1 The Lord Almighty says to the priests, “This command is for you: 2 You must honor me by what you do. If you will not listen to what I say, then I will bring a curse on you. I will put a curse on the things you receive for your support. In fact, I have already put a curse on them, because you do not take my command seriously. 3 I will punish your children and rub your faces in the dung of the animals you sacrifice—and you will be taken out to the dung heap. 4 Then you will know that I have given you this command, so that my covenant with the priests, the descendants of Levi, will not be broken.
5 “In my covenant I promised them life and well-being, and this is what I gave them, so that they might respect me. In those days they did respect and fear me. 6 They taught what was right, not what was wrong. They lived in harmony with me; they not only did what was right themselves, but they also helped many others to stop doing evil. 7 It is the duty of priests to teach the true knowledge of God. People should go to them to learn my will, because they are the messengers of the Lord Almighty.
8 “But now you priests have turned away from the right path. Your teaching has led many to do wrong. You have broken the covenant I made with you. 9 So I, in turn, will make the people of Israel despise you because you do not obey my will, and when you teach my people, you do not treat everyone alike.”
The People's Unfaithfulness to God
10 Don't we all have the same father? Didn't the same God create us all? Then why do we break our promises to one another, and why do we despise the covenant that God made with our ancestors? 11 The people of Judah have broken their promise to God and done a horrible thing in Jerusalem and all over the country. They have defiled the Temple which the Lord loves. Men have married women who worship foreign gods. 12 May the Lord remove from the community of Israel those who did this, and never again let them participate in the offerings our nation brings to the Lord Almighty.
13 This is another thing you do. You drown the Lord's altar with tears, weeping and wailing because he no longer accepts the offerings you bring him. 14 You ask why he no longer accepts them. It is because he knows you have broken your promise to the wife you married when you were young. She was your partner, and you have broken your promise to her, although you promised before God that you would be faithful to her. 15 Didn't God make you one body and spirit with her? What was his purpose in this? It was that you should have children who are truly God's people. So make sure that none of you breaks his promise to his wife. 16 “I hate divorce,” says the Lord God of Israel. “I hate it when one of you does such a cruel thing to his wife. Make sure that you do not break your promise to be faithful to your wife.”
The Day of Judgment Is Near
17 You have tired the Lord out with your talk. But you ask, “How have we tired him?” By saying, “The Lord Almighty thinks all evildoers are good; in fact he likes them.” Or by asking, “Where is the God who is supposed to be just?”
1 “Ngwenu nlayo iwoyu wakalingisana namwi imwi bapirisiti. 2 Ha musingawo hwilila, ha musingawo musa moyo kukudza zina langu, ndowomulonga bhiso abuya alonga bhiso mu makombolelo enyu, nge malebeswa ndaalonga bhiso kale nge kuti amutotongokumusila moyo. Koleba Yahwe Masimbawose. 3 Bonani, ndowotjemela bana benyu amuzhodza nswane mu njiso, ndowomuzhodza nswane we zwibhayilo zwenyu ngono ndowomudusa pandilipo.
4 “Ndizo mowoziba kuti ndatumila nlayo iwoyu kumuli kuyita kuti tjidumano tjangu na Levi tjidwilile. Koleba Yahwe Masimbawose. 5 Tjidumano tjangu naye tjakabe tjili tjidumano tje butjilo ne mbakiso, ndakampa izo kuti atete, ngono wakanditeta ngono kakudza zina langu. 6 Wakabe ediya malebeswa koga, akuna tjisilebeswa tjakadwa mu nlomo uwe. Wakabe etjila nami mu malebeswa akatambunuka ngono kashandula banji kudwa mu matjinyo. 7 Ngoti milomo ye mpirisiti yakafanila kubakilila zibo, ne bathu bakafanila kushaka kudiyiwa nge nlomo uwe ngoti ntumwa wa Yahwe Masimbawose. 8 Koga makapambuka mu zila, makathama banjinji nge kudiya kwenyu kuti batjinye, makatjinya tjidumano tja Levi. Koleba Yahwe Masimbawose. 9 Ndizo wali ndothama kuti ulengudzike usibe tjimwe mbeli kwe bathu bose se usakalondolodza zila dzangu koga wakabe usiyilila mu kudiya kuko.
Kusagalamoyo kwa Juda
10 “Apa tose atina tate bang'ompela kene? Apa atizobumbiwa nge Ndzimu nng'ompela kene? Ini tilengudza tjidumano tja botate bedu nge kusagalana moyo kene? 11 Juda aazogalika moyo, tjimwe tjinoshimisa tjakashingikala mu Iziraela ne mu Jerusalema. Juda wakalengudza bugalo gwakayengemala gwa Yahwe igo gwabanoda, ngolobola nkololokadzi we ndzimu upoga. 12 Yahwe ngabaduse mmwe ne mmwe unothama ikoku mu mishasha ya Jakubo una butendeki ngekwako nenguba edusila Yahwe Masimbawose tjibhayilo.
13 “Tjimwe etji naitjobo tjamunoshinga. Mozhadza tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo tja Yahwe nge mishodzi mulila mububula ngoti basingayitile hanya zwibhayilo zwenyu kene kuli kuzwiamutjila nge kushatha mu maboko enyu. 14 Mobhuzwa muti, ‘Kanti ini basingaamutjile?’ Hwuti Yahwe bakabe ntendeki pakati kuko ne nkadzi uwo we buzhuzha gugo wawusakagalika moyo kunli nenguba ali nkwinya uwo ali nkadzi uwo nge tjidumano. 15 Apa Ndzimu iwozwawo ate iwo wakababumba kube tjing'ompela kene? Nyama kose ne meya nge kwawo. Ndzimu iwoyu tjaunoda ini? Unoda bana bana Ndzimu mubali. Ndizo muzwibhate muthame kuti mmwe ne mmwe aletje kusagalika moyo ku nkadzi we buzhuzha gugwe. 16 Ngoti Yahwe Ndzimu we Iziraela bakati, ‘Ndoshima kukolomoka kwe ndobolo, ndoshima ne nthu unosumbika phipiti nge tjiambalo. Koleba Yahwe Masimbawose. Ndizo wali muzwiyele njele musibe basingagalike moyo.’
Zhuba le kusumikilisiwa
17 “Manyadza Yahwe nge matama enyu. Koga mobhuzwa muti, ‘Tabanyadza tjini?’ Mabanyadza ngoleba muti, ‘Bose banoshinga mbipo bakalulwama mu mesho a Yahwe, naiko banobashathila.’ Monyadza nge kubhuzwa muti, ‘Ungayi Ndzimu we kutambunuka?’ ”