Kuwa kwe Bhabhiloni
1 Deluka ugale mu hwuluba,
iwe mwanadi we Bhabhiloni.
Gala pasi pasina tjigalo tje bumambo,
iwe nkololokadzi we Bakhaladiya.
Nge kuti awungabe utjadang'wa kuyi nnyolo wakatebama.
2 Tola gwiyilo ukwiye bgwisa,
dusa tukwi iyo mu nsholo,
ukanye thako iyo, makumbo awo abe patjena upalame vula utjuluke njizi.
3 Unowobonegwa, ne kubhakhwa nge shoni kuko kowobe patjena.
Ndowobgwilizila, akuna wandinowosiya.
4 Ndzutunuli wedu zina lile ndi Yahwe Masimbawose,
Wakayengemala we Iziraela.
5 Gala unyalale, uyende mu zhalima,
iwe nkololokadzi we Bakhaladiya.
Ngoti awutjowodang'wa
nfumakadzi we bumambo.
6 Ndakabe ndagwadzila moyo bathu bangu,
ndakalengudza thaka yangu,
abalonga mu maboko awo,
ngono ukasibahwile ngoni,
ne bakwegula ukabatilika jokwi linolema.
7 Wakazwidwa ukati, “Ndowobe nfumakadzi nge kusingapele.”
Ndizo wali usakalonga zwithu izwezwi mu moyo
kene kuli kukumbula kuti konopela kwakatini.
8 Ndizo ngwenu wali ihwa woku iwe unoda kuzwishathisa nge mizipo,
ugele uti wakabakililika,
uzwidwa mu moyo uti,
“Imi ndimi, akuna mmwe kuzhe kwangu,
andingatongobe tjilikadzi
kene kuli kulashikigwa nge bana.”
9 Zose izwezwi zwibili zowokuwila pawakakangang'wa mu zhuba ling'ompela,
kulashikigwa nge bana ne butjilikadzi
zowokuwila nge buzhalo pakati kwe bung'anga gugo ne simba gulu le masalamusi awo.
10 Wakazwiwana wakadzikama pakati kwe bubi gugo uti,
“Akuna unondibona.” Butjenjedu gugo ne zibo iyo zwakakulasha,
ngono ukazwidwa mu moyo uwo ukati,
“Imi ndimi, akuna mmwe kuzhe kwangu.”
11 Mbatsha dzowokuwila,
dzausingake ukadusa nge bung'anga gugo,
zwibiibi zowokuwila zwausingake ukadusila kutjena nawe,
golomodzo lausingazibe nge kwalo lowokuzhila tjinyolotjo.
12 Dwilila wakasima mu masalamusi awo ne bung'anga gugo gwakawanda,
igo gwetjinga gwawakashinga nago kudwila mu butjetjana gugo,
pamwe unowowatshika, pamwe unozhisa kutja.
13 Wanyadziwa nge zwikumbuludzo zwaunopiwa.
Ngabazhe ibabo banazibo ngekwe zhuzhugwi bakutjidze,
ibabo banozwidiya ngekwe nyenyedzi,
banoti mwedzi mmwe ne mmwe ugala bakaleba zwinowokuzhila.
14 Nge malebeswa banonga malala e bushwa,
moto unowobapisa ukabapedza.
Ibo nge kwabo abangazwitjidze mu nthuto we moto.
Ipapa akuna masimbe e moto nthu aangazwidziyisa ndiwo,
akuna moto ungadziiwa.
15 Ikoku koga ndiko kwabangakuthamila,
ibo ibaba bawakashinga nabo museenyelana kudwa mu butjetjana gugo.
Bose banowokusiya, mmwe ne mmwe eyenda nge zila iye,
akuna unowosala ungakutjidza.
Babylon Will Fall
The Lord said:
1 City of Babylon,
You are delicate
and untouched,
but that will change.
Surrender your royal power
and sit in the dirt.
2 Start grinding grain!
Take off your veil.
Strip off your fancy clothes
and wade across rivers.
3 You will suffer the shame
of going naked,
because I will take revenge,
and no one can escape.
4 I am the Lord All-Powerful,
the holy God of Israel.
I am their Savior.
5 Babylon, be silent!
Sit in the dark.
No longer will nations
accept you as their queen.
6 I was angry with my people.
So I let you take their land
and bring disgrace on them.
You showed them no mercy,
but were especially cruel
to those who were old.
7 You thought that you
would be queen forever.
You didn't care what you did;
it never entered your mind
that you might get caught.
8 You think that you alone
are all-powerful,
that you won't be a widow
or lose your children.
All you care about is pleasure,
but listen to what I say.
9 Your magic powers and charms
will suddenly fail,
then you will be a widow
and lose your children.
10 You hid behind evil
like a shield and said,
“No one can see me!”
You were fooled by your wisdom
and your knowledge;
you felt sure that you alone
were in full control.
11 But without warning,
disaster will strike—
and your magic charms
won't help at all.
12 Keep using your magic powers
and your charms
as you have always done.
Maybe—just maybe—
you will frighten somebody!
13 You have worn yourself out,
asking for advice
from those who study the stars
and tell the future
month after month.
Go ask them how to be saved
from what will happen.
14 People who trust the stars
are as helpless as straw
in a flaming fire.
No one can even keep warm,
sitting by a fire
that feeds only on straw.
15 These are the fortunetellers
you have done business with
all of your life.
But they don't know
where they are going,
and they can't save you.