God Promises to Rescue His People
1 Israel, the Lord who created you says,
“Do not be afraid—I will save you.
I have called you by name—you are mine.
2 When you pass through deep waters, I will be with you;
your troubles will not overwhelm you.
When you pass through fire, you will not be burned;
the hard trials that come will not hurt you.
3 For I am the Lord your God,
the holy God of Israel, who saves you.
I will give up Egypt to set you free;
I will give up Ethiopia and Seba.
4 I will give up whole nations to save your life,
because you are precious to me
and because I love you and give you honor.
5 Do not be afraid—I am with you!
“From the distant east and the farthest west
I will bring your people home.
6 I will tell the north to let them go
and the south not to hold them back.
Let my people return from distant lands,
from every part of the world.
7 They are my own people,
and I created them to bring me glory.”
Israel Is the Lord's Witness
8 God says,
“Summon my people to court.
They have eyes, but they are blind;
they have ears, but they are deaf!
9 Summon the nations to come to the trial.
Which of their gods can predict the future?
Which of them foretold what is happening now?
Let these gods bring in their witnesses
to prove that they are right,
to testify to the truth of their words.
10 “People of Israel, you are my witnesses;
I chose you to be my servant,
so that you would know me and believe in me
and understand that I am the only God.
Besides me there is no other god;
there never was and never will be.
11 “I alone am the Lord,
the only one who can save you.
12 I predicted what would happen,
and then I came to your aid.
No foreign god has ever done this;
you are my witnesses.
13 I am God and always will be.
No one can escape from my power;
no one can change what I do.”
Escape from Babylon
14 Israel's holy God, the Lord who saves you, says,
“To save you, I will send an army against Babylon;
I will break down the city gates,
and the shouts of her people will turn into crying.
15 I am the Lord, your holy God.
I created you, Israel, and I am your king.”
16 Long ago the Lord made a road through the sea,
a path through the swirling waters.
17 He led a mighty army to destruction,
an army of chariots and horses.
Down they fell, never to rise,
snuffed out like the flame of a lamp!
18 But the Lord says,
“Do not cling to events of the past
or dwell on what happened long ago.
19 Watch for the new thing I am going to do.
It is happening already—you can see it now!
I will make a road through the wilderness
and give you streams of water there.
20 Even the wild animals will honor me;
jackals and ostriches will praise me
when I make rivers flow in the desert
to give water to my chosen people.
21 They are the people I made for myself,
and they will sing my praises!”
Israel's Sin
22 The Lord says,
“But you were tired of me, Israel;
you did not worship me.
23 You did not bring me your burnt offerings of sheep;
you did not honor me with your sacrifices.
I did not burden you by demanding offerings
or wear you out by asking for incense.
24 You didn't buy incense for me
or satisfy me with the fat of your animals.
Instead you burdened me with your sins;
you wore me out with the wrongs you have committed.
25 And yet, I am the God who forgives your sins,
and I do this because of who I am.
I will not hold your sins against you.
26 “Let us go to court; bring your accusation!
Present your case to prove you are in the right!
27 Your earliest ancestor sinned;
your leaders sinned against me,
28 and your rulers profaned my sanctuary.
So I brought destruction on Israel;
I let my own people be insulted.”
Ndzimu unogadzabgwe kugwila bathu bawo
1 Ngono ngwenu yetji nditjo tjinolebgwa ndi Yahwe,
ibo bakakubumba iwe Jakubo,
ibo bakakuthama iwe Iziraela bakati,
“Usitje, ngoti ndakakudzutunula,
ndakakudana nge zina, iwe uwangu.
2 Unowoti upalama vula, ndowobe nawe,
kene utjuluka njizi adzitowokusenga.
Ha upalama moto awutowokupisa,
mithuto yawo ayitowokupisa.
3 Ngoti ndimi Yahwe, Ndzimu uwo,
ndi Wakayengemala we Iziraela, Ntjidzi uwo.
Ndodusa Egipiti se tjidzutunulo tjitjo,
ne Etopiya ne Seba ndobatenganya nawe.
4 Se udika kundili kakale ukudziwa,
kakale ndikuda,
ndodusa bathu mu tjimo tjitjo,
ndokutenganya ne zwitjaba kuti utjile.
5 Usitje, ngoti ndinawe,
ndowodusa bana babo kudwa ku bhezhuba,
ndowobakubunganya
ne kudwa ku golombedzo.
