¹Flee for safety, ye children of Benjamin, out of the midst of Jerusalem, and blow the trumpet in Tekoa, and set up a signal in Beth-haccerem; for evil appeareth out of the north, and a great destruction.

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

²The comely and delicate one do I cut off, the daughter of Zion.

²Ndichabvisa mukunda weZiyoni, iye wakanaka, unovunengwe.

³Shepherds 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 war against her. Arise, and let us go up at noon. Woe unto us! for the day hath declined, for the shadows of the evening are lengthening.

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

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

⁵Simukai, tiende vusiku, tindoparadza dzimba dzamadzimambo aro.

⁶For thus hath Jehovah of hosts said: Hew ye down trees, and cast a mound against Jerusalem. She 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 well poureth forth her waters, so she poureth forth her wickedness: violence and destruction are heard in her; before me continually are 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, Jerusalem, lest my soul be alienated from thee; lest I make thee a desolation, a land not inhabited.

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

⁹Thus saith Jehovah of hosts: They shall thoroughly glean like a vine the remnant of Israel: turn back thy hand, as a grape-gatherer unto the baskets.

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

¹⁰To whom shall I speak and testify, that they may hear? Behold, their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot hearken: behold, the word of Jehovah 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.

¹¹And I am full of the fury of Jehovah, I am weary with holding in. Pour it out upon the children in the street, 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, [their] fields and wives together; for I will stretch out my hand upon the inhabitants of the land, saith Jehovah.

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.

¹⁴And they have healed the breach of the daughter of my people lightly, saying, Peace, peace! when there is no peace.

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

¹⁵Are they ashamed that they have committed abomination? Nay, they are not at all ashamed, neither know they what it is to blush. Therefore they shall fall among them that fall; at the time that I visit them they shall stumble, saith Jehovah.

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

¹⁶Thus saith Jehovah: Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the ancient paths, which 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 have set watchmen over you: -- Hearken ye 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 assembly, 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, the fruit of their thoughts; for they have not hearkened unto my words, and as to my law, they have 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 should there come to me incense from Sheba, and the sweet cane from a far country? Your burnt-offerings are not acceptable, nor are your sacrifices pleasing unto me.

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

²¹Therefore thus saith Jehovah: Behold, I will lay stumbling-blocks before this people, and the fathers and the sons together shall fall over 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 Jehovah: Behold, a people cometh from the north country, and a great nation is stirred up from the uttermost parts of the earth.

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

²³They 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 a man for the battle, against thee, 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 report thereof: our hands are grown feeble; anguish hath taken hold of us, pain as of a woman that travaileth.

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

²⁵Go not forth into the field, nor walk by the way; for [there is] the sword of the enemy, terror is on every side.

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

²⁶Daughter of my people, gird thee with sackcloth, and roll thyself in ashes: make mourning, [as] for an only son -- bitter lamentation; for the spoiler cometh suddenly 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 among my people as an assayer, a fortress, that thou mayest know and try their way.

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

²⁸They are all the most rebellious of rebels, going about with slander: they are bronze 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 by the fire; they have melted, and melted in vain; and the bad are not plucked away.

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

³⁰Reprobate silver shall they call them, for Jehovah hath rejected them.

³⁰Vachanzi sirivha yakarashwa, nekuti Jehovha wakavaramba.