< Joeli 3 >
1 “Katika siku hizo na wakati huo, nitakaporejesha neema ya Yuda na Yerusalemu,
[Yahweh says this]: “At that time [DOU], I will enable [the people of] Jerusalem and [other places in] Judah to prosper again.
2 nitayakusanya mataifa yote na kuyaleta katika Bonde la Yehoshafati Hapo nitaingia kwenye hukumu dhidi yao kuhusu urithi wangu, watu wangu Israeli, kwa kuwa waliwatawanya watu wangu miongoni mwa mataifa na kuigawa nchi yangu.
[Then] in the Valley of Judgment I will gather together [the people of] all the [other] nations; I will judge [and punish] them because they scattered my Israeli people and forced them to go to other countries. They divided up my land
3 Wanawapigia kura watu wangu na kuwauza wavulana ili kupata makahaba; waliwauza wasichana ili wapate kunywa mvinyo.
and they (threw marked stones/cast lots) to determine who would get [each of] my people. Then they sold [some of] the Israeli boys and girls [to get money to pay] for prostitutes and wine to drink.
4 “Sasa una nini dhidi yangu, ee Tiro na Sidoni, nanyi nchi zote za Ufilisti? Je, mnanilipiza kwa yale niliyoyafanya? Kama mnalipa, mimi nitalipiza juu ya vichwa vyenu kwa kasi na kwa haraka yale mliyoyatenda.
You [people of] [APO] Tyre and Sidon [cities] and [you people of] the Philistia [region], I certainly have not [RHQ] done anything to harm you! [So] if you are trying to get revenge on me, I will very quickly get revenge on you.
5 Kwa kuwa mlichukua fedha na dhahabu yangu pia mkabeba hazina zangu nzuri sana mkapeleka kwenye mahekalu yenu.
You have taken the silver and gold and [other] things from my temple and put them in your temples.
6 Mliwauza watu wa Yuda na Yerusalemu kwa Wayunani, ili kwamba mpate kuwapeleka mbali na nchi yao.
[You dragged away] the people of Jerusalem and [other places in] Judah, and you took them far away and sold them to people in Greece.
7 “Tazama nitawaamsha kutoka zile sehemu mlizowauza, nami nitawalipiza juu ya vichwa vyenu kile mlichofanya.
But I will cause my people to want to return from the places to which you sold them, and I will do to you what you did to them.
8 Nitawauza wana wenu na binti zenu kwa watu wa Yuda, nao watawauza kwa Waseba, taifa lililo mbali.” Bwana amesema.
Then I will cause [some of] your sons and your daughters to be sold to the people of Judah! And [some of] them will be sold to the Sabea people-group, who live far away. [That will certainly happen because I], Yahweh, have said it.”
9 Tangazeni hili miongoni mwa mataifa: Jiandaeni kwa vita! Amsha askari! Wanaume wote wapiganaji wasogee karibu na kushambulia.
Proclaim to the [people of all] nations, “Prepare for a war! Summon your soldiers, and tell them to stand in their battle positions.
10 Majembe yenu yafueni yawe panga na miundu yenu ya kukatia iwe mikuki. Aliye dhaifu na aseme, “Mimi nina nguvu!”
[Take] your plows and make swords from them, and [take] your pruning knives and make spears from them. [Even] the weak people must [also] be like [MET] [strong] soldiers.
11 Njooni haraka, ninyi mataifa yote kutoka pande zote, kusanyikeni huko. Shusha wapiganaji wako, Ee Bwana!
All you [people from the] nations that are near [Judah] must come quickly and gather [in the Valley of Judgment].” But Yahweh, [when that happens], send your army [of angels to attack them]!
12 “Mataifa na yaamshwe; na yasonge mbele kuelekea Bonde la Yehoshafati, kwa kuwa nitaketi mahali pale kuhukumu mataifa yote yaliyoko kila upande.
The [people in] the nations near [Judah] must get ready and come to the Valley of Judgment. There Yahweh will sit and judge [and punish] them.
13 Tia mundu, kwa kuwa mavuno yamekomaa. Njooni, mkanyage zabibu, kwa kuwa shinikizo la kukamua zabibu limejaa na mapipa yanafurika: kwa kuwa uovu wao ni mkubwa!”
[They are like] [MET] crops that are ready to be harvested; so [strike them like] [MET] [a farmer] swings his sickle to cut the grain. They are like [MET] grapes that are piled high in the pits where they will be pressed; because they are very wicked, [punish them severely] [MET] now, like [MET] [a farmer] tramples on the grapes until the pits are full of juice.
14 Umati mkubwa, umati mkubwa katika bonde la uamuzi! Kwa kuwa siku ya Bwana ni karibu katika bonde la uamuzi.
[There will be] huge crowds of people in that Valley of Judgment. It will soon be the time that Yahweh [will punish them].
15 Jua na mwezi vitatiwa giza, na nyota hazitatoa mwanga wake tena.
[At that time] there will be no light from the sun or moon, and the stars will not shine.
16 Bwana atanguruma kutoka Sayuni na mshindo wa ngurumo kutoka Yerusalemu; dunia na mbingu vitatikisika. Lakini Bwana atakuwa kimbilio la watu wake, ngome imara kwa ajili ya watu wa Israeli.
From Zion [Hill] in Jerusalem Yahweh will shout, and his voice will be like thunder, and his voice will cause the sky and the earth to shake. But Yahweh will protect [MET] his people; he will be like [MET] a strong wall behind which the people of Israel will be protected.
17 “Ndipo mtakapojua kwamba Mimi, Bwana Mungu wenu, nakaa Sayuni, mlima wangu mtakatifu. Yerusalemu utakuwa mtakatifu; kamwe wageni hawatavamia tena.
[Yahweh says], “At that time, you Israeli people will know that I am Yahweh, your God. I live on Zion, my sacred hill. Jerusalem will be a sacred [city], and [soldiers from] other countries will never conquer it again.
18 “Katika siku hiyo milima itadondosha divai mpya, na vilima vitatiririka maziwa; mabonde yote ya Yuda yatatiririka maji. Chemchemi itatiririka kutoka kwenye nyumba ya Bwana na kunywesha Bonde la Shitimu.
At that time, there will be vineyards covering [MTY] the hills, and [your cattle and goats on] those hills will produce plenty of milk. The streams in Judah will never dry up. And a stream will flow from my temple into the Acacia Valley [northeast of the Dead Sea].
19 Lakini Misri itakuwa ukiwa, Edomu itakuwa jangwa tupu, kwa sababu ya jeuri waliofanya kwa watu wa Yuda, ambao katika nchi yao walimwaga damu isiyo na hatia.
[The armies of] Egypt and Edom attacked the people of Judah and killed [MTY] many people who had not done anything that was wrong. So [now] those countries will become deserts,
20 Yuda itakaliwa na watu milele na Yerusalemu itadumu vizazi vyote.
but there will always be people living in Jerusalem and [in other places] in Judea.
21 Hatia yao ya damu, ambayo sijasamehe, nitasamehe.”
[I], Yahweh, live on Zion [Hill in Jerusalem], and I will get revenge on the people [of Egypt and Edom] who killed [MTY] [many of my people].”