1“If you, Israel, will return,” announces the Lord,
“then return to me.
Put the statues of your gods out of my sight.
I hate them.
Stop going astray.
2Make all your promises in my name.
When you promise say, ‘You can be sure that the Lord is alive.’
Be truthful, fair and honest when you make these promises.
Then the nations will ask for blessings from me.
And they will boast about me.”
3Here is what the Lord is telling the people of Judah and Jerusalem. He says,
“Your hearts are as hard as a field
that has not been plowed.
So change your ways and produce good crops.
Do not plant seeds among thorns.
4People of Judah and you who live in Jerusalem, obey me.
Do not let your hearts be stubborn.
If you do, my anger will blaze out against you.
It will burn like fire because of the evil things you have done.
No one will be able to put it out.
Trouble Will Come From the North
5“Announce my message in Judah.
Tell it in Jerusalem.
Say, ‘Blow trumpets all through the land!’
Give a loud shout and say,
‘Gather together!
Let’s run to cities that have high walls around them!’
6Warn everyone to go to Zion!
Run for safety! Do not wait!
I am bringing trouble from the north.
Everything will be totally destroyed.”
7Lions have come out of their dens.
Those who destroy nations have begun to march out.
They have left their place
to destroy your land completely.
Your towns will be broken to pieces.
No one will live in them.
8So put on the clothes of sadness.
Mourn and weep over what has happened.
The Lord hasn’t turned
his great anger away from us.
9“A dark day is coming,” announces the Lord.
“The king and his officials will lose hope.
The priests will be shocked.
And the prophets will be terrified.”
10Then I said, “You are my Lord and King. You have completely tricked the people of Judah and Jerusalem! You have told them, ‘You will have peace and rest.’ But swords are pointed at our throats!”
11At that time the people of Judah and Jerusalem will be warned. They will be told, “A hot and dry wind is coming, my people. It is blowing toward you from the bare hilltops in the desert. But it does not separate straw from grain. 12It is much too strong for that. The wind is coming from me. I am making my decision against you.”
13Look! Our enemies are approaching like the clouds.
Their chariots are coming like a strong wind.
Their horses are faster than eagles.
How terrible it will be for us!
We’ll be destroyed!
14People of Jerusalem, wash your sins from your hearts and be saved.
How long will you hold on to your evil thoughts?
15A voice is speaking all the way from the city of Dan.
From the hills of Ephraim it announces
that trouble is coming.
16“Tell the nations.
Make an announcement concerning Jerusalem.
Say, ‘An army will attack Judah.
It is coming from a land far away.
It will shout a war cry
against the cities of Judah.
17It will surround them like people who guard a field.
Judah has refused to obey me,’ ”
announces the Lord.
18“The army will attack you
because of your conduct and actions.
This is how you will be punished.
It will be so bitter!
It will cut deep down into your hearts!”
19I’m suffering! I’m really suffering!
I’m hurting badly.
My heart is suffering so much!
It’s pounding inside me.
I can’t keep silent.
I’ve heard the sound of trumpets.
I’ve heard the battle cry.
20One trouble follows another.
The whole land is destroyed.
In an instant my tents are gone.
My home disappears in a moment.
21How long must I look at our enemy’s battle flag?
How long must I hear the sound of the trumpets?
22The Lord says, “My people are foolish.
They do not know me.
They are children who do not have any sense.
They have no understanding at all.
They are skilled in doing what is evil.
They do not know how to do what is good.”
23I looked at the earth.
It didn’t have any shape. And it was empty.
I looked at the sky.
Its light was gone.
24I looked at the mountains.
They were shaking.
All the hills were swaying.
25I looked. And there weren’t any people.
Every bird in the sky had flown away.
26I looked. And the fruitful land had become a desert.
All its towns were destroyed.
The Lord had done all this because of his great anger.
27The Lord says,
“The whole land will be destroyed.
But I will not destroy it completely.
28So the earth will be filled with sadness.
