Jeremiah 22
1 The LORD said, “Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak this word there:
Nanku akutshoyo uThixo: “Hamba wehlele endlini yenkosi yakoJuda umemezele khona ilizwi leli uthi,
2 ‘Hear the LORD’s word, king of Judah, who sits on David’s throne—you, your servants, and your people who enter in by these gates.
‘Zwana ilizwi likaThixo, we nkosi yakoJuda, wena ohlala esihlalweni sobukhosi sikaDavida, wena lezikhulu zakho kanye labantu bakho abangena ngamasango la.
3 The LORD says: “Execute justice and righteousness, and deliver him who is robbed out of the hand of the oppressor. Do no wrong. Do no violence to the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow. Do not shed innocent blood in this place.
UThixo uthi: Yenzani okulungileyo lokuqondileyo. Mhlenge esandleni somncindezeli wakhe lowo ophangiweyo. Lingenzi okubi loba udlakela kowezizweni, intandane loba umfelokazi, njalo lingachithi igazi elingelacala kule indawo.
4 For if you do this thing indeed, then kings sitting on David’s throne will enter in by the gates of this house, riding in chariots and on horses—they, their servants, and their people.
Ngoba nxa linanzelela ukulandela imilayo le, amakhosi ahlala esihlalweni sobukhosi sikaDavida azangena ngamasango ale indawo, egade izinqola zempi lamabhiza, elezikhulu zawo kanye labantu bawo.
5 But if you will not hear these words, I swear by myself,” says the LORD, “that this house will become a desolation.”’”
Kodwa nxa imilayo le lingayilaleli, kutsho uThixo, ngifunga ngami ukuthi indawo le izakuba lunxiwa.’”
6 For the LORD says concerning the house of the king of Judah: “You are Gilead to me, the head of Lebanon. Yet surely I will make you a wilderness, cities which are not inhabited.
Ngoba mayelana lendawo yenkosi yakoJuda uThixo uthi: “Lanxa unjengeGiliyadi kimi, lanjengengqongo yeLebhanoni, ngeqiniso ngizakwenza ufane lenkangala, lanjengamadolobho angahlali muntu.
7 I will prepare destroyers against you, everyone with his weapons, and they will cut down your choice cedars, and cast them into the fire.
Ngizakuthumela abachithi, indoda nganye ilezikhali zayo, njalo bazaquma imijabo yenu emihle yemisedari bayiphosele emlilweni.
8 “Many nations will pass by this city, and they will each ask his neighbor, ‘Why has the LORD done this to this great city?’
Abantu abavela ezizweni ezinengi bazadlula kulelidolobho babuzane besithi, ‘Kungani uThixo enze into enje kulelidolobho elikhulu na?’
9 Then they will answer, ‘Because they abandoned the covenant of the LORD their God, worshiped other gods, and served them.’”
Impendulo izakuthi: ‘Ngoba basidelile isivumelwano sikaThixo uNkulunkulu wabo bakhonza abanye onkulunkulu njalo babasebenzela.’”
10 Do not weep for the dead. Do not bemoan him; but weep bitterly for him who goes away, for he will return no more, and not see his native country.
Lingayikhaleli inkosi efileyo loba lililele ukulilahlekela kwayo; kodwa, khalelani kakhulu othunjiweyo, ngoba kasayikubuya njalo loba abone ilizwe lakibo futhi.
11 For the LORD says touching Shallum the son of Josiah, king of Judah, who reigned instead of Josiah his father, and who went out of this place: “He will not return there any more.
Ngoba mayelana loShalumi indodana kaJosiya, owangena esikhundleni sikayise esiba yinkosi yakoJuda kodwa osesukile kule indawo: UThixo uthi, “Kasoze abuye futhi.
12 But he will die in the place where they have led him captive. He will see this land no more.”
Uzafela kuleyondawo asiwa kuyo ethunjiwe; ilizwe leli kasoze alibone futhi.”
13 “Woe to him who builds his house by unrighteousness, and his rooms by injustice; who uses his neighbor’s service without wages, and does not give him his hire;
“Maye kuye owakha indlu yakhe yobukhosi ngokungalungi, lezindlu zakhe zangaphezulu ngokungafanelanga, esenza abantu bakibo basebenzele ize, engabaholisi lutho ngokusebenza kwabo.
14 who says, ‘I will build myself a wide house and spacious rooms,’ and cuts out windows for himself, with a cedar ceiling, and painted with red.
Uthi, ‘Ngizazakhela indlu enkulu yobukhosi elezitezi ezibanzi.’ Ngakho uyenza ibe lamawindi amakhulu, ayinameke ngemisidari, ayicombe ngokubomvu.
15 “Should you reign because you strive to excel in cedar? Did not your father eat and drink, and do justice and righteousness? Then it was well with him.
