< Jeremiah 4 >

1 Yahweh says, “You Israeli [people], come back to me! If you get rid of those detestable idols and do not turn away from me [again],
“Yaa Israaʼel, ati yoo deebite, gara kootti deebiʼi” jedha Waaqayyo. “Yoo ati waaqota kee jibbisiisoo sana fuula koo duraa balleessitee siʼachi karaa irraa jalʼachuu baatte,
2 and if you declare, ‘Just as surely as Yahweh lives, what he says is true,’ and if you [start to] always say what is true and act justly/fairly and righteously, then the [people in the other] nations [of the world] will request that I bless them [as I have blessed you], and they will [all come and] honor/praise me.”
yoo ati, ‘Dhugaa Waaqayyo jiraataa’ jettee dhugaadhaan, murtii qajeelaa fi qajeelummaadhaan kakatte, saboonni isaan ni eebbifamu; isumaanis ni kabajamu.”
3 This is what Yahweh says to the people of Jerusalem and [the other cities in] Judah: “[Prepare yourselves to receive my messages] like farmers plow up hard ground [in order that they can plant seed in it]. Just as farmers do not [waste good seed by] sowing seeds among thorny plants, [I do not want to waste my time telling you messages that you are not ready to receive].
Waaqayyo namoota Yihuudaatii fi namoota Yerusaalemiin akkana jedha: “Bajjii keessan qotadhaa; qoraattii keessas hin facaasinaa.
4 Purify your inner beings and your minds for me. If you do not do that, my being angry with you [MTY] because of [all] the sins that you have committed will be like a fire that will be impossible to extinguish.”
Yaa namoota Yihuudaatii fi uummata Yerusaalem Waaqayyoof dhagna of qabaa; qola qalbii keessaniis dhagna qabadhaa; yoo kanaa achii sababii hammina isin hojjetaniitiif dheekkamsi koo kaʼee akka ibiddaa ni bobaʼa; namni isa dhaamsus hin jiru.
5 “Declare this [DOU] to [all the people in] Jerusalem and [the rest of] Judea; blow the trumpets everywhere in the land [to warn the people]. Tell them that they should flee to the cities that have high walls around them.
“Yihuudaa keessatti beeksisaa; Yerusaalem keessattis akkana jedhaa labsaa: ‘Biyyattii guutuu keessatti malakata afuufaa! Sagalee ol fudhadhaatii akkana jedhaa: walitti qabamaa! Kottaa gara magaalaawwan dallaa jabaa qabaniitti baqannaa!’
6 Shout to the people of Jerusalem, ‘Run away [now]! Do not delay, because I am about to cause you to experience a terrible disaster [DOU] that will come from the north.
Xiyoon dhaquuf faajjii ol qabaa? Dafaa baqadhaa malee duubatti hin harkifatinaa! Ani karaa kaabaatiin balaa, badiisa suukaneessaas nan fidaatii.”
7 [An army] that has destroyed [many] nations will attack you [like] [MET] a lion that comes out of its den [to attack other animals]. [The soldiers of that army] have taken down their tents and they are ready to march toward your land. They will destroy your cities and leave them without any people still living in them.’
Leenci bosona isaatii baʼeera; barbadeessaan sabootaa karaa qabateera. Inni biyya kee onsuuf jedhee iddoo isaatii kaʼeera. Magaalaawwan kee onanii jiraattota malee ni hafu.
8 So, put on sackcloth/rough clothes and weep and beat your chests [to show that you are very sorry for what you have done], because Yahweh is still very angry with us.
Kanaafuu isin uffata gaddaa uffadhaatii booʼaa wawwaadhaa; dheekkamsi Waaqayyoo sodaachisaan sun nurraa hin deebineetii.
9 Yahweh said that at the time [he punishes you], the King of Judah and [all his] officials will be very afraid. The priests and the prophets will be terrified.
Waaqayyo akkana jedha: “Guyyaa sana mootiinii fi qondaaltonni onnee dhabu; luboonni akka malee naʼu; raajonnis ni raafamu.”
10 Then I replied, “Yahweh [my] God, you completely deceived the people by telling them that there would be peace in Jerusalem, but now [our enemies] [PRS] are ready to slaughter us with their swords!”
