< Jeremiah 42 >

1 Then all the army commanders and Johanan son of Kareah, Jezaniah son of Hoshaiah, and all the people from the least to the greatest approached Jeremiah the prophet.
Zasezisondela zonke induna zamabutho, loJohanani indodana kaKareya, loJezaniya indodana kaHoshaya, labo bonke abantu, kusukela komncinyane kuze kube komkhulu,
2 They said to him, “Let our pleas come before you. Pray for us to Yahweh your God for these people who remain since we are so few in number, as you see.
bathi kuJeremiya umprofethi: Ake kuthi ukuncenga kwethu kuwe phambi kwakho, usikhulekele eNkosini uNkulunkulu wakho, umele le insali yonke, ngoba sisele sibalutshwana kwabanengi, njengalokho amehlo akho esibona;
3 Ask Yahweh your God to tell us the way we should go and what we should do.”
ukuze iNkosi, uNkulunkulu wakho, isazise indlela esizahamba ngayo, lento esizayenza.
4 So Jeremiah the prophet said to them, “I have heard you. Look, I will pray to Yahweh your God as you have requested. Whatever Yahweh answers, I will tell you. I will keep nothing back from you.”
UJeremiya umprofethi wasesithi kibo: Sengizwile; khangelani, ngizakhuleka eNkosini uNkulunkulu wenu njengokwamazwi enu; kuzakuthi-ke, lonke ilizwi iNkosi ezaliphendula ngizalitshela lona, kangiyikuligodlela lizwi.
5 They said to Jeremiah, “May Yahweh be a true and faithful witness against us, if we do not do everything that Yahweh your God tells us to do.
Bona basebesithi kuJeremiya: INkosi kayibe ngumfakazi oqinisileyo lothembekileyo phakathi kwethu, uba singenzi ngokunjalo njengalo lonke ilizwi iNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho ekuthuma kithi ngalo.
6 Whether it is good or if it is bad, we will obey the voice of Yahweh our God, to whom we are sending you, so that it may be well with us when we obey the voice of Yahweh our God.”
Loba kukuhle loba kukubi, sizalalela ilizwi leNkosi uNkulunkulu wethu, esikuthuma kuyo, ukuze kusilungele lapho sililalela ilizwi leNkosi uNkulunkulu wethu.
7 At the end of ten days, the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah.
Kwasekusithi ekupheleni kwensuku ezilitshumi, ilizwi leNkosi lafika kuJeremiya.
8 So Jeremiah called to Johanan son of Kareah and all the army commanders with him, and to all the people from the least to the greatest.
Wasebiza uJohanani indodana kaKareya, lazo zonke induna zamabutho ezazilaye, labantu bonke kusukela komncinyane kusiya komkhulu;
9 Then he said to them, “This is what Yahweh, the God of Israel—to whom you sent me so I might lay your pleas before him—says,
wathi kibo: Itsho njalo iNkosi, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli, elingithume kiyo ukuthi ngenze ukuncenga kwenu kuwe phambi kwayo:
10 'If you go back and live in this land, then I will build you and not tear you down; I will plant you and not pull you up, for I will turn back the disaster that I have brought on you.
Uba lihlala lokuhlala kulelilizwe, ngizalakha ngingalidilizi, ngilihlanyele, ngingalisiphuni; ngoba ngiyazisola ngokubi engikwenzileyo kini.
11 Do not fear the king of Babylon, whom you are fearing. Do not fear him—this is Yahweh's declaration—since I am with you to save you and rescue you from his hand.
Lingayesabi inkosi yeBhabhiloni eliyesabayo, lingayesabi, itsho iNkosi; ngoba mina ngilani ukuze ngilisindise ngilophule esandleni sayo.
12 For I will give you mercy. I will have compassion on you, and I will bring you back to your land.
Ngilinike izihawu, ukuze ibe lomusa kini, ilibuyisele elizweni lakini.