The sky above will grow dark.
I have spoken, and I will not take pity on them.
I have made my decision, and I will not change my mind.”
29People can hear the sound of horsemen.
Men armed with bows are coming.
The people in every town run away.
Some of them go into the bushes.
Others climb up among the rocks.
All the towns are deserted.
No one is living in them.
30What are you doing, you who are destroyed?
Why do you dress yourself in bright red clothes?
Why do you put on jewels of gold?
Why do you put makeup on your eyes?
You make yourself beautiful for no reason at all.
Your lovers hate you.
They want to kill you.
31I hear a cry like the cry of a woman having a baby.
I hear a groan like someone having her first child.
It’s the cry of the people of Zion struggling to breathe.
They reach out their hands and say,
“Help us! We’re fainting!
Murderers are about to kill us!”
1“Ngati mukufuna kubwerera, inu Aisraeli,
bwererani kwa Ine,”
akutero Yehova.
“Chotsani mafano anu onyansa pamaso panga
ndipo musasocherenso.
2Muzilumbira mokhulupirika ndiponso mwa chilungamo
kuti, ‘Pali Yehova wamoyo.’
Mukatero anthu a mitundu ina yonse adzandipempha kuti ndiwadalitse
ndipo adzanditamanda.”
3Zimene Yehova akunena kwa anthu a ku Yuda ndi a ku Yerusalemu ndi izi:
“Limani masala anu
musadzale pakati pa minga.
4Dziperekeni nokha kwa Ine
kuti munditumikire ndi mtima wanu wonse,
inu anthu a ku Yuda ndi ku Yerusalemu.
Muzichita zimenezi kuopa kuti mkwiyo wanga ungabuke ngati moto ndi kukutenthani,
chifukwa cha ntchito zanu zoyipazo
popanda wina wowuzimitsa.
Adani Ochokera Kumpoto kwa Yuda
5“Lengeza ku Yuda ndi kulalikira mu Yerusalemu kuti,
‘Lizani lipenga mʼdziko lonse!’
Ndipo fuwulani kuti,
‘Sonkhanani!
Tiyeni tithawire ku mizinda yotetezedwa!’
6Kwezani mbendera kuyangʼana ku Ziyoni!
Musachedwe, thawani kuti mupulumuke!
Pakuti Ine ndikubweretsa chilango kuchokera kumpoto,
kudzakhala chiwonongeko choopsa.”
7Monga mkango umatulukira mʼngaka yake
momwemonso wowononga mayiko
wanyamuka ndi kutuluka ku mbuto yake.
Watero kuti awononge dziko lanu.
Mizinda yanu idzakhala mabwinja
popanda wokhalamo.
8Choncho valani ziguduli,
lirani ndi kubuwula,
pakuti mkwiyo waukulu wa Yehova
sunatichokere.
9“Pa tsiku limenelo, mfumu ndi nduna zake adzataya mtima,
ansembe adzachita mantha kwambiri,
ndipo aneneri adzathedwa nzeru,”
akutero Yehova.
10Ndipo ine ndinati, “Haa, Ambuye Yehova, ndithu munawanyenga anthu awa pamodzi ndi Yerusalemu pamene munanena kuti, ‘Mudzakhala pa mtendere,’ chonsecho lupanga lili pakhosi pathu.”
11Nthawi imeneyo anthu awa ndi Yerusalemu adzawawuza kuti, “Mphepo yotentha yochokera ku magomo a mʼchipululu ikuwomba pa anthu anga, osati mphepo yopeta kapena yoyeretsa; 12koma mphepo yamphamvu kwambiri yochokera kwa Ine. Tsono ndi Ineyo amene ndikuwaweruza.”
13Taonani, adani akubwera ngati mitambo,
magaleta awo akubwera ngati kamvuluvulu,
akavalo awo ndi aliwiro kupambana chiwombankhanga.
Tsoka ilo! Tawonongeka!
