UJeremiya 24

1 Emva kokuba uJekhoniya indodana kaJehoyakhimi inkosi yakoJuda lezikhulu, izingcitshi kanye lezisebenzi zakoJuda sebethunjwe eJerusalema basiwa eBhabhiloni nguNebhukhadineza inkosi yaseBhabhiloni, uThixo wangitshengisa izitsha ezimbili zomkhiwa zibekwe phambi kwethempeli likaThixo.

[The army of] King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon captured Jehoiachin, the king of Judah, and his officials, and all his skilled workers [DOU] and took them to Babylon. After that happened, Yahweh gave me a vision. [In the vision] I saw two baskets of figs that had been placed in front of the temple.

2 Esinye isitsha sasilomkhiwa omuhle kakhulu, njengovuthwa kuqala; esinye isitsha sasilomkhiwa omubi, ubolile ungeke wadleka.

One basket was full of good figs, like the kind that ripen first. The other basket was filled with figs that were bad/rotten, with the result that they could not be eaten.

3 UThixo wasesithi kimi, “Kuyini okubonayo, Jeremiya?” Ngathi, “Ngumkhiwa. Omuhle muhle kakhulu, kodwa omubi ubole kakhulu ungeke udliwe.”

Then Yahweh said to me, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” I replied, “[I see some] figs. Some are very good ones, but some are very bad, with the result that no one would eat them.”

4 Ilizwi likaThixo laselifika kimi lisithi:

Then Yahweh gave me this message:

5 “UThixo, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli uthi, ‘Njengalo umkhiwa omuhle, ngibathatha njengabalungileyo abathunjwa bakoJuda, engabasusa kule indawo ngabasa elizweni laseBhabhiloni.

“This is what [I], Yahweh, the God whom the Israeli people [say that they worship], say: ‘The good figs represent [SIM] the people of Judah whom I exiled to Babylonia.

6 Amehlo ami azabakhangela kokuphela, njalo ngizababuyisa kulelilizwe. Ngizabakha ngingabadilizi; ngizabahlanyela ngingabasiphuni.

I [SYN] will (watch over/take care of) them well, and [some day] I will bring them back here [to Judah]. I will establish them and cause them to be strong. I will cause them to be prosperous [MET], and I will not exile them [again].

7 Ngizabapha inhliziyo yokungazi, ukuthi mina nginguThixo. Bazakuba ngabantu bami, mina ngibe nguNkulunkulu wabo, ngoba bazabuyela kimi ngenhliziyo yabo yonke.

I will enable them to desire to know [IDM] that I am Yahweh. They will be my people, and I will be their God, because they will return to me sincerely.’

8 Kodwa njengomkhiwa omubi, obolileyo ongeke udliwe,’ kutsho uThixo, ‘ngizamphatha kanjalo uZedekhiya inkosi yakoJuda, lezikhulu zakhe kanye labasindayo eJerusalema, langabe basele kulelilizwe loba baseGibhithe.

But [I], Yahweh, [also] say, ‘The bad figs