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.
Kungathi ngabe ikhanda lami lingamanzi, lamehlo ami umthombo wezinyembezi, ukuze ngikhalele ababuleweyo bendodakazi yabantu bami emini lebusuku!
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.
Kungathi ngabe ngilendawo yokulala yezihambi enkangala, ukuze ngitshiye abantu bami, ngisuke kubo! Ngoba bonke bayizifebe, ixuku labakhohlisayo.
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!
Njalo bagobisa ulimi lwabo njengedandili labo besenzela amanga; kodwa kabaliqineli iqiniso elizweni; ngoba baqhubeka kusukela kokubi kusiya kokubi, mina-ke kabangazi, itsho iNkosi.
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,
Qaphelani, ngulowo lalowo umakhelwane wakhe, lingathembi lawuphi umfowenu, ngoba wonke umfowenu uzakhohlisa lokukhohlisa, laye wonke umakhelwane uzahamba ngokuhleba.
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.
Njalo bazakhohlisa, ngulowo lalowo umakhelwane wakhe, bengakhulumi iqiniso; balufundisile ulimi lwabo ukukhuluma amanga, bezidinisa ngokwenza okubi.
6 thy dwelling [is] in the midst of deceit, Through deceit they refused to know Me, An affirmation of Jehovah.
Indawo yakho yokuhlala iphakathi kwenkohliso; ngenkohliso bayala ukungazi, itsho iNkosi.
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 itsho njalo iNkosi yamabandla: Khangela, ngizabancibilikisa, ngibahlole; ngoba ngizakwenza njani ngenxa yendodakazi yabantu 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 wokubulala, lukhuluma inkohliso; ngulowo lalowo ukhuluma ukuthula ngomlomo wakhe kumakhelwane wakhe, kodwa ngaphakathi kwakhe uyamcathamela.
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?
Kangiyikubajezisa yini ngenxa yalezizinto? itsho iNkosi; umphefumulo wami kawuyikuphindisela yini esizweni esinjengalesi?
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.
Ngizaphakamisa ukukhala lesililo phezu kwezintaba, laphezu kwezindawo zokuhlala zenkangala ingoma yokulila, ngoba kutshisiwe, okokuthi kungekho odlulayo; njalo bangezwa ilizwi lezifuyo; kusukela enyonini zamazulu kusiya enyamazaneni kubalekile, kuhambile.
11 And I make Jerusalem become heaps, A habitation of dragons, And the cities of Judah I make a desolation, Without inhabitant.
Ngizayenza iJerusalema ibe zinqumbi, umlindi wemigobho; lemizi yakoJuda ngizayenza ibe lunxiwa, ingabi lamhlali.
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.
Ngubani umuntu ohlakaniphileyo ongaqedisisa lokhu? Njalo ngubani umlomo weNkosi okhulume kuye, ukuze akubike? Kungani ilizwe libhubhile litshiswe njengenkangala, kuze kungabikho odlulayo?
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,
INkosi yasisithi: Ngoba bedelile umlayo wami engawubeka phambi kwabo, njalo bengalilalelanga ilizwi lami, bengahambanga ngalo;
14 And they walk after the stubbornness of their heart, And after the Baalim, that their fathers taught them,
kodwa balandela inkani yenhliziyo yabo, belandela oBhali, oyise ababafundisa khona.
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,
Ngalokho itsho njalo iNkosi yamabandla, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli: Khangela, ngizabondla lababantu ngomhlonyane, ngibanathise amanzi enyongo.
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.
Njalo ngizabahlakaza phakathi kwezizwe abangazanga bazazi bona laboyise, ngithume inkemba emva kwabo, ngize ngibaqede.
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,
Itsho njalo INkosi yamabandla: Qaphelani, libize abesifazana abalilayo ukuthi beze; lithumele kwabesifazana abahlakaniphileyo, ukuthi beze.
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.
Kabaphangise, basiphakamisele isililo, ukuze amehlo ethu ehlise inyembezi, lenkophe zethu zimpompoze amanzi.
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.
Ngoba ilizwi lokulila liyezwakala liphuma eZiyoni lisithi: Yeka ukuchitheka kwethu! Silenhloni kakhulu, ngoba silitshiyile ilizwe, ngoba babhidlizile izindawo zethu zokuhlala.
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.
Kanti zwanini ilizwi leNkosi, lina besifazana, lendlebe zenu zilemukele ilizwi lomlomo wayo; lifundise amadodakazi enu ukuqhinqa isililo, kube ngulowo lalowo umakhelwane wakhe ingoma yokulila.
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.
Ngoba ukufa kwenyukele emawindini ethu, kwangena ezigodlweni zethu, ukuquma abantwana ezitaladeni, amajaha emidangeni.
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.
Khuluma uthi: Itsho njalo iNkosi: Ngitsho isidumbu somuntu sizakuwa njengamalongwe ebusweni bensimu, lanjengomzila wamabele asikiweyo emva komvuni, njalo kungabi lobuthayo.
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,
Itsho njalo iNkosi: Ohlakaniphileyo kangazincomi ngenhlakanipho yakhe, leqhawe lingazincomi ngobuqhawe balo, isinothi singazincomi ngenotho yaso;
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 ozincomayo kazincome ngalokhu, ukuthi uyaqedisisa uyangazi mina, ukuthi ngiyiNkosi esebenzisa uthandolomusa, isahlulelo, lokulunga emhlabeni; ngoba kulezizinto ngiyathokoza, itsho iNkosi.
25 Lo, days are coming — an affirmation of Jehovah, And I have laid a charge on all circumcised in the foreskin,
Khangela, insuku ziyeza, itsho iNkosi, lapho ngizajezisa bonke abasokileyo ekungasokini:
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, loEdoma, labantwana bakoAmoni, loMowabi, labo bonke abaphoselwe engonsini, abahlala enkangala; ngoba zonke izizwe kazisokwanga, layo yonke indlu kaIsrayeli kayisokwanga enhliziyweni.
