1 As jy jou bekeer, Israel, spreek die HERE, bekeer jou tot My; en as jy jou verfoeisels van my aangesig af verwyder, hoef jy nie rond te swerwe nie.
2 Dan sal jy sweer: So waar as die HERE leef! in waarheid, in reg en in geregtigheid; en die nasies sal hulleself in Hom seën en hulle in Hom beroem.
3 Want so sê die HERE aan die manne van Juda en aan Jerusalem: Braak vir julle 'n braakland en saai nie onder die dorings nie.
4 Besny julle vir die HERE en verwyder die onbesnedenheid van julle hart, manne van Juda en inwoners van Jerusalem, dat my grimmigheid nie soos 'n vuur uitgaan en brand sonder dat iemand kan blus nie, weens die boosheid van julle handelinge.
5 Verkondig in Juda en laat dit hoor in Jerusalem en sê: Blaas die basuin in die land! Roep hardop en sê: Kom bymekaar, en laat ons in die versterkte stede ingaan!
6 Steek op die banier na Sion toe! Vlug, bly nie staan nie! Want Ek bring 'n onheil uit die Noorde en 'n groot verwoesting.
7 'n Leeu het opgekom uit sy bos en 'n verderwer van nasies het weggetrek, uitgegaan uit sy plek om jou land 'n woesteny te maak; jou stede sal verwoes word, sonder inwoners.
8 Daarom, omgord julle met rouklere, klaag en huil, want die toorngloed van die HERE teen ons het nie bedaar nie.
9 En op die dag, spreek die HERE, sal die moed van die koning en die moed van die vorste vergaan, en die priesters sal verskrik wees en die profete verstom staan.
10 Toe het ek gesê: Ag, Here HERE, waarlik, U het hierdie volk en Jerusalem grootliks mislei met die woorde: Julle sal vrede hê -- terwyl die swaard tot aan die siel raak.
11 In die tyd sal aan hierdie volk en aan Jerusalem gesê word: 'n Gloeiende wind van die kaal heuwels in die woestyn op pad na die dogter van my volk, nie om te wan of te suiwer nie!
12 'n Wind te sterk vir hierdie dinge sal vir My kom; nou sal Ek ook oordele teen hulle uitspreek.
13 Kyk, soos wolke kom hy op, en soos 'n stormwind is sy strydwaens; sy perde is vinniger as arende. Wee ons, want ons is verwoes!
14 Was jou hart van boosheid, o Jerusalem, dat jy gered kan word. Hoe lank sal jou onheilsgedagtes in jou binneste vertoef?
15 Want 'n stem verkondig uit Dan en laat onheil hoor van die gebergte van Efraim af.
16 Vermeld dit aan die nasies! Kyk, laat dit hoor teen Jerusalem! Beleëraars kom uit 'n ver land en het hulle stem verhef teen die stede van Juda.
17 Soos veldwagters is hulle teen die stad rondom, omdat dit teen My wederstrewig was, spreek die HERE.
18 Jou wandel en jou handel het jou dit aangedoen; dit is jou boosheid; ja, bitter is dit, ja, dit raak tot aan jou hart.
19 o My ingewande, my ingewande, ek moet bewe van angs! o Mure van my hart! My hart steun in my, ek kan nie swyg nie; want jy, my siel, het basuingeluid gehoor, oorlogsgeskreeu!
20 Verwoesting op verwoesting word uitgeroep, want die hele land is verwoes; skielik is my tente verwoes, my tentdoeke in 'n oomblik.
21 Hoe lank sal ek die banier sien, die basuingeluid hoor?
22 Want my volk is dwaas; My ken hulle nie; dwase kinders is hulle, en hulle is onverstandig; slim is hulle om kwaad te doen, maar om goed te doen, weet hulle nie.
23 Ek het na die aarde gekyk, en dit was woes en leeg; ook na die hemel, en sy lig was daar nie.
24 Ek het na die berge gekyk, en hulle het gebewe, en al die heuwels het geskud.
25 Ek het gekyk, en daar was geen mens nie, en al die voëls van die hemel het weggevlieg.
26 Ek het gekyk, en die land van tuine was 'n woestyn, en al sy stede was afgebreek voor die HERE, voor sy toorngloed.
27 Want so sê die HERE: Die hele land sal 'n wildernis word, alhoewel Ek daar geen einde aan sal maak nie.
28 Hieroor sal die aarde treur en die hemel daarbo rou dra, omdat Ek dit gespreek, My dit voorgeneem het en Ek geen berou het en daarvan nie sal terugkom nie.
29 Vir die geluid van die ruiters en boogskutters vlug die hele stad; hulle het in die bosse ingegaan en op die rotse geklim; die hele stad is verlaat, en niemand woon daarin nie.
