Israel, A Light to the Nations
1 Listen to me, distant nations,
you people who live far away!
Before I was born, the Lord chose me
and appointed me to be his servant.
2 He made my words as sharp as a sword.
With his own hand he protected me.
He made me like an arrow,
sharp and ready for use.
3 He said to me, “Israel, you are my servant;
because of you, people will praise me.”
4 I said, “I have worked, but how hopeless it is!
I have used up my strength, but have accomplished nothing.”
Yet I can trust the Lord to defend my cause;
he will reward me for what I do.
5 Before I was born, the Lord appointed me;
he made me his servant to bring back his people,
to bring back the scattered people of Israel.
The Lord gives me honor;
he is the source of my strength.
6 The Lord said to me,
“I have a greater task for you, my servant.
Not only will you restore to greatness
the people of Israel who have survived,
but I will also make you a light to the nations—
so that all the world may be saved.”
7 Israel's holy God and savior says
to the one who is deeply despised,
who is hated by the nations
and is the servant of rulers:
“Kings will see you released
and will rise to show their respect;
princes also will see it,
and they will bow low to honor you.”
This will happen because the Lord has chosen his servant;
the holy God of Israel keeps his promises.
The Restoration of Jerusalem
8 The Lord says to his people,
“When the time comes to save you, I will show you favor
and answer your cries for help.
I will guard and protect you
and through you make a covenant with all peoples.
I will let you settle once again
in your land that is now laid waste.
9 I will say to the prisoners, ‘Go free!’
and to those who are in darkness,
‘Come out to the light!’
They will be like sheep that graze on the hills;
10 they will never be hungry or thirsty.
Sun and desert heat will not hurt them,
for they will be led by one who loves them.
He will lead them to springs of water.
11 “I will make a highway across the mountains
and prepare a road for my people to travel.
12 My people will come from far away,
from the north and the west,
and from Aswan in the south.”
13 Sing, heavens! Shout for joy, earth!
Let the mountains burst into song!
The Lord will comfort his people;
he will have pity on his suffering people.
14 But the people of Jerusalem said,
“The Lord has abandoned us!
He has forgotten us.”
15 So the Lord answers,
“Can a woman forget her own baby
and not love the child she bore?
Even if a mother should forget her child,
I will never forget you.
16 Jerusalem, I can never forget you!
I have written your name on the palms of my hands.
17 “Those who will rebuild you are coming soon,
and those who destroyed you will leave.
18 Look around and see what is happening!
Your people are assembling—they are coming home!
As surely as I am the living God,
you will be proud of your people,
as proud as a bride is of her jewels.
19 “Your country was ruined and desolate—
but now it will be too small
for those who are coming to live there.
And those who left you in ruins
will be far removed from you.
20 Your people who were born in exile
will one day say to you,
‘This land is too small—
we need more room to live in!’
21 Then you will say to yourself,
‘Who bore all these children for me?
I lost my children and could have no more.
I was exiled and driven away—
who brought these children up?
I was left all alone—
where did these children come from?’”
22 The Sovereign Lord says to his people:
“I will signal to the nations,
and they will bring your children home.
23 Kings will be like fathers to you;
queens will be like mothers.
They will bow low before you and honor you;
they will humbly show their respect for you.
Then you will know that I am the Lord;
no one who waits for my help will be disappointed.”
24 Can you take away a soldier's loot?
Can you rescue the prisoners of a tyrant?
25 The Lord replies,
“That is just what is going to happen.
The soldier's prisoners will be taken away,
and the tyrant's loot will be seized.
I will fight against whoever fights you,
and I will rescue your children.
26 I will make your oppressors kill each other;
they will be drunk with murder and rage.
Then all people will know that I am the Lord,
the one who saves you and sets you free.
They will know that I am Israel's powerful God.”
Yaawe la dookuulaa mu maloo le ti bankoolu ye
1 Alitolu baadaa borindoo sabatilaalu, ali i lamoyi n na.
Alitolu banku jamfariŋo moolu, ali ali tuloo loo.
