Jeremiah 3
1 “Saying, Behold, one sends his wife away, And she has gone from him, And she has been to another man, Does he return to her again? Is that land not greatly defiled? And you have committed whoredom with many lovers, And turn to Me again,” A declaration of YHWH.
“Indoda ingehlukana lomkayo ayitshiye endele kwenye indoda, kufanele imbuyise futhi na? Kambe ilizwe lingeke langcoliswa kakhulukazi na? Kodwa wena usuphile njengesifebe esilezithandwa ezinengi, kambe khathesi ungabuyela kimi na?” kutsho uThixo.
2 “Lift your eyes to the high places, and see, Where have you not been lain with? You have sat for them on the ways, As an Arab in a wilderness, And you defile the land, By your fornications, and by your wickedness.
“Khangela emiqolweni elugwadule ubone. Kungaphi lapho ongazange udlwangululwe khona? Emigwaqweni wahlala ulindele izithandwa, wahlala njengomhambuma enkangala. Ulingcolisile ilizwe ngobufebe bakho langobubi bakho.
3 And showers are withheld, and there has been no spring rain. You have the forehead of a whorish woman, You have refused to be ashamed.
Ngalokho imikhizo imisiwe, lezulu lentwasa kalinanga. Ikanti wena uziphethe okwesifebe, awulanhloni.
4 Have you not from now on called to Me, My Father, You [are] the leader of my youth?
Kawungibizanga khathesi nje wathi, ‘Baba, mngane wami kusukela ebutsheni bami,
5 Does He keep for all time? Watch forever? Behold, you have spoken these things, And you do evil, and prevail.”
uzahlala uzondile kokuphela na? Ulaka lwakho luzaqhubeka kokuphela na?’ Le yindlela okhuluma ngayo, kodwa wenza konke okubi ongakwenza.”
6 And YHWH says to me, in the days of Josiah the king, “Have you seen that which backsliding Israel has done? She is going on every high mountain, and to the place of every green tree, and commits fornication there.
Ekubuseni kwenkosi uJosiya, uThixo wathi kimi, “Ukubonile yini okwenziwe ngu-Israyeli ongathembekanga? Usekhwele phezu kwamaqaqa wonke aphakemeyo langaphansi kwezihlahla zonke eziluhlaza wafebela khona.
7 And I say, after her doing all these, Return to Me, and she has not returned, and her treacherous sister Judah sees it.
Ngacabanga ukuthi emva kokuba esenze konke lokhu uzaphinda eze kimi, kodwa kabuyanga, lodadewabo ongathembekanga uJuda wakubona lokho.
8 And I see that for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery, I have sent her away, and I give the bill of her divorce to her; and her treacherous sister Judah has not feared, and goes and commits fornication—she also.
U-Israyeli ongathembekanga ngamnika incwadi yakhe yesehlukaniso ngamxotsha ngenxa yobufebe bakhe bonke. Kodwa ngabona ukuthi udadewabo ongathembekanga, uJuda, kesabanga, laye wasuka wayafeba.
9 And it has come to pass, from the vileness of her fornication, that the land is defiled, and she commits fornication with stone and with wood.
Ngenxa yokuthi ububi buka-Israyeli babungatsho lutho kuye, wangcolisa ilizwe wakhonza amatshe lezihlahla.
10 And even in all this her treacherous sister Judah has not turned back to Me with all her heart, but with falsehood,” a declaration of YHWH.
Kukho konke lokhu, udadewabo ongathembekanga uJuda kabuyelanga kimi ngenhliziyo yakhe yonke, kodwa ngokuzenzisa nje kuphela,” kutsho uThixo.
11 And YHWH says to me: “Backsliding Israel has justified herself, More than treacherous Judah.
UThixo wathi kimi, “U-Israyeli ongathembekanga ungcono kuloJuda ongelaqiniso.
12 Go, and you have proclaimed these words toward the north, and have said, Return, O backsliding Israel,” A declaration of YHWH! “I do not cause My anger to fall on you, for I [am] kind,” A declaration of YHWH, “I do not watch for all time.
Hamba, uyememezela ilizwi leli ngasenyakatho: ‘Phenduka Israyeli ongathembekanga,’ kutsho uThixo, ‘Kangisayikukuhwaqela futhi, ngoba ngilesihawu,’ kutsho uThixo. ‘Kangiyikuthukuthela kokuphela.
13 Only, know your iniquity, For you have transgressed against your God YHWH, And you scatter your ways to strangers, Under every green tree, And you have not listened to My voice,” A declaration of YHWH.
Vuma icala lakho nje kuphela, wahlamukela uThixo uNkulunkulu wakho, uzihlakazelele kubonkulunkulu bezizweni ngaphansi kwezihlahla zonke eziluhlaza, njalo kawaze wangilalela,’” kutsho uThixo.
