Ermiyaas 3
1 “Namni tokko yoo niitii isaa hiikee isheenis isa dhiiftee nama biraatti heerumte, inni lammata isheetti deebiʼaa? Biyyattiinis guutumaan guutuutti hin xurooftuu? Ati garuu akka sagaagaltuutti sanyoowwan hedduu wajjin jiraatteerta; taʼus amma gara kootti deebiʼi?” jedha Waaqayyo.
“[Moses wrote that] if a man divorces his wife and then she marries another man, her first husband certainly must not [RHQ] take her back again [to be his wife], because that would certainly [RHQ] cause the whole nation to become unacceptable to me. But you have more [idols than] prostitutes have men whom they have slept with! So, [why should I accept you if] you return to me?” [RHQ] says Yahweh.
2 “Mee ol milʼadhuutii gaara duwwaa ilaali. Iddoon ati itti hin sagaagalin tokko iyyuu jiraa? Ati akkuma godaantuu gammoojjii keessaa tokkootti warra si jaallatan eeggachuuf qarqara karaa teesse; sagaagaltummaa fi hammina keetiin biyyattii xureessiteerta.
“Look up at the barren hilltops. On every hilltop there are [RHQ] [idols that you have worshiped]. [It is as though] they are all lovers with whom you have had sex. [It is as though] you have sat along the roadsides like an Arab, waiting [to attack and steal things from] those who pass by. Because of worshiping idols and all the other wicked things that you have done, you have caused the [entire] land to become unacceptable to me.
3 Kanaafuu tiifuun ni ittifame; birraa keessa illee bokkaan hin roobne. Ati garuu nyaara sagaagaltuu qabda; qaanaʼuus ni didde.
That is why I have not sent you any rain at the times of the year when you needed it. But you are like prostitutes [MET] who are not at all ashamed [for what they have done].
4 Ati amma iyyuu akkana jettee na hin waamnee? ‘Abbaa koo, ijoollummaa kootii jalqabdee michuu koo,
Now each of you says to me, ‘You are my father! You have loved me ever since I was young!
5 ati yeroo hunda ni aartaa? Dheekkamsi kee baruma baraan itti fufaa?’ Ati akkasitti dubbatta; garuu waan hamaa dandeessu hunda ni hojjetta.”
So surely you will not [RHQ] be angry with me forever!’ But you will not quit sinning!”
6 Waaqayyo bara Yosiyaas Mootichaa keessa akkana naan jedhe; “Ati waan Israaʼel isheen amanamummaa hin qabne sun hojjette argitee? Isheen dhaqxee tulluu ol dheeraa hunda irrattii fi muka lalisaa hunda jalatti sagaagalte.
[One day] when Josiah was the king of Judah, Yahweh said to me, “Have you seen what the people of Israel have done? They have turned away from me, like a woman who has abandoned her husband and sleeps with other men. They have gone up on every hilltop and under every big tree and worshiped idols there [MET].
7 Ani waan isheen erga wantoota kanneen hunda hojjettee booddee gara kootti deebitu seʼeen ture; isheen garuu hin deebine. Obboleettiin ishee Yihuudaan hin amanamne sunis waan kana argite.
I thought that they would return to me, so I said to them, ‘Come back to me!’ But they refused. So I sent them away [to other countries, like a man] writes a note saying that he is divorcing his wife and then sends his wife away because she has committed adultery [MET].
8 Ani sababii ejjummaa ishee hundaatiif waraqaa ragaa hiikkaa kenneefiin Israaʼel amanamummaa hin qabne sana of irraa ariʼe; taʼu illee ani akka obboleettiin ishee Yihuudaan amanamummaa hin qabne sun hin sodaanne nan arge; isheenis dhaqxe ejjite.
The people of Judah saw what I did to them. But they are just like the people of Israel. They are not afraid [of what I will do to them]. They also [have turned away from me and are worshiping idols like] women who abandon their husbands and go to other men [MET].
9 Israaʼel sababii sagaagalummaa ofii akka waan salphaa tokkootti ilaalteef dhagaa fi muka wajjin ejjuudhaan biyya xureessite.
They thought that worshiping idols did not matter to me, so they have made the [entire] land unacceptable to me by worshiping idols of wood and stone.
10 Isheen waan kana hunda hojjettu iyyuu obboleettiin ishee Yihuudaan hin amanamne sun fakkeessuuf malee garaa guutuudhaan gara kootti hin deebine” jedha Waaqayyo.
The people of Judah have pretended to return to me, but they have not really done that. [This is true because I], Yahweh, have said it.”
11 Waaqayyo akkana naan jedhe; “Yihuudaa hin amanamne irra Israaʼel amantii hin qabnetu qajeeltuu dha.
Then Yahweh said to me, “The people of Israel have turned away from me, but what the people of Judah have done is worse.
12 Dhaqiitii ergaa kana kaabatti labsi: “‘Yaa Israaʼel amantii dhabeettii, deebiʼi’ jedha Waaqayyo; ‘Ani siʼachi ija aariitiin si hin ilaalu; ani araara qabeessaatii’ jedha Waaqayyo. ‘Ani bara baraan hin dheekkamu.
So go and tell this to the people of Israel: ‘Yahweh says this to you Israeli people who have turned away from him: I am merciful. I will not continue to be angry with you forever. So return to me.
13 Ati akka Waaqayyo Waaqa keetti fincilte, akka mukkeen lalisoo hunda jalatti jaalala kee waaqota ormaatiif kennitee naa ajajamuu didde, balleessaa kee sana qofa himadhu’” jedha Waaqayyo.
