< Joeli 3 >

1 Tazama, katika siku hizo na wakati huo, nitakaporudi mateka wa 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 Nami nitakusanya mataifa yote, na kuwaleta mpaka bonde la Yehoshafati. Nitawahukumu huko, kwa sababu ya watu wangu na warithi wangu Israeli, ambao waliwatawanya kati ya mataifa, na kwa sababu waligawanya 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 Wamepiga kura kwa ajili ya watu wangu, walinunua kijana kwa ajili ya kahaba, kuuza msichana kwa divai ili waweze kunywa.
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, kwa nini unanikasirikia, Tiro, Sidoni na mikoa yote ya Wafilisti? Je! mutanirudishia malipo? Hata kama mutanilipa, mara moja nitawarudishia malipo yenu juu ya vichwa vyenu wenyewe.
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 maana mumechukua fedha zangu na dhahabu zangu, nanyi mukachukua hazina zangu za thamani na kuzileta katika hekalu zenu.
You have taken the silver and gold and [other] things from my temple and put them in your temples.
6 Mumewauza watu wa Yuda na Yerusalemu kwa Wayunani, ili kuwaondoa mbali na maeneo 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, watoke mahali ambako muliwauza, na nitawarudishia malipo juu ya vichwa vyenu wenyewe.
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 wako na binti zako, kwa mkono wa watu wa Yuda. Wao watawauza Sheba, kwa taifa mbali. Kwa maana 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 Tangaza hii kati ya mataifa, 'Jitayarisheni wenyewe kwa ajili ya vita, waamsheni mashujaa, waacheni wakaribie, mashujaa wote wa vita wapande juu.
Proclaim to the [people of all] nations, “Prepare for a war! Summon your soldiers, and tell them to stand in their battle positions.
10 Yafueni majembe yenu kuwa panga na visu vyenu vya kuchongea kuwa mikuki. Basi wadhaifu waseme, '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 Haraka na mje, mataifa yote ya karibu, jikusanyeni pamoja huko. Ee Bwana, washushe mashujaa wako.
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 Naam, mataifa yajihimize yenyewe kuja hadi bonde la Yehoshafati. Kwa maana nitakaa huko kuhukumu mataifa yote ya jirani.
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 Wekeni katiki mundu, kwa maana mavuno yameiva. Njoo, muponde zabibu, kwa ajiri pipa la divai limejaa. Vipuri vilivyofurika, kwa sababu uovu wao ni mkubwa sana.
[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 Kuna mshtuko, mshtuko katika bonde la Hukumu. Kwa maana siku ya Bwana i karibu katika bonde la hukumu.
[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 vinakuwa giza, nyota zimeacha kuangaza.
[At that time] there will be no light from the sun or moon, and the stars will not shine.
16 Bwana ataunguruma kutoka Sayuni, na kuinua sauti yake kutoka Yerusalemu. Mbingu na nchi zitatikisika, lakini Bwana atakuwa makao kwa ajili ya watu wake, na ngome kwa wana 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 Kwa hiyo mtajua ya kuwa mimi ndimi Bwana, Mungu wenu, anayeishi Sayuni, mlima wangu mtakatifu. Kisha Yerusalemu itakuwa takatifu, na hakuna jeshi litaklozunguka 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 itatayarisha divai nzuri, milima itatiririsha maziwa, miito yote ya Yuda itapita katikati ya maji, na chemchemi zitakuja kutoka nyumba ya Bwana na maji ya 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 Misri itakuwa ukiwa, na Edomu itakuwa jangwa tupu, kwa sababu ya vurugu iliyofanyika kwa watu wa Yuda, kwa sababu walimwaga damu isiyo na hatia katika nchi yao.
[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 Lakini Yuda utakua mwenyeji milele, na Yerusalemu itakuwa kizazi hata kizazi.
but there will always be people living in Jerusalem and [in other places] in Judea.
21 Nitawalipizia damu yao, ambayo sijajilipizia kisasi, kwa maana Bwana anaishi Sayuni.
[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].”

< Joeli 3 >