< Jeremiah 23 >

1 Kai ih tuu takha thungah kapra tuunawk to amrosak moe, ahmuen kruekah amkhraengsak tuutoep kaminawk loe khosak bing o! tiah Angraeng mah thuih.
Yahweh declares, “Terrible things will happen to [the leaders] [MET] [of my people—those who are like] shepherds of [the people who are like] my sheep—because they have scattered my people and sent them away, and have not taken care of them.
2 To pongah Israel Angraeng Sithaw mah, kai ih kami pacah tuutoep kaminawk khaeah, Kai ih tuunawk to na toep o ai, na khenzawn o ai moe, na haek o boih; khenah, na sak o ih hmuennawk baktih toengah nangcae nuiah kang phaksak han, tiah thuih.
So, this is what [I, ] Yahweh, the God whom the Israeli [people worship], say to those leaders: ‘Instead of taking care of my people and [leading them to places where they are safe, like a shepherd does for] his sheep, you have scattered them. So I will punish you for the evil things that you have done.
3 Ka haek ih prae boih thungah anghmat ka tuunawk to ka tacuu moe, angmacae ih tuu khongkha thungah ka prawt let han; nihcae loe to ah caa sah o ueloe, pung o tih.
But later I will gather those who are still alive, from the countries where I have forced them to go. I will bring them back to their own country, where they will have many children, and their number/population will increase.
4 Nihcae khetzawn hanah tuutoep kaminawk to ka suek han, nihcae loe zithaih hoi tasoehhaih tawn o mak ai boeh, thuitaekhaih doeh om mak ai boeh, tiah Angraeng mah thuih.
[Then] I will appoint [other] leaders for my people, leaders who will take care of them. And my people will never be afraid [DOU] of anything again, and none of them will be [like a] lost [sheep].’”
5 Khenah, David hanah toenghaih tadok ka tacawtsak han, siangpahrang maeto mah uk tih, khosak hoihaih om ueloe, long nuiah toenghaih hoi lokcaekhaih ani to angzo tih.
Yahweh [also] says, “Some day I will appoint for you a righteous man who will be a descendant of King David. He will be a king who rules wisely. He will do what is just and right throughout the land.
6 Anih ih atue thungah Judah to pahlong ah om ueloe, Israel loe monghaih hoiah khosah tih; to angraeng loe aicae toenghaih Angraeng, Jehovah-tsikenu, tiah kawk tih.
At that time, all the Israeli people [DOU] will be saved [from their enemies], and they will be safe. And his name will be ‘Yahweh, the one who vindicates/defends us.’”
7 To pongah, khenah, to ani loe angzoh li boeh, tiah Angraeng mah thuih; to naah kaminawk mah, Israel caanawk Izip prae hoi zaehoikung Angraeng loe hing, tiah thui o mak ai boeh;
Yahweh [also] says that at that time, people [who are solemnly promising to do something] will no longer say, “[I will do it as surely] as Yahweh lives, who rescued the Israeli people from Egypt.”
8 toe, ka haek ih prae boih hoi aluek bang ih prae hoiah Israel imthung takohnawk zaehoikung, Angraeng loe hing, tiah thui o tih; nihcae loe angmacae ih prae thungah om o tih boeh.
Instead, they will say, “[I will do it] as surely as Yahweh lives, who brought [us] Israeli people back to our own land, from the land to the northeast and from all the [other] countries to which he had exiled us.” And they will live in their own land [again].
9 Tahmaanawk kawng pongah ka palungthin to koih boeh; ka huhnawk boih anghuen boeh; Angraeng hoi kaciim a loknawk pongah, mu paquih baktiah ka oh, mu mah pazawk ih kami baktiah ka oh boeh.
I am very shocked because of the sacred message that Yahweh has spoken about [what will happen to] the [false] prophets; [it is as though] all my bones shake. I stagger like a man who is drunk after drinking a lot of wine.
10 Prae loe nongpa nongpata zaesakhaih hoiah koi boeh; tangoenghaih pongah prae to zaek boih boeh, praezaek ih kahoih long doeh zaek boih boeh, tahmaanawk loe kasae loklam to pazui o, nihcae thacakhaih to katoengah patoh o ai.
