngunda ambi hiya kwatwa,
Muhona tjandje we ndji isana;
eye we ndji isa po omukarere we
kutja mbi kotore otjiwaṋa tje,
nokutja mbi wonge otjiwaṋa tja Israel tji tja rimbara.
Muhona me ndji pe ondjozikiro,
eye omburo yomasa wandje.
6 Muhona wa tja nai ku ami:
“Ami mbi notjiungura otjinene kove
pu ihi otjitenga mukarere wandje.
Kakutja okuyarura koupe ounene wotjiwaṋa
tja Israel tji tja hupa po porwako,
nungwari ami wina me ku
tjiti u rire ondjerera yoviwaṋa,
kokutja ouye auhe u yamwe.”
7 Omuyapuke, Omukuture wa Israel, ma tja nai;
ku ingwi ngwa nyengwa tjinene,
nu ngwa tondwa i oviwaṋa,
nu ngu ri omukarere wovanane ovindandi:
“Ozombara maze ku munu awa kuturwa,
nu maze sekama okukupa ondengero yazo;
ovaingona wina mave munu onguturiro ndji,
nu mave ripete okukuyozika.”
Ihi matji tjitwa, Muhona tjinga a toorora omukarere we,
nu Omuyapuke wa Israel tjinga ama ṱakamisa omakwizikiro we.
Jerusalem matji yarurwa koupe
8 Muhona ma tja nai kotjiwaṋa tje:
“Oruveze tji rweya kutja mbi ku yame,
ami me ku raisire ondjingonekero,
nu e zuvire ondjuriro yoye yokuningira ombatero.
Me ku tjevere nokukuyama,
nu mena roye ami me tjiti
omerikutiropamwe noviwaṋa avihe.
Me ku esa u ture mehi reṋu rukwao
nda rira ongaango nambano.
9 Ami me tja nai kovahuurwa:
‘Ryangeye moukutuke!’
Nu ku imba mbe ri monḓorera me tja:
‘Indjeye kondjerera!’
Owo mave sana nozonḓu nḓu maze
munu omaryo wazo mozondunda;
10 owo kave nokuṱa i ondjara nonyota.
Eyuva nombepo youpyu wokuti onguza
kavi nokuvehihamisa,
tjinga amave hongorerwa i ingwi ngu ve ṱira ondjenda.
Eye meve twara kotuharwi twomeva omatarareke.
11 “Ami me ungura ondjira ombaranga,
ndji mai tuurunga mokati kozondundu,
nu me ṱunine otjiwaṋa tjandje
ondjira mu matji ryanga.
12 Otjiwaṋa tjandje matji zu kokure
komukuma wokeyuva kokunene nowokongurova,
na kOasuan komukuma wokeyuva kokumuho.”
13 Nyandeye, mayuru! Ravaereye nondjoroka, mahi!
Ozondundu ngaze imbure!
Orondu Muhona ma huhumiṋa otjiwaṋa tje,
eye ma tjariparere imba mba ningisa ondjenda.
14 Nungwari ovature va Jerusalem va tja nai:
“Muhona we tu esa;
eye we tu zemba!”
15 Muhona otja zira a tja:
“Omukazendu omukwate ma sora
okuzemba okanatje ke omuini
na ha suvere inga okanatje ka panduka are?
Omukazendu omukwate nanda zembi omuatje we,
ami himee mu zembi ko!
16 Jerusalem, ami mba tjanga ena roye
momangaha womake wandje.
Orumbo rwoye ru ri momeho wandje aruhe.
17 “Imba mbu mave ku tungurura mave ya tjimanga,
nu imba mbe ku yandeka nokukunyona mave i.
18 Yevayeva u tare imbi mavi tjitwa!
Ovature voye mave wongara,
owo mave kotoka kove.
Tjiri, otja tjinga ambi ri Ndjambi omunamuinyo,
ove mo rihivire ovandu voye
tjimuna omuvarekwa tjinga
e riserira oviwerawere vye.
19 “Ehi roye ra ri otjitambatundu nu ra ri ongaango,
nungwari nambano mari rire okaṱiṱi tjinene
ku imba mbu mave ya okutura mu ro.
Nu imba mbe ku esa momatundu
mave humbururwa kokure na ove.
20 Ovanatje voye mba kwaterwa motjihuuriro,
eyuva rimwe mave tja nai kove:
‘Ehi ndi okaṱiṱi,
tu pao oruveze oruparanga okutura mo!’
21 Mo rihungirire no tja:
‘Owaṋi ngwe ndji pandukira ovanatje mba avehe?
Ami mba zepaisa ovanatje vandje,
notji mbi ha karere na wo rukwao.
Mba ri mouhuura, nu mba hingirwa kwarwe;
owaṋi ngwe ndji kurisira ovanatje mba?
Ami mba isiwa erike.
Novanatje mba va za pi?’ ”
22 Muhona Ndjambi ma tja nai kotjiwaṋa tje:
“Ami me ṋanga oviwaṋa nomake wandje
nu me yerere omihoko erapi rotjihako tjandje,
novyo mavi toora ovanatje voye momaoko
na koviṱuve navi ve kotora konganda.
