Maika 7

1 ‌ʻOiau ʻeku mamahi! He ʻoku ou hangē kuo ʻosi ʻae tānaki ʻoe ngaahi fua ʻoe faʻahitaʻu mafana, hangē ko e toenga kālepi ʻoe toʻukai: ʻoku ʻikai ha fuhinga kālepi ke kai: naʻe holi hoku loto ki he ʻuluaki toʻukai.

I am very miserable/frustrated! I am like [SIM] someone who is hungry, [who searches for fruit to pick] after all the fruit had been picked and who finds no grapes or figs to eat.

2 Kuo ʻauha ʻae kau māʻoniʻoni mei māmani: pea ʻoku ʻikai ha kau angatonu ʻi he kakai: ʻoku nau toitoi kotoa pē ki he toto; ʻoku nau taki taha tuli ʻa hono tokoua mo e kupenga.

[All] the godly people have disappeared from this land; there is not one of them left. [The people who are left] are all murderers [MTY]; [it is as though] everyone is eager to kill his fellow countryman.

3 Koeʻuhi ke nau fai fakamātoato ʻi he kovi ʻaki ʻae ongo nima ʻosi pe, ʻoku ʻeke ʻe he houʻeiki, pea ʻeke mo e fakamaau ki he meʻa foaki; pea mo e tangata māʻolunga ʻoku ne fakahā hono loto kovi pea pehē, ʻoku nau ʻufiʻufi ia.

They [all] use both hands to do what is evil. [Government] officials and judges [all] ask for bribes. Important people tell others what they want, and they plot/scheme together [about how to get it done].

4 Ko e lelei lahi ʻiate kinautolu ʻoku hangē ko e ʻakau talatala pe: ko ia ʻoku fungani angatonu ʻoku māsila ʻi he ʻa talatala: ʻoku hoko mai ʻae ʻaho ʻo ho kau leʻo, pea mo ho ʻaʻahi; ko eni ʻe hoko ʻenau puputuʻu.

[Even] the best people are [as worthless] [SIM] as briers; the people [who are considered by others to be] [IRO] the most honest are worse than clumps of thornbushes. But, [Yahweh] will soon judge them; now is the time that he will punish people, a time when they will be [very] confused [because of being defeated].

5 ‌ʻOua naʻa mou falala ki he kaumeʻa, ʻoua naʻa mou falala ki ha takimuʻa: leʻohi ʻae matapā ʻo ho ngutu, meiate ia ʻoku faʻaki ki ho fatafata.

[So], do not trust anyone! Do not trust [even] a friend; [even] be careful what you say to your wife whom you love!

6 He ʻoku fakaongokoviʻi ʻe he foha ʻa ʻene tamai; ʻoku tuʻu hake ʻae taʻahine ki heʻene faʻē, ʻae taʻahine ʻi he fono, ki heʻene faʻē ʻi he fono; ko e ngaahi fili ʻoe tangata, ʻae kau tangata ʻi hono fale.

Boys will despise their fathers, and girls will defy their mothers. Women will defy their mothers-in-law. Your enemies will be those who live in your own houses.

7 Ko ia te u hanga kia Sihova; te u tatali ki he ʻOtua ʻo ʻeku fakamoʻui; ʻe fanongo mai kiate au ʻa hoku ʻOtua.

As for me, I wait for Yahweh [to help me]. I confidently expect that God, my Savior, will answer me [when I pray].

8 ‌ʻOua naʻa ke viki kiate au, ʻe hoku fili: ʻo kau ka hinga te u toetuʻu hake: ʻo kau ka nofo ʻi he poʻuli, ʻe hoko ʻa Sihova ko e maama kiate au.

You who are our enemies, do not gloat/rejoice about [what has happened to] us, [because even] if we have experienced disasters, [those disasters will end and] we will be restored. [Even] if [it is as though] we are sitting in the darkness, Yahweh will be our light.

9 Te u kātaki ʻae houhau ʻo Sihova, he kuo u fai angahala kiate ia, ke ʻoua ke ne fakamatala maʻaku, mo fai ʻae fakamaau koeʻuhi ko au; te ne ʻomi au ki he maama, pea te u mamata ki heʻene māʻoniʻoni.

We must be patient while Yahweh punishes us because we have sinned against him. But later, [it will be as though] he will go to court and defend us, and he will make sure that the judge makes a right decision about us. [It will be as though] he will bring us out into the light, and we will see it when he rescues us.

10 Pea ʻe toki mamata ai ʻa hoku fili, pea ʻe ʻufiʻufi ʻi he mā ʻaia naʻe pehē mai kiate au, ‘Komaʻā Sihova ko ho ʻOtua?’ ʻE sio ʻa hoku mata kiate ia: ko eni, ʻe malaki hifo ia ʻo hangē ko e pelepela ʻi he ngaahi hala.

