Israel's Unfaithfulness
1 The Lord told me 2 to go to Jerusalem and tell everyone that he had said:
When you were my young bride,
you loved me and followed me
through the barren desert.
3 You belonged to me alone,
like the first part of the harvest,
and I severely punished
those who mistreated you.
4 Listen, people of Israel,
5 and I, the Lord, will speak.
I was never unfair
to your ancestors,
but they left me
and became worthless
by following worthless idols.
6 Your ancestors refused
to ask for my help,
though I had rescued them
from Egypt
and led them through
a treacherous, barren desert,
where no one lives
or dares to travel.
7 I brought you here to my land,
where food is abundant,
but you made my land filthy
with your sins.
8 The priests who teach my laws
don't care to know me.
Your leaders rebel against me;
your prophets
give messages from Baal
and worship false gods.
The Lord Accuses His People
9 I will take you to court
and accuse you
and your descendants
* 10 of a crime that no nation
has ever committed before.
Just ask anyone, anywhere,
from the eastern deserts
to the islands in the west.
11 You will find that no nation
has ever abandoned its gods
even though they were false.
I am the true and glorious God,
but you have rejected me
to worship idols.
12 Tell the heavens
to tremble with fear!
13 You, my people, have sinned
in two ways—
you have rejected me, the source
of life-giving water,
and you've tried to collect water
in cracked and leaking pits
dug in the ground.
14 People of Israel,
you weren't born slaves;
you were captured in war.
15 Enemies roared like lions
and destroyed your land;
towns lie burned and empty.
16 Soldiers from the Egyptian towns
of Memphis and Tahpanhes
have cracked your skulls.
17 It's all your own fault!
You stopped following me,
the Lord your God,
18 and you trusted the power
of Egypt and Assyria.
19 Your own sins will punish you,
because it was a bitter mistake
for you to reject me
without fear of punishment.
I, the Lord All-Powerful,
have spoken.
20 Long ago you left me
and broke all ties between us,
refusing to be my servant.
Now you worship other gods
by having sex
on hilltops or in the shade
of large trees.
21 You were a choice grapevine,
but you have become
a wild, useless vine.
Israel Is Stained with Guilt
22 The Lord said:
People of Israel,
you are stained with guilt,
and no soap or bleach
can wash it away.
23 You deny your sins
and say, “We aren't unclean.
We haven't worshiped Baal.”
But think about what you do
in Hinnom Valley.
You run back and forth
like young camels,
as you rush to worship one idol
after another.
24 You are a female donkey
sniffing the desert air,
wanting to mate
with just anyone.
You are an easy catch!
25 Your shoes are worn out,
and your throat is parched
from running here and there
to worship foreign gods.
“Stop!” I shouted,
but you replied, “No!
I love those gods too much.”
26 You and your leaders
are more disgraceful
than thieves—
you and your kings,
your priests and prophets
27 worship stone idols
and sacred poles
as if they had created you
and had given you life.
You have rejected me,
but when you're in trouble,
you cry to me for help.
28 Go cry to the gods you made!
There should be enough of them
to save you,
because Judah has as many gods
as it has towns.
Israel Rebels against the Lord
29 The Lord said to Israel:
You accuse me of not saving you,
but I say you have rebelled.
30 I tried punishing you,
but you refused
to come back to me,
and like fierce lions
you killed my prophets.
31 Now listen to what I say!
Did I abandon you in the desert
or surround you with darkness?
You are my people,
yet you have told me,
“We'll do what we want,
and we refuse
to worship you!”
32 A bride could not forget
to wear her jewelry
to her wedding,
but you have forgotten me
day after day.
33 You are so clever
at finding lovers
that you could give lessons
to a prostitute.
34 You killed innocent people
for no reason at all.
And even though their blood
can be seen on your clothes,
35 you claim to be innocent,
and you want me to stop
being angry with you.
So I'll take you to court,
and we'll see who is right.
36 When Assyria let you down,
you quickly ran to Egypt,
but you'll find no help there,
37 and you will leave
in great sadness.
I won't let you find help
from those you trust.
