Turn Back to the Lord
1 Listen, nation of Israel,
to my mournful message:
2 You, dearest Israel, have fallen,
never to rise again—
you lie deserted in your own land,
with no one to help you up.
3 The Lord God has warned,
“From every ten soldiers
only one will be left;
from a thousand troops,
only a hundred will survive.”
4 The Lord keeps saying,
“Israel, turn back to me
and you will live!
5 Don't go to Gilgal or Bethel
or even to Beersheba.
Gilgal will be dragged away,
and Bethel will end up
as nothing.”
6 Turn back to the Lord,
you descendants of Joseph,
and you will live.
If you don't, the Lord
will attack like fire.
Bethel will burn to the ground,
and no one can save it.
7 You people are doomed!
You twist the truth
and trample on justice.
8 But the Lord created the stars
and put them in place.
He turns darkness to dawn
and daylight to darkness;
he scoops up the ocean
and empties it on the earth.
9 God destroys mighty soldiers
and strong fortresses.
Choose Good Instead of Evil!
The Lord said:
10 You people hate judges
and honest witnesses;
11 you abuse the poor and demand
heavy taxes from them.
You have built expensive homes,
but you won't enjoy them;
you have planted vineyards,
but you will get no wine.
12 I am the Lord, and I know
your terrible sins.
You cheat honest people
and take bribes;
you rob the poor of justice.
13 Times are so evil
that anyone with good sense
will keep quiet.
14 If you really want to live,
you must stop doing wrong
and start doing right.
I, the Lord God All-Powerful,
will then be on your side,
just as you claim I am.
15 Choose good instead of evil!
See that justice is done.
Maybe I, the Lord All-Powerful,
will be kind to what's left
of your people.
Judgment Is Coming
16 This is what the Lord has sworn:
Noisy crying will be heard
in every town and street.
Even farmers will be told
to mourn for the dead,
together with those
who are paid to mourn.
17 Your vineyards will be filled
with crying and weeping,
because I will punish you.
I, the Lord, have spoken!
When the Lord Judges
18 You look forward to the day
when the Lord comes to judge.
But you are in for trouble!
It won't be a time of sunshine;
all will be darkness.
19 You will run from a lion,
only to meet a bear.
You will escape to your house,
rest your hand on the wall,
and be bitten by a snake.
20 The day when the Lord judges
will be dark, very dark,
without a ray of light.
What the Lord Demands
21 I, the Lord, hate and despise
your religious celebrations
and your times of worship.
22 I won't accept your offerings
or animal sacrifices—
not even your very best.
23 No more of your noisy songs!
I won't listen
when you play your harps.
24 But let justice and fairness
flow like a river
that never runs dry.
25 Israel, for forty years
you wandered in the desert,
without bringing offerings
or sacrifices to me.
26 Now you will have to carry
the two idols you made—
Sakkuth, the one you call king,
and Kaiwan, the one you built
in the shape of a star.
27 I will force you to march
as captives beyond Damascus.
I, the Lord God All-Powerful,
have spoken!
Läziuzi Drietane
1 Nyèri, lidri Yisaraele ro, loŋgo avo liyiro se mabe oŋgona ämidri ono! Se ekye:
2 ŋguti kodroŋwa Yisaraele ro 'dete,
ago ogo oŋgane te i'do tona!
E'be anya te u'duvoya gyinidri,
ago 'diaza i'do anya eŋgane kuru.
3 OPI Mbarapara ekye: “'Bakici aza Yisaraele ya se ka kyila'bai kutu alo (1,000) ozo tesi, toto kama alo (100) egona ni kovole; 'bakici aza se ka ozona tesi kama alo (100), toto 'butealo egona ni kovole.”
4 OPI ka ata lidri Yisaraele ro ri ekye: “Nyìkyi mare, ago mìrina ndi. 5 Nyòjo ko ma uṛine Betele ya. Nyòyi ko Gilegala ya ca mìkyi ko Beraseba ya. Tana lidri Gilegala ro äruna 'da midiro ago Betele a'dona 'da ŋga awi ro.”
6 Nyòyi OPI re, mìri robe, ukyi nda eŋgovo 'da oso asi ronye lidri Yisaraele ro dri. Ago asi ujena lidri Betele ro 'da, ago 'diaza alona ri izwene i'do. 7 Ami se nyàbe taŋgye topi ŋga kozi ro ago nyàbe ta'diri oto vuru ono!
