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

¹Flee for safety, ye children of Benjamin, out of the midst of Jerusalem, and blow the trumpet in Tekoa, and raise up a signal on Beth-haccherem; for evil looketh forth from the north, and a great destruction.

²Ndichabvisa mukunda weZiyoni, iye wakanaka, unovunengwe.

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

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

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.

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

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

⁵Simukai, tiende vusiku, tindoparadza dzimba dzamadzimambo aro.

⁵Arise, and let us go up by night, and let us 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 hath Jehovah of hosts said, Hew ye down trees, and cast up a mound against Jerusalem: this is the city to be visited; she is wholly oppression in the midst of her.

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

⁷As a well casteth forth its waters, so she casteth forth her wickedness: violence and destruction is heard in her; before me continually is sickness and wounds.

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

⁸Be thou 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 saith Jehovah of hosts, They shall thoroughly glean the remnant of Israel as a vine: turn again thy hand as a grape-gatherer into the baskets.

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

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 become unto them a reproach; they have no delight 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.

¹¹Therefore I am full of the wrath 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.

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

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

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

¹⁴They have healed also the hurt of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when 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.

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 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 saith Jehovah, 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].

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

¹⁷And I set watchmen over you, [saying], Hearken to the sound of the trumpet; but they said, We will not hearken.

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

¹⁸Therefore hear, ye nations, and know, O congregation, what is among 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: behold, I will bring evil upon this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not hearkened unto my words; and as for my law, they have rejected it.

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

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

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

²¹Therefore thus saith Jehovah, Behold, I will lay stumbling-blocks before this people; and the fathers and the sons together shall stumble against them; the neighbor and his friend shall perish.

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

²²Thus saith Jehovah, Behold, a people cometh from the north country; and a great nation shall be stirred up from the uttermost parts 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.

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, every one set in array, as a man to the battle, against thee, O daughter of Zion.

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

²⁴We have heard the report thereof; our hands wax feeble: anguish hath taken hold of us, [and] pangs as of a woman in travail.

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

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

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 thee with sackcloth, and wallow thyself in ashes: make thee mourning, as for an only son, most bitter lamentation; for the destroyer shall suddenly come upon us.

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

²⁷I have made thee a trier [and] a fortress among my people; that thou mayest know and try their way.

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

²⁸They are all grievous revolters, going about with slanders; they are brass and iron: they all of them deal corruptly.

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

²⁹The bellows blow fiercely; the lead is consumed of the fire: in vain do they go on refining; for the wicked are not plucked away.

³⁰Vachanzi sirivha yakarashwa, nekuti Jehovha wakavaramba.

³⁰Refuse silver shall men them, because Jehovah hath rejected them.