Jeremiah 4
1 Oe, Isarel na ban pawiteh, kai koe vah ban, telah BAWIPA ni ati. Panuet na thonae hah ka hmaitung hoi na tâkhawng pawiteh, puen e lah na awm mahoeh toe.
Yahweh says, “You Israeli [people], come back to me! If you get rid of those detestable idols and do not turn away from me [again],
2 BAWIPA teh a hring, telah lawkkatang hoi lawkcengnae hoi, lannae dawk lawk na kam vaiteh, BAWIPA lahoi miphunnaw pueng ni amamouh dawk yaw ka hawi e lah ao awh han. Ahnimouh dawk pholennae lah ao awh han telah ati.
and if you declare, ‘Just as surely as Yahweh lives, what he says is true,’ and if you [start to] always say what is true and act justly/fairly and righteously, then the [people in the other] nations [of the world] will request that I bless them [as I have blessed you], and they will [all come and] honor/praise me.”
3 Bangkongtetpawiteh, Judah taminaw hoi Jerusalem taminaw koe BAWIPA ni hettelah a dei. Na laikawknaw hah kanawk awh nateh, pâkhing um vah cati tu hanh awh.
This is what Yahweh says to the people of Jerusalem and [the other cities in] Judah: “[Prepare yourselves to receive my messages] like farmers plow up hard ground [in order that they can plant seed in it]. Just as farmers do not [waste good seed by] sowing seeds among thorny plants, [I do not want to waste my time telling you messages that you are not ready to receive].
4 Nangmouh Judah taminaw hoi Jerusalem vah kho kasaknaw hanelah namamae lungthin vuensom hah a awh telah nahoeh pawiteh, yonnae na sak e kecu dawkvah, ka lungkhueknae teh hmai patetlah tawk vaiteh, apinihai padout thai laipalah na kang payon awh vaih.
Purify your inner beings and your minds for me. If you do not do that, my being angry with you [MTY] because of [all] the sins that you have committed will be like a fire that will be impossible to extinguish.”
5 Judah ram dawk pathang nateh, Jerusalem vah pâpho awh. Ram thung vah, mongka ueng nateh hram awh. Cungtalah kamkhueng nateh, rapan ka tawn e kho dawkvah, kâen awh sei telah tet awh.
“Declare this [DOU] to [all the people in] Jerusalem and [the rest of] Judea; blow the trumpets everywhere in the land [to warn the people]. Tell them that they should flee to the cities that have high walls around them.
6 Zion mon koelah lukkarei pathout awh. Roumnae tawng awh nateh uet hanh awh. Bangkongtetpawiteh, atunglah hoi kalenpounge rawknae hoi kathoute ka pha sak han.
Shout to the people of Jerusalem, ‘Run away [now]! Do not delay, because I am about to cause you to experience a terrible disaster [DOU] that will come from the north.
7 Ratu thung hoi sendek tâcawt vaiteh, miphunnaw ka raphoekung a tho lahun. Na ram hah raphoe hanelah a onae hmuen koehoi a tâco toe. Na khopui hah tami ao hoeh na hanlah a raphoe awh han.
[An army] that has destroyed [many] nations will attack you [like] [MET] a lion that comes out of its den [to attack other animals]. [The soldiers of that army] have taken down their tents and they are ready to march toward your land. They will destroy your cities and leave them without any people still living in them.’
8 Hat kecu dawkvah, burihni kâkhu awh nateh kap awh haw. Hramki awh. Bangkongtetpawiteh, ka patawpoung e BAWIPA lungkhueknae hah maimouh koehoi kamlang hoeh rah.
So, put on sackcloth/rough clothes and weep and beat your chests [to show that you are very sorry for what you have done], because Yahweh is still very angry with us.
9 Hote hnin dawk teh hettelah ao han telah BAWIPA ni ati. Siangpahrang hoi kahrawikungnaw e lungthin hah puen tâsue laihoi ao awh han. Vaihmanaw hah kângairu lah awm awh vaiteh, profetnaw ni a lungpout awh han.
Yahweh said that at the time [he punishes you], the King of Judah and [all his] officials will be very afraid. The priests and the prophets will be terrified.