8 OPI 'ba 'bi'bii ni,
Minyiminyi ndi Dorooro be.
Nda kani ŋgätini toza a'done voiwiro,
ago kitu ri a'done ŋgäkyi ro.
Nda kani gyi gyi'desi ro uzi
ago ka lodana ni gyini drisi.
Ävuru ndaro ni OPI owo.
9 Nda kani 'di mbàraekye toga ndi
tiṛi mbaraekye ànyaro be.
10 Ami lidri ya amiro orivoya osoro 'dise kabe taŋgyeako luku vure ya ago 'dise kabe taŋgye iti vure ya lomvo. 11 Tana nyèza 'dimäyuro te ago nyòtopa inya ànyaro te, ka'do inye orine ämiri zoi liŋgyiekye se mìbebe kuni si iyi yasi te i'do kode vino umvune ni ämvui liŋgyiekye kono ro se nyikyi'dibe iyi te yasi i'do. 12 Tana mäni taenji amba amiro te ndi takozi se amba miyebe ono be. Ami se nyàbe lidri se kadoro eza, nyà ŋga miogyero uruna, ago nyà 'dise mäyuro odina ni taŋgye yasi vo vure roya. 13 Ta'doro a'done titiro tu gi undiro nonye kwoi ya orivoya taoye se tauni si yi!
14 Nyòjo takado oyene ayani, ko takozi ayani, tana mìri robe. 'Dooko OPI Lu Mbaraekye a'dona ndi endaro ami yibe, oso nyàbe atana 'do ronye. 15 Ya amiro koso takozi lomvo, nyùlu takado ayani, ago mìye taŋgye ayani vure ya. Kode OPI Lu Mbaraekye a'dona 'da yauni amba be anjoko lidri Yisaraele ro se ke'bebe lidriidriro ono ri.
16 Ta'doro OPI Lu Mbaraekye ka ata ekye: “Kukuo'be a'dona 'da litiŋwai 'bakici ro drisi. Ago ànya atanayi 'da litiŋwai drisi ekye: Mani! Mani! Ca ämvuoso'bai äzina kpa 'da liyine ndi ànya se kuniyi ta avo liyi robe kai yibe. 17 Kukuo'be a'dona 'da ämvu kono ro cini yasi, tana ma ikyi ami ezane.” OPI atani.
18 Ami te kandrakozi be ami se nyàbe tu OPI ro kotena ono! Tase kado tu OPI ro koyena ämiri e'diya? Tana tu ana a'dona 'da ämiri tu ŋgätini ro ago ko tu ŋgaeyi ro. 19 Tu ana a'dona 'da oso manoaza se kabe umu ni ibi ri oko ṛi 'bedri ro mänyisile be ronye! Kode oso manoaza ka ego 'bäru ago ko'ba dri ndaro te tiṛi dri oko, ini si nda te dori 'do ronye! 20 Tu OPI ro ezina ŋgätini ayani ago ko ŋgaeyi; a'dona 'da gbiṛikyiri ro teinye ŋgaeyi ako.
21 OPI ekye: “Ya maro orivoya osoro ago magazo mätu karamai amiro ro; ago ta kalaombi mätu amiro ro. 22 Ondro aba nyòzo ŋgapäṛi ozaro ndi ŋgapäṛi inya robe gica märi, märi tadrina olene i'do; ago ŋgapäṛi koronyai 'ba ro amiro oshweekye, ŋgapäṛi rumora ro märi 'do male ko. 23 Nyèdre kporo loŋgo oŋgoro amiro ro, male ko kudi o'bi amiro erine. 24 Oko mi'ba ta'diri kudi oso goloŋwa ronye, ago taŋgye ka'do oso golo udiudiro 'duro oseako ronye.
25 “Ami Lidri Yisaraele ro, inye'do nyèzi tori olo ndi ŋgapäṛi be ndi märi ndroa se 'bute su ami be vocowa ya iyi si ya? 26 Tana nyä̀mätu te beti Sakuta lu 'bädri'ba amiro ro ndi Kaiwana lu 'bi'bi ro amiro be, se nyèdebe kai, 27 ta'doro mäŋgyina ami 'da le midiro Damaseka kundusi,” OPI kani ata inye, se ävuru ndaro ni Lu Mbaraekye.