¹Zvino vamwe vakuru vaIsiraeri vakauya kwandiri, vakagara pasi pamberi pangu.

¹And come in unto me do certain of the elders of Israel, and sit before me.

²Shoko raJehovha rakasvika kwandiri, richiti,

²And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying,

³Mwanakomana womunhu, vanhu ava vakapinza zvifananidzo zvavo mumoyo yavo, nokuisa chigumbuso chezvakaipa zvavo pamberi pavo; zvino ndingatongotenda kubvunzwa navo here?

³`Son of man, these men have caused their idols to go up on their heart, and the stumbling-block of their iniquity they have put over-against their faces; am I inquired of at all by them?

⁴Naizvozvo taura navo, uti kwavari, Zvanzi naIshe Jehovha, munhu mumwe nomumwe weimba yaIsiraeri anopinza zvifananidzo zvake mumoyo make, nokuisa chigumbuso chezvakaipa zvake pamberi pake, akauya kumuporofita, ini Jehovha ndichamupindura zvakafanira izvozvo, zvakafanira kuwanda kwezvifananidzo zvake;

⁴`Therefore, speak with them, and thou hast said unto them: Thus said the Lord Jehovah: Every one of the house of Israel who causeth his idols to go up unto his heart, and the stumbling-block of his iniquity setteth over-against his face, and hath gone in unto the prophet — I Jehovah have given an answer to him for this, for the abundance of his idols,

⁵kuti ndibate imba yaIsiraeri mumoyo yavo, nekuti vazviita vatorwa kwandiri nemhaka yezvifananidzo zvavo.

⁵in order to catch the house of Israel by their heart, in that they have become estranged from off me by their idols — all of them.

⁶Naizvozvo iti kuimba yaIsiraeri, Zvanzi naIshe Jehovha, dzokai, mufuratire zvifananidzo zvenyu, mufuratidze zvinonyangadza zvenyu zvose zviso zvenyu.

⁶`Therefore say unto the house of Israel: Thus said the Lord Jehovah: Turn ye back, yea, turn ye back from your idols, and from all your abominations turn back your faces,

⁷nekuti mumwe nomumwe weimba yaIsiraeri, kana wavatorwa vagere panyika yaIsiraeri, anoparadzana neni, achipinza zvifananidzo zvake mumoyo make, nokuisa chigumbuso chezvakaipa zvake pamberi pake, akauya kumuporofita kuti iye andibvunze nokuda kwake, ini Jehovha ndichamupindura ndimene;

⁷for every one of the house of Israel, and of the sojourners who doth sojourn in Israel, who is separated from after Me, and doth cause his idols to go up unto his heart, and the stumbling-block of his iniquity setteth over-against his face, and hath come in unto the prophet to inquire of him concerning Me, I, Jehovah, have answered him for Myself;

⁸ndicharinzira munhu uyo chiso changu ndimuitire zvakaipa, ndichamuita chishamiso nechiratidzo netsumo, ndichamubvisa pakati pavanhu vangu; zvino muchaziva kuti ndini Jehovha.

⁸and I have set My face against that man, and made him for a sign, and for similes, and I have cut him off from the midst of My people, and ye have known that I [am] Jehovah.

⁹Zvino kana muporofita akanyengerwa, akataura shoko, ini Jehovha, ndini ndanyengera muporofita uyo, ndichatambanudzira ruoko rwangu pamusoro pake, ndimuparadze pakati pavanhu vangu vaIsiraeri.

⁹`And the prophet, when he is enticed, and hath spoken a word — I, Jehovah, I have enticed that prophet, and have stretched out My hand against him, and have destroyed him from the midst of My people Israel.

¹⁰Vachava nemhosva yavo; zvakaipa zvomuporofita zvichaenzana nezvakaipa zveanobvunza kwaari;

¹⁰And they have borne their iniquity: as the iniquity of the inquirer, so is the iniquity of the prophet;

¹¹kuti imba yaIsiraeri irege kuzotsauka kwandiri, kana kuzozvisvibisa nokudarika kwavo kose, asi vave vanhu vangu, neni ndive Mwari wavo, ndizvo zvinotaura Ishe Jehovha.