23 Ozombara maze mu zara otja ooiho;
ozombara ozoserekaze maze mu zara otja oonyoko.
Ozo maze ripete komurungu woye naze ku yozike;
maze risusuparisa naze ku pe ondengero.
Otji mo tjiwa kutja owami ngu mbi ri Muhona;
nu kape na ngu ma ṱisiwa ohoṋi
tji ma undju ombatero ku ami.”
24 Mo sora okuyeka omurwe wovita
ombangaṋe ovipunda are?
Mo sora okukutura omupandekwa
kouvara womunane otjindandi are?
25 Muhona ma ziri a tja:
“Imbi ombinga amavi tjitwa.
Ovapandekwa vomunane
otjindandi mave kuturwa,
nomurwe wovita ombangaṋe
ma yekwa ovipunda vye.
Ami omuini me ru kuna
ngamwa ngu me ku rwisa,
nu me yama ovanatje voye.
26 Ami me twa ovekuṋiṋikize
kumwe kutja ve zepasana;
owo mave purukisiwa i okuzepa nomazenge.
Ovandu avehe otji mave tjiwa kutja
owami ngu mbi ri Muhona,
ngu me ku yama, nu ngu me ku kutura.
Owo mave tjiwa kutja
owami ngu mbi ri Ndjambi
omunamasa wa Israel.”
The Work of the Lord's Servant
1 Everyone, listen,
even you foreign nations
across the sea.
The Lord chose me
and gave me a name
before I was born.
2 He made my words pierce
like a sharp sword
or a pointed arrow;
he kept me safely hidden
in the palm of his hand.
3 The Lord said to me,
“Israel, you are my servant;
and because of you
I will be highly honored.”
4 I said to myself,
“I'm completely worn out;
my time has been wasted.
But I did it for the Lord God,
and he will reward me.”
5 Even before I was born,
the Lord God chose me
to serve him and to lead back
the people of Israel.
So the Lord has honored me
and made me strong.
6 Now the Lord says to me,
“It isn't enough for you
to be merely my servant.
You must do more than lead back
survivors from the tribes
of Israel.
I have placed you here as a light
for other nations;
you must take my saving power
to everyone on earth.”
The Lord Will Rescue His People
7 Israel, I am the holy Lord God,
the one who rescues you.
You are slaves of rulers
and of a nation
who despises you.
Now this is what I promise:
Kings and rulers will honor you
by kneeling at your feet.
You can trust me! I am your Lord,
the holy God of Israel,
and you are my chosen ones.
The Lord Will Lead His People Home
8 This is what the Lord says:
I will answer your prayers
because I have set a time
when I will help
by coming to save you.
I have chosen you
to take my promise of hope
to other nations.
You will rebuild the country
from its ruins,
then people will come
and settle there.
9 You will set prisoners free
from dark dungeons
to see the light of day.
On their way home,
they will find plenty to eat,
even on barren hills.
10 They won't go hungry
or get thirsty;
they won't be bothered
by the scorching sun
or hot desert winds.
I will be merciful
while leading them along
to streams of water.
11 I will level the mountains
and make roads.
12 Then my people will return
from distant lands
in the north and the west
and from the city of Syene.
The Lord's Mercy
13 Tell the heavens and the earth
to celebrate and sing;
command every mountain
to join in the song.
The Lord's people have suffered,
but he has shown mercy
and given them comfort.
14 The people of Zion said,
“The Lord has turned away
and forgotten us.”
15 The Lord answered,
“Could a mother forget a child
who nurses at her breast?
Could she fail to love an infant
who came from her own body?
Even if a mother could forget,
I will never forget you.
16 A picture of your city
is drawn on my hand.
You are always in my thoughts!
17 “Your city will be built faster
than it was destroyed —
those who attacked it
will retreat and leave.
18 Look around! You will see
your people coming home.
As surely as I live,
I, the Lord, promise
that your city with its people
will be as lovely as a bride
wearing her jewelry.”
Jerusalem's Bright Future
19 Jerusalem is now in ruins!
Nothing is left of the city.
But it will be rebuilt
and soon overcrowded;
its cruel enemies
will be gone far away.
20 Jerusalem is a woman
whose children were born
while she was in deep sorrow
over the loss of her husband.
Now those children
will come and seek room
in the crowded city,
21 and Jerusalem will ask,
“Am I really their mother?
How could I have given birth
when I was still mourning
in a foreign land?
Who raised these children?
Where have they come from?”
22 The Lord God says:
“I will soon give a signal
for the nations
to return your sons
and your daughters
to the arms of Jerusalem.
23 The kings and queens
of those nations
where they were raised
will come and bow down.
They will take care of you
just like a slave
taking care of a child.
Then you will know
that I am the Lord.
You won't be disappointed
if you trust me.”
The Lord Is on Our Side
24 Is it possible to rescue victims
from someone strong
and cruel?
25 But the Lord has promised
to fight on our side
and to rescue our children
from those strong
and violent enemies.
26 He will make those cruel people
dine on their own flesh
and get drunk from drinking
their own blood.
Then everyone will know
that the Lord is our Savior;
the powerful God of Israel
has rescued his people.
