Yeremiya 3
1 “Omusajja bw’agoba mukazi we, omukazi oyo n’agenda n’afuuka ow’omusajja omulala, omusajja we alimukomyawo nate? Ensi eba teyonoonekedde ddala nnyo? Naye obadde nga malaaya, ng’olina abasajja bangi; naye kaakano oyagala okukomawo gye ndi?” bw’ayogera Mukama.
“[Moses wrote that] if a man divorces his wife and then she marries another man, her first husband certainly must not [RHQ] take her back again [to be his wife], because that would certainly [RHQ] cause the whole nation to become unacceptable to me. But you have more [idols than] prostitutes have men whom they have slept with! So, [why should I accept you if] you return to me?” [RHQ] says Yahweh.
2 Yimusa amaaso go olabe ku ntikko y’obusozi. Waliwo ekifo we bateebakira naawe? Ku mabbali g’ekkubo we watulanga n’olinda abasajja ng’oli nga Omuwalabu mu ddungu; n’olyoka oyonoona ensi n’obwenzi bwo n’ekibi kyo.
“Look up at the barren hilltops. On every hilltop there are [RHQ] [idols that you have worshiped]. [It is as though] they are all lovers with whom you have had sex. [It is as though] you have sat along the roadsides like an Arab, waiting [to attack and steal things from] those who pass by. Because of worshiping idols and all the other wicked things that you have done, you have caused the [entire] land to become unacceptable to me.
3 Noolwekyo enkuba kyevudde eziyizibwa, n’enkuba eya ttoggo n’etetonnya. Naye era otemya nga malaaya tokwatibwa nsonyi.
That is why I have not sent you any rain at the times of the year when you needed it. But you are like prostitutes [MET] who are not at all ashamed [for what they have done].
4 Tewakaŋŋamba nti Kitange ggwe mukwano gwange okuva mu buto bwange,
Now each of you says to me, ‘You are my father! You have loved me ever since I was young!
5 onoonyiigira ddala emirembe gyonna, olisunguwala emirembe gyonna? Bw’otyo bw’oyogera, naye okoze ebibi byonna ebisoboka.
So surely you will not [RHQ] be angry with me forever!’ But you will not quit sinning!”
6 Mu nnaku z’obufuzi bwa kabaka Yosiya Mukama yayogera nange n’aŋŋamba nti, “Olabye Isirayiri etali neesigwa ky’ekoze? Agenze ku buli kasozi na buli wansi w’omuti oguyimiridde ne yeeyisa ng’omukazi omwenzi.
[One day] when Josiah was the king of Judah, Yahweh said to me, “Have you seen what the people of Israel have done? They have turned away from me, like a woman who has abandoned her husband and sleeps with other men. They have gone up on every hilltop and under every big tree and worshiped idols there [MET].
7 Nalowooza nti, Bw’alimala okukola bino byonna agenda kudda gye ndi naye teyadda, era muganda we atali mwesigwa Yuda n’akiraba.
I thought that they would return to me, so I said to them, ‘Come back to me!’ But they refused. So I sent them away [to other countries, like a man] writes a note saying that he is divorcing his wife and then sends his wife away because she has committed adultery [MET].
8 Yalaba nti bwe namala okugoba Isirayiri eyanvaako, ne muwa n’ebbaluwa ey’okumugoba olw’obwenzi bwe. Naye ate ne ndaba muganda we atali mwesigwa Yuda nga taliimu kutya, naye n’agenda n’akola obwenzi.
The people of Judah saw what I did to them. But they are just like the people of Israel. They are not afraid [of what I will do to them]. They also [have turned away from me and are worshiping idols like] women who abandon their husbands and go to other men [MET].
9 Awo obwenzi bwe bwatuuka ne bumwanguyira nnyo n’ayenda n’asinza amayinja n’ebikonge.
They thought that worshiping idols did not matter to me, so they have made the [entire] land unacceptable to me by worshiping idols of wood and stone.
10 Naye wadde nga byonna bimaze okubaawo, muganda we Yuda atali mwesigwa, teyakomawo gye ndi na mutima gwe gwonna, naye yali alimbalimba,” bw’ayogera Mukama.
The people of Judah have pretended to return to me, but they have not really done that. [This is true because I], Yahweh, have said it.”
11 Mukama n’aŋŋamba nti, Isirayiri asudde obwesigwa, mutukuvu okusinga Yuda atali mwesigwa.
Then Yahweh said to me, “The people of Israel have turned away from me, but what the people of Judah have done is worse.
12 Genda obuulire abantu b’omu bukiikakkono obubaka buno, obagambe nti, “‘Komawo ggwe Isirayiri, eyanvaako,’ bw’ayogera Mukama. ‘Siribatunuuliza busungu kubanga ndi waakisa,’ bw’ayogera Mukama; ‘Sirisiba busungu ku mwoyo emirembe gyonna.
So go and tell this to the people of Israel: ‘Yahweh says this to you Israeli people who have turned away from him: I am merciful. I will not continue to be angry with you forever. So return to me.
13 Mukkirize bukkiriza ekibi kyammwe, mwajeemera Mukama Katonda wammwe, mwasinza bakatonda abalala, wansi wa buli muti oguyimiridde, era ne mutaŋŋondera,’” bw’ayogera Mukama.
