Zogwadza zwe nzi nkulu
1 Wabe dongo seni nzi nkulu!
Nzi nkulu wakatongobe uli zhele bathu!
Wotjinga tjilikadzi iwo wakatongobe uli nkulu mu zwitjaba!
Iwo wakatongobe nkololokadzi mu zwitjaba
watjibe nlanda!
2 Unolila busiku gose,
mishodzi iye ili pa dama.
Mu zwamba zwizwe zose akuna unon'nyaladza
bakwinya babe bose bakan'tjebela
bakanshandukila batjibe zwita zwizwe!
3 Juda watapiwa ngo dziyidzika ne bulanda gwakabipa.
Wotjigala pakati kwe zwitjaba,
akuna iko kwaanga nyaluluka!
Batatamili babe banon'kulila,
pakati kwe manikano dzidze!
4 Zila dzinoyenda ku Ziyoni dzolila
akutjina banoyenda ku mizano yakabigwa,
mabazhe awe wose aatjina bathu,
bapirisiti bayo banogomela koga.
Baanadi bayo bamu tjililo,
Ziyoni imu buyendasi bukulu!
5 Zwita zwizwe zombusa
zwita zwizwe zwakabhudilila.
Ngoti Yahwe banthama kuti adziyile
adziyile ngekwe zwibi zwizwe zwinji.
Bana babe bakatapiwa
betapiwa mbeli kwe zwita.
6 Gudzo le nkololokadzi Ziyoni lafuluka,
batungamili bayo botjinga mapipha asina fulo,
anoyenda asina matatabuko,
akanyala kutizha bavimi.
7 Jerusalema unokumbula
mu mazhuba awe e kudziyidzika ne zogwadza
zose zwakanaka kudwa mazhuba a ntolo,
e bathu babe bewila mu maboko e zwita,
kusina ne ng'ompela kumbhatsha,
zwita zwizwe zwimpembelela,
zwidada ngekwe kuwa kukwe.
8 Jerusalema wakathama tjibi tjakabipa
ndizo wabe ne shambgwa,
bose bakabe benkudza botjinlingila pasi,
ngoti bakabona mbujo iye,
wakazhalilana ngono unogala akafupatila.
9 Shambgwa yakabasa tjiambalo tjitje
koga aatokumbula kuti konopelela ngayi,
ndizo kuwa kukwe kwakabangalala seni,
aana n'nyaladzi.
“Imwi Yahwe, bonani kudziyidzika kwangu
ngoti tjita tjandikulila!”
10 Tjita tjakatambunudzila maboko atjo
pezhugwi kwe zwithu zwizwe zwakanaka,
nge malebeswa zwitjaba zwangina mu bugalo gugwe gwakayengemala
ibo bamakadzibila kungina mu gubungano lenyu.
11 Bathu babe bose banotshinda beshaka zojiwa,
banoteetshanya thundu yabo nge zojiwa
kuti ndizo batjile basife.
“Bonani, imwi Yahwe, ibeni nge hanya,
ngoti ndolingigwa pasi.”
12 “Apa akute kuli tjimwe kumuli
imwi bapindi be zila kene?
Lingani mubone,
apa kuna zogwadza zwinonga zwangu kene,
zwandakalongwa mu zwili kene?
Izo Yahwe zwabakandilonga,
mu zhuba le kugwadza moyo kwabo kukulu?
13 “Kudwa pezhugwi bakatumila moto
ukangina mu mafupa angu.
Bakawala gwanga mu makumbo angu,
bakathama kuti ndiwe ne tjashule
bakandisiya ndimaama koga,
nditimbama zhuba lose.
14 “Zwibi zwangu zwakasungiligwa
mu ntshibha wangu se jokwi,
zwakasunganyiwa nge luboko gwabo,
batilika jokwi labo mu ntshibha wangu,
bathama kuti simba langu lipele.
Yahwe bandilonga mu maboko
a ibabo bandisingake alingisana nabo.
15 “She abana hanya ne balume bangu bakasima bandinabo.
Bakatumila ngwa kubhayana nami ngolobesa bazhuzha bangu.
She batshambatshamba se tjiswinilo tje zhambi
mwanadi nkololokadzi we Juda.
16 “Ngekwe zwithu izwezwi ndolila,
mesho angu anowunga mishodzi,
akuna upejo kundinyaladza,
akuna unomusa meya yangu.
Bana bangu basala mu zhuba,
ngobe zwita zwangu zwakunda.”
17 Ziyoni wakatjinga nge maboko awe,
koga akuna iye unon'nyaladza.
Yahwe bakadusa ndaulo kulingisana na Jakubo,
kuti babakidzani naye babe zwita zwizwe.
Jerusalema yatjibe tjithu tjina shambgwa pakati kwabo.
