Jeremiah 12
1 Yahweh, whenever I tell you that I am unhappy [about what is happening to me], you [always] act justly/fairly. So now allow me to ask about one more thing [that I do not understand]: Why are wicked people [often] very prosperous? Why do things go very well for dishonest/wicked people?
“ʻE Sihova, ʻoku ke angatonu, ʻo kau ka tāpafua kiate koe: tuku ke u lea kiate koe ʻi hoʻo ngaahi fakamaau: ko e hā ʻoku monūʻia ai ʻae hala ʻoe angahala? Ko e hā ʻoku fiefia lahi ai ʻakinautolu ʻoku fai kākā lahi?
2 You allow them to prosper like [MET] trees that grow tall and bear [a lot of] fruit. They [always] say [MTY] good things about you, but their hearts are [really] far from you.
Kuo ke tō ʻakinautolu, pea kuo nau aka: ʻoku nau tupu, ʻio, ʻoku nau fua; ʻoku ke ofi ʻi honau ngutu, kae mamaʻo ʻi honau loto.
3 But Yahweh, as for me, you know what is in my inner being. You see what I [do] and you are able to know what I am thinking. So drag away those [wicked] people, like [people drag away] sheep that they are going to butcher. Set them aside like sheep that are about to be slaughtered!
Ka ko koe, ʻE Sihova, ʻoku ke ʻiloʻi au; kuo ke ʻafioʻi au, pea ʻahiʻahi hoku loto kiate koe: toho kituaʻā kinautolu ʻo hangē ko e fanga sipi ke tāmateʻi, pea teuteu ʻakinautolu ki he ʻaho ʻoe tāmateʻi.
4 This land is [RHQ] becoming very dry and even the grass is withering. The wild animals and the birds have [all] died because the people are [very] wicked. [All that has happened] because the people have said, “Yahweh does not know what we are doing (OR, what will happen to us)!”
ʻE fēfē hono fuoloa ʻoe tangi ʻae kelekele, pea mae ʻae mohuku ʻoe ngoue, koeʻuhi ko e angahala ʻanautolu ʻoku nofo ai? Kuo fakaʻauha ʻae ngaahi manu veʻe fā, mo e ngaahi manupuna; koeʻuhi naʻa nau pehē, ‘ʻE ʻikai te ne ʻafioʻi hotau ikuʻanga.’”
5 [Then to show me that I needed to be prepared to endure even greater difficulties, Yahweh said to me], [“It is as though] you have become exhausted from racing against men; so how will you be able to race against horses? If you [stumble and] fall when you are running on open/bare/smooth ground, what will happen to you when you are running through the thornbushes near the Jordan [River]?
“Kapau kuo ke lele mo e kau tangata, pea kuo nau fakaongosiaʻi koe, te ke fakapuepue fēfē mo e fanga hoosi? Pea kapau kuo nau fakaongosiaʻi koe ʻi he fonua fiemālie, ʻaia naʻa ke falala ki ai, ko e hā te ke fai ʻi he lōmaki mai ʻa Sioatani?
6 [Already] your brothers and [other members of] your own family oppose you. They (plot against/plan to do evil things to) you and they say bad things about you. So even if they say nice things about you, do not trust them!
He ko ho kāinga, mo e fale ʻo hoʻo tamai, ʻio, naʻa mo kinautolu kuo nau fai kākā kiate koe; kuo nau kalanga mo tuli kiate koe: kaeʻoua naʻa ke tui kiate kinautolu ʻi heʻenau lea fakafiemālie kiate koe.”
7 I have abandoned my [Israeli] people, the people whom I chose to belong to me. I have allowed their enemies to conquer the Israeli people, whom I love.
“Kuo u liʻaki hoku fale, kuo u tukuange hoku tofiʻa; kuo u tuku ki he nima ʻo hono ngaahi fili ʻaia naʻe ʻofa ki ai hoku laumālie.
8 My people have become to me like [SIM] a lion in the forest. [It is as though] they roar at me like a lion, so now I hate them.
Ko hoku tofiʻa ʻoku hangē ko e laione ʻi he vao kiate au; ʻoku ne kalou mai kiate au: ko ia ʻoku ou fehiʻa ai kiate ia.
9 My chosen people have [RHQ] become like speckled hawks that are surrounded by vultures [waiting to eat their flesh after they are dead]. Tell all the wild animals to come and eat [the flesh of their corpses].
