Jeremiah 9
1 Oh that my head were waters, And mine eyes a fountain of tears, —That I might weep day and night, For the slain of the daughter of my people!
Kungathi ngabe ikhanda lami lingamanzi, lamehlo ami umthombo wezinyembezi, ukuze ngikhalele ababuleweyo bendodakazi yabantu bami emini lebusuku!
2 Oh that I had in the wilderness, a wayfarers’ lodge, That I might leave my people, and go from them, —For they all, are Adulterers, An assemblage of traitors;
Kungathi ngabe ngilendawo yokulala yezihambi enkangala, ukuze ngitshiye abantu bami, ngisuke kubo! Ngoba bonke bayizifebe, ixuku labakhohlisayo.
3 Who have prepared their tongue as their bow of falsehood, And, not by faithfulness, have they become mighty in the land, —For from wickedness unto wickedness, have they gone forth, But me, have they not known, Declareth Yahweh.
Njalo bagobisa ulimi lwabo njengedandili labo besenzela amanga; kodwa kabaliqineli iqiniso elizweni; ngoba baqhubeka kusukela kokubi kusiya kokubi, mina-ke kabangazi, itsho iNkosi.
4 Every one, of his neighbour, beware ye, And in no brother, may ye trust, —For, every brother, supplanteth! And every neighbour, as a tale-bearer, goeth about;
Qaphelani, ngulowo lalowo umakhelwane wakhe, lingathembi lawuphi umfowenu, ngoba wonke umfowenu uzakhohlisa lokukhohlisa, laye wonke umakhelwane uzahamba ngokuhleba.
5 Yea, every one, of his neighbour, maketh a dupe, And, truth, they do not speak, —They have taught their tongue to speak falsehood, In acting perversely, they have wearied themselves.
Njalo bazakhohlisa, ngulowo lalowo umakhelwane wakhe, bengakhulumi iqiniso; balufundisile ulimi lwabo ukukhuluma amanga, bezidinisa ngokwenza okubi.
6 Thy dwelling, is in the midst of deceit, —Through deceit, have they rejected the knowledge of, me, Declareth Yahweh.
Indawo yakho yokuhlala iphakathi kwenkohliso; ngenkohliso bayala ukungazi, itsho iNkosi.
7 Therefore, thus, saith Yahweh of hosts, Behold me! melting them, so will I try them, —For how else should I do because of the wickedness of the daughter of my people?
Ngakho itsho njalo iNkosi yamabandla: Khangela, ngizabancibilikisa, ngibahlole; ngoba ngizakwenza njani ngenxa yendodakazi yabantu bami?
8 A pointed arrow, is their tongue Deceit, hath it spoken, —With his mouth peace unto his neighbour, doth one speak, But within himself, he layeth his ambush.
Ulimi lwabo lungumtshoko wokubulala, lukhuluma inkohliso; ngulowo lalowo ukhuluma ukuthula ngomlomo wakhe kumakhelwane wakhe, kodwa ngaphakathi kwakhe uyamcathamela.
9 For these things, shall I not bring punishment on them? Demandeth Yahweh, —On a nation such as this, must not my soul avenge herself!
Kangiyikubajezisa yini ngenxa yalezizinto? itsho iNkosi; umphefumulo wami kawuyikuphindisela yini esizweni esinjengalesi?
10 Over the mountains, will I take up a weeping and wailing, And over the oases of the desert, a dirge, For they have been burned, so that no man passeth through, Neither have men heard the lowing of cattle, —Both the bird of the heavens and the beast have fled, have gone their way:
Ngizaphakamisa ukukhala lesililo phezu kwezintaba, laphezu kwezindawo zokuhlala zenkangala ingoma yokulila, ngoba kutshisiwe, okokuthi kungekho odlulayo; njalo bangezwa ilizwi lezifuyo; kusukela enyonini zamazulu kusiya enyamazaneni kubalekile, kuhambile.
11 Thus will I give up Jerusalem To heaps, A habitation for jackals, —And the cities of Judah, will I give up to desolation, without inhabitant.
Ngizayenza iJerusalema ibe zinqumbi, umlindi wemigobho; lemizi yakoJuda ngizayenza ibe lunxiwa, ingabi lamhlali.
12 Who, is the man that is wise That he may discern this? And, unto whom, hath the mouth of Yahweh spoken, That he may declare it? For what cause Hath the land perished, Hath it been burned as a wilderness that no man passeth through?
Ngubani umuntu ohlakaniphileyo ongaqedisisa lokhu? Njalo ngubani umlomo weNkosi okhulume kuye, ukuze akubike? Kungani ilizwe libhubhile litshiswe njengenkangala, kuze kungabikho odlulayo?