13 But suppose that you say, “We will not stay in this land”—if you do not listen to my voice, the voice of Yahweh your God.
Kodwa uba lisithi: Kasiyikuhlala kulelilizwe; ukuthi lingalaleli ilizwi leNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu;
14 Suppose that you say, “No! We will go to the land of Egypt, where we will not see any war, where we will not hear the sound of the trumpet, and we will not go hungry for food. We will live there.”
lisithi: Hatshi; kodwa sizangena elizweni leGibhithe, lapho esingayikubona impi khona, singayikuzwa ukukhala kophondo, singalambelanga isinkwa, sihlale khona;
15 Now listen to this word of Yahweh, you remnant of Judah. Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this, 'If you actually set out to go to Egypt, to go and live there,
khathesi-ke, ngakho zwanini ilizwi leNkosi, nsali yakoJuda: Itsho njalo iNkosi yamabandla, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli: Uba lina libeka ubuso benu ngokupheleleyo ukuya eGibhithe, lingene ukuyahlala njengabezizwe khona,
16 then the sword that you fear will overtake you there in the land of Egypt. The famine that you are worrying about will pursue you to Egypt, and you will die there.
kuzakuthi-ke inkemba eliyesabayo izalifica khona elizweni leGibhithe, lendlala elinqineka ngayo izanamathela emva kwenu khona eGibhithe, lifele khona.
17 So it will happen that all the men who set out to go to Egypt to live there will die by sword, famine, or plague. There will be no survivor of them, no one to escape the disaster that I will bring on them.
Bazakuba njalo bonke abantu ababeka ubuso babo ukuya eGibhithe, ukuze bahlale njengabezizwe khona; bazakufa ngenkemba, ngendlala, langomatshayabhuqe wesifo; njalo kabayikuba lensali kumbe ophunyuke phambi kokubi engizabehlisela khona.
18 For Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this: Just as my wrath and my fury were poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, in the same way my fury will be poured out on you if you go to Egypt. You will become an object of cursing and a horror, an object for speaking curses, and something dishonorable, and you will not see this place again.'”
Ngoba itsho njalo iNkosi yamabandla, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli: Njengokuthululwa kolaka lwami lentukuthelo yami phezu kwabahlali beJerusalema, ngokunjalo intukuthelo yami izathululelwa phezu kwenu, nxa lingena eGibhithe. Njalo lizakuba yisithuko lokwesabekayo lesiqalekiso lehlazo, lingaphindi liyibone lindawo.
19 Then Jeremiah said, “Yahweh has spoken concerning you—the remnant of Judah. Do not go to Egypt! You certainly know that I have been a witness against you today.
INkosi ithe ngani, nsali yakoJuda: Lingangeni eGibhithe. Yazini isibili ukuthi lamuhla ngifakazile ngimelene lani.
20 For you fatally deceived yourselves when you sent me to Yahweh your God and said, 'Pray to Yahweh our God for us. Everything that Yahweh our God says, tell us, and we will carry it out.'
Ngoba liyikhohlisile imiphefumulo yenu; ngoba lina lingithume eNkosini, uNkulunkulu wenu, lisithi: Sikhulekele eNkosini uNkulunkulu wethu; lanjengakho konke iNkosi uNkulunkulu wethu ekutshoyo, ngokunjalo sitshele, sikwenze.
21 For I have reported to you today, but you have not listened to the voice of Yahweh your God or to anything about which he sent me to you.
Sengilitshelile lamuhla, kodwa kalililalelanga ilizwi leNkosi uNkulunkulu wenu, laloba yiyiphi into engithume yona kini.
22 So now, you should certainly know that you will die by sword, famine, and plague in the place where you desired to go to live.”
Khathesi-ke yazini isibili ukuthi lizakufa ngenkemba, ngendlala, langomatshayabhuqe wesifo, endaweni eliloyisa ukuyahlala khona njengabezizwe.

< Jeremiah 42 >