Jeremiah 16
1 Then the LORD’s word came to me, saying,
Ilizwi leNkosi laselifika kimi lisithi:
2 “You shall not take a wife, neither shall you have sons or daughters, in this place.”
Ungazithatheli umfazi, njalo ungabi lamadodana kumbe amadodakazi kulindawo.
3 For the LORD says concerning the sons and concerning the daughters who are born in this place, and concerning their mothers who bore them, and concerning their fathers who became their father in this land:
Ngoba itsho njalo iNkosi mayelana lamadodana lamayelana lamadodakazi azalelwe kulindawo, lamayelana labonina abawazalayo lamayelana laboyise abawazalele kulelilizwe:
4 “They will die grievous deaths. They will not be lamented, neither will they be buried. They will be as dung on the surface of the ground. They will be consumed by the sword and by famine. Their dead bodies will be food for the birds of the sky and for the animals of the earth.”
Bazakufa izimfa zemikhuhlane; kabayikulilelwa, futhi kabayikungcwatshwa; bazakuba ngumquba phezu kobuso bomhlaba; njalo bazaqedwa yinkemba layindlala; lezidumbu zabo zizakuba yikudla kwezinyoni zamazulu lokwenyamazana zomhlaba.
5 For the LORD says, “Don’t enter into the house of mourning. Don’t go to lament. Don’t bemoan them, for I have taken away my peace from this people,” says the LORD, “even loving kindness and tender mercies.
Ngoba itsho njalo iNkosi: Ungangeni endlini yesililo, ungayikulila, ungabakhaleli; ngoba ngikususile ukuthula kwami kulababantu, itsho iNkosi, uthandolomusa lezihawu.
6 Both great and small will die in this land. They will not be buried. Men won’t lament for them, cut themselves, or make themselves bald for them.
Njalo abakhulu labancinyane bazakufa kulelilizwe; kabayikungcwatshwa, kabayikubalilela, kabayikuzisika, kabayikuziphuca ngenxa yabo.
7 Men won’t break bread for them in mourning, to comfort them for the dead. Men won’t give them the cup of consolation to drink for their father or for their mother.
Futhi kabayikubahlephulela isinkwa esililweni, ukubaduduza ngenxa yofileyo; futhi kakho ozabanathisa inkezo yezinduduzo ngenxa kayise langenxa kanina.
8 “You shall not go into the house of feasting to sit with them, to eat and to drink.”
Njalo ungangeni endlini yedili, ukuhlala labo, ukudla lokunatha.
9 For the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel says: “Behold, I will cause to cease out of this place, before your eyes and in your days, the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride.
Ngoba itsho njalo iNkosi yamabandla, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli: Khangelani, ngizakwenza ukuthi kuphele kule indawo, emehlweni enu, lensukwini zenu, ilizwi lentokozo, lelizwi lenjabulo, ilizwi lomyeni, lelizwi likamakoti.
10 It will happen, when you tell this people all these words, and they ask you, ‘Why has the LORD pronounced all this great evil against us?’ or ‘What is our iniquity?’ or ‘What is our sin that we have committed against the LORD our God?’
Njalo kuzakuthi lapho utshela lababantu wonke lamazwi, babesebesithi kuwe: INkosi ikhulumelani konke lokhu okubi okukhulu imelene lathi, njalo buyini ububi bethu, njalo yisiphi isono sethu esisonileyo simelene leNkosi uNkulunkulu wethu?
11 then you shall tell them, ‘Because your fathers have forsaken me,’ says the LORD, ‘and have walked after other gods, have served them, have worshipped them, have forsaken me, and have not kept my law.
Khona uzakuthi kubo: Ngenxa yokuthi oyihlo bangidelile, itsho iNkosi, balandela abanye onkulunkulu, babasebenzela, babakhonza, bangidela mina, kabagcinanga umlayo wami;
12 You have done evil more than your fathers, for behold, you each walk after the stubbornness of his evil heart, so that you don’t listen to me.
lina-ke lenze okubi kulaboyihlo; ngoba khangelani, lilandela, ngulowo lalowo ubulukhuni benhliziyo yakhe embi, ukuthi bangangilaleli.
13 Therefore I will cast you out of this land into the land that you have not known, neither you nor your fathers. There you will serve other gods day and night, for I will show you no favour.’
Ngakho ngizaliphosela ngaphandle kwalelilizwe, liye elizweni elingalaziyo, lina laboyihlo; lapho-ke lizasebenzela abanye onkulunkulu emini lebusuku, ngoba kangiyikulinika umusa.
14 “Therefore behold, the days come,” says the LORD, “that it will no more be said, ‘As the LORD lives, who brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;’
Ngakho, khangela, insuku ziyeza, itsho iNkosi, lapho kungasayikuthiwa: Kuphila kweNkosi, eyakhuphula abantwana bakoIsrayeli elizweni leGibhithe;
15 but, ‘As the LORD lives, who brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the countries where he had driven them.’ I will bring them again into their land that I gave to their fathers.
kodwa: Kuphila kweNkosi, eyakhuphula abantwana bakoIsrayeli elizweni lenyakatho lakuwo wonke amazwe eyayibaxotshele kiwo; ngoba ngizababuyisa futhi elizweni lakibo engalinika oyise.
16 “Behold, I will send for many fishermen,” says the LORD, “and they will fish them up. Afterward I will send for many hunters, and they will hunt them from every mountain, from every hill, and out of the clefts of the rocks.
Khangela, ngizathumela kubagoli benhlanzi abanengi, itsho iNkosi, babesebebagola; lemva kwalokho ngizathumela kubazingeli abanengi, babazingele bebasusa kuyo yonke intaba, lakulo lonke uqaqa, lasezingoxweni zamadwala.
17 For my eyes are on all their ways. They are not hidden from my face. Their iniquity isn’t concealed from my eyes.
Ngoba amehlo ami aphezu kwazo zonke izindlela zabo; kazifihlakalanga ebusweni bami, lobubi babo kabucatshanga phambi kwamehlo ami.
18 First I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double, because they have polluted my land with the carcasses of their detestable things, and have filled my inheritance with their abominations.”
Kuqala-ke ngizaphindisela isiphambeko sabo lesono sabo ngokuphindiweyo, ngoba bengcolise ilizwe lami, bagcwalisa ilifa lami ngezidumbu zamanyala abo lezinengiso zabo.
19 LORD, my strength, my stronghold, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the nations will come to you from the ends of the earth, and will say, “Our fathers have inherited nothing but lies, vanity and things in which there is no profit.
Nkosi, wena mandla ami, lenqaba yami, lesiphephelo sami ngosuku lwembandezelo, abezizwe bazafika kuwe bevela emikhawulweni yomhlaba, bathi: Isibili obaba badlile ilifa lamanga, okuyize, lokungekho inzuzo kukho.
20 Should a man make to himself gods which yet are no gods?”
Umuntu angazenzela onkulunkulu yini, kanti kabayisibo onkulunkulu?
21 “Therefore behold, I will cause them to know, this once I will cause them to know my hand and my might. Then they will know that my name is the LORD.”
Ngakho, khangela, ngizabenza bazi okwalesisikhathi, ngizabenza bazi isandla sami lobuqhawe bami; bazakwazi-ke ukuthi ibizo lami linguJehova.
