Jeremiah 5
1 Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, And see I pray you and know and seek out in the broad places thereof, Whether ye can find, a man, Whether there is one Doing justice Demanding fidelity, —That I may pardon her.
Hambani liye le lale ezitaladeni zeJerusalema, libone khathesi, lazi, lidinge ezindaweni zayo ezingamagceke, uba lingathola umuntu, uba ekhona owenza isahlulelo, odinga iqiniso; khona ngizayithethelela.
2 Even though they say By the life of Yahweh, Yet in fact falsely, do they swear.
Loba-ke besithi: Kuphila kukaJehova; kanti bafunga amanga.
3 O Yahweh! thine own eyes, are they not directed to fidelity? Thou hast smitten them Yet have they not grieved, Thou hast consumed them—They have refused to receive correction, —They have made their faces bolder than a cliff, They have refused to return.
Nkosi, amehlo akho kawakho eqinisweni yini? Ubatshayile, kodwa kabezwanga buhlungu; ubaqothule, kodwa bala ukwemukela ukulaywa. Benzile ubuso babo bube lukhuni kuledwala, bala ukuphenduka.
4 And, I, said, —Only, poor people, are they, —They act foolishly, For they know not the way of Yahweh, the justice of their God!
Mina ngasengisithi: Qiniso, laba ngabayanga, bayizithutha; ngoba kabayazi indlela yeNkosi, isahlulelo sikaNkulunkulu wabo.
5 I will betake me unto the great men, and will speak, with them! For, they, know the way of Yahweh, the justice of their God! Yea but, they, with one accord have broken the yoke, torn off the bands.
Mina ngizakuya kwabakhulu, ngikhulume labo, ngoba bona bayayazi indlela yeNkosi, isahlulelo sikaNkulunkulu wabo; kodwa labo kanyekanye balephulile ijogwe, baqamula izibopho.
6 For this cause, hath the lion out of the forest smitten them, The wolf of the waste plains, preyeth upon them, The leopard, is keeping watch over their cities, Every one that goeth out from thence, is torn in pieces, —For they have multiplied their transgressions, Numerous are their apostasies.
Ngakho-ke isilwane esiphuma ehlathini sizababulala, impisi yezinkangala ibachithe, ingwe ilinde imelene lemizi yabo; wonke ophuma kiyo uzadatshudatshulwa; ngoba iziphambeko zabo zinengi, ukuhlehlela nyovane kwabo kwandile.
7 How, for this, can I pardon thee? Thine own sons, have forsaken me, And have sworn by No-gods, —When I had fed them to the full, Then committed they adultery, And the house of the unchaste woman, they used to throng:
Ngingakuthethelela njani ngalokhu? Abantwana bakho bangidelile, bafunga ngabangeyisibo onkulunkulu. Sengibasuthisile, basebefeba, babuthana ngamaxuku endlini yezifebe.
8 Lusty, well-fed horses, had they become, Every man unto his neighbour’s wife, would neigh!
Babenjengamabhiza asuthayo ekuseni, bakhonya, omunye lomunye kumfazi kamakhelwane wakhe.
9 For these things, shall I not punish? Demandeth Yahweh: Yea on a nation such as this, must not my soul avenge herself?
Kangiyikujezisa yini ngenxa yalezizinto? itsho iNkosi; kumbe umphefumulo wami kawuyikuphindisela yini esizweni esinjengalesi?
10 Scale ye her walls and destroy, But a full end, do not make, —Remove her tendrils, For not to Yahweh, do, they, belong!
Yenyukelani emidulwini yayo, lichithe, kodwa lingenzi isiphetho esipheleleyo; susani ingatsha zayo, ngoba kazisizo zeNkosi.
11 For very treacherously, have the house of Israel and the house of Judah dealt with me, Declareth Yahweh.
Ngoba indlu kaIsrayeli lendlu kaJuda zenze ngenkohliso enkulu zimelene lami, itsho iNkosi.
12 They have acted deceptively against Yahweh, And have said, Not He! Neither shall there come upon us, calamity, Nor sword nor famine, shall we see;
Bayiphikile iNkosi, bathi: Kayisiyo; njalo ububi kabuyikusehlela, futhi kasiyikubona inkemba loba indlala.
13 But the prophets, shall prove to be wind, And there is no one speaking in them, —Thus, shall it be done to themselves!
Labaprofethi bazakuba ngumoya, lelizwi kalikho kubo; kuzakwenziwa njalo kibo!
14 Therefore, Thus, saith Yahweh, God of hosts, Because ye have spoken this word, —Behold me! making my words in thy mouth to be fire, And, this people, —wood, So shall it devour them.
Ngalokho itsho njalo iNkosi uNkulunkulu wamabandla: Ngoba likhuluma lelilizwi, khangela, ngizakwenza amazwi ami emlonyeni wakho abe ngumlilo, lalababantu babe zinkuni, njalo uzabaqothula.
15 Behold me! bringing upon you a nation from afar, O house of Israel, Declareth Yahweh, —A nation invincible, it is, A nation from age-past times, hath it been, A nation whose tongue thou shalt not know, Neither shalt thou understand what it speaketh:
Khangelani, ngizaletha phezu kwenu isizwe esivela khatshana, ndlu kaIsrayeli, itsho iNkosi; yisizwe esilamandla, yisizwe esidala, isizwe ongalwaziyo ulimi lwaso, longayikuzwa esikukhulumayo.
