< Heremaia 2 >

1 I puta ano te kupu a Ihowa ki ahau, i mea,
The Lord's message came to me, saying,
2 Haere, karanga ki nga taringa o Hiruharama, mea atu, Ko te kupu tenei a Ihowa, E mahara ana ahau ki a koe, ki te mahi pai a tou tamarikitanga, ki te aroha i tou marenatanga, i a koe i aru i ahau i te koraha, i te whenua kihai i whakatokia.
Go and announce to the people of Jerusalem that this is what the Lord says: I remember when you were young how devoted to me you were. I remember how you loved me when you were my bride. I remember how you followed me in the desert, in a land where nothing is grown.
3 He tapu a Iharaira ki a Ihowa, ko nga matamua ia o ona hua: ko te hunga katoa e kai ana i a ia, ka kiia he he ta ratou; ka pa te kino ki a ratou, e ai ta Ihowa.
Israel was holy to the Lord, the firstfruits of his harvest. Anyone who ate this harvest was guilty of sin, and they experienced the disastrous results, declares the Lord.
4 Whakarongo ki te kupu a Ihowa, e te whare o Hakopa, e nga hapu katoa o te whare o Iharaira:
Listen to the Lord's message, descendants of Jacob, all you Israelites.
5 Ko te kupu tenei a Ihowa, He aha taku kino i mau i o koutou matua, i matara atu ai ratou i ahau, i whai ai ratou i te horihori, a horihori iho ratou?
This is what the Lord says: What did your forefathers think was wrong with me that they went so far away from me? They went off to worship useless idols, and as a result became useless themselves!
6 Kahore hoki a ratou kainga ake, Kei hea a Ihowa, nana nei tatou i kawe mai i te whenua o Ihipa, nana nei tatou i arahi i te koraha, i te whenua titohea, he maha nei nga rua, i te whenua o te matewai, o te atarangi o te mate, i te whenua kihai i h aerea e te tangata, kihai ano i nohoia e te tangata?
They didn't ask themselves, “Where is the Lord who led us from Egypt, who led us through the wasteland, through a land of deserts and ravines, a land of drought and darkness, a land that no one travels through and where no one lives?”
7 A naku koutou i kawe mai ki te whenua maha ona hua, ki te kai i ona hua, i ona mea papai. Na, i to koutou taenga mai, kei te whakapoke i toku whenua, meinga ana e koutou toku wahi tupu hei mea whakarihariha.
I led you into a productive land to eat all the good things that grow there. But you came and made my land unclean, making it offensive to me.
8 Kahore nga tohunga i ki, Kei hea a Ihowa; ko nga kairahurahu o te ture, kahore i matau ki ahau; kua he hoki nga rangatira ki ahau; ko nga poropiti, na Paara nga tikanga i poropiti ai ratou, whaia ana e ratou nga mea kahore nei he pai.
Your priests did not ask, “Where is the Lord?” Your teachers of the law no longer believed in me, and your leaders rebelled against me. Your prophets prophesied by calling on Baal and followed worthless idols.
9 Mo reira ka totohe ano ahau ki a koutou, e ai ta Ihowa, ka totohe hoki ahau ki nga tama a a koutou tama.
So I'm going to confront you again, declares the Lord, and I will bring charges against your children's children.
10 Tena ra, whiti atu ki nga motu o Kitimi titiro ai; unga tangata ano ki Kerara, ka whakaaroaro marie; tirohia hoki mehemea tera ano te rite o tenei mea i mua.
Travel over to the islands of Cyprus and take a look; go to the land of Kedar and examine carefully to see if anything like this has ever happened before.
11 I whakaputaia ketia ranei ona atua e tetahi iwi, ehara nei ano i te atua? Na, ko toku iwi, kua whakaputaina ketia e ratou to ratou kororia hei mea kahore ona pai.
Has a nation ever changed its gods? —even though they're not gods at all! Yet my people have traded their glorious God for worthless idols.
12 Miharo mai, e nga rangi, ki tenei, kia nui hoki te wehi, kia ngaro noa iho, e ai ta Ihowa.
You heavens, you should be appalled, shocked and horrified! declares the Lord.
13 Ka rua hoki nga he kua mahia nei e taku iwi; ko ahau, ko te puna o nga wai ora kua mahue i a ratou, haua iho e ratou etahi poka, he poka pakaru, e kore nei e mau te wai ki roto.
