ǃKhūb ge a Elo
1 “Xawe nēsi ǃgâ re ti ǃoaba-aots, Jakotse,
Israeltse, tita xa ge ǁhûiǂuihetse!
2 Satsa ge kuru ǃKhūb ge nēti ra mî,
ǁnāb satsa ǁhās ǃnâ ǂnubi tsî ge hui tsiba:
Tā ǃao, ti ǃoaba-aots, Jakotse;
Jesurunts, tita xa ge ǁhûiǂuihetse!
3 “Tita ge ǁgâsa ǃhūb ai ǁgam-e nî dâu kai
tsî ǁgamǃāga ǂnâsa ǃhūb ai.
Sa surib ai ta ge ti gagaba nî ǁhōǂui
tsî ti ǀkhaeba sa ôananôagub ai.
4 ǂHûihai-i khamin ge ǁîna
ǁgam-i ǃnâ mâ ǀgân khami nî ǃīǂoaxa,
ǁgamǃāgu xōǀkhā mâ haidi khami.
5 “ǀGui-i ge ‘ǃKhūb di ta a,’ ti nî mî.
ǀNî-i ge ‘Jakob’ ǀons ǀkha nî ǂgaihe.
ǀNî-i ge ǁî-i ǃommi ai ‘ǃKhūb di,’ ti nî xoa
tsî ‘Israel’ ti hâ ǀonsa nî sîsenū.”
6 Nētib ge ǃKhūb, Israeli di Gao-aob
tsî ǁîb Ore-aob, ǃKhūb Hoaǀgaixaba ra mî:
“Tita ge ǂGurota tsî ǀUnita;
tita xōǀkhā i ge ǀkhara elo-e a ǀkhai.
7 Tari-e tita khami ī-e? A-i ǁnâi aoǁnâ,
a-i ǂanǂan tsî ti aiǃâ ǃgāǃgā.
Tari-e ǀnai ge ī xūn hāsa ge ǂanǂan?
An hā nîse ī xūn xa mîba da.
8 Tā ǃao tamas ka io ǃhuri!
ǀNai ta kha ǁnāsa mîba tsî ǂanǂan du tama hâ?
Sadu ge ti ǃkhō-amaodo!
Ti xōǀkhā ǀkhara elo-e hâ-e?
ǀKhara ǃgareǀui-i a ǀkhai, ǀnî-i xare-e ta ǂan tama.”
ǁGôa-eloǃoabas ra mîǁgaiǁgaihe
9 ǁGôa-eloga ra kurun hoan ge a ǁau tsî ǁîn ra ǃgâiǃgâisenū xūn ge a ǂûtanioǃnâ. ǁÎn ǀhûǀguitimî-aon ge mû tamas ka io ǂan tama hâ. ǁNā-amagan ge nî taotaohe. 10 Tari-e ǁgôa-elo-e ra ǂnubi tamas ka io xū-e harebe tama ī-e ra kuru? 11 ǁÎ-i ǃoaba-aon hoan ge nî taotaohe; ǁîn ǂnubi-aogu hoagu ge khoes ǀguisa i. An hoana ǀhao, an khâimâ; ǁîn ge nî ǃaoǃaohe, ǁîn hoan ge nî taotaohe.
12 ǀUrikuru-aob ge ǁî-e unu tsî ǂnomdi ǃnâ garo, hamerdi ǀkha ǂnauǂhanuǂhanu tsî ǀgaisa ǁôab âb ǀkha ra ǂnauǃgâiǃgâi. ǁÎb ge ra ǃâ tsîb ge ǀgaib âba ra toa; ǁîb ge ǁgâs xa ra ǂkhabu.
