1
Watu husema, Mtu akimwacha mkewe, naye akienda zake, akawa mke wa mtu mwingine, je! Mtu huyo atamrudia tena? Je! Nchi hiyo haitatiwa unajisi? Lakini wewe umefanya mambo ya ukahaba na wapenzi wengi; nawe, je! Utanirudia mimi? Asema Bwana.
“If a man divorces his wife and she leaves him to marry another, can he ever return to her? Would not such a land be completely defiled? But you have played the harlot with many lovers—and you would return to Me?” declares the LORD.
2
Inua macho yako, ukavitazame vilele vya milima, ukaone; pa wapi mahali ambapo hawakulala nawe? Kando ya njia umeketi ili kuwangojea, kama vile Mwarabu jangwani; nawe umeitia nchi unajisi kwa ukahaba wako na uovu wako.
“Lift up your eyes to the barren heights and see. Is there any place where you have not been violated? You sat beside the highways waiting for your lovers, like a nomad in the desert. You have defiled the land with your prostitution and wickedness.
3
Kwa sababu hiyo manyunyu yamezuiliwa, wala hapakuwa na mvua ya vuli; hata hivyo ulikuwa na kipaji cha uso cha kahaba, ulikataa kutahayarika.
Therefore the showers have been withheld, and no spring rains have fallen. Yet you have the brazen look of a prostitute; you refuse to be ashamed.
4
Je, tokea wakati huu hutanililia, Ee Baba yangu, wewe u kiongozi wa ujana wangu?
Have you not just called to Me, ‘My Father, You are my friend from youth.
5
Je! Ataishika hasira yake hata milele? Ataishika hata mwisho? Tazama, umesema hivyo, bali umetenda mambo mabaya, umefuata njia yako mwenyewe.
Will He be angry forever? Will He be indignant to the end?’ This you have spoken, but you keep doing all the evil you can.”
6
Tena, Bwana akaniambia siku za mfalme Yosia, Je! Umeyaona aliyotenda Israeli mwenye kuasi? Amepanda juu ya kila mlima mrefu, akafanya huko mambo ya ukahaba, tena, chini ya kila mti wenye majani mabichi.
Now in the days of King Josiah, the LORD said to me, “Have you seen what faithless Israel has done? She has gone up on every high hill and under every green tree to prostitute herself there.
7
Nami nalisema baada ya yeye kuyatenda hayo yote, Atanirudia mimi, lakini hakurudi; na dada yake, Yuda mwenye hiana, akayaona hayo.
I thought that after she had done all these things, she would return to Me. But she did not return, and her unfaithful sister Judah saw it.
8
Nami nikaona, wakati nilipokuwa nimemwacha Israeli mwenye kuasi, nikampa hati ya talaka kwa sababu hiyo ya kuzini, dada yake, Yuda mwenye hiana, hakufanya hofu; bali yeye naye akaenda akafanya mambo ya ukahaba.
She saw that because faithless Israel had committed adultery, I gave her a certificate of divorce and sent her away. Yet that unfaithful sister Judah had no fear and prostituted herself as well.
9
Hata ikawa, kwa sababu alikuwa mwepesi wa kufanya ukahaba, nchi ikatiwa unajisi, naye akazini na mawe na miti.
Indifferent to her own infidelity, Israel had defiled the land and committed adultery with stones and trees.
10
Na pamoja na hayo yote dada yake, Yuda mwenye hiana, hajanirudia mimi kwa moyo wake wote, bali kwa unafiki, asema Bwana.
Yet in spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return to Me with all her heart, but only in pretense,” declares the LORD.
11
Bwana, akaniambia, Israeli mwenye kuasi amejionyesha kuwa mwenye haki kuliko Yuda mwenye hiana.
And the LORD said to me, “Faithless Israel has shown herself more righteous than unfaithful Judah.
12
Enenda, ukatangaze maneno haya kuelekea upande wa kaskazini, ukaseme, Rudi, Ee Israeli mwenye kuasi, asema Bwana; sitakutazama kwa hasira; maana mimi ni mwenye rehema, asema Bwana, sitashika hasira hata milele.
Go, proclaim this message toward the north: ‘Return, O faithless Israel,’ declares the LORD. ‘I will no longer look on you with anger, for I am merciful,’ declares the LORD. ‘I will not be angry forever.