Iziraela inofupatila Ndzimu
1 Dama la Yahwe lakazha kundili liti,
2 “Yenda unoleba mu zebe dze Jerusalema uti,
‘Yahwe bakati, “Ndokumbula kuzwipa kwe butjetjana gugo
ne ludo gugo gwakabe gunga gwe nlongo,
ugala wakandisala shule mu tjilambanyika,
mu shango isakadzwagwa tjimwe.
3 Iziraela yakabe yakayengemala kuna Yahwe,
ntjelo we kutanga we kuvuna kukwe.
Bose bakabatja bakazwibona nlandu
bubi gukabawila,” ’ ”
koleba Yahwe.
4 Ihwani dama la Yahwe imwi ng'umba ya Jakubo ne misha yose ye ng'umba ye Iziraela. 5 Yahwe bakati,
“Nlandu wakawang'wa ndi bobatategulu benyu mu ndili ndiupi,
wakayita kuti bayendile kule nami,
basale shule midzimu isina bhatsho
ngono bakabe basi betjimwe kundili kene?
6 Abazobhuzwa beti, ‘Yahwe bangayi kene,
ibo bakatidusa mu shango ye Egipiti,
ibo bakatitungamila mu tjilambanyika,
mu shango yakakwakwalala ina makomba,
mu shango ye bhamba ne zhalima demadema,
mu shango isina unoipalama,
kusina nthu unogala muili kene?’
7 Ndakamuzhisa mu shango ye bhokonyogwa,
kuti muje mitjelo yayo na zose zwayo zwakanaka.
Koga makati mungina muili mukatemapadza shango yangu,
mukathama thaka yangu tjinoshimisa.
8 Bapirisiti abazobhuzwa beti, ‘Yahwe bangayi kene?’
Ibo bakabe beshinga nge nlayo bakabe basinga ndizibe,
balauli bakandipandukila,
balebesambeli belebelekelambeli na Bhaale,
bakasala shule midzimu isina bhatsho.
9 “Ndizo ndina ndebo namwi,”
koleba Yahwe.
“Nenge bana be bana benyu ndowobe ne ndebo nabo.
10 Tjulukilani ku tjekelo dze Khitimu mubone,
kene tumani bathu ku Kedari banolingisisa nge njele,
mubone kuti kwakatongobe ne tjakajali kene.
11 Apa itjaba tjakatongo teetshanya midzimu yatjo,
nenguba isi midzimu dumbu kene?
Koga bathu bangu bakateetshanya gudzo labo,
nge midzimu isina bhatsho.
12 Kaabalani imwi mazhuzhugwi ngekwa itjetji,
Lobgwani ne hana musale musina mate,”
koleba Yahwe.
13 “Ngoti bathu bangu bathama zwibi zwibili,
bakandifupatila,
imi tshime le vula ye butjilo,
bakazwitshila matshime abo,
matshime ana mikhwe asingabhate vula.
14 “Apa Iziraela i nlanda kene?
Apa wakazwaligwa mu bulanda kene?
Ini ngono abe thundu inotapiwa?
15 Shumba dzakambombela,
dzakabombela pezhugwi.
Dzakathama kuti shango iye ithukudzike,
mizi mikulu iye matongo asina bagali.
16 Pezhugwi kwa ipapo balume be Memifisi ne Tahefanesi
bakapkhwanya ipepe tje nsholo uwo.
17 Apa amuzozwizhisila itjetji pezhugwi kwenyu,
nge kufupatila Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu,
tjibaka tjabakabe bakamutungamila mu zila kene?
18 Ngwenu mobuyigwa ngeni kuyenda ku Egipiti,
kunong'wa vula dze Naili kene?
Kene mobuyigwa ngeni ngoyenda ku Asiriya
kunong'wa vula dze Yufuratesi kene?
19 Bubi gwenyu gowomuloba shamu,
kuzwilasha kwenyu kowomutjemela.
Zibani kakale bonani kuti kwakabipa kakale kobaba
kufupatila She Yahwe wenyu,
kunditja akupo mu muli,”
koleba Yahwe Ndzimu Masimbawose.
