Elob ra Israelsa ǁaposasiba mā
1 Elob ge ra mî:
“ǃNū ǃhūb dido, ǃnō î ǃgâ te!
A di ǁaede ǀasa ǀgaiba ǁkhawa hōbasen;
an ǃgûǀgū tsî ǃhoa;
a da ǀgoraǃgâs ǃaroma ǀhao.
2 “Tari-e aiǂoas danaoba ge khâikhâiǃnâ-e,
ǁîba ǁîb ǃoabas ǃoa ge ǂgaihā-e?
ǁÎb ge ǁaede ǁîb ǃoa ra ǁkhaeǁnâ
tsî gao-aoga ra ǃgamǃgam.
ǁÎb ge ǁîna gôab âb ǀkha tsarab khami ra dī,
khās âb ǀkha ǃgommahe ra ǀhōb khami.
3 ǁÎb ge ǁîna sauruǃgon tsî ǂhanihe tamase,
ǁîb ǂaira ra ǁaubexa ǃhūba tsâǀkhāse ra ǃkharu.
4 Tariba nēsa ī kai tsî ge dība,
ôananôaguga tsoatsoasa xu ge ǂgaiba?
Tita ǃKhūta ge ǂguro ta,
tsî ǀuniga nî hâ ta.
5 “ǃNū ǃhūgu khoen ge nēsa mû tsî ge ǃao,
ǃhūbaib ǀkhâuǀamdi ge ǃaob xa ge ǀkhū.
ǁÎn ge ǀgūǀgūsen tsî ge hā.
6 Mâ-i hoa-i ge nau-e ra hui,
tsî ǁîǃnābe ra mî ‘ǀGaiba ūhâ!’ ti.
7 Sîsenaob ge ǃhuniǀurikuru-aoba ra ǂgaoǂgaoǃnâ,
tsî ǁnāb hamers ǀkha ra ǂnauǂhanuǂhanub
ge ǃgâuǁare raba ra ǂgaoǂgaoǃnâ.
Nēti ra mîse ‘Nēs ge a ǃgâi,’ ti;
tsî ǁî-e gon-i tidese spaikern ǀkha ra ǃgâuǁapoǁapo.
8 “Xawe sats Israeltse, ti ǃgātse,
Jakotse, tita xa ge ǁhûiǂuihetse,
ti horesab Abrahammi suritse.
9 Satsa ta ge ǃhūbaib ǀkhâuǀamde xu ge hā-ū
tsî ǁîdi a ǃnū ǁhôade xu ge ǂgaihā,
tsî sats ǃoa ge mî: ‘Sats ge ti ǃgātsa,
tita ge ge ǁhûi tsi tsî ǂhara tsi tama hâ.
10 Tā ǃao, tita sats ǀkha hâ xuige,
tā ǃaoǃaohe, tita a sa Elo xuige!
Tita ge ǀgaiǀgai tsî nî hui tsi,
tita ge ti ore ra amǀkhāb ǁôab ǀkha nî ǁkhauba tsi.’
11 “Mû, sa ǃoagu ge ǁaixa hâ in
ge taotaohe tsî nî ǁauxūdīhe.
Sa ǃoagu ra ǃkhamn hoan
ge xū tamase dīhe tsî nî ǁō.
12 Sa mâǃoasabenats ge nî ôa,
xawets ge ǁîna hō tide;
sats ǃoagu ra torodīn
ge hoaragase nî ǁauxū kai.
13 Tita ǃKhūta sa Elota,
amǀkhāb ǃommi âtsa nî ǃkhō xui-ao;
Tita ge sats ǃoa ra mî ta
‘Tā ǃao, tita ge nî hui tsi,’ ” ti.
14 Tā ǃao re Jakotse, sa ǂunirots, Israelǁîtse!
ǃKhūb ge ra mî: “Tita ge nî hui tsi,
sa Ore-aob ge Israeli di ǃAnuba.
