Jeremiah 29
1 After King Jehoiachin, his mother, his palace officials, other officials in Judah, and all the various kinds of craftsmen [DOU] had been exiled to Babylon, I wrote a letter to the elders, the priests, the prophets and all the other people who had been taken from Jerusalem to Babylon by [soldiers of] Nebuchadnezzar.
La ngamazwi encwadi umphrofethi uJeremiya ayithumela eseJerusalema ebadaleni abasindayo phakathi kwabathunjwayo lakubaphristi, abaphrofethi, lakubo bonke abantu uNebhukhadineza abathatha eJerusalema wabasa ekuthunjweni eBhabhiloni.
(Lokhu kwakungemva kokuba inkosi uJekhoniya lendlovukazi engunina, izikhulu zasemthethwandaba kanye labadala bakoJuda labaseJerusalema, izingcitshi lezingcwethi basebeye ekuthunjweni besuka eJerusalema.)
3 [I gave] the letter to Elasah the son of Shaphan, and to Gemariah the son of Hilkiah, when they were about to go to Babylon to be ambassadors from King Zedekiah to King Nebuchadnezzar. This is what I wrote in the letter:
Incwadi leyo wayiphathisa u-Eleyasa indodana kaShafani loGemariya indodana kaHilikhiya, abathunywa nguZedekhiya inkosi yakoJuda kuNebhukhadineza eBhabhiloni. Yathi:
4 This is what the Commander of the armies of angels, the God whom [we] Israelis [worship], says to all you people who were captured [here] in Jerusalem and taken [there] to Babylon:
UThixo uSomandla, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli uthi kubo bonke labo engabasa ekuthunjweni eBhabhiloni besuka eJerusalema:
5 “Build houses [there], and plan to stay there [because you will be there for many years]. Plant gardens, and eat the food that is produced in the gardens.
“Yakhani izindlu lihlale phansi; limani izivande lidle izithelo zazo.
6 Get married and have children. Then [when they grow up], choose wives for your sons, and husbands for your daughters, in order that they [also] may have children. [In that way], the number of you people will increase, not decrease.
Thathani abafazi lizale amadodana lamadodakazi; dingelani amadodana enu abafazi lendise lamadodakazi enu, ukuze lawo abe lamadodana kanye lamadodakazi; inani lenu lande ngapho; lingehli.
7 Also, do things that will cause things to go well [for the other people there] in the city where I sent you. Pray that things will go well for [the people in] that city, because if things go well for them, things will go well for you, [also].”
Funani ukuthula lokuphumelela kwedolobho engilise ekuthunjweni kulo. Likhulekeleni kuThixo, ngoba nxa liphumelela lani lizaphumelela.”
8 This is what the Commander of the armies of angels, the God whom [we] Israeli people [worship], says: “There are [false] prophets and fortune-tellers among you. Do not allow them to deceive you. Do not pay attention to [them when they tell you] their dreams,
Ye, uThixo uSomandla, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli uthi, “Lingavumeli ukuthi abaphrofethi labahlahluli abaphakathi kwenu balikhohlise. Lingawalaleli amaphupho elibakhuthaza ukuthi bawaphuphe.
9 because they are telling you lies, saying that [MTY] [I have given them the messages that they are telling you]. But, I have not appointed them.”
Baphrofetha amanga kini ngebizo lami. Kangibathumanga,” kutsho uThixo.
10 This is [also] what Yahweh says: “After you [and your children] have been in Babylon for seventy years, I will help you, and do for you the things that I promised, and I will enable you to return here [to Jerusalem].
UThixo uthi: “Lapho iminyaka engamatshumi ayisikhombisa isiphelile eBhabhiloni, ngizakuza kini ngigcwalise isithembiso sami somusa sokulibuyisela kule indawo.
11 I, Yahweh, know what I have planned for you. I am planning to cause things to go well for you, not to cause you to experience disasters. I am planning to give you many things that you confidently expect to receive in the future.
Ngoba ngiyawazi amacebo engilawo ngani,” kutsho uThixo, “amacebo okuliphumelelisa hatshi ukulilimaza, amacebo okulinika ithemba kanye lesikhathi esizayo.
