Zekaria 11
1 Wee, Lebanoni-rĩ, hingũra mĩrango yaku, nĩgeetha mwaki ũcine mĩtarakwa yaku, ũmĩniine!
[You people of] [APO] Lebanon [should] open your gates, [because you will not be able to stop] fire from burning your cedar [trees]!
2 Rĩra, wee mũthithinda, nĩgũkorwo mũtarakwa nĩũgwĩte; mĩtĩ ĩrĩa mĩrũngarũ nĩmĩanange! Rĩrai inyuĩ mĩgandi ya Bashani; nĩgũkorwo mĩtĩ ya mũtitũ ũrĩa mũtumanu nĩĩtemetwo.
Your cypress/pine [trees] [APO] should [also] wail because the cedar [trees] have been cut down. Those glorious/great trees have been destroyed. The oak trees in the Bashan [region] should also wail, because the other trees in the forest have been cut down.
3 Ta thikĩrĩriai ũrĩa arĩithi maraarĩra, makĩgirĩkaga: ũrĩithio wao ũrĩa mũnoru nĩwanangĩtwo! Ta thikĩrĩriai mũraramo wa mĩrũũthi; gĩthaka kĩrĩa kĩruru kĩa Jorodani nĩkĩanange!
And listen to the shepherds crying because the fertile pastures have been ruined. Listen to the lions roar; they roar because the delightful forest [where they live] near the Jordan [River] has been ruined.
4 Jehova Ngai wakwa ekuuga ũũ: “Rĩithia rũũru rũrĩa rũtuĩrĩirwo gũthĩnjwo.
This is what Yahweh my God said [to me]: “[I want you to] become a shepherd for a flock [of sheep that are about] to be slaughtered.
5 Arĩa macigũraga nĩo macithĩnjaga na matione wa kũmaherithia. Arĩa maciendagia moigaga atĩrĩ, ‘Jehova arogoocwo, niĩ ndĩ mũtongu!’ Arĩithi ene cio maticiiguagĩra tha.
The people who are going to buy the sheep will kill the sheep, and they will not be punished. Those who are selling the sheep say, ‘[I] praise Yahweh, [because] I will become rich!’ Even the shepherds do not feel sorry for the sheep.
6 Nĩgũkorwo ndikaiguĩra andũ a bũrũri ũcio tha rĩngĩ,” ũguo nĩguo Jehova ekuuga. “Nĩnganeana mũndũ o kũrĩ mũndũ wa itũũra rĩake na kũrĩ mũthamaki wake. Nĩmakahinyĩrĩria bũrũri ũcio, na ndikamahonokia kuuma moko-inĩ mao.”
And similarly, I no longer feel sorry for the people of this country. I am going to allow many of them [HYP] to be captured by other people or by their king. Those who capture them will ruin this country, and I will not rescue any [of the people].”
7 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio ngĩrĩithia rũũru rũu rwatuĩrĩirwo gũthĩnjwo, na makĩria iria ciahinyĩrĩirio cia rũũru rũu. Ngĩcooka ngĩoya thanju igĩrĩ, rũmwe ngĩrwĩta Ũtugi na rũrĩa rũngĩ ngĩrwĩta Ũiguano, na niĩ ngĩrĩithia rũũru rũu.
So I became the shepherd of a flock [of sheep that were about] to be slaughtered [for their meat to be sold] to the dealers. [I took good care of the sheep, even the ones that were the weakest sheep. Then] I took two [shepherds’] /walking sticks). I named the one [staff] ‘Kindness’ and the other [staff] ‘Union’. And I took good care of the sheep.
8 Ihinda rĩa mweri ũmwe nĩndeheririe arĩithi acio atatũ. Naruo rũũru rũgĩĩthũũra mũno, na niĩ ngĩnogio nĩo,
But the three shepherds [who had been working with me] detested me, and I became impatient with them. Within one month I (dismissed/got rid of) those shepherds.
9 ngiuga atĩrĩ, “Ndigũcooka gũtuĩka mũrĩithi wanyu. Iria cia gũkua nĩikue, na iria cia gũthira nĩithire. Iria igũtigara-rĩ, nĩirĩane cio nyene.”