15 Mû, tita ge ǃgao-ūdas gôab khami nî ǀāǀā tsi,
ǀasa ǀā gôaga ūhâ ǁgûgu ǀkha;
ǃhomga ǃgao tsîts ge ǁîga nî ǂkhūǂkhū
tsî ǃnâuga ǀhōb khami nî tsautsau.
16 Sats ge ǁîna ǂoab ǃnâ nî aokhâi,
on ge ǂoab xa nî ǃgombēhe;
ǁgaoǂoas ge ǁîna nî ǃgomǀgaruǀgaru.
Ots ge ǃKhūb ǃnâ nî ǃgâiaǂgao;
Israeli di ǃAnub ǃnâts ge nî dâ.
17 “ǀGâsan tsî ǂhâsib ǃnâ hân ge ǁgam-e ra ôa,
xawe i ge nî ǀkhai tsî gu ga namga ǁgâs xa ǂnâ,
o ta ge tita ǃKhūta ǁîna nî ǃeream;
tita Israeli Elota ge ǁîna ǁnāxūǃgâ tide.
18 Tita ge ǃgora-ai ǃnâugu ai ǃāga nî dâu kai
tsî ǀaude ǃgoaǃnāgu ǁaegu;
ǃgaroǃhūba ta ge ǃkhubis ase nî dī
tsî ǂnâsa ǃhūba ǁgamǀause.
19 Sederhaisa ta ge ǃgaroǃhūb ǃnâ nî ǁhai kai,
tsî ǁkhāti akasiahais, mirtehais tsî ǀkherahais tsîde;
ǃam haiǀgoms ge ǃgaroǃhūb ai nî ǁhai,
denehais, siprehais tsî bushais tsîdi hoade.
20 Hoan ge mû tsî nî ǂan,
hoan ge ǂâiǃgâ tsî nî ǁnâuǃā,
ǃKhūb ǃommi ge nēsa dī ǃkhaisa,
Israeli di ǃAnub ge ǁîsa ge kuru.”
ǃKhūb ra ǁgôa-elogu xa ǁgoaǂuihe
21 ǃKhūb ge ra mî: “Sadu ǁhōba ǀkhī-ū.”
Jakob Gao-aob ge ra mî: “Sadu ǂnoagu-aide hā-ū.
22 An ǁîna ǀkhī-ūhe tsî tare-i nî īsa mîba ge.
ǃKharu ge xūn xa ǁgamba ge,
taren a ǁîna ǃkhaisa, ǁîn xa da nî ǂâiǃgâse.
Mâti i go ǁîn ǀkha hāsa da nî ǂan,
tamas ka io hā nîse ī xūn xa ǂansa.
23 Tare-i nēs khaoǃgâ nî īsa mîba da,
elogo asa da nî ǂanǂuiga;
ā, ǃgâi tamas ka io tsūse dī,
î da ǀkhūb tsî ǃaob xa xāǂgāhe.
24 Amase, sadu ge xūtama tsî sadu sîsenni hoab tsîn;
sado ge ǁhûiǂui-i ge a taotaosa!
25 “Tita ge ǀguib ǀapasǀkhāb diba ge khâikhâiǃnâ, tsîb ge ge hā;
soreǁhaisǀkhāba xub ge ti ǀons xa ge ǂgaihāhe.
ǁÎb ge ǂgoab ais khami ǂgaeǂgui-aoga nî dā-ai,
sūǂnubi-aob ra ǂgoaba dī-ū khami.
26 Tari-e tsoatsoasa xu ǁnāsa ge mîǁgui-e,
ǁîsa da nî ǂan tsî mî ǁkhāse: ‘ǁÎb ge a ǂhanu.’
Khoe-i xare-i ǁnāsa mîǁgui tama,
khoe-i xare-i aoǁnâ tamas ka io sa mîde ǁnâu tama.
27 Tita ǃKhūta ge ǂgurose Sionsa ge ǂanǂan ta
tsî Jerusalemsa ta ge ǀgui ǃgâiǂhôasa ra mā.