13 ǃNaokuru-aob ge tsuriba ra ǂgae, ǁîb ge xoaxurub ǀkha ra ǀnōǁnâ. ǁÎb ge ǃnaoba skafs ǀkha ǂkhanuǂkhanu tsî ǃgupu ǀnō-ūdas ǀkha ra ǀnōǂui. ǁÎb ge ǁnāpa xu khoe-i di īb, khoesi îsasiba ūhâ ība ra ǃgaoǂui, om-i ǃnâ nî mâihese. 14 ǁÎb ge sederhaide ǁhāǁnâ, tamas ka io sipreshais tamas ka io aikehaisa ra ǁhûiǂui; nau haidi ǁaegu kai tsî ǀgaisase nî kaikhâise. ǁÎb ge sederhaisa ge ǃhana tsîb ge ǀnanuba ǁîsa ra ǀomkhâi kai. 15 Khoen ge ǁîsa xu ǀaena ra hō, tsî khau tsî ra ǀgamǀgamsen; ǁîsa xun ge ǀaesa khau tsî pere-e ra am. ǁÎsa xun ge elo-e kuru tsî ra ǀgoreǀî; ǁîsa xun ge ī-e ǃgaoǂui tsî ǁî-i aiǃâ ra ǃhonǁgoa. 16 ǁÎn ge ǃkhare ǃâb ǀkha ǀaesa ra khau; nau ǃkhare ǃâb ǀkhan ge ǁgan-e ra am tsî ra ǁâ. ǁKhātin ge ǁî-i ǀkha ǀgamǀgamsen tsî ra mî: “Ā, ǀgam da go, ǀaesa da go mû!” ti. 17 ǃGau ra ǃâ-i ǀkhan ge elo-e ra kuru, ǁîn ǁgôa-elo-e, tsîn ge ǁî-i aiǃâ ǃhonǁgoa tsî ǁî-e ra ǀgoreǀî. ǁÎn ge ǁî-i ǃoa ǀgore tsî ra mî: “Ore da re, sats a sida elo xuige!”
18 ǁÎn ge a ǀū, tamas ka ion ge a ǁnâuǃā ǁoa; ǁîn ge ǁîn mûde ǂganam xui-ao, în tā mû tsî ǁîn ǁnâuǃāga, în tā ǁnâuǃā. 19 ǁGôa-elo-īkuru-ao-i ge ǁnâuǃā-e ūhâ tama tamas ka io a ǂâiǂgā ǁoa nēti mîsa: “ǃKhare ǃâb ǁîn dib ǀkha ta ge ǀaesa ge khau; ǁîn ǂnomdi ai ta ge pere-e ge am, ǁgan-e am tsî da ge ge ǂû. O ta kha nēsi ǃgau go ǃâb ǀkha ta ge ǁgôa-elo-ī-e ge dībasen. O ta kha nēsi ǁîb aiǃâ nî ǃhonǁgoa?”
20 ǁÎn ge tsaoba ra ǂû; gâre ǂâis ge ǁîna ge ǂgaeǂhapu tsîn ge ǁîna aitsama huisen ǁoa tsî ra mî: “Ti amǀkhāb ǃommi ǃnâ hâ-e ǂhumi xū tama-e?”
ǃKhūb, Kuru-ao tsî Ore-aob
21 “Jakotse, nē xūn xa ǂâi re,
tsî Israeltse, sats a ti ǃgā xui-ao.
Tita ge satsa ge ǂnubi, sats ge a ti ǃgā;
Israeltse, ǀuru tsi ta ge tide.
22 ǃÂus khami ta ge sadu dīsade ge ǃgombē
tsî sadu ǁorena tsamaros khami;
tita ge ge ore du, xuige tita ǃoa oahā.”
23 ǀHomgo ǁnae re, ǃKhūb go ǁîsa dī xuige!
ǃHūbaib ǃgamsitse, ǃauǂgai re!
ǃHomgo, ǃgâiaǂgaob xa ra ǃause hā re,
haiǀgomso, tsî mâ hais ǁîs ǃnâ hâs hoasa!
ǃKhūb ge Jakoba ore xuige,
tsîb ge Israeli ǃnâ nî ǂkhaiǂkhaihe.
24 Nētib ge ǃKhūb sadu Ore-aob
sado ge ǁhās ǃnâ a ǂnubiba ra mî:
“Tita ge ǃKhūta, hoa xūna ge kuru ta,
ǀguri ge ǀhomma khoraǂui ta,
tita ǂûta ge ǃhūbaiba ge khoraǂui ta.
25 ǂHumi-aon saode ta ra sâoǃnâ kai
tsî aimûǀgaru-aona gâre kai,
gā-ain ǀapede dabaǃkhuni
tsî ta ǂans âna ra gâre kai.
26 Tita ge ti ǃoaba-aogu mîde ǁapoǁapo
tsî ti sîsabegu kēbode ra dīǀoaǀoa.
Tita ge Jerusalems ǃoa, ‘ǁÎs ge nî ǁanǃnâhe,’
tsî Judab ǃādi ǃoa, ‘ǁÎdi ge nî omkhâihe,
tsî tita ge ǁîdi hîkākāsa xūn hoana nî ǂnubikhâi’ ti ra mî ta.
27 Tita ge ǃgamsib ǃoa, ‘ǂNâ!
Tita ge sa ǃāga nî ǂnâ kai,’ ti ra mî ta.