The land is full of [people who commit] adultery; and [Yahweh] has cursed the land. Even the pastures in the desert are all dried up, because the people do what is evil, and [the false prophets] use their power to do things that are not just/fair.
11 Tahmaa hoi qaima loe Sithaw saiqathaih to tawn ai; ka im thungah mataeng doeh, nihnik sethaih to ka hnuk, tiah Angraeng mah thuih.
Yahweh says, “[Yes, even] the priests and the prophets are ungodly; they do wicked things even in my temple.
12 To pongah nihnik ih loklam loe khoving thung ih loklam kamnae baktiah oh, nihnik to nuih o tih, to naah nihnik loe amthaek hoi tih; nihnik thuitaekhaih saning phak naah, nihnik nuiah sethaih to ka phaksak han, tiah Angraeng mah thuih.
Therefore, [it will be as though] the paths that they walk on are slippery. [It will be as though] they are being chased in the darkness, and there they will fall down, because I will cause them to experience disasters at the time that I will punish them. [That will surely happen because I], Yahweh, have said it.”
13 Samaria ih tahmaanawk thungah doeh amthuhaih to ka hnuk; Baal ih ahmin hoiah lok a thuih o moe, kai ih kami Israel caanawk to loklam anghmang o sak.
[Previously] I saw that the prophets in Samaria were doing something that was wrong; they were prophesying, saying that Baal [gave them the messages that they were proclaiming], and they were deceiving my people.
14 Jerusalem ih tahmaanawk salakah doeh panuet kaom hmuen to ka hnuk; nihcae loe zu sava nuiah nongpa nongpata zaehaih to sak o moe, amsawnlok a thuih o; kasae sah kaminawk ih ban to thacak o sak, a sak o ih sethaih hoiah amlaem kami om ai; nihcae loe kai hanah Sodom baktiah oh o, Jerusalem kaminawk loe Gomorrah baktiah oh o boih, tiah a thuih.
And [now] I have seen the prophets in Jerusalem doing terrible things. They commit adultery and habitually tell lies. They encourage evil people to continue to do evil things, with the result that the people do not stop sinning. Those prophets are as wicked as the people in Sodom and Gomorrah were.
15 To pongah tahmaanawk pongah, misatuh kaminawk ih Angraeng Sithaw mah, Jerusalem ih tahmaanawk amhnonghaih loe prae boih ah pung boeh, to pongah nihcae han kakhaa tasi to ka pacah moe, tui kakhaa to ka naeksak han, tiah thuih.
So, this is what the Commander of the armies of angels says about those [false] prophets: “I will give those prophets bitter things to eat and poison to drink, because it is because of them that this land is filled with [people who do] wicked things.”
16 Misatuh kaminawk ih Angraeng mah, tahmaa rumramnawk mah nangcae khaeah thuih o ih lok to tahngai o hmah; nihcae mah ni nangcae oep kaom ai ah ang oh o sak; Angraeng ih pakha thung hoiah tacawt lok na ai ah, angmacae palung thung hoiah poek o ih baktiah ni lok to a thuih o rumram, tiah thuih.
This is what the Commander of the armies of angels says: “Do not pay any attention to what those [false] prophets say to you, because they are just deceiving you. They tell you about visions that they have thought/created [only] in their own minds, not about visions that I have given them.
17 Kai patoek kaminawk khaeah, Monghaih na tawn o tih, tiah Angraeng mah thuih, tiah a naa o; angmacae poekhaih hoi palung mah thuih ih lok baktiah pazui kaminawk khaeah, nangcae nuiah raihaih tidoeh pha mak ai, tiah a naa o.
They habitually say to those who hate me, ‘[Yahweh says that] you will have peace.’ And they say to those who stubbornly do what they want to do, ‘Nothing bad will happen to you [because of your doing those things].’
18 A lok to hnuk moe, thaih hanah, nihcae salakah mi maw Angraeng hoi lokthuih hanah angdoe? Mi mah maw a lok thaih pae hanah tahngai?