10 Hahoi kai ni Oe! Bawipa Jehovah, hete taminaw hoi Jerusalem hah pueng hoi na dum toe, tahloi ni a hringnae a thut navah, roumnae na hmu han na ti telah ka ti.
Then I replied, “Yahweh [my] God, you completely deceived the people by telling them that there would be peace in Jerusalem, but now [our enemies] [PRS] are ready to slaughter us with their swords!”
11 Hatnae tueng dawk teh, hete taminaw hoi Jerusalem koe, kahrawng arasangnae cailum hmuen koehoi kabetpoung e kahlî ni ka taminaw hoi ka canunaw koe lah ahnimouh palek sak hane hoi thoung sak hanelah laipalah kahlî a tho han.
When that happens, [Yahweh] will say to the people of Jerusalem, [“A huge army will come to attack you]. They will not [be like a gentle breeze that] separates wheat from chaff. [They will be like] a very hot wind [that blows in] from the desert [MET].
12 Hotnaw hanelah ka patawpoung e kahlî kai koehoi a tho han. Ahnimouh taranlahoi lawkcengnae hai ka dei han, telah tie lah ao han.
[They will be like] [MET] a strong blast that I will send. Now I am declaring that I will punish/destroy you.”
13 Khenhaw! tâmai patetlah bongparui patetlah kaawm e rangleng hoi a tho han. A marang teh mataw hlak hai aranghnawn. Maimouh teh yawkathout e lah o awh, rawknae koe lah pha awh toe.
[Our enemies] are about to rush down on us; their chariots are like [SIM] whirlwinds. Their horses are faster than eagles. It will be terrible for us!
14 Oe, Jerusalem rungngang lah na o thai nahan, ka thout e lungthin hah thoung sak totouh maw pouk payonnae na thung vah ao han.
[You people of] Jerusalem [APO], purify your hearts/inner beings, in order that Yahweh will rescue you. How long will you continue to think about [doing] evil things?
15 Bangkongtetpawiteh, Dan ram hoi lawk a tâco teh, Ephraim mon hoi kathoute hah a pâpho.
From Dan [city in the far north] to the hills of Ephraim [a few miles/kilometers north of Jerusalem] messengers are proclaiming that disasters are coming.
16 Miphun tangkuem koe dei awh. Oe Jerusalem taranlahoi pâpho awh. Khenhaw! ram hlanae koehoi katuetnaw a tho teh, Judah khopuinaw taran lah hoi a hram awh.
Tell this to the [people in other] nations [but also] announce it in Jerusalem: [Yahweh says], “An army is coming to Jerusalem from far away; they will shout [a battle-cry] against the cities in Judah.
17 Kai na taran awh dawkvah, law karingkungnaw patetlah a tengpam hoi a kalup awh telah BAWIPA ni ati.
They will set up tents around Jerusalem like people set up temporary shelters [SIM] around a field [at harvest time]. That will happen because the people of Judah have rebelled against me.
18 Na hringnae na nuencang hoi na tawksak e ni hete hno heh, na lathueng vah a pha sak. Hetteh kakhat e, na hawi awh hoeh nae lah ao dawkvah, na lungthin hah a thut.
You will be punished very severely; it will [be as though a sword] has stabbed your inner beings. But you are causing those things to happen to you because of the evil things that you have done.”
19 Oe, ka hringnae, ka hringnae, ka lungthin roeroe heh a patawpoung. Ka thung vah ka lungthin hanghangkâan. Duem kaawm thai hoeh. Tarantuknae pawlawk hoi kâhruetcuetnae mongka ueng e pawlawk hah na thai dawkvah Oe, ka hringnae duem kaawm thai hoeh.
I am extremely anguished/sad; the pain in my inner being is very severe. My heart beats wildly. But I cannot remain silent because I have heard [our enemies] blowing their trumpets to announce that the battle [against Judah will start immediately].
20 Rawknae dawkvah rawknae a hram. Bangkongtetpawiteh, ramnaw pueng hah a rawk toe. Kaie lukkareiim hah vai touh hoi a rawk teh, lukkarei hai tawkkadek dawk a rawk.
Disasters will occur one after another until the whole land is ruined. Suddenly [all] our tents will be destroyed; [even] the curtains [inside the tents] will be ripped apart.
