Jeremiah 10
1 Hear ye the word which Yahweh hath spoken unto you, O house of Israel: —
Zwanini ilizwi iNkosi elikhuluma kini, lina ndlu kaIsrayeli.
2 Thus, saith Yahweh—Unto the way of the nations, become not ye accustomed, Nor at the signs of the heavens, be ye dismayed, —Because the nations are dismayed at them.
Itsho njalo INkosi: Lingafundi indlela yabahedeni, lingatshaywa luvalo ngezibonakaliso zamazulu, ngenxa yokuthi abahedeni bayazesaba.
3 For as for the prescribed customs of the peoples, vanity, they are, —For a tree out of the forest, one cutteth down, Work for the hands of a skilled workman with the axe:
Ngoba imikhuba yabantu iyize; ngoba kuganyulwa isihlahla ehlathini, umsebenzi wezandla zengcitshi, ngehloka.
4 With silver and with gold, he decketh it, —With nails and with hammers, they fasten them, that it may not totter.
Basicecisa ngesiliva langegolide, basiqinisa ngezipikili langezando, ukuze singazamazami.
5 Mere palm-trunks turned, they are and cannot speak, They must needs be, carried, for they cannot take a step, Be not afraid of them, for they cannot do harm, And even to do good, is not in their power.
Zinjengesihlahla selala somsebenzi obaziweyo, kodwa kazikhulumi; kusweleka zithwalwe, ngoba zingehambe; lingazesabi, ngoba zingelakwenza okubi, futhi kakukho ukwenza okuhle kuzo.
6 None, there is, like unto thee, O Yahweh, —Great, art, thou, And, great, is thy Name, for might.
Njengoba kungekho onjengawe, Nkosi; umkhulu, lebizo lakho likhulu ngobuqhawe.
7 Who would not revere thee, O King of nations? For, thee, doth it beseem; Forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations And throughout all their royal estate, None, there is like unto thee.
Ngubani ongekwesabe, wena Nkosi yezizwe? ngoba kukufanele. Ngoba phakathi kwabo bonke abahlakaniphileyo bezizwe, lakuyo yonke imibuso yabo, kakho onjengawe.
8 But at once, do they become brutish and stupid, —An example of utmost vanity, is, a tree!
Kodwa kanyekanye banjengezinyamazana bayiziphukuphuku; isigodo siyimfundiso sokuyize.
9 Silver spread into plates, from Tarshish is brought, And gold, from Uphaz, Work for the craftsman and for the hands of the smith, —Blue and purple, is their clothing, Work for the skilled, are they all.
Isiliva esikhandiweyo silethwa sivela eTarshishi, legolide livela eUfazi, umsebenzi wengcitshi, lowezandla zomkhandi wegolide; ziluhlaza okwesibhakabhaka lokuyibubende izigqoko zabo; konke kungumsebenzi wabahlakaniphileyo.
10 But, Yahweh, is God in truth, He, is a God that, liveth, And a King of times age-abiding, —At his anger, quaketh the earth, And nations cannot endure his wrath.
Kodwa iNkosi inguNkulunkulu weqiniso, inguNkulunkulu ophilayo lenkosi yaphakade. Ekuthukutheleni kwayo umhlaba uyazamazama, lezizwe kazilakulumela ulaka lwayo.
11 Thus, shall ye say unto them, The gods that made not the heavens, And the earth, Shall perish out of the earth, And from under these heavens!
Lizakutsho njalo kubo: Onkulunkulu abangenzanga amazulu lomhlaba bazabhubha basuke emhlabeni langaphansi kwala amazulu.
12 He that made the earth by his power, That established the world by his wisdom, —And by his understanding stretched out the heavens,
Owenza umhlaba ngamandla akhe, wamisa ilizwe ngenhlakanipho yakhe, langokuqedisisa kwakhe wendlala amazulu.
13 At the voice that he uttered, there was a tumult of waters in the heavens, And he caused vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth, —The lightnings for rain, he made, And brought forth wind out of his treasuries.
