Ihaia 43

1 Na inaianei ko te kupu tenei a Ihowa, a tou kaihanga, e Hakopa, a tou kaiwhakaahua, e Iharaira, Kaua e wehi: kua oti nei hoki koe te hoko e ahau, kua karangatia e ahau tou ingoa; naku koe.

But now, you people of Israel, listen to Yahweh, the one who established your nation. The one who caused you to become a nation [DOU] says this: “Do not be afraid, because I previously rescued you. I enabled you to have a personal relationship with me [MTY], and you belong to me.

2 Ka haere koe i roto i te wai, ko ahau hei hoa mou; i nga awa ano, e kore e huri mai ki runga i a koe; ki te haere koe i roto i te ahi, e kore koe e wera, e kore ano te mura e ka ki a koe.

When you [experience dangerous situations], and [you feel like] [MET] you are crossing deep rivers, I will be with you. When you have very big troubles/difficulties, you will [LIT] be able to endure them. When [people try to kill you like they tried to kill Daniel’s three friends by] throwing them in a fire, you will not [die, just like Daniel’s three friends were not] burned up,

3 Ko Ihowa hoki ahau, ko tou Atua, ko te Mea Tapu o Iharaira, ko tou kaiwhakaora: i hoatu e ahau a Ihipa hei utu mou, a Etiopia raua ko Tepa hei wahi mou.

because I am Yahweh, your God, the Holy One of Israel, the one who rescues you. I will enable [the army of the emperor of Persia] to conquer Egypt instead of conquering you; similarly I will enable them to conquer Ethiopia, and Seba [in Arabia], in order that you can be saved.

4 I te mea he taonga nui koe ki taku titiro, he mea e whakahonoretia ana, a i arohaina koe e ahau; mo reira ka hoatu e ahau he tangata mo tou turanga, he iwi hoki hei utu mou kia ora.

I will cause other countries to be conquered, instead of your country; I will trade them for you, in order that you will not be killed, because you are very precious [DOU] to me and because I love you.

5 Kaua e wehi: kei a koe nei hoki ahau: ka kawea mai e ahau ou uri i te rawhiti, ka kohikohia mai koe i te uru.

Do not be afraid, because I am with you. [Some day] I will gather your descendants from the east and from the west.

6 Ka mea ahau ki te raki, Homai; ki te tonga, Kaua e kaiponuhia: kawea mai aku tama i tawhiti, aku tamahine i te pito o te whenua;

I will command the [rulers of the nations to] the north and to the south, ‘Allow all the people of Israel to return [to their country], from the most distant places on the earth.

7 Te hunga katoa i huaina nei toku ingoa mo ratou: naku hoki ratou i hanga hei whakakororia moku: naku ia i whakaahua, naku hoki ia i mahi.

Allow all those who belong to me [MTY] to return, because I have caused them to become a nation in order that they would honor me; I am the one who has done that [DOU].’

8 Whakaputaina mai nga matapo he kanohi nei o ratou, nga turi he taringa nei o ratou.

Summon the people who have eyes but [it is as though] they are blind; summon those who have ears but [because they do not listen to me, it is as though] they are deaf.

9 Kia huihui nga iwi katoa, kia rupeke tahi nga tauiwi: ko wai i roto i a ratou hei whakaatu i tenei, hei korero i nga mea o mua ki a tatou? kia homai e ratou o ratou kaiwhakaatu, kia whakatikaia atu ai ta ratou: ma ratou ranei e whakarongo, e mea mai, He pono.

Gather people of all nations together, ones from all people-groups, [and ask them this]: ‘Has any of their idols foretold the things that are happening now? And can any of them predict what will happen in the future?’ Then bring people who will testify and say ‘I heard them predict things, and what they predicted was what happened,’ [but they will be lying].”

10 Ko koutou hei whakaatu mo taku, e ai ta Ihowa, me taku pononga i whiriwhiria e ahau, kia mohio ai koutou, kia whakapono ai ki taku, kia matau ai ko ahau ia, kahore he Atua i whakaahuatia i mua i ahau, kahore hoki tetahi i muri i ahau.

But Yahweh says, “You people of Israel (are my witnesses/know what I have done), and you are the ones who serve me. I chose you in order that you would know me, believe in me, and understand that I am the only one who is [truly] God. There is no other [true] God. There was no other [true] God previously, and there will never be another [true] God.

11 Ko ahau, ko ahau nei ano, a Ihowa; kahore atu hoki he kaiwhakaora, ko ahau anake.

I, [only] I, am Yahweh, and there is no other one who can save you.

12 Naku i whakaatu, naku hoki i whakaora, naku ano i korero, i te mea kahore he atua ke i roto i a koutou: na ko koutou hei kaiwhakaatu moku, e ai ta Ihowa, a ko te Atua ahau.

I said that I would rescue [your ancestors], and then I rescued them, and I proclaimed [that I had done it]. No foreign god among you did that! And you are witnesses that only I, Yahweh, am God.