21 Atueng nâsittouh maw tarantuknae lukkarei hah ka hmu vaiteh, mongka lawk ka thai han vai.
How long will this battle continue? How long will I continue to see the enemy battle flags and hear the sound of their trumpets being blown?
22 Bangkongtetpawiteh, ka taminaw teh a pathu poung dawkvah, kai na panuek awh hoeh. Camo ka pathu e panuenae ka tawn hoeh e patetlah ao awh. Kathout e sak hanelah a lungang awh eiteh, hawinae sak hane panuek awh hoeh.
[Yahweh says], “My people are [very] foolish! They do not have a relationship with me. They are [like] [MET] stupid children who do not understand [anything]. They very cleverly do what is wrong, but they do not know how to do what is good.”
23 Talai ka khet navah a hrawnghrang pui lah ao. Kalvan hai ka khet navah, a angnae awm hoeh.
[God gave me a vision in which] I saw that the earth was barren and without form. I looked at the sky, and there was no light there.
24 Mon hai ka khet navah, koung a pâyaw. Monruinaw pueng hai koung kâkapek
I looked at the mountains and hills, and they shook and moved from side to side.
25 Ka khet navah, taminaw hai awm hoeh. Kalvan e tavanaw pueng hai koung kamleng.
I looked and saw that there were no [more] people, and all the birds had flown away.
26 Ka khet navah kahawi e law hah kahrawng lah ao toe. BAWIPA e hmalah, pueng hoi a lungkhueknae hmalah khopuinaw pueng hai a rawp awh.
I looked and saw that the fields that previously were fertile had become a desert. The cities were all ruined; they had all been destroyed by Yahweh because he was extremely angry.
27 Bangkongtetpawiteh, BAWIPA ni hettelah a dei. Ramnaw pueng kingdi han. Hateiteh, abuemlahoi teh ka pout sak mahoeh.
This is what Yahweh is saying: “The entire land [of Judah] will be ruined, but I will not destroy it completely.
28 Hote hno kecu dawk talai ni a cingou han. Lathueng lae kalvan hai a hmo han. Bangkongtetpawiteh, ka dei toung dawkvah, ka kâcai toe. Pankângai vaiteh, bout kamlang mahoeh toe.
I will do to my people what I said that I would do, and I will not change my mind. So [when that happens, it will be as though] the earth will mourn and the sky will become very dark.”
29 Marangransanaw hoi licung ka e pawlawk hoi khopui koung a yawng han. Ka hmawt e ratu thung vah kâen awh vaiteh, talung dawk a luen awh han. Khonaw pueng cettakhai vaiteh kho ka sak e buet touh boehai awm awh mahoeh.
[When the people hear] the sound of the [enemy] army marching, [they will be terrified as] they flee from their cities. Some of them will find places to hide in the bushes, and others will run toward the mountains/hills [to escape being killed by their enemies]. All the cities [in Judah] will be abandoned; not one person will remain in them.
30 Na rawk torei teh, bangtelamaw na ti han. Ka paling e khohna nakunghai, sui puengcang hoi na kamthoup nakunghai, mitlakhuem na kâhluk nakunghai, aphu kaawm hoeh e na kamthoup rumram e doeh. Na thoundounnaw ni na dudam awh mingming han. Na hringnae thei hanlah a tawng awh han.
So you who will surely be destroyed, [why are you doing the things that you are doing now]? Why are you wearing beautiful clothes and jewelry? Why are you putting paint around your eyes? Doing those things will not help you, because the people [in other countries that you think] love you [actually] despise you, and they will try to kill you.
31 Bangkongtetpawiteh, napui ni camo khe pataw khangnae kâhram pawlawk ka thai. Camin ka khe e ni pataw a khangnae doeh. Zion canu kâha a uek teh a kut a dâw teh ka yawthoe poung toe, bangtelah, tamikathoutnaw kecu dawk ka hringnae ka rei thai poung toe telah ati.
[It is as though] I already hear [the people in Jerusalem] crying very loudly, like [SIM] a woman cries when she is giving birth to her first child; she gasps for breath and pleads for someone to help her. [It is as though Jerusalem] is crying, “Something terrible is happening to me! They are about to murder me!”