12 At that time, when you pray, I will heed you.
Ngalesosikhathi lizangibiza lizekhuleka kimi, njalo ngizalizwa.
13 If you earnestly desire for me [to bless you], you will experience me [blessing you].
Lizangidinga lingifumane nxa lingidinga ngenhliziyo yenu yonke.
14 I will make my help available to you [IDM]. I will cause you to no longer be slaves [in Babylon]. I will gather you from all the nations to which I have exiled you, and I will bring you back [here to your own land], to the place from which you were taken.”
Lizangifumana,” kutsho uThixo, “njalo ngizalibuyisa livela ekuthunjweni. Ngizaliqoqa ezizweni zonke lasezindaweni zonke engalixotshela kuzo,” kutsho uThixo, “njalo ngilibuyise endaweni engalithatha kuyo ngilisa ekuthunjweni.”
15 [Some of] you say that Yahweh has appointed prophets for you [there] in Babylon.
Lingatsho lithi, “UThixo usesiphe abaphrofethi eBhabhiloni,”
16 But this is what Yahweh says about the king who rules [here] in Jerusalem, and about all the other people who are [still] living here—your relatives who were not taken to Babylon with you.
kodwa uThixo uthi mayelana lenkosi ehlala esihlalweni sobukhosi sikaDavida labantu bonke abasala kulelidolobho, abantu bakini abangahambanga lani ekuthunjweni,
17 The Commander of the armies of angels says this: “I will cause them to experience wars and famines and diseases. I will cause them to become like [SIM] bad figs that are very rotten, with the result that no one can eat them.
yebo, uThixo uSomandla uthi, “Ngizabathumela inkemba, lendlala lesifo njalo ngizabenza babe njengomkhiwa obolileyo ongeke udliwe.
18 I will not stop causing them to experience wars and famines and diseases. And I will scatter them all around the world. In every country where I (force them to be taken/exile them), I will cause them to be people whom [others] curse and be horrified about and make fun of [DOU].
Ngizaxotshana labo ngenkemba, ngendlala langesifo njalo ngizabenza benyanyeke kuyo yonke imibuso yasemhlabeni njalo babe yinto yokuqalekiswa lokwesatshwa, ukuklolodelwa lokuthukwa, phakathi kwezizwe zonke engibaxotshela kuzo.
19 [That will happen] because they have refused to pay attention to my messages, messages that I gave to the prophets whom I sent to them. And you [who have been exiled to Babylon] have not paid attention to them, [either].” [That is what] Yahweh says.
Ngoba kabawalalelanga amazwi ami,” kutsho uThixo, “amazwi engawathumela kubo njalonjalo ngezinceku zami abaphrofethi. Lani abasekuthunjweni kalilalelanga,” kutsho uThixo.
20 [Therefore], you people who have been (exiled/forced to go) from Jerusalem to Babylon, listen to this message from Yahweh.
Ngakho, zwanini ilizwi likaThixo, lonke lina elisekuthunjweni engalisusa eJerusalema ngalisa eBhabhiloni.
21 This is what the Commander of the armies of angels, the God whom [we] Israelis [worship], says about Ahab the son of Kolaiah, and about Zedekiah, the son of Maaseiah, who are telling lies to you, saying that they are giving messages [MTY] from him: “They will be seized and taken to [MTY] King Nebuchadnezzar, who will cause them to be executed while you are watching.
Mayelana lo-Ahabi indodana kaKholaya loZedekhiya indodana kaMaseya, abaphrofetha amanga kini ngebizo lami, uThixo uSomandla, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli uthi: “Ngizabanikela kuNebhukhadineza inkosi yaseBhabhiloni ozababulala phambi kobuso benu.
22 Because of [what will happen to] them, all you people who have been taken from Judah to Babylon will say this when they curse someone: ‘I hope/wish that Yahweh will do to you the same thing that he did to Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the King of Babylon caused to be [killed by being] burned in a fire.’
