< Obadiah 1 >

1 This is a message that Yahweh our God gave to me, Obadiah, about the Edom [people-group]. Yahweh our God has told me this about [the people of] Edom: “I, Yahweh, have sent a messenger to other nations, telling them to prepare to go and attack Edom.”
Maono ya Obadia. Hili ndilo asemalo Bwana Mwenyezi kuhusu Edomu: Tumesikia ujumbe kutoka kwa Bwana: Mjumbe alitumwa kwa mataifa kusema, “Inukeni, twendeni tukapigane vita dhidi yake.”
2 And Yahweh says this to the people of Edom: “I will soon cause you to become the weakest and most despised nation [on the earth].
“Angalieni, nitawafanya wadogo miongoni mwa mataifa, mtadharauliwa kabisa.
3 Your [capital city] is high in the rocky cliffs, and you are very proud; you think that you are safe from being attacked by your enemies [RHQ], but you [IDM] have deceived yourselves.
Kiburi cha moyo wako kimekudanganya, wewe unayeishi katika majabali ya miamba na kufanya makao yako juu, wewe unayejiambia mwenyewe, ‘Ni nani awezaye kunishusha chini?’
4 And I tell you that even if [you had wings and] could fly higher than eagles fly, and if you could make your homes among the stars, I would bring you [crashing] down from there.
Ingawa unapaa juu kama tai na kufanya kiota chako kati ya nyota, nitakushusha chini kutoka huko,” asema Bwana.
5 When thieves break into someone’s house during the night, they certainly [RHQ] steal only the things that they want. And people who pick grapes always [RHQ] leave a few grapes on the vines. But your country will be completely destroyed!
“Ikiwa wevi wangekuja kwako, ikiwa wanyangʼanyi wangekujia usiku: Lo! Tazama ni maafa kiasi gani yangekuwa yanakungojea: je, si wangeiba tu kiasi ambacho wangehitaji? Kama wachuma zabibu wangekuja kwako, je, wasingebakiza zabibu chache?
6 Everything that is valuable will be taken away. [Your enemies] will find and take away even the valuable things that you have hidden.
Lakini tazama jinsi Esau atakavyotekwa, jinsi hazina zake zilizofichwa zitatekwa nyara!
7 All (your allies/nations who promised to help you) will turn against you, and they will force you to leave your country/land. Those with whom you have peace now will trick/deceive you and defeat you. Those who eat meals with you now are planning to trap you, and [then they will say to you], ‘You are not [RHQ] as clever [as you thought you were]!’
Wote ulioungana nao watakufukuza hadi mpakani, rafiki zako watakudanganya na kukushinda, wale wanaokula mkate wako watakutegea mtego, lakini hutaweza kuugundua.
8 I, Yahweh, declare that at the time that I destroy Edom, I will punish the men who live in those cliffs who [thought that they] were wise.
“Katika siku hiyo,” asema Bwana, “je, sitaangamiza watu wenye hekima wa Edomu, watu wenye ufahamu katika milima ya Esau?
9 The soldiers from Teman [town] will become terrified; all you people who are descendants of Esau will be (wiped out/killed).
Ee Temani, mashujaa wako watatiwa hofu, kila mmoja katika milima ya Esau ataangushwa chini kwa kuchinjwa.
10 You acted cruel in a cruel way toward your relatives who are descendants of Jacob, [the twin brother of your ancestor Esau]. So now you will be disgraced forever; you will be completely destroyed.
Kwa sababu ya jeuri uliyofanya dhidi ya ndugu yako Yakobo, aibu itakufunika; utaangamizwa milele.
11 Foreigners entered the gates of Jerusalem and (cast lots/threw small stones that were marked) to decide what valuable things they would take away; but you were as bad as those foreigners, because you just stood there [and did not help the Israelis].
Siku ile ulisimama mbali ukiangalia wakati wageni walipojichukulia utajiri wake na watu wa nchi nyingine walipoingia malango yake wakipiga kura kwa ajili ya Yerusalemu, ulikuwa kama mmoja wao.
