The charge against Israel
1Hear the word of the Lord, you Israelites,
because the Lord has a charge to bring
against you who live in the land:
‘There is no faithfulness, no love,
no acknowledgment of God in the land.
2There is only cursing,4:2 That is, to pronounce a curse on lying and murder,
stealing and adultery;
they break all bounds,
and bloodshed follows bloodshed.
3Because of this the land dries up,
and all who live in it waste away;
the beasts of the field, the birds in the sky
and the fish in the sea are swept away.
4‘But let no-one bring a charge,
let no-one accuse another,
for your people are like those
who bring charges against a priest.
5You stumble day and night,
and the prophets stumble with you.
So I will destroy your mother –
6my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge.
‘Because you have rejected knowledge,
I also reject you as my priests;
because you have ignored the law of your God,
I also will ignore your children.
7The more priests there were,
the more they sinned against me;
they exchanged their glorious God4:7 Syriac (see also an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition); Masoretic Text me; / I will exchange their glory for something disgraceful.
8They feed on the sins of my people
and relish their wickedness.
9And it will be: like people, like priests.
I will punish both of them for their ways
and repay them for their deeds.
10‘They will eat but not have enough;
they will engage in prostitution but not flourish,
because they have deserted the Lord
to give themselves 11to prostitution;
old wine and new wine
take away their understanding.
12My people consult a wooden idol,
and a diviner’s rod speaks to them.
A spirit of prostitution leads them astray;
they are unfaithful to their God.
13They sacrifice on the mountaintops
and burn offerings on the hills,
under oak, poplar and terebinth,
where the shade is pleasant.
Therefore your daughters turn to prostitution
and your daughters-in-law to adultery.
14‘I will not punish your daughters
when they turn to prostitution,
nor your daughters-in-law
when they commit adultery,
because the men themselves consort with harlots
and sacrifice with shrine-prostitutes –
a people without understanding will come to ruin!
15‘Though you, Israel, commit adultery,
do not let Judah become guilty.
‘Do not go to Gilgal;
do not go up to Beth Aven.4:15 Beth Aven means house of wickedness (a derogatory name for Bethel, which means house of God).
And do not swear, “As surely as the Lord lives!”
16The Israelites are stubborn,
like a stubborn heifer.
How then can the Lord pasture them
like lambs in a meadow?
17Ephraim is joined to idols;
leave him alone!
18Even when their drinks are gone,
they continue their prostitution;
their rulers dearly love shameful ways.
19A whirlwind will sweep them away,
and their sacrifices will bring them shame.
Yehova Ayimba Mlandu Israeli
1Inu Aisraeli, imvani mawu a Yehova,
chifukwa Yehova ali ndi mlandu ndi inu
amene mumakhala mʼdzikoli:
“Mʼdziko mwanu mulibe kukhulupirika, mulibe chikondi
mulibe kulabadira za Mulungu.
2Muli kutemberera kokha, kunama ndi kupha.
Kuba ndi kuchita chigololo;
machimo achita kunyanya
ndipo akungokhalira kuphana.
3Chifukwa chake dziko likulira
ndipo onse amene amakhalamo akuvutika;
zirombo zakuthengo ndi mbalame zamumlengalenga
ndiponso nsomba zamʼnyanja zikufa.
4“Koma wina asapeze mnzake chifukwa,
wina aliyense asayimbe mlandu mnzake,
pakuti anthu ako ali ngati anthu
amene amayimba mlandu wansembe.
5Mumapunthwa usana ndi usiku
ndipo aneneri amapunthwa nanu pamodzi.
Choncho ndidzawononga amayi anu.
6Anthu anga akuwonongeka chifukwa chosadziwa.
“Pakuti mwakana kudziwa,
Inenso ndidzakukanani monga ansembe anga;
chifukwa mwayiwala lamulo la Mulungu wanu,
Inenso ndidzayiwala ana anu.
7Ansembe ankati akachuluka
iwo ankandichimwiranso kwambiri;
iwo anasinthanitsa ulemerero wawo ndi chinthu china chonyansa.
8Amalemererapo pa machimo a anthu anga
ndipo amafunitsitsa kuti anthuwo azipitiriza kuchimwa.
9Ndipo zidzakhala motere: zochitikira anthu ena, zidzachitikiranso ansembe.
Ndidzawalanga onsewo chifukwa cha njira zawo,
ndidzawabwezera chifukwa cha machitidwe awo.
10“Iwo azidzadya koma sadzakhuta;
azidzachita zachiwerewere koma sadzachulukana,
chifukwa anasiya Yehova
kuti adzipereke 11ku zachiwerewere,
ku vinyo wakale ndi watsopano,
zimene zimachotsa nzeru zomvetsa zinthu
12za anthu anga.
Anthu anga amapempha nzeru ku fano lamtengo
ndipo ndodo yawo yamtengo imawayankha.
Mzimu wachiwerewere umawasocheretsa;
iwo sakukhulupirika kwa Mulungu wawo.
13Amapereka nsembe pamwamba pa mapiri
ndi kufukiza lubani pa zitunda,
pa tsinde pa mtengo wa thundu, mnjale ndi mkundi,
pamene pali mthunzi wabwino.
Nʼchifukwa chake ana anu aakazi akuchita zachiwerewere
ndipo akazi a ana anu akuchita zigololo.
14“Ine sindidzalanga ana anu aakazi
pamene iwo adzachita zachiwerewere,
kapena akazi a ana anu
pamene adzachita zigololo.
Paja inu nomwe amunanu mumayenda ndi akazi achiwerewere,
ndipo mumapereka nsembe pamodzi ndi akazi achiwerewere a ku malo opembedzerako.
Anthu amene alibe nzeru adzawonongeka ndithu!
15“Ngakhale umachita chigololo, iwe Israeli,
Yuda asapezeke ndi mlandu wotere.
“Usapite ku Giligala.
Usapite ku Beti-Aveni.
Ndipo usalumbire kuti, ‘Pali Yehova wamoyo!’
16Aisraeli ndi nkhutukumve,
ngosamva ngati ana angʼombe.
Kodi Yehova angathe kuwaweta bwanji
ngati ana ankhosa pa msipu wabwino?
17Efereimu waphathana ndi mafano;
mulekeni!
18Ngakhale pamene zakumwa zawo zatha,
amapitiriza kuchita zachiwerewere;
atsogoleri awo amakonda kwambiri njira zawo zochititsa manyazi.
19Adzachotsedwa ndi kamvuluvulu
ndipo adzachita manyazi chifukwa cha nsembe zawo.