13 Then said Yahweh, —Because they have forsaken my law, which I set before them, —And have not hearkened to hay voice neither walked therein;
INkosi yasisithi: Ngoba bedelile umlayo wami engawubeka phambi kwabo, njalo bengalilalelanga ilizwi lami, bengahambanga ngalo;
14 But have gone their way, After the stubbornness of their own heart, —And after the Baals which their fathers taught them,
kodwa balandela inkani yenhliziyo yabo, belandela oBhali, oyise ababafundisa khona.
15 Therefore, Thus saith Yahweh of hosts, The God of Israel, Behold me! Feeding them, even this people, with wormwood, —And I will cause them to drink, poisoned water;
Ngalokho itsho njalo iNkosi yamabandla, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli: Khangela, ngizabondla lababantu ngomhlonyane, ngibanathise amanzi enyongo.
16 And will scatter them among the nations, which neither they nor their fathers, have known, —And will send after them the sword, until I have consumed them.
Njalo ngizabahlakaza phakathi kwezizwe abangazanga bazazi bona laboyise, ngithume inkemba emva kwabo, ngize ngibaqede.
17 Thus, saith Yahweh of hosts, Consider ye diligently and call for the wailing women that they may come, —And unto the wise women, send ye, that they may come;
Itsho njalo INkosi yamabandla: Qaphelani, libize abesifazana abalilayo ukuthi beze; lithumele kwabesifazana abahlakaniphileyo, ukuthi beze.
18 Yea let them make haste, and lift up over us a wailing, —That our eyes, may run down, with tears, And, our eyelashes, stream down with water; —
Kabaphangise, basiphakamisele isililo, ukuze amehlo ethu ehlise inyembezi, lenkophe zethu zimpompoze amanzi.
19 Yea, a voice of wailing, hath been heard out of Zion How are we ruined! We have turned very pale For we have left the land, For they have cast down our habitations.
Ngoba ilizwi lokulila liyezwakala liphuma eZiyoni lisithi: Yeka ukuchitheka kwethu! Silenhloni kakhulu, ngoba silitshiyile ilizwe, ngoba babhidlizile izindawo zethu zokuhlala.
20 For hear O ye women the word of Yahweh, And let your ear take in the word of his mouth, —And teach your daughters a wail, Yea each woman—her neighbour, a dirge: —
Kanti zwanini ilizwi leNkosi, lina besifazana, lendlebe zenu zilemukele ilizwi lomlomo wayo; lifundise amadodakazi enu ukuqhinqa isililo, kube ngulowo lalowo umakhelwane wakhe ingoma yokulila.
21 That death Hath come up through our windows, Hath entered our palaces, —Cutting off The boy from the street, The young men from the broadways.
Ngoba ukufa kwenyukele emawindini ethu, kwangena ezigodlweni zethu, ukuquma abantwana ezitaladeni, amajaha emidangeni.
22 Speak thou, Thus, declareth Yahweh, So shall fall the dead bodies of men, Like dung heaps on the face of the field, —And like swaths after the harvestman, With none to gather.
Khuluma uthi: Itsho njalo iNkosi: Ngitsho isidumbu somuntu sizakuwa njengamalongwe ebusweni bensimu, lanjengomzila wamabele asikiweyo emva komvuni, njalo kungabi lobuthayo.
23 Thus, saith Yahweh Let not, the wise man, glory in his wisdom, Neither let, the mighty man, glory, in his might, —Let not, the rich man, glory in his riches;
Itsho njalo iNkosi: Ohlakaniphileyo kangazincomi ngenhlakanipho yakhe, leqhawe lingazincomi ngobuqhawe balo, isinothi singazincomi ngenotho yaso;
24 But, in this, let the glorying one glory—In having intelligence and in knowing me, That, I, am Yahweh, Executing lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness in the earth, —That in these things, I delight Declareth Yahweh.
kodwa ozincomayo kazincome ngalokhu, ukuthi uyaqedisisa uyangazi mina, ukuthi ngiyiNkosi esebenzisa uthandolomusa, isahlulelo, lokulunga emhlabeni; ngoba kulezizinto ngiyathokoza, itsho iNkosi.
25 Lo! days are coming, Declareth Yahweh, —When I will bring punishment upon every one circumcised, With him that is uncircumcised:
Khangela, insuku ziyeza, itsho iNkosi, lapho ngizajezisa bonke abasokileyo ekungasokini:
26 Upon Egypt and upon Judah, And upon Edom, and upon the sons of Ammon, And upon Moab, And upon all the clipped beards, The dwellers in the desert, —For, all the nations, are uncircumcised, And, all the house of Israel, are uncircumcised in heart.
IGibhithe, loJuda, loEdoma, labantwana bakoAmoni, loMowabi, labo bonke abaphoselwe engonsini, abahlala enkangala; ngoba zonke izizwe kazisokwanga, layo yonke indlu kaIsrayeli kayisokwanga enhliziyweni.
