The Prophet Condemns the People's Sins
1 Don't think that the Lord is too weak to save you or too deaf to hear your call for help! 2 It is because of your sins that he doesn't hear you. It is your sins that separate you from God when you try to worship him. 3 You are guilty of lying, violence, and murder.
4 You go to court, but you do not have justice on your side. You depend on lies to win your case. You carry out your plans to hurt others. 5-6 The evil plots you make are as deadly as the eggs of a poisonous snake. Crush an egg, out comes a snake! But your plots will do you no good—they are as useless as clothing made of cobwebs! 7 You are always planning something evil, and you can hardly wait to do it. You never hesitate to murder innocent people. You leave ruin and destruction wherever you go, 8 and no one is safe when you are around. Everything you do is unjust. You follow a crooked path, and no one who walks that path will ever be safe.
The People Confess Their Sin
9 The people say, “Now we know why God does not save us from those who oppress us. We hope for light to walk by, but there is only darkness, 10 and we grope about like blind people. We stumble at noon, as if it were night, as if we were in the dark world of the dead. 11 We are frightened and distressed. We long for God to save us from oppression and wrong, but nothing happens.
12 “Lord, our crimes against you are many. Our sins accuse us. We are well aware of them all. 13 We have rebelled against you, rejected you, and refused to follow you. We have oppressed others and turned away from you. Our thoughts are false; our words are lies. 14 Justice is driven away, and right cannot come near. Truth stumbles in the public square, and honesty finds no place there. 15 There is so little honesty that those who stop doing evil find themselves the victims of crime.”
The Lord Prepares to Rescue His People
The Lord has seen this, and he is displeased that there is no justice. 16 He is astonished to see that there is no one to help the oppressed. So he will use his own power to rescue them and to win the victory. 17 He will wear justice like a coat of armor and saving power like a helmet. He will clothe himself with the strong desire to set things right and to punish and avenge the wrongs that people suffer. 18 He will punish his enemies according to what they have done, even those who live in distant lands. 19 From east to west everyone will fear him and his great power. He will come like a rushing river, like a strong wind.
20 The Lord says to his people, “I will come to Jerusalem to defend you and to save all of you that turn from your sins. 21 And I make a covenant with you: I have given you my power and my teachings to be yours forever, and from now on you are to obey me and teach your children and your descendants to obey me for all time to come.”
Junuboo, tuubiseyoo, aniŋ kiisoo
1 Tooñaa-tooñaa, Yaawe* buloo be sii la ali la le ka ali kiisa,
a tuloo fanaa maŋ kuyaa ka ali moyi.
2 Bari ali la junuboolu le ye a tinna,
kalee baa be ali niŋ ali la Alla teema,
ali la kuu jawu kewo le ye a saabu,
a ye a koo dii ali la, fo a buka i lamoyi ali la.
3 Ali buloolu ka tu yeleboŋo le la,
junube kuu kewo ye ali kosondi.
Ali daa ka faniyaa kumoo fo,
ali neŋ kolomoo ka tu kuu jawoo ŋunuŋunu la.
4 Moo buka kiitiyo kuntu a ñaama,
waraŋ ka a la kuwo samba luwaa ñaatiliŋo la niŋ siloo la.
Ì ka laa diyaamu kenseŋo le la,
aniŋ faniyaa foo.
Fitina kuwo le ka tara ì kono,
a ye naa kuu kuruŋo wuluu.
5 Ì ka saa kiloolu le teyi, biidaa ye finti.
Moo-wo-moo ye ì la wo kiloolu domo, i be faa la le,
aduŋ niŋ kiliŋ teyita, daŋaroo le be finti la.
Ì ka taaliŋ jaloolu le daa,
6 bari ì buka ì ke noo duŋ feŋo ti.
Ì ye meŋ dadaa, ì buka sutura noo a la.
Ì ka kuu kuruŋo dammaa le ke,
aduŋ fitina maañaa le ka tara ì bulu.
7 Ì tariyaata junube kuu kewo la le,
ì ka hawuji ka moo faa meŋ maŋ kuu ke.
Miira jawoo le ka tara ì sondomoo kono,
tiñaaroo niŋ kasaaroo mu ì taaraŋ buloo ti.