Our enemies will [also] see that, and they will be disgraced because they [ridiculed us], saying “Why is [RHQ] Yahweh, that God of yours, [not helping you]?” But with our own eyes we will see them when they are defeated; we will see them trampled like [SIM] mud in the streets.

11 ‌ʻI he ʻaho ko ia ʻe langa ho ngaahi ʻā, ʻi he ʻaho ko ia ʻe hiki ke mamaʻo ʻae fono.

[You people of Israel, ] at that time your cities will be rebuilt, and your territory will become larger.

12 ‌ʻI he ʻaho ko ia ʻe haʻu ia, ʻio, kiate koe mei ʻAsilia, pea mei he ngaahi kolo kuo teu, pea mei he potu mālohi ʻo aʻu ki he vaitafe, pea mei he tahi ki he tahi, pea mei he moʻunga ki he moʻunga.

[People from many countries will come to honor you]: people from Assyria and from [near] the [Euphrates] River [in the east] and from Egypt [in the south], from distant seas, and from many mountains.

13 Ka neongo ia ʻe lala ʻae fonua koeʻuhi ko kinautolu ʻoku nofo ai, ko e fua ʻo ʻenau faianga.

But [the other countries on] the earth will become desolate because of the [evil] things that their people have done.

14 Fafangaʻi ʻa hoʻo kakai ʻaki ʻae meʻa tā, ʻae kakai ʻo ho tofiʻa, ʻaia ʻoku nofo ngaongao ʻi he vao ʻakau ʻi he lotolotonga ʻo Kameli: tuku ke nau kai ʻi Pesani mo Kiliati, ʻo hangē ko e ngaahi ʻaho ʻi muʻa.

Yahweh, protect your people like [MET] [a shepherd protects his sheep] by using his walking stick; lead your people [MET] whom you have chosen to belong to you. [Even though some of them] live by themselves in a forest, give them the fertile pastureland in the Bashan and Gilead [regions] that they possessed long ago.

15 “ʻO fakatatau mo e ngaahi ʻaho ʻo hoʻo haʻu mei he fonua ko ʻIsipite, te u fakahā kiate ia, ʻae ngaahi meʻa fakaofo.”

[Yahweh says/replies], “[Yes], I will perform miracles for you like the miracles that I performed when I rescued your [ancestors] from [being slaves in] Egypt.”

16 ‌ʻE mamata ʻe he ngaahi puleʻanga, pea te nau ofo ʻi heʻenau mālohi kotoa pē: te nau ʻai honau nima ki honau ngutu; ʻe tuli ʻa honau telinga.

[People from many] nations will see [what Yahweh does for you], and they will be ashamed because they do not have any power. They will put their hands over their mouths and their ears [because they will be very amazed because of what Yahweh does], [and they will not be able to say anything or hear anything].

17 Te nau ʻemo ʻae efu, hangē ha ngata, te nau ngaolo mei honau ngaahi luo hangē ko e kelemutu ʻoe fonua: te nau manavahē kia Sihova ko hotau ʻOtua, pea te nau ilifia koeʻuhi ko koe.

[Being very humiliated, ] they will crawl on the ground [MTY] like [SIM] snakes. They will come out of their homes trembling, and stand revering Yahweh our God. They will be very afraid of him, and will tremble in front of him.

18 Ko hai ha ʻOtua ʻoku hangē ko koe, ke fakamolemole ʻae hia, pea ke laka atu ʻi he angahala ʻi he toenga ʻo hono tofiʻa? ʻOku ʻikai te ne maʻu ʻa hono houhau ʻo taʻengata, he ʻoku ne fiefia ʻi he ʻaloʻofa.

[Yahweh], there is no [RHQ] God like you; you forgive the sins [DOU] that were committed by the people who have survived, the people who belong to you. You do not remain angry forever; you are very happy [to show us] that you faithfully love [us].

19 ‌ʻE toe foki mai ia, te ne manavaʻofa kiate kitautolu; te ne ikuʻi ʻetau ngaahi hia; pea te ke lī ʻenau ngaahi angahala kotoa pē, ki he loloto ʻoe tahi.

You will again act kindly/compassionately toward us. You will get rid of [the scroll on which you have written] the sins that we have committed [as though you were] trampling it under your feet or throwing it into the deep ocean.

20 Te ke fakapapau ʻae moʻoni kia Sēkope, pea mo e ʻaloʻofa kia ʻEpalahame, ʻaia naʻa ke fuakava ki heʻemau ngaahi tamai talu mei he ngaahi ʻaho ʻi muʻa.

You will show that you faithfully [do what you promised for us] and faithfully love us, just like you solemnly promised long ago to our ancestors Abraham and Jacob that you would do.