Ko hoku tofiʻa ʻoku hangē ko e manupuna ʻoku pulepule hono fulufulu, ʻoku tauʻi ia ʻe he manupuna kotoa pē; haʻu ʻakimoutolu ʻae fanga manu ʻoe vao, ke mou fakataha mai ʻo kai.
10 Many rulers [from other countries have come with their armies and] devastated/destroyed my people [whom I care for like a farmer takes care of his] vineyard. They have caused my beautiful land to become a barren desert where no one lives.
Kuo maumauʻi ʻeku ngoue vaine ʻe he kau tauhi tokolahi, kuo nau malamalaki ʻa hoku ʻapi, kuo nau ngaohi hoku tofiʻa lelei ko e vao lala.
11 They have caused it to become completely empty; [it is as though] I hear the land crying sadly/mournfully. The whole land is desolate, and no one (worries about/pays any attention to) it.
Kuo nau fakalala ia, pea ʻi heʻene lala ʻoku ne tangi kiate au; kuo fakalala ʻae fonua kotoa pē, koeʻuhi ʻoku ʻikai tokanga ki ai ʻe ha tangata.
12 The soldiers [of our enemies] have marched across all the barren hilltops. But [I], Yahweh, am using those armies [MTY] to punish your land from one end to the other, and no one will escape.
Kuo haʻu ʻae kau fakaʻauha ki he ngaahi potu māʻolunga kotoa pē ʻi he toafa: koeʻuhi ʻe fakaʻauha ʻaki ʻae heletā ʻa Sihova mei he ngataʻanga ʻe taha ʻoe fonua, ʻio, ʻo aʻu ki he ngataʻanga ʻe taha ʻoe fonua: pea ʻe ʻikai ha fiemālie ki ha taha.
13 [It is as though] my people planted wheat, but now they are harvesting thorns. They have become very tired [because of much hard work], but they have gained nothing [from all that work]. They will be very disappointed because their harvests [will be very small], [and that will happen] because [I], Yahweh, am extremely angry [with them].”
Kuo nau tūtuuʻi ʻae uite, ka te nau utu ʻae ʻakau talatala: ʻoku nau feinga, ka ʻe ʻikai ʻaonga ia kiate kinautolu: pea te mou mā ʻi hoʻomou koloa, koeʻuhi ko e houhau kakaha ʻo Sihova.”
14 This is [also] what Yahweh said to me: “[I will punish] the evil nearby nations that have been trying to take away the land that I gave to my Israeli people, and I will force them to leave their own land. But I will throw the people of Judah out of their land, also.
ʻOku pehē ʻe Sihova, “Ki hoku kaungāʻapi kovi kotoa pē, ʻakinautolu ʻoku ala ki he tofiʻa kuo u fakanofo ai ʻa hoku kakai ko ʻIsileli; vakai te u taʻaki ʻakinautolu ʻi honau fonua, pea taʻaki ʻae fale ʻo Siuta ʻiate kinautolu.
15 But later I will act mercifully toward those nations again, and I will bring them back to their own lands again. Each [clan] will come back to its own land.
Pea ʻe hoko ʻo pehē, hili ʻeku taʻaki ʻakinautolu, te u foki pea ʻaloʻofa kiate kinautolu, pea te u toe ʻomi ʻakinautolu ko e tangata taki taha ki hono ʻapi, pea ko e tangata taki taha ki hono fonua.
16 And if the people [of the other nations whose armies have invaded Israel] learn the [religious] customs of my people, and if they learn that I [am listening] when they solemnly promise that they will do something good, like they taught my people to believe that [their god] Baal [was listening] when they made solemn promises, I will cause them to become prosperous, and they also will be my people.
Pea ʻe hoko ʻo pehē, kapau te nau hangahanga ako ki he ngaahi hala ʻo hoku kakai, ke fuakava ʻi hoku huafa, ‘ʻOku moʻui ʻa Sihova;’ ʻo hangē ko ʻenau ako ki hoku kakai ke fuakava kia Peali; pehē ʻe langa hake ʻakinautolu ʻi he lotolotonga ʻo hoku kakai.”
17 But I will expel any nation whose people refuse to obey me, and I will destroy that nation and its people. [That will surely happen because I], Yahweh, have said it.”
Ka ʻoku pehē ʻe Sihova, “Kapau ʻe ʻikai te nau talangofua, te u taʻaki moʻoni pea fakaʻauha ʻae puleʻanga ko ia.”