But you must admit/say that you are guilty, and that you have rebelled against me, Yahweh, your God, that you have worshiped idols under big trees everywhere, and you have not obeyed me. You have turned away from me.
14 “Yaa saba amantii hin qabne, deebiʼaa” jedha Waaqayyo; “ani dhirsa keessaniitii. Ani magaalaa tokko irraa nama tokko, balbala tokko irraa nama lama filadhee Xiyoonitti isin nan fida.
But you belong to me. So I will take you, one from [each] city and two from [each] clan, and bring you [back] to Jerusalem [from the countries to which you were exiled].
15 Ergasii ani tiksoota akka garaa kootii taʼan, kanneen beekumsaa fi hubannaadhaan isin qajeelchan isinii nan kenna.
[If you do that], I will appoint for you leaders with whom I am pleased, leaders who will guide you [well] because they will know and understand [what pleases me].
16 Bara sana keessa, yeroo baayʼinni keessan biyyattii keessatti akka malee guddatutti,” jedha Waaqayyo, “Namoonni siʼachi, ‘Taabota kakuu Waaqayyoo’ hin jedhan.” Wanni kun gonkumaa sammuu isaanii keessa hin seenu, yookaan hin yaadatamu; kan isa barbaadu hin jiru, yookaan kan biraa hin tolfamu.
And when you become very numerous [DOU] in your land, you will not need to talk about the Sacred Chest that contained the Ten Commandments. You will not think about it, and you will not want to make a new one.
17 Isaan yeroo sanatti Yerusaalemiin Teessoo Waaqayyoo jedhanii waamu; saboonni hundinuus maqaa Waaqayyoo ulfeessuuf Yerusaalemitti walitti ni qabamu. Isaan siʼachi mata jabina hammina garaa isaanii duukaa hin buʼan.
At that time people will say, “Jerusalem is [the place where] Yahweh’s throne is.” [People from] all nations will come there to worship me. And they will no longer stubbornly do the evil things that they desire.
18 Bara sana keessa manni Yihuudaa mana Israaʼelitti ni makama; isaanis tokkummaadhaan biyya kaabaatii gara biyya ani akka dhaalaatti abbootii keessaniif kenne sanaa ni dhufu.
At that time you people [MTY] of Israel and the people of Judah will return from [being (exiled/forced to live) in] lands to the northeast. You will return to the land that I gave to your ancestors to belong to them [forever].
19 “Ani mataan koo akkana nan jedhe; “‘Ani silaa hamman akkuma ilmaan kootti si fudhadhee biyya namatti toltu, dhaala akka malee miidhagu kan saba kamii iyyuu siif nan kenna ture.’ Ani waan ati, ‘Abbaa ko’ jettee na waamtuuf, waan ati na duukaa buʼuu hin dhiifne seʼee ture.
You people of Israel, I wanted to accept you to be my children. I wanted to give you [this] delightful land. It is a land more desirable/pleasant than the land of any other nation! I wanted you to call me ‘father’, and I wanted you to never turn away from me.
20 Yaa mana Israaʼel, ati garuu akkuma niitii dhirsa isheetiif hin amanamne tokkoo, anaaf hin amanamne turte” jedha Waaqayyo.
But you have abandoned me like wives who have abandoned their husbands.’” [That is what] Yahweh said, and [I told it] to the people of Israel.
21 Isaan karaa isaanii jalʼisanii Waaqayyo Waaqa isaanii waan irraanfataniif gaara duwwaa irratti iyyi, booʼichii fi waammannaan saba Israaʼel ni dhagaʼama.
People will hear a noise on the barren hilltops. It will be the noise made by people weeping and pleading [for God to be merciful to them]. They will be admitting/saying that they have forgotten Yahweh their God, and that they turned away from behaving as God wanted them to.
22 “Yaa saba amantii hin qabne deebiʼaa; ani duubatti deebiʼuu keessan nan fayyisaatii.” “Kunoo, nu gara kee ni dhufna; Ati Waaqayyo Waaqa keenyaatii.
Yahweh will say to them, “You Israeli people, come back to me! [If you do that], I will cause you to never turn away from me again.” [The people will reply], “We are returning to you, because you are Yahweh, our God.
23 Dhugumaan wacni gaarranii fi tulluuwwan irraa gowwoomsaa dha; dhugumaan fayyinni Israaʼel harka Waaqayyo Waaqa keenyaa jira.
We did not get any help from [the idols that we worshiped on] the hilltops; we did not get any help from making all that noise up there.
24 Ijoollummaa keenyaa jalqabnee waaqonni nama qaanessan, buʼaa dadhabbii abbootii keenyaa jechuunis bushaayee fi loon isaanii, ilmaan isaaniitii fi intallan isaanii fixaniiru.
From the time when we were young, the shameful [god Baal] has taken away [from us] everything that our ancestors worked hard to acquire. He has taken away their flocks [of sheep] and herds [of cattle], their sons and their daughters.
25 Nu qaanii keenyaan haa ciifnuu; salphinni keenyas nu haa haguugu. Nus abbootiin keenyas Waaqayyo Waaqa keenyatti cubbuu hojjenneerra; nu ijoollummaa keenyaa jalqabnee hamma ammaatti Waaqayyo Waaqa keenyaaf hin ajajamne.”
So, now we should lie down feeling very ashamed [DOU], because we and our ancestors have sinned against Yahweh our God, and we have never obeyed him.”
