Jeremiah 3
1 Tami buet touh ni a yu hah a ma teh, napui ni ahni hah a ceitakhai teh, ayâ alouke yu lah awm pawiteh, tongpa ni hote napui teh bout a la han na maw. Hote ram teh ka patawpoung lah khin sak hoeh na maw, telah ati awh. Hateiteh nang teh, na ngai e naw pueng koe tak na kâyo. Hatei kai koe bout na ban telah, BAWIPA ni ati.
“[Moses wrote that] if a man divorces his wife and then she marries another man, her first husband certainly must not [RHQ] take her back again [to be his wife], because that would certainly [RHQ] cause the whole nation to become unacceptable to me. But you have more [idols than] prostitutes have men whom they have slept with! So, [why should I accept you if] you return to me?” [RHQ] says Yahweh.
2 Hmuenrasang cailum hmuen koe loungouk nateh khenhaw! tongpa ni na ikhai hoeh nae hmuen ao maw. Ram tangkuem dawk Arabia taminaw patetlah, ahnimouh na ring laihoi, lam teng vah na tahung teh, na tak kâyonae hoi, na hawihoehnae lahoi, ram thung koung na khinsak toe.
“Look up at the barren hilltops. On every hilltop there are [RHQ] [idols that you have worshiped]. [It is as though] they are all lovers with whom you have had sex. [It is as though] you have sat along the roadsides like an Arab, waiting [to attack and steal things from] those who pass by. Because of worshiping idols and all the other wicked things that you have done, you have caused the [entire] land to become unacceptable to me.
3 Hatdawkvah, khorak sak laipalah, hnukteng e kho hai rak hoeh toe, tak na kâyonae tampa hah na sin teh, kaya na panuek hoeh.
That is why I have not sent you any rain at the times of the year when you needed it. But you are like prostitutes [MET] who are not at all ashamed [for what they have done].
4 Apa, ka nawca navah na kahrawikung lah na o, telah kai na kaw nahoehmaw.
Now each of you says to me, ‘You are my father! You have loved me ever since I was young!
5 Nang teh lung pou na khuek han maw. Apout totouh maw na lung pou khuek han, khenhaw! hot patetlah, lawk na dei teh, na tithai totouh, yonnae hah na sak.
So surely you will not [RHQ] be angry with me forever!’ But you will not quit sinning!”
6 Hothloilah, Josiah siangpahrang se nah hai, BAWIPA ni kai koe hettelah a dei, hnuklah ban han ka ngai e Isarel ni a sak e hah, na hmu maw. Mon rasang pueng dawk a luen teh, thing rahim tangkuem vah tak a kâyo.
[One day] when Josiah was the king of Judah, Yahweh said to me, “Have you seen what the people of Israel have done? They have turned away from me, like a woman who has abandoned her husband and sleeps with other men. They have gone up on every hilltop and under every big tree and worshiped idols there [MET].
7 Hete hnonaw a sak hnukkhu hoi, kai koe bout a ban han doeh, telah ka ti. Hatei bout ban ngai hoeh, yuemkamcu hoeh e a nawngha Judah ni a hmu.
I thought that they would return to me, so I said to them, ‘Come back to me!’ But they refused. So I sent them away [to other countries, like a man] writes a note saying that he is divorcing his wife and then sends his wife away because she has committed adultery [MET].
8 Hatdawkvah, hnuklah a bannae ni Isarel ka uicuk sak naw hah ka hmu. Kama teh kâmanae ca hah ka poe. Hat nakunghai yuemkamcu hoeh e a nawngha Judah ni bout taket hoeh. Hatei ahni hai a cei teh, tak a kâyo van.
The people of Judah saw what I did to them. But they are just like the people of Israel. They are not afraid [of what I will do to them]. They also [have turned away from me and are worshiping idols like] women who abandon their husbands and go to other men [MET].
9 Takkâyonae hoi ram hah a khin sak teh, thing hoi talung koe a uicuk.
They thought that worshiping idols did not matter to me, so they have made the [entire] land unacceptable to me by worshiping idols of wood and stone.
10 Hete hnonaw hloilah kamcu hoeh e a nawngha napui Judah teh lungthin katang hoi ban laipalah, ka kâsak e lah a ban, telah BAWIPA ni a dei.
The people of Judah have pretended to return to me, but they have not really done that. [This is true because I], Yahweh, have said it.”
11 BAWIPA ni kai koe hettelah a dei. Hnuklah ka ban e Isarel ni yuemkamcu hoeh e Judah hlak hai kalanhnawn la a kamnue.
Then Yahweh said to me, “The people of Israel have turned away from me, but what the people of Judah have done is worse.
12 Cet nateh, hete lawk he tung lah pâpho, hnuklah kamlang e Isarel ban leih telah BAWIPA ni ati. Lungkhueknae minhmai hoi na khen mahoeh. Bangkongtetpawiteh, lungmanae hoi ka kawi e lah ka o, telah BAWIPA ni ati, lungkhueknae hoi poe kaawm mahoeh.
So go and tell this to the people of Israel: ‘Yahweh says this to you Israeli people who have turned away from him: I am merciful. I will not continue to be angry with you forever. So return to me.
13 BAWIPA na Cathut na tarannae hoi thingkung rahim e ram alouknaw koe, tak na kâyonae hoi, ka dei e lawk na yuem hoeh kecu dawkvah, na payonnae hah pâpho, telah BAWIPA ni ati.
