Sin and Shame
1 The Lord said to the people of Israel:
If a divorced woman marries,
can her first husband
ever marry her again?
No, because this
would pollute the land.
But you have more gods
than a prostitute has lovers.
Why should I take you back?
2 Just try to find one hilltop
where you haven't gone
to worship other gods
by having sex.
You sat beside the road
like a robber in ambush,
except you offered yourself
to every passerby.
Your sins of unfaithfulness
have polluted the land.
3 So I, the Lord, refused
to let the spring rains fall.
But just like a prostitute,
you still have no shame
for what you have done.
4 You call me your father
or your long-lost friend;
5 you beg me to stop being angry,
but you won't stop sinning.
The Lord Asks Israel To Come Back to Him
6 When Josiah was king, the Lord said:
Jeremiah, the kingdom of Israel was like an unfaithful wife who became a prostitute on the hilltops and in the shade of large trees. 7-8 I knew that the kingdom of Israel had been unfaithful and committed many sins, yet I still hoped she might come back to me. But she didn't, so I divorced her and sent her away.
Her sister, the kingdom of Judah, saw what happened, but she wasn't worried in the least, and I watched her become unfaithful like her sister. 9 The kingdom of Judah wasn't sorry for being a prostitute, and she didn't care that she had made both herself and the land unclean by worshiping idols of stone and wood. 10 And worst of all, the people of Judah pretended to come back to me. 11 Even the people of Israel were honest enough not to pretend.
12 Jeremiah, shout toward the north:
Israel, I am your Lord—
come back to me!
You were unfaithful
and made me furious,
but I am merciful,
and so I will forgive you.
13 Just admit that you rebelled
and worshiped foreign gods
under large trees everywhere.
14 You are unfaithful children,
but you belong to me.
Come home!
I'll take one or two of you
from each town and clan
and bring you to Zion.
15 Then I'll appoint wise rulers
who will obey me,
and they will care for you
like shepherds.
16 You will increase in numbers,
and there will be no need
to remember the sacred chest
or to make a new one.
17 The whole city of Jerusalem
will be my throne.
All nations will come here
to worship me,
and they will no longer follow
their stubborn, evil hearts.
18 Then, in countries to the north,
you people of Judah and Israel
will be reunited,
and you will return to the land
I gave your ancestors.
19 I have always wanted
to treat you as my children
and give you the best land,
the most beautiful on earth.
I wanted you to call me “Father”
and not turn from me.
20 But instead, you are like a wife
who broke her wedding vows.
You have been unfaithful to me.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
The People Confess Their Sins
The Lord said:
21 Listen to the noise
on the hilltops!
It's the people of Israel,
weeping and begging me
to answer their prayers.
They forgot about me
and chose the wrong path.
22 I will tell them, “Come back,
and I will cure you
of your unfaithfulness.”
They will answer,
“We will come back, because you
are the Lord our God.
23 On hilltops, we worshiped idols
and made loud noises,
but it was all for nothing—
only you can save us.
24 Since the days of our ancestors
when our nation was young,
that shameful god Baal has taken
our crops and livestock,
our sons and daughters.
25 We have rebelled against you
just like our ancestors,
and we are ashamed of our sins.”
Banisirayila muritita Alla ma
1 A fota le ko:
“Niŋ kewo ye a la musoo bula,
musoo bota a bulu,
a naata ke kee doo la musoo ti,
fo a si muru noo a kamma baŋ?
Fo wo kuu siifaa te bankoo bee le kosondi la baŋ?
Bari ite Banisirayila niŋ jamaa le be cakayaa kanoo la,
silaŋ i si muru noo nte Yaawe* kaŋ ñaadii le?”
Yaawe le ye a fo.
2 A ko:
“I ñaa wuli i ye konkoolu kaŋ juubee baŋ!
Fo wo dulaa le be jee,
ì maŋ i laañooyaa daameŋ?
I ka sii sila dandaŋolu le la,
ka tara baturoo la,
i niŋ meŋ be kanoo ke la,
i ka munta ñapinkannaa
meŋ ka biti moolu kamma keñewuloo* kono.
I ye bankoo kosondi le,
ka bo i la cakayaa niŋ kuruŋyaa la.
3 Wo le ye samaa foloo jiyo bali naa la,
aniŋ samaa labaŋ jiyo.
Bari hani wo, cakoo la ñaajaa le be i la,
i buka malu fereŋ.
4 Fo i maŋ bo n kumandi la saayiŋ ne ko:
‘M Faamaa, ite ye nte kanu le biriŋ n dindiŋ’?
5 I ka a fo ko, ‘Fo a be tu la kamfaariŋ n kamma le,
ka tu kamfaariŋ n kamma fo fawu?’
A fele, i ka wo doroŋ ne fo,
bari i ye kuu kuruŋo bee le ke, i ye meŋ noo.”
Banisirayila niŋ Yahuuda la muriti maañaa
6 Mansa Yosiya la maraloo waatoo kono, Yaawe diyaamuta nte Yeremiya ye le ko, “Fo i ye a je le, Banisirayila ye meŋ ke baŋ, komeŋ futuumusu muritiriŋo? A seleta konko-wo-konko kaŋ ne, aniŋ yirisuŋ biireeriŋo meŋ-wo-meŋ koto, ka cakayaa maañaa ke jee. 7 Ŋa a miira le nuŋ ko, a la ñiŋ kuwolu bee keriŋ koolaa, a be muru la n kaŋ ne. Bari a maŋ muru naŋ, aduŋ Yahuuda faŋo ye wo je le, a baadiŋ jenkeriŋo. 8 A ye a je le ŋa Banisirayila bula, ka a kaŋo dii a la ko bulamusoo. Hani wo, musu kaatibaloo meŋ mu Yahuuda ti, maŋ sila, a fanaa taata a ye cakayaa maañaa ke. 9 Cakayaa maañaa maŋ ke Banisirayila ñaa koto feŋ ti, wo le ye a tinna a ye bankoo kosondi. A ye jeenoo le ke ka bo niŋ jalambatoo la, biriŋ a bere jalaŋ, fo a yiri jalaŋ. 10 A ye ñiŋ kuwolu bee ke ñaa-wo-ñaa, Yahuuda, Banisirayila baadiŋ jenkeriŋo maŋ muru naŋ n kaŋ niŋ a sondomoo bee la. A ka a faŋ mulundi le doroŋ ko wo le be a to.” Yaawe le ye a fo.