28 Xawe kō ta ge, o ta ge khoe-i xare-e mû tama ge i;
ǁîgu ǃnâ i ge ǀapemā-ao-i xare-e ge ǀkhai i,
dî ta ra xū-i xare-e ge ǃeream ǁkhā i-e.
29 Ā, hoan ge xū tama hâ;
ǁîn sîsengu ge a ǁau;
ǁîn īgu ge ǂoab khami a ǀkhaiǃnâ.
God's Assurance to Israel
1 God says,
“Be silent and listen to me, you distant lands!
Get ready to present your case in court;
you will have your chance to speak.
Let us come together to decide who is right.
2 “Who was it that brought the conqueror from the east
and makes him triumphant wherever he goes?
Who gives him victory over kings and nations?
His sword strikes them down as if they were dust.
His arrows scatter them like straw before the wind.
3 He follows in pursuit and marches safely on,
so fast that he hardly touches the ground!
4 Who was it that made this happen?
Who has determined the course of history?
I, the Lord, was there at the beginning,
and I, the Lord, will be there at the end.
5 “The people of distant lands have seen what I have done;
they are frightened and tremble with fear.
So they all assemble and come.
6 The skilled workers help and encourage each other.
7 The carpenter says to the goldsmith, ‘Well done!’
The one who beats the idol smooth
encourages the one who nails it together.
They say, ‘The soldering is good’—
and they fasten the idol in place with nails.
8 “But you, Israel my servant,
you are the people that I have chosen,
the descendants of Abraham, my friend.
9 I brought you from the ends of the earth;
I called you from its farthest corners
and said to you, ‘You are my servant.’
I did not reject you, but chose you.
10 Do not be afraid—I am with you!
I am your God—let nothing terrify you!
I will make you strong and help you;
I will protect you and save you.
11 “Those who are angry with you
will know the shame of defeat.
Those who fight against you will die
12 and will disappear from the earth.
13 I am the Lord your God;
I strengthen you and tell you,
‘Do not be afraid; I will help you.’”
14 The Lord says,
“Small and weak as you are, Israel,
don't be afraid; I will help you.
I, the holy God of Israel, am the one who saves you.
15 I will make you like a threshing board,
with spikes that are new and sharp.
You will thresh mountains and destroy them;
hills will crumble into dust.
16 You will toss them in the air;
the wind will carry them off,
and they will be scattered by the storm.
Then you will be happy because I am your God;
you will praise me, the holy God of Israel.
17 “When my people in their need look for water,
when their throats are dry with thirst,
then I, the Lord, will answer their prayer;
I, the God of Israel, will never abandon them.
18 I will make rivers flow among barren hills
and springs of water run in the valleys.
I will turn the desert into pools of water
and the dry land into flowing springs.
19 I will make cedars grow in the desert,
and acacias and myrtles and olive trees.
Forests will grow in barren land,
forests of pine and juniper and cypress.
20 People will see this and know
that I, the Lord, have done it.
They will come to understand
that Israel's holy God has made it happen.”
The Lord's Challenge to False Gods
21 The Lord, the king of Israel, has this to say:
“You gods of the nations, present your case.
Bring the best arguments you have!
22 Come here and predict what will happen,
so that we will know it when it takes place.
Explain to the court the events of the past,
and tell us what they mean.
23 Tell us what the future holds—
then we will know that you are gods!
Do something good or bring some disaster;
fill us with fear and awe!
24 You and all you do are nothing;
those who worship you are disgusting!
25 “I have chosen a man who lives in the east;
I will bring him to attack from the north.
He tramples on rulers as if they were mud,
like a potter trampling clay.
26 Which of you predicted that this would happen,
so that we could say that you were right?
None of you said a word about it;
no one heard you say a thing!
27 I, the Lord, was the first to tell Zion the news;
I sent a messenger to Jerusalem to say,
‘Your people are coming! They are coming home!’
28 When I looked among the gods,
none of them had a thing to say;
not one could answer the questions I asked.
29 All these gods are useless;
they can do nothing at all—
these idols are weak and powerless.”
