Jeremiah 9
1 Who doth make my head waters, And mine eye a fountain of tears? And I weep by day and by night, For the wounded of the daughter of my people.
Awu, sengathi ngabe ikhanda lami lingumthombo wamanzi, lamehlo ami angumthombo wezinyembezi! Kade ngizakhala emini lebusuku ngikhalela abantu bami ababuleweyo.
2 Who doth give me in a wilderness A lodging-place of travellers? And I leave my people, and go from them, For all of them [are] adulterers, An assembly of treacherous ones.
Awu, sengathi ngabe enkangala ngilendawo engahlala izihambi, ukuba ngisuke ebantwini bami ngisuke kubo, ngoba bonke bayizifebe, ixuku labantu abangathembekanga.
3 And they bend their tongue, their bow [is] a lie, And not for stedfastness have they been mighty in the land, For from evil unto evil they have gone forth, And Me they have not known, An affirmation of Jehovah!
“Benza izindimi zabo zilunge njengesavutha ukuba batshoke amanga, ukuthi bayanqoba elizweni akusikho ngeqiniso. Basuka kokunye ukona baye kokunye; kabangamukeli,” kutsho uThixo.
4 Each of his friend — beware ye, And on any brother, do not trust, For every brother doth utterly supplant, For every friend slanderously doth walk,
“Qaphela abangane bakho, ungabathembi abafowenu. Ngoba wonke umfowenu ungumkhohlisi, njalo wonke umngane ungumhlebi.
5 And each at his friend they mock, And truth they do not speak, They taught their tongue to speak falsehood, To commit iniquity they have laboured.
Umngane ukhohlisa umngane, njalo kakho okhuluma iqiniso. Sebafundisa izindimi zabo ukuqamba amanga, bayazidinisa ngokona.
6 thy dwelling [is] in the midst of deceit, Through deceit they refused to know Me, An affirmation of Jehovah.
Lihlala phakathi kwenkohliso, ngenkohliso yabo bayala ukungamukela,” kutsho uThixo.
7 Therefore, thus said Jehovah of Hosts: Lo, I am refining them, and have tried them, For how do I do because of the daughter of My people?
Ngakho uThixo uSomandla uthi: “Khangelani, ngizabacolisa ngibahlole, ngoba kuyini okunye engingakwenza ngenxa yesono sabantu bami?
8 A slaughtering arrow [is] their tongue, Deceit it hath spoken in its mouth, Peace with its neighbour it speaketh, And in its heart it layeth its ambush,
Ulimi lwabo lungumtshoko olobuthi, lukhuluma inkohliso. Lowo lalowo ukhuluma kuhle kubomakhelwane bakhe, kodwa enhliziyweni zabo bebathiya ngemijibila.
9 For these things do not I see after them? An affirmation of Jehovah, Against a nation such as this doth not My soul avenge itself?
Kakufanele ngibajezisele lokhu na?” kubuza uThixo. “Kakufanele ngiphindisele esizweni esinjengalesi na?”
10 For the mountains I lift up weeping and wailing, And for the habitations of the wilderness a lamentation, For they have been burnt up without any passing over, Nor have they heard the voice of cattle, From the fowl of the heavens unto the beast they have fled, they have gone.
Ngizakhala ngililele izintaba ngibuye ngililele lamadlelo asenkangala. Atshabalele njalo kakho ohambela kuwo, lokubhonsa kwezinkomo akuzwakali. Izinyoni zasemoyeni sezibalekile, lezinyamazana kazisekho.
11 And I make Jerusalem become heaps, A habitation of dragons, And the cities of Judah I make a desolation, Without inhabitant.
“IJerusalema ngizalenza libe yinqumbi yonxiwa, isikhundla samakhanka, njalo ngizawadiliza amadolobho akoJuda ukuze kungabikhona ohlala kuwo.”
12 Who [is] the wise man? and he understandeth this, And he to whom the mouth of Jehovah spake? And he doth declare it, For what hath the land perished? It hath been burnt up as a wilderness, Without any passing through.
Nguphi umuntu ohlakaniphileyo ukuba akuzwisise lokhu? Ngubani ofundiswe nguThixo ongakuchaza? Kungani ilizwe litshabalalisiwe lachithwa njengenkangala ukuze kungadluli muntu kulo?
13 And Jehovah saith: Because of their forsaking My law that I set before them, And they have not hearkened to My voice nor walked in it,
UThixo wathi, “Kungenxa yokuthi sebelahle umthetho wami engababekela wona; kabangilalelanga, lomthetho wami kabawulandelanga.
