Ndjambi u rikendera Israel
1 Muhona we ndji raera kutja 2 mbi zuvarise ombuze ndji kOjerusalem, ndji mai tja nai:
“Ami me zemburuka ove tji wa ri omuṱakame,
ngunda au ri omutanda,
na tji we ndji suverere,
eṱe tji twa uta okukupasana;
ove we ndji kongorera mokuti onguza,
kehi, ndi hi na ra kuninwe.
3 Israel, ove erike wa ri owandje omuini,
ove wa ri ouini wandje ouyapuke.
Ami mba hinda omihihamo notjiwonga
ku ngamwa auhe nguye ku hihamisa.
Ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona,
owami ngu mba hungire.”
Ourunde wooihe mukururume va Israel
4 Purateneye kombuze ya Muhona, oweṋe zondekurona za Jakob, oweṋe mihoko vya Israel. 5 Muhona ma tja nai:
“Otjikeṋa otjivi ooiho mukururume
tji va muna mu ami,
tji tja tjita kutja ve poke ku ami?
Owo ve rikotamenene koomukuru
vovisenginina vakaseruseru,
nowo oveni ave rire oviporoporo.
6 Owo kave ningire ko na tja na ami,
nangarire kutja ami mbe ve pitisire mOengipte,
ne ve ṱike mokuti onguza,
okutja mehi orunguza rozondundu neheke
nda kukuta nenaumba,
mu mu ha hupu omundu
nu mu mu hi na indu maamu ryanga omundu.
7 Ami mbe ve eta mehi ehapise
okuyekurya ovihape vyaro
nokuyekuyorokera oviṋa vyarwe oviwa.
Nungwari moruveze rwanao owo va zunḓa ehi randje
nave yamburura ehi, ndi mbe ve pa.
8 Ovapristeri kave purire kutjaMuhona u ri pi.
Ovapristeri vandje omuini kave ndji tjivirwe.
Ovahongore votjiwaṋa ve ndji pirukira.
Ovaprofete va uka mena ra Baal
nave rikotamene koviserekarera vyovisenginina,
mbi hi nomasa okuvatera.”
Otjiposa tja Ndjambi kuna otjiwaṋa tje
9 “Ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona,
otji me tye otjiposa tjandje kuna otjiwaṋa tjandje rukwao.
Me posisa ozondekurona zatjo.
10 Twendeye kuṱa kongurova kekoverwa Siprus,
nu mu kamune omundu worive
kuṱa komuhuka kehi ra Kedar.
Eṋe mamu kamuna kutja kape na
pu pa tjitirwe otjiṋa otja ihi rukuru.
11 Kape notjiwaṋa tjarwe tji tja pimburura oomukuru vatjo,
nangarire kutja owo va ri oviṋa vya kauriri.
Nungwari otjiwaṋa tjandje tje ndji pimburura
noomukuru mbe hi notjiṋa tji ve tjita ku wo,
ami ngwi Ndjambi, ngu mbe ve etera ondjingonekero.
12 Ami otji me rakiza evaverwa ri nyinganyinge mondiriro
kutja owo ve kumwe nu ve temwe tjinene.
13 Orondu otjiwaṋa tjandje tja tjita ouvi tuvari:
Otjo tja humburuka na ami,
ngu mbi ri oruharwi rwomeva omanamuinyo,
notjo tja hupura ozombu,
inḓa ozombu, nḓa wira nu ndi hi
na maaze ṱiza omeva oparukaze.”
Ovitjitwa mbya za mouhaṱakama wa Israel
14 “Israel kamukarere;
eye ka kwaterwe moukarere.
Okutjavi ovanavita na ye tji ve mu tjita okurira otjipundwa?
15 Owo ve mu tyera ovimboro otja ozongeyama,
owo va tjita ehi re okurira ongaango,
novihuro vye vya rira omatundu,
vya isiwa oparukaze.
16 Ii, ovarumendu va Memfis nova Takpanhes
ve mu teta ozombara motjiuru.
17 Israel, ove we riyetera oviṋa mbi kombanda yoye!
Ove we ndjesa, ngu mbi
ri Muhona, Ndjambi woye,
ngunda ame ku ṱike mondjira.
18 Mo ripura kutja mo kamunina po
tjike mokuyenda kOengipte
okukanwa omeva mOnil?
Mo ripura kutja mo kamunina po
tjike mokuyenda kOasirie
okukanwa omeva mOeufrat?