Anis akkana nan jedhe; “Yaa Waaqayyo Gooftaa, ati utuu goraadeen kokkee keenya irra jiruu, ‘Isin nagaa qabaattu’ jechuudhaan saba kanaa fi Yerusaalemin guutumaan guutuutti gowwoomsiteerta?”
11 When that happens, [Yahweh] will say to the people of Jerusalem, [“A huge army will come to attack you]. They will not [be like a gentle breeze that] separates wheat from chaff. [They will be like] a very hot wind [that blows in] from the desert [MET].
Yeroo sanatti saba kanaa fi Yerusaalemitti akkana jedhamee ni himama; “Bubbeen waa gubu tokko iddoowwan ol kaʼoo qullaa kanneen gammoojjii keessaa irraa gara saba kootiitti ni bubbisa; garuu afarsuuf yookaan qulqulleessuuf miti;
12 [They will be like] [MET] a strong blast that I will send. Now I am declaring that I will punish/destroy you.”
bubbeen waan sanaaf akka malee cimaa taʼe tokko na biraa ni dhufa. Anis murtii koo isaanitti nan labsa.”
13 [Our enemies] are about to rush down on us; their chariots are like [SIM] whirlwinds. Their horses are faster than eagles. It will be terrible for us!
Kunoo, inni akka duumessaatti, gaariin isaas akka bubbeetti ni dhufa; fardeen isaa risaa caalaa saffisu. Wayyoo nu baduu keenya!
14 [You people of] Jerusalem [APO], purify your hearts/inner beings, in order that Yahweh will rescue you. How long will you continue to think about [doing] evil things?
Yaa Yerusaalem, ati akka fayyituuf qalbii kee keessaa hammina dhiqadhu. Hamma yoomiitti yaadni hamaan si keessa jiraata?
15 From Dan [city in the far north] to the hills of Ephraim [a few miles/kilometers north of Jerusalem] messengers are proclaiming that disasters are coming.
Sagaleen tokko Daan irraa lallaba; tulluuwwan Efreem irraas badiisa labsa.
16 Tell this to the [people in other] nations [but also] announce it in Jerusalem: [Yahweh says], “An army is coming to Jerusalem from far away; they will shout [a battle-cry] against the cities in Judah.
“Waan kana sabootatti himaa; Yerusaalemittis akkana jedhaa lallabaa: ‘Loltoonni marsanii biyya qabatan tokko lafa fagoodhaa ni dhufu; isaanis magaalaawwan Yihuudaatti ni iyyu.
17 They will set up tents around Jerusalem like people set up temporary shelters [SIM] around a field [at harvest time]. That will happen because the people of Judah have rebelled against me.
Sababii isheen natti fincilteef, isaan akkuma nama lafa qotiisaa eegu tokkootti ishee ni marsu,’” jedha Waaqayyo.
18 You will be punished very severely; it will [be as though a sword] has stabbed your inner beings. But you are causing those things to happen to you because of the evil things that you have done.”
“Amalli keetii fi hojiin kee waan kana sitti fidaniiru. Adabbiin kee kanaa dha. Innis hammam hadhaaʼa! Onnees hammam waraana!”
19 I am extremely anguished/sad; the pain in my inner being is very severe. My heart beats wildly. But I cannot remain silent because I have heard [our enemies] blowing their trumpets to announce that the battle [against Judah will start immediately].
Marʼumaan ko, marʼumaan ko! Ani dhukkubbiidhaan nan wixxirfadha. Onneen koo na keessaa waca; onneen koo na keessatti dhaʼata; ani calʼisuu hin dandaʼu. Ani sagalee malakataa dhagaʼeeraatii; waca waraanaas dhagaʼeera.
20 Disasters will occur one after another until the whole land is ruined. Suddenly [all] our tents will be destroyed; [even] the curtains [inside the tents] will be ripped apart.
Badiisni badiisa irraan dhufa; biyyattiin guutumaan guutuutti ni onti. Dunkaanni koo akkuma tasaa, golgaan koos yeroo gabaabaa keessatti bade.
21 How long will this battle continue? How long will I continue to see the enemy battle flags and hear the sound of their trumpets being blown?
