Turn Back to the Lord
1 Listen, nation of Israel,
to my mournful message:
2 You, dearest Israel, have fallen,
never to rise again—
you lie deserted in your own land,
with no one to help you up.
3 The Lord God has warned,
“From every ten soldiers
only one will be left;
from a thousand troops,
only a hundred will survive.”
4 The Lord keeps saying,
“Israel, turn back to me
and you will live!
5 Don't go to Gilgal or Bethel
or even to Beersheba.
Gilgal will be dragged away,
and Bethel will end up
as nothing.”
6 Turn back to the Lord,
you descendants of Joseph,
and you will live.
If you don't, the Lord
will attack like fire.
Bethel will burn to the ground,
and no one can save it.
7 You people are doomed!
You twist the truth
and trample on justice.
8 But the Lord created the stars
and put them in place.
He turns darkness to dawn
and daylight to darkness;
he scoops up the ocean
and empties it on the earth.
9 God destroys mighty soldiers
and strong fortresses.
Choose Good Instead of Evil!
The Lord said:
10 You people hate judges
and honest witnesses;
11 you abuse the poor and demand
heavy taxes from them.
You have built expensive homes,
but you won't enjoy them;
you have planted vineyards,
but you will get no wine.
12 I am the Lord, and I know
your terrible sins.
You cheat honest people
and take bribes;
you rob the poor of justice.
13 Times are so evil
that anyone with good sense
will keep quiet.
14 If you really want to live,
you must stop doing wrong
and start doing right.
I, the Lord God All-Powerful,
will then be on your side,
just as you claim I am.
15 Choose good instead of evil!
See that justice is done.
Maybe I, the Lord All-Powerful,
will be kind to what's left
of your people.
Judgment Is Coming
16 This is what the Lord has sworn:
Noisy crying will be heard
in every town and street.
Even farmers will be told
to mourn for the dead,
together with those
who are paid to mourn.
17 Your vineyards will be filled
with crying and weeping,
because I will punish you.
I, the Lord, have spoken!
When the Lord Judges
18 You look forward to the day
when the Lord comes to judge.
But you are in for trouble!
It won't be a time of sunshine;
all will be darkness.
19 You will run from a lion,
only to meet a bear.
You will escape to your house,
rest your hand on the wall,
and be bitten by a snake.
20 The day when the Lord judges
will be dark, very dark,
without a ray of light.
What the Lord Demands
21 I, the Lord, hate and despise
your religious celebrations
and your times of worship.
22 I won't accept your offerings
or animal sacrifices—
not even your very best.
23 No more of your noisy songs!
I won't listen
when you play your harps.
24 But let justice and fairness
flow like a river
that never runs dry.
25 Israel, for forty years
you wandered in the desert,
without bringing offerings
or sacrifices to me.
26 Now you will have to carry
the two idols you made—
Sakkuth, the one you call king,
and Kaiwan, the one you built
in the shape of a star.
27 I will force you to march
as captives beyond Damascus.
I, the Lord God All-Powerful,
have spoken!
Shandukilani ku Ndzimu
1 Ihwani matama awa andinoleba nge kwenyu, Baiziraela, ndimulilila.
2 Wanyalala mwanadi Iziraela,
aangatjalebeleke kakale!
Ulele mu shango iye akalashiwa.
Akuna ungammusa.
3 Etji nditjo tjinolebgwa ndi She Yahwe beti, “Nzi wadusa babhayani bali tjiwulu (1 000) mu Iziraela, kunobhayana unowosaligwa nge bali zana (100) ling'ompela, wadusa bali zana unosaligwa nge bali gumi koga.”