14Iwe Yerusalemu, tsuka mtima wako kuchotsa zoyipa kuti upulumuke.
Kodi maganizo ako oyipawo udzakhala nawo mpaka liti?
15Pakuti amithenga akulalika mawu mʼdziko la Dani;
akulengeza za masautso kuchokera ku mapiri a Efereimu.
16Iwo akuti, “Fotokozani zimenezi kwa anthu a mitundu ina,
lengezani zimenezi mu Yerusalemu kuti,
‘Ankhondo akubwera kuchokera ku dziko lakutali,
akufuwula ndi kudzazinga mizinda ya Yuda.
17Azinga Yerusalemu ngati anthu olondera munda,
chifukwa Yerusalemu wandiwukira,’ ”
akutero Yehova.
18“Makhalidwe anu ndi zochita zanu
zakubweretserani zimenezi.
Chimenechi ndiye chilango chanu.
Nʼchowawa kwambiri!
Nʼcholasa mpaka mu mtima!”
19Mayo, mayo,
ndikumva kupweteka!
Aa, mtima wanga ukupweteka,
ukugunda kuti thi, thi, thi.
Sindingathe kukhala chete.
Pakuti ndamva kulira kwa lipenga;
ndamva mfuwu wankhondo.
20Tsoka limatsata tsoka linzake;
dziko lonse lasanduka bwinja.
Mwadzidzidzi matenti athu awonongedwa,
mwa kanthawi kochepa nsalu zake zotchinga zagwetsedwa.
21Kodi ndikhale ndikuona mbendera ya nkhondo,
ndi kumva kulira kwa lipenga mpaka liti?
22Yehova akuti, “Anthu anga ndi zitsiru;
iwo sandidziwa.
Iwo ndi ana opanda nzeru;
samvetsa chilichonse.
Ali ndi luso lochita zoyipa,
koma sadziwa kuchita zabwino.”
23Ndinayangʼana dziko lapansi,
ndipo linali lopanda anthu ndi lopanda kanthu;
ndinayangʼana thambo,
koma linalibe kuwala kulikonse.
24Ndinayangʼana mapiri,
ndipo ankagwedezeka;
magomo onse ankangosunthira uku ndi uku.
25Ndinayangʼana, ndipo sindinaone anthu;
mbalame iliyonse ya mlengalenga inali itathawa.
26Ndinayangʼana, dziko lachonde linali litasanduka chipululu;
mizinda yake yonse inali itasanduka bwinja
pamaso pa Yehova, chifukwa cha mkwiyo wake.
27Yehova akuti,
“Dziko lonse lidzasanduka chipululu
komabe sindidzaliwononga kotheratu.
28Chifukwa chake dziko lapansi lidzalira
ndipo thambo lidzachita mdima,
pakuti ndayankhula ndipo sindidzafewa mtima,
ndatsimikiza ndipo sindidzabwerera mʼmbuyo.”
29Pakumva phokoso la okwera pa akavalo ndi la anthu oponya mivi,
anthu a mʼmizinda adzathawa.
Ena adzabisala ku nkhalango;
ena adzakwera mʼmatanthwe
mizinda yonse nʼkuyisiya;
popanda munthu wokhalamo.
30Iwe Yerusalemu, ndiwe bwinja!
Ukutanthauza chiyani kuvala zovala zofiira
ndi kuvalanso zokometsera zagolide?
Ngakhale udzikonze maso ako powapaka zokometsera,
ukungodzivuta chabe.
Zibwenzi zako zikukunyoza;
zikufuna kuchotsa moyo wako.
31Ndikumva kulira ngati kwa mayi pa nthawi yake yobereka,
kubuwula ngati kwa mayi amene akubereka mwana wake woyamba.
Kuliraku ndi kwa anthu a mu Ziyoni, wefuwefu.
Atambalitsa manja awo nʼkumati,
“Kalanga ife! Tikukomoka.
Moyo wathu waperekedwa kwa anthu otipha.”
