UJeremiya 16
1 Ilizwi likaThixo lafika kimi futhi lisithi:
The word of the LORD came also to me, saying,
2 “Ungathathi mfazi ube lamadodana loba amadodakazi kule indawo.”
Thou shalt not take thee a wife, neither shalt thou have sons nor daughters in this place.
3 Ngoba mayelana lamadodana lamadodakazi azalelwe kulelilizwe kanye labesifazane abangonina lamadoda angoyise uThixo uthi:
For thus saith the LORD concerning the sons and concerning the daughters that are born in this place, and concerning their mothers that bore them, and concerning their fathers that begat them in this land;
4 “Bazakufa bebulawa yimikhuhlane eyesabekayo. Kabayikukhalelwa loba bangcwatshwe, kodwa bazakuba njengezibi emhlabathini. Bazabhubha ngenkemba langendlala, njalo izidumbu zabo zizakuba yikudla kwezinyoni zasemoyeni lezinyamazana zeganga.”
They shall die by grievous deaths; they shall not be lamented; neither shall they be buried; [but] they shall be as dung upon the face of the earth: and they shall be consumed by the sword, and by famine; and their carcasses shall be food for the fowls of heaven, and for the beasts of the earth.
5 Ngoba nanku akutshoyo uThixo: “Ungangeni endlini elokudla kwesililo; ungayilila kumbe utshengisele uzwelo, ngoba isibusiso sami, lothando lwami kanye lesihawu sami, sengikususile kulababantu,” kutsho uThixo.
For thus saith the LORD, Enter not into the house of mourning, neither go to lament nor bemoan them: for I have taken away my peace from this people, saith the LORD, [even] loving-kindness and mercies.
6 “Bonke abaphakemeyo labantukazana bazakufa kulelilizwe. Kabayikungcwatshwa kumbe bakhalelwe, njalo kakho ozazisika kumbe aphuce ikhanda lakhe ngenxa yabo.
Both the great and the small shall die in this land: they shall not be buried, neither shall [men] lament for them, nor cut themselves, nor make themselves bald for them:
7 Kakho ozabanika ukudla ukuba abaduduze labo abalilela ofileyo, loba kunguyise kumbe unina, kakho lozabanika amanzi ukuba abaduduze.
Neither shall [men] tear [themselves] for them in mourning, to comfort them for the dead; neither shall [men] give them the cup of consolation to drink for their father or for their mother.
8 Njalo ungangeni endlini eledili ukuba uhlale phansi udle unathe.
Also thou shalt not go into the house of feasting, to sit with them to eat and to drink.
9 Ngoba uThixo uSomandla, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli, uthi: Phambi kobuso bakho njalo ensukwini zakho ngizawuqeda umsindo wentokozo lokuthaba kanye lamazwi abalobokazi labayeni kule indawo.
For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will cause to cease out of this place in 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.
10 Lapho abantu laba ubatshela konke lokhu besebekubuza besithi, ‘Kungani uThixo esemise ukusehlisela inkemenkeme engaka na? Senze bubi bani na? Sono bani esisenze kuThixo uNkulunkulu wethu?’
And it shall come to pass, when thou shalt show this people all these words, and they shall say to thee, Why hath 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?
11 wena wothi kubo, ‘Kungenxa yokuthi okhokho benu bangifulathela,’ kutsho uThixo, ‘njalo balandela abanye onkulunkulu babasebenzela, babakhonza. Bangifulathela njalo kabayigcinanga imithetho yami.
Then shalt thou say to them, Because your fathers have forsaken me, saith the LORD, and have walked after other gods, and have served them, and have worshiped them, and have forsaken me, and have not kept my law;
12 Kodwa lina selenze okubi kakhulu kulabokhokho benu. Khangelani ukuthi lowo lalowo wenu uyilandela njani inkani yenhliziyo yakhe embi esikhundleni sokuthi angilalele.
And ye have done worse than your fathers; for, behold, ye walk every one after the imagination of his evil heart, that they may not hearken to me:
13 Ngakho ngizalilahlela ngaphandle kwalelilizwe elizweni lina loba oyihlo abangazange balazi, lapho elizakhonza khona abanye onkulunkulu emini lebusuku, ngoba angiyikuba lomusa kini.’”
Therefore will I cast you out of this land into a land that ye know not, [neither] ye nor your fathers; and there shall ye serve other gods day and night; where I will not show you favor.
14 UThixo uthi, “Kodwa insuku ziyeza lapho abantu bengayikuthi, ‘Ngeqiniso elinjengokuthi uThixo ukhona, yena owakhupha abako-Israyeli eGibhithe,’
Therefore behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be said, The LORD liveth, that brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;
15 kodwa bazakuthi, ‘Ngeqiniso elinjengokuthi uThixo ukhona, yena owakhupha abako-Israyeli elizweni lasenyakatho lakuwo wonke amazwe ayebaxotshele kuwo.’ Ngoba ngizababuyisela elizweni engalinika okhokho babo.”
But, The LORD liveth, that brought the children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave to their fathers.
16 UThixo uthi, “Kodwa khathesi ngizathumela abagoli benhlanzi abanengi, bazababamba. Emva kwalokho ngizathumela abazingeli abanengi, bazabazingela ezintabeni zonke lasemaqaqeni wonke njalo lasezingoxweni zamadwala.
Behold, I will send for many fishers, saith the LORD, and they shall fish them; and afterwards will I send for many hunters, and they shall hunt them from every mountain, and from every hill, and out of the holes of the rocks.
17 Amehlo ami akuzo zonke izindlela zabo; kabafihlakalanga kimi, lesono sabo kasiwacatshelanga amehlo ami.
For my eyes [are] upon all their ways: they are not hid from my face, neither is their iniquity hid from my eyes.
18 Ngizaphindisela ngokuphindiweyo ububi babo lesono sabo, ngoba bangcolise ilizwe lami ngezinto ezingaphiliyo zezifanekiso zabo ezingamanyala, bagcwalisa lelifa lami ngezithombe zabo ezinengekayo.”
And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double; because they have defiled my land, they have filled my inheritance with the carcasses of their detestable and abominable things.
19 Awu Thixo, mandla ami lenqaba yami, siphephelo sami ngesikhathi sokuhlupheka, izizwe zizakuza kuwe zivela emikhawulweni yomhlaba zithi, “Okhokho babengelalutho kodwa onkulunkulu bamanga, izithombe eziyize ezingabasizanga ngalutho.
O LORD, my strength and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction, the Gentiles shall come to thee from the ends of the earth, and shall say, Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and [things] in which [there is] no profit.
20 Kambe abantu bayazenzela onkulunkulu babo na? Ye, kodwa kayisibo onkulunkulu!”
Shall a man make gods to himself, and they [are] no gods?
21 “Ngakho ngizabafundisa, khathesi ngizabafundisa amandla ami lobukhulu bami. Lapho-ke bazakwazi ukuthi ibizo lami nguThixo.”
Therefore behold, I will this once cause them to know, I will cause them to know my hand and my might; and they shall know that my name [is] JEHOVAH.
