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

¹Strengthen yourselves, sons of Benjamin, From the midst of Jerusalem, And in Tekoa blow ye a trumpet, And over Beth-Haccerem lift ye up a flame, For evil hath been seen from the north, And great destruction.

²Ndichabvisa mukunda weZiyoni, iye wakanaka, unovunengwe.

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

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

³Unto her come do shepherds and their droves, They have stricken tents by her round about, They have fed each [in] his own station.

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

⁴Sanctify ye against her the battle, Rise, and we go up at noon. Wo to us, for turned hath the day, For stretched out are the shades of evening,

⁵Simukai, tiende vusiku, tindoparadza dzimba dzamadzimambo aro.

⁵`Rise, and we go up by night, And we destroy her palaces.`

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

⁶For thus said Jehovah of Hosts: Cut down her wood, And pour out against Jerusalem a mount, She [is] the city to be inspected, Wholly — she is oppression in her midst.

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

⁷As the digging of a well, is [for] its waters, So she hath digged [for] her wickedness, Violence and spoil is heard in her, Before My face continually [are] sickness and smiting.

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

⁸Be instructed, O Jerusalem, Lest My soul be alienated from thee, Lest I make thee a desolation, a land not inhabited.

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

⁹Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: They surely glean, as a vine, the remnant of Israel, Put back thy hand, as a gatherer to the baskets.

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

¹⁰To whom do I speak, and testify, and they hear? Lo, their ear [is] uncircumcised, And they are not able to attend. Lo, a word of Jehovah hath been to them for a reproach, They delight not in it.

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

¹¹And with the fury of Jehovah I have been filled, (I have been weary of containing,) To pour [it] on the suckling in the street, And on the assembly of youths together, For even husband with wife are captured, An elder with one full of days,

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

¹²And their houses have been turned to others, Fields and wives together, For I stretch out My hand against the inhabitants of the land, An affirmation of Jehovah.

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

¹³For from their least unto their greatest, Every one is gaining dishonest gain, And from prophet even unto priest, Every one is dealing falsely,

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

¹⁴And they heal the breach of the daughter of my people slightly, Saying, `Peace, peace!` and there is no peace.

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

¹⁵They were ashamed when they did abomination! Yea, they are not at all ashamed, Yea, blushing they have not known, Therefore they do fall among those falling, In the time I have inspected them, They stumble, said Jehovah.

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

¹⁶Thus said Jehovah: Stand ye by the ways and see, and ask for paths of old, Where [is] this — the good way? and go ye in it, And find rest for yourselves. And they say, `We do not go.`

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

¹⁷And I have raised up for you watchmen, Attend ye to the voice of the trumpet. And they say, `We do not attend.`

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

¹⁸Therefore hear, O nations, and know, O company, That which [is] upon them.

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

¹⁹Hear, O earth, lo, I am bringing evil on this people, The fruit of their devices, For to My words they gave no attention, And My law — they kick against it.

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

²⁰Why [is] this to Me? frankincense from Sheba cometh, And the sweet cane from a land afar off, Your burnt-offerings [are] not for acceptance, And your sacrifices have not been sweet to Me.

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

²¹Therefore thus said Jehovah: Lo, I do give to this people stumbling blocks, And stumbled against them have fathers and sons together, The neighbour and his friend do perish.

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

²²Thus said Jehovah: Lo, a people hath come from a north country, And a great nation is stirred up from the sides of the earth.

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

²³Bow and javelin they take hold of, Fierce it [is], and they have no mercy, Their voice as a sea doth sound, And on horses they ride, set in array as a man of war, Against thee, O daughter of Zion.

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

²⁴`We have heard its sound, feeble have been our hands, Distress hath seized us, pain as of a travailing woman.

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

²⁵Go not forth to the field, And in the way walk not, For a sword hath the enemy, fear [is] round about.

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

²⁶O daughter of My people, Gird on sackcloth, and roll thyself in ashes, The mourning of an only one make for thee, A lamentation most bitter, For suddenly come doth the spoiler against us.

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

²⁷A watch-tower I have given thee, Among My people a fortress, And thou knowest, and hast tried their way.

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

²⁸All of them are turned aside by apostates, Walking slanderously — brass and iron, All of them are corrupters.

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

²⁹The bellows have been burnt, By fire hath the lead been consumed, In vain hath a refiner refined, And the wicked have not been drawn away.

³⁰Vachanzi sirivha yakarashwa, nekuti Jehovha wakavaramba.

³⁰`Silver rejected,` they have called to them, For Jehovah hath kicked against them!