The Punishment of Jerusalem
The Prophet Speaks:
1 The purest gold is ruined
and has lost its shine;
jewels from the temple
lie scattered in the streets.
2 These are Zion's people,
worth more than purest gold;
yet they are counted worthless
like dishes of clay.
3 Even jackals nurse their young,
but my people are like ostriches
that abandon their own.
4 Babies are so thirsty
that their tongues are stuck
to the roof of the mouth.
Children go begging for food,
but no one gives them any.
5 All who ate expensive foods
lie starving in the streets;
those who grew up in luxury
now sit on trash heaps.
6 My nation was punished worse
than the people of Sodom,
whose city was destroyed
in a flash without the help
of human hands.
7 The leaders of Jerusalem
were purer than snow
and whiter than milk;
their bodies were healthy
and glowed like jewels.
8 Now they are blacker than tar,
and no one recognizes them;
their skin clings to their bones
and is drier than firewood.
9 Being killed with a sword
is better than slowly
starving to death.
10 Life in the city is so bad
that loving mothers have boiled
and eaten their own children.
11 The Lord was so fiercely angry
that he burned the city of Zion
to the ground.
12 Not a king on this earth
or the people of any nation
believed enemies could break
through her gates.
13 Jerusalem was punished because
her prophets and her priests
had sinned and caused the death
of innocent victims.
14 Yes, her prophets and priests
were covered with blood;
no one would come near them,
as they wandered
from street to street.
15 Instead, everyone shouted,
“Go away! Don't touch us!
You're filthy and unfit
to belong to God's people!”
So they had to leave
and become refugees.
But foreign nations told them,
“You can't stay here!”
16 The Lord is the one
who sent them scattering,
and he has forgotten them.
No respect or kindness
will be shown
to the priests or leaders.
17 Our eyes became weary,
hopelessly looking
for help from a nation
that could not save us.
18 Enemies hunted us down
on every public street.
Our time was up;
our doom was near.
19 They swooped down faster
than eagles from the sky.
They hunted for us in the hills
and set traps to catch us
out in the desert.
20 The Lord's chosen leader
was our hope for survival!
We thought he would keep us safe
somewhere among the nations,
but even he was caught
in one of their traps.
21 You people of Edom
can celebrate now!
But your time will come
to suffer and stagger
around naked.
22 The people of Zion
have paid for their sins,
and the Lord will soon
let them return home.
But, people of Edom,
you will be punished,
and your sins exposed.
Yerusalaamu boyiriŋ koolaa
1 Alikoo, ñiŋ sanoo le keta nee fiŋo ti teŋ,
saniforoo le yelemata teŋ!
Bere jankuriŋolu be janjandiŋ duuma
mbeedi kuŋolu to taariŋ.
2 Siyoni* diŋ kende-kendoolu,
ì niŋ saniforoo le be temberiŋ,
ì ye wolu le muta potoo daandiŋo ti teŋ,
boodaalaa buloo ka meŋ daa!
3 Cafati, kunkuwuloo ka wuli le,
a ka sunjoo dii le ka a diŋolu suusundi,
bari n na saatee moolu jawuyaata le,
ì ka ì koo dii ì diŋolu la le,
ko keñewuloo* kono suruntukunoolu.
4 Deenaanoolu neŋo ka kara ì naaliŋo bala,
feŋ te fo mindoo.
Dindiŋolu ka tara domori daanoo la,
bari moo buka ì so hani feŋ na.
5 Ee! Mennu ka i baluu nuŋ mansakee domoroo la,
a fele saayiŋ, ì ka faa konkoo la mbeedoolu kaŋ.
Mennu kuluuta sitifeŋ ñiimaa duŋo la,
saayiŋ ì ka suntukuŋolu le kisikisi.
6 Hee, jaraboo meŋ laata n na saatee moolu kaŋ,
wo le tambita Sodomu taa la,
meŋ kasaarata kataba kiliŋ,
bulu maŋ maa a la.
