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.”
Mbhatshi we Iziraela
1 Nyalalani munditeedze, imwi shango dzimu tjekelo dze gungwa,
bathu ngabamusidzile matatabuko abo,
ngabasedzele ngono balebeleke,
ngatishanganeni pa lubazhe panosumikilisigwa.
2 Ndiani wakaweba nkundi kudwa ku bhezhuba,
endana nge ndulamo kuwoshinga nshingo uwe?
Banolonga zwitjaba mu maboko awe,
bakatebamisa bomambo pasi kukwe.
Unobatemela pasi nge bukanu gugwe bakanga hwuluba,
unobapaladza nge dati lile bakanga bunye guwulusiwa nge phepo.
3 Unotatana nabo koga edwilila kusina tjinodziidza,
ali mu zila yaasakatongo tshamba.
4 Ndiani kene wakakuthama ikoku?
Ndiani wakasika njudzi kudwa mu kutangisa?
Imi Yahwe ndimi ndakabe ndilipo mu kutangisa,
ne ku bupelo ndowobe we bupelo.
5 Shango dzimu tjekelo dze gungwa dzakabona dzikatja,
phelelo dze shango dzakatetema,
dzakasedzela pejo dzikazha.
6 Imwe ne imwe inobhatsha mbakidzani wayo,
ikadwa ikamu tjayo ikati,
“Sima.”
7 Mbezhi unokulumbidza nthuli we golide,
unobuyapidza nge hamuli unokulumbidza unokatshakatsha kupa mbumbiko eti,
“Kwakanaka.” Banobhatshanya ifano nge zwipikiri
kuti tjisitongo zunguzika.
8 Koga iwe Iziraela, nlanda wangu,
iwe Jakubo wandakashalula,
ludzi gwa Abhurahama nzwalani wangu.
9 Ndakakutola ku phelelo dze shango,
ndakakudana kudwa mu midzibo ikule
nditi, “Iwe unlanda wangu,
ndakakushalula, andizokulashila kutjena.”
10 Usitje ngoti imi ndinawe,
usitemeke mafupa ngoti ndi Ndzimu uwo.
Ndowokusimisa, ndowokubhatsha.
Ndowokutabila nge luboko gwangu gwakalulwama gwe luji.
11 Bona, bose bakakugwadzila moyo
banowobhakhwa nge shoni bakashushubala.
Banogwa nawe,
abatowobe tjimwe ngono banowoloba.
12 Unowobashaka ibabo banogwisana nawe,
koga awutowobawana,
ibabo banogwa nawe
abatowonga tjimwe.
13 Ngoti imi Yahwe Ndzimu uwo
ndakakubhata nge luboko gwe luji.
Ndimi ndinokudwa nditi, “Usitje,
ndowokubhatsha,”
14 Usitje iwe gonye Jakubo,
imwi balume be Iziraela,
ngoti imi ndowomubhatsha.
Koleba Yahwe.
Ndzutunuli wenyu, Wakayengemala we Iziraela.
15 Bonani, ndowomuthama tjileyi tjinoshokola,
tjitshwa tjina meno anopitsha.
Mowoshokola matombo mukaapkhwanya,
matuthu iwo moasiya enga bunye.
16 Mowobawulusa ngono phepo ikabasengela kutjena,
dutu ilo lowobapaladza.
Ngono ipapo mowoshatha muna Yahwe,
muna Wakayengemala we Iziraela mowokudza.
17 Bashayi ne banosheta ha beshaka vula,
koga vula kusina,
ngono bawoma nge nyota,
imi Yahwe ndowobadabila.
Imi Ndzimu we Iziraela andingabalashe.
18 Ndowothama njizi pezhugwi kwe shongwe dzipa lubala,
ne misenya ye vula mu mikuku.
Ndowothama dziba le vula mu tjilambanyika
ne mu shango yakawoma kowobe ne misenya ye vula.
19 Mu tjilambanyika ndowomedza misida
ne miwunga ne miritile ne mitoba,
mu tjilambanyika ndowomedza misipuri,
ne mitjetjeni ne miti ye payini,
20 kuti bathu babone bazibe,
bakumbule bahwisise,
kuti luboko gwa Yahwe gwakakuthama ikoku,
kuti Wakayengemala we Iziraela wakakubumba.
21 Yahwe bakati, “Bikani ndebo yenyu,
lebani tjamunong'ong'ola ngekwatjo.”
Kojalo mambo wa Jakubo.
22 Zhisani zwifano zwenyu zwitibudze
tjinowoshingikala.
Mutibudze kuti zwe kutanga kushingikala ndi zwipi,
ndizo tizwikumbule,
ngono tizibe bheledzo lazo,
kene mutibudze zwinozha.
23 Mutibudze tjinowoshingikala kudwa ipapano,
kuyita kuti tizibe kuti mu midzimu,
thamani tjakanaka kene tjakabipa,
kuyita kuti tipaluke moyo titje.
24 Bonani, nge malebeswa amutemuli tjimwe,
ne tjamungashinga akuna,
ha alipo ungamushalula unoshimika.
25 Ndakadzonga mmwe ku bunandzwa, ngono unozha
edwa kunobhuda zhuba unowodana zina langu.
Unotshamba babusi se unotshamba vu,
se mbumbi esinyanga ntapkhwi.
26 Ndiani wakakuleba kudwa mu kutangisa, kuita kuti tizibe,
ndiani wakakuleba kusathu kukabepo, kuita kuti titi, “Unolebesa.”
Akuna wakakuleba, akuna wakakuzibisa,
akuna wakahwa matama enyu.
27 Ndimi we kutanga kukuzibisa Ziyoni,
ndakamilidza hwi abudza Jerusalema ndebo mbuya.
28 Koga ha ndilinga akuna ne ng'ompela,
pakati kwabo akuna nkumbuludzi
ungati ha ndibhuzwa kandidabila.
29 Bonani, bose koga abateli tjimwe,
akuna tjabangathama.
Midzimu yabo ye zwifano aiteli tjimwe.