But you must admit/say that you are guilty, and that you have rebelled against me, Yahweh, your God, that you have worshiped idols under big trees everywhere, and you have not obeyed me. You have turned away from me.
14 Oe, hnuklah kamlang e catounnaw ban awh, telah BAWIPA ni ati. Bangkongtetpawiteh, nangmanaw kountoukkung lah ka o. Khopui dawk hoi tami buet touh, imthung dawk hoi tami kahni touh na la awh vaiteh, Zion vah na hrawi awh han.
But you belong to me. So I will take you, one from [each] city and two from [each] clan, and bring you [back] to Jerusalem [from the countries to which you were exiled].
15 Panuenae hoi, thoumthai lungangnae hoi, nangmouh kountoukkung, kaie lungthin ka tawn e, tukhoumkung hah na poe awh han.
[If you do that], I will appoint for you leaders with whom I am pleased, leaders who will guide you [well] because they will know and understand [what pleases me].
16 Hahoi hettelah ao han. Hatnae tueng dawk ram thung vah, moikapap na kamphung torei teh, ahnimouh ni ‘BAWIPA lawkkam thingkong telah tet awh mahoeh toe, a pouknae naw dawk hai pâkuem awh mahoeh toe. Cet hai na cet sin awh mahoeh, sak hai na sak awh mahoeh toe, telah BAWIPA ni ati.
And when you become very numerous [DOU] in your land, you will not need to talk about the Sacred Chest that contained the Ten Commandments. You will not think about it, and you will not want to make a new one.
17 Hatnae tueng dawk Jerusalem teh, BAWIPA bawitungkhung telah ti han. Hawvah miphunnaw pueng hah BAWIPA e min lahoi Jerusalem vah a kamkhueng awh han. Kahawihoeh e pouknae kâpoenae hah tarawi awh mahoeh toe.
At that time people will say, “Jerusalem is [the place where] Yahweh’s throne is.” [People from] all nations will come there to worship me. And they will no longer stubbornly do the evil things that they desire.
18 Hatnae hnin dawk Judah imthung hah Isarel imthung hoi rei awm awh vaiteh, na mintoenaw koe râw hanelah ka poe e, ram dawk tung lae ram hoi cungtalah tâco awh han.
At that time you people [MTY] of Israel and the people of Judah will return from [being (exiled/forced to live) in] lands to the northeast. You will return to the land that I gave to your ancestors to belong to them [forever].
19 Hateiteh, kai ni bangtelamaw miphunnaw râw kahawie kanawmpoung e ram hah ka poe teh, catounnaw koe vah, na hruek thai awh, telah ka ti. Apa telah na kaw vaiteh, na kangheng takhai mahoeh toe, telah ka ti.
You people of Israel, I wanted to accept you to be my children. I wanted to give you [this] delightful land. It is a land more desirable/pleasant than the land of any other nation! I wanted you to call me ‘father’, and I wanted you to never turn away from me.
20 Yu buet touh ni yuemkamcu hoeh lahoi a vâ a ceitakhai e patetlah, oe Isarel imthungkhunaw yuemkamcu hoeh lahoi na dum katang awh, telah BAWIPA ni ati.
But you have abandoned me like wives who have abandoned their husbands.’” [That is what] Yahweh said, and [I told it] to the people of Israel.
21 Isarel catounnaw kâheinae hoi na khuinae lawk hah, karasange cailum hmuen dawk hoi ka thai toe. Bangkongtetpawiteh, amamae lamthung hah kamlang takhai teh, BAWIPA Cathut hah a pahnim awh.
People will hear a noise on the barren hilltops. It will be the noise made by people weeping and pleading [for God to be merciful to them]. They will be admitting/saying that they have forgotten Yahweh their God, and that they turned away from behaving as God wanted them to.
22 Oe, hnuklah kamlang e canaw bout ban awh haw, hnuklah na kamlangnae hah na dam sak han. Hatei nang koe ka tho. Bangkongtetpawiteh, nang nama teh kaimae BAWIPA Cathut la na o.
Yahweh will say to them, “You Israeli people, come back to me! [If you do that], I will cause you to never turn away from me again.” [The people will reply], “We are returning to you, because you are Yahweh, our God.
23 Mon dawk hoi rungngangnae hmu hane ngaihawinae teh, bang cungkeinae awm hoeh. Monnaw puenghai cungkeinae awm katang hoeh. Isarel rungngangnae teh, BAWIPA Cathut koe dueng doeh ao.
We did not get any help from [the idols that we worshiped on] the hilltops; we did not get any help from making all that noise up there.
24 Bangkongtetpawiteh, ka nawca hoi ka mintoenaw ni a tawk e a tuhunaw hoi, saringnaw, a canu a capanaw totouh, kayanae ni be a ca awh.
From the time when we were young, the shameful [god Baal] has taken away [from us] everything that our ancestors worked hard to acquire. He has taken away their flocks [of sheep] and herds [of cattle], their sons and their daughters.
25 Kayanae dawk ka i awh teh, yeiraiponae ni, na ramuk awh. Bangkongtetpawiteh, BAWIPA Cathut taranlahoi ka yon awh teh, kamamouh hoi mintoenaw ni ka nawca hoi sahnin totouh, BAWIPA Cathut e lawk hah ka tarawi awh hoeh.
So, now we should lie down feeling very ashamed [DOU], because we and our ancestors have sinned against Yahweh our God, and we have never obeyed him.”
