Jeremiah 16
1 THE word of the Lord came also unto me, saying,
Ilizwi likaThixo lafika kimi futhi lisithi:
2 Thou shalt not take thee a wife, neither shalt thou have sons or daughters in this place.
“Ungathathi mfazi ube lamadodana loba amadodakazi kule indawo.”
3 For thus saith the Lord concerning the sons and concerning the daughters that are born in this place, and concerning their mothers that bare them, and concerning their fathers that begat them in this land;
Ngoba mayelana lamadodana lamadodakazi azalelwe kulelilizwe kanye labesifazane abangonina lamadoda angoyise uThixo uthi:
4 They shall die of grievous deaths; they shall not be lamented; neither shall they be buried; but they shall be as dung upon the face of the earth: and they shall be consumed by the sword, and by famine; and their carcases shall be meat for the fowls of heaven, 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 mourning, neither go to lament nor bemoan them: for I have taken away my peace from this people, saith the Lord, even lovingkindness and 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 the great and the small shall die in this land: they shall not be buried, neither shall men lament for them, nor 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 Neither shall men tear themselves for them in mourning, to comfort them for the dead; neither shall men give them the cup of consolation 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 Thou shalt not also 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 the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will cause to cease out of this place in your eyes, 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 it shall come to pass, when thou shalt shew this people all these words, and they shall say unto thee, Wherefore hath the Lord pronounced all this great evil against us? or what is our iniquity? or what is our sin that we have committed 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 Then shalt thou say unto them, Because your fathers have forsaken me, saith the Lord, 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 ye have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the imagination of his evil heart, that they may not 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 Therefore will I cast you out of this land into a land that ye know not, neither ye nor your fathers; and there shall ye serve other gods day and night; where I will not shew you 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, the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be said, The Lord liveth, that 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, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that 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 the Lord, and they shall fish them; and after 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 hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from mine eyes.
Amehlo ami akuzo zonke izindlela zabo; kabafihlakalanga kimi, lesono sabo kasiwacatshelanga amehlo ami.
18 And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double; because they have defiled my land, they have filled mine inheritance with the carcases of their detestable and abominable things.
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 strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come unto thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things wherein 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 mine hand and my might; 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.”