20 “Ngoti kwatjibe tjibaka makavuna jokwi lenyu
makathubula misungo yenyu,
ngono muti, ‘Atitowomushingila.’
Ee, mu duthu limwe ne limwe lefulefu,
ne kusi kwe miti mimwe ne mimwe mitala
mukalala pasi se fukula.
21 Ngono imi ndakamudzwala muli nzhambi mbuyanana,
muli mbewu yakanaka dumbu.
Kwakazha tjini kuti mundishandukile mube bakabola
mube nzhambi we shango kene?
22 Nenguba mungula nge isipa
mukashingisa isipa tjinjinji,
kubasa kwe jinyo lenyu kutji mbeli kwangu,
koleba She Yahwe.
23 Mungaleba tjini wali muti, ‘Atizotemapala
atizotobela bo Bhaale?’
Bonani kuti makazwibhata tjini ku nkuku,
bonani zwamakathama,
monga kamela hadzi,
inolabuka iyenda yeno na yeno itjuluka zila ishaka ndume,
24 monga donki tje shango tjakawolobela tjilambanyika,
tjinuhwidza phepo tjikwiyigwa,
ndiyani ungadziba njemulo dzatjo wali?
Bose banotjishaka akuna unozwinyadza nge kwatjo,
mu tjibaka tje kukwiyigwa banowotjibona.
25 Musitizhe kudzina matshambo enyu esubuka
ne hwulo dzenyu dzikawomelela nge nyota.
Koga makati, ‘Akutobhatsha,
ngoti takada midzimu ipoga,
ngono towoitobela.’
26 “Koga se mbava inobhakhwa nge shoni yabhakhwa
ne ng'umba ye Iziraela bo inobhakhwa nge shoni,
ibo na bomambo babo ne makulukota abo
ne bapirisiti babo ne balebesambeli babo,
27 ibo banoti ku guni, ‘U tate bedu,’
ku bgwe bakati, ‘Makatizwala,’
ngoti bakandifupatila
pana kuti bashandukile kundili,
koga abali mu mang'oni banoti,
‘Milikani mutitjidze!’
28 Midzimu yenyu ingayi,
iyo yamakazwithamila kene?
Ngaimilike ha ingamutjidza,
mu tjibaka tje mang'oni enyu,
ngoti koga se bunji gwe mizi yenyu
ne midzimu yenyu minji bo, imwi Bajuda.
29 “Ini mung'ong'ola nge kwangu?
Makandipandukila,
koleba Yahwe.
30 “Bana benyu ndakabalobela suli,
abazo tjemeleka,
mathumo enyu anolobesa balebesambeli benyu
se shumba inozandabula.
31 Koga tjizekugwana ndimwi bhulutanani dama la Yahwe.
Apa ndakatongobe tjilambanyika ku Iziraela kene,
kene abe shango ye ishaka tjakati tshi?
Ngono ini bathu bangu beti, ‘Takasununguka,
atingazhe kumuli kene?’
32 Apa mwanadi ungakangang'wa zwizholo zwizwe,
kene nlongo thako iye ye ndobolo kene?
Bathu bangu bakandikangang'wa,
kwe mazhuba asina mbalo.
33 “Moziba seni zila yenyu yekushaka ludo
bakadzi be zwinyanya bangazwidiya mu muli.
34 Ne mu zwiambalo zwenyu kowanika
malopa e bashayi basina nlandu,
koga musakabawana bepkhwanya ng'umba,
ne kwakajalo,
35 moti, ‘Atina nlandu,
nge malebeswa gwadzamoyo kwabo kwashanduka patili.’
Bonani, ndowomuzhisa kuti musumikilisiwe,
ngoti makati, ‘Amuzo thama tjibi.’
36 Ini mugala mushandula zila dzenyu tjinyolotjo?
Mowobhatisiwa shoni ne Egipiti
sekwa makabhatisiwa shoni ne Asiriya.
37 Ne muili mowobhuda koga,
makasenga maboko mu misholo yenyu,
ngoti Yahwe balamba ibabo bamunogalabgwe,
ngono amutowobhudilila nge kwabo.