14 And they walk after the stubbornness of their heart, And after the Baalim, that their fathers taught them,
Esikhundleni salokho, bona balandele ubulukhuni bezinhliziyo zabo; balandele oBhali, njengokufundiswa kwabo ngoyise.”
15 Therefore, thus said Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel: Lo, I am causing them — this people — to eat wormwood, And I have caused them to drink water of gall,
Ngakho-ke, uThixo uSomandla, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli uthi: “Khangelani, abantu laba ngizabadlisa ukudla okubabayo ngibanathise lamanzi alobuthi.
16 And I have scattered them among nations Which they knew not, they and their fathers, And have sent after them the sword, Till I have consumed them.
Ngizabahlakazela ezizweni bona kanye laboyise abangazange bazazi, njalo ngizabalandela ngenkemba ngize ngibaqede du.”
17 Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: Consider ye, and call for mourning women, And they come, And to the wise women send, and they come,
UThixo uSomandla uthi: “Cabangani khathesi! Bizani abesifazane abalilayo beze, libize labo abalobuciko obumangalisayo.
18 And they hasten, and lift up for us a wailing. And run down our eyes do tears, And from our eyelids do waters flow.
Kabeze ngokuphangisa, bazesililela amehlo ethu aze ehlise inyembezi lempophoma zamanzi zigeleze, ziphuma enkopheni zethu.”
19 For — a voice of wailing is heard from Zion: How have we been spoiled! We have been greatly ashamed, Because we have forsaken the land, Because they have cast down our tabernacles.
Ilizwi lokukhala liyezwakala livela eZiyoni: “Yeka kunganani ukuchithakala kwethu! Yeka ubukhulu behlazo lethu! Kumele sisuke elizweni lethu ngoba izindlu zethu zidiliziwe.”
20 But hear, ye women, a word of Jehovah, And your ear receiveth a word of His mouth, And teach ye your daughters wailing, and each her neighbour lamentation.
Khathesi, lina abesifazane, zwanini ilizwi likaThixo, vulani indlebe zenu lizwe amazwi omlomo wakhe. Fundisani amadodakazi enu ukulila, lifundisane amazwi okukhala.
21 For death hath come up into our windows, It hath come into our palaces, To cut off the suckling from without, Young men from the broad places.
Ukufa kukhwele kwangena ngamafastela ethu, njalo kungenile lasezinqabeni zethu, sekususe abantwana emigwaqweni kanye lamajaha ezindaweni zikazulu.
22 Speak thus — an affirmation of Jehovah, And fallen hath the carcase of man, As dung on the face of the field, And as a handful after the reaper, And there is none gathering.
Tshono uthi, uThixo uthi, “‘izidumbu zabafileyo zizalala njengezibi egangeni, njengamabele aqunywe ngemva kovunayo, okungekho ozawabutha.’”
23 Thus said Jehovah: Let not the wise boast himself in his wisdom, Nor let the mighty boast himself in his might, Let not the rich boast himself in his riches,
UThixo uthi: “Ohlakaniphileyo kangazincomi ngokuhlakanipha kwakhe, loba indoda elamandla izincome ngamandla ayo, loba indoda enothileyo izincome ngenotho yayo,
24 But — in this let the boaster boast himself, In understanding and knowing Me, For I [am] Jehovah, doing kindness, Judgment, and righteousness, in the earth, For in these I have delighted, An affirmation of Jehovah.
kodwa lowo ozincomayo, kazincome ngokuthi uyaqedisisa njalo uyangazi, ukuthi mina nginguThixo, osebenzisa umusa, imfanelo lokulunga emhlabeni, ngoba lezizinto ziyangithokozisa,” kutsho uThixo.
25 Lo, days are coming — an affirmation of Jehovah, And I have laid a charge on all circumcised in the foreskin,
UThixo uthi, “Insuku ziyeza, lapho engizabajezisa khona bonke abasoke enyameni kuphela,
26 On Egypt, and on Judah, and on Edom, And on the sons of Ammon, and on Moab, And on all cutting the corner [of the beard], Who are dwelling in the wilderness, For all the nations [are] uncircumcised, And all the house of Israel [are] uncircumcised in heart!
iGibhithe, loJuda, lo-Edomi, lo-Amoni loMowabi labo bonke abahlala enkangala ezindaweni ezikhatshana. Ngoba izizwe zonke lezi kazisokanga, njalo lendlu yonke ka-Israyeli kayisokanga enhliziyweni.”