13 Ae ra, i te mea kahore ano he ra ko ahau tenei; e kore hoki tetahi e whakaora ake i roto i toku ringa: maku e mahi, ko wai hoki hei whakakahore?

I am God, the one who has existed forever and who will exist forever; no one can snatch people from my hand, and no one can alter/change what I have done.”

14 Ko te kupu tenei a Ihowa, a to koutou kaihoko, a te Mea Tapu o Iharaira, He whakaaro ki a koutou i unga tangata ai ahau ki Papurona, a ka mauria mai e ahau ratou katoa, he mawhiti mai, ara nga Karari i runga i nga kaipuke i harakoa ai ratou.

Yahweh, the Holy One of Israel, is the one who rescues you; and this is what he says: “For your sake, I will send [an army] to [attack] Babylon. They will force the people of that city to flee in ships which they have been proud of.

15 Ko Ihowa ahau, ko to koutou Mea Tapu, ko te kaihanga o Iharaira, ko to koutou Kingi.

I am Yahweh, your Holy One, the one who caused Israel to become a nation, and the one who is really your king.

16 Ko te kupu tenei a Ihowa nana nei i homai te ara i te moana, te huarahi i roto i nga wai kaha;

I am Yahweh, the one who opened a path through the water, making a road through the [Red] Sea.

17 Nana nei i whakaputa mai te hariata, te hoiho, te ope, me te kaha; takoto tahi ana ratou, te ara ki runga: kua keto ratou, kua tineia, ano he muka.

Then I summoned the great army [of Egypt] to come with all their chariots and horses. [But when they tried to pursue my people], I caused the waves to flow over them [and they drowned]; their lives ended [like the light of a candle ends when someone] [MET] snuffs out the wick.

18 Kaua e mahara ki nga mea o mua; ko nga mea onamata kaua e whakaaroa.

But do not think [only] about what happened in the past, long ago [DOU].

19 Tenei ahau te mahi nei i te mea hou; akuanei te tupu ai: e kore ranei e mohiotia e koutou? ka oti i ahau he ara i te koraha, he awa i te titohea.

Instead, consider the new thing that I am going to do. I have already started to do it; can you see it? I am going to make a road through the desert. And I will cause there to be streams in the wasteland/desert.

20 Ka whakakororiatia ahau e nga kararehe o te parae, e nga kirehe mohoao, e nga otereti; no te mea ka hoatu e ahau he wai i te koraha, he awa i te titohea, hei inu ma taku iwi, ma taku i whiriwhiri ai;

The jackals/wolves and owls and other wild creatures will thank me for giving them water in the desert. I will cause streams to appear in the dry desert in order that my people, the ones whom I have chosen, will have water;

21 Ma te iwi i whakaahuatia e ahau maku, ma ratou e kauwhau te whakamoemiti moku.

I will do that for the people whom I have created [and chosen] to belong to me, and [some day] they will cause many others to praise me.

22 Na kihai nei koe i karanga ki ahau, e Hakopa; kua hoha koe ki ahau e Iharaira.

But now, you descendants of Jacob, you refuse to request my help. It seems that you people of Israel have become tired of worshiping me.

23 Kihai i kawea mai e koe ki ahau au hipi hei tahunga tinana; kihai ano ahau i whakakororiatia ki au patunga tapu. Kahore aku whakamahi i a koe ki te whakahere, kihai ano koe i ngenge, i te meatanga i te whakakakara.

You have not brought to me sheep or goats for offerings that will be completely burned [on the altar]; you have not honored me by [bringing to me any] sacrifices, even though the offerings of grain and incense [that I asked you] to bring to me were not a burden to you.

24 Kihai i hokona e koe he kakaho reka maku ki te moni, kihai hoki ahau i makona i te ngako o au patunga tapu; engari i whakamahia ahau e koe ki ou hara, mauiui ana ahau i au mahi he.

You have bought for me fragrant reeds, and you have brought me the fat from your sacrifices. But these have not pleased me, because you have burdened me by all the sins that you have committed, and made me weary because of all (your iniquities/the wrong things that you have done).

25 Ko ahau, ko ahau nei ano, te kaimuru atu i ou he, he whakaaro ano ki ahau: e kore ano ou hara e maharatia e ahau.

I am the one who is able to forgive you for all your sins; I am the only one who can do that, with the result that I will never think about them again.

26 Whakamaharatia ahau; tatou ka whakawa ki a tatou ano; korerotia e koe tau, kia whakatikaia ai koe.

Tell me what I have done that you do not like. Do you think that when you state your case, you will prove that you (are innocent/have done nothing wrong) [IRO]?

27 Ko tou papa tuatahi, i hara; ko ou kaiwhakaako, whakakeke ana ki ahau.

No, [what has happened is that] the first ancestor of you Israelis sinned [against me], and since then, all your leaders have rebelled against me.

28 Na reira whakapokea iho e ahau nga rangatira o te wahi tapu, a hoatu ana e ahau a Hakopa ki te kanga, a Iharaira ki te tawai.

That is why I have caused your priests to be disgraced; and I have allowed others to destroy you people of Israel and caused you to be despised.”