But you must admit/say that you are guilty, and that you have rebelled against me, Yahweh, your God, that you have worshiped idols under big trees everywhere, and you have not obeyed me. You have turned away from me.
14 “Mukomeewo mmwe abaana abanvaako,” bw’ayogera Mukama; “kubanga nze bbammwe, era ndibalondamu omu ku omu okuva mu buli kibuga, babiri babiri okuva mu buli kika mbaleete ku lusozi Sayuuni.
But you belong to me. So I will take you, one from [each] city and two from [each] clan, and bring you [back] to Jerusalem [from the countries to which you were exiled].
15 Era ndibawa abasumba abakola ng’omutima gwange bwe gwagala, abalibakulembera mu kumanya era ne mu kutegeera.
[If you do that], I will appoint for you leaders with whom I am pleased, leaders who will guide you [well] because they will know and understand [what pleases me].
16 Ennaku bwe zirituuka nga mwaze era nga muli bangi nnyo mu nsi,” bw’ayogera Mukama, “abantu baliba tebakyayogera ku Ssanduuko y’Endagaano. Baliba tebakyagirowooza nako, okugijjukira; oba okulumwa emitima olw’obutaba nayo wadde okukola endala.
And when you become very numerous [DOU] in your land, you will not need to talk about the Sacred Chest that contained the Ten Commandments. You will not think about it, and you will not want to make a new one.
17 Ebbanga lyonna Yerusaalemi kiriyitibwa Entebe ya Mukama ey’Obwakabaka, amawanga gonna mwe ganaakuŋŋaaniranga okumugulumiza Mukama mu Yerusaalemi era tebaliddayo kugoberera mitima gyabwe minyoomi.
At that time people will say, “Jerusalem is [the place where] Yahweh’s throne is.” [People from] all nations will come there to worship me. And they will no longer stubbornly do the evil things that they desire.
18 Mu nnaku ezo ennyumba ya Yuda eryegatta ku nnyumba ya Isirayiri, era bombi awamu baliva mu nsi ey’omu bukiikakkono ne bajja mu nsi gye ndiwa bakitammwe okuba omugabo.
At that time you people [MTY] of Israel and the people of Judah will return from [being (exiled/forced to live) in] lands to the northeast. You will return to the land that I gave to your ancestors to belong to them [forever].
19 “Nze kennyini nalowooza “nga nayagala okubayisanga nga batabani bange, era mbawe ensi eyeegombebwa, nga gwe mugabo ogusinga obulungi mu mawanga gonna. Nalowooza nti mulimpita ‘Kitammwe,’ ne mutanvaako ne mwongera okungoberera.
You people of Israel, I wanted to accept you to be my children. I wanted to give you [this] delightful land. It is a land more desirable/pleasant than the land of any other nation! I wanted you to call me ‘father’, and I wanted you to never turn away from me.
20 Naye ng’omukazi atali mwesigwa eri bba bw’abeera, bwe mutyo bwe mutabadde beesigwa gye ndi, mmwe ennyumba ya Isirayiri,” bw’ayogera Mukama.
But you have abandoned me like wives who have abandoned their husbands.’” [That is what] Yahweh said, and [I told it] to the people of Israel.
21 Okukaaba kw’Abaana ba Isirayiri kuwuliddwa ku ntikko z’ensozi ezitaliiko kantu, nga bakaaba n’okwegayirira, kubanga baatambulira mu kukola ebibi, ne beerabira Mukama Katonda waabwe.
People will hear a noise on the barren hilltops. It will be the noise made by people weeping and pleading [for God to be merciful to them]. They will be admitting/saying that they have forgotten Yahweh their God, and that they turned away from behaving as God wanted them to.
22 “Mukomeewo mmwe abantu abatali beesigwa, nnaabawonya ne mbafuula abeesigwa.” Ne mugamba nti, “Weewaawo tujja kudda gy’oli, kubanga ggwe Mukama Katonda waffe.
Yahweh will say to them, “You Israeli people, come back to me! [If you do that], I will cause you to never turn away from me again.” [The people will reply], “We are returning to you, because you are Yahweh, our God.
23 Ddala okusuubira obuyambi okuva mu nsozi gye twasinzizanga bakatonda abalala temuli kantu. Ddala mu Mukama Katonda waffe mwe muli obulokozi bwa Isirayiri.
We did not get any help from [the idols that we worshiped on] the hilltops; we did not get any help from making all that noise up there.
24 Naye okuva mu buto bwaffe bakatonda abo abalala abatagasa balidde ne bamalawo ebibala bakitaffe bye baamalirako amaanyi gaabwe, embuzi zaabwe, n’ente zaabwe, batabani baabwe ne bawala baabwe.
From the time when we were young, the shameful [god Baal] has taken away [from us] everything that our ancestors worked hard to acquire. He has taken away their flocks [of sheep] and herds [of cattle], their sons and their daughters.
25 Leka tugalamire, ng’ensonyi zitutta, n’obuswavu bwaffe butuyitiridde kubanga twonoonye eri Mukama Katonda waffe, ffe ne bakadde baffe, okuva mu buto bwaffe n’okutuusa ku lunaku luno; kubanga tetugondedde ddoboozi lya Mukama Katonda waffe.”
So, now we should lie down feeling very ashamed [DOU], because we and our ancestors have sinned against Yahweh our God, and we have never obeyed him.”
