Lilila batungamili be Iziraela
1 “Iwe lila ulilila babusi be Iziraela 2 uti,
“ ‘Mme benyu bakabe bali shumbakadzi yakwako
pakati kwe shumba njinji.
Bakabe belala pakati kwe shumbana
belela bana babo.
3 Bakalela imwe ye shumbana dzabo
ikabe shumba yakasima.
Ikazwidiya kumwaulanya tjainobhata
ngono ikaja bathu.
4 Njudzi dzikahwa nge kwayo
ngono ikabhatshigwa nge bhuzhu ladzo.
Bakaikwebela ku Egipiti
nge zwihweko.
5 “ ‘Ngono mayi bakati bebona kugalabgwe kwabo kusazhadzisika
ne yemula dzabo dzatjinyika,
bakatola imwe ye shumbana dzabo
bakaithama shumba yakasima.
6 Ikayendayenda pakati kwe dzimwe shumba
ngoti yakabe yabe shumba yakasima.
Ikazwidiya kumwaulanya tjainobhata
ngono ikaja bathu.
7 Ikaliga mbako dzabo dzakasima
ikakolomodza mizi yabo.
Shango naibo bose bamu ili bakalobgwa nge ana
ha behwa kubomba kwayo.
8 Ipapo njudzi dzikashangana kugwa nayo,
bose kudwa ku mituthu yakapoteleka.
Bakaiwalila gwanga gwabo
ngono ikabhakhwa mu bhuzhu labo.
9 Bakaikweba nge zwihweko bakailonga mu zongondo,
ngono bakaizhisa kuna mambo we Bhabhiloni,
bakailonga mu ng'umba ye busungwa,
ndizo tjibombo tjayo tjikasitjahwike kakale
pezhugwi kwe matombo e Iziraela.
10 “ ‘Mme benyu bakabe benga nzhambi mu nnda wenyu we zhambi
wakadzwagwa pawunde ne vula
wakabe uzwala mitjelo una thabi njinji
ngoti una vula njinji.
11 Thabi dzawo dzakabe dzakasima
dzakalizanila kuthama ludozo gwe bumambo.
Wakabe wakakulila pezhugwi
una thabi dzakalobana,
uboneka nge bulefu gwawo
nenge thabi dzawo njinji.
12 Koga wakasimugwa nge bushongola bukulu
ukalashigwa pasi,
phepo ye kubhezhuba ikauwomesa.
Mitjelo yawo ikapulugwa,
thabi dzawo dzakasima dzikawoma
ngono moto ukadzipisa.
13 Ngwenu watjidzwagwa mu tjilambanyika,
mushango yakawoma isina vula.
14 Moto ukanyengela udwa mu gumwe gwe thabi dzawo hwulu,
ngono ukapisa mitjelo yawo,
akuna lutabi gwakasima gwasala muuli
gwakalizanila kuthama ludozo gwe bumambo.’
“Ikoku lumbo gwe tjililo, ngakutogwe ili tjililo.”
A Song of Sorrow
1 The Lord told me to sing this song of sorrow for two princes of Israel:
2 What a lioness your mother was!
She raised her cubs among the fierce male lions.
3 She raised a cub and taught him to hunt;
he learned to eat people.
4 The nations heard about him
and trapped him in a pit.
With hooks they dragged him off to Egypt.
5 She waited until she saw all hope was gone.
Then she raised another of her cubs,
and he grew into a fierce lion.
6 When he was full-grown,
he prowled with the other lions.
He too learned to hunt and eat people.
7 He wrecked forts, he ruined towns.
The people of the land were terrified
every time he roared.
8 The nations gathered to fight him;
people came from everywhere.
They spread their hunting nets
and caught him in their trap.
9 They put him in a cage
and took him to the king of Babylonia.
They kept him under guard,
so that his roar would never be heard again
on the hills of Israel.
10 Your mother was like a grapevine
planted near a stream.
Because there was plenty of water,
the vine was covered with leaves and fruit.
11 Its branches were strong
and grew to be royal scepters.
The vine grew tall enough to reach the clouds;
everyone saw how leafy and tall it was.
12 But angry hands pulled it up by the roots
and threw it to the ground.
The east wind dried up its fruit.
Its branches were broken off;
they dried up and were burned.
13 Now it is planted in the desert,
in a dry and waterless land.
14 The stem of the vine caught fire;
fire burned up its branches and fruit.
The branches will never again be strong,
will never be royal scepters.
This is a song of sorrow; it has been sung again and again.