Ouhaṱakama wa Israel
1 Muhona ma tja: “Omurumendu tja haṋika nomukazendu we, nomukazendu a i na karira owomurumendu warwe, omurumendu we ingwi omutenga ke nokusora okukemukotora rukwao. Otjiṋa otja ihi katji nakuzunḓa ehi are? Nungwari Israel, ove wa ri nozombarise ozengi. Nu nambano movanga okukotoka ku ami! 2 Ṱumununa omeho woye kozondomba zozondundu. Pe nopoṋa pemwe pu u ha tjitire oukorondu are? Ove wa undjira ozombarise meṋe yondjira tjimuna Omuaraba tje undja okupunda ovandu mokuti onguza. Ove wa zunḓa ehi noukorondu nouvi woye. 3 Ombura opu i ha zu okuroka, notjiseseta opu tji ha zu okuya. Ove nangarire nao u munika otja omukorondu, nu ko nohoṋi.
4 “Nu nambano ove motja nai ku ami: ‘Oove tate, nu we ndji suvera okuza kounatje wandje. 5 Mo ṱomazenge aruhe, nu mo pindike na ami nga aruhe are?’ Israel, inga onge ri omambo ngu wa hungira, nungwari ove wa tjita oviṋa avihe ovivi otja poo sora!”
Ovaisrael nOvajuda mave sokuritanaura
6 Josija tja ri ombara, Muhona wa tja ku ami: “Ove wa muna Israel, ingwi omukazendu omuhinouṱakame, tja tjita are? Eye we ndji pa etambo, nu wa tjitira oukorondu we kondundu aihe onde na kehi yomuti auhe mbwa nyomoka. 7 Ami mbe ripura kutja eye tja zu nokutjita oviṋa mbi avihe, tjiri, ma tanaukire ku ami; nungwari eye ka kotokere ko. Nomuangu we omuhinouṱakame Juda oviṋa mbi avihe we vi muna. 8 Juda wina wa muna kutja ami mba haṋika na Israel ne mu ramba, eye tjinga e ndji pa etambo, nu a rira omukorondu. Nungwari Juda, omuangu omuhinouṱake wa Israel, katirire ko. Eye wina wa rira omukorondu, 9 nu ka ṱire ko ohoṋi oparukaze. Eye wa zunḓa ehi, nu wa tura ondjo, indu tje rikotamena komawe nomiti. 10 Nu kombunda yaimbi avihe, Juda, omuhinouṱakame omuangu wa Israel, wa tjita aayo ma kotoka ku ami; nungwari eye ka ri nouṱakame. Ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona, owami ngu mba hungire.”
11 Muhona we ndji raera nai: “Nangarire kutja Israel we ndji pa etambo, eye wa raisa okurira omusemba pu Juda omuhinouṱakame. 12 Nu katje nai ku Israel: ‘Muhinouṱakame Israel, kotoka ku ami. Ami mbi notjari, nu hi nokuṱomazenge na ove nga aruhe. 13 Rihepura uriri kutja u nondjo, nokutja wa pirukira Muhona, Ndjambi woye. Rihepura kutja wa suverera oomukuru vovisenginina kehi yomiti avihe mbya nyomoka, nokutja ko karere nonḓuviro komatwako wandje. Ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona, owami ngu mba hungire.’
14 “Tjiwaṋa otjihinouṱakame, kotoka; orondu owami omuhona woye. Ami me toora umwe weṋu motjihuro ngamwa atjihe, na vevari monganda ngamwa aihe, nu me mu kotora kondundu Sion. 15 Me mu pe ovahongore mbu mave kara nonḓuviro ku ami, nowo mave honaparere eṋe nondjiviro nozondunge. 16 Nu momayuva ngo tji mwa takavara mehi, ovandu kave tji nakutja: ‘Otjipwikiro tjOmerikutiropamwe wa Muhona tji ri pi?’ Owo kave tji nokuripura nokurizemburuka na tjo rukwao; kave tji nokutjihepa, nu kave nokuungura tjarwe. 17 Oruveze ndo tji rweya, Jerusalem matji isanewa kutja ‘Otjihavero tjouhona tja Muhona,’ nu oviwaṋa avihe mavi woronganene mbo okurikotamena ku ami. Owo kave tji nokutjita imbi mbi mave raerwa i omitima vyawo omirangaranga nominauvi. 18 Momayuva ngo Israel ma kawana na Juda, nu aveyevari mave zu kouhuura kehi rokokunene kweyuva, nu mave kotoka kehi, ndi mba yandja kooiho mukururume okurira ouini wawo oukarerere.”
Omaisaneno kondanaukiro
19 Muhona ma tja nai:
“Israel, ami mbe ripura okukuyakura
otja omuatje wandje
nokukupa ehi enyandise,
ehi ewa emanise mouye auhe.
