Jeremiah 16
1 And the word of Jehovah came to me, saying,
Ilizwi likaThixo lafika kimi futhi lisithi:
2 Thou shalt not take thee a wife, and thou shalt not have sons nor daughters in this place.
“Ungathathi mfazi ube lamadodana loba amadodakazi kule indawo.”
3 For thus saith Jehovah concerning the sons and concerning the daughters that are born in this place, and concerning their mothers that bear them, and concerning their fathers that beget them in this land:
Ngoba mayelana lamadodana lamadodakazi azalelwe kulelilizwe kanye labesifazane abangonina lamadoda angoyise uThixo uthi:
4 They shall die of painful deaths; they shall not be lamented, neither shall they be buried; they shall be as dung upon the face of the ground, and they shall be consumed by the sword, and by famine, and their carcases shall be food for the fowl of the heavens and for the beasts of the earth.
“Bazakufa bebulawa yimikhuhlane eyesabekayo. Kabayikukhalelwa loba bangcwatshwe, kodwa bazakuba njengezibi emhlabathini. Bazabhubha ngenkemba langendlala, njalo izidumbu zabo zizakuba yikudla kwezinyoni zasemoyeni lezinyamazana zeganga.”
5 For thus saith Jehovah: Enter not into the house of wailing, neither go to lament or bemoan them; for I have taken away my peace from this people, saith Jehovah, the loving-kindness and the tender mercies.
Ngoba nanku akutshoyo uThixo: “Ungangeni endlini elokudla kwesililo; ungayilila kumbe utshengisele uzwelo, ngoba isibusiso sami, lothando lwami kanye lesihawu sami, sengikususile kulababantu,” kutsho uThixo.
6 Both great and small shall die in this land: they shall not be buried; and none shall lament for them, or cut themselves, nor make themselves bald for them.
“Bonke abaphakemeyo labantukazana bazakufa kulelilizwe. Kabayikungcwatshwa kumbe bakhalelwe, njalo kakho ozazisika kumbe aphuce ikhanda lakhe ngenxa yabo.
7 Nor shall they break [bread] for them in mourning, to comfort them for the dead; neither shall they give them the cup of consolations to drink for their father or for their mother.
Kakho ozabanika ukudla ukuba abaduduze labo abalilela ofileyo, loba kunguyise kumbe unina, kakho lozabanika amanzi ukuba abaduduze.
8 And thou shalt not go into the house of feasting, to sit with them, to eat and to drink.
Njalo ungangeni endlini eledili ukuba uhlale phansi udle unathe.
9 For thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will cause to cease out of this place, before your eyes, and in your days, the voice of mirth and the voice of joy, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride.
Ngoba uThixo uSomandla, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli, uthi: Phambi kobuso bakho njalo ensukwini zakho ngizawuqeda umsindo wentokozo lokuthaba kanye lamazwi abalobokazi labayeni kule indawo.
10 And it shall come to pass, when thou shalt declare unto this people all these words, and they shall say unto thee, Wherefore hath Jehovah pronounced all this great evil against us? and what is our iniquity? and what is our sin which we have committed against Jehovah our God?
Lapho abantu laba ubatshela konke lokhu besebekubuza besithi, ‘Kungani uThixo esemise ukusehlisela inkemenkeme engaka na? Senze bubi bani na? Sono bani esisenze kuThixo uNkulunkulu wethu?’
11 then shalt thou say unto them, Because your fathers have forsaken me, saith Jehovah, and have walked after other gods, and have served them, and have worshipped them, and have forsaken me, and have not kept my law;
wena wothi kubo, ‘Kungenxa yokuthi okhokho benu bangifulathela,’ kutsho uThixo, ‘njalo balandela abanye onkulunkulu babasebenzela, babakhonza. Bangifulathela njalo kabayigcinanga imithetho yami.
12 and you, ye have done still worse than your fathers; and there ye are walking every one after the stubbornness of his evil heart, not to hearken unto me:
Kodwa lina selenze okubi kakhulu kulabokhokho benu. Khangelani ukuthi lowo lalowo wenu uyilandela njani inkani yenhliziyo yakhe embi esikhundleni sokuthi angilalele.
13 and I will cast you forth out of this land, into a land that ye know not, ye nor your fathers; and there shall ye serve other gods day and night: because I will shew you no favour.
Ngakho ngizalilahlela ngaphandle kwalelilizwe elizweni lina loba oyihlo abangazange balazi, lapho elizakhonza khona abanye onkulunkulu emini lebusuku, ngoba angiyikuba lomusa kini.’”
14 Therefore, behold, days are coming, saith Jehovah, that it shall no more be said, [As] Jehovah liveth, who brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;
UThixo uthi, “Kodwa insuku ziyeza lapho abantu bengayikuthi, ‘Ngeqiniso elinjengokuthi uThixo ukhona, yena owakhupha abako-Israyeli eGibhithe,’
15 but, [As] Jehovah liveth, who brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them. For I will bring them again into their land, which I gave unto their fathers.
kodwa bazakuthi, ‘Ngeqiniso elinjengokuthi uThixo ukhona, yena owakhupha abako-Israyeli elizweni lasenyakatho lakuwo wonke amazwe ayebaxotshele kuwo.’ Ngoba ngizababuyisela elizweni engalinika okhokho babo.”
16 Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith Jehovah, and they shall fish them; and afterwards will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them, from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks.
UThixo uthi, “Kodwa khathesi ngizathumela abagoli benhlanzi abanengi, bazababamba. Emva kwalokho ngizathumela abazingeli abanengi, bazabazingela ezintabeni zonke lasemaqaqeni wonke njalo lasezingoxweni zamadwala.
17 For mine eyes are upon all their ways; they are not concealed from my face, neither is their iniquity hidden from before mine eyes.
Amehlo ami akuzo zonke izindlela zabo; kabafihlakalanga kimi, lesono sabo kasiwacatshelanga amehlo ami.
18 But first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double, because they have profaned my land with the carcases of their detestable things, and with their abominations have they filled mine inheritance.
Ngizaphindisela ngokuphindiweyo ububi babo lesono sabo, ngoba bangcolise ilizwe lami ngezinto ezingaphiliyo zezifanekiso zabo ezingamanyala, bagcwalisa lelifa lami ngezithombe zabo ezinengekayo.”
19 Jehovah, my strength and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of distress, unto thee shall the nations come from the ends of the earth, and they shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited falsehood [and] vanity; and in these things there is no profit.
Awu Thixo, mandla ami lenqaba yami, siphephelo sami ngesikhathi sokuhlupheka, izizwe zizakuza kuwe zivela emikhawulweni yomhlaba zithi, “Okhokho babengelalutho kodwa onkulunkulu bamanga, izithombe eziyize ezingabasizanga ngalutho.
20 Shall a man make gods unto himself, and they are no-gods?
Kambe abantu bayazenzela onkulunkulu babo na? Ye, kodwa kayisibo onkulunkulu!”
21 Therefore, behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know my hand and my might; and they shall know that my name is Jehovah.
“Ngakho ngizabafundisa, khathesi ngizabafundisa amandla ami lobukhulu bami. Lapho-ke bazakwazi ukuthi ibizo lami nguThixo.”
