Jeremiah 34
1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and all his army, and all the kingdoms of the earth that were under his dominion, and all the peoples, were fighting against Jerusalem, and against all the cities of it, 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 says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'Go, and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah, and tell him, "Thus says the LORD, 'Look, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn 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 shall not escape out of his hand, but shall surely be taken, and delivered into his hand; and your eyes shall see the eyes of the king of Babylon, and he shall speak with you mouth to mouth, and you shall go to Babylon.'
Kawuyikuphunyuka esandleni sayo kodwa uzathunjwa impela unikelwe kuyo. Inkosi yaseBhabhiloni uzayibona ngamehlo akho, njalo izakhuluma lawe ubuso ngobuso. Njalo uzahamba eBhabhiloni.
4 Yet hear the word of the LORD, O Zedekiah king of Judah: thus says the LORD concerning you, 'You shall not die by the sword;
Kodwa-ke zwana isithembiso sikaThixo, wena Zedekhiya nkosi yakoJuda. Ngawe uThixo uthi: Awuyikufa ngenkemba;
5 you shall die in peace; and with the burnings of your fathers, the former kings who were before you, so shall they make a burning for you; and they shall lament you, saying, "Ah Lord." for I have spoken the word,' says the LORD."'"
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 Then Jeremiah the prophet spoke all these words to Zedekiah king of Judah in Jerusalem,
Ngakho uJeremiya umphrofethi wamtshela konke lokhu uZedekhiya inkosi yakoJuda, eJerusalema,
7 when the king of Babylon's army was fighting against Jerusalem, and against all the cities of Judah that were left, against Lachish and against Azekah; for these alone remained of the cities of Judah as fortified cities.
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 came to Jeremiah from the LORD, after that the king Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people who were at Jerusalem, to proclaim liberty to them;
Ilizwi lafika kuJeremiya livela kuThixo emva kokuba inkosi uZedekhiya esenze isivumelwano labantu bonke baseJerusalema sokumemezela ukukhululwa kwezigqili.
9 that every man should let his male servant, and every man his female servant, who is a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, go free; that none should keep a fellow Judean in bondage.
Wonke umuntu kwakumele akhulule izigqili zakhe ezingamaHebheru, ezesilisa lezesifazane; kakho owayezagcina umJuda wakibo ebugqilini.
10 And all the officials and all the people obeyed, who had entered into the covenant, that everyone should let his male servant, and everyone his female servant, go free, that none should make bondservants of them any more; they obeyed, and let them go:
Ngakho zonke izikhulu labantu bonke abenza isivumelwano lesi bavuma ukuthi babezakhulula izigqili zabo zesilisa lezesifazane bangazigcini ebugqilini futhi. Bavuma, bazikhulula.
11 but afterwards they turned, and caused the servants and the handmaids, whom they had let go free, to return, and brought them into subjection for servants and for handmaids.
Kodwa muva bantshintsha ingqondo zabo bazithumba njalo izigqili zabo ababezikhulule bazenza izigqili futhi.
12 Therefore the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
Ilizwi likaThixo laselifika kuJeremiya lisithi,
13 "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: 'I made a covenant with your fathers in the day that I brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, saying,
“UThixo, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli uthi: Ngenza isivumelwano labokhokho benu ekubakhupheni kwami eGibhithe, elizweni lobugqili. Ngathi,
14 "At the end of seven years you shall let go every man his brother who is a Hebrew, who has been sold to you, and has served you six years, you shall let him go free from you": but your fathers did not listen to me, neither 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 You had now turned, and had done that which is right in my eyes, in proclaiming liberty every man to his neighbor; and you had made a covenant before me in the house which is called by my name:
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 but you turned and profaned my name, and caused every man his servant, and every man his handmaid, whom you had let go free at their pleasure, to return; and you brought them into subjection, to be to you for servants and for handmaids.
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 says the LORD: "You have not listened to me, to proclaim liberty, every man to his brother, and every man to his neighbor: look, I proclaim to you a liberty, says the LORD, to the sword, to the pestilence, and to the famine; and I will make you to be tossed back and forth among all the 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 I will give the men who have transgressed my covenant, who have not performed the words of the covenant which they made before me, when they cut the calf in two and passed between its parts;
Abantu abephula isivumelwano sami kabaze bagcwalisa izimiso zesivumelwano abasenza phambi kwami, ngizabaphatha njengethole abalidabula phakathi basebehamba phakathi kweziqa zalo.
19 the officials of Judah, and the officials of Jerusalem, the eunuchs, and the priests, and all the people of the land, who passed between the parts of the calf;
Abakhokheli bakoJuda labeJerusalema, izikhulu zasemthethwandaba, abaphristi labantu bonke abahamba phakathi kweziqa zethole,
20 I will even give them into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those who seek their life; and their dead bodies shall be for food to the birds of the sky, and to the animals of the earth.
ngizabanikela ezitheni zabo ezifuna ukubabulala. Izidumbu zabo zizakuba yikudla kwezinyoni zasemoyeni lezinyamazana zeganga.
21 And Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials will I give into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those who seek their life, and into the hand of the king of Babylon's army, who have gone away from you.
UZedekhiya inkosi yakoJuda kanye lezikhulu zakhe ngizabanikela ezitheni zabo ezifuna ukubabulala, lakubutho lenkosi yaseBhabhiloni eselisukile kini.
22 Look, I will command, says the LORD, and cause them to return to this city; and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire: and I will 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.”
