Jeremiah 22
1 This is another message that Yahweh gave [to me]: “Go down to the palace of the king of Judah and say this to him:
Nanku akutshoyo uThixo: “Hamba wehlele endlini yenkosi yakoJuda umemezele khona ilizwi leli uthi,
2 ‘You are the king of Judah. You are the ruler [MTY], like King David was. You and your officials and your people must listen
‘Zwana ilizwi likaThixo, we nkosi yakoJuda, wena ohlala esihlalweni sobukhosi sikaDavida, wena lezikhulu zakho kanye labantu bakho abangena ngamasango la.
3 to what Yahweh says: “Act fairly and justly. Do what is right. Help those who have been robbed. Rescue people from those who oppress them. Stop doing evil things. Do not mistreat those who have come here from other countries, and do not mistreat orphans and widows. Stop murdering here [in Jerusalem] [MTY] those who (are innocent/have not done things that are wrong).
UThixo uthi: Yenzani okulungileyo lokuqondileyo. Mhlenge esandleni somncindezeli wakhe lowo ophangiweyo. Lingenzi okubi loba udlakela kowezizweni, intandane loba umfelokazi, njalo lingachithi igazi elingelacala kule indawo.
4 If you obey those commands carefully, there will [always] be some descendant of King David who will be ruling here [MTY] [in Jerusalem]. The king and his officials and other people will ride through the gates of the city in chariots and on horses.
Ngoba nxa linanzelela ukulandela imilayo le, amakhosi ahlala esihlalweni sobukhosi sikaDavida azangena ngamasango ale indawo, egade izinqola zempi lamabhiza, elezikhulu zawo kanye labantu bawo.
5 But if you refuse to pay attention to those commands, I, Yahweh, solemnly declare, with myself [MTY] as a witness, that this palace will become a pile of rubble.”’”
Kodwa nxa imilayo le lingayilaleli, kutsho uThixo, ngifunga ngami ukuthi indawo le izakuba lunxiwa.’”
6 And this is what Yahweh says about the king’s palace: “[I like] this palace, like I like the forests in the Gilead [region] and the mountains in Lebanon. But I will cause this palace to become a desert, a place that no one lives in.
Ngoba mayelana lendawo yenkosi yakoJuda uThixo uthi: “Lanxa unjengeGiliyadi kimi, lanjengengqongo yeLebhanoni, ngeqiniso ngizakwenza ufane lenkangala, lanjengamadolobho angahlali muntu.
7 I will summon enemy troops who will destroy this palace; each of their soldiers will use his own tools [to wreck the building]. They will cut into pieces the beautiful big cedar [beams] and throw them into a fire.”
Ngizakuthumela abachithi, indoda nganye ilezikhali zayo, njalo bazaquma imijabo yenu emihle yemisedari bayiphosele emlilweni.
8 People from many nations will walk past [the ruins of] this city and say to each other, “Why did Yahweh destroy this city that was [very] great?”
Abantu abavela ezizweni ezinengi bazadlula kulelidolobho babuzane besithi, ‘Kungani uThixo enze into enje kulelidolobho elikhulu na?’
9 And [other] people will reply, “[He did it] because his people stopped obeying the agreement that they had made with Yahweh their God. Instead, they worshiped [DOU] other gods.”
Impendulo izakuthi: ‘Ngoba basidelile isivumelwano sikaThixo uNkulunkulu wabo bakhonza abanye onkulunkulu njalo babasebenzela.’”
10 [Yahweh also says, ] “Do not mourn for King [Josiah]; do not cry because he has died. Instead, mourn for [King Jehoahaz, his son], [because] he will be captured and taken to another country, and he will never return to see his own country, [Judah], again.”
Lingayikhaleli inkosi efileyo loba lililele ukulilahlekela kwayo; kodwa, khalelani kakhulu othunjiweyo, ngoba kasayikubuya njalo loba abone ilizwe lakibo futhi.
11 Jehoahaz became king after his father, King Josiah, [died], but Jehoahaz indeed was captured and taken [to Babylonia]. And this is what Yahweh says about him: “He also will never return [to Judah].
Ngoba mayelana loShalumi indodana kaJosiya, owangena esikhundleni sikayise esiba yinkosi yakoJuda kodwa osesukile kule indawo: UThixo uthi, “Kasoze abuye futhi.
12 He will die in that far-away country and will never see his own country again.”
Uzafela kuleyondawo asiwa kuyo ethunjiwe; ilizwe leli kasoze alibone futhi.”
13 [And Yahweh said to me], “Terrible things will happen to [King Jehoahaz’s brother, King Jehoiakim]. He unjustly [forced men to] build his palace. The rooms on the upper level were built [by men who were forced] unjustly [to do that work]; he forced his neighbors to work for nothing; he did not pay them anything.
“Maye kuye owakha indlu yakhe yobukhosi ngokungalungi, lezindlu zakhe zangaphezulu ngokungafanelanga, esenza abantu bakibo basebenzele ize, engabaholisi lutho ngokusebenza kwabo.
14 He said, ‘I will [force my workers to] build a huge beautiful palace with very large rooms and [many] windows. They will cover the walls with [fragrant] cedar panels/timber and paint them bright red.’”
Uthi, ‘Ngizazakhela indlu enkulu yobukhosi elezitezi ezibanzi.’ Ngakho uyenza ibe lamawindi amakhulu, ayinameke ngemisidari, ayicombe ngokubomvu.
15 But it is certainly not [RHQ] having a beautiful cedar palace that causes a king to be great! Jehoiakim’s father, Josiah, also had [RHQ] plenty of things to eat and drink. But Josiah always did things that are right and just, and that is why God blessed him.
