9

¹O feix duqv yie nyei m'nqorngv benx wuom,
yie nyei m'zing benx wuom-mueic nyei zingv,
yie ziouc weic yie nyei baeqc fingx zuqc daix daic nyei mienh
ziangh hnoi ziangh muonz nyiemv.
²Feix duqv yie yiem deic-bung-huaang
maaih jiex jauv mienh hitv nyei dorngx
weic bun yie haih leih nqoi yie nyei baeqc fingx,
yaac haih biaux ndutv ninh mbuo.
Weic zuqc ninh mbuo yietc zungv benx hienx nyei mienh,
benx guanh maiv ziepc zuoqv nyei mienh.
³“Ninh mbuo zoux mbietc ngau hnangv juang-zinx,
se jaav nyei jauv maiv zeiz zien leiz yiem deic-bung henv jienv faaux.
Weic zuqc ninh mbuo zoux naaiv nyungc orqv sic, aengx zoux wuov nyungc orqv sic,
ninh mbuo yaac maiv hiuv duqv yie.”
Naaiv se Ziouv gorngv nyei waac.
⁴“Dauh dauh mienh oix zuqc mbungh jienv ganh nyei juangc laangz mienh.
Yaac maiv dungx bungx hnyouv haaix dauh gorx-youz.
Weic zuqc dauh dauh gorx-youz zoux nduov mienh nyei mienh,⚓
mouz dauh juangc laangz mienh jiex naaiv jiex wuov gorngv waac-huv.
⁵Gorqv-mienh nduov gorqv-mienh nyei juangc laangz mienh,
maiv maaih yietc laanh gorngv zien waac.
Ninh mbuo njaaux ninh mbuo nyei mbietc gorngv-baeqc,
ninh mbuo longc nzengc qaqv baamz zuiz
maiv haih goiv hnyouv nzuonx.⚓
⁶Ninh mbuo zeix mienh aengx jaa zeix,
ninh mbuo nduov mienh aengx jaa nduov.
Ninh mbuo ngaengc jienv maiv kangv hiuv duqv yie.”
Naaiv se Ziouv gorngv nyei waac.
⁷Weic naaiv Nernh Jiex nyei Ziouv hnangv naaiv gorngv,
“Mangc maah! Laaix yie nyei baeqc fingx zoux nyei orqv sic
yie oix sinx ninh mbuo, kauv ninh mbuo.
Yie fungc haih ganh nyungc zoux?
⁸Ninh mbuo nyei mbietc hnangv doqc nyei forng,
gorngv waac nduov mienh.
Gorqv-mienh longc gorqv-mienh nyei nzuih gorngv baengh orn nyei waac
bun ninh nyei juangc laangz mienh,
mv baac yiem ninh nyei hnyouv
ninh daav za'eix hoic.”
⁹Ziouv gorngv, “Yie maiv zeiz oix zuqc weic naaiv deix sic
dingc ninh mbuo nyei zuiz fai?
Yie maiv zeiz oix winh bun
naaiv deix guoqv nyei mienh fai?”
¹⁰Yie oix zuqc weic mbong hnyouv mun nyei nyiemv,
yaac nyiemv weic deic-bung-huaang nyei miev-ciangv,
laaix zuqc guangc huaang,
maiv maaih mienh jiex,
yaac maiv haiz saeng-kuv heuc.
Liemh ndaamv-lungh nyei norqc
caux hieh zoih biaux nzengc.
¹¹“Yie oix bun Ye^lu^saa^lem benx mbaang waaic nyei ga'naaiv-ndui,
benx hieh juv yiem nyei dorngx.
Yie oix bun Yu^ndaa nyei zingh benx zingh huaang,
maiv maaih mienh yiem.”