Janniŋ n ka wuluu, Yaawe* ye n tomboŋ ne,
ka ke a la dookuulaa ti.
Kabiriŋ m be m baamaa wuluuñaŋo kono,
wo to le a ye n toolaa.
2 A ye n daa ke le ko hawusari* daa diyaariŋo.
A ka a buloo le biti n kaŋ ka n tanka.
A ye n ke le ko beñe melundiŋo,
a ye m maabo a bularaŋo kono.
3 A ko n ye ko, “Banisirayila, ite le mu n na dookuulaa ti,
aduŋ i la kuwo le be a tinna la, m be buuñaa soto la.”
4 Bari n ko, “N na dookuwo maŋ nafaa soto.
Ŋa n semboo bee baŋ kensenke le.
Bari n na kuwo be Yaawe le bulu,
Alla le ye a loŋ, a ñanta n joo la meŋ na.”
5 Yaawe ye n daa m baamaa wuluuñaŋo kono le,
ka n ke a la dookuulaa ti,
ka Yaakuba koomalankoolu ñaatonkayaa,
fo ì si muru a kaŋ,
aniŋ ka Banisirayilankoolu ñaa tilindi a la.
Yaawe be m buuñaa la le,
aduŋ n na semboo be bo la naŋ Alla le bulu.
6 Saayiŋ, Yaawe ko n ye le ko,
“I mu n na dookuulaa le ti, i be kuu le ke la,
meŋ tambita ka Yaakuba lasiloolu seyindi ì ñaama,
ka Banisirayila moo toomaalu murundi naŋ.
M be i ke la bantala bankoolu* fanaa ye maloo le ti,
i ye n na kiisoo samba duniyaa tonkoŋ naanoo bee to.”
7 Yaawe, Banisirayila la Senuŋ Baa, a Kumakaalaa
ka diyaamu moo le ye,
bankoolu jututa meŋ na, ì ye a koŋ,
a keta maralilaalu la dookuulaa ti,
a ye ñiŋ ne fo a ye ko,
“Niŋ mansoolu ye i je, ì be wuli la le,
maralilaalu fanaa be ñoyi la i ye le,
kaatu nte Yaawe le be a saabu la.
N ka laahidoolu timmandi le,
nte Banisirayila la Senuŋ Baa meŋ ye i tomboŋ.”
Banisirayilankoolu la seyoo
8 Yaawe ye ñiŋ ne fo a la dookuulaa ye ko:
“Niŋ n na hiinoo waatoo siita,
m be i danku la le.
Niŋ kiisoo luŋo siita,
m be i maakoyi la le.
M be i kanda la,
i ye ke n niŋ moolu teema kambeŋo ti,
ka banku tumbundiŋo seyindi a ñaama,
ka kenoo talaa moolu teema ka ke ì ye keetaafeŋo ti.
9 I si a fo mutamoolu ye ko,
‘Ali finti naŋ!’
aniŋ moolu mennu be diboo kono ye ko,
‘Ali firinta le!’
“Moolu be daañinoo soto la sila daalu le la,
aduŋ ì be domoroo soto la bere konkoolu faŋo kaŋ ne.
10 Ì te konko la, waraŋ mindoo ye ì muta,
sako tiloo si i kandi waraŋ keñewuloo* foñoo si ì mantoora.
Nte Alla meŋ ka balafaa soto ì ye,
be ì ñaatonkayaa la le,
ka ì samba woyoolu to.
11 M be n na konkoolu bee yelemandi la siloolu le ti,
n na sila kendoolu ye tintiŋ.
12 A juubee, n na moolu be bo la naŋ dulaa jamfariŋolu le to,
doolu be bo la naŋ maraa karoo le la,
doolu ye bo naŋ tilijii,
doolu ye bo fo Asuwani maafaŋo la.”
13 Saŋ fatoolu, ali sari santo seewoo kamma,
bankoo ye kontaani,
konkoolu ye wutu suukuwo ti,
kaatu Yaawe ye a la moolu jusoo ñabu le,
aduŋ a be balafaa soto la a la moo bataariŋolu ye le.