14 “Return, O backsliding sons,” A declaration of YHWH. “For I have ruled over you, And taken you—one from a city, and two from a family, And have brought you to Zion,
“Phendukani, bantu abangathembekanga,” kutsho uThixo, “ngoba ngingumyeni wenu. Ngizalikhetha, oyedwa edolobheni lababili emulini ngililethe eZiyoni.
15 And I have given shepherds to you According to My own heart, And they have fed you with knowledge and understanding.
Lapho-ke ngizalinika abelusi abathandwa yimi, abazalikhokhela ngokwazi langokuqedisisa.
16 And it has come to pass, when you are multiplied, And have been fruitful in the land, In those days,” A declaration of YHWH, “They no longer say, The Ark of the Covenant of YHWH, Nor does it go up on the heart, Nor do they remember concerning it, Nor do they inspect, nor is it made again.
Ngalezonsuku, ubunengi benu sebande kakhulu elizweni,” kutsho uThixo, “abantu kabasayikuthi, ‘Ibhokisi lesivumelwano sikaThixo.’ Kaliyikufika emicabangweni yabo kumbe likhunjulwe; kaliyikudingakala, njalo akuyikwenziwa elinye futhi.
17 At that time they cry to Jerusalem, O throne of YHWH, And all the nations have been gathered to her, For the Name of YHWH, to Jerusalem, Nor do they go after the stubbornness of their evil heart anymore.
Ngalesosikhathi iJerusalema bazalibiza ngokuthi yisiHlalo Sobukhosi sikaThixo, njalo izizwe zonke zizabuthana eJerusalema ukuba zihloniphe ibizo likaThixo. Kabasayikulandela inkani yezinhliziyo zabo ezimbi.
18 In those days the house of Judah Goes to the house of Israel, And they come together from the land of the south, To the land that I caused your fathers to inherit.
Ngalezonsuku indlu kaJuda izahlangana leka-Israyeli, njalo ndawonye, zivela elizweni elisenyakatho, zizakuza elizweni engalinika okhokho benu ukuba libe yilifa labo.
19 And I have said, How do I put you among the sons, And give a desirable land to you, A beautiful inheritance of the hosts of nations, And I say, You call Me—My Father, And you do not turn back from after Me.
Mina ngokwami ngathi, ‘Kade ngingathaba kakhulu ukuliphatha njengamadodana, ngilinike ilizwe elifunekayo, ilifa elihle kakhulu ezizweni zonke.’ Bengicabanga ukuthi lizangibiza ngokuthi ‘Baba’ njalo lingaphambuki ekungilandeleni.
20 But a woman has deceived her friend, So you have dealt treacherously with Me, O house of Israel,” A declaration of YHWH.
Kodwa njengowesifazane ongathembekanga kumkakhe, ubungathembekanga kimi wena ndlu ka-Israyeli,” kutsho uThixo.
21 A voice is heard on high places—weeping, Supplications of the sons of Israel, For they have made their way perverse, They have forgotten their God YHWH.
Ilizwi liyezwakala emiqolweni elugwadule, ukukhala lokuncenga kwabantu bako-Israyeli, ngoba izindlela zabo bazonile bakhohlwa loThixo uNkulunkulu wabo.
22 “Return, O backsliding sons, I cause your backslidings to cease.” “Behold us, we have come to You, For You [are] our God YHWH.
“Phendukani, bantu abangathembekanga, ngizalelapha ukungathembeki kwenu.” “Yebo, sizakuza kuwe, ngoba unguThixo uNkulunkulu wethu.
23 Surely in vain—from the heights, The multitude of mountains—Surely the salvation of Israel [is] in our God YHWH.
Impela umsindo wokukhonza izithombe emaqaqeni lasezintabeni uyinkohliso, ngempela kuThixo uNkulunkulu wethu kulensindiso ka-Israyeli.
24 And the shameful thing has devoured The labor of our fathers from our youth, Their flock and their herd, Their sons and their daughters.
Kusukela ebutsheni bethu onkulunkulu abalihlazo badlile izithelo zamandla abobaba, imihlambi yezimvu zabo leyezinkomo zabo, amadodana abo lamadodakazi abo.
25 We have lain down in our shame, and our confusion covers us, For we have sinned against our God YHWH, We, and our fathers, from our youth even to this day, Nor have we listened to the voice of our God YHWH!”
Kasilaleni phansi silenhloni, siphathwe lihlazo lethu. Ngoba sonile kuThixo uNkulunkulu wethu, thina sonke kanye labokhokho bethu; kusukela ebutsheni bethu kuze kube lamhla, kasimlalelanga uThixo uNkulunkulu wethu.”