6 Ku bunandzwa ndowoti,
‘Ubazhise.’ Burwa ndowogudwa ati,
Usibabhatilile. Zhisani bakololo bangu kudwa kule,
ne bakololokadzi kudwa ku ndzibo we shango.
7 Mmwe ne mmwe wandakadana nge zina,
wandakabumbila gudzo langu,
wandakabumba kakale athama.”
8 Zhisani bathu ibaba bana mesho basingabone,
bana zebe koga abatohwa.
9 Kubunganyani zwitjaba zose,
bathu ngabakubungane.
Ndiupi mu bali wakaleba ikoku,
katibudza kutji kale zwithu zwe kutanga?
Ngabazhise batendeki babo kutendeka kuti banolebesa,
kuti bamwe bahwe bati, “Ku malebeswa.”
10 Imwi mu batendeki bangu,
kojalo Yahwe ne nlanda wangu wandakashalula,
kuti muzibe mugalemoyo mu ndili ne kuhwisisa kuti ndi iye.
Akuna ndzimu mmwe wakatongo bepo mbeli kwangu,
naiko akuna unowobepo shule kwangu.
11 Imi, ndimi Yahwe,
kuzhe kwangu imi akuna ntjidzi.
12 Ndakakuleba kusathu kukabepo atjidza azibisa
pakabe kusina ndzimu we butaya pakati kwenyu,
kakale mu batendeki bangu,
koleba Yahwe.
13 Ndi Ndzimu ne kuyenda mbeli ndowogala ndili iwo.
Akuna ungasunungula umu maboko angu,
tjandinothama akuna ungatjibgwiliza shule.
Pudzumuka mu Bhabhiloni
14 Yahwe banolebeleka,
ibo Ndzutunuli wenyu, ibo Wakayengemala we Iziraela bakati,
“Ndowotuma ngwa kunobhayana ne Bhabhiloni nge kwenyu,
ndowovuna panda dze mikoba,
Bakhaladiya mima yabo inowobe ye tjililo.
15 Ndimi Yahwe, ndi wenyu Wakayengemala,
mbumbi we Iziraela, mambo wenyu.”
16 Yahwe banolebeleka,
ibo banozhula zila mu gungwa,
banozhula zijana mu vula dzina masimba,
17 ibo banokunda koloyi dze ngwa ne mbizi,
ngwa ne babhayani, banowila pasi,
bakasitongo muka kakale,
kobe kwapela ku bali,
bakanga luvone gwadzimiwa.
18 “Musialakane zwithu zwe kutanga,
kene kukumbula zwithu zwa ntolo.
19 Bonani, ndabe pejo ngothama tjithu tjitshwa,
ngono tjoshingikala kale,
amutotjibona kene?
Ndowozhula zila mu tjilambanyika
ne njizi mu shango yakawoma.
20 Phuka dze shango dzowondikudza,
phungubgwe ne fukumudzi,
ngoti ndodzipa vula mu tjilambanyika,
ne njizi mu shango yakawoma,
kupa bathu bangu, bashalugwa bangu, vula kungwa.
21 Bathu bandakazwibumbigwa,
kuita kuti bandikudze.
22 “Koga amuzondidana, iwe Jakubo,
koga ndakamunyadza, iwe Iziraela.
23 Amuzondizhisila pkhwizi dze zwibhayilo zwinopisiwa,
kene kuli kundikudza nge zwipo zwenyu.
Andizomulemesela nge zwipo zwe mathunde,
kene kumunyadza nge motsha.
24 Amuzotongo nditengela pkhwe inozipa nge mari,
kene mukandigutsha nge mafuta e zwipo zwenyu.
Koga makandikhiga ntolo we zwibi zwenyu,
makandinyadza nge milandu yenyu.
25 Imi, ndimi tshumula matjinyo enyu nge kwangu,
kakale andingakumbule zwibi zwenyu.
26 Ngati yendeni ku lubazhe,
munondilakidza nlandu wangu.
Bikani ndebo yenyu,
ndizo mutendekegwe kuti makatambunuka.
27 Tate benyu be kutanga bakatjinya,
balebelekeli benyu bakandipandukila.
28 Ndizo wali ndolingila pasi
batungamili be bugalo gwakayengemala,
ngono ndowothama kuti Jakubo akolomodziwe,
Iziraela unowosapugwa.