Jeremia 9
1 Naarĩ korwo mũtwe wakwa nĩ itherũkĩro rĩa maaĩ, namo maitho makwa nĩ gĩthima kĩa maithori! Ingĩrĩraga mũthenya na ũtukũ, ngĩrĩrĩra andũ akwa arĩa moragĩtwo.
How I wish my head was a spring of water, and my eyes a fountain of tears! Then I would weep day and night over all my people who have been killed.
2 Naarĩ korwo ndĩ na nyũmba ya kũrarĩrĩrwo nĩ agendi kũu werũ-inĩ, nĩgeetha ndige andũ akwa, thiĩ ndĩmeherere; nĩ ũndũ othe nĩ itharia, othe nĩ gĩkundi kĩa andũ matangĩĩhokeka.
I wish I had a temporary shelter in the desert—I would give up on my people and leave them, because they're all adulterers, a bunch of traitors!
3 “Mahacaga nĩmĩ ciao magacitua ta ũta wa gũikia ndeto cia maheeni. Ũhootani ũrĩa marĩ naguo bũrũri-inĩ, nduumanĩte na ũhoro wa ma. Moimaga rĩĩhia-inĩ rĩmwe magatoonya rĩĩhia-inĩ rĩrĩa rĩngĩ; na matinjũũĩ,” ũguo nĩguo Jehova ekuuga.
Their words are like arrows shot from a bow. Lies win out over the truth throughout the country. They go from one evil thing to the next, forgetting all about me, declares the Lord.
4 “Mwĩhũgei arata anyu; mũndũ ndakehoke mũrũ wa nyina. Nĩgũkorwo mũrũ wa nyina na mũndũ nĩ mũheenania, na mũrata wa mũndũ nĩ mũcambania.
Everyone, watch out for your friends! Don't even trust your brother! Every brother is deceitful, and every friend slanders other people.
5 Mũrata aheenagia mũratawe, na gũtirĩ mũndũ o na ũmwe waragia ũhoro wa ma. Maarutĩte nĩmĩ ciao kwaria ndeto cia maheeni; menogagia na mĩhangʼo o ya kwĩhia.
Everyone betrays their friends; no one tells the truth. They've made themselves into expert liars; they tire themselves out doing wrong.
6 Wee ũtũũraga ũrigiicĩirio nĩ maheeni, nao aheenania acio nĩmaregete kũmenyana na niĩ,” ũguo nĩguo Jehova ekuuga.
Everyone exploits each other, and in all their lies they don't want to know me, declares the Lord.
7 Tondũ ũcio Jehova Mwene-Hinya-Wothe ekuuga ũũ: “Atĩrĩrĩ, nĩngamageria, na ndĩmatherie na mwaki, nĩ ũndũ-rĩ, nĩatĩa ũngĩ ingĩĩka nĩ ũndũ wa mehia ma andũ akwa?
So this is what the Lord Almighty says: Look, I'm going to test them and purify them like metal in a furnace. What else can I do because of what my people have done?
8 Nĩmĩ ciao itariĩ ta mĩguĩ ya kũũragana; no ndeto cia maheeni ciaragia. O mũndũ aaragĩria ũrĩa ũngĩ ndeto cia thayũ na kanua gake, no ngoro-inĩ yake-rĩ, aikaraga amwambĩire mũtego.”
Their words are arrows that kill; they always tell lies. They're nice to their friends on the outside while plotting against them inside.
9 Jehova ekũũria atĩrĩ, “Anga ndakĩaga kũmaherithia nĩ ũndũ wa maũndũ macio? Anga ndakĩaga kwĩrĩhĩria harĩ rũrĩrĩ ta rũrũ?”
Shouldn't I punish them for all this? declares the Lord. Shouldn't I retaliate for what this nation has done?
