Jeremiah 5
1 Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be [any] that executeth judgment, that seeketh the truth; and I will pardon it.
Hambani liye le lale ezitaladeni zeJerusalema, libone khathesi, lazi, lidinge ezindaweni zayo ezingamagceke, uba lingathola umuntu, uba ekhona owenza isahlulelo, odinga iqiniso; khona ngizayithethelela.
2 And though they say, The LORD liveth; surely they swear falsely.
Loba-ke besithi: Kuphila kukaJehova; kanti bafunga amanga.
3 O LORD, [are] not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, [but] they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return.
Nkosi, amehlo akho kawakho eqinisweni yini? Ubatshayile, kodwa kabezwanga buhlungu; ubaqothule, kodwa bala ukwemukela ukulaywa. Benzile ubuso babo bube lukhuni kuledwala, bala ukuphenduka.
4 Therefore I said, Surely these [are] poor; they are foolish: for they know not the way of the LORD, [nor] the judgment of their God.
Mina ngasengisithi: Qiniso, laba ngabayanga, bayizithutha; ngoba kabayazi indlela yeNkosi, isahlulelo sikaNkulunkulu wabo.
5 I will get me unto the great men, and will speak unto them; for they have known the way of the LORD, [and] the judgment of their God: but these have altogether broken the yoke, [and] burst the bonds.
Mina ngizakuya kwabakhulu, ngikhulume labo, ngoba bona bayayazi indlela yeNkosi, isahlulelo sikaNkulunkulu wabo; kodwa labo kanyekanye balephulile ijogwe, baqamula izibopho.
6 Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, [and] a wolf of the evenings shall spoil them, a leopard shall watch over their cities: every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces: because their transgressions are many, [and] their backslidings are increased.
Ngakho-ke isilwane esiphuma ehlathini sizababulala, impisi yezinkangala ibachithe, ingwe ilinde imelene lemizi yabo; wonke ophuma kiyo uzadatshudatshulwa; ngoba iziphambeko zabo zinengi, ukuhlehlela nyovane kwabo kwandile.
7 How shall I pardon thee for this? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by [them that are] no gods: when I had fed them to the full, they then committed adultery, and assembled themselves by troops in the harlots’ houses.
Ngingakuthethelela njani ngalokhu? Abantwana bakho bangidelile, bafunga ngabangeyisibo onkulunkulu. Sengibasuthisile, basebefeba, babuthana ngamaxuku endlini yezifebe.
8 They were [as] fed horses in the morning: every one neighed after his neighbour’s wife.
Babenjengamabhiza asuthayo ekuseni, bakhonya, omunye lomunye kumfazi kamakhelwane wakhe.
9 Shall I not visit for these [things]? saith the LORD: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?
Kangiyikujezisa yini ngenxa yalezizinto? itsho iNkosi; kumbe umphefumulo wami kawuyikuphindisela yini esizweni esinjengalesi?
10 Go ye up upon her walls, and destroy; but make not a full end: take away her battlements; for they [are] not the LORD’s.
Yenyukelani emidulwini yayo, lichithe, kodwa lingenzi isiphetho esipheleleyo; susani ingatsha zayo, ngoba kazisizo zeNkosi.
11 For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me, saith the LORD.
Ngoba indlu kaIsrayeli lendlu kaJuda zenze ngenkohliso enkulu zimelene lami, itsho iNkosi.
12 They have belied the LORD, and said, [It is] not he; neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword nor famine:
Bayiphikile iNkosi, bathi: Kayisiyo; njalo ububi kabuyikusehlela, futhi kasiyikubona inkemba loba indlala.
13 And the prophets shall become wind, and the word [is] not in them: thus shall it be done unto them.
Labaprofethi bazakuba ngumoya, lelizwi kalikho kubo; kuzakwenziwa njalo kibo!
14 Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.
Ngalokho itsho njalo iNkosi uNkulunkulu wamabandla: Ngoba likhuluma lelilizwi, khangela, ngizakwenza amazwi ami emlonyeni wakho abe ngumlilo, lalababantu babe zinkuni, njalo uzabaqothula.
15 Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far, O house of Israel, saith the LORD: it [is] a mighty nation, it [is] an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou knowest not, neither understandest what they say.
Khangelani, ngizaletha phezu kwenu isizwe esivela khatshana, ndlu kaIsrayeli, itsho iNkosi; yisizwe esilamandla, yisizwe esidala, isizwe ongalwaziyo ulimi lwaso, longayikuzwa esikukhulumayo.
16 Their quiver [is] as an open sepulchre, they [are] all mighty men.
Isamba saso semitshoko sinjengengcwaba elivulekileyo; bonke bangamaqhawe.
17 And they shall eat up thine harvest, and thy bread, [which] thy sons and thy daughters should eat: they shall eat up thy flocks and thine herds: they shall eat up thy vines and thy fig trees: they shall impoverish thy fenced cities, wherein thou trustedst, with the sword.
Njalo sizakudla isivuno sakho lokudla kwakho; sizakudla amadodana akho lamadodakazi akho; sizakudla izimvu zakho lenkomo zakho; sizakudla ivini lakho lomkhiwa wakho; lemizi yakho ebiyelweyo othembela kiyo, sizayithelela ubuyanga ngenkemba.
18 Nevertheless in those days, saith the LORD, I will not make a full end with you.
Kodwa langalezonsuku, itsho iNkosi, kangiyikwenza isiphetho esipheleleyo kini.
19 And it shall come to pass, when ye shall say, Wherefore doeth the LORD our God all these [things] unto us? then shalt thou answer them, Like as ye have forsaken me, and served strange gods in your land, so shall ye serve strangers in a land [that is] not yours.
Kuzakuthi-ke lapho lisithi: INkosi uNkulunkulu wethu yenzeleni zonke lezizinto kithi? Khona uzakutsho kubo uthi: Njengoba lingidelile, lakhonza onkulunkulu bemzini elizweni lakini, ngokunjalo lizakhonza abezizwe elizweni elingeyisilo lenu.
20 Declare this in the house of Jacob, and publish it in Judah, saying,
Memezelani lokhu endlini kaJakobe, likuzwakalise koJuda, lisithi:
21 Hear now this, O foolish people, and without understanding; which have eyes, and see not; which have ears, and hear not:
Zwanini-ke lokhu, lina bantu abayizithutha labangelangqondo, elilamehlo, kodwa lingaboni, elilendlebe, kodwa lingezwa.
22 Fear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand [for] the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?
Kalingesabi yini? itsho iNkosi; kaliyikuthuthumela phambi kwami yini, engabeka itshebetshebe laba ngumngcele wolwandle ngesimiso saphakade olungeledlule? Lanxa amagagasi alo etshayana kube kanti angenqobe; lanxa ehlokoma kube kanti kawayikudlula phezu kwawo.
23 But this people hath a revolting and a rebellious heart; they are revolted and gone.
Kodwa lababantu balenhliziyo evukelayo lephikayo; baphambukile, bahamba.
24 Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear the LORD our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season: he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest.
Futhi kabatsho enhliziyweni zabo ukuthi: Ake sesabe iNkosi uNkulunkulu wethu, enika izulu lakuqala lelamuva ngesikhathi salo, esigcinela amaviki amisiweyo esivuno.
25 Your iniquities have turned away these [things], and your sins have withholden good [things] from you.
Iziphambeko zenu ziphambule lezizinto, lezono zenu zaligodlela okuhle.
26 For among my people are found wicked [men: ] they lay wait, as he that setteth snares; they set a trap, they catch men.
Ngoba phakathi kwabantu bami kutholakala abakhohlakeleyo; bacatheme njengabathiya inyoni; babeka umgibe ochithayo, babambe abantu.
27 As a cage is full of birds, so [are] their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and waxen rich.
Njengezongo ligcwele inyoni, zinjalo izindlu zabo zigcwele inkohliso; ngakho-ke sebebakhulu, banothile.
28 They are waxen fat, they shine: yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked: they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge.
Bazimukile, bancwaba, yebo, bedlula imisebenzi yomubi; kabameli udaba, udaba lwezintandane, kube kanti bayaphumelela; lelungelo labaswelayo kabalahluleli.
29 Shall I not visit for these [things]? saith the LORD: shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?
Kangiyikubajezisa ngalezizinto yini? kutsho iNkosi. Umphefumulo wami kawuyikuphindisela esizweni esinjengalesi yini?
30 A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the land;
Okwethusayo lokwesabekayo kwenzakele elizweni.
31 The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love [to have it] so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?
Abaprofethi baprofetha ngamanga, labapristi babusa ngezandla zabo; labantu bami bakuthanda kunjalo; kodwa lizakwenzani ekupheleni kwakho?