4 Etji nditjo tjinolebgwa ndi Yahwe ku Baiziraela beti, “Izhani kundili mutjile. 5 Musiyende ku Bhetele, musingine mu Giligala, kene kuli ku Bheerisheba, ngoti Giligala unowotapiwa, Bhetele unowolobesiwa.” 6 Izhani kuna Yahwe mutjile, kusajalo banowozha bepisa pisa Iziraela se bhuba le moto, moto iwoyo unowopisabo Bhetele ngono akuna unowoudzima. 7 Imwi munoshandula lebeswa likababa, mukalashila ndulamo kutjena.
8 Ibo bakathama nyenyedzi dze Tjiyendan'gwi ne dze Ngulube,
banoshandula zhalima lakatizwititi likabe mangwanana,
bakashandula masikati bakaathama busiku.
Ibo banodana vula dze gungwa bakadzitebulila mu shango.
Yahwe ndilo zina labo,
9 ibo banolobesa bakasima,
bakakolomodza matizhilo akasima.
10 Imwi munobenga iye unotjemela pa lubazhe, mukashima banoleba malebeswa, 11 se mutshamba bashayi mukabatolela mathunde, kene makabaka ng'umba dze mamo nge mabgwe akabezhiwa, amutowogala mudzili. Kene mukalima minda ye mizhambi yakanaka, amutowong'wa nkumbi yayo. 12 Ngoti ndoziba kuti matjinyo enyu mangana ne kuti zwibi zwenyu zwingapani. Imwi munodziyidza balulwami, mukatengwa, mukalambila bashayi lebeswa lakabalingisana mu mabazhe. 13 Ipapo ntjenjedu unowonyalala mu tjibaka itjetjo, ngoti tjibaka tjakabipa.
14 Shingani ndulamo, musithame mbipo, ndizo mutjile. Ipapo Yahwe Ndzimu Masimbawose banowobe namwi sekwa munoleba. 15 Bengani mbipo, mude ndulamo, mulondolodze lebeswa mu mabazhe, pamwe Yahwe Ndzimu Masimbawose banowohwila ngoni malimbelimbe e Iziraela.
16 Ndizo She Ndzimu Masimbawose, Yahwe bakati, “Kowobe ne guwo mu zila dzose ne zwililo zwinogwadza mu mashanganilo. Balimi banowodanigwa kulila, ne nyambi dze balili mu njifu dzikadanigwa kukuwa guwo. 17 Kowobe ne guwo mu minda yose ye mizhambi ngoti ndowomuloba shamu.” Koleba Yahwe. 18 Yee mme wee! Mapalala imwi munoshuba zhuba la Yahwe! Molishubilani zhuba la Yahwe kene? Zhuba ilelo lowobe zhalima, alitowobe tjedza. 19 Kowonga nthu unotizha shumba, ebe eshangana ne nyati, kene se nthu wangina mu ng'umba ebe enayila guma nge luboko nyoka ibe in'luma. 20 Apa zhuba la Yahwe alitowobe zhalima lisina tjedza, lakati zwititi lisina njemu kene?
21 Ndobenga mizano yenyu ye kunamata, ndoyilingila pasi, andingamilane ne mishangano yenyu. 22 Kene mungandipa zwibhayilo zwinopisiwa, nenge zwe mathunde, andingazwiamutjile. Kene mungazhisa zwibhayilo zwe phuka dzenyu dzakakodziwa, zwe mbakiso andingazwiyele njele. 23 Nyaladzani zhoba ye njimbo dzenyu pandili, andingahwilile milidzo ye zwilidzo zwenyu. 24 Koga lebeswa ngaliwunge se vula, ndulamo iwunge se gwizi gusingapinde.
25 Apa makandipa zwibhayilo ne zwipo mu makole ali makumi manna, muli mu tjilambanyika kene, imwi Baiziraela? 26 Makasenga Sakuti mambo wenyu na Kaiwani ndzimwana wenyu we nyenyedzi, zwifano zwamakazwithamigwa. 27 Ndizo ndowothama kuti mutapigwe ndiyeno kwe Damasiko. Koleba Yahwe we zina linoyi Ndzimu Masimbawose.