14 Bari Siyoni* ko le ko,
“Yaawe ye i bo n to le,
m Maariyo ñinata n na le.”
15 Yaawe ye a jaabi ko:
“Fo musoo ka ñina a la suusuu diŋo la le baŋ,
waraŋ a te balafaa soto la a wuluudiŋo ye?
A si ke noo a ye ñina,
bari Siyoni, nte te ñina la i la.
16 A juubee, ŋa i muluŋo ñenje m buluteetee bala le,
n hakiloo be tu la i la sansaŋ tumbundiŋolu kaŋ ne waati-wo-waati.
17 I diŋolu be hawujiriŋ ne ka muruŋ naŋ,
aduŋ mennu ye i la saatewo kasaara, be taa la le.
18 I dandaŋolu juubee, i ye a je, meŋ be ke kaŋ.
I diŋolu bee benta le ka seyi i yaa.”
Yaawe kalita ñiŋ ne la ko:
“A be koyiriŋ ñaameŋ ko nte be baluuriŋ ne,
i be kibiri la i diŋolu la kuwo la le,
ko maañoo ka kibiri a la ñaroolu la ñaameŋ.
19 “Ì ye i tiñaa, aniŋ ka i la saatewo kasaara ñaa-wo-ñaa,
ka i la bankoo kenseŋyandi,
bari saayiŋ, bankoo be dooyaabaa la i la moolu ye le, mennu naata,
aduŋ mennu ye i kasaara be jamfa la i la le.
20 Dindiŋolu mennu wuluuta i la niikuyaa waatoo,
be a fo la i ye le ko,
‘Ñiŋ dulaa dooyaabaata ntolu ye le,
dulaa fanuŋo dii ǹ na, ŋà sabati jee.’
21 Wo to i be a fo la i sondomoo kono le ko,
‘Jumaa le duŋ ye ñiŋ dindiŋolu bee wuluu n ye?
N niyo kuyaata le, kaatu m foota n diŋolu la le,
n tarata nuŋ mutoo kono le, ì ye m fili jee.
Jumaa le duŋ ye ñiŋ dindiŋolu kuluu?
N dammaa le tuta m faŋ ye,
saayiŋ duŋ, ñinnu bota mintoo le?’ ”
22 Maarii Yaawe ye ñiŋ ne fo ko:
“Saayiŋ, m be taamanseeroo ke la bantala bankoolu ye le.
M be n na bandeeroo wulindi la le, moolu ye a je.
Ì be i dinkewolu sika la le,
ì ye i dimmusoolu laa ì dabakunkuŋolu kaŋ, ì ye ì naati i ye.
23 Mansoolu le be ke la i diŋolu la kuluuribaalu ti,
ì la mansamusoolu ye ke i diŋolu ye bambaanoolu ti.
Ì be ñoyi la i ñaatiliŋo la le,
ì kuŋolu ye tara jimiriŋ duuma,
ì ye kankaŋo newuŋ i siŋolu bala.
Wo to le i be a loŋ na ko, nte le mu Yaawe ti,
moolu mennu ye ì jikoo loo n kaŋ, te jikilateyi la.”
24 Fo moo si buusi feŋo taa noo kelejawaroo bulu baŋ,
waraŋ mutamoolu ye kana noo maralilaa saŋarariŋo la?
25 Bari Yaawe ye ñiŋ ne fo ko:
“Tooñaa, mutamoolu si buusi noo kelejawaroolu bulu le,
buusi feŋo ye seyi ka bo maralilaa saŋarariŋo bulu.
Niŋ moolu wulita ka i kele,
m fanaa be ì kele la le,
aduŋ m be i diŋolu tanka la le.
26 M be a ke la le, i toorandilaalu ye ñoo faa.
Ì faŋolu yeloo le be ì siirandi la ko doloo.
Wo to hadamadiŋolu bee be a loŋ na le ko,
nte Yaawe le mu i Kiisandirilaa ti,
i Kumakaalaa, Yaakuba la Alla Tallaa.”