Ukuba lemisedari eminenginengi kukwenza ube yinkosi na? Uyihlo kazange abe lokudla lokunathwayo na? Wenza okuqondileyo lokulungileyo, ngakho konke kwamlungela.
16 He judged the cause of the poor and needy; so then it was well. Was not this to know me?” says the LORD.
Wavikela amalungelo abayanga labaswelayo, ngakho konke kwamlungela. Lokho akusikho okutsho ukungazi na?” kutsho uThixo.
17 But your eyes and your heart are only for your covetousness, for shedding innocent blood, for oppression, and for doing violence.”
“Kodwa amehlo akho lenhliziyo yakho kukhangele inzuzo yenkohliso, lokuchitha igazi elingelacala, ukuncindezela kanye lodlakela.”
18 Therefore the LORD says concerning Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: “They will not lament for him, saying, ‘Ah my brother!’ or, ‘Ah sister!’ They will not lament for him, saying ‘Ah lord!’ or, ‘Ah his glory!’
Ngakho mayelana loJehoyakhimi indodana kaJosiya, inkosi yakoJuda, uThixo uthi: “Kabayikumkhalela besithi: ‘Maye ngomfowethu! Maye ngodadewethu!’ Kabayikumkhalela besithi: ‘Maye ngenkosi yami! Maye ngobuhle bayo obukhulu!’
19 He will be buried with the burial of a donkey, drawn and cast out beyond the gates of Jerusalem.”
Uzangcwatshwa njengobabhemi, ahudulwe aphoselwe ngaphandle kwamasango aseJerusalema.”
20 “Go up to Lebanon, and cry out. Lift up your voice in Bashan, and cry from Abarim; for all your lovers have been destroyed.
“Qansa uye eLebhanoni umemeze, wenze ilizwi lakho lizwakale eBhashani; memeza use-Abharimi, ngoba bonke abamanyane lawe banqotshiwe.
21 I spoke to you in your prosperity, but you said, ‘I will not listen.’ This has been your way from your youth, that you did not obey my voice.
Ngakuxwayisa uzibona uvikelekile, kodwa wena wathi, ‘Angiyikulalela!’ Le ibe iyindlela yakho kusukela ebutsheni bakho; kawungilalelanga.
22 The wind will feed all your shepherds, and your lovers will go into captivity. Surely then you will be ashamed and confounded for all your wickedness.
Umoya uzabaxotshela khatshana bonke abelusi bakho, labamanyene lawe bazathunjwa. Lapho-ke uzayangeka ube lenhloni ngenxa yobubi bakho bonke.
23 Inhabitant of Lebanon, who makes your nest in the cedars, how greatly to be pitied you will be when pangs come on you, the pain as of a woman in travail!
Lina abahlala ‘eLebhanoni,’ eligcineke kuhle ezindlini zemisedari, lizabubula kakhulu lapho inhlungu zilehlela, ubuhlungu obunjengowesifazane ehelelwa!”
24 “As I live,” says the LORD, “though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet on my right hand, I would still pluck you from there.
UThixo uthi, “Ngeqiniso njengoba ngikhona, lanxa ngabe wena, Jehoyakhini ndodana kaJehoyakhimi inkosi yakoJuda, wawuyindandatho ebukekayo esandleni sami sokunene, ngangizakukhupha.
25 I would give you into the hand of those who seek your life, and into the hand of them of whom you are afraid, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of the Chaldeans.
Ngizakunikela kulabo abafuna ukukubulala, labo obesabayo, uNebhukhadineza inkosi yaseBhabhiloni lakumaKhaladiya.
26 I will cast you out with your mother who bore you into another country, where you were not born; and there you will die.
Wena kanye lonyoko owakuzalayo ngizaliphosela kwelinye ilizwe, lapho elingazalelwanga khona, lapho elizafela khona lobabili.
27 But to the land to which their soul longs to return, there they will not return.”
Kaliyikuphinda libuye elizweni elifisa ukuza kulo.”
28 Is this man Coniah a despised broken vessel? Is he a vessel in which no one delights? Why are they cast out, he and his offspring, and cast into a land which they do not know?
Umuntu lo, uJehoyakhini, uyimbiza efileyo, edelelwayo, into engafunwa muntu na? Kungani yena labantwabakhe bezaphoselwa ngaphandle, balahlelwe elizweni abangalaziyo na?
29 O earth, earth, earth, hear the LORD’s word!
Wena lizwe, lizwe, lizwe, zwana ilizwi likaThixo!
30 The LORD says, “Record this man as childless, a man who will not prosper in his days; for no more will a man of his offspring prosper, sitting on David’s throne and ruling in Judah.”
UThixo uthi: “Bhalani umuntu lo njengongelabantwana, umuntu ongayikuphumelela empilweni yakhe, ngoba kakho owenzalo yakhe ozaphumelela, kakho ozahlala esihlalweni sobukhosi sikaDavida loba abuse futhi koJuda.”
