Israels ge Elob ǃoagu ǂgomǂgomsa tama hâ
1 “Khoeb ga taras âba xu ǀgora tsîs ga ǁîba xu ǃgû tsî ǀkhara aob tara kaio, o ǁîs ǁga ǁkhawa oa ǂgaob nî? ǁNā ǃhūba kaise ǀuriǀurihe tide? ǂGui ǀnamsagu âs ǀkhas ge ge ǀai, tsî nēsi tita ǁga ra oahā ǂgao,
tib geǃKhūba ra mî.2 “Kōkhâi re ǀkhaiǀkhā ǃnâugu ǃoa î kō! Mâpas ge ǁgoe-ūhe tama hâ i? Arabiaǁî-i ǃgaroǃhūb ǃnâ ra dī khamis ge daogu amǃgâ ǀnamsagu âsa gere ǃâuǂnû; tsîs ge sa ǀaib tsî ǂkhabasib ǀkha ǃhūba ge ǀuriǀuri. 3 ǁNā-amagas ge ǀnanub ge ǃkhō-oahe tsîb ǃkhāǁaeb ǀnanuba ǀapi tamasa. Tsîs ge ǁnātikōse ī tsî ǀai-aos ǃūǃâba ūhâ; tsîs ge tao-i xare-e ūhâ tama hâ.
4 “Tsîs kha nēsisa xu ‘Ti Îtse, ti ǂkhamsisa xu ti ǀhōsatse’ ti ǂgai te tide? 5 ǀAmoseb kha nî ǁaixahâhâ? ǁAib âbab ǀamose nî ūhâ? ǁNāsas ge sasa ra mî, xawes ge ǂkhababa ra sîsen.”
Israelǁaes tsî Judab din ge nî ǃhobasen
6 Ob ge ǃKhūba gao-aob Josiab di tsēdi ǃnâ ge mîǀî te: “Mûts ge Israels, ǁnā ǂgomoǃnâ taras ge dīsa? ǁÎs ge mâ ǀgapi ǃnâub hoab ai ǃapa tsî mâ hais hoas ǃnaka ǀai-ao-i khami gere tanisen. 7 Tsî ta ge tita nē xūn hoanas ge dītoas khaoǃgâs nî tita tawa oahā ti ge ǂâi hâ i, xawes ge ǁnāsa dī tama ge i. Tsîs ge ǁîs di ǃgâsas Judas, ǂgomoǃnâsa nēn hoana ge mû. 8 Judas ge hoaraga ǀaib ǁnā ǂgomoǃnâ Israels dib ǃaroma ta ǁîsa ǀgoraǂkhanisa ge māsa ge mû. Xawes ge ǀhôagao Judasa ǃao tama ge i, tsîs ge ge aiǃgû ǀai-aosis ǃâsa ǀhurus ǀkha. 9 Tsîs ge ǀaib âs ǀkha ǃhūba ge ǀuriǀuri. ǁÎs ge ǀuin tsî hain ǀkha gere ǀai. 10 Tsîs ge nēn hoan khaoǃgâ Judas, Israels di ǂgomoǃnâ ǃgâsasa ǂgaob hoab ǀkha tita ǃoa ǃhobasen tama tsî ǂkhabase ge ǃhobasen,”
tib ge ǃKhūba ra mî.11 Ob ge ǃKhūba ge mîba te: “ǂGomoǃnâ Israels ge ǀoms âsa ǂgomoǃnâ Judas dis ǃgâ-ai ge ǂhanu-ai kai. 12 ǃGû, î nē mîde ǀapas ǃnâ ǂhôa re: ‘ǂGomoǃnâ Israelse tita ǃoa oa re,’ tib ge ǃKhūba ra mî. Tita ge ǀkhomxaǂgao tsî ta ge ǀamose sadu ǀkha ǁaixa tide”
tib ge ǃKhūba ra mî.13 “ǀHapixa du a tsî du ge ǃKhūb, sadu Elob ǃoagu khâikhâisen ǃkhaisa ǂanǃgâ re. ǁKhāti mâ ǃam hais hoas ǃnakas sa ǀnamma ǃhao elona mā, tsî ǁîba ge ǁnâuǀnam tama isa.
14 “Oahā re ǁnāǁgôa hâ ǀgôado, o ta ge ti ūhâxūse nî dī du. Tita ge sado nî ū, ǀgui-e ǃāsa xu, tsî ǀgamna ǃhaosa xu tsî Sions tawa nî hā-ū”
tib ge ǃKhūba ra mî.15 “Tsî ta ge ti ǂgaob ǃoa hâ ǃûi-aoga nî mā du, tsî gu ge ǁîga ǂans tsî ǁnâuǃāb ǀkha nî ǃûi du. 16 Tsî du ga nē tsēdi ǃnâ ǀarosen tsî ǂûǂûxa, on ge ǃaruǀî ǃGaeǀhaos ǂGaes xa ǃhoa tide. ǁKhātin ge ǂâihō tide tsîn ge ǁnās xa ǂâi tsî ǁîsa ôa tide tamas ka io ǀnîsa kuru tide. 17 Nē ǁaeb ǃnân ge Jerusalemsa ‘ǃKhūb di Trons’ ti nî ǂgai; hoa ǁaedi ǁnāpa, ǃKhūb ǀons ǃaroma Jerusalems ǃnâ nî ǀhaose, tsîn ge ǃaruǀî ǁîn ǂkhaba ǂgaogu ǃoa ûi tide. 18 Nē tsēdi ǃnân ge Judas ommi dina Israels din ǀkha nî ǀhao, tsîn ge ǀguipa, ǀapas di ǃhūba xu tita ge sadu aboxaga ǀumis ase mā ǃhūb ǁga nî hā.”
Elob ǁaes di ǃgamekhôas
19 Ob ge ǃKhūba ge mî:
“Mâtikōse ta ti ôan ase ra ūǃoa
tsî ǃgâi ǃhūba ra mā du ǂgao;
hoan xa îsa ǀumis, hoa ǁaedi disa.
Tsî ta ge ‘Ti Îtse’ ti ǂgai te
tsî du ǁkhawa tita xu bē tide ti ge ǂâi hâ i.
20 ǂGomǂgomsa tama taras aob âsa ra ǁnāxūs khami
du ge tita ǃoagu ge ǂgomǂgomsa tama i,
sadu Israeli ommi dido”
tib ge ǃKhūba ra mî.21 Dom-i ge ǃnâugu ai ge ǁnâuhe,
ǃgaes, Israeli khoen ǀkhomadi disa;
ǁîn daoga xun ge dabasen
tsî ǃKhūb, ǁîn Eloba ge ǀuru.
22 Oa re, ǁnāǁgôaxa ǀgôado,
sadu ǁnāǁgôaxasiga ta ge nî ǂgauǂgau.
Mû, sats ǃoa da ge ra hā
sats a ǃKhū, sida Elotsa amaga.
23 Amase ǃnâugu tsî ǃhomga xu ra hāb ge harebeoǃnâ ǂkhupiba. Amases ge ores ǃKhūb Elob disa Israelsa hâba. 24 Sida ǂkhamsisa xub ge taoba sida aboxan di ǀhupuba hapu hâ; ǁîn di ǀuiǀnūǀgoan, goman, ǀgôadi tsî ǀgôagu tsîna. 25 Sida ge taob ǃnâ ǁgoe tsî taob xa ga ǃgū-aihe; ǃKhūb sida Elob ǃoagu da ge sida tsî sida aboxagu tsîda sida ǂkhamsisa xu ǁore amaga; ǃKhūb sida Elob domma da ge ǁnâuǀnam tama ge i.
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.”
