Jeremiah 13
1 This is what the Lord told me to do: Go and buy yourself a linen loincloth and put it on, but don't wash it.
Itsho njalo INkosi kimi: Hamba uzithengele ibhanti lelembu elicolekileyo, ulifake ekhalweni lwakho, ungalifaki emanzini.
2 So I went and bought a loincloth as the Lord had instructed me, and I put it on.
Ngasengithenga ibhanti njengokwelizwi leNkosi, ngalifaka ekhalweni lwami.
3 Then the Lord gave me another message:
Ilizwi leNkosi laselifika kimi ngokwesibili lisithi:
4 Take the loincloth that you bought and put on, and go immediately to the River Perath and hide it there in a hole among the rocks.
Thatha ibhanti olithengileyo elisokhalweni lwakho, usukume uye eYufrathi, ulifihle khona engoxweni yedwala.
5 So I went and hid it at the River Perath, as the Lord had told me.
Ngasengihamba, ngalifihla ngaseYufrathi njengoba iNkosi ingilayile.
6 A long time later the Lord told me, Go to Perath, and get the loincloth that I ordered you to hide there.
Kwasekusithi ekupheleni kwensuku ezinengi, iNkosi yasisithi kimi: Sukuma, uye eYufrathi, uyethatha khona ibhanti engakulaya ukuthi ulifihle khona.
7 I went to Perath and dug up the loincloth, and removed it from where I'd hidden it. Obviously it was ruined—completely useless.
Ngasengisiya eYufrathi, ngagebha, ngalithatha ibhanti endaweni lapho engangilifihle khona; khangela-ke, ibhanti lalonakele, lalingasasizi lutho.
8 Then a message from the Lord came to me:
Laselifika kimi ilizwi leNkosi lisithi:
9 This is what the Lord says: I will ruin the arrogance of Judah and the great arrogance of Jerusalem in exactly the same way.
Itsho njalo iNkosi: Ngalindlela ngizakonakalisa ukuziqhenya kukaJuda lokuziqhenya okukhulu kweJerusalema.
10 These evil people refuse to listen to what I tell them. They follow their own stubborn and evil thinking and run off to worship other gods—they will be like this loincloth, completely useless.
Lababantu ababi, abala ukuzwa amazwi ami, abahamba ngobulukhuni benhliziyo yabo, belandela abanye onkulunkulu ukubakhonza, lokubakhothamela, bazakuba njengalelibhanti elingasizi lutho.
11 In the same way that a loincloth holds tightly to the body, so I made all the people of Israel and Judah hold tightly to me, declares the Lord. Then they could have been my people, representing me, giving me honor and praise. But they refused to listen.
Ngoba njengoba ibhanti linamathela okhalweni lomuntu, ngokunjalo nginamathelise kimi indlu yonke yakoIsrayeli lendlu yonke yakoJuda, itsho iNkosi; ukuze kimi babe ngabantu, lebizo, lendumiso, lenkazimulo; kodwa kabalalelanga.
12 So tell them this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: Every wine jar shall be filled with wine. When they reply, “Don't we know that already? Of course every wine jar should be filled with wine!”
Ngakho uzakhuluma kibo lelilizwi: Itsho njalo iNkosi uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli: Yonke imbodlela izagcwaliswa ngewayini. Njalo bazakuthi kuwe: Isibili kasikwazi yini ukuthi yonke imbodlela izagcwaliswa ngewayini?
13 then tell them that this is what the Lord says: I'm going to make everyone who lives in this land drunk—the kings sitting on David's throne, the priests, the prophets, and all the people of Jerusalem.
Ubususithi kibo: Itsho njalo iNkosi: Khangela, ngizagcwalisa bonke abakhileyo balelilizwe, lamakhosi ahlala esihlalweni sobukhosi sikaDavida, labapristi, labaprofethi, labo bonke abahlali beJerusalema, ngokudakwa.
14 I'm going to smash them against each other like wine jars, both parents and children, declares the Lord. I won't let any mercy or pity or compassion stop me from destroying them.
Njalo ngizabaphahlaza omunye komunye, laboyise lamadodana ndawonye, itsho iNkosi; kangiyikuhawukela, kangiyikuyekela, kangiyikuba lomusa, ukuthi ngingabachithi.