28 Tita ge Koresi ǃoa, ‘ǁÎb ge ti ǃûi-aob,
ti ǃâubasens hoasa nî dīǀoaǀoaba,’ ti ge mî ta.
Tita ge Jerusalems ǃoa, ‘ǁÎs ge ǁkhawa nî omkhâihe,’
tsî Tempeli ǃoa, ‘Sa ǃgaoǃgaob ge nî ǁguihe,’ ti ge mî ta.”
The Lord Is the Only God
1 The Lord says,
“Listen now, Israel, my servant,
my chosen people, the descendants of Jacob.
2 I am the Lord who created you;
from the time you were born, I have helped you.
Do not be afraid; you are my servant,
my chosen people whom I love.
3 “I will give water to the thirsty land
and make streams flow on the dry ground.
I will pour out my spirit on your children
and my blessing on your descendants.
4 They will thrive like well-watered grass,
like willows by streams of running water.
5 “One by one, people will say, ‘I am the Lord's.’
They will come to join the people of Israel.
They each will mark the name of the Lord on their arms
and call themselves one of God's people.”
6 The Lord, who rules and protects Israel,
the Lord Almighty, has this to say:
“I am the first, the last, the only God;
there is no other god but me.
7 Could anyone else have done what I did?
Who could have predicted all that would happen
from the very beginning to the end of time?
8 Do not be afraid, my people!
You know that from ancient times until now
I have predicted all that would happen,
and you are my witnesses.
Is there any other god?
Is there some powerful god I never heard of?”
Idolatry Is Ridiculed
9 All those who make idols are worthless, and the gods they prize so highly are useless. Those who worship these gods are blind and ignorant—and they will be disgraced. 10 It does no good to make a metal image to worship as a god! 11 Everyone who worships it will be humiliated. The people who make idols are human beings and nothing more. Let them come and stand trial—they will be terrified and will suffer disgrace.
12 The metalworker takes a piece of metal and works with it over a fire. His strong arm swings a hammer to pound the metal into shape. As he works, he gets hungry, thirsty, and tired.
13 The carpenter measures the wood. He outlines a figure with chalk, carves it out with his tools, and makes it in the form of a man, a handsome human figure, to be placed in his house. 14 He might cut down cedars to use, or choose oak or cypress wood from the forest. Or he might plant a laurel tree and wait for the rain to make it grow. 15 A person uses part of a tree for fuel and part of it for making an idol. With one part he builds a fire to warm himself and bake bread; with the other part he makes a god and worships it. 16 With some of the wood he makes a fire; he roasts meat, eats it, and is satisfied. He warms himself and says, “How nice and warm! What a beautiful fire!” 17 The rest of the wood he makes into an idol, and then he bows down and worships it. He prays to it and says, “You are my god—save me!”
18 Such people are too stupid to know what they are doing. They close their eyes and their minds to the truth. 19 The maker of idols hasn't the wit or the sense to say, “Some of the wood I burned up. I baked some bread on the coals, and I roasted meat and ate it. And the rest of the wood I made into an idol. Here I am bowing down to a block of wood!”
20 It makes as much sense as eating ashes. His foolish ideas have so misled him that he is beyond help. He won't admit to himself that the idol he holds in his hand is not a god at all.
The Lord, the Creator and Savior
21 The Lord says,
“Israel, remember this;
remember that you are my servant.
I created you to be my servant,
and I will never forget you.
22 I have swept your sins away like a cloud.
Come back to me; I am the one who saves you.”
23 Shout for joy, you heavens!
Shout, deep places of the earth!
Shout for joy, mountains, and every tree of the forest!
The Lord has shown his greatness
by saving his people Israel.
24 “I am the Lord, your savior;
I am the one who created you.
I am the Lord, the Creator of all things.
I alone stretched out the heavens;
when I made the earth, no one helped me.
25 I make fools of fortunetellers
and frustrate the predictions of astrologers.
The words of the wise I refute
and show that their wisdom is foolishness.
26 But when my servant makes a prediction,
when I send a messenger to reveal my plans,
I make those plans and predictions come true.
I tell Jerusalem that people will live there again,
and the cities of Judah that they will be rebuilt.
Those cities will rise from the ruins.
27 With a word of command I dry up the ocean.
28 I say to Cyrus, ‘You are the one who will rule for me;
you will do what I want you to do:
you will order that Jerusalem be rebuilt
and that the foundations of the Temple be laid.’”