30 En jy, verwoeste, wat gaan jy doen? Al trek jy skarlaken klere aan, al versier jy jou met goue sieraad, al laat jy jou oë groter lyk met swart verf -- tevergeefs maak jy jou mooi; minnaars versmaad jou, hulle soek jou lewe.
31 Want ek het gehoor 'n stem soos van een wat inmekaar krimp, 'n benoudheid soos van een wat die eerste keer baar, die stem van die dogter van Sion; sy hyg na asem, sy brei haar hande uit en sê: Wee my tog, want my siel is magteloos teenoor die moordenaars.
1 If you will come back, O Israel, says the Lord, you will come back to me: and if you will put away your disgusting ways, you will not be sent away from before me.
2 And you will take your oath, By the living Lord, in good faith and wisdom and righteousness; and the nations will make use of you as a blessing, and in you will they take a pride.
3 For this is what the Lord says to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem: Get your unworked land ploughed up, do not put in your seeds among thorns.
4 Undergo a circumcision of the heart, you men of Judah and people of Jerusalem: or my wrath may come out like fire, burning so that no one is able to put it out, because of the evil of your doings.
5 Say openly in Judah, give it out in Jerusalem, and say, Let the horn be sounded in the land: crying out in a loud voice, Come together, and let us go into the walled towns.
6 Put up a flag for a sign to Zion: go in flight so that you may be safe, waiting no longer: for I will send evil from the north, and a great destruction.
7 A lion has gone up from his secret place in the woods, and one who makes waste the nations is on his way; he has gone out from his place, to make your land unpeopled, so that your towns will be made waste, with no man living in them.
8 For this put on haircloth, with weeping and loud crying: for the burning wrath of the Lord is not turned back from us.
9 And it will come about in that day, says the Lord, that the heart of the king will be dead in him, and the hearts of the rulers; and the priests will be overcome with fear, and the prophets with wonder.
10 Then said I, Ah, Lord God! your words were not true when you said to this people and to Jerusalem, You will have peace; when the sword has come even to the soul.
11 At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, A burning wind from the open hilltops in the waste land is blowing on the daughter of my people, not for separating or cleaning the grain;
12 A full wind will come for me: and now I will give my decision against them.
13 See, he will come up like the clouds, and his war-carriages like the storm-wind: his horses are quicker than eagles. Sorrow is ours, for destruction has come on us.
14 O Jerusalem, make your heart clean from evil, so that you may have salvation. How long are evil purposes to have a resting-place in you?
15 For a voice is sounding from Dan, giving out evil from the hills of Ephraim:
16 Make this come to the minds of the nations, make a statement openly against Jerusalem, that attackers are coming from a far country and their voices will be loud against the towns of Judah.
17 Like keepers of a field they are against her on every side; because she has been fighting against me, says the Lord.
18 Your ways and your doings have made these things come on you; this is your sin; truly it is bitter, going deep into your heart.
19 My soul, my soul! I am pained to my inmost heart; my heart is troubled in me; I am not able to be quiet, because the sound of the horn, the note of war, has come to my ears.
20 News is given of destruction on destruction; all the land is made waste: suddenly my tents, straight away my curtains, are made waste.
21 How long will I go on seeing the flag and hearing the sound of the war-horn?
22 For my people are foolish, they have no knowledge of me; they are evil-minded children, without sense, all of them: they are wise in evil-doing, but have no knowledge of doing good.
23 Looking at the earth, I saw that it was waste and without form; and to the heavens, that they had no light.
24 Looking at the mountains, I saw them shaking, and all the hills were moved about.
25 Looking, I saw that there was no man, and all the birds of heaven had gone in flight.
26 Looking, I saw that the fertile field was a waste, and all its towns were broken down before the Lord and before his burning wrath.
27 For this is what the Lord has said: All the land will become a waste; I will make destruction complete.
28 The earth will be weeping for this, and the heavens on high will be black: because I have said it, and I will not go back from it; it is my purpose, and it will not be changed.
29 All the land is in flight because of the noise of the horsemen and the bowmen; they have taken cover in the woodland and up on the rocks: every town has been given up, not a man is living in them.
30 And you, when you are made waste, what will you do? Though you are clothed in red, though you make yourself beautiful with ornaments of gold, though you make your eyes wide with paint, it is for nothing that you make yourself fair; your lovers have no more desire for you, they have designs on your life.
31 A voice has come to my ears like the voice of a woman in birth-pains, the pain of one giving birth to her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, fighting for breath, stretching out her hands, saying, Now sorrow is mine! for my strength is gone from me before the takers of life.