15 Listen and pay attention. Don't be arrogant, for the Lord has spoken.
Zwanini, libeke indlebe, lingaziqhenyi, ngoba iNkosi ikhulumile.
16 Honor the Lord your God before he brings the darkness, before you trip and fall in the twilight on the mountains. You long for light to come, but he send only gloom and complete darkness.
Inikeni iNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu udumo, ingakalethi ubumnyama, lenyawo zenu zingakakhubeki ezintabeni zokuhwalala, lisalindela ukukhanya, ikwenze kube lithunzi lokufa, ikwenze kube ngumnyama onzima.
17 But if you refuse to listen, I will weep secretly inside because of your pride. My tears pouring down because the Lord's flock has been captured.
Kodwa uba lingalaleli, umphefumulo wami uzakhala inyembezi endaweni zensitha ngenxa yokuziqhenya kwenu, lelihlo lami lizakhala inyembezi kabuhlungu, lehlise inyembezi, ngoba umhlambi weNkosi uthunjiwe.
18 Tell the king and the queen mother: Get down from your thrones, because your splendid crowns have fallen from your heads.
Tshono enkosini lendlovukazini uthi: Zithobeni, hlalani phansi; ngoba imiqhele yenu izawela phansi, umqhele wodumo lwenu.
19 The towns in the Negev are surrounded; no one can get through to them. The whole of Judah has been taken away into exile, everyone has been exiled.
Imizi yeningizimu izavalwa, njalo kakho ozayivula; uJuda uzathunjwa, yena wonke, uzathunjwa ngokupheleleyo.
20 Look up and you'll see the invaders coming from the north. Where is the flock that was given to you to look after? Where are the sheep you were so proud of?
Phakamisani amehlo enu, libone labo abavela enyakatho. Ungaphi umhlambi owaphiwa wona, umhlambi wakho omuhle?
21 What are you going to say when he puts your enemies in charge of you, people you once counted as your friends? Won't you suffer pains like a woman in labor?
Uzakuthini uba esenza isijeziso phezu kwakho, ngoba wena ubafundise ukuthi babe yizinduna lenhloko phezu kwakho; inhlungu kaziyikukubamba yini njengowesifazana obelethayo?
22 If you say to yourself, Why has this happened to me? it's because you have been so wicked. That's why your skirts were stripped off and you were raped.
Njalo uba usithi enhliziyweni yakho: Kungani lezizinto zenzakele kimi? Ngenxa yobunengi bobubi bakho amalogwe akho embuliwe, lezithende zakho zaphathwa ngodlakela.
23 Can Ethiopians change the color of their skin? Can a leopard change its spots? In the same way you can't change and do good because you're so used to doing evil.
UmEthiyophiya angasiphendula yini isikhumba sakhe, kumbe ingwe amabala ayo? Khona lani lizakuba lakho ukwenza okuhle elejwayele ukwenza okubi.
24 I'm going to scatter you like chaff blown away by the desert wind.
Ngakho ngizabahlakaza njengamakhoba edluliswa ngomoya wenkangala.
25 This is what's going to happen to you; this is what I have decided to do to you, declares the Lord, because you have forgotten me and believed in lies.
Le yinkatho yakho, isabelo sezilinganiso zakho ezivela kimi, itsho iNkosi, ngoba ungikhohliwe, wathemba emangeni.
26 I will pull your skirts up over your face, so you will be seen naked and ashamed.
Ngakho lami ngizakwembula amalogwe akho phezu kobuso bakho, ukuze kubonakale ihlazo lakho.
27 I watched your acts of adultery and lust, how you prostituted yourselves shamelessly, worshiping idols on the hills and in the fields. Yes, I saw the disgusting things you did. Disaster is coming to you, Jerusalem! How long are you going to remain unclean?
Ngibonile ubufebe bakho, lokukhonya kwakho, inkohlakalo zokuphinga kwakho, phezu kwamaqaqa egangeni, amanyala akho. Maye kuwe, Jerusalema! Kawuyikuhlambuluka yini? Kusezadlula nini?