19 Ouvi woye omuini mau ku vere,
nokuhumburuka kwoye na ami maku ku vyura.
Ove mo tjiwa kutja, tjiri, okokuvi notjitetarise okundjiesa,
nokuhinokukara nouṱakame ku ami,
ngu mbi ri Muhona Ndjambi woye.
Ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona Ndjambi
Omunamasaaehe, owami ngu mba hungire.”
Israel ma panḓa okurikotamena ku Muhona
20 Muhona Ndjambi Omunamasaaehe ma tja:
“Israel, okuza korukuru ove wa imbirahi ouvara wandje;
ove wa panḓa okukara nonḓuviro
ku ami nokurikotamena ku ami.
Ove we rikotamena koomukuru vorukwato
kondundu aihe ondongame
na kehi yomuti auhe woruhapo.
21 Ami mbe ku kuna otja omuvite omutoororwa
mbwa za kondwi ombwa.
Nungwari, tara omuhingo mbu u ri!
Ove u ri otja omuvite mbwa wora,
nu mbu hi nohepero.
22 Nandi we rikoho noheva ndji kohora nawa tjinene,
ami ingee me munu omani wondjo yoye.
23 Mo sora vi okutja ove ko rizunḓire omuini,
nokutja ko na pu we rikotamena ku Baal?
Tara omuhingo mbu wa tura ondjo momukutu;
muna imbi mbi wa tjita!
Ove u ri otja ongamero onḓenḓu motjipyu tjozonḓuma,
ndji tupuka uriri amai hangahanga,
24 nu amai hakahana okuyenda mokuti onguza.
Oyo tji i ri motjipyu tjozonḓuma, owaṋi ngu ma sora okuitjaera?
Ondwezu aihe ndji mai i vanga, kai nomerikendero;
indji onḓenḓu mai rieta oini moruveze rwokurondwa.
25 Israel, ṱakamisa kutja o ha kayata huuna,
nu o ha kakangara mokukongorera
oomukuru vovisenginina.
Nungwari ove motja: ‘Ayee, kako!
Ami hi nokukotoka,
mba suvera oomukuru wozonganda,
nu meve kongorere!’ ”
Israel wa pu pokuverwa
26 Muhona ma tja: “Otja erunga punga ari ṱohoṋi tji ra kamburwa, eṋe amuhe, Vaisrael, opunga amamu ṱohoṋi pamwe nozombara zeṋu novahongore novapristeri novaprofete veṋu. 27 Eṋe amuhe mamu ṱisiwa ohoṋi, eṋe mba mbu mu tja omuti oiho noruuwa onyoko. Ihi matji tjitwa mena raindu tji mwa humburuka na ami moruveze rwokukotoka ku ami. Nungwari eṋe tji mu ri moumba, mu riheka ku ami kutja mbi yekumuyama.
28 “Oomukuru mbu we riungurira ve ri pi? Tji u ri moumba, owo ngave ku yame tji mave sora! Juda, ove u noomukuru ovengi otja pu u novihuro ovingi. 29 Omaunaunino weṋu owatjike? Mwe ndji pirukirira tjike? 30 Ami mbe mu vera, nu kape vaterere; kamu vangere kutja mbi mu vyure. Eṋe mwa zepa ovaprofete veṋu tjimuna ongeyama otjindandi onyondorore tji i tjita. 31 Tjiwaṋa tja Israel, puratena ku imbi mbi me hungire. Ami mba rira otja okuti onguza kove, notja ehi nda zorera nenaumba are? Okutjavi tji motja mo tjiti otja tji movanga, nokutja komoo kotoka ku ami? 32 Omusuko u zemba oviriharekwa vye are poo omuvarekwa u zemba ewiwiri re rorukupo are? Nungwari otjiwaṋa tjandje tje ndji zemba omayuva omengi nge ha sora okuvarwa. 33 Ove, tjiri, mo tjiwa okukongorera ozombarise zoye. Nangarire omukazendu omuvi tjinene me rihongere kove. 34 Ozombanda zoye za rimbara ombinḓu yovasyona novehinandjo, nungwari ndji he ri kutja oyomarunga.