18 “Yahwe bakalulwama,
imi ndimi ndakapandukila dama labo.
Bhulutanani imwi bathu bose,
kakale bonani kudziyidzika kwangu,
baanadi bangu ne bazhuzha bangu
bakatapiwa.
19 “Ndakadana zwamba zwangu
koga bakanditjebela,
bapirisiti bangu ne sholotjena
bakafila mu nzi nkulu,
batjavimana ne zojiwa
kuti batjile.
20 “Bonani, kaa Yahwe ndimu buyendasi,
meya dzangu dzakadzongeka,
moyo wangu auzogadzikana,
ngoti ndakapanduka kwazo.
Ku dzizila thumo lolila,
mu ng'umba lufu gu ipapobo.
21 “Ihwani sekwa ndinotshinda ndiko,
akuna iye unondinyaladza.
Zwita zwangu zwakahwa ngekwe mang'oni angu,
bakashathila tjamakandithama.
Zhisani kaa zhuba lamakaleba,
kuti ndizo zwifanane nami.
22 “Bubi gwabo bose ngaguzhe mbeli kwenyu,
mubathame koga sekwa makathama
nami ngekwe zwibi zwangu,
ngoti kutshinda kwangu kunjisa
ne moyo wangu wotjitimbama.”
Lonely Jerusalem
The Prophet Speaks:
1 Jerusalem, once so crowded,
lies deserted and lonely.
This city that was known
all over the world
is now like a widow.
This queen of the nations
has been made a slave.
2 Each night, bitter tears
flood her cheeks.
None of her former lovers
are there to offer comfort;
her friends have betrayed her
and are now her enemies.
3 The people of Judah are slaves,
suffering in a foreign land,
with no rest from sorrow.
Their enemies captured them
and were terribly cruel.
4 The roads to Zion mourn
because no one travels there
to celebrate the festivals.
The city gates are deserted;
priests are weeping.
Young women are raped;
Zion is in sorrow!
5 Enemies now rule the city
and live as they please.
The Lord has punished Jerusalem
because of her awful sins;
he has let her people
be dragged away.
6 Zion's glory has disappeared.
Her leaders are like deer
that cannot find pasture;
they are hunted down
till their strength is gone.
7 Her people recall the good life
that once was theirs;
now they suffer
and are scattered.
No one was there to protect them
from their enemies who sneered
when their city was taken.
8 Jerusalem's horrible sins
have made the city a joke.
Those who once admired her
now hate her instead—
she has been disgraced;
she groans and turns away.
9 Her sins had made her filthy,
but she wasn't worried
about what could happen.
And when Jerusalem fell,
it was so tragic.
No one gave her comfort
when she cried out,
“Help! I'm in trouble, Lord!
The enemy has won.”
10 Zion's treasures were stolen.
Jerusalem saw foreigners
enter her place of worship,
though the Lord
had forbidden them
to belong to his people.
11 Everyone in the city groans
while searching for food;
they trade their valuables
for barely enough scraps
to stay alive.
Jerusalem Speaks:
Jerusalem shouts to the Lord,
“Please look and see
how miserable I am!”
12 No passerby even cares.
Why doesn't someone notice
my terrible sufferings?
You were fiercely angry, Lord,
and you punished me
worst of all.
13 From heaven you sent a fire
that burned in my bones;
you set a trap for my feet
and made me turn back.
All day long you leave me
in shock from constant pain.
14 You have tied my sins
around my neck,
and they weigh so heavily
that my strength is gone.
You have put me in the power
of enemies too strong for me.
15 You, Lord, have turned back
my warriors and crushed
my young heroes.
Judah was a woman untouched,
but you let her be trampled
like grapes in a wine pit.
16 Because of this, I mourn,
and tears flood my eyes.
No one is here to comfort
or to encourage me;
we have lost the war—
my people are suffering.
The Prophet Speaks:
17 Zion reaches out her hands,
but no one offers comfort.
The Lord has turned
the neighboring nations
against Jacob's descendants.
Jerusalem is merely a filthy rag
to her neighbors.
Jerusalem Speaks:
18 The Lord was right,
but I refused to obey him.
Now I ask all of you to look
at my sufferings—
even my young people
have been dragged away.
19 I called out to my lovers,
but they betrayed me.
My priests and my leaders died
while searching the city
for scraps of food.
20 Won't you look and see
how upset I am, our Lord?
My stomach is in knots,
and my heart is broken
because I betrayed you.
In the streets and at home,
my people are slaughtered.
21 Everyone heard my groaning,
but no one offered comfort.
My enemies know of the trouble
that you have brought on me,
and it makes them glad.
Hurry and punish them,
as you have promised.
22 Don't let their evil deeds
escape your sight.
Punish them as much
as you have punished me
because of my sins.
I never stop groaning—
I've lost all hope!