¹Inzwai shoko iri randinokuchemai naro, imwi imba yalsiraeri.

¹Hear this word, a lamentation, which I take up against you, O house of Israel.

²Mhandara yalsiraeri yawira pasi; haangazomukizve; wawiswa pasi panyika yake, hakuna angamumutsazve.

²The virgin of Israel is fallen; she shall no more arise: she is cast down upon her land; there is none to raise her up.

³nekuti zvanzi naIshe Jehovha, Paimba yaIsiraeri guta, rakabuda kundorwa navane chiuru chamazana, richasara nezana roga, uye rakabuda nezana richasara negumi.

³For thus saith the Lord Jehovah: The city that went forth a thousand shall have a hundred left, and that which went forth a hundred shall have ten left, for the house of Israel.

⁴nekuti zvanzi naIshe Jehovha kuimba yaIsiraeri, Nditsvakei, murarame;

⁴For thus saith Jehovah unto the house of Israel: Seek ye me, and ye shall live.

⁵asi regai kutsvaka Bhetieri, kana kupinda Girigari, kana kupfuurira Bheerishebha; nekuti Girigari richatapwa zvirokwazvo, Bhetieri richarova.

⁵And seek not Bethel, neither go to Gilgal, and pass not to Beer-sheba; for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nought.

⁶Tsvakai Jehovha, murarame; kuti arege kupfuta paimba yaJosefa somoto unopedza zvose, kukasava nomunhu anoudzima paBhetieri.

⁶Seek Jehovah, and ye shall live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and devour [it], and there be none to quench [it] in Bethel.

⁷Imi, munoshandura kururamisira muchikuita segavakava, muchiwisira kururama pasi,

⁷Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, and cast down righteousness to the earth,

⁸tsvakai iye, akaita nyeredzi dzeChimutanhatu nedzeOrioni, anoshandura mumvuri worufu achiuita mangwanani, anodzima masikati achiaita usiku, anodana mvura yegungwa, ndokuidururira panyika (Jehovha ndiro zita rake);

⁸[seek him] that made the Pleiades and Orion, and turneth the shadow of death into the morning, and maketh the day dark with night; that calleth for the waters of the sea, and poureth them out upon the face of the earth: Jehovah is his name.

⁹anouyisira vane simba kuparadza kunokurumidza, kuparadza ndokuwira nhare.

⁹He causeth destruction to break forth suddenly upon the strong, and bringeth destruction upon the fortress.

¹⁰Vanovenga anovaraira pasuwo, vanosema anotaura zvakarurama.

¹⁰They hate him that reproveth in the gate, and they abhor him that speaketh uprightly.

¹¹Zvino zvamunotsika murombo pasi, muchitora dzimba dzamabwe akavezwa, asi hamungagarimo, makasima minda yemizambiringa inofadza, asi hamungamwi waini yayo.

¹¹Forasmuch, therefore, as ye trample upon the poor, and take from him presents of wheat: ye have built houses of hewn stone, but ye shall not dwell in them; ye have planted pleasant vineyards, and ye shall not drink the wine of them.

¹²nekuti ndinoziva kuti kudarika kwenyu kuzhinji, uye kuti zvivi zvenyu zvikuru, kwazvo, iyemi, munomanikidza vakarurama, munogamuchira fufuro, muchiramba anoshaiwa pasuwo.

¹²For I know how manifold are your transgressions and your sins mighty: they afflict the just, they take a bribe, and they turn aside [the right of] the needy in the gate.

¹³Saka akangwara achanyarara nenguva yakadai, nekuti inguva yakaipa.

¹³Therefore the prudent shall keep silence in this time; for it is an evil time.

¹⁴Tsvakai zvakanaka, murege kutsvaka zvakaipa, kuti murarame, ipapo Jehovha, Mwari wehondo achava nemi, sezvamunoreva.

¹⁴Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live; and so Jehovah, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye say.

¹⁵Vengai zvakaipa, mude zvakanaka, mururamisire vanhu musuwo; zvimwe Jehovha, iye Mwari wehondo, achanzwira nyasha vakasara vaJosefa.

¹⁵Hate evil, and love good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that Jehovah, the God of hosts, will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.

¹⁶Naizvozvo zvanzi naJehovha, iye Mwari wehondo, iye Ishe, Kuchema kuchavapo panzira dzose huru, panzira dzose dzomumusha vachati, Maiwe! Maiwe! Vachadana varimi kuzochema, navanoziva nziyo dzemariro kuzoungudza.

¹⁶Therefore thus saith Jehovah, the God of hosts, the Lord: Wailing shall be in all broadways; and they shall say in all the streets, Alas! alas! And they shall call the husbandman to mourning, and such as are skilful of lamentation to wailing.

¹⁷Kuungudza kuchavapo paminda yose yemizambiringa; nekuti ndichapfuura napakati penyu, ndizvo zvinotaura Jehovha.

¹⁷And in all vineyards shall be wailing; for I will pass through the midst of thee, saith Jehovah.

¹⁸Vurombo kwamuri imwi munoshuva zuva raJehovha! Zuva raJehovha munorida neiko? Richava rima, hachingavi chiedza.

¹⁸Woe unto you that desire the day of Jehovah! To what end is the day of Jehovah for you? It shall be darkness and not light:

¹⁹Zvichaita somunhu anotiza shumba, ndokusangana nebere; kana seanopinda mumba, akabata pamadziro noruoko rwake, ndokurumwa nenyoka.

¹⁹as if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.

²⁰Ko zuva raJehovha haringavi rima, rikarega kuva chiedza here? Haringati, Zi! Kwazvo, risina kupenya here?

²⁰Shall not the day of Jehovah be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness in it?

²¹Ndinovenga nokuzvidza mitambo yenyu, handingatongofadzwi neungano dzenyu dzakatarwa.

²¹I hate, I despise your feasts, and I will not smell [a sweet odour] in your solemn assemblies.

²²Zvirokwazvo, kunyange mukandivigira zvipiriso zvenyu zvinopiswa nezvipiriso zvoupfu, handingazvigamuchiri; handingavi nehanya nezvipiriso zvenyu zvokuvonga zvezvipfuwo zvenyu zvakakodzwa.

²²For if ye offer up unto me burnt-offerings and your oblations, I will not accept [them]; neither will I regard the peace-offerings of your fatted beasts.

²³Bvisai pamberi pangu ruzha rwenziyo dzenyu, nekuti handidi kunzwa kurira kwembira dzenyu.

²³Take away from me the noise of thy songs, and I will not hear the melody of thy lutes;

²⁴Asi kururamisa ngakuyerere semvura, uye kururama sorwizi runongoramba ruchidira.

²⁴but let judgment roll down as waters, and righteousness as an ever-flowing stream.

²⁵Nhai imba yaIsiraeri, makandivigira zvibayiro nezvipo murenje makore ana makumi mana here?

²⁵Did ye bring unto me sacrifices and oblations in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?

²⁶Zvirokwazvo, makatakura Sikuti mambo wenyu, neKijuni zvifananidzo zvenyu, iyo nyeredzi yamwari wenyu, wamakazviitira.

²⁶Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of your Moloch, and Chiun your images, the star of your god, which ye had made to yourselves;

²⁷Naizvozvo ndichakutapisai mberi kweDhamasiko, ndizvo zvinotaura Jehovha, anezita rinonzi Mwari wehondo.

²⁷and I will cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus, saith Jehovah, whose name is the God of hosts.