¹O ye children of Benjamin, gather yourselves to flee out of the midst of Jerusalem, and blow the trumpet in Tekoa, and set up a sign of fire in Bethhaccerem: for evil appeareth out of the north, and great destruction.

¹Tizai, imwi vana vaBhenjamini, ibvai pakati peJerusaremu, muridze hwamanda paTekoa, mumutse chiratidzo paBheterehemu; nekuti zvakaipa zvinovavarira zviri kurutivi rwokumusoro, nokuparadza kukuru.

²I have likened the daughter of Zion to a comely and delicate woman.

²Ndichabvisa mukunda weZiyoni, iye wakanaka, unovunengwe.

³The shepherds with their flocks shall come unto her; they shall pitch their tents against her round about; they shall feed every one in his place.

³Vafudzi vachaenda kwariri vana mapoka avo; vacharidzikira matende avo kumativi ose, mumwe nomumwe uchafura panzvimbo yake.

⁴Prepare ye war against her; arise, and let us go up at noon. Woe unto us! for the day goeth away, for the shadows of the evening are stretched out.

⁴Zvigadzirei kundorwa naro; simukai, tiende masikati. Tine nhamo, nekuti zuva rovira, nekuti mimvuri yamadekwana yareba.

⁵Arise, and let us go by night, and let us destroy her palaces.

⁵Simukai, tiende vusiku, tindoparadza dzimba dzamadzimambo aro.

⁶For thus hath the LORD of hosts said, Hew ye down trees, and cast a mount against Jerusalem: this is the city to be visited; she is wholly oppression in the midst of her.

⁶nekuti zvakanzi naJehovha wehondo, Temai miti, mututire Jerusaremu murwi wokurwa nawo; ndiro guta rinofanira kurohwa, mukati maro munongova nokumanikidza chete.

⁷As a fountain casteth out her waters, so she casteth out her wickedness: violence and spoil is heard in her; before me continually is grief and wounds.

⁷Tsime sezvarinobudisa mvura yaro, saizvozvo rinobudisa zvakaipa zvaro; kuita nesimba nokuparadza ndizvo zvinonzwikwa mukati maro, pamberi pangu panongova nokurwara namavanga nguva dzose.

⁸Be thou instructed, O Jerusalem, lest my soul depart from thee; lest I make thee desolate, a land not inhabited.

⁸Tenda kurangwa, iwe Jerusaremu, kuti mweya wangu urege kuparadzana newe, ndirege kukuita dongo, nyika isingagari vanhu.

⁹Thus saith the LORD of hosts, They shall throughly glean the remnant of Israel as a vine: turn back thine hand as a grapegatherer into the baskets.

⁹Zvanzi naJehovha wehondo, Vachatanha chose zvakasara zvaIsiraeri, somuzambiringa; dzoseraizve ruoko rwenyu mumatengu, sezvinoita mutanhi wemizambiringa.

¹⁰To whom shall I speak, and give warning, that they may hear? behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of the LORD is unto them a reproach; they have no delight in it.

¹⁰Ndichataura nani nokuvapupurira vanzwe? Tarirai, nzeve dzavo hadzina kudzingiswa, havagoni kunzwa; tarirai, shoko raJehovha rava kwavari chinhu chinodadirwa, havarifariri.

¹¹Therefore I am full of the fury of the LORD; I am weary with holding in: I will pour it out upon the children abroad, and upon the assembly of young men together: for even the husband with the wife shall be taken, the aged with him that is full of days.

¹¹Naizvozvo ndizere nokutsamwa kwaJehovha, ndaneta kuzvidzora; Chikudururai pamusoro pavana vari munzira dzomuguta, napamusoro peungano yamajaya; nekuti murume nomukadzi vachabatwa pamwechete nowava namazuva mazhinji.

¹²And their houses shall be turned unto others, with their fields and wives together: for I will stretch out my hand upon the inhabitants of the land, saith the LORD.

¹²Dzimba dzavo dzichapiwa vamwe, minda yavo pamwechete navakadzi vavo; nekuti ndichatambanudzira ruoko rwangu pamusoro pavagere panyika, ndizvo zvinotaura Jehovha.

¹³For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth falsely.

¹³nekuti kubva kuvaduku pakati pavo kusvikira kuvakuru pakati pavo mumwe nomumwe unokarira fuma; uye kubva kuvaporofita kusvikira kuvapristi mumwe nomumwe unoita nokunyengera.

¹⁴They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.

¹⁴Vakangopodza vanga ravanhu vangu zvishoma vachiti, Rugare, rugare! Izvo hakuna rugare.

¹⁵Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the LORD.

