1 Ihwani woku imwi bapirisiti!
Bhulutanani imwi Baiziraela!
Teedzani imwi be ng'umba ye bumambo!
Ngoti kusumikilisiwa kwakalingisana namwi,
ngoti makabe muli bhuzhu ku Mizipha,
muli gwanga gwakawagwa pezhugwi kwe Tabori.
2 Bapanduki bakangina bakapelela mu kubulaya,
koga ndowobaloba shamu bose.
3 Imi ndoziba kose nge kwa Ifureimi,
Iziraela naiye aazosumbikika.
Ngoti iwe Ifureimi iwe wanginikana nge bufukula,
Iziraela yatemapala.
Hoseya unotjemela ngekwe kunamata midzimu
4 Mishingo yabo ayitobadumila
kubgwilila ku Ndzimu wabo.
Ngoti meya ye bufukula imukati kwabo,
abatoziba Yahwe.
5 Kuzwida kwa Iziraela kotendeka nge kwabo,
Ifureimi naiye unoligwa nge tjibi tjitje
Juda naiye unowa nabo.
6 Banowoyenda ne ngubi dzabo ne matanga e ng'ombe
kunoshaka Yahwe,
koga abatowobabona
ngoti bakazwidusa mubali.
7 Abatogalikabgwe kuna Yahwe,
ngoti bakazwala bana be zwamba.
Ndizo wali Nzano wabo we Mwedzi ugala
unowobaja kose ne minda yabo.
8 Lidza lunyanga mu Gibiya,
lunyanga ngagulile mu Rama.
Mima ye ngwa ngayihwike mu Bhetiaveni!
Bashule kuko iwe Bhenjamini!
9 Ifureimi inowothukudziwa
mu nsi we kusumikilisiwa.
Tjandinoleba mu njudzi dze Baiziraela,
ndoleba tjili malebeswa.
10 Batungamili be Juda banofanana
ne bathu banodusa tjilakidzo tje n'gathu.
Ndowobanginilila nge bushongola gwangu
se gubakube le vula.
11 Ifureimi wakatshambilidzwa,
wakatshambigwa pasi mu kusumikilisiwa,
ngoti wakazwimisila kutobela midzimu.
12 Ndonga sole kuna Ifureimi,
ndonga ndakabola ku bathu be Juda.
13 Ifureimi wakati ebona bugwele gugwe,
Juda iye ebona mabanga awe,
ipapo Ifureimi kayenda ku Asiriya
kushaka bhatsho muna mambo.
Koga aatotubula kukulapa
kene kupodza mabanga awo.
14 Ngoti ndowonga shumba kuna Ifureimi,
anga shumbana ku bathu be Juda.
Imi, ndowobamwawulanya abe ndiyenda zwangu,
ndowobasenga ngono akuna ungabagwila.
15 Kudwapo ndowobgwilila ku magalo angu
kuswikila beduma nlandu wabo.
Ngono banowondishaka
banowondishaka kwazo bali mu kudziyila kwabo.
1 “Listen to this, you priests! Pay attention, people of Israel! Listen, you that belong to the royal family! You are supposed to judge with justice—so judgment will fall on you! You have become a trap at Mizpah, a net spread on Mount Tabor, 2 a deep pit at Acacia City, and I will punish all of you. 3 I know what Israel is like—she cannot hide from me. She has been unfaithful, and her people are unfit to worship me.”
Hosea Warns against Idolatry
4 The evil that the people have done keeps them from returning to their God. Idolatry has a powerful hold on them, and they do not acknowledge the Lord. 5 The arrogance of the people of Israel cries out against them. Their sins make them stumble and fall, and the people of Judah fall with them. 6 They take their sheep and cattle to offer as sacrifices to the Lord, but it does them no good. They cannot find him, for he has left them. 7 They have been unfaithful to the Lord; their children do not belong to him. So now they and their lands will soon be destroyed.
War between Judah and Israel
8 Blow the war trumpets in Gibeah! Sound the alarm in Ramah! Raise the war cry at Bethaven! Into battle, men of Benjamin! 9 The day of punishment is coming, and Israel will be ruined. People of Israel, this will surely happen!
10 The Lord says, “I am angry because the leaders of Judah have invaded Israel and stolen land from her. So I will pour out punishment on them like a flood. 11 Israel is suffering oppression; she has lost land that was rightfully hers, because she insisted on going for help to those who had none to give. 12 I will bring destruction on Israel and ruin on the people of Judah.
13 “When Israel saw how sick she was and when Judah saw her own wounds, then Israel went to Assyria to ask the great emperor for help, but he could not cure them or heal their wounds. 14 I will attack the people of Israel and Judah like a lion. I myself will tear them to pieces and then leave them. When I drag them off, no one will be able to save them.
15 “I will abandon my people until they have suffered enough for their sins and come looking for me. Perhaps in their suffering they will try to find me.”