“Nu moviṋa mbi avihe, 35 ove u tja: ‘Ami hi nondjo; tjiri, Muhona ke tji nomazenge na ami.’ Nungwari ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona, me ku vere, tjinga awa pataṋa kutja ove wa tura ondjo. 36 Ove wa wa kehi tjinene mokutanaukira koomukuru voviwaṋa vyozonganda! Ove mo hihamisiwa omutima i Engipte tjimuna tji wa ri pOasirie. 37 Mo zu ko kOengipte awe rihuhuta mohoṋi. Ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona, mba imbirahi imba ove ku we riyameka; ko notjiṋa tji mo munu mu wo.”
Israel's Unfaithfulness
1 The Lord told me 2 to go to Jerusalem and tell everyone that he had said:
When you were my young bride,
you loved me and followed me
through the barren desert.
3 You belonged to me alone,
like the first part of the harvest,
and I severely punished
those who mistreated you.
4 Listen, people of Israel,
5 and I, the Lord, will speak.
I was never unfair
to your ancestors,
but they left me
and became worthless
by following worthless idols.
6 Your ancestors refused
to ask for my help,
though I had rescued them
from Egypt
and led them through
a treacherous, barren desert,
where no one lives
or dares to travel.
7 I brought you here to my land,
where food is abundant,
but you made my land filthy
with your sins.
8 The priests who teach my laws
don't care to know me.
Your leaders rebel against me;
your prophets
give messages from Baal
and worship false gods.
The Lord Accuses His People
9 I will take you to court
and accuse you
and your descendants
* 10 of a crime that no nation
has ever committed before.
Just ask anyone, anywhere,
from the eastern deserts
to the islands in the west.
11 You will find that no nation
has ever abandoned its gods
even though they were false.
I am the true and glorious God,
but you have rejected me
to worship idols.
12 Tell the heavens
to tremble with fear!
13 You, my people, have sinned
in two ways—
you have rejected me, the source
of life-giving water,
and you've tried to collect water
in cracked and leaking pits
dug in the ground.
14 People of Israel,
you weren't born slaves;
you were captured in war.
15 Enemies roared like lions
and destroyed your land;
towns lie burned and empty.
16 Soldiers from the Egyptian towns
of Memphis and Tahpanhes
have cracked your skulls.
17 It's all your own fault!
You stopped following me,
the Lord your God,
18 and you trusted the power
of Egypt and Assyria.
19 Your own sins will punish you,
because it was a bitter mistake
for you to reject me
without fear of punishment.
I, the Lord All-Powerful,
have spoken.
20 Long ago you left me
and broke all ties between us,
refusing to be my servant.
Now you worship other gods
by having sex
on hilltops or in the shade
of large trees.
21 You were a choice grapevine,
but you have become
a wild, useless vine.
Israel Is Stained with Guilt
22 The Lord said:
People of Israel,
you are stained with guilt,
and no soap or bleach
can wash it away.
23 You deny your sins
and say, “We aren't unclean.
We haven't worshiped Baal.”
But think about what you do
in Hinnom Valley.
You run back and forth
like young camels,
as you rush to worship one idol
after another.
24 You are a female donkey
sniffing the desert air,
wanting to mate
with just anyone.
You are an easy catch!
25 Your shoes are worn out,
and your throat is parched
from running here and there
to worship foreign gods.
“Stop!” I shouted,
but you replied, “No!
I love those gods too much.”
26 You and your leaders
are more disgraceful
than thieves—
you and your kings,
your priests and prophets
27 worship stone idols
and sacred poles
as if they had created you
and had given you life.
You have rejected me,
but when you're in trouble,
you cry to me for help.
28 Go cry to the gods you made!
There should be enough of them
to save you,
because Judah has as many gods
as it has towns.
Israel Rebels against the Lord
29 The Lord said to Israel:
You accuse me of not saving you,
but I say you have rebelled.
30 I tried punishing you,
but you refused
to come back to me,
and like fierce lions
you killed my prophets.
31 Now listen to what I say!
Did I abandon you in the desert
or surround you with darkness?
You are my people,
yet you have told me,
“We'll do what we want,
and we refuse
to worship you!”
32 A bride could not forget
to wear her jewelry
to her wedding,
but you have forgotten me
day after day.
33 You are so clever
at finding lovers
that you could give lessons
to a prostitute.
34 You killed innocent people
for no reason at all.
And even though their blood
can be seen on your clothes,
35 you claim to be innocent,
and you want me to stop
being angry with you.
So I'll take you to court,
and we'll see who is right.
36 When Assyria let you down,
you quickly ran to Egypt,
but you'll find no help there,
37 and you will leave
in great sadness.
I won't let you find help
from those you trust.