13
Ungama uovu wako tu; ya kwamba umemwasi Bwana, Mungu wako, na njia zako zimekuwa nyingi kuwaendea wageni chini ya kila mti wenye majani mabichi, wala hamkuitii sauti yangu, asema Bwana.
Only acknowledge your guilt, that you have rebelled against the LORD your God. You have scattered your favors to foreign gods under every green tree and have not obeyed My voice,’” declares the LORD.
14
Rudini, enyi watoto wenye kuasi, asema Bwana; maana mimi ni mume wenu; nami nitatwaa mtu mmoja wa mji mmoja, na wawili wa jamaa moja, nami nitawaleta hata Sayuni;
“Return, O faithless children,” declares the LORD, “for I am your master, and I will take you—one from a city and two from a family—and bring you to Zion.
15
nami nitawapa ninyi wachungaji wanipendezao moyo wangu, watakaowalisha kwa maarifa na fahamu.
Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.”
16
Kisha itakuwa, mtakapoongezeka na kuwa wengi katika nchi hiyo, asema Bwana, siku zile hawatasema tena, Sanduku la agano la Bwana; wala halitaingia moyoni; wala hawatalikumbuka, wala hawatalizuru, wala hayatafanyika hayo tena.
“In those days, when you multiply and increase in the land,” declares the LORD, “they will no longer discuss the ark of the covenant of the LORD. It will never come to mind, and no one will remember it or miss it, nor will another one be made.
17
Wakati ule watauita Yerusalemu kiti cha enzi cha Bwana; na mataifa yote watakusanyika huko Yerusalemu, kwa ajili ya jina la Bwana; wala hawatakwenda tena kwa ukaidi wa moyo wao mbaya.
At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the LORD, and all the nations will be gathered in Jerusalem to honor the name of the LORD. They will no longer follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts.
18
Siku zile nyumba ya Yuda watakwenda pamoja na nyumba ya Israeli, nao watakuja pamoja, kutoka nchi ya kaskazini, mpaka nchi ile niliyowapa baba zenu iwe urithi wao.
In those days the house of Judah will walk with the house of Israel, and they will come together from the land of the north to the land that I gave to your fathers as an inheritance.
19
Lakini mimi nalisema, Nitawezaje kukuweka pamoja na watoto, na kukupa nchi ipendezayo, urithi ulio mwema wa mataifa? Nami nikasema, Mtaniita, Baba yangu, wala hamtageuka na kuacha kunifuata.
Then I said, ‘How I long to make you My sons and give you a desirable land, the most beautiful inheritance of all the nations!’ I thought you would call Me ‘Father’ and never turn away from following Me.
20
Hakika kama vile mke amwachavyo mumewe kwa hiana, ndivyo mlivyonitenda mimi kwa hiana, Ee nyumba ya Israeli, asema Bwana.
But as a woman may betray her husband, so you have betrayed Me, O house of Israel,” declares the LORD.
21
Sauti inasikiwa juu ya vilele vya milima, ni kulia kwao na maombi yao wana wa Israeli; kwa kuwa wameipotosha njia yao, wamemsahau Bwana, Mungu wao.
A voice is heard on the barren heights, the children of Israel weeping and begging for mercy, because they have perverted their ways and forgotten the LORD their God.
22
Rudini, enyi watoto waasi, mimi nitaponya maasi yenu. Tazama, tumekuja kwako; maana wewe u Bwana, Mungu wetu.
“Return, O faithless children, and I will heal your faithlessness.” “Here we are. We come to You, for You are the LORD our God.
23
Ni kweli, msaada haufai unaotazamiwa kutoka milimani, makutano yenye mshindo juu ya milima; ni kweli, wokovu wa Israeli ni katika Bwana, Mungu wetu.
Surely deception comes from the hills, and commotion from the mountains. Surely the salvation of Israel is in the LORD our God.
24
Lakini kitu cha aibu kimeila kazi ya baba zetu tokea ujana wetu; makundi yao ya kondoo na ng'ombe, wana wao na binti zao.
From our youth, that shameful god has consumed what our fathers have worked for—their flocks and herds, their sons and daughters.
25
Na tulale kwa aibu yetu, haya yetu na itufunike; kwa maana tumemwasi Bwana, Mungu wetu, sisi na baba zetu, tangu ujana wetu hata leo; wala hatukuitii sauti ya Bwana, Mungu wetu.
Let us lie down in our shame; let our disgrace cover us. We have sinned against the LORD our God, both we and our fathers; from our youth even to this day we have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.”