10 Nĩngũrĩra na ngirĩke nĩ ũndũ wa irĩma, o na njakaye nĩ ũndũ wa ũrĩithio wa werũ. Nĩgũkirĩte ihooru na gũkaaga mũndũ ũngĩtuĩkanĩria kuo, na mwanio wa ngʼombe ndũraiguĩka kuo. Nyoni cia rĩera-inĩ na nyamũ cia gĩthaka nĩciũrĩte, igeethiĩra.
I will weep and wail for the mountains, I will sing a funeral song over the pastures in the countryside, because they have been so badly burned that no one can pass through, and there are no cattle to make any noise. The birds have flown and the wild animals have run away.
11 “Ngaatua itũũra rĩa Jerusalemu hĩba ya mahiga, gũtuĩke kũndũ gwa gũtũũrwo nĩ mbwe; namo matũũra ma Juda nĩngamaharagania, kwage mũndũ o na ũmwe ũngĩtũũra kuo.”
I'm going to make Jerusalem into a heap of rubble, a place where jackals live. I will destroy the towns of Judah, leaving them empty.
12 Rĩu-rĩ, nĩ mũndũ ũrĩkũ mũũgĩ ũngĩtaũkĩrwo nĩ ũhoro ũyũ? Nũũ hihi ũtaarĩtwo nĩ Jehova nĩguo atũtaarĩrie? Nĩ kĩĩ gĩtũmĩte bũrũri ũyũ wanangwo na ũgakira ihooru, ũgatuĩka ta werũ mũtheri nginya gũkaaga mũndũ ũngĩtuĩkania kuo?
Who is wise enough to understand this? Has the Lord told anyone so they can explain what's happened? Why has the land been destroyed and burned so it's like a desert, so no one can pass through it?
13 Jehova ekuuga atĩrĩ, “Gĩtũmi nĩ tondũ nĩmatirikire watho wakwa ũrĩa ndaamaheire; matinjathĩkĩire, o na kana makarũmĩrĩra watho wakwa.
The Lord replied, It's because they have given up keeping my laws that I placed before them. They haven't followed them; they haven't done what I told them.
14 Handũ ha ũguo, o maarũmĩrĩire ũremi wa ngoro ciao, na makarũmĩrĩra Mabaali, o ta ũrĩa maithe mao maamonereirie.”
On the contrary, they have followed their own stubborn way of thinking, and went to worship the Baals, just as their forefathers taught them.
15 Nĩ ũndũ ũcio-rĩ, Jehova Mwene-Hinya-Wothe, o we Ngai wa Isiraeli ekuuga ũũ: “Atĩrĩrĩ, nĩngũtũma andũ aya marĩe irio ndũrũ, na manyue maaĩ marĩ na thumu.
So this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Watch out! I will give these people wormwood to eat and poisoned water to drink.
16 Nĩngũmahurunja ndũrĩrĩ-inĩ iria o ene matooĩ, o na kana maithe mao, njooke ndĩmaingatithie na rũhiũ rwa njora nginya ndĩmaniine biũ.”
I'm about to scatter them among nations unfamiliar to them and their forefathers, and I will send enemies with swords to chase after them until I have wiped them out.
17 Jehova Mwene-Hinya-Wothe ekuuga atĩrĩ: “Mwĩcũraniei rĩu! Ĩtai atumia arĩa marĩraga makĩgirĩkaga moke; tũmanĩrai atumia arĩa oogĩ mũno thĩinĩ wao moke.
This is what the Lord Almighty says: Be aware of what's happening! Call for the professional women mourners, ask for the best of them.
18 Nĩmeerwo moke narua, matũrĩrĩre nginya maitho maitũ maiyũre maithori, nacio imone cia maitho maitũ inyũrũrũkie maithori ta tũrũũĩ.
Have them come as quickly as possible, and sing a funeral song about us, so we can cry our eyes out, so our tears will flow like streams.