Jikoo be Banisirayila ye le ka yamfoo soto
11 Yaawe naata a fo n ye ko, “Hani Banisirayila jenkeriŋo le faŋo fisiyaata Yahuuda muritiriŋo ti! 12 Wo to taa, i ye ñiŋ kumoolu kankulaa Banisirayila ye, bankoo meŋ be maraa kara maafaŋo la ko:
Muru naŋ, ite Banisirayila muritiriŋo.”
Yaawe le ye a fo.
“N te kamfaa la ka n ñaa kuyaa i kamma kotenke,
kaatu m balafaa warata le.”
Yaawe le ye a fo.
“N te tu la kamfaariŋ fo fawu.
13 Ali soŋ ali la boyidaa la doroŋ ko
ali balanta nte Yaawe ali la Alla le ma.
Ali ye siloo dii banku koteŋ jalaŋolu le la,
ka wolu kanuñooyaa yirisuŋ biireeriŋolu meŋ-wo-meŋ koto,
ali maŋ soŋ ka n na kumakaŋo muta.”
Yaawe le ye a fo.
14 Yaawe ye ñiŋ ne fo ko, “Ali muru naŋ, alitolu diŋ muritiriŋolu, kaatu nte le mu ali Maarii ti. M be ali tomboŋ na le ka ali murundi naŋ ali janjanta daamennu to. M be kiliŋ bondi la naŋ saatee-wo-saatee le, ka fula bondi naŋ kaabiila-wo-kaabiila, ka ali naati Siyoni*. 15 Bituŋ n si naa kantarilaalu ke ali kunna, mennu be ke la nte faŋo sondomoo la lafoo ti. Wolu be ali daañini la niŋ ñaameŋo niŋ fahaamuroo le la. 16 Wo waatoo la, niŋ ali yaatewo siyaata kendeke bankoo kaŋ, kunuŋ tiloolu te ali loo la kotenke, ka a fo ko, ‘Kooni, Yaawe la Kambeŋ Kunewo*.’ Ali te Kambeŋ Kunewo la kumoo fo la fereŋ, sako a la kuwo si bula ali hakiloo kono. A la kuwo te ali loo la, sako ali si a ñoŋ doo dadaa. 17 Wo waatoo la, ì be kali Yerusalaamu kumandi la Yaawe la Mansasiiraŋo le la. Duniyaa banku moolu bee be beŋ na jee le ka m batu n too la, aduŋ ì te bula la ì la sondome jaa niŋ kuruŋyaa nooma kotenke. 18 Wo waatoo la, alitolu Yahuuda moolu be kafu la Banisirayila moolu ma le. Ali be naa ñoo la le ka bo bankoo to, meŋ be maraa kara maafaŋo la, ka naa bankoo kaŋ ŋa meŋ dii ali mumuñolu la keetaafeŋo ti.
19 “Nte Yaawe ko m faŋ ye le ko:
Wo si nte seewoo,
ka ali bulandi ñiŋ kontoo kono ko,
n diŋolu le mu ali ti,
ŋa ñaaboo bankoo dii ali la,
bankoolu bee banku ñiimaa.
Ŋa ñiŋ ne muta ko ali be n kumandi la ali Faamaa le la,
aduŋ ali te muru la ka ali koo dii n na.
20 Bari hanii, ko musoo meŋ muritita a keemaa ma,
i muritita nte ma wo le ñaama, ite Banisirayila.”
Yaawe le ye a fo.
21 Wuurikaŋo bota naŋ konkoolu kaŋ,
Banisirayilankoolu le kumboo kaŋo mu,
aniŋ ì woosiikaŋo,
kaatu ì ye kuruŋyaa le ke ì taaraŋ siloo ti,
ì ñinata Yaawe ì la Alla la.
22 Yaawe ko:
“Muna ali muru naŋ, alitolu diŋ muritiriŋolu,
m be ali la murutoo jaara la le.
“Ali ko, ‘A fele, ǹ naata i kaŋ ne,
kaatu ite le mu Yaawe ǹ na Alla ti.
23 Tooñaa-tooñaa, jalambatoo maakaŋo konkoolu kaŋ taariŋ,
wo mu ǹ ye neeneeroo le ti.
Tooñaa-tooñaa, Yaawe ǹ na Alla
le mu Banisirayila la kiisoo ti.
24 Ka bo biriŋ ǹ dindiŋ,
ñiŋ malu kuwo, Baali* jalambatoo
ye m̀ fondi m̀ mumuñolu la kata kuwolu la le,
baalu niŋ saajiyolu, aniŋ ninsoolu,
ka taa dinkewolu niŋ dimmusoolu.
25 Ǹ ñanta le ka n laa duuma maloo kono,
ǹ na dooyaa ye muuri ǹ kaŋ.
Ŋà junuboo le ke Yaawe ǹ na Alla la,
ntolu niŋ m̀ mumuñolu bee,
ka bo biriŋ ǹ dindiŋ ka naa bula bii la.
M̀ maŋ Yaawe ǹ na Alla la kumoo muta.’ ”