16 Its quiver, is like an open sepulchre, —They all, are heroes:
Isamba saso semitshoko sinjengengcwaba elivulekileyo; bonke bangamaqhawe.
17 Then shall it eat thy harvest and thy bread which thy sons and thy daughters should eat, —It shall eat thy flock and thy herd, It shall eat thy vine and thy fig-tree, —It shall destroy thy defenced cities wherein thou, art trusting, with the sword.
Njalo sizakudla isivuno sakho lokudla kwakho; sizakudla amadodana akho lamadodakazi akho; sizakudla izimvu zakho lenkomo zakho; sizakudla ivini lakho lomkhiwa wakho; lemizi yakho ebiyelweyo othembela kiyo, sizayithelela ubuyanga ngenkemba.
18 Yet, even in those days, Declareth Yahweh, Will I not make of you, a full end.
Kodwa langalezonsuku, itsho iNkosi, kangiyikwenza isiphetho esipheleleyo kini.
19 And it shall come to pass, when ye shall say, For what cause hath Yahweh our God done to us all these things? Then shalt thou say unto them, —As ye forsook me, and served the gods of the foreigner in your own land, So, shall ye serve aliens in a land not your own.
Kuzakuthi-ke lapho lisithi: INkosi uNkulunkulu wethu yenzeleni zonke lezizinto kithi? Khona uzakutsho kubo uthi: Njengoba lingidelile, lakhonza onkulunkulu bemzini elizweni lakini, ngokunjalo lizakhonza abezizwe elizweni elingeyisilo lenu.
20 Tell ye this, throughout the house of Jacob, —And let it be heard throughout Judah saying:
Memezelani lokhu endlini kaJakobe, likuzwakalise koJuda, lisithi:
21 Hear this, I pray you ye people—foolish and without heart, —Eyes, have they, and see not, Ears, have they, and hear not!
Zwanini-ke lokhu, lina bantu abayizithutha labangelangqondo, elilamehlo, kodwa lingaboni, elilendlebe, kodwa lingezwa.
22 Even for me, will ye have no reverence? Enquireth Yahweh, And because of me, will ye not be pained? In that though I placed the sand as a bound to the sea, A decree age-abiding, and it should not pass beyond it, —When they would toss themselves Then should they not prevail, When the waves thereof would roar Then should they not pass beyond it,
Kalingesabi yini? itsho iNkosi; kaliyikuthuthumela phambi kwami yini, engabeka itshebetshebe laba ngumngcele wolwandle ngesimiso saphakade olungeledlule? Lanxa amagagasi alo etshayana kube kanti angenqobe; lanxa ehlokoma kube kanti kawayikudlula phezu kwawo.
23 Yet, this people hath an obstinate and rebellious heart, —They have turned aside, and gone their way;
Kodwa lababantu balenhliziyo evukelayo lephikayo; baphambukile, bahamba.
24 Neither have they said in their heart, —Let us we pray you, revere Yahweh our God, Who giveth rain, even the early and the latter, in its season, —The appointed weeks of harvest, he reserveth for us.
Futhi kabatsho enhliziyweni zabo ukuthi: Ake sesabe iNkosi uNkulunkulu wethu, enika izulu lakuqala lelamuva ngesikhathi salo, esigcinela amaviki amisiweyo esivuno.
25 Your iniquities, have thrust away these things, Yea, your sins, have withholden that which is good from you.
Iziphambeko zenu ziphambule lezizinto, lezono zenu zaligodlela okuhle.
26 For there have been found among my people lawless men, —One lieth in wait, as with the stooping of fowlers, They have set a trap, they capture men:
Ngoba phakathi kwabantu bami kutholakala abakhohlakeleyo; bacatheme njengabathiya inyoni; babeka umgibe ochithayo, babambe abantu.
27 As, a cage, is full of birds, So, are, their houses, full of unrighteous gain, —For this cause, have they become great and waxen rich:
Njengezongo ligcwele inyoni, zinjalo izindlu zabo zigcwele inkohliso; ngakho-ke sebebakhulu, banothile.
28 They have waxed fat, they shine Yea they have overpassed the records of wickedness. The right, have they not determined, the right of the fatherless that they might prosper, —Yea justice to the helpless, have they not decreed.
Bazimukile, bancwaba, yebo, bedlula imisebenzi yomubi; kabameli udaba, udaba lwezintandane, kube kanti bayaphumelela; lelungelo labaswelayo kabalahluleli.
29 Upon these things, shall I not bring punishment? Demandeth Yahweh. Or, on a nation such as this, shall not my soul avenge herself?
Kangiyikubajezisa ngalezizinto yini? kutsho iNkosi. Umphefumulo wami kawuyikuphindisela esizweni esinjengalesi yini?
30 An astounding and horrible thing, hath been brought to pass in the land:
Okwethusayo lokwesabekayo kwenzakele elizweni.
31 The prophets, have prophesied, falsely, And the priests tread down by their means, And, my people, love it, so, —What then can ye do as to her latter end?
Abaprofethi baprofetha ngamanga, labapristi babusa ngezandla zabo; labantu bami bakuthanda kunjalo; kodwa lizakwenzani ekupheleni kwakho?
