The People's Insincere Repentance
1 The people say, “Let's return to the Lord! He has hurt us, but he will be sure to heal us; he has wounded us, but he will bandage our wounds, won't he? 2 In two or three days he will revive us, and we will live in his presence. 3 Let us try to know the Lord. He will come to us as surely as the day dawns, as surely as the spring rains fall upon the earth.”
4 But the Lord says, “Israel and Judah, what am I going to do with you? Your love for me disappears as quickly as morning mist; it is like dew, that vanishes early in the day. 5 That is why I have sent my prophets to you with my message of judgment and destruction. What I want from you is plain and clear: 6 I want your constant love, not your animal sacrifices. I would rather have my people know me than burn offerings to me.
7 “But as soon as they entered the land at Adam, they broke the covenant I had made with them. 8 Gilead is a city full of evil people and murderers. 9 The priests are like a gang of robbers who wait in ambush for someone. Even on the road to the holy place at Shechem they commit murder. And they do all this evil deliberately! 10 I have seen a horrible thing in Israel: my people have defiled themselves by worshiping idols.
11 “And as for you, people of Judah, I have set a time to punish you also for what you are doing.
Omeritanauriro wotjiwaṋa omahasemba
1 Otjiwaṋa matji tja nai:
“Indjeye tu yaruke ku Muhona!
Eye we tu hihamisa, nungwari,
tjiri, me tu verukisa rukwao.
Eye we tu usura ovirwaro,
nungwari, tjiri, ma kutu ovirwaro vyetu mbi.
2 Kombunda yomayuva yevari
eye me tu pe omuinyo omupe,
nu meyuva oritjatatu e tu yarura koupe,
neṱe matu kara nomuinyo komurungu we.
3 Ngatu kondje okutjiwa Muhona.
Eye tjiri meya ku eṱe otja eyuva punga ari tja,
notja ombura yokurooro punga ai tjatja ehi.”
4 Nungwari Muhona ma tja nai:
“Israel na Juda, hi mu tjite tjike?
Orusuvero rweṋu ku ami ru zenga tjimanga
tjimuna ombundu yomuhuka omunene;
orwo ru ri otja otjeme tji tji zenga rukuru mutenya.
5 Ami opu mba za okuhinda ovaprofete vandje ku eṋe
nombuze yombanguriro noyomayandekero.
Ihi tji me undju ku eṋe otjo otjikahu notjizuvakwa:
6 Ami me vanga orusuvero rweṋu orukarerere,
nungwari kazo nḓa ozombunguhiro zovinamuinyo.
Ami tjinene me vanga otjiwaṋa tjandje okundjitjiwa
moruveze rwokundjipunguhira
ozombunguhiro ozoningiririsiwa.
7 Nungwari tjimanga owo tji va
za nokuhita mehi potjirongo Adam,
otji va teya omerikutiropamwe ngu mba tjitire na wo.
8 Gilead otjihuro tji tje ura novandu ovanauvi novazepe.
9 Ovapristeri ve ri otja otjira tjovapunde tji tji werereka
omundu nandarire mondjira yokuyenda
kotjirongo otjiyapuke Sikem owo ve tjita omazepero.
Nomaurunde aehe nga ve ye tjitira wina!
10 Ami mba muna oviṋa oviyaukise mondjuwo ya Israel:
Otjiwaṋa tjandje tje rizunḓa
otjini mokurikotamena kovisenginina.
11 “Neṋe wina, tjiwaṋa tja Juda,
ami mbe mu twira po oruveze
rwokumuverera imbi mbi mu tjita.
