¹Hear ye this word which I take up against you, even a lamentation, O house of Israel.

¹Inzwai shoko iri randinokuchemai naro, imwi imba yalsiraeri.

²The virgin of Israel is fallen; she shall no more rise: she is forsaken upon her land; there is none to raise her up.

²Mhandara yalsiraeri yawira pasi; haangazomukizve; wawiswa pasi panyika yake, hakuna angamumutsazve.

³For thus saith the Lord GOD; The city that went out by a thousand shall leave an hundred, and that which went forth by an hundred shall leave ten, to the house of Israel.

³nekuti zvanzi naIshe Jehovha, Paimba yaIsiraeri guta, rakabuda kundorwa navane chiuru chamazana, richasara nezana roga, uye rakabuda nezana richasara negumi.

⁴For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live:

⁴nekuti zvanzi naIshe Jehovha kuimba yaIsiraeri, Nditsvakei, murarame;

⁵But seek not Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and pass not to Beersheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nought.

⁵asi regai kutsvaka Bhetieri, kana kupinda Girigari, kana kupfuurira Bheerishebha; nekuti Girigari richatapwa zvirokwazvo, Bhetieri richarova.

⁶Seek the LORD, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour it, and there be none to quench it in Bethel.

⁶Tsvakai Jehovha, murarame; kuti arege kupfuta paimba yaJosefa somoto unopedza zvose, kukasava nomunhu anoudzima paBhetieri.

⁷Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth,

⁷Imi, munoshandura kururamisira muchikuita segavakava, muchiwisira kururama pasi,

⁸Seek him that maketh the seven stars and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night: that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: The LORD is his name:

⁸tsvakai iye, akaita nyeredzi dzeChimutanhatu nedzeOrioni, anoshandura mumvuri worufu achiuita mangwanani, anodzima masikati achiaita usiku, anodana mvura yegungwa, ndokuidururira panyika (Jehovha ndiro zita rake);

⁹That strengtheneth the spoiled against the strong, so that the spoiled shall come against the fortress.

⁹anouyisira vane simba kuparadza kunokurumidza, kuparadza ndokuwira nhare.

¹⁰They hate him that rebuketh in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly.

¹⁰Vanovenga anovaraira pasuwo, vanosema anotaura zvakarurama.

¹¹Forasmuch therefore as your treading is upon the poor, and ye take from him burdens of wheat: ye have built houses of hewn stone, but ye shall not dwell in them; ye have planted pleasant vineyards, but ye shall not drink wine of them.

¹¹Zvino zvamunotsika murombo pasi, muchitora dzimba dzamabwe akavezwa, asi hamungagarimo, makasima minda yemizambiringa inofadza, asi hamungamwi waini yayo.

¹²For I know your manifold transgressions and your mighty sins: they afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside the poor in the gate from their right.

¹²nekuti ndinoziva kuti kudarika kwenyu kuzhinji, uye kuti zvivi zvenyu zvikuru, kwazvo, iyemi, munomanikidza vakarurama, munogamuchira fufuro, muchiramba anoshaiwa pasuwo.

¹³Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in that time; for it is an evil time.

¹³Saka akangwara achanyarara nenguva yakadai, nekuti inguva yakaipa.

¹⁴Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken.

¹⁴Tsvakai zvakanaka, murege kutsvaka zvakaipa, kuti murarame, ipapo Jehovha, Mwari wehondo achava nemi, sezvamunoreva.

¹⁵Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.

¹⁵Vengai zvakaipa, mude zvakanaka, mururamisire vanhu musuwo; zvimwe Jehovha, iye Mwari wehondo, achanzwira nyasha vakasara vaJosefa.

¹⁶Therefore the LORD, the God of hosts, the LORD, saith thus; Wailing shall be in all streets; and they shall say in all the highways, Alas! alas! and they shall call the husbandman to mourning, and such as are skilful of lamentation to wailing.

¹⁶Naizvozvo zvanzi naJehovha, iye Mwari wehondo, iye Ishe, Kuchema kuchavapo panzira dzose huru, panzira dzose dzomumusha vachati, Maiwe! Maiwe! Vachadana varimi kuzochema, navanoziva nziyo dzemariro kuzoungudza.

¹⁷And in all vineyards shall be wailing: for I will pass through thee, saith the LORD.

¹⁷Kuungudza kuchavapo paminda yose yemizambiringa; nekuti ndichapfuura napakati penyu, ndizvo zvinotaura Jehovha.

¹⁸Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light.

¹⁸Vurombo kwamuri imwi munoshuva zuva raJehovha! Zuva raJehovha munorida neiko? Richava rima, hachingavi chiedza.

¹⁹As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.

¹⁹Zvichaita somunhu anotiza shumba, ndokusangana nebere; kana seanopinda mumba, akabata pamadziro noruoko rwake, ndokurumwa nenyoka.

²⁰Shall not the day of the LORD be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?

²⁰Ko zuva raJehovha haringavi rima, rikarega kuva chiedza here? Haringati, Zi! Kwazvo, risina kupenya here?

²¹I hate, I despise your feast days, and I will not smell in your solemn assemblies.

²¹Ndinovenga nokuzvidza mitambo yenyu, handingatongofadzwi neungano dzenyu dzakatarwa.

²²Though ye offer me burnt offerings and your meat offerings, I will not accept them: neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat beasts.

²²Zvirokwazvo, kunyange mukandivigira zvipiriso zvenyu zvinopiswa nezvipiriso zvoupfu, handingazvigamuchiri; handingavi nehanya nezvipiriso zvenyu zvokuvonga zvezvipfuwo zvenyu zvakakodzwa.

²³Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs; for I will not hear the melody of thy viols.

²³Bvisai pamberi pangu ruzha rwenziyo dzenyu, nekuti handidi kunzwa kurira kwembira dzenyu.

²⁴But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.

²⁴Asi kururamisa ngakuyerere semvura, uye kururama sorwizi runongoramba ruchidira.

²⁵Have ye offered unto me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?

²⁵Nhai imba yaIsiraeri, makandivigira zvibayiro nezvipo murenje makore ana makumi mana here?

²⁶But ye have borne the tabernacle of your Moloch and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye made to yourselves.

²⁶Zvirokwazvo, makatakura Sikuti mambo wenyu, neKijuni zvifananidzo zvenyu, iyo nyeredzi yamwari wenyu, wamakazviitira.

²⁷Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith the LORD, whose name is The God of hosts.

²⁷Naizvozvo ndichakutapisai mberi kweDhamasiko, ndizvo zvinotaura Jehovha, anezita rinonzi Mwari wehondo.