But none of them has ever been in a council [meeting] in heaven in order to listen to a message from me. None of them has paid attention to anything that [I], Yahweh, have said.
19 Khenah, Angraeng ih takhi kamhae loe palungphuihaih hoiah song; to takhi loe ham parai, kahoih ai kaminawk lu nuiah krah tih.
So, listen to this: I will punish them; it will be [like] a great storm; it will come down [like] a whirlwind, swirling around the heads of those wicked people.
20 Angraeng palungphuihaih loe palung thungah poekhaih koepsak ai karoek to amlaem let mak ai; hnukkhuem ah ni kamtuengah na panoek o tih.
I will not stop being angry until I completely accomplish all that I have planned. In the future, you will understand [all of] this clearly.”
21 Hae tahmaanawk loe kai mah patoeh ih tahmaa na ai ni, toe nihcae loe cawnh o; nihcae khaeah lok ka thui ai, toe angmacae koehah lok to thuih o.
[Yahweh also says, ] “I have not appointed those prophets, but they run [around telling people their messages]. I did not speak to them, but they [continue to] prophesy.
22 Nihcae hoi kai lokramhaih om nahaeloe, kai ih kaminawk mah ka lok to tahngai o ueloe, loklam kasae, kahoih ai hmuen sakhaih hoiah nihcae to amlaemsak tih.
If they had been in my council [meetings], they would have been able to speak messages from me, and they would have caused people to turn away from committing evil things.”
23 Kai loe anghnai daek ah kaom Sithaw ah ka oh baktih toengah, angthla ah kaom Sithaw ah doeh ka om ai maw? tiah, Angraeng mah thuih.
Yahweh [also] says, “Am I a God who is only nearby? No, I am a God who is far away, also.
24 Ka hnuk thaih han ai ah, tamquta hoi anghawk thaih kami to oh maw? tiah Angraeng mah thuih. Van hoi long koisakung loe kai na ai maw? tiah Angraeng mah thuih.
So, no one can hide in some secret place with the result that I cannot see him. I am everywhere, in heaven and on the earth! [That is what I], Yahweh, say!
25 Tahmaanawk mah kai ih ahmin hoiah Amang ka sak! Amang ka sak! tiah thuih o ih amsawnlok to ka thaih.
I have heard those prophets prophesy lies, saying that they are telling people messages from me. They say, ‘[Listen to me tell you] the dream that God gave me last night! I [really] had this dream!’
26 To tahmaanawk ih palung thungah amsawnlok thuihaih nasetto maw om vop tih? Ue, nihcae loe angmacae ih palung mah alinghaih baktiah ni lok to a thuih o,
How long will they continue to do this? How long will those lying prophets continue to prophesy things that come only from their own minds?
27 ampanawk mah Baal to bok o moe, kai ih ahmin pahnet o baktih toengah, kai ih kaminawk mah kai ih ahmin pahnet o thai hanah, imtaeng kaminawk boih khaeah angmacae ih amang to a thuih pae o.
They think that because of the dreams that they tell to each other, people will forget me, like their ancestors forgot about me when they started to worship Baal.
28 Amang sah tahmaa mah amang to thui nasoe; ka lok taphong kami mah doeh ka lok to oep kaom ah thui nasoe. Cangni hoi canghii angvanhaih oh maw? tiah Angraeng mah thuih.
Allow those [false] prophets to tell people their dreams, but those who have messages that [really] come from me should proclaim those messages faithfully. I, Yahweh, say [that like] straw and grain are certainly very different, [my messages and the messages from those false prophets are certainly very different].
29 Ka lok loe hmai baktiah oh moe, thlung khuekhaih cakii baktiah om ai maw? tiah Angraeng mah thuih.
[It is as though] my messages [burn] like a fire; they [strike people’s inner beings like] someone strikes a rock with a hammer and smashes it into pieces.
30 To pongah, khenah, imtaeng kaminawk khae hoi ka lok paqu patoeng tahmaanawk to misa ah ka sak han, tiah Angraeng mah thuih.