Wina mbe ripura kutja u ndji isane Iho,
nokutja o he ndji pe etambo rukwao.
20 Nungwari otja omukazendu ngu hi
nouṱakame komurumendu we,
ove opunga awa kara
nokuhinouṱakame ku ami.
Ami, ngu mbi ri Muhona,
owami ngu mba hungire.”
21 Ombosiro ya zuvaka
kozondomba zozondundu;
oyo oyOvaisrael mbu mave
riri nokuriheka,
tjinga ava poka nava zemba
Muhona, Ndjambi wawo.
22 Kotokeye, oweṋe amuhe mbu
mwa humburuka na Muhona.
Eye me mu verukisa,
nu me mu tjiti okurira ovaṱakame!
Eṋe mamu tja nai: “Ii, eṱe matu ya ku Muhona, Ndjambi wetu. 23 Eṱe katu vatererwe i oviserekarera vyovisenginina vyetu oparukaze mokurikotamena ku vyo kozondomba zozondundu; avihe mbi omungandjo. Ombatero ku Israel i za ku Muhona, Ndjambi wetu erike. 24 Nungwari Baal, omukuru wondjambu, wa nyona otupanda twozonyanda nozongombe zootate mukururume, novazandu novakazona vawo, noviṋa avihe owo mbi va ungurira okuza koruveze orukuru. 25 Twa sokusaravara amatu ṱohoṋi, nu atwe rikutjire ondjambu yetu. Eṱe nootate mukururume aruhe twa tura ondjo komurungu wa Muhona, Ndjambi wetu okuza koumutanda wetu nga ku ndinondi; eṱe katu karere ko nonḓuviro komatwako we.”
Sin and Shame
1 The Lord said to the people of Israel:
If a divorced woman marries,
can her first husband
ever marry her again?
No, because this
would pollute the land.
But you have more gods
than a prostitute has lovers.
Why should I take you back?
2 Just try to find one hilltop
where you haven't gone
to worship other gods
by having sex.
You sat beside the road
like a robber in ambush,
except you offered yourself
to every passerby.
Your sins of unfaithfulness
have polluted the land.
3 So I, the Lord, refused
to let the spring rains fall.
But just like a prostitute,
you still have no shame
for what you have done.
4 You call me your father
or your long-lost friend;
5 you beg me to stop being angry,
but you won't stop sinning.
The Lord Asks Israel To Come Back to Him
6 When Josiah was king, the Lord said:
Jeremiah, the kingdom of Israel was like an unfaithful wife who became a prostitute on the hilltops and in the shade of large trees. 7-8 I knew that the kingdom of Israel had been unfaithful and committed many sins, yet I still hoped she might come back to me. But she didn't, so I divorced her and sent her away.
Her sister, the kingdom of Judah, saw what happened, but she wasn't worried in the least, and I watched her become unfaithful like her sister. 9 The kingdom of Judah wasn't sorry for being a prostitute, and she didn't care that she had made both herself and the land unclean by worshiping idols of stone and wood. 10 And worst of all, the people of Judah pretended to come back to me. 11 Even the people of Israel were honest enough not to pretend.
12 Jeremiah, shout toward the north:
Israel, I am your Lord—
come back to me!
You were unfaithful
and made me furious,
but I am merciful,
and so I will forgive you.
13 Just admit that you rebelled
and worshiped foreign gods
under large trees everywhere.
14 You are unfaithful children,
but you belong to me.
Come home!
I'll take one or two of you
from each town and clan
and bring you to Zion.
15 Then I'll appoint wise rulers
who will obey me,
and they will care for you
like shepherds.
16 You will increase in numbers,
and there will be no need
to remember the sacred chest
or to make a new one.
17 The whole city of Jerusalem
will be my throne.
All nations will come here
to worship me,
and they will no longer follow
their stubborn, evil hearts.
18 Then, in countries to the north,
you people of Judah and Israel
will be reunited,
and you will return to the land
I gave your ancestors.
19 I have always wanted
to treat you as my children
and give you the best land,
the most beautiful on earth.
I wanted you to call me “Father”
and not turn from me.
20 But instead, you are like a wife
who broke her wedding vows.
You have been unfaithful to me.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
The People Confess Their Sins
The Lord said:
21 Listen to the noise
on the hilltops!
It's the people of Israel,
weeping and begging me
to answer their prayers.
They forgot about me
and chose the wrong path.
22 I will tell them, “Come back,
and I will cure you
of your unfaithfulness.”
They will answer,
“We will come back, because you
are the Lord our God.
23 On hilltops, we worshiped idols
and made loud noises,
but it was all for nothing—
only you can save us.
24 Since the days of our ancestors
when our nation was young,
that shameful god Baal has taken
our crops and livestock,
our sons and daughters.
25 We have rebelled against you
just like our ancestors,
and we are ashamed of our sins.”
