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

¹And there came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me.

²Shoko raJehovha rakasvika kwandiri, richiti,

²And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying,

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

³Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumbling-block of their iniquity before their face: should I be 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;

⁴Therefore speak to them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumbling-block of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet, I Jehovah will answer him according to this, according to the multitude of his idols:

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

⁵that I may take the house of Israel by their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols.

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

⁶Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Return ye, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.

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, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, who separateth himself from me, and setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumbling-block of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet to inquire of me by him, I Jehovah will answer him by myself;

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

⁸and I will set my face against that man, and will make him desolate, [so that he shall be] for a sign and for proverbs, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people: and ye shall know 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.

⁹And if the prophet be enticed and shall speak a word, I Jehovah have enticed that prophet; and I will stretch out my hand against him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.

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

¹⁰And they shall bear their iniquity: the iniquity of the prophet shall be even as the iniquity of the inquirer;

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

¹¹that the house of Israel may go no more astray from me, neither make themselves any more unclean with all their transgressions; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, saith the Lord Jehovah.

¹²Zvino shoko raJehovha rakasvika kwandiri, richiti,

¹²And the word of Jehovah came 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;

¹³Son of man, when a land sinneth against me by working unfaithfulness, and I stretch out my hand upon it, and break the staff of the bread thereof, and send famine upon it, and cut off man and beast from it;

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

¹⁴though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, should be in it, they should deliver [but] their own souls by their righteousness, saith the Lord Jehovah.

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

¹⁵If I cause evil beasts to pass through the land, and they bereave it, and it become a desolation, so that no one passeth through because of the beasts;

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

¹⁶-- though these three men should be in it, [as] I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, they should deliver neither sons nor daughters: they only should be delivered, and the land should be a desolation.

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

¹⁷Or [if] I bring the sword upon that land, and say, Sword, go through the land, so that I cut off man and beast from it,

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

¹⁸and these three men should be in it, [as] I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, they should deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only themselves should be delivered.

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

¹⁹Or [if] I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out my fury upon 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 should be in it, [as] I live, saith the Lord Jehovah, they should deliver neither son nor daughter: they should [but] deliver their own souls by their righteousness.

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

²¹For thus saith the Lord Jehovah: How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the evil beast, and the pestilence, 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.

²²But behold, there shall be left in it those that escape, who shall be brought out of [it], sons and daughters. Behold, they shall come forth unto you, and ye shall see their way and their doings; and ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem, as to all that I have brought upon it.

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

²³And they shall comfort you, when ye see their way and their doings; and ye shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, saith the Lord Jehovah.