8 Ì maŋ kayira siloo loŋ,
hani tiliŋo domandiŋ buka taama ì la siloo kaŋ.
Ì la siloo mu sila jenkeriŋo le ti.
Moo te bula la a nooma, i ye kayira siloo loŋ.
9 Wo le ye a tinna tiliŋo jamfata ǹ na,
kiitii tilindiŋo maŋ futa ǹ na.
M̀ be n yillaariŋ maloo le la,
bari m̀ buka feŋ je fo diboo.
Ǹ ka suula fanuñaa le la,
bari ǹ ka taama dibi fiŋ baa le kono.
10 Ǹ ka moomooroo ke bumbaloo bala le ko finkintewolu,
ǹ ka taama ko moolu mennu maŋ ñaalu soto.
Tiloo ñaa la ǹ ka taki le ko niŋ m̀ be suutoo le kono.
Moo bambandiŋolu kono, ntolu ka munta le ko furewo.
11 M̀ bee ka ŋaara le ko daafeŋ saŋarariŋo*.
Ǹ ka woosii ko puraa.
M̀ be n yillaariŋ kiitii tilindiŋo le la, bari m̀ buka a je.
Ǹ ka kiisoo ñini, bari a jamfata le.
12 Kaatu ŋà junube kuu jamaa le ke i la karoo la,
aduŋ ǹ na junuboolu le ye ǹ na boyidaalu yitandi,
kaatu ì ka tu m̀ bala le,
aduŋ ǹ sonta ǹ na kuu kuruŋolu la le.
13 Ŋà balaŋo niŋ jamfaa le ke Yaawe la karoo la,
ka ǹ koo dii ǹ na Alla la,
ka tilimbaliyaa kuwolu wulindi, aniŋ ka muriti,
ka feeroo siti ka faniyaa fo.
14 Kiitiyo buka kuntu a ñaama,
ǹ niŋ tiliŋo jamfata ñoo la.
Tooñaa buka fo mbeedoolu kono,
kumoo meŋ be tiliŋo la karoo la,
m̀ buka soŋ a ye duŋ saatewo kono.
15 Tooñaa buka je daa-wo-daa.
Moolu mennu buka soŋ kuu kuruŋ kewo la,
ǹ ka wolu le boyinkaŋ.
Yaawe ye a je le, aduŋ a maŋ kontaani,
kaatu kiitiyo buka kuntu a ñaama.
16 Moo maŋ soto meŋ ka moolu maakoyi.
A jaakalita le ka a je ko, moo maŋ soto,
bituŋ a faŋo la semboo ye kiisoo saabu ì ye,
aduŋ a faŋo la tiliŋo le ye semboo dii a la ka a ke.
17 A ye tiliŋo kele dendikamaa le duŋ,
a ye kiisoo kele naafamaa duŋ.
A ye makatibayoo dendikamaa le duŋ,
kamfaa be fudiriŋ a kono ko duŋ feŋo.
18 Ì ye kuu jawoolu ke ñaameŋ,
a be ì joo la wo le ñaama:
A be a la kamfaa juloo joo la a jawoolu to le,
yankankatoo, a sookilaalu ye,
a be banku jamfariŋolu joo la ì ñaama le.
19 Wo to tilijiilankoolu be sila la Yaawe la le,
tilibolankoolu te haañi la a la sembe waroo la,
kaatu a be naa la le ko waame baa,
Yaawe la niijii kaŋo ka meŋ bayindi.
20 Yaawe ko: “Kumakaalaa be naa Siyoni* le,
ka naa Yaakuba koomalankoolu kaŋ,
mennu tuubita ì la junuboolu la.”
21 A ko: “Nte wo de, n niŋ ì be ñiŋ kambeŋo le siti la. Ite n na annabiyomoo, ŋa n na Nooroo meŋ dii i la, aniŋ ŋa n na kumakaŋo meŋ duŋ i daa, be tara la i fee le, aduŋ a be tara la i diŋolu fee le aniŋ i koomalankoolu ka bo saayiŋ na fo abadaa. Nte Yaawe le ye a fo.”