Deic-Bung Oix Zuqc Mietc, Mienh Zuqc Zunc Cuotv

¹²Haaix dauh maaih cong-mengh gaux bieqc hnyouv naaiv deix sic? Ziouv nyei nzuih caux haaix dauh gorngv jiex weic bun ninh haih gorngv cuotv naaiv deix jauv? Deic-bung weic haaix diuc zuqc baaic huaang nzengc, hnangv deic-bung-huaang maiv maaih mienh jiex mingh jiex daaih?
¹³Ziouv yaac gorngv, “Se laaix ninh mbuo guangc yie yiem ninh mbuo nyei nza'hmien liepc daaih nyei leiz-latc, maiv muangx yie nyei waac,⚓ maiv ei jienv zoux. ¹⁴Ninh mbuo ngaengc jienv ei ninh mbuo ganh nyei hnyouv zoux yaac zuotc ninh mbuo nyei ong-taaix njaaux nyei jauv, mingh gan ⟨Mbaa^an zienh.⟩ ¹⁵Weic naaiv Nernh Jiex nyei Ziouv, I^saa^laa^en nyei Tin-Hungh, hnangv naaiv gorngv, “Mangc maah! Yie oix bun naaiv deix baeqc fingx nyanc yangh meuz aengx bun doqc nyei wuom ninh mbuo hopv. ¹⁶Yie oix bun ninh mbuo faatv nzaanx mingh yiem dongh ninh mbuo ganh caux ninh mbuo nyei ong-taaix maiv hiuv wuov deix guoqv nyei mienh mbu'ndongx. Yie yaac oix longc nzuqc ndaauv zunc ninh mbuo taux yie mietc nzengc ninh mbuo.”
¹⁷Nernh Jiex nyei Ziouv hnangv naaiv gorngv,
“Longx-longx nyei hnamv! Oix zuqc heuc tengx nzauh nyiemv nyei m'sieqv dorn daaih,
se paaiv mingh lorz gauh haih jiex wuov deix.
¹⁸Heuc ninh mbuo gaanv daaih weic yie mbuo nyiemv,
weic bun yie mbuo nyei m'zing cuotv wuom-mueic luqc luqc nyei,
yaac maaih wuom-mueic liouc cuotv yie mbuo nyei m'zing-ndopv.
¹⁹Muangx haiz maaih nyiemv nyei qiex yiem ⟨Si^on⟩ cuotv.
‘Yie mbuo zuqc baaic nzengc aqv loh!
Yie mbuo zuqc nyaiv taux daauh aqv.
Weic zuqc yie mbuo leih deic-bung,
yie mbuo nyei biauv yaac zuqc ninh mbuo baaic waaic nzengc.’+”
²⁰M'sieqv dorn aah! Oix zuqc muangx Ziouv nyei waac.
Bun meih mbuo nyei m'normh zipv Ziouv nyei nzuih gorngv nyei waac.
Oix zuqc njaaux meih mbuo nyei sieqv baaux naanc zingh nzung,
gorqv-mienh njaaux gorqv-mienh nyei juangc laangz mienh baaux nzauh nyiemv nyei nzung.
²¹Weic zuqc bun mienh zuqc daic nyei jauv faaux daaih bieqc yie mbuo nyei fong muonh,
yaac bieqc yie mbuo nyei hungh dinc,
bun fu'jueiv yiem jaai-horngc
caux mienh lunx mienh yiem domh zuangx zaamc zuqc pai guangc.
²²Meih oix zuqc gorngv, “Ziouv hnangv naaiv gorngv,
“+‘Mienh nyei sei oix king njiec yiem wuov ndau-njang hnangv nqaiv nor,
hnangv gaatv mbiauh mienh gaatv nyei mbiauh zeiv king njiec
yaac maiv maaih haaix dauh nzauz.’+”
²³Ziouv hnangv naaiv nor gorngv,
“Maiv dungx bun cong-mengh mienh
bungx waac-maux ceng ninh ganh nyei cong-mengh.
Maiv dungx bun henv nyei mienh bungx waac-maux ceng ninh ganh nyei qaqv.
Maiv dungx bun butv-zoih mienh bungx waac-maux ceng ninh ganh nyei zinh zoih.
²⁴Mv baac oix zuqc bun bungx waac-maux nyei mienh
hnangv naaiv bungx waac-maux,
weic ninh mengh baeqc yaac hiuv duqv yie, se Ziouv, yiem lungh ndiev
ziepc zuoqv nyei hnamv mienh, zoux baengh fim, zoux horpc.
Weic zuqc naaiv deix sic yie horpc hnyouv haic.”
Naaiv se Ziouv gorngv nyei waac.⚓
²⁵Ziouv gorngv, “Mangc maah! Hnoi-nyieqc oix taux yie oix dingc yietc zungv ⟨jiex gaatv nyei leiz⟩ mv baac hnangv maiv jiex gaatv nyei leiz wuov deix mienh nyei zuiz nor, ²⁶se I^yipv Mienh, Yu^ndaa Mienh, E^ndom Mienh, Ammon Mienh, Mo^apc Mienh caux yietc zungv yiem deic-bung-huaang japv mba'biei baengh nyei huing gormx m'nqorngv nyei mienh.⚓ Weic zuqc naaiv deix norm-norm guoqv nyei mienh yiem sin jiex gaatv nyei leiz mv baac ninh mbuo caux I^saa^laa^en nyei zuangx zeiv-fun, maiv yiem hnyouv jiex gaatv nyei leiz.

