¹Inzwai shoko iri randinokuchemai naro, imwi imba yalsiraeri.

¹Listen to this word which I take up for a lamentation over you, O house of Israel.

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

²“The virgin of Israel has fallen; She shall rise no more. She is cast down on her land; there is no one 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 says the Lord Yahweh: “The city that went forth a thousand shall have a hundred left, and that which went forth one hundred shall have ten left to the house of Israel.”

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

⁴For thus says Yahweh to the house of Israel: “Seek me, and you will live;

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

⁵but don’t seek Bethel, nor enter into Gilgal, and don’t pass to Beersheba: for Gilgal shall surely go into captivity, and Bethel shall come to nothing.

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

⁶Seek Yahweh, and you will live; lest he break out like fire in the house of Joseph, and it devour, and there be no one to quench it in Bethel.

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

⁷You who turn justice 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);

⁸seek him who made the Pleiades and Orion, and turns the shadow of death into the morning, and makes the day dark with night; who calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out on the surface of the earth, Yahweh is his name,

⁹anouyisira vane simba kuparadza kunokurumidza, kuparadza ndokuwira nhare.

⁹who brings sudden destruction on the strong, so that destruction comes on the fortress.

¹⁰Vanovenga anovaraira pasuwo, vanosema anotaura zvakarurama.

¹⁰They hate him who reproves in the gate, and they abhor him who speaks blamelessly.

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

¹¹Forasmuch therefore as you trample on the poor, and take taxes from him of wheat: You have built houses of cut stone, but you will not dwell in them. You have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine.

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

¹²For I know how many your offenses, and how great are your sins— you who afflict the just, who take a bribe, and who turn aside the needy in the courts.

¹³Saka akangwara achanyarara nenguva yakadai, nekuti inguva yakaipa.

¹³Therefore a prudent person keeps silent in such a 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 you may live; and so Yahweh, the God of Armies, will be with you, as you say.

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

¹⁵Hate evil, love good, and establish justice in the courts. It may be that Yahweh, the God of Armies, will be gracious to 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 says Yahweh, the God of Armies, the Lord: “Wailing will be in all the broad ways; and they will say in all the streets, ‘Alas! Alas!’ and they will call the farmer to mourning, and those who are skillful in lamentation to wailing.

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

¹⁷In all vineyards there will be wailing; for I will pass through the midst of you,” says Yahweh.

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

¹⁸“Woe to you who desire the day of Yahweh! Why do you long for the day of Yahweh? It is 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 he went into the house and leaned his hand on the wall, and a snake bit him.

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

²⁰Won’t the day of Yahweh 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 can’t stand your solemn assemblies.

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

²²Yes, though you offer me your burnt offerings and meal offerings, I will not accept them; neither will I regard the peace offerings of your fat animals.

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

²³Take away from me the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps.

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

²⁴But let justice roll on like rivers, and righteousness like a mighty stream.

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

²⁵“Did you bring to me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, house of Israel?

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

²⁶You also carried the tent of your king and the shrine of your images, the star of your god, which you made for yourselves.

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

²⁷Therefore will I cause you to go into captivity beyond Damascus,” says Yahweh, whose name is the God of Armies.