Ukuba lemisedari eminenginengi kukwenza ube yinkosi na? Uyihlo kazange abe lokudla lokunathwayo na? Wenza okuqondileyo lokulungileyo, ngakho konke kwamlungela.
16 Josiah acted justly/fairly and helped poor and needy people, so things went well for him. Yahweh says, “That is [RHQ] the way a person should behave who knows me.
Wavikela amalungelo abayanga labaswelayo, ngakho konke kwamlungela. Lokho akusikho okutsho ukungazi na?” kutsho uThixo.
17 But [Jehoiakim], you [MTY] are greedy and desire only to obtain things by acting dishonestly. You murder [MTY] innocent people, you oppress poor people, and you treat people cruelly and violently.”
“Kodwa amehlo akho lenhliziyo yakho kukhangele inzuzo yenkohliso, lokuchitha igazi elingelacala, ukuncindezela kanye lodlakela.”
18 Therefore, this is what Yahweh says about Jehoiakim, the son of King Josiah: “[When he dies], people will not mourn for him. They will not say to each other, ‘It is very sad; we are so sorry!’ The people whom he ruled will not mourn for him, saying, ‘We are sad that our king is dead; we are so sorry that the wonderful things [that happened while he was king are ended].’
Ngakho mayelana loJehoyakhimi indodana kaJosiya, inkosi yakoJuda, uThixo uthi: “Kabayikumkhalela besithi: ‘Maye ngomfowethu! Maye ngodadewethu!’ Kabayikumkhalela besithi: ‘Maye ngenkosi yami! Maye ngobuhle bayo obukhulu!’
19 [When he dies, people will do to] his corpse what they do to a dead donkey; his [corpse] will be dragged out of Jerusalem and dumped outside the gates!
Uzangcwatshwa njengobabhemi, ahudulwe aphoselwe ngaphandle kwamasango aseJerusalema.”
20 [You people of Judah], go to [the mountains in] Lebanon and weep, shout in the [mountains of the] Bashan [region], cry out in [the mountains of] Moab, because all your friends [in those areas] have been destroyed.
“Qansa uye eLebhanoni umemeze, wenze ilizwi lakho lizwakale eBhashani; memeza use-Abharimi, ngoba bonke abamanyane lawe banqotshiwe.
21 When you were prosperous, I warned you, but you replied, ‘We will not pay attention [to what you say].’ You have been acting like that since you were young; you have never obeyed me.
Ngakuxwayisa uzibona uvikelekile, kodwa wena wathi, ‘Angiyikulalela!’ Le ibe iyindlela yakho kusukela ebutsheni bakho; kawungilalelanga.
22 [So, now I will punish] all your leaders; [it will be as though] they have been blown away by the wind. They will be captured [by your enemies] and taken to another country. When that happens, you will [truly] be ashamed and disgraced because of all the wicked things [that you have done].
Umoya uzabaxotshela khatshana bonke abelusi bakho, labamanyene lawe bazathunjwa. Lapho-ke uzayangeka ube lenhloni ngenxa yobubi bakho bonke.
23 [Now, your king] enjoys living in the cedar rooms in his palace, but [soon] he will be punished, and then he will groan like [SIM] a woman who is giving birth to a baby.”
Lina abahlala ‘eLebhanoni,’ eligcineke kuhle ezindlini zemisedari, lizabubula kakhulu lapho inhlungu zilehlela, ubuhlungu obunjengowesifazane ehelelwa!”
24 Yahweh says this: “Jehoiachin, son of King Jehoiakim of Judah, as surely as I am alive, [I will punish you]. Even if you were the ring on my finger that shows that I am the king, I would pull you off.
UThixo uthi, “Ngeqiniso njengoba ngikhona, lanxa ngabe wena, Jehoyakhini ndodana kaJehoyakhimi inkosi yakoJuda, wawuyindandatho ebukekayo esandleni sami sokunene, ngangizakukhupha.
25 You are afraid of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and his huge army, [because] they are wanting to kill you. I will enable them to capture you.
Ngizakunikela kulabo abafuna ukukubulala, labo obesabayo, uNebhukhadineza inkosi yaseBhabhiloni lakumaKhaladiya.
26 I will expel you and your mother [from this land], and you will be taken to another country. Neither of you was born there, but you will both die there.
Wena kanye lonyoko owakuzalayo ngizaliphosela kwelinye ilizwe, lapho elingazalelwanga khona, lapho elizafela khona lobabili.
27 You will never return to this land that you will very much desire to return to.”
Kaliyikuphinda libuye elizweni elifisa ukuza kulo.”
28 [Someone said, ] “Jehoiachin will be [RHQ] like a broken pot that is despised and which no one wants. He and his children will be (exiled/forced to go) to a foreign land.
Umuntu lo, uJehoyakhini, uyimbiza efileyo, edelelwayo, into engafunwa muntu na? Kungani yena labantwabakhe bezaphoselwa ngaphandle, balahlelwe elizweni abangalaziyo na?
29 [I want] the people in this land to listen carefully to this message from Yahweh.”
Wena lizwe, lizwe, lizwe, zwana ilizwi likaThixo!
30 This is what Yahweh says: “[In the record about the kings of Judah, ] write down that [it will be as though] this man [Jehoiachin] had no children, and that he has not been successful during his life, because none of his children/descendants will [ever] become king to rule over [the people of] Judah.”
UThixo uthi: “Bhalani umuntu lo njengongelabantwana, umuntu ongayikuphumelela empilweni yakhe, ngoba kakho owenzalo yakhe ozaphumelela, kakho ozahlala esihlalweni sobukhosi sikaDavida loba abuse futhi koJuda.”
