Jeremiah 34
1 The word that has been to Jeremiah from YHWH—and Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and all his force, and all kingdoms of the land of the dominion of his hand, and all the peoples are fighting against Jerusalem, and against all its cities—saying:
Kwathi uNebhukhadineza inkosi yaseBhabhiloni lebutho lakhe lonke kanye lemibuso yonke, labantu basemazweni ayewabusa besilwa leJerusalema lawo wonke amadolobho alo ayeseduzane, ilizwi leli lafika kuJeremiya livela kuThixo lisithi;
2 “Thus said YHWH, God of Israel: Go, and you have spoken to Zedekiah king of Judah, and have said to him, Thus said YHWH: Behold, I am giving this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he has burned it with fire,
“UThixo, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli uthi: Yana kuZedekhiya inkosi yakoJuda uthi kuye, ‘UThixo uthi: Sekuseduze ukuthi idolobho leli ngilinikele enkosini yaseBhabhiloni, njalo izalitshisa ngomlilo.
3 and you do not escape out of his hand, for you are certainly caught, and you are given into his hand, and your eyes see the eyes of the king of Babylon, and his mouth speaks with your mouth, and you enter Babylon.
Kawuyikuphunyuka esandleni sayo kodwa uzathunjwa impela unikelwe kuyo. Inkosi yaseBhabhiloni uzayibona ngamehlo akho, njalo izakhuluma lawe ubuso ngobuso. Njalo uzahamba eBhabhiloni.
4 Only, hear a word of YHWH, O Zedekiah king of Judah—thus said YHWH to you: You do not die by sword,
Kodwa-ke zwana isithembiso sikaThixo, wena Zedekhiya nkosi yakoJuda. Ngawe uThixo uthi: Awuyikufa ngenkemba;
5 you die in peace, and with the burnings of your fathers, the former kings who have been before you, so they make a burning for you; and, Oh, lord, they lament for you, for the word I have spoken—a declaration of YHWH.”
uzakufa ngokuthula. Njengoba abantu babasa umlilo wesililo bekhumbula oyihlo, amakhosi akuqala akwandulelayo, ngokunjalo bazabasa umlilo wokukukhumbula, balile bathi, Maye, Oh Nkosi! Mina ngokwami ngenza isithembiso lesi, kutsho uThixo.’”
6 And Jeremiah the prophet speaks all these words to Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem,
Ngakho uJeremiya umphrofethi wamtshela konke lokhu uZedekhiya inkosi yakoJuda, eJerusalema,
7 and the forces of the king of Babylon are fighting against Jerusalem, and against all the cities of Judah that are left—against Lachish, and against Azekah, for these have been left among the cities of Judah, cities of fortresses.
lapho ibutho lenkosi yaseBhabhiloni lalisilwa leJerusalema lamanye amadolobho akoJuda ayelokhu esaqinisele, iLakhishi le-Azekha. La yiwo kuphela amadolobho ayevikelwe ngezinqaba ayesasele koJuda.
8 The word that has been to Jeremiah from YHWH, after the making of a covenant by King Zedekiah with all the people who [are] in Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty to them,
Ilizwi lafika kuJeremiya livela kuThixo emva kokuba inkosi uZedekhiya esenze isivumelwano labantu bonke baseJerusalema sokumemezela ukukhululwa kwezigqili.
9 to each send out his manservant, and each his maidservant—the Hebrew and the Hebrewess—free, so as not to lay service on them—on any Jew, a brother, a man;
Wonke umuntu kwakumele akhulule izigqili zakhe ezingamaHebheru, ezesilisa lezesifazane; kakho owayezagcina umJuda wakibo ebugqilini.
10 and all the heads listen, and all the people who have come into the covenant to each send forth his manservant and each his maidservant free, so as not to lay service on them anymore, indeed, they listen, and send them away;
Ngakho zonke izikhulu labantu bonke abenza isivumelwano lesi bavuma ukuthi babezakhulula izigqili zabo zesilisa lezesifazane bangazigcini ebugqilini futhi. Bavuma, bazikhulula.
11 and they turn afterward, and cause the menservants and the maidservants to return, whom they had sent forth free, and they subdue them for menservants and for maidservants.
Kodwa muva bantshintsha ingqondo zabo bazithumba njalo izigqili zabo ababezikhulule bazenza izigqili futhi.
12 And there is a word of YHWH to Jeremiah from YHWH, saying,
Ilizwi likaThixo laselifika kuJeremiya lisithi,
13 “Thus said YHWH, God of Israel: I made a covenant with your fathers in the day of My bringing them forth from the land of Egypt, from a house of servants, saying,
“UThixo, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli uthi: Ngenza isivumelwano labokhokho benu ekubakhupheni kwami eGibhithe, elizweni lobugqili. Ngathi,
14 At the end of seven years you each send forth his brother, the Hebrew, who is sold to you, and has served you six years, indeed, you have sent him forth from you free: and your fathers did not listen to Me, nor inclined their ear.
‘Ngeminyaka yonke yesikhombisa omunye lomunye wenu kumele akhulule umHebheru wakibo ozithengise kuwe. Emva kokuba esekusebenzele iminyaka eyisithupha, kumele umkhulule ahambe.’ Kodwa okhokho benu, kabangilalelanga njalo kabanginakanga.
15 And today you turn back and you do that which is right in My eyes, to each proclaim liberty to his neighbor, and you make a covenant before Me in the house over which My Name is called.
Ngesikhathi esisanda kudlula laphenduka lenza okulungileyo emehlweni ami: Omunye lomunye wenu wamemezela ukukhululwa kwabantu belizwe lakibo. Laze lenza lesivumelwano phambi kwami endlini eleBizo lami.
16 And you turn back, and defile My Name, and you each cause his manservant and each his maidservant, whom he had sent forth free (at their pleasure), to return, and you subdue them to be for menservants and for maidservants to you.”
Kodwa khathesi seliguquke langcolisa ibizo lami; omunye lomunye wenu usezithumbile futhi izigqili zesilisa lezesifazane elalizikhulule ukuba zizihambele lapho ezifuna khona. Selizibambe ngamandla ukuba zibe yizigqili zenu futhi.
17 Therefore, thus said YHWH: “You have not listened to Me to proclaim freedom, each to his brother, and each to his neighbor; behold, I am proclaiming to you liberty,” a declaration of YHWH, “to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine, and I have given you for a trembling to all kingdoms of the earth.
Ngakho, lokhu yikho uThixo akutshoyo: Kalingilalelanga; kalimemezelanga ukukhululwa kwabantu belizwe lakini. Ngakho khathesi ngimemezela ‘inkululeko’ yenu, kutsho uThixo, ‘inkululeko’ yokubulawa ngenkemba, yisifo lendlala. Ngizalenza linengeke kuyo yonke imibuso yomhlaba.
18 And I have given the men who are transgressing My covenant, who have not established the words of the covenant that they have made before Me, by the calf, that they have cut in two, and pass through between its pieces—
Abantu abephula isivumelwano sami kabaze bagcwalisa izimiso zesivumelwano abasenza phambi kwami, ngizabaphatha njengethole abalidabula phakathi basebehamba phakathi kweziqa zalo.
19 heads of Judah, and heads of Jerusalem, the officers, and the priests, and all the people of the land who had passed through between the pieces of the calf—
Abakhokheli bakoJuda labeJerusalema, izikhulu zasemthethwandaba, abaphristi labantu bonke abahamba phakathi kweziqa zethole,
20 indeed, I have given them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those seeking their soul, and their carcass has been for food to the bird of the heavens, and to the beast of the earth.
ngizabanikela ezitheni zabo ezifuna ukubabulala. Izidumbu zabo zizakuba yikudla kwezinyoni zasemoyeni lezinyamazana zeganga.
21 And I give Zedekiah king of Judah and his heads into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those seeking their soul, and into the hand of the forces of the king of Babylon that are going up from off you.
UZedekhiya inkosi yakoJuda kanye lezikhulu zakhe ngizabanikela ezitheni zabo ezifuna ukubabulala, lakubutho lenkosi yaseBhabhiloni eselisukile kini.
22 Behold, I am commanding,” a declaration of YHWH, “and have brought them back to this city, and they have fought against it, and captured it, and burned it with fire, and I make the cities of Judah a desolation—without inhabitant.”
Ngizakhupha ilizwi, kutsho uThixo njalo ngizababuyisa futhi kulelidolobho. Bazakulwa lalo, balithumbe, balitshise ngomlilo. Amadolobho akoJuda ngizawabhidliza ukuze kungabi lamuntu ohlala kuwo.”