Therefore, [I, ] Yahweh say, 'I oppose all those prophets who steal messages from each other and claim that those messages came from me.
31 Khenah, angmacae koeh ah palai to patoh moe, amang ka sak, tiah thui tahmaanawk to misa ah ka sak han, tiah Angraeng mah thuih.
I oppose those prophets who speak their own messages but claim that those messages came from me.
32 Khenah, avang ai amang thui kaminawk to misa ah ka suek, tiah Angraeng mah thuih; nihcae to ka patoeh ai, nihcae khaeah ka thui ai to mah, tiah doeh sah ai ah, kai ih kaminawk khaeah amsawnlok to a thuih pae o moe, loklam amkhraeng o sak; hae kaminawk loe atho om ai, tiah Angraeng mah thuih.
I oppose those prophets who falsely say that I told them something in a vision, but they are [only] telling lies that cause my people to sin. I did not send those prophets. I did not even appoint them [to be prophets]. And they have no messages that will benefit my people at all.' [That is what I, ] Yahweh, declare.”
33 Hae kaminawk mah maw, tahmaa mah maw, qaima mah maw, Angraeng ih lok loe tih aa? tiah nang khaeah lok ang dueng o naah nihcae khaeah, Angraeng ih lok mah, kang pahnawt o sut han boeh, tiah Angraeng mah thuih, tiah thui pae oh.
[Yahweh said to me], “If one of those prophets or priests or one of the [other] people asks you, ‘What problem has Yahweh told you about [now]?’, you must reply, ‘You are the problem! And Yahweh says that he will abandon you!’
34 Hae loe Angraeng ih lok ni, tiah tahmaa mah maw, qaima mah maw, kaminawk mah maw thui o nahaeloe, kathui kami hoi a imthung takoh boih ka thuitaek han.
And if any prophet or priest or anyone [else falsely] says, ‘[I have] a prophecy from Yahweh,’ I will punish that person and his family.
35 Nangcae mah, nihcae ampuinawk hoi nihcae ih caanawk boih khaeah, Angraeng mah timaw ang pathim moe, tih lok maw ang thuih? tiah dueng oh.
What you should continually ask each other is, ‘[When you spoke to Yahweh, ] what did he reply? What is he saying [to us]?’
36 Kami boih mah, angmah koehah thuih ih lok to oh; to lok to Angraeng mah thuih ih lok ni, tiah na thuih o nahaeloe, Kahing Sithaw hoi misatuh kaminawk ih Angraeng, aicae Sithaw ih lok to nam khraeng o sak boeh.
But stop saying ‘[I have] a prophecy/message from Yahweh,’ because those who say that are doing it only because they want people to accept their ideas, and by doing that they distort/change the messages that are from our God, the Commander of the armies of angels.
37 Tahmaa khaeah, Angraeng mah timaw ang pathim moe, tih lok maw ang thuih? tiah dueng oh.
This is what you should ask each prophet: ‘What did Yahweh reply [when you talked to him]? What is he saying [to us]?’
38 Toe hae loe Angraeng mah thuih ih lok ni, tiah thui o hmah, tiah Angraeng ang thuih o ih lok to na tang o ai moe, hae loe Angraeng mah thuih ih lok ni, tiah na thuih o pongah,
If he replies, ‘[What I told you] is a prophecy/message from Yahweh,’ you should say to him, ‘You have continued to say, “[I received] a prophecy/message from Yahweh” even though I told you to not claim that you have received prophecies/messages from Yahweh.’
39 khenah, nangcae to kang pahnet ving han, nangcae hoi nam panawk khaeah ka paek ih vangpui to ka pahnawt moe, ka hmaa hoiah kang vah o ving han.
So I [, Yahweh, ] will get rid of you [false prophets]. I will expel you from my presence. And I will get rid of this city that I gave to you and to your ancestors.
40 Nangcae nuiah dungzan ahminsethaih to ka phaksak moe, pahnet thai ai, dungzan azathaih to kang phaksak han, tiah Angraeng mah thuih.
I will cause people to make fun of you forever. People will never forget that you were disgraced.”

< Jeremiah 23 >