1 They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man’s, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD. 2 Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness. 3 Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hadst a whore’s forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed. 4 Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My father, thou art the guide of my youth? 5 Will he reserve his anger for ever? will he keep it to the end? Behold, thou hast spoken and done evil things as thou couldest.
6 ¶ The LORD said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot. 7 And I said after she had done all these things , Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it . 8 And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also. 9 And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks. 10 And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD. 11 And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah.
12 ¶ Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever. 13 Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD. 14 Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion: 15 And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding. 16 And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the LORD: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more. 17 At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart. 18 In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers. 19 But I said, How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations? and I said, Thou shalt call me, My father; and shalt not turn away from me.
20 ¶ Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the LORD. 21 A voice was heard upon the high places, weeping and supplications of the children of Israel: for they have perverted their way, and they have forgotten the LORD their God. 22 Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the LORD our God. 23 Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel. 24 For shame hath devoured the labour of our fathers from our youth; their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters. 25 We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us: for we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.
Iziraela isingagalikemoyo
1 “Ha nlume elamba nkadzi uwe,
nkadzi ebe etogwa ne mmwe nlume,
ebe nkadzi we nlume upoga,
apa nlume unga tjabgwilila kunli kakale wali?
Apa ikoku akungatemapadze shango kwakapindilila?
Makafukula ne zwamba zwinjinji
apa mungatjabgwilila kundili kene?
Kojalo Yahwe
2 Milidzilani mesho enyu kwakatuthumala kusina tjimwe mubone!
Ndingayi kwamusakawalilanila ko kene?
Hwunde ne dzizila makagala makalindila zwamba
se N'arabu ali mu tjilambanyika.
Makatemapadza shango
nge bufukula gwenyu kwakayipa.
3 Ndizo wali vula yadzibiwa
vula ye nsewulo aizobuya,
ne kwakajalo tjiso tjitjo tjoboneka bufukula,
unolamba kubhakhwa nge shoni.
4 Apa auzondidana ngwenu uti,
‘Tate bangu, nzwalani wangu kudwa mu butjetjana gwangu,
5 apa banowondigwadzila moyo nge kusingapele kene,
apa banowobe ne shungu kunoti ku bupelo kene?’
Bona, waleba uijalo
ngono wakathama zose zwakabipa sekwa wakatubula.”
Shandukilani matjinyo enyu Iziraela ne Juda
6 Kwakati mu misi ya Mambo Josiya Yahwe bakati, “Apa wakabona tjaakathama kene, iwouje usingagalikemoyo, iye Iziraela kene? Kuti wakatatha matuthu mamwe ne mamwe kayenda tjini kusi kwe nti mmwe ne mmwe ntala ethama bufukula kene? 7 Ndakakumbula nditi, ‘Shule kwe athama zose izwezwi unowoshandukila kundili,’ koga aazoshanduka ngono ne hama iye isina malebeswa Juda wakakubona ikoku. 8 Wakabona kuti mu bupongwe gose gwa iwouje usingagalikemoyo iye Iziraela, ndakantatila ku tjena nge nkwalo we kunlamba koga hama iye isina malebeswa Juda, aazotja, ndizo na iyobo ikathama bufukula. 9 Ngoti bufukula gwakabe gusi tjimwe muili, yakatemapadza shango, ithama bupongwe ne mabgwe ne miti. 10 Koga ngekwa ikoku hama iye isina malebeswa Juda aizoshandukila kundili nge moyo wayo wose yakazwithama yashanduka, kojalo Yahwe.”
11 Ipapo Yahwe bakati kundili, “Iziraela usingagalikemoyo wakazwilakidza akalulwama muna Juda usina malebeswa. 12 Yenda, kalebe matama iyawa ku bunandzwa uti,
“‘Shandukani kaa, Iziraela isingagalikemoyo,
kojalo Yahwe.Anditowomulinga nge kugwadzamoyo,
ngoti ndina ngoni,
anditowogwadzilamoyo tjatjose,
kojalo Yahwe.13 Koga amutjilani nlandu wenyu,
kuti makapandukila Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu,
mukazwipa midzimu ipoga kusi kwe nti mmwe ne mmwe ntala
mukasibhulutane hwi langu,
kojalo Yahwe.14 Shandukani kaa imwi bana basingagalikemoyo,
kojalo Yahwe,ngoti ndi tetshi wenyu.
Ndowomutola, nn'gompela kudwa mu nzi nkulu
ne babili kudwa mu nsha,
ngono ndowomuzhisa ku Ziyoni.
15 “‘Ipapo ndowomupa balisi kuyenda nge moyo wangu, banowomufudza nge luzibo ne hwisiso. 16 Mu mazhuba iyawo mowoti matjiwanda kakale mapaphidzika mu shango, kojalo Yahwe, abatjowobe batjati, “Bhokisi le Tjidumano tja Yahwe.” Akutowozha mu njalakang'wa dzabo kene kuli kukumbugwa kene kushubiwa, kene kuthamiwa kakale. 17 Mu tjibaka itjetjo Jerusalema inowodang'wa tjiala tje bushe tja Yahwe, zwitjaba zose zowokubunganila kuili, mbeli kwa Yahwe mu Jerusalema ngono abatjowotobela nge bukomba mimoyo yabo yakabipa. 18 Mu mazhuba iyawo ng'umba ya Juda inowobhatana nge ng'umba ya Iziraela ngono bose banowozha kudwa ku shango ye bunandzwa beyenda ku shango yandakapa botate benyu ili thaka.
Namata midzimu kwe bathu be Ndzimu
19 “‘Ndakakumbula kuti
ndowomubhata se bakololo bangu tjini
ndikamupa shango yakanaka,
thaka mbuya mu zwitjaba zose,
akumbula nditi pamwe swiyo mowondidana Tate,
mukasiletje kunditobela.
20 Nge malebeswa, koga se nkadzi usingagalikemoyo esiya nlume uwe
ndiko sekwa musakagalikamoyo kundili imwi Baiziraela,
kojalo Yahwe.’ ”21 Hwi lohwika pezhugwi kwe matuthu,
kulila ne kumbila kwe bathu be Iziraela,
ngoti bakapambuka mu zila yabo,
bakakangang'wa Yahwe Ndzimu wabo.
22 “Shandukani kaa, imwi bathu basingagalikemoyo,
ndowopodza kusagalikamoyo kwenyu.”
“Bonani, tozha ku muli
ngoti ndimwi Yahwe Ndzimu wedu.
23 Nge malebeswa zhoba yeku matuthu manyepkhwa koga,
butjebeli guku matombo.
Nge malebeswa Yahwe Ndzimu wedu
ba jidzo le Iziraela.
24 “Koga kudwa mu butjetjana gwedu midzimu inobhatisa shoni yakaja mitjelo ye masimba a botate bedu, mbudzi ne pkhwizi dzabo ne ng'ombe dzabo ne bakololo ne bakololokadzi babo. 25 Ngati lingeni pasi tibhakhwe nge shoni, kulengudzika kwedu ngakutifukidze, ngoti takatjinyila Yahwe Ndzimu wedu, iswi na botate bedu kudwa tjose mu butjetjana gwedu kuswika zhuba la nasi, atizobhulutana hwi la Yahwe Ndzimu wedu.”