So I said [to the dealers], “I will no [longer] be the shepherd. I will allow the ones that are dying to die. I will allow the ones that are getting lost to get lost. And I will not prevent those that remain from destroying each other.”
10 Ningĩ ngĩoya rũthanju rwakwa rũrĩa rwetagwo Ũtugi, ngĩruunania icunjĩ igĩrĩ, ngĩtharia kĩrĩkanĩro kĩrĩa ndarĩkanĩire na ndũrĩrĩ ciothe.
Then I took the staff that I had named ‘Kindness’ and I broke it. [That showed that Yahweh] was annulling/canceling the agreement that he had made with all the people-groups.
11 Gĩatharirio o ro mũthenya ũcio, na nĩ ũndũ ũcio arĩa maahinyĩrĩirio a rũũru rũu, arĩa maanjũũthĩrĩirie, makĩmenya atĩ ĩyo yarĩ ndũmĩrĩri ya Jehova.
So that agreement was ended immediately. And the men who bought and sold sheep who were watching me knew [by seeing what I was doing] that I was giving them a message from Yahweh.
12 Ngĩcooka ngĩmeera atĩrĩ, “Mũngĩona nĩ kwagĩrĩire, Heei mũcaara wakwa, na aakorwo ti ũguo-rĩ, ikarai naguo.” Nĩ ũndũ ũcio makĩndĩha mũcaara wa icunjĩ mĩrongo ĩtatũ cia betha.
I told them, “If you think it is what you should do, pay me [for taking care of the sheep]. If you do not think that is what you should do, do not pay me.” So they paid me [only] 30 pieces of silver.
13 Hĩndĩ ĩyo Jehova akĩnjĩĩra atĩrĩ, “Ikĩria mũũmbi wa nyũngũ mbeeca icio”: ĩ thogora ũcio mwega moonire nĩũnjiganĩte! Nĩ ũndũ ũcio ngĩoya icunjĩ icio mĩrongo ĩtatũ cia betha, ngĩciikĩria mũũmbi kũu nyũmba-inĩ ya Jehova.
Then Yahweh said to me, “[That is a ridiculously small amount of money that they have paid you]! [So] throw it to the man who makes clay pots!” So I took the silver to the temple of Yahweh, and I threw it in the chest where the offerings/money is kept.
14 Ningĩ ngiunania rũthanju rwakwa rwa keerĩ rũrĩa rwetagwo Ũiguano, ngĩthũkia ũrũmwe gatagatĩ ka Juda na Isiraeli.
Then I broke my second staff, [the one that I named] ‘Union’. That [indicated that] Judah and Israel would no longer be united.
15 Ningĩ Jehova akĩnjĩĩra atĩrĩ, “Oya o rĩngĩ indo cia mũrĩithi mũkĩĩgu.
Then Yahweh said to me, “Take again the things that a foolish shepherd uses,
16 Nĩgũkorwo nĩngwarahũra mũrĩithi bũrũri-inĩ ũyũ, ũrĩa ũtakarũmbũiya ngʼondu iria ciũrĩte, kana acarie tũgondu, kana ohe iria ndiihie, o na kana arĩithie iria ngʼima, we no kũrĩa arĩrĩĩaga nyama cia ngʼondu iria noru, agĩcikũũraga mahũngũ.
because I am going to appoint a new king for the people, [one who will not take care of my people. He will be like a foolish shepherd]: [MET] He will not take care of those who are dying, those who are very young, those who have been injured, or those who do not have enough food. Instead, he will [treat them very cruelly, like a shepherd who would] [MET] kill and eat the best sheep and tear off their hoofs.
17 “Kaĩ mũrĩithi ũcio wa tũhũ, ũrĩa ũtiganagĩria rũũru, arĩ na haaro-ĩ! Guoko gwake na riitho rĩake rĩa ũrĩo irotemwo na rũhiũ rwa njora! Guoko gwake nĩgũkonja biũ, na riitho rĩake rĩa ũrĩo rĩtuĩke itumumu biũ.”
But terrible things will happen to that foolish/useless king who abandons the people [MET] over whom he rules. [His enemies] will strike his arm and his right eye with their swords. [The result will be that] he will have no strength in his arm, and his right eye will become completely blind.”