For my people have done two evil things. They have abandoned me, the source of living water, and they have dug their own cisterns—broken cisterns that can't hold water.
14 He pononga ranei a Iharaira? he pononga i whanau ki te whare? he aha ia i waiho ai hei pahuatanga?
Are Israelites slaves? Were they born into slavery? So why have they become victims?
15 Kua ngengere nga raiona kuao ki a ia, kua hamama: a kua meinga e ratou tona whenua kia ururua; kua tahuna ona pa, kahore hoki te tangata noho i reira.
The young lions roared at you; they growled loudly. They have devastated your country; your towns lie in ruins. No one lives there.
16 I pakaru ano tou tumuaki i nga tamariki o Nopo, o Tahapanehe.
The men of Memphis and Tahpanhes have shaved your heads.
17 He teka ianei nau ano tenei i mahi ki a koe, i te mea nau i whakarere a Ihowa, tou Atua, i a ia e arahi ana i a koe i te ara?
Didn't you bring this on yourself by abandoning the Lord your God when he was leading you in the right way?
18 Tena ra ko te aha mau i te ara ki Ihipa i inu ai koe i nga wai o Hihoro? he aha ranei mau i te ara ki Ahiria, i inu ai koe i nga wai o te awa?
Now what will you benefit as you travel back to Egypt to drink the waters of Shihor River? What will you gain on your way to Assyria to drink the waters of the Euphrates River?
19 Ko tou he ano hei riri i tau, ko ou tahuritanga ketanga ano hei papaki i a koe. Kia mohio koe, kia kite hoki, he mea kino, he mea kawa, kei tau whakarerenga i a Ihowa, i tou Atua, kahore hoki ou wehi ki ahau, e ai ta te Ariki, ta Ihowa o nga man o.
Your own wickedness will discipline you; your own disobedience will teach you a lesson. Think about it and you'll recognize what a bitter evil it is for you to abandon the Lord your God and not to respect me, declares the Lord God Almighty.
20 I wahia hoki tou ioka e ahau i mua, motumotuhia ana e ahau ou here; a ki mai ana koe, E kore ahau e mahi; heoi i runga koe i nga pukepuke tiketike katoa, i raro hoki i nga rakau kouru nui katoa, e koropiko ana, e kairau ana.
You broke off your yoke and ripped off your chains long ago. “I won't worship you!” you declared. On the contrary, you lay down like a prostitute on every high hill and under every green tree.
21 He waina pai ano koe i taku whakatokanga i a koe, he momo pai katoa. Na te aha koe i puta ke ai ki ahau, he mea kua heke te tupu, he waina ke?
I was the one who planted you like the finest vine, grown from the very best seed. How could you degenerate into a useless wild vine?
22 Ahakoa i horoi koe i a koe ki te houra, a nui noa tau hopi, e mau ana ano tou he ki toku aroaro, e ai ta te Ariki, ta Ihowa.
Even bleach and plenty of soap can't get rid of your guilty stains. I still see them, declares the Lord God.
23 He pehea tau ki, Kahore oku poke, kihai ahau i whai i a Paarimi? Tirohia iho ou ara i te raorao, kia mohio ki au mahi. Tou rite, kei te kamera tere kopikopiko tonu ona ara;
How dare you say, “I'm not unclean! I haven't gone to worship the Baals!” Look at what you've been doing down in the valley. Admit what you've done! You're a young female camel, racing around everywhere.
24 Kei te kaihe mohoao kua mohio ki te koraha, e hongi ana i te hau mo tona hiahia; ka matenui ia ko wai hei whakahoki i a ia? ko te hunga katoa e rapu ana i a ia e kore e whakangenge noa i a ratou; i tona marama ano ka kitea ia e ratou.
You're a female donkey living in the desert, sniffing the wind for a mate because she's in heat. No one can control her at mating time. All those who're looking for her won't have trouble finding her when she's in heat.
25 Kaiponuhia tou waewae, kei kore te hu, tou korokoro hoki kei mate i te wai. Na, kei te mea koe, Kua he: kahore; he tangata ke hoki aku i aroha ai, a ko ratou taku e whai ai.
