Jeremiah 9
1 Who makes my head waters, And my eye a fountain of tears? And I weep by day and by night, For the wounded of the daughter of my people.
Awu, sengathi ngabe ikhanda lami lingumthombo wamanzi, lamehlo ami angumthombo wezinyembezi! Kade ngizakhala emini lebusuku ngikhalela abantu bami ababuleweyo.
2 Who gives me in a wilderness A lodging-place for travelers? And I leave my people, and go from them, For all of them [are] adulterers, An assembly of treacherous ones.
Awu, sengathi ngabe enkangala ngilendawo engahlala izihambi, ukuba ngisuke ebantwini bami ngisuke kubo, ngoba bonke bayizifebe, ixuku labantu abangathembekanga.
3 “And they bend their tongue, Their bow [is] a lie, And they have not been mighty for steadfastness in the land, For they have gone forth from evil to evil, And they have not known Me,” A declaration of YHWH!
“Benza izindimi zabo zilunge njengesavutha ukuba batshoke amanga, ukuthi bayanqoba elizweni akusikho ngeqiniso. Basuka kokunye ukona baye kokunye; kabangamukeli,” kutsho uThixo.
4 “You each beware of his friend, And do not trust any brother, For every brother utterly supplants, For every friend slanderously walks,
“Qaphela abangane bakho, ungabathembi abafowenu. Ngoba wonke umfowenu ungumkhohlisi, njalo wonke umngane ungumhlebi.
5 And they each mock at his friend, And they do not speak truth, They taught their tongue to speak falsehood, They have labored to commit iniquity.
Umngane ukhohlisa umngane, njalo kakho okhuluma iqiniso. Sebafundisa izindimi zabo ukuqamba amanga, bayazidinisa ngokona.
6 Your dwelling [is] in the midst of deceit, Through deceit they refused to know Me,” A declaration of YHWH.
Lihlala phakathi kwenkohliso, ngenkohliso yabo bayala ukungamukela,” kutsho uThixo.
7 Therefore, thus said YHWH of Hosts: “Behold, I am refining them, and have tried them, For how do I deal with the daughter of My people?
Ngakho uThixo uSomandla uthi: “Khangelani, ngizabacolisa ngibahlole, ngoba kuyini okunye engingakwenza ngenxa yesono sabantu bami?
8 Their tongue [is] a slaughtering arrow, It has spoken deceit in its mouth, It speaks peace with its neighbor, And in its heart it lays its ambush,
Ulimi lwabo lungumtshoko olobuthi, lukhuluma inkohliso. Lowo lalowo ukhuluma kuhle kubomakhelwane bakhe, kodwa enhliziyweni zabo bebathiya ngemijibila.
9 Do I not see after them for these things?” A declaration of YHWH, “Does My soul not avenge itself against a nation such as this?”
Kakufanele ngibajezisele lokhu na?” kubuza uThixo. “Kakufanele ngiphindisele esizweni esinjengalesi na?”
10 I lift up weeping and wailing for the mountains, And a lamentation for the habitations of the wilderness, For they have been burned up without any passing over, Nor have they heard the voice of livestock, From the bird of the heavens and to the beast—they have fled, They have gone.
Ngizakhala ngililele izintaba ngibuye ngililele lamadlelo asenkangala. Atshabalele njalo kakho ohambela kuwo, lokubhonsa kwezinkomo akuzwakali. Izinyoni zasemoyeni sezibalekile, lezinyamazana kazisekho.
11 “And I make Jerusalem become heaps, A habitation of dragons, And I make the cities of Judah a desolation, Without inhabitant.”
“IJerusalema ngizalenza libe yinqumbi yonxiwa, isikhundla samakhanka, njalo ngizawadiliza amadolobho akoJuda ukuze kungabikhona ohlala kuwo.”
12 Who [is] the wise man? And he understands this, And he to whom the mouth of YHWH spoke? And he declares it, For why has the land perished? It has been burned up as a wilderness, Without any passing through.
Nguphi umuntu ohlakaniphileyo ukuba akuzwisise lokhu? Ngubani ofundiswe nguThixo ongakuchaza? Kungani ilizwe litshabalalisiwe lachithwa njengenkangala ukuze kungadluli muntu kulo?
13 And YHWH says: “Because of their forsaking My law that I set before them, And they have not listened to My voice nor walked in it,
UThixo wathi, “Kungenxa yokuthi sebelahle umthetho wami engababekela wona; kabangilalelanga, lomthetho wami kabawulandelanga.
