< Hosea 2 >
1 “Waambie ndugu zako, ‘Watu wangu,’ na pia waambie dada zako, ‘Wapendwa wangu.’
Call ye your brethren My-people; and your sisters Pitied.
2 “Mkemeeni mama yenu, mkemeeni, kwa maana yeye si mke wangu, nami si mume wake. Aondoe sura ya uzinzi katika uso wake na uzinzi kati ya matiti yake.
Contend ye with your mother, contend! For she is not my wife, Nor am I her husband; That she put away lewdness from her face, And adultery from her breasts, Lest I strip her naked, And expose her, as when she was born;
3 Kama sivyo nitamvua nguo zake awe uchi na kumwacha uchi kama siku ile aliyozaliwa. Nitamfanya kama jangwa, nitamgeuza awe nchi ya kiu, nami nitamuua kwa kiu.
Lest I make her as the desert, and like a parched land, And kill her with thirst.
4 Sitaonyesha upendo wangu kwa watoto wake, kwa sababu ni watoto wa uzinzi.
Upon her sons also I will not have pity, For they are the sons of lewdness.
5 Mama yao amekosa uaminifu na amewachukua mimba katika aibu. Gomeri alisema, ‘Nitawaendea wapenzi wangu, ambao hunipa chakula changu na maji yangu, sufu yangu na kitani yangu, mafuta yangu na kinywaji changu.’
For their mother hath been guilty of lewdness; She that bore them hath brought upon herself shame; For she said, I will go after my lovers, Who give me my food and my water, My wool and my flax, my oil and my strong drink.
6 Kwa hiyo mimi Mungu nitaizuia njia yake kwa vichaka vya miiba, nitamjengea ukuta ili kwamba asiweze kutoka.
Therefore, behold, I will hedge up her way with thorns, And I will enclose her with a wall, So that she shall not find her paths.
7 Gomeri atawafuatia wapenzi wake lakini hatawapata; atawatafuta lakini hatawapata. Kisha atasema, ‘Nitarudi kwa mume wangu kama kwanza, kwa maana nilikuwa na hali njema zaidi kuliko sasa.’
When she followeth after her lovers, she shall not overtake them; When she seeketh them, she shall not find them. Then shall she say, I will go back to my former husband, For then it was better with me than now.
8 Gomeri hajakubali kuwa mimi ndiye niliyempa nafaka, divai mpya na mafuta, niliyemwongezea fedha na dhahabu waliyoitumia kwa kumtumikia Baali.
For she did not consider that I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, And multiplied silver unto her, And gold, of which they made images of Baal.
9 “Kwa hiyo nitachukua nafaka yangu wakati itakapokomaa na divai yangu mpya wakati itakapokuwa tayari. Nitamnyangʼanya sufu yangu na kitani yangu iliyokusudiwa kufunika uchi wake.
Therefore will I take back my corn in its time, And my new wine in its season, And I will take away my wool and my flax, Which covered her nakedness.
10 Basi sasa nitaufunua ufisadi wake mbele ya wapenzi wake; hakuna yeyote atakayemtoa mikononi mwangu.
And now will I reveal her shame before the eyes of her lovers, And none shall deliver her out of my hand.
11 Nitakomesha furaha na macheko yake yote: sikukuu zake za mwaka, sikukuu za Miandamo ya Mwezi, siku zake za Sabato, sikukuu zake zote zilizoamriwa.
And I will cause all her joy to cease; Her feasts, and new moons, and sabbaths, And all her festal days.
12 Nitaiharibu mizabibu yake na mitini yake, ambayo alisema yalikuwa malipo yake kutoka kwa wapenzi wake; nitaifanya kuwa kichaka, nao wanyama pori wataila.
I will destroy her vines, and her fig-trees, Of which she said, These are my hire, Which my lovers have given me; And I will make them a forest, And the wild beasts shall eat them.
13 Nitamwadhibu kwa ajili ya siku alizowafukizia uvumba Mabaali; alipojipamba kwa pete na kwa vito vya thamani, na kuwaendea wapenzi wake, lakini mimi alinisahau,” asema Bwana.
I will punish her for the days of the Baals, When she burned incense to them, And decked herself with her rings and her jewels, And went after her lovers, And forgot me, saith Jehovah.
14 “Kwa hiyo sasa nitamshawishi; nitamwongoza hadi jangwani na kuzungumza naye kwa upole.
Therefore, behold, I will allure her, And will lead her to the desert, And will speak kindly to her;
15 Huko nitamrudishia mashamba yake ya mizabibu, nami nitalifanya Bonde la Akori mlango wa matumaini. Huko ataimba kama alivyofanya katika siku za ujana wake, kama siku zile alizotoka Misri.
And thence will I give her her vineyards, And the valley of Achor for a door of hope; And there shall she sing, as in the days of her youth! As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt.
16 “Katika siku ile,” asema Bwana, “utaniita mimi ‘Mume wangu’; hutaniita tena mimi ‘Bwana wangu.’
At that time, saith Jehovah, Thou shalt call me, MY HUSBAND; Thou shalt no more call me, MY BAAL;
17 Nitaondoa majina ya Mabaali kutoka midomoni mwake, wala hataomba tena kwa majina yao.
For I will take away the name of the Baals out of her mouth, And their name shall no more be uttered.
18 Katika siku ile nitafanya Agano kwa ajili yao na wanyama wa kondeni, na ndege wa angani, na viumbe vile vitambaavyo ardhini. Upinde, upanga na vita, nitaondolea mbali katika nchi, ili kwamba wote waweze kukaa salama.
At that time will I make for them a covenant With the beasts of the forest, and with the birds of heaven, And with the creeping things of the ground. The bow and the sword and the battle will I break from the land, And I will cause them to lie down in safety.
19 Nitakuposa uwe wangu milele; nitakuposa kwa uadilifu na haki, kwa upendo na huruma.
I will betroth thee to me forever; Yea, I will betroth thee to me in righteousness, and in justice, And in kindness, and in tender love.
20 Nitakuposa kwa uaminifu, nawe utamkubali Bwana.
Yea, I will betroth thee to me in faithfulness, And thou shalt know Jehovah.
21 “Katika siku ile nitajibu,” asema Bwana, “nitajibu kwa anga, nazo anga zitajibu kwa nchi;
At that time will I hear, saith Jehovah; I will hear the heavens; And they shall hear the earth,
22 nayo nchi itajibu kwa nafaka, divai mpya na mafuta, navyo vitajibu kwa Yezreeli.
And the earth shall hear the corn, and the new wine, and the oil, And they shall hear Jezreel.
23 Nitampanda katika nchi kwa ajili yangu mwenyewe; nami nitaonyesha pendo langu kwake yule ambaye nilimwita, ‘Si mpenzi wangu.’ Nitawaambia wale walioitwa, ‘Sio watu wangu,’ ‘Ninyi ni watu wangu’; nao watasema, ‘Wewe ndiwe Mungu wangu.’”
And I will plant her for myself in the land; And I will have pity upon her that was called Unpitied; And I will say to them called Not-my-people, Thou art my people; And they shall say, Thou art my God.