Ngenxa yabo, bonke abathunjiweyo abavela koJuda abaseBhabhiloni bazasebenzisa isiqalekiso lesi sokuthi: ‘UThixo makenze kini njengalokhu akwenze kuZedekhiya lo-Ahabi, abatshiswa yinkosi yaseBhabhiloni ngomlilo.’
23 They have done terrible things to [my] Israeli people. They have committed adultery with their neighbors’ wives, and they have spoken lies, saying that they were messages [MTY] from me. They have said things that I did not tell them to say, and I, Yahweh, have heard them [say those things].”
Ngoba benze izinto ezimbi kakhulu ko-Israyeli; bafeba labafazi babomakhelwane babo, baqamba amanga ngebizo lami, engingazange ngithi bakwenze. Ngiyakwazi njalo ngingufakazi kukho,” kutsho uThixo.
24 [Yahweh told me to] send this message to Shemaiah, a man from Nehelam [town who was living in Babylon]:
Tshela uShemaya umNehelami uthi,
25 This is what the Commander of the armies of angels, the God whom [we] Israelis [worship], says: “You wrote a letter that no one told you to write. You sent it to Zephaniah the priest, the son of Maaseiah, and [you sent copies] to the other priests and all the [other] people here in Jerusalem. [This is what] you wrote to him:
“UThixo uSomandla, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli uthi: ‘Wathumela izincwadi ngebizo lakho kubo bonke abantu baseJerusalema, lakuZefaniya indodana kaMaseya umphristi, lakwabanye abaphristi bonke.’ KuZefaniya wathi,
26 [Zephaniah], Yahweh has appointed you to be the priest instead of Jehoiada, to supervise those who work in the temple. Anyone who acts like a crazy man and who claims that he is a prophet, you should put his arms and legs and head into (stocks/a wooden frame [so that he cannot move)].
‘UThixo usekubeke ukuba ngumphristi esikhundleni sikaJehoyada ukuba ube ngumphathi wendlu kaThixo; umuntu ohlanyayo ozenza umphrofethi ubomfaka esitokisini umfake lezankosi zentanyeni.
27 So why have you not done anything to stop Jeremiah, the man from Anathoth [town], who [pretends that he] is a prophet among you?
Pho kungani ungamkhuzanga uJeremiya wase-Anathothi, ozenza umphrofethi phakathi kwenu?
28 He sent a letter to us [who are here] in Babylon, saying that [we will be here for] a long time. He said that [therefore] we should build houses and plan to stay here, and plant gardens, and eat the food that is produced in the gardens.”
Uthumele ilizwi leli kithi eBhabhiloni elithi: Kuzakuba yisikhathi eside. Ngakho yakhani izindlu lihlale phansi; limani izivande lidle izithelo zazo.’”
29 [But when] Zephaniah the priest [received] the letter from you, he [brought it to me and] read it to me.
Kodwa, uZefaniya umphristi incwadi le wayibalela uJeremiya umphrofethi.
30 Then Yahweh gave me this message:
Ilizwi likaThixo laselifika kuJeremiya lisithi,
31 “Send this message to all the people [from Judah] who are there [in Babylon]. Say that this is what Yahweh says about Shemaiah, the man from Nehelam: ‘I did not appoint him, but he has deceived you and caused you to believe the lies that he prophesied.
“Thumela ilizwi leli kubo bonke abathunjiweyo uthi, Mayelana loShemaya umNehelami uThixo uthi: ‘Njengoba uShemaya esephrofitha kini, lanxa mina ngingamthumanga, walenza lakholwa amanga,
32 So, I will punish him and his family. He has incited you to rebel against me. Because of that, all of his descendants will soon die. I will do [many] good things for [you], my people, but he and his descendants will not see those things, [because they will be dead]. [That will surely happen because I], Yahweh, have said it!’”
ngeqiniso ngizamjezisa uShemaya umNehelami kanye lenzalo yakhe. Kakuyikuba lowakibo ozasala ekhona phakathi kwalababantu, njalo lezinto ezinhle engizazenzela abantu bami kasoze azibone, kutsho uThixo, ngoba uphrofetha ukungihlamukela.’”
