1 They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man’s, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD. 2 Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness. 3 Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hadst a whore’s forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed. 4 Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My father, thou art the guide of my youth? 5 Will he reserve his anger for ever? will he keep it to the end? Behold, thou hast spoken and done evil things as thou couldest.
6 ¶ The LORD said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot. 7 And I said after she had done all these things , Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it . 8 And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also. 9 And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks. 10 And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD. 11 And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah.
12 ¶ Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever. 13 Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD. 14 Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion: 15 And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding. 16 And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the LORD: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more. 17 At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart. 18 In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers. 19 But I said, How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations? and I said, Thou shalt call me, My father; and shalt not turn away from me.
20 ¶ Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the LORD. 21 A voice was heard upon the high places, weeping and supplications of the children of Israel: for they have perverted their way, and they have forgotten the LORD their God. 22 Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the LORD our God. 23 Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel. 24 For shame hath devoured the labour of our fathers from our youth; their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. 25 We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us: for we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.
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.”