¹⁵Ko vakanyadziswa nguva yavakaita zvinonyangadza here? Kwete havana kutongonyara, vakakoniwa kucheneruka; naizvozvo vachawa pakati pavanowa, panguva yandinovarova vachagumburwa, ndizvo zvinotaura Jehovha.

¹⁶Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.

¹⁶Zvanzi naJehovha, Mirai panzira, muwone; bvunzai nzira dzakare, kuti nzira yakanaka ndeipi; mufambe mairi, mugowanira mweya yenyu zoro; asi vakati, Hatidi kufamba mairi.

¹⁷Also I set watchmen over you, saying, Hearken to the sound of the trumpet. But they said, We will not hearken.

¹⁷Ndakagadza nharirire kukurindirai, ndikati, teererai inzwi rehwamanda; asi ivo vakati, Hatidi kuteerera.

¹⁸Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation, what is among them.

¹⁸Naizvozvo inzwai, imwi marudzi, newe ungano, muzive zviri pakati pavo.

¹⁹Hear, O earth: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words, nor to my law, but rejected it.

¹⁹Inzwa, Iwe nyika, tarira, ndini ndinouyisira vanhu ava zvakaipa, izvo zvibereko zvemifungo yavo, nekuti havana kuteerera mashoko angu; kana uri murayiro wangu, vakauramba.

²⁰To what purpose cometh there to me incense from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a far country? your burnt offerings are not acceptable, nor your sacrifices sweet unto me.

²⁰Ko zvinonhuhwira zvinouyirei kwandiri zvichibva Shebha, nekaramusi inobva kunyika iri kure? Zvipiriso zvenyu zvinopiswa handizvidi, nezvibayiro zvenyu hazvindifadzi.

²¹Therefore thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will lay stumblingblocks before this people, and the fathers and the sons together shall fall upon them; the neighbour and his friend shall perish.

²¹Naizvozvo zvanzi naJehovha, Tarirai, ndichaisira vanhu ava zvigumbuso, madzibaba navanakomana vavo vachagumbuswa nazvo pamwechete; munhu neshamwari yake vachaparara pamwechete.

²²Thus saith the LORD, Behold, a people cometh from the north country, and a great nation shall be raised from the sides of the earth.

²²Zvanzi naJehovha, Tarirai, vanhu vachabva kunyika yokumusoro, rudzi rukuru ruchamutswa, ruchibva kumigumo yenyika.

²³They shall lay hold on bow and spear; they are cruel, and have no mercy; their voice roareth like the sea; and they ride upon horses, set in array as men for war against thee, O daughter of Zion.

²³Vakabata uta nepfumo, vane hasha havane nyasha; inzwi ravo rinotinhira segungwa; vanotasva mabhiza, mumwe nomumwe wakazvigadzira, somunhu unoenda kuhondo, kuzorwa newe, iwe mukunda weZiyoni.

²⁴We have heard the fame thereof: our hands wax feeble: anguish hath taken hold of us, and pain, as of a woman in travail.

²⁴Takanzwa guhu razvo, maoko edu oshaiwa simba, tabatwa nokutambudzika, nokurwadziwa sokomukadzi unosurumuka,

²⁵Go not forth into the field, nor walk by the way; for the sword of the enemy and fear is on every side.

²⁵Regai kubudira kubundo, kana kufamba nenzira; nekuti munondo womuvengi nezvinotyisa zviri kumativi ose.

²⁶O daughter of my people, gird thee with sackcloth, and wallow thyself in ashes: make thee mourning, as for an only son, most bitter lamentation: for the spoiler shall suddenly come upon us.

²⁶Haiwa, mukunda wavanhu vangu, Zvisunge chiuno namakudza, uumburuke mumadota; chema, somunhu unochema mwanakomana wake mumwechete, nokuchema kukuru kwazvo; nekuti muparadzi uchatiwira pakarepo.

²⁷I have set thee for a tower and a fortress among my people, that thou mayest know and try their way.

²⁷Ndakakuita mushori nenhare pakati pavanhu vangu, kuti uzive nokuidza nzira yavo.

²⁸They are all grievous revolters, walking with slanders: they are brass and iron; they are all corrupters.

²⁸Vose vavo vamukiri vakaisvoipa, vanongofamba-famba vachiita makuhwa; indarira nedare, vanoita zvakashata vose.

²⁹The bellows are burned, the lead is consumed of the fire; the founder melteth in vain: for the wicked are not plucked away.

²⁹Mvuto inovhutira kwazvo, mutobvu wapera nomoto, vanoramba vachinatsa pasina, nekuti vakaipa havabviswi.

³⁰Reprobate silver shall men call them, because the LORD hath rejected them.

³⁰Vachanzi sirivha yakarashwa, nekuti Jehovha wakavaramba.