1 Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired; 2 Before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the LORD come upon you, before the day of the LORD’s anger come upon you. 3 Seek ye the LORD, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the LORD’s anger.
4 ¶ For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation: they shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be rooted up. 5 Woe unto the inhabitants of the sea coast, the nation of the Cherethites! the word of the LORD is against you; O Canaan, the land of the Philistines, I will even destroy thee, that there shall be no inhabitant. 6 And the sea coast shall be dwellings and cottages for shepherds, and folds for flocks. 7 And the coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah; they shall feed thereupon: in the houses of Ashkelon shall they lie down in the evening: for the LORD their God shall visit them, and turn away their captivity.
8 ¶ I have heard the reproach of Moab, and the revilings of the children of Ammon, whereby they have reproached my people, and magnified themselves against their border. 9 Therefore as I live, saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, even the breeding of nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation: the residue of my people shall spoil them, and the remnant of my people shall possess them. 10 This shall they have for their pride, because they have reproached and magnified themselves against the people of the LORD of hosts. 11 The LORD will be terrible unto them: for he will famish all the gods of the earth; and men shall worship him, every one from his place, even all the isles of the heathen.
12 ¶ Ye Ethiopians also, ye shall be slain by my sword. 13 And he will stretch out his hand against the north, and destroy Assyria; and will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry like a wilderness. 14 And flocks shall lie down in the midst of her, all the beasts of the nations: both the cormorant and the bittern shall lodge in the upper lintels of it; their voice shall sing in the windows; desolation shall be in the thresholds: for he shall uncover the cedar work. 15 This is the rejoicing city that dwelt carelessly, that said in her heart, I am , and there is none beside me: how is she become a desolation, a place for beasts to lie down in! every one that passeth by her shall hiss, and wag his hand.
Kushandukila matjinyo
1 Shanganani, muzwikubunganye
imwi itjaba tjisina shoni,
2 musathu mukatutudzigwa kutjena
se bunye gunowuluka,
kugwadzamoyo kwa Yahwe
kusathu gukadelukila mu muli,
zhuba le bushongola gwa Yahwe
lisathu likamuzhila.
3 Shakani Yahwe imwi mose banakuzwiyisa pasi be shango,
imwi munolondolodza ndaulo dzabo.
Shakani ndulamo, shakani kuzwiyisa pasi,
pamwe swiyo mowobakililika,
mu zhuba le bushongola gwa Yahwe.
Sumikilisiwa kwe zwitjaba zwakapoteleka Iziraela
4 Ngoti Gaza inowofupatigwa,
Ashikeloni inowothukudzika.
Bathu be Ashidodi banowotatiwa zhuba lili pa thong'omana,
Ekironi inowodzikunugwa.
5 Yee mme wee! Mapalala imwi bagali be tjekelo dze gungwa,
imwi ludzi gwe Bakereti!
Dama la Yahwe lobhayana namwi,
iwe Kanana shango ye Bafilisitiya,
ndowokulobesa kudzina kusala kusina ne n'gali wasala.
6 Iwe tjekelo dze gungwa, unowobe mafudzilo,
matanga ne thiba dze balisi dzabanong'wisila mbudzi ne pkhwizi dzabo.
7 Shango iyeyo inowobe ye malimbelimbe e Juda,
ngono banowofudzila muili,
ng'umba dze Ashekeloni,
banowoizela mudzili madekwana.
Ngoti Yahwe Ndzimu wabo banowobakumbula,
bakabgwiliza kubhudilila kwabo.
8 Ndahwa masapa e Moabu
ne madado e Baamoni,
kuti bakasapulanya bathu bangu tjini,
bepembela ngekwe shango yabo.
9 Ndizo anditjatjila, kojalo Yahwe Masimbawose, Ndzimu we Iziraela,
Moabu unowosala unga Sodoma
ne Baamoni bakanga Gomora,
shango izhele zwishosho ne makomba e mwenyu,
shango yakathukudzika tjatjose.
Limbelimbe le bathu bangu lowobatapa,
batjila be itjaba tjangu banowodzitola.
10 Itjetji nditjo tjinowobe gobe labo ngekwe mazwikudzo abo,
ngoti bakasapulanya bakazwikudza
bebhayana ne bathu ba Yahwe Masimbawose.
11 Yahwe banobamukila ngekwa kabangalala,
bakatobosa midzimu yabo yose mu shango
ngono zwitjaba zose zwimu tjekelo zowobanamata
bamwe ne bamwe mu shango yabo.
12 Namwibo Bakhushi,
mowobulawa nge thumo langu.
13 Banowotambunudza luboko gwabo kubhayana ne baku bunandzwa,
bakalobesa Asiriya.
Banowothama Ninive ikabe dongo
ikakwakwalala se tjilambanyika.
14 Matanga anobutha pakati kwayo
zwitjili zose ngothubukana kwazo,
makunda na boshoni zowogala ko.
Hwunda dzowolila dziligele mu mafesitere,
magwada anowobe ali pa itubhu tje nkoba,
makwasayile e misida anowobe pa tjena.
15 Iwoyu nzi nkulu unozwikudza, wakabakililika,
wakabe uzwidwa uti, “Ndimi koga, akuna mmwe.”
Watjithukudzika kungapani kene!
Watjibe bugalo gwe phuka dze shango,
mmwe ne mmwe unopinda pauli,
unotjenama kapelegwa nge mate.