14 And they walk after the stubbornness of their heart, And after the Ba‘alim, That their fathers taught them,”
Esikhundleni salokho, bona balandele ubulukhuni bezinhliziyo zabo; balandele oBhali, njengokufundiswa kwabo ngoyise.”
15 Therefore, thus said YHWH of Hosts, God of Israel: “Behold, I am causing them—this people—to eat wormwood, And I have caused them to drink water of gall,
Ngakho-ke, uThixo uSomandla, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli uthi: “Khangelani, abantu laba ngizabadlisa ukudla okubabayo ngibanathise lamanzi alobuthi.
16 And I have scattered them among nations Which they did not know, they and their fathers, And have sent the sword after them, Until I have consumed them.”
Ngizabahlakazela ezizweni bona kanye laboyise abangazange bazazi, njalo ngizabalandela ngenkemba ngize ngibaqede du.”
17 Thus said YHWH of Hosts: “Consider, and call for mourning women, And they come, And send to the wise women, And they come,
UThixo uSomandla uthi: “Cabangani khathesi! Bizani abesifazane abalilayo beze, libize labo abalobuciko obumangalisayo.
18 And they hurry, and lift up a wailing for us. And tears run down our eyes, And waters flow from our eyelids.
Kabeze ngokuphangisa, bazesililela amehlo ethu aze ehlise inyembezi lempophoma zamanzi zigeleze, ziphuma enkopheni zethu.”
19 For a voice of wailing is heard from Zion: How we have been spoiled! We have been greatly ashamed, Because we have forsaken the land, Because they have cast down our dwelling places.”
Ilizwi lokukhala liyezwakala livela eZiyoni: “Yeka kunganani ukuchithakala kwethu! Yeka ubukhulu behlazo lethu! Kumele sisuke elizweni lethu ngoba izindlu zethu zidiliziwe.”
20 But hear, you women, a word of YHWH, And your ear receives a word of His mouth, And teach your daughters wailing, And each her neighbor lamentation.
Khathesi, lina abesifazane, zwanini ilizwi likaThixo, vulani indlebe zenu lizwe amazwi omlomo wakhe. Fundisani amadodakazi enu ukulila, lifundisane amazwi okukhala.
21 For death has come up into our windows, It has come into our palaces, To cut off the suckling from outside, Young men from the broad places.
Ukufa kukhwele kwangena ngamafastela ethu, njalo kungenile lasezinqabeni zethu, sekususe abantwana emigwaqweni kanye lamajaha ezindaweni zikazulu.
22 Speak thus, “A declaration of YHWH, And the carcass of man has fallen, As dung on the face of the field, And as a handful after the reaper, And there is none gathering.”
Tshono uthi, uThixo uthi, “‘izidumbu zabafileyo zizalala njengezibi egangeni, njengamabele aqunywe ngemva kovunayo, okungekho ozawabutha.’”
23 Thus said YHWH: “Do not let the wise boast himself in his wisdom, Nor let the mighty boast himself in his might, Do not let the rich boast himself in his riches,
UThixo uthi: “Ohlakaniphileyo kangazincomi ngokuhlakanipha kwakhe, loba indoda elamandla izincome ngamandla ayo, loba indoda enothileyo izincome ngenotho yayo,
24 But let the boaster boast himself in this, In understanding and knowing Me, For I [am] YHWH, doing kindness, Judgment, and righteousness, in the earth, For I have delighted in these,” A declaration of YHWH.
kodwa lowo ozincomayo, kazincome ngokuthi uyaqedisisa njalo uyangazi, ukuthi mina nginguThixo, osebenzisa umusa, imfanelo lokulunga emhlabeni, ngoba lezizinto ziyangithokozisa,” kutsho uThixo.
25 “Behold, days are coming,” A declaration of YHWH, “And I have laid a charge on all circumcised in the foreskin,
UThixo uthi, “Insuku ziyeza, lapho engizabajezisa khona bonke abasoke enyameni kuphela,
26 On Egypt, and on Judah, and on Edom, And on the sons of Ammon, and on Moab, And on all cutting the corner [of the beard], Who are dwelling in the wilderness, For all the nations [are] uncircumcised, And all the house of Israel [are] uncircumcised in heart!”
iGibhithe, loJuda, lo-Edomi, lo-Amoni loMowabi labo bonke abahlala enkangala ezindaweni ezikhatshana. Ngoba izizwe zonke lezi kazisokanga, njalo lendlu yonke ka-Israyeli kayisokanga enhliziyweni.”