¹¹so that the house of Israel do not wander any more from after Me, nor are defiled any more with all their transgressions, and they have been to Me for a people, and I am to them for God — an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.`

¹²Zvino shoko raJehovha rakasvika kwandiri, richiti,

¹²And there is a word of Jehovah unto me, saying,

¹³Mwanakomana womunhu, kana kune nyika ichinge yanditadzira nokudarika, ini ndikatambanudzira ruoko rwangu pamusoro payo, ndikavhuna mudonzvo wezvokudya zvayo, ndikatuma nzara pamusoro payo, nokuparadzapo vanhu nezvipfuwo;

¹³`Son of man, the land — when it sinneth against Me to commit a trespass, and I have stretched out My hand against it, and broken for it the staff of bread, and sent into it famine, and cut off from it man and beast —

¹⁴kunyange vanhu ava vatatu, nowa naDhanyeri naJobho, vakavamo, vangarwira mweya yavo yoga nokururama kwavo, ndizvo zvinotaura Ishe Jehovha.

¹⁴and these three men have been in its midst, Noah, Daniel, and Job — they by their righteousness deliver their own soul — an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.

¹⁵Kana ndikafambisa zvikara munyika, zvikaipedzera vana, ikaitwa dongo, kukasava nomunhu angagona kufambamo nemhaka yezvikara;

¹⁵`If an evil beast I cause to pass through the land, and it hath bereaved, and it hath been a desolation, without any passing through because of the beast —

¹⁶kunyange varume ava vatatu vaivamo, noupenyu hwangu ndizvo zvinotaura Ishe Jehovha havangarwiri vanakomana kana vanasikana; ivo voga vangarwirwa, asi nyika ichaitwa dongo.

¹⁶these three men in its midst: I live — an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah — neither sons nor daughters do they deliver; they alone are delivered, and the land is a desolation.

¹⁷Zvimwe kana ndikauyisa munondo pamusoro penyika iyo, ndikati, Munondo, pfuura napakati penyika! Ndikaparadzamo vanhu nezvipfuwo,

¹⁷`Or — a sword I bring in against that land, and I have said: Sword, thou dost pass over through the land, and I have cut off from it man and beast —

¹⁸kunyange varume ava vatatu vaivamo, ndizvo zvinotaura Ishe Jehovha havangarwiri vanakomana kana vanasikana, asi ivo vamene voga vangwarwirwa.

¹⁸and these three men in its midst: I live — an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah — they deliver not sons and daughters, for they alone are delivered.

¹⁹Zvimwe kana ndikatuma hosha yakaipa munyika iyo, ndikadurura hasha dzangu pamusoro payo neropa, kuti ndiparadzemo vanhu nezvipfuwo;

¹⁹`Or — pestilence I send unto that land, and I have poured out My fury against it in blood, to cut off from it man and beast —

²⁰kunyange nowa naDhanyeri naJobho vaivamo, noupenyu hwangu ndizvo zvinotaura Ishe Jehovha, havangwarwiri mwanakomana kana mwanasikana; vangarwira mweya yavo yoga nokururama kwavo.

²⁰and Noah, Daniel, and Job, in its midst: I live — an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah — neither son nor daughter do they deliver; they, by their righteousness, deliver their own soul.

²¹nekuti zvanzi naIshe Jehovha, Ndoda, kana ndikatuma pamusoro peJerusaremu zvakaipa zvina zvandakavatongera, zvinoti, munondo nenzara nezvikara zvakaipa nehosha yakaipa, kuti ndiparadzemo vanhu nezvipfuwo !

²¹`For thus said the Lord Jehovah: Although My four sore judgments — sword, and famine, and wild beast, and pestilence — I have sent unto Jerusalem, to cut off from it man and beast,

²²Asi tarirai, vamwe vakasara vacharegwamo vachapukunyuka, vachatapwa, vari vanakomana navanasikana; tarirai, vachasvika kwamuri, muchaona nzira yavo nezvavanoita; ipapo muchanyaradzwa pamusoro pezvakaipa zvandakauyisa pamusoro peJerusaremu, pamusoro pezvose zvandakauyisa pamusoro paro.

²²yet, lo, there hath been left in it an escape, who are brought forth, sons and daughters, lo, they are coming forth unto you, and ye have seen their way, and their doings, and have been comforted concerning the evil that I have brought in against Jerusalem, all that which I have brought in against it.

²³Ivo vachakunyaradzai, kana muchiona nzira yavo nezvavanoita; ipapo muchaziva kuti handina kuita pasina zvose zvandakaitamo, ndizvo zvinotaura Ishe Jehovha.

²³And they have comforted you, for ye see their way and their doings, and ye have known that not for nought have I done all that which I have done in her — an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.`