Ani hamma yoomiittin mallattoo waraanaa ilaala? Hamma yoomiittis sagalee malakataa dhagaʼa?
22 [Yahweh says], “My people are [very] foolish! They do not have a relationship with me. They are [like] [MET] stupid children who do not understand [anything]. They very cleverly do what is wrong, but they do not know how to do what is good.”
“Uummanni koo gowwaa dha; anas hin beekan. Isaan ijoollee qalbii hin qabnee dha; hubannaas hin qaban. Isaan waan hamaa hojjechuutti ogeeyyii dha; waan gaarii hojjechuu garuu hin beekan.”
23 [God gave me a vision in which] I saw that the earth was barren and without form. I looked at the sky, and there was no light there.
Ani lafa nan ilaale; isheenis bifa hin qabdu; duwwaas turte; samiiwwanis nan ilaale; ifni isaanii dhaamee ture.
24 I looked at the mountains and hills, and they shook and moved from side to side.
Ani tulluuwwan nan ilaale; isaan sochoʼaa turan; gaarran hundinuus raafamaa turan.
25 I looked and saw that there were no [more] people, and all the birds had flown away.
Ani nan ilaale; namni tokko iyyuu hin turre; simbirroonni samii hundis barrisanii badanii turan.
26 I looked and saw that the fields that previously were fertile had become a desert. The cities were all ruined; they had all been destroyed by Yahweh because he was extremely angry.
Ani nan ilaale; kunoo biyyi midhaan baaftu ontee turte; magaalaawwan ishee hundis, fuula Waaqayyoo duratti dheekkamsa isaa sodaachisaa sanaan diigaman.
27 This is what Yahweh is saying: “The entire land [of Judah] will be ruined, but I will not destroy it completely.
Waaqayyo akkana jedha: “Yoo ani guutumaan guutuutti ishee balleessuu baadhe iyyuu biyyattiin guutumaan guutuutti ni barbadoofti.
28 I will do to my people what I said that I would do, and I will not change my mind. So [when that happens, it will be as though] the earth will mourn and the sky will become very dark.”
Kanaafuu lafti ni boossi; samiiwwan oliis ni dukkanaaʼu; ani dubbadheeraatii hin gaabbu; murteesseera; dugda duubas hin deebiʼu.”
29 [When the people hear] the sound of the [enemy] army marching, [they will be terrified as] they flee from their cities. Some of them will find places to hide in the bushes, and others will run toward the mountains/hills [to escape being killed by their enemies]. All the cities [in Judah] will be abandoned; not one person will remain in them.
Sababii iyya abbootii fardeeniitii fi futtaaftota xiyyaatiin, tokkoon tokkoon magaalaa ni baqata. Garri tokko bosona gobbuu seena; kaan immoo kattaatti ol baʼa; magaalaawwan hundi duwwaa hafaniiru; namni tokko iyyuu isaan keessa hin jiraatu.
30 So you who will surely be destroyed, [why are you doing the things that you are doing now]? Why are you wearing beautiful clothes and jewelry? Why are you putting paint around your eyes? Doing those things will not help you, because the people [in other countries that you think] love you [actually] despise you, and they will try to kill you.
Yaa ontuu nana, ati maal gochaa jirta? Ati maaliif wayyaa bildiimaa uffattee faaya warqee kaaʼatte? Maaliif ija kee kuulatte? Ati akkasumaan of miidhagsita. Warri jaallatan si tuffatu; lubbuu kees balleessuu barbaadu.
31 [It is as though] I already hear [the people in Jerusalem] crying very loudly, like [SIM] a woman cries when she is giving birth to her first child; she gasps for breath and pleads for someone to help her. [It is as though Jerusalem] is crying, “Something terrible is happening to me! They are about to murder me!”
Ani iyya akka iyya dubartii ciniinsifattu tokkoo, miixuu akka miixuu dubartii mucaa hangafa deessuu tokko nan dhagaʼe; ani iyya Intala Xiyoon kan yeroo hafuurri ishee citutti argantee harka ishee facaasuudhaan, “Wayyoo! Ani bade; lubbuun koo harka warra nama ajjeesuutti dabarfamtee kennamteerti” jettuu nan dhagaʼe.

< Jeremiah 4 >