9

¹Oh, that my head were a spring of water
and my eyes a fountain of tears!
I would weep day and night
for the slain of my people.
²Oh, that I had in the desert
a lodging place for travelers,
so that I might leave my people
and go away from them;
for they are all adulterers,
a crowd of unfaithful people.

³“They make ready their tongue
like a bow, to shoot lies;
it is not by truth
that they triumph⚓ in the land.
They go from one sin to another;
they do not acknowledge me,”

⁴“Beware of your friends;
do not trust anyone in your clan.
For every one of them is a deceiver,⚓
and every friend a slanderer.
⁵Friend deceives friend,
and no one speaks the truth.
They have taught their tongues to lie;
they weary themselves with sinning.
⁶You⚓ live in the midst of deception;
in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me,”

⁷Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty says:
“See, I will refine and test them,
for what else can I do
because of the sin of my people?
⁸Their tongue is a deadly arrow;
it speaks deceitfully.
With their mouths they all speak cordially to their neighbors,
but in their hearts they set traps for them.
⁹Should I not punish them for this?”
declares the Lord.
“Should I not avenge myself
on such a nation as this?”

¹⁰I will weep and wail for the mountains
and take up a lament concerning the wilderness grasslands.
They are desolate and untraveled,
and the lowing of cattle is not heard.
The birds have all fled
and the animals are gone.

¹¹“I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins,
a haunt of jackals;
and I will lay waste the towns of Judah
so no one can live there.”
¹²Who is wise enough to understand this? Who has been instructed by the Lord and can explain it? Why has the land been ruined and laid waste like a desert that no one can cross?
¹³The Lord said, “It is because they have forsaken my law, which I set before them; they have not obeyed me or followed my law. ¹⁴Instead, they have followed the stubbornness of their hearts; they have followed the Baals, as their ancestors taught them.” ¹⁵Therefore this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “See, I will make this people eat bitter food and drink poisoned water. ¹⁶I will scatter them among nations that neither they nor their ancestors have known, and I will pursue them with the sword until I have made an end of them.”
¹⁷This is what the Lord Almighty says:
“Consider now! Call for the wailing women to come;
send for the most skillful of them.
¹⁸Let them come quickly
and wail over us
till our eyes overflow with tears
and water streams from our eyelids.
¹⁹The sound of wailing is heard from Zion:
‘How ruined we are!
How great is our shame!
We must leave our land
because our houses are in ruins.’ ”

²⁰Now, you women, hear the word of the Lord;
open your ears to the words of his mouth.
Teach your daughters how to wail;
teach one another a lament.
²¹Death has climbed in through our windows
and has entered our fortresses;
it has removed the children from the streets
and the young men from the public squares.
²²Say, “This is what the Lord declares:
“ ‘Dead bodies will lie
like dung on the open field,
like cut grain behind the reaper,
with no one to gather them.’ ”
²³This is what the Lord says:
“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom
or the strong boast of their strength
or the rich boast of their riches,
²⁴but let the one who boasts boast about this:
that they have the understanding to know me,
that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight,”

²⁵“The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will punish all who are circumcised only in the flesh— ²⁶Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab and all who live in the wilderness in distant places.⚓ For all these nations are really uncircumcised, and even the whole house of Israel is uncircumcised in heart.”