7 Hee, Yerusalaamu maralilaalu la seneyaa
mulunta le ko perekaanoo,
ka tambi hani keekewo la,
ì jaatoolu be bambandiŋ ko beroo,
ì muluŋo be ñiiñaariŋ ko safiiri beroo.
8 Ì fele, ì naata fiŋ ko kemboo,
moo buka ì suutee mbeedoolu kaŋ,
ì balafatoo jaata ì kuloolu bala,
a jaata ko loo jaaroo.
9 Jee to, mennu faata niŋ hawusaroo* la,
wolu le fisiyaata
ka tambi mennu faata niŋ konkoo la,
konkoo ye ì muta ka ì faa domaŋ-domaŋ,
domori sotobaliyaa kamma la.
10 Kooni! Baamaalu niŋ ì la konotodiyaa bee,
ì ye ì wuluudiŋolu muta le ka ì tabi,
ka ì ke domoroo ti,
tuma meŋ ì jawoolu ye ì ŋayibe.
11 Maarii Yaawe* ye a la kamfaa fijoo bee le jii,
a ye a la jusukandoo kupi naŋ,
a ye dimbaa mala Siyoni kono,
a ye a jani fo a fondamaŋolu to.
12 Mansakewolu, duniyaa mansoolu maŋ laa,
waraŋ moo koteŋ duniyaa kono,
ko Yerusalaamu konnantee waraŋ a jawu
si a dundaŋ daalu salaŋ noo.
13 Ǹ na annabiyomoolu la junuboolu le mu,
aniŋ ǹ na piriisoolu la jenke kuwolu,
ì ye moolu yeloo boŋ jee,
mennu keta moo tilindiŋolu ti.
14 Annabiyomoolu niŋ piriisoolu finkinteemaalu le mu,
ì ka yaayi mbeedoolu kaŋ,
ì be kosoriŋ moolu yeloo la,
fo moo buka ì la duŋ feŋolu maa noo.
15 Ŋà a je moolu ka wuuri ì ma taariŋ ko,
“Acaa! Seneyaabalinnu!
Acaa! Acaa! Ali kana m̀ maa de!”
Bituŋ ì keta yaantaŋ yaayilaalu ti.
Banku koteŋ moolu ka a fo ì ye,
ì te sabati la ì kono.
16 Oyi! Moo buka piriisi horoma kotenke,
sako ka alifaa buuñaa.
Yaawe faŋo le ye ì janjandi,
a te ì hati la kotenke.
17 Woyi nte! Ǹ tuta maakoyiroo koto fele la le,
fo ǹ ñaalu korita.
Ŋà koto feleroo ke banku le la
meŋ maŋ ǹ tankandi noo.
18 Ruk-ruk, a duuta! Ǹ jawoolu ka ǹ wulu deema le,
ì ka m̀ bali finti la ǹ na mbeedoolu kaŋ.
Ǹ labaŋo siita le,
m̀ baluu tiloolu banta fereŋ-fereŋ.
19 Seeliŋo tiitoo,
m̀ bayindilaalu le tariyaata wo faŋo ti.
Ì ye m̀ bayindi konkoolu kaŋ,
ì bitita ǹ kamma keñewuloo kono.
20 Teŋ neŋ, ì ye ǹ na baluwo topatoolaa muta,
Yaawe la tomboŋ mansakewo,
ì la dinkoolu kono,
ǹ ka a fo meŋ ye nuŋ ko,
banku koteŋolu si a je,
a ye ke ǹ ye dubeŋo ti,
aniŋ ǹ tankadulaa.
21 Wayi! Alitolu Edomunkoolu,
mennu be siiriŋ Usi bankoo to,
ali si seewoo ka jusulaa.
Bari Alla la kamfaa mindaŋo be naa ali fanaa kaŋ ne,
ali ye siira fo ali ye i wura fefes.
22 Yoo, ite Siyoni, i jarabita i la junuboolu kaŋ ne,
Yaawe te i mendi la mutoo kono kotenke.
Bari ite Edomu, a be i jarabi la i la junuboolu la le,
a ye i la kuu kuruŋolu waañaari.
