Jeremiah 16
1 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying:
Ilizwi likaThixo lafika kimi futhi lisithi:
2 Thou shalt not take thee a wife, neither shalt thou have thee sons and daughters in this place.
“Ungathathi mfazi ube lamadodana loba amadodakazi kule indawo.”
3 For thus saith the Lord concerning the sons and daughters, that are born in this place, and concerning their mothers that bore them: and concerning their fathers, of whom they were born in this land:
Ngoba mayelana lamadodana lamadodakazi azalelwe kulelilizwe kanye labesifazane abangonina lamadoda angoyise uThixo uthi:
4 They shall die by the death of grievous illnesses: they shall not be lamented, and they shall not be buried, they shall be as dung upon the face of the earth: and they shall be consumed with the sword, and with famine: and their carcasses shall be meat for the fowls of the air, 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 the Lord: Enter not into the house of feasting, neither go thou to mourn, nor to comfort them: because I have taken away my peace from this people, saith the Lord, my mercy and commiserations.
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 the great and the little shall die in the land: they shall not be buried nor lamented, and men shall not 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 And they shall not break bread among them to him that mourneth, to comfort him for the dead: neither shall they give them to drink of the cup, to comfort them for their father and mother.
Kakho ozabanika ukudla ukuba abaduduze labo abalilela ofileyo, loba kunguyise kumbe unina, kakho lozabanika amanzi ukuba abaduduze.
8 And do not thou go into the house of feasting, to sit with them, and to eat and drink.
Njalo ungangeni endlini eledili ukuba uhlale phansi udle unathe.
9 For thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold I will take away out of this place in your sight, and in your days the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, 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 when thou shalt tell this people all these words, and they shall say to thee: Wherefore hath the Lord pronounced against us all this great evil? what is our iniquity? and what is our sin, that we have sinned against the Lord 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 Thou shalt say to them: Because your fathers forsook me, saith the Lord: and went after strange gods, and served them, and adored them: and they forsook me, and kept not 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 also have done worse than your fathers: for behold every one of you walketh after the perverseness of his evil heart, so as not to hearken to me.
Kodwa lina selenze okubi kakhulu kulabokhokho benu. Khangelani ukuthi lowo lalowo wenu uyilandela njani inkani yenhliziyo yakhe embi esikhundleni sokuthi angilalele.
13 So I will cast you forth out of this land, into a land which you know not, nor you fathers: and there you shall serve strange gods day and night, which shall not give you any rest.
Ngakho ngizalilahlela ngaphandle kwalelilizwe elizweni lina loba oyihlo abangazange balazi, lapho elizakhonza khona abanye onkulunkulu emini lebusuku, ngoba angiyikuba lomusa kini.’”
14 Therefore behold the days come, saith the Lord, when it shall be said no more: The Lord liveth, that brought for 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, the Lord liveth, that brought the children of Israel out of the land of the north, and out of all the lands to which I cast them out: and I will bring them again into their land, which I gave to 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 many fishers, saith the Lord, and they shall fish them: and after this I will send them 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 my eyes are upon all their ways: they are not hid from my face, and their iniquity hath not been hid from my eyes.
Amehlo ami akuzo zonke izindlela zabo; kabafihlakalanga kimi, lesono sabo kasiwacatshelanga amehlo ami.
18 And I will repay first their double iniquities, and their sins: because they have defiled my land with the carcasses of their idols, and they have filled my inheritance with their abominations.
Ngizaphindisela ngokuphindiweyo ububi babo lesono sabo, ngoba bangcolise ilizwe lami ngezinto ezingaphiliyo zezifanekiso zabo ezingamanyala, bagcwalisa lelifa lami ngezithombe zabo ezinengekayo.”
19 O Lord, my might, and my strength, and my refuge in the day of tribulation: to thee the Gentiles shall come from the ends of the earth, and shall say: Surely our fathers have possessed lies, a vanity which hath not profited them.
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 there 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 shew them my hand and my power: and they shall know that my name is the Lord.
“Ngakho ngizabafundisa, khathesi ngizabafundisa amandla ami lobukhulu bami. Lapho-ke bazakwazi ukuthi ibizo lami nguThixo.”