19 Mũgambo wa andũ maragirĩka nĩũraiguuo kuuma Zayuni: ‘Hĩ, kaĩ rĩu tũrĩ aanange-ĩ! Kaĩ nĩtũconorithĩtio mũno-ĩ! No nginya tuume bũrũri witũ, tondũ nyũmba ciitũ nĩcimomoretwo.’”
The sound of weeping comes from Zion, “We're completely devastated! We're totally ashamed, because we've had to abandon our country, because our houses have been demolished.”
20 No rĩrĩ, inyuĩ atumia aya, ta thikĩrĩriai kiugo kĩa Jehova; hingũrai matũ manyu mũigue ciugo cia kanua gake. Oniai airĩtu anyu kũgirĩka; o mũndũ nĩarute ũrĩa ũngĩ gũcakaya.
Women, listen to the Lord's message, hear what he has to say. Teach your daughters to mourn and sing songs of sadness.
21 Gĩkuũ kĩambatĩte gĩgaatoonyera ndirica-inĩ ciitũ, na gĩgatoonya nyũmba ciitũ iria ciirigĩirwo na hinya, nĩkĩniinĩte ciana ciitũ kũu barabara-inĩ cia itũũra, o na aanake aitũ makaniinwo kuuma kũu ihaaro-inĩ.
Death has slipped in through our windows; it has come into our fortresses. It has killed the children playing in the streets and the young people gathering in the town squares.
22 Meere ũũ, “Jehova ekuuga atĩrĩ: “‘Ciimba cia andũ nĩikaragana ta rũrua rũrĩ mũgũnda, na ta itira iria itinĩtio igatigwo na thuutha nĩ mũgethi, itarĩ na mũndũ wa gũcicookanĩrĩria.’”
Tell everyone this is what the Lord says: Dead bodies will be left where they fall like manure in the fields, lying there like stalks of freshly-cut grain behind the reaper, with no one to collect them.
23 Jehova ekuuga atĩrĩ: “Mũndũ ũrĩa mũũgĩ-rĩ, nĩatige kwĩgaatha nĩ ũndũ wa ũũgĩ wake, kana mũndũ ũrĩa ũrĩ na hinya egaathe nĩ ũndũ wa hinya ũrĩa arĩ naguo, o na kana gĩtonga kĩĩgathe nĩ ũndũ wa ũtonga wakĩo,
This is what the Lord says: The wise shouldn't boast about their wisdom. The strong shouldn't boast about their strength. The rich shouldn't boast about their riches.
24 no rĩrĩ, mũndũ ũrĩa ũkwĩgaatha, nĩegaathe nĩ ũndũ wa ũhoro ũyũ: atĩ we nĩataũkĩirwo na akamenya atĩ niĩ nĩ niĩ Jehova, ũrĩa wĩkaga maũndũ ma ũtugi, na ngatuanĩra ciira kĩhooto na ngarũmia ũthingu gũkũ thĩ, nĩ ũndũ maũndũ macio nĩmo ngenagio nĩmo,” ũguo nĩguo Jehova ekuuga.
Anyone who wants to boast should boast that they really know and understand me, recognizing that I am the Lord who acts with trustworthy love, who shows fairness, and who does what is right everywhere on earth, because these mean the most to me, declares the Lord.
25 Jehova ekuuga atĩrĩ, “Matukũ nĩmagooka rĩrĩa ngaaherithia andũ othe arĩa maruĩte o mĩĩrĩ yao iiki,
Watch out, for the time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will punish all who are only physically circumcised.
26 nao nĩ andũ a bũrũri wa Misiri, na a Juda, na a Edomu, na a Amoni, na a Moabi, na arĩa othe matũũraga werũ-inĩ kũndũ kũraya. Nĩgũkorwo andũ a ndũrĩrĩ ici ciothe ti aruu kũna, o na andũ a nyũmba yothe ya Isiraeli matiruĩte ngoro.”
Egypt, Judah, Edom, Ammon, Moab, and all the desert people who trim their hair on the sides of their heads—all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the Israelites are spiritually uncircumcised.