You don't have to run around barefoot or have your throat go dry. But you reply, “No, it's impossible! I'm in love with foreign gods—I must go to them.”
26 Ka whakama te tahae ina mau, ka pena ano te whare o Iharaira, ka whakama; ratou ko o ratou kingi, ko o ratou rangatira, ko o ratou tohunga, ko o ratou poropiti,
In the same way that a thief feels guilty when they're caught, so the people of Israel have been shamed. All of them—their kings, their officials, their priests, and their prophets.
27 I a ratou e mea na ki te rakau, Ko koe toku papa; ki te kamaka, I whanau ahau i roto i a koe, hurihia ake e ratou ko te kohamo ki ahau, kahore hoki te aroaro: heoi i te wa e he ai ratou, ka ki mai ratou, Whakatika ki te whakaora i a matou.
They say to an idol made of wood, “You are my father,” and one made of stone, “You gave birth to me.” They turn their backs on me, and hide their faces from me. But when they're in trouble they come begging to me, saying, “Please come and save us!”
28 Kei hea ra ou atua i hanga e koe mou? kia whakatika ratou, ki te mea ka ora koe i a ratou i te wa e he ai koe: rite tonu hoki ki ou pa te maha o ou atua, e Hura.
So where are these “gods” of yours that you made for yourselves? Let them come and help you when you're in trouble! Let them save you if they can, because you Israelites have as many gods as you have towns.
29 He aha te mea e totohe ai koutou ki ahau? kua mahi ke koutou katoa i te kino ki ahau, e ai ta Ihowa.
Why are you complaining to me? It's all of you who have all rebelled against me! declares the Lord.
30 Maumau whiu noa ahau i a koutou tamariki; kihai ratou i akona: ko ta koutou hoari nana i kai o koutou poropiti, i pera ano me ta te raiona kai kino.
It was pointless of me to punish your children because they refused to accept any discipline. You used your own swords to kill your prophets, destroying them like a ferocious lion.
31 E te whakatupuranga nei, whakaaroa te kupu a Ihowa, He koraha ranei ahau ki a Iharaira? he whenua pouri kerekere? he aha taku iwi i mea ai, Kua matara matou; heoi ano o matou taenga atu ki a koe?
You people of today, think about what the Lord is saying: Israel, have I treated you like an empty desert, or a land of thick darkness? Why are my people saying, “We can go where we like! We don't have to come and worship you any more”?
32 E wareware ranei te kotiro ki ana whakapaipai, te wahine marena hou ki ona whitiki? ko taku iwi ia kua wareware ki ahau, e kore nga ra e taea te tatau.
Does a girl forget her jewelry or a bride her wedding dress? Yet my people have forgotten me for too many years to count.
33 Tau mahi ki te whakapai i tou ara hei rapunga i te aroha! Na kei te whakaako koe i nga wahine kikino ano hoki ki ou ara.
How cleverly you look for your lovers! Even prostitutes could learn something from you!
34 Kua kitea ano ki nga remu o ou kakahu te toto o nga wairua o nga ware harakore. Kihai i kitea e ahau i te wahi i pakaru ai, engari i runga i enei katoa.
On top of that, your clothes are stained with the blood of the poor and the innocent. It's not like you killed them breaking into your homes. Despite all this,
35 Heoi kei te ki na koe, He harakore nei ahau; he pono e tahuri ke atu ana tona riri i ahau. Nana, ka whakawa ahau i a koe, mo tau kianga, Kahore oku hara.
you go on saying, “I'm innocent! Surely he can't still be upset with me!” Watch out! I'm going to punish you because you go on saying, “I haven't sinned.”
36 He aha koe i kopikopiko rawa ai, i mea ai kia pokaia ketia he ara mou? Ka whakama ano koe ki Ihipa, ka pera me koe i whakama ra ki Ahiria.
You're just so fickle—you keep on changing your mind! You will end up just as disappointed by your alliance with Egypt as you were with Assyria.
37 Ina, ka haere atu ano koe i reira, i runga ano ou ringa i tou matenga, no te mea kua paopao a Ihowa ki ou whakawhirinakitanga, e kore ano koe e whai wahi i ena.
In fact you will go into exile with your hands on your head as prisoners, because the Lord will have nothing to do with those you trust; they will be no help to you.

< Heremaia 2 >