UJeremiya 23
1 “Maye kubelusi abachitha izimvu zedlelo lami njalo bezihlakaza!” kutsho uThixo.
Woe to the pastors, that destroy and tear the sheep of my pasture, saith the Lord.
2 Ngakho uThixo, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli, uthi kubelusi abelusa abantu bami: “Ngenxa yokuthi lina lihlakaze umhlambi wami lawuxotshela khatshana kalaze lawunaka, ngizakwehlisela isijeziso phezu kwenu ngenxa yobubi elibenzileyo,” kutsho uThixo.
Therefore thus saith the Lord the God of Israel to the pastors that feed my people: You have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold I will visit upon you for the evil of your doings, saith the Lord.
3 “Mina ngokwami ngizabutha insalela zezimvu zami emazweni wonke engangizixotshele kuwo ngizibuyisele edlelweni lazo, lapho ezizazalana khona zande.
And I will gather together the remnant of my flock, out of all the lands into which I have cast them out: and I will make them return to their own fields, and they shall increase and be multiplied.
4 Ngizazilethela abelusi abazazelusa, njalo kazisayikwesaba loba zithuthumele, loba enye yazo ilahleke,” kutsho uThixo.
And I will set up pastors over them, and they shall feed them: they shall fear no more, and they shall not be dismayed: and none shall be wanting of their number, saith the Lord.
5 UThixo uthi, “Ziyeza insuku, lapho uDavida ngizamvusela uGatsha olulungileyo, iNkosi ezabusa ngokuhlakanipha, yenze okulungileyo, lokufaneleyo elizweni.
Behold the days come, saith the Lord, and I will raise up to David a just branch: and a king shall reign, and shall be wise, and shall execute judgement and justice in the earth.
6 Ensukwini zayo uJuda uzasindiswa, lo-Israyeli ahlale evikelekile. Ibizo azabizwa ngalo yileli elithi: UThixo Oyikulunga Kwethu.”
In those days shall Juda be saved, and Israel shall dwell confidently: and this is the name that they shall call him: the Lord our just one.
7 UThixo uthi, “Ngakho-ke, insuku ziyeza, lapho abantu bengasayikuthi, ‘Ngeqiniso elinjengoba uThixo ekhona, yena owakhupha u-Israyeli eGibhithe,’
Therefore behold the days to come, saith the Lord, and they shall say no more: The Lord liveth, who brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt:
8 kodwa bazakuthi, ‘Ngeqiniso elinjengoba uThixo ekhona, yena owakhipha izizukulwane zika-Israyeli elizweni elisenyakatho lakuwo wonke amazwe abaxotshela kuwo.’ Lapho-ke bazahlala elizweni labo.”
But the Lord liveth, who hath brought out, and brought hither the seed of the house of Israel from the land of the north, and out of all the lands, to which I had cast them forth: and they shall dwell in their own land.
9 Mayelana labaphrofethi: Inhliziyo yami idabukile ngaphakathi kwami; wonke amathambo ami ayaqhaqhazela. Ngifana lomuntu odakiweyo, lanjengomuntu owehlulwa liwayini, ngenxa kaThixo lamazwi akhe angcwele.
To the prophets: My heart is broken within me, all my bones tremble: I am become as a drunken man, and as a man full of wine, at the presence of the Lord, and at the presence of his holy words.
10 Ilizwe leli ligcwele izifebe; ngenxa yesiqalekiso ilizwe lomile lamadlelo enkangala abunile. Abaphrofethi balandela indlela embi, basebenzisa amandla abo ngokungalungi.
Because the land is full of adulterers, because the land hath mourned by reason of cursing, the fields of the desert are dried up: and their course is become evil, and their strength unlike.
11 “Umphrofethi lomphristi kabakholwa kunkulunkulu; lasethempelini lami ngiyabufumana ububi babo,” kutsho uThixo.
For the prophet and the priest are defiled: and in my house I have found their wickedness, saith the Lord.
12 “Ngakho indlela yabo izatshelela; bazaxotshelwa emnyameni njalo lapho bazakuwa. Ngizabehlisela umonakalo ngomnyaka wokujeziswa kwabo,” kutsho uThixo.
Therefore their way shall be as a slippery way in the dark: for they shall be driven on, and fall therein: for I will bring evils upon them, the year of their visitation, saith the Lord.
13 “Phakathi kwabaphrofethi baseSamariya ngabona into eyenyanyekayo: Baphrofetha ngoBhali njalo baholela abantu bami ekulahlekeni.
And I have seen folly in the prophets of Samaria: they prophesied in Baal, and deceived my people Israel.
14 Lakubaphrofethi baseJerusalema sengibone into eyesabekayo: Bayafeba baphile ngamanga. Baqinisa izandla zabenza okubi, ukuba kungabikhona oguquka ebubini bakhe. Kimi bonke banjengeSodoma; abantu baseJerusalema banjengeGomora.”
And I have seen the likeness of adulterers, and the way of lying in the prophets of Jerusalem: and they strengthened the hand of the wicked, that no man should return from his evil doings: that are all become unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrha.
15 Ngakho, mayelana labaphrofethi uThixo uSomandla uthi: “Ngizabenza badle ukudla okubabayo, banathe lamanzi aletshefu, ngoba kusukela kubaphrofethi baseJerusalema ukungakholwa kuNkulunkulu sekugcwele ilizwe lonke.”
Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts to the prophets: Behold I will feed them with wormwood, and I will give them gall to drink: for from the prophets of Jerusalem corruption has gone forth into all the land.
16 UThixo uSomandla uthi: “Lingalaleli okuphrofethwa ngabaphrofethi kini; balenza lithembe amanga. Bakhuluma imibono evela ezingqondweni zabo, engaveli emlonyeni kaThixo.
Thus saith the Lord of hosts: Hearken not to the words of the prophets that prophesy to you, and deceive you: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord.
17 Bahlala besithi kulabo abangidelelayo, ‘UThixo uthi: Lizakuba lokuthula.’ Lakubo bonke abalandela inkani yezinhliziyo zabo bathi, ‘Akulabubi obuzalehlela.’
They say to them that blaspheme me: The Lord hath said: You shall have peace: and to every one that walketh in the perverseness of his own heart, they have said: No evil shall come to you.
18 Kodwa nguphi wabo owake wema emhlanganweni kaThixo ukuba abone kumbe ezwe ilizwi lakhe na? Ngubani olilaleleyo walizwa ilizwi lakhe?
For who hath stood in the counsel of the Lord, and hath seen and heard his word? Who hath considered his word and heard it?
19 Khangelani, isiphepho sikaThixo sizaphutsha silulaka, isavunguzane esibhoda ngolaka phezu kwamakhanda ababi.
Behold the whirlwind of the Lord’s indignation shall come forth, and a tempest shall break out and come upon the head of the wicked.
20 Ulaka lukaThixo kaluyikuphela aze azifeze ngokupheleleyo injongo zenhliziyo yakhe. Ensukwini ezizayo lizakuzwisisa kuhle lokhu.
The wrath of the Lord shall not return till he execute it, and till he accomplish the thought of his heart: in the latter days you shall understand his counsel.
21 Abaphrofethi laba angibathumanga; kodwa bagijima lemibiko yabo; kangizange ngikhulume labo, kodwa sebephrofethile.
I did not send prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.
22 Kodwa aluba babekhona emhlanganweni wami, ngabe bamemezela amazwi ami ebantwini bami njalo ngabe babaphendula ezindleleni zabo ezimbi lasezenzweni zabo ezimbi.”
If they stood in my counsel, and had made my words known to my people, I should have turned them from their evil way and from their wicked doings.
23 UThixo uthi, “NginguNkulunkulu oseduze kuphela, uNkulunkulu ongekho khatshana na?
Am I, think ye, a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off?
24 Umuntu angacatsha endaweni efihlakeleyo ukuba ngingamboni na?” kutsho uThixo. “Angithi ngigcwele ezulwini lasemhlabeni na?” kutsho uThixo.
Shall a man be hid in secret places, and I not see him, saith the Lord? do not I fill heaven and earth, saith the Lord?
25 “Ngikuzwile okutshiwo ngabaphrofethi abaphrofetha amanga ngebizo lami. Bathi, ‘Ngiphuphile! Ngiphuphile!’
I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, and say: I have dreamed, I have dreamed.
26 Koze kube nini lokhu kuqhubeka ezinhliziyweni zalaba abaphrofethi abalamanga na?
How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies, and that prophesy the delusions of their own heart?
27 Bacabanga ukuthi amaphupho abawatshelanayo azakwenza abantu bami bakhohlwe ibizo lami, njengabokhokho babo abakhohlwa ibizo lami ngenxa yokukhonza uBhali.
Who seek to make my people forget my name through their dreams, which they tell every man to his neighbor: as their fathers forgot my name for Baal.
28 Akuthi umphrofethi ophupha iphupho kalitsho, kodwa lowo olelizwi lami kalikhulume ngobuqotho, ngoba amakhoba angenzani lamabele na?” kutsho uThixo.
The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream: and he that hath my word, let him speak my word with truth: what hath the chaff to do with the wheat, saith the Lord?
29 “Ilizwi lami kalinjengomlilo,” kutsho uThixo, “lanjengesando esidabula idwala libe yizicucu na?”
Are not my words as a fire, saith the Lord: and as a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?
30 UThixo uthi, “Ngakho, ngimelana labaphrofethi abantshontsha kwabanye amazwi okuthiwa avela kimi.
Therefore behold I am against the prophets, saith the Lord: who steal my words every one from his neighbor.
31 Yebo, ngimelana labaphrofethi abasebenzisa indimi zabo kodwa bathi, ‘UThixo uthi,’
Behold I am against the prophets, saith the Lord: who use their tongues, and say: The Lord saith it.
32 Ngeqiniso, ngimelana lalabo abaphrofetha amaphupho amanga,” kutsho uThixo. “Bayawatsho baholele abantu bami ekulahlekeni ngamanga abo lamawala, ikanti angizange ngibathume kumbe ngibakhethe. Kababasizi ngalutho abantu laba,” kutsho uThixo.
Behold I am against the prophets that have lying dreams, saith the Lord: and tell them, and cause my people to err by their lying, and by their wonders: when I sent them not, nor commanded them, who have not profited this people at all, saith the Lord.
33 “Nxa abantu laba, loba umphrofethi kumbe umphristi, bebuza besithi, ‘Izilo likaThixo kuyini?’ wothi kubo, ‘Izilo liphi? Ngizakulahla, kutsho uThixo.’
If therefore this people, or the prophet, or the priest shall ask thee, saying: What is the burden of the Lord? thou shalt say to them: You are the burden: for I will cast you away, saith the Lord.
34 Nxa umphrofethi loba umphristi kumbe omunye umuntu esithi, ‘Leli lizilo likaThixo,’ lowomuntu ngizamjezisa kanye labendlu yakhe.
And as for the prophet, and the priest, and the people that shall say: The burden of the Lord: I will visit upon that man, and upon his house.
35 Lokhu yikho omunye wenu ohlala ekutsho kumngane wakhe loba isihlobo sakhe ukuthi: ‘Impendulo kaThixo ithini na?’ loba ‘UThixo utheni?’
Thus shall you say every one to his neighbor, and to his brother: What hath the Lord answered? and what hath the Lord spoken?
36 Kodwa akumelanga lithi ‘izilo likaThixo’ futhi, ngoba umuntu wonke ilizwi lakhe liba lizilo lakhe ngoba liyawahlanekela amazwi kaNkulunkulu ophilayo, uThixo uSomandla, uNkulunkulu wethu.
And the burden of the Lord shall be mentioned no more, for every man’s word shall be his burden: for you have perverted the words of the living God, of the Lord of hosts our God.
37 Lokhu yikho elihlala likutsho kumphrofethi ukuthi, ‘Impendulo kaThixo kuwe ithini?’ loba ‘UThixo utheni?’
Thus shalt thou say to the prophet: What hath the Lord answered thee? and what hath the Lord spoken?
38 Lanxa lina lisithi, ‘Leli lizilo likaThixo,’ uThixo uthi: Lasebenzisa amazwi athi, ‘Leli lizilo likaThixo.’ Lanxa mina ngalitshela ukuthi lingabokuthi, ‘Leli lizilo likaThixo.’
But if you shall say: The burden of the Lord: therefore thus saith the Lord: Because you have said this word: The burden of the Lord: and I have sent to you saying: Say not, The burden of the Lord:
39 Ngakho, ngeqiniso ngizalikhohlwa ngiliphosele khatshana lami kanye ledolobho engalinika lona lina labokhokho benu.
Therefore behold I will take you away carrying you, and will forsake you, and the city which I gave to you, and to your fathers, out of my presence.
40 Ngizalehlisela ihlazo elingapheliyo lokuyangeka okungayikukhohlakala.”
And I will bring an everlasting reproach upon you, and a perpetual shame which shall never be forgotten.
