< Zechariah 11 >

1 [You people of] [APO] Lebanon [should] open your gates, [because you will not be able to stop] fire from burning your cedar [trees]!
Tsekula zitseko zako, iwe Lebanoni, kuti moto unyeketse mikungudza yako!
2 Your cypress/pine [trees] [APO] should [also] wail because the cedar [trees] have been cut down. Those glorious/great trees have been destroyed. The oak trees in the Bashan [region] should also wail, because the other trees in the forest have been cut down.
Lira mwachisoni, iwe mtengo wa payini, pakuti mkungudza wagwa; mtengo wamphamvu wawonongeka! Lirani mwachisoni, inu mitengo ya thundu ya Basani; nkhalango yowirira yadulidwa!
3 And listen to the shepherds crying because the fertile pastures have been ruined. Listen to the lions roar; they roar because the delightful forest [where they live] near the Jordan [River] has been ruined.
Imvani kulira mwachisoni kwa abusa; msipu wawo wobiriwira wawonongeka! Imvani kubangula kwa mikango; nkhalango yowirira ya ku Yorodani yawonongeka!
4 This is what Yahweh my God said [to me]: “[I want you to] become a shepherd for a flock [of sheep that are about] to be slaughtered.
Yehova Mulungu wanga akuti, “Dyetsa nkhosa zimene zikukaphedwa.
5 The people who are going to buy the sheep will kill the sheep, and they will not be punished. Those who are selling the sheep say, ‘[I] praise Yahweh, [because] I will become rich!’ Even the shepherds do not feel sorry for the sheep.
Amene amagula nkhosazo amazipha ndipo salangidwa. Amene amazigulitsa amanena kuti, ‘Alemekezeke Yehova, ine ndalemera!’ Abusa ake omwe sazimvera chisoni nkhosazo.
6 And similarly, I no longer feel sorry for the people of this country. I am going to allow many of them [HYP] to be captured by other people or by their king. Those who capture them will ruin this country, and I will not rescue any [of the people].”
Pakuti Ine sindidzamveranso chisoni anthu okhala mʼdziko,” akutero Yehova. “Ndidzapereka munthu aliyense mʼmanja mwa mnansi wake ndi mwa mfumu yake. Iwo adzazunza dziko, ndipo Ine sindidzawapulumutsa mʼmanja mwawo.”
7 So I became the shepherd of a flock [of sheep that were about] to be slaughtered [for their meat to be sold] to the dealers. [I took good care of the sheep, even the ones that were the weakest sheep. Then] I took two [shepherds’] /walking sticks). I named the one [staff] ‘Kindness’ and the other [staff] ‘Union’. And I took good care of the sheep.
Choncho ine ndinadyetsa nkhosa zokaphedwa, makamaka nkhosa zoponderezedwa. Pamenepo ndinatenga ndodo ziwiri ndipo yoyamba ndinayitcha Kukoma mtima ndipo yachiwiri ndinayitcha Umodzi ndipo ndinadyetsa nkhosazo.
8 But the three shepherds [who had been working with me] detested me, and I became impatient with them. Within one month I (dismissed/got rid of) those shepherds.
Pa mwezi umodzi ndinachotsa abusa atatu. Abusawo anadana nane, ndipo ndinatopa nawo.
9 So I said [to the dealers], “I will no [longer] be the shepherd. I will allow the ones that are dying to die. I will allow the ones that are getting lost to get lost. And I will not prevent those that remain from destroying each other.”
Ndinawuza gulu la nkhosalo kuti, “Sindidzakhalanso mʼbusa wanu. Imene ikufa, ife, ndipo imene ikuwonongeka, iwonongeke, zimene zatsala zizidyana.”
10 Then I took the staff that I had named ‘Kindness’ and I broke it. [That showed that Yahweh] was annulling/canceling the agreement that he had made with all the people-groups.
Kenaka ndinatenga ndodo yanga yotchedwa Kukoma mtima ndi kuyithyola, kuphwanya pangano limene ndinachita ndi mitundu yonse ya anthu.
11 So that agreement was ended immediately. And the men who bought and sold sheep who were watching me knew [by seeing what I was doing] that I was giving them a message from Yahweh.
Linaphwanyidwa tsiku limenelo ndipo nkhosa zosautsidwa zimene zimandiyangʼanitsitsa zinadziwa kuti anali mawu a Yehova.
12 I told them, “If you think it is what you should do, pay me [for taking care of the sheep]. If you do not think that is what you should do, do not pay me.” So they paid me [only] 30 pieces of silver.
Ndinawawuza kuti, “Ngati mukuganiza kuti zili bwino, patseni malipiro anga; koma ngati si choncho, sungani malipirowo.” Kotero anandipatsa ndalama zasiliva makumi atatu.
13 Then Yahweh said to me, “[That is a ridiculously small amount of money that they have paid you]! [So] throw it to the man who makes clay pots!” So I took the silver to the temple of Yahweh, and I threw it in the chest where the offerings/money is kept.
Ndipo Yehova anandiwuza kuti, “Ziponye kwa wowumba mbiya,” mtengo woyenera umene anapereka pondigula Ine! Choncho ndinatenga ndalama zasiliva makumi atatu ndi kuziponya mʼnyumba ya Yehova kwa wowumba mbiya.
14 Then I broke my second staff, [the one that I named] ‘Union’. That [indicated that] Judah and Israel would no longer be united.
Kenaka ndinathyola ndodo yanga yachiwiri yotchedwa Umodzi, kuthetsa ubale pakati pa Yuda ndi Israeli.
15 Then Yahweh said to me, “Take again the things that a foolish shepherd uses,
Pamenepo Yehova anayankhula nane kuti, “Tenganso zida za mʼbusa wopusa.
16 because I am going to appoint a new king for the people, [one who will not take care of my people. He will be like a foolish shepherd]: [MET] He will not take care of those who are dying, those who are very young, those who have been injured, or those who do not have enough food. Instead, he will [treat them very cruelly, like a shepherd who would] [MET] kill and eat the best sheep and tear off their hoofs.
Pakuti ndidzawutsa mʼbusa mʼdzikomo amene sadzasamalira zotayika, kapena kufunafuna zazingʼono, kapena zovulala, kapena kudyetsa nkhosa zabwino, koma iye adzadya nyama ya nkhosa zonenepa, nʼkumakukuta ndi ziboda zomwe.
17 But terrible things will happen to that foolish/useless king who abandons the people [MET] over whom he rules. [His enemies] will strike his arm and his right eye with their swords. [The result will be that] he will have no strength in his arm, and his right eye will become completely blind.”
“Tsoka kwa mʼbusa wopandapake, amene amasiya nkhosa! Lupanga limukanthe pa mkono wake ndi pa diso lake lakumanja! Mkono wake ufote kotheratu, diso lake lamanja lisaonenso.”

< Zechariah 11 >