Lapho ekhupha ilizwi, kulenhlokomo yamanzi emazulwini; wenza inkungu yenyuke emkhawulweni womhlaba, wenza imibane lezulu, akhuphe umoya eziphaleni zakhe.
14 Every son of earth hath become too brutish to discern, Every goldsmith, hath been put to shame by a graven image, —For a falsehood, is his molten image, Seeing there is no breath in them.
Wonke umuntu unjengenyamazana elwazini; wonke umkhandi wegolide uyangiswa yisithombe esibaziweyo; ngoba isithombe sakhe esibunjwe ngokuncibilikisa siyinkohliso, njalo kakulamphefumulo kuzo.
15 Vanity, they are, the handiwork of mockeries, —In the time of their visitation, shall they perish.
Ziyize, umsebenzi wezinkohliso; ngesikhathi sempindiselo yazo zizabhubha.
16 Not like these, is the portion of Jacob, For the fashioner of all things, is, he, And, Israel, is his inherited sceptre, —Yahweh of hosts, is his name.
Isabelo sikaJakobe kasinjengazo, ngoba ungumbumbi wakho konke, loIsrayeli uyintonga yelifa lakhe; iNkosi yamabandla libizo layo.
17 Fold up, from the ground thy travelling carpet, —O inhabitress of the fortress;
Qoqa impahla yakho uyikhuphe elizweni, wena mhlalikazi wenqaba.
18 For, thus, saith Yahweh, Behold me! slinging out the inhabitants of the land at this throw, —And I will distress them that they may discover it.
Ngoba itsho njalo iNkosi: Khangela, ngizabajikijela ngaphandle abahlali belizwe ngalesisikhathi, ngibacindezele ukuze bakuthole.
19 Woe to me! for my grievous injury, Severe, is my wound, —But, I, said, Verily, this, is an affliction and I must bear it:
Maye kimi ngenxa yokwephuka kwami! Inxeba lami linzima; kodwa mina ngathi: Isibili lokhu yinhlupheko yami engizayithwala.
20 My tent, is laid waste, And all my tent-cords, are broken, —My children, are gone forth from me and they, are not. There is none, To stretch out any more my tent, Or to set up my curtains.
Ithente lami lidiliziwe, lentambo zami zonke ziqamukile; abantwana bami basukile kimi, njalo kabakho; kakho ongelula ithente lami futhi, amise amakhetheni ami.
21 For the shepherds, have become brutish, And Yahweh, have they not sought, —For this cause, have they not prospered, And, all their flock, is scattered.
Ngoba abelusi sebenjengenyamazana, kabadinganga iNkosi; ngakho-ke kabaphumelelanga, lomhlambi wabo wonke uhlakazekile.
22 The noise of a rumour! lo it hath come! Even a great commotion out of the land of the North, —To make the cities of Judah, A desolation, A den of jackals.
Khangela, umsindo wombiko ufikile, lokuzamazama okukhulu okuvela elizweni lenyakatho, okuzakwenza imizi yakoJuda ibe lunxiwa, indawo yokuhlala yemigobho.
23 I know O Yahweh, That not to a son of earth, pertaineth his own path, —Not, to the man who walketh, also to direct his own steps.
Nkosi, ngiyazi ukuthi indlela yomuntu kayikho kuye; kakukho emuntwini ohambayo ukuthi aqondise ukunyathela kwakhe.
24 Chastise me, O Yahweh But yet in measure, —Not in thine anger, lest thou make me few.
Nkosi, ngilaya, kodwa ngesahlulelo, hatshi olakeni lwakho, hlezi unginciphise.
25 Pour out thy wrath—Upon the nations that know thee not, and Upon the families that, upon thy Name, have not called, —For they have devoured Jacob Yea they have devoured him and consumed him, And, his habitation, have they made desolate.
Thululela ulaka lwakho phezu kwabahedeni abangakwaziyo, laphezu kwensendo ezingabizi ibizo lakho; ngoba bamdlile uJakobe, bamginya, bamqeda, bachitha indawo yakhe yokuhlala.