12 You should not have (gloated/been happy) about the disaster that the Israelis were experiencing. You should not have been happy when their towns were ruined. You should not have made fun [of them] when they were suffering.
Usingemdharau ndugu yako katika siku ya msiba wake, wala kufurahia juu ya watu wa Yuda katika siku ya maangamizi yao, wala kujigamba sana katika siku ya taabu yao.
13 They are my people, so you should not have entered their [city] gates when they were experiencing those disasters and you should not have laughed at them. And you should not have taken away their [valuable] possessions.
Usingeingia katika malango ya watu wangu katika siku ya maafa yao, wala kuwadharau katika janga lao katika siku ya maafa yao, wala kunyangʼanya mali zao katika siku ya maafa yao.
14 You should not have stood at crossroads to catch those who were [trying to] escape. You should not have [captured them and] put them into the hands of [their enemies] when they were experiencing those disasters.”
Usingengoja kwenye njia panda na kuwaua wakimbizi wao, wala kuwatoa watu wake waliosalia katika siku ya shida yao.
15 “There will soon be the time when I, Yahweh, will judge [and punish] all the nations. And you [people of Edom] will experience the same [disasters] that you caused [others to experience]. The same evil things that you have done to others will happen to you.
“Siku ya Bwana iko karibu kwa mataifa yote. Kama ulivyofanya, nawe utafanyiwa vivyo hivyo, matendo yako yatakurudia juu ya kichwa chako.
16 [My people in Jerusalem have been punished] because I was very angry with them. [It is as though] [MET] they drank [a cup of very bitter liquid] on Zion, my sacred hill. But [I] will punish [MET] all the other nations even more severely, and cause them to disappear completely.
Kama vile ulivyokunywa juu ya mlima wangu mtakatifu, vivyo hivyo mataifa yote watakunywa mfululizo, watakunywa na kunywa, nao watatoweka kana kwamba hawajawahi kuwepo.
17 But some [people in Jerusalem will escape], and Jerusalem will become a very holy/sacred place. Then the descendants of Jacob will [conquer and] possess again the land that truly belongs to them.
Lakini katika Mlima Sayuni kutakuwepo na wale watakaookoka; nao utakuwa mtakatifu, nayo nyumba ya Yakobo itamiliki urithi wake.
18 The descendants [MTY] of Jacob and his son Joseph will be like [MET] a fire, and the people [MTY] of Edom will be like [MET] stubble that will be completely burned in that fire. Not one person will remain alive. [That will surely happen because] I, Yahweh, have said it.”
Nyumba ya Yakobo itakuwa moto, na nyumba ya Yosefu itakuwa mwali wa moto; nayo nyumba ya Esau itakuwa bua kavu, nao wataiwasha moto na kuiteketeza. Hakutakuwa na watakaosalimika kutoka nyumba ya Esau.” Bwana amesema.
19 The Israeli people [who live] in the southern desert are the ones who will capture Edom. And those [who live in] the western foothills will capture the Phoenicia [region] and the areas of Ephraim and Samaria. And people of the tribe of Benjamin will conquer the Gilead [region].
Watu kutoka nchi ya Negebu wataikalia milima ya Esau, na watu kutoka miteremko ya vilima watamiliki nchi ya Wafilisti. Watayakalia mashamba ya Efraimu na Samaria, naye Benyamini atamiliki Gileadi.
20 Those who were (exiled in/forced to go to) [Babylon] will [return to their land] [and] capture the Phoenicia [region] as far north as Zarephath [on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea]. People of Jerusalem who were captured and taken to Sardis, [the capital city of the Lydia region], will capture the towns in the southern desert.
Kundi la Waisraeli walioko uhamishoni Kanaani watarudi na kumiliki nchi mpaka Sarepta. Walioko uhamishoni Sefaradi kutoka Yerusalemu watamiliki miji ya Negebu.
21 The army of Jerusalem will attack Edom and conquer it, and Yahweh will be their king.
Waokoaji watakwea juu ya Mlima Sayuni kutawala milima ya Esau. Nao ufalme utakuwa wa Bwana.

< Obadiah 1 >