¹Then came certain of the elders of Israel to me, and sat before me.

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

²The word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

²Shoko raJehovha rakasvika kwandiri, richiti,

³Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their heart, and put the stumbling block of their iniquity before their face: should I be inquired of at all by them?

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

⁴Therefore speak to them, and tell them, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Every man of the house of Israel who takes his idols into his heart, and puts the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and comes to the prophet; I Yahweh will answer him therein according to the multitude of his idols;

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;

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

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

⁶Therefore tell the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Return, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations.

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

⁷For everyone of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who live in Israel, who separates himself from me, and takes his idols into his heart, and puts the stumbling block of his iniquity before his face, and comes to the prophet to inquire for himself of me; I Yahweh will answer him by myself:

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;

⁸and I will set my face against that man, and will make him an astonishment, for a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and you shall know that I am Yahweh.

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

⁹If the prophet is deceived and speak a word, I, Yahweh, have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand on him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.

⁹Zvino kana muporofita akanyengerwa, akataura shoko, ini Jehovha, ndini ndanyengera muporofita uyo, ndichatambanudzira ruoko rwangu pamusoro pake, ndimuparadze pakati pavanhu vangu vaIsiraeri.

¹⁰They shall bear their iniquity: the iniquity of the prophet shall be even as the iniquity of him who seeks him;

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

¹¹that the house of Israel may go no more astray from me, neither defile themselves any more with all their transgressions; but that they may be my people, and I may be their God, says the Lord Yahweh.

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

¹²The word of Yahweh came to me, saying,

¹²Zvino shoko raJehovha rakasvika kwandiri, richiti,

¹³Son of man, when a land sins against me by committing a trespass, and I stretch out my hand on it, and break the staff of its bread, and send famine on it, and cut off from it man and animal;

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;

¹⁴though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls by their righteousness, says the Lord Yahweh.

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

¹⁵If I cause evil animals to pass through the land, and they ravage it, and it be made desolate, so that no man may pass through because of the animals;

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

¹⁶though these three men were in it, as I live, says the Lord Yahweh, they should deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only should be delivered, but the land should be desolate.

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

¹⁷Or if I bring a sword on that land, and say, Sword, go through the land; so that I cut off from it man and animal;

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

¹⁸though these three men were in it, as I live, says the Lord Yahweh, they should deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only should be delivered themselves.

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

¹⁹Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out my wrath on it in blood, to cut off from it man and animal;

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

²⁰though Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live, says the Lord Yahweh, they should deliver neither son nor daughter; they should but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.

²⁰kunyange nowa naDhanyeri naJobho vaivamo, noupenyu hwangu ndizvo zvinotaura Ishe Jehovha, havangwarwiri mwanakomana kana mwanasikana; vangarwira mweya yavo yoga nokururama kwavo.

²¹For thus says the Lord Yahweh: How much more when I send my four severe judgments on Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the evil animals, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and animal!

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

²²Yet, behold, therein shall be left a remnant that shall be carried forth, both sons and daughters: behold, they shall come forth to you, and you shall see their way and their doings; and you shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought on Jerusalem, even concerning all that I have brought on it.

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.

²³They shall comfort you, when you see their way and their doings; and you shall know that I have not done without cause all that I have done in it, says the Lord Yahweh.

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