1 They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD.
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.
2 Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness.
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.
3 Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hadst a whore's forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed.
Kwa sababu hiyo manyunyu yamezuiliwa, wala hapakuwa na mvua ya vuli; hata hivyo ulikuwa na kipaji cha uso cha kahaba, ulikataa kutahayarika.
4 Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My father, thou art the guide of my youth?
Je, tokea wakati huu hutanililia, Ee Baba yangu, wewe u kiongozi wa ujana wangu?
5 Will he reserve his anger for ever? will he keep it to the end? Behold, thou hast spoken and done evil things as thou couldest.
Je! Ataishika hasira yake hata milele? Ataishika hata mwisho? Tazama, umesema hivyo, bali umetenda mambo mabaya, umefuata njia yako mwenyewe.
Israel and Judah
6 The LORD said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot.
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.
7 And I said after she had done all these things , Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it .
Nami nalisema baada ya yeye kuyatenda hayo yote, Atanirudia mimi, lakini hakurudi; na dada yake, Yuda mwenye hiana, akayaona hayo.
8 And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.
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.
9 And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks.
Hata ikawa, kwa sababu alikuwa mwepesi wa kufanya ukahaba, nchi ikatiwa unajisi, naye akazini na mawe na miti.
10 And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD.
Na pamoja na hayo yote dada yake, Yuda mwenye hiana, hajanirudia mimi kwa moyo wake wote, bali kwa unafiki, asema Bwana.
11 And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah.
Bwana, akaniambia, Israeli mwenye kuasi amejionyesha kuwa mwenye haki kuliko Yuda mwenye hiana.
12 Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever.
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.
13 Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD.
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.
14 Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:
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;
15 and I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.
nami nitawapa ninyi wachungaji wanipendezao moyo wangu, watakaowalisha kwa maarifa na fahamu.
16 And it shall come to pass, when ye be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, saith the LORD, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the LORD: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it ; neither shall that be done any more.
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.
17 At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart.
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.
18 In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers.
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.
19 But I said, How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations? and I said, Thou shalt call me, My father; and shalt not turn away from me.
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.
20 Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have ye dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, saith the LORD.
Hakika kama vile mke amwachavyo mumewe kwa hiana, ndivyo mlivyonitenda mimi kwa hiana, Ee nyumba ya Israeli, asema Bwana.
21 A voice was heard upon the high places, weeping and supplications of the children of Israel: for they have perverted their way, and they have forgotten the LORD their God.
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.
22 Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings.
Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the LORD our God.
Rudini, enyi watoto waasi, mimi nitaponya maasi yenu. Tazama, tumekuja kwako; maana wewe u Bwana, Mungu wetu.
23 Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel.
Ni kweli, msaada haufai unaotazamiwa kutoka milimani, makutano yenye mshindo juu ya milima; ni kweli, wokovu wa Israeli ni katika Bwana, Mungu wetu.
24 For shame hath devoured the labour of our fathers from our youth; their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters.
Lakini kitu cha aibu kimeila kazi ya baba zetu tokea ujana wetu; makundi yao ya kondoo na ng'ombe, wana wao na binti zao.
25 We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us: for we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.
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.
