¹Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees, and to the writers who write oppressive decrees;

¹Vane nhamo vanotema mitemo isina kururama, navanyori vanonyora zvisakarurama;

²to deprive the needy from justice, and to rob the poor among my people of their rights, that widows may be their spoil, and that they may make the fatherless their prey!

²kuti vadzivise varombo pakururamisirwa, nokutorera varombo vavanhu vangu zvavanofanira kuva nazvo, kuti vapambe chirikadzi, vatorere nherera zvinhu zvavo.

³What will you do in the day of visitation, and in the desolation which will come from afar? To whom will you flee for help? Where will you leave your wealth?

³Asi muchaiteiko pazuva rokutongwa, nerokuparadzwa kuchabva kure? Muchatizira kuna ani kundobatsirwa? fuma yenyu muchaivigepiko?

⁴They will only bow down under the prisoners, and will fall under the slain. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

⁴Vachangokotama havo pakati pavasungwa, vachawira pasi pakati pavakaurawa. Kunyange zvakadaro, kutsamwa kwake hakuna kudzorwa, asi ruoko rwake rwakaramba rwakatambanudzwa nazvino.

⁵Alas Assyrian, the rod of my anger, the staff in whose hand is my indignation!

⁵Nhaiwe Asiria, shamhu yokutsamwa kwangu, wakabata muruoko rwake tsvimbo yeshungu dzangu!

⁶I will send him against a profane nation, and against the people who anger me will I give him a command to take the spoil and to take the prey, and to tread them down like the mire of the streets.

⁶Ndichamutuma kundorwa norudzi runomhura Mwari, ndichamurayira kundorwa navanhu vandinotsamwira, kuti andotora zvakapambwa, andotora zvakatapwa, azvitsikire pasi sedope riri munzira dzomumusha.

⁷However he doesn’t mean so, neither does his heart think so; but it is in his heart to destroy, and to cut off not a few nations.

⁷Asi iye haafungi kuita izvozvo, nomoyo wake haarangariri zvakadaro; asi iye anorangarira kuparadza nokupedza marudzi mazhinji.

⁸For he says, “Aren’t all of my princes kings?

⁸nekuti iye anoti, Ko machinda angu ose haazi madzimambo here?

⁹Isn’t Calno like Carchemish? Isn’t Hamath like Arpad? Isn’t Samaria like Damascus?”

⁹Ko Karino harina kuitirwa zvakaitirwa Karikemishi here? NeHamati seAripadhi here? NeSamaria seDhamasiko here?

¹⁰As my hand has found the kingdoms of the idols, whose engraved images exceeded those of Jerusalem and of Samaria;

¹⁰Ruoko rwangu sezvarwakasvikira ushe bwezvifananidzo, kunyange zvifananidzo zvavo zvakavezwa zvakanga zvichipfuura zvapaJerusaremu neSamaria,

¹¹shall I not, as I have done to Samaria and her idols, so do to Jerusalem and her idols?

¹¹handingaitiri Jerusaremu nezvifananidzo zvaro sezvandakaitira Samaria nezvifananidzo zvaro here?

¹²Therefore it will happen that, when the Lord has performed his whole work on Mount Zion and on Jerusalem, I will punish the fruit of the willful proud heart of the king of Assyria, and the insolence of his haughty looks.

¹²Saka zvino kana Ishe apedza basa rake rose pagomo reZiyoni napaJerusaremu, ndicharova zvibereko zvomoyo unozvikudza wamambo weAsiria, namanyawi okuzvikudza kwake.

¹³For he has said, “By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I have understanding: and I have removed the boundaries of the peoples, and have robbed their treasures. Like a valiant man I have brought down their rulers.

¹³nekuti akati, Ndakazviita nesimba roruoko rwangu, uye nouchenjeri hwangu, nekuti ndine njere; ndakabvisa miganho yavanhu, ndakapamba fuma yavo; semhare ndakawisira pasi vaigara pazvigaro zvoushe;

¹⁴My hand has found the riches of the peoples like a nest, and like one gathers eggs that are abandoned, have I gathered all the earth. There was no one who moved their wing, or that opened their mouth, or chirped.”

¹⁴ruoko rwangu rwakawana fuma yamarudzi avanhu sedendere; ndakaunganidza nyika yose, somunhu anounganidza mazai akasiiwa; hapana akapfakanyisa bapiro, kana kushamisa muromo, kana kurira.

¹⁵Should an axe brag against him who chops with it? Should a saw exalt itself above him who saws with it? As if a rod should lift those who lift it up, or as if a staff should lift up someone who is not wood.

¹⁵Ko sanhu ringazvirumbidza pamusoro poanotema naro here? Kana jeko ringazvikudza pamusoro paanobata naro here? Zvaifanana netsvimbo inozunungusa vanorova nayo, kana mudonzvo unosimudza chinhu chisati chiri huni.

¹⁶Therefore the Lord, Yahweh of Armies, will send among his fat ones leanness; and under his glory a burning will be kindled like the burning of fire.

¹⁶Naizvozvo Ishe, Ishe wehondo, achatuma kuonda pakati pavakakora vake; pasi pokubwinya kwake pachabatidzwa chinopisa chakafanana nokupisa komoto.

¹⁷The light of Israel will be for a fire, and his Holy One for a flame; and it will burn and devour his thorns and his briers in one day.

¹⁷Chiedza chavaIsiraeri chichava moto, noMutsvene wake murazvo womoto; uchapisa nokupedza mhinzwa yake norukato rwake nezuva rimwe.

¹⁸He will consume the glory of his forest, and of his fruitful field, both soul and body. It will be as when a standard bearer faints.

¹⁸Uchapedza kubwinya kwedondo rake, nokomunda wake wakaorera, mweya nomuviri kamwe, zvifanane nendonda inongoramba ichipera simba.

¹⁹The remnant of the trees of his forest shall be few, so that a child could write their number.

¹⁹Miti yakasara yedondo rake ichava mishoma, inganyorwa nomwana.

²⁰It will come to pass in that day that the remnant of Israel, and those who have escaped from the house of Jacob will no more again lean on him who struck them, but shall lean on Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel, in truth.

²⁰Zvino nezuva iro vakasara vaIsiraeri, navanenge vapukunyuka paimba yaJakove, havangazosendamiri kunowakavarova, asi vachasendamira kuna Jehovha, Mutsvene waIsiraeri, nezvokwadi.

²¹A remnant will return, even the remnant of Jacob, to the mighty God.

²¹Vakasara vachadzoka, ivo vakasara vaJakove, kuna Mwari ane simba.

²²For though your people, Israel, are like the sand of the sea, only a remnant of them will return. A destruction is determined, overflowing with righteousness.

²²nekuti kunyange vanhu venyu, imwi Isiraeri, vakaita sejecha regungwa, vakasara vavo voga vachadzoka; nekuti vakatemerwa kuparadzwa kuzere nokururama.

²³For the Lord, Yahweh of Armies, will make a full end, and that determined, in the midst of all the earth.

²³nekuti Ishe, Jehovha wehondo, achapedzisa kuparadza, kwakagara kwatemwa, panyika yose.

²⁴Therefore the Lord, Yahweh of Armies, says “My people who dwell in Zion, don’t be afraid of the Assyrian, though he strike you with the rod, and lift up his staff against you, as Egypt did.

²⁴Saka zvanzi nashe, Jehovha wehondo, Imi vanhu vangu vagere Ziyoni, musatya muAsiria, kunyange akakurovai neshamhu nokukusimudzirai tsvimbo yake, sezvaakaitira Egipita.

²⁵For yet a very little while, and the indignation against you will be accomplished, and my anger will be directed to his destruction.”

²⁵nekuti kwasara chinguva chiduku, kutsamwa kwangu kuchapera, hasha dzangu dzichavaparadza.

²⁶Yahweh of Armies will stir up a scourge against him, as in the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb. His rod will be over the sea, and he will lift it up like he did against Egypt.

²⁶Jehovha wehondo achamusimudzira tyava, sapakurohwa kwavaMidhiani padombo reOrebhi; shamhu yake ichava pamusoro pegungwa, achaisimudza sezvaakaitira Egipita.

²⁷It will happen in that day, that his burden will depart from off your shoulder, and his yoke from off your neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing oil.

²⁷Zvino nezuva iro mutoro wake uchabviswa pamafudzi ako, nejoko rake pamutsipa wako, joko richaparadzwa nokuda kwamafuta.

²⁸He has come to Aiath. He has passed through Migron. At Michmash he stores his baggage.

²⁸Asvika paAiati, apfuura napaMigironi, achengeta nhumbi dzake paMikimashi;

²⁹They have gone over the pass. They have taken up their lodging at Geba. Ramah trembles. Gibeah of Saul has fled.

²⁹vakwira napamupata, vakavata paGebha usiku; Rama rinodedera, Gibhiya raSauro ratiza.

³⁰Cry aloud with your voice, daughter of Gallim! Listen, Laishah! You poor Anathoth!

³⁰Danidzira nenzwi rako, iwe mukunda weGarimi ! Teerera, iwe Raishi! Iwe Anatoti wourombo!

³¹Madmenah is a fugitive. The inhabitants of Gebim flee for safety.

³¹Madhimena wotiza, vagere Ghebhimi vorongedza kutiza.

³²This very day he will halt at Nob. He shakes his hand at the mountain of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.

³²Zuva ranhasi achazorota paNobhi; anozunungusira gomo romukunda weZiyoni, icho chikomo cheJerusaremu, ruoko rwake.

³³Behold, the Lord, Yahweh of Armies, will lop the boughs with terror. The tall will be cut down, and the lofty will be brought low.

³³Tarirai, Ishe, Jehovha wehondo, achatema mashizha nokutyisa; akareba achatemwa, naakakwirira achawiswa pasi.

³⁴He will cut down the thickets of the forest with iron, and Lebanon will fall by the Mighty One.

³⁴Achatema nedare matenhere edondo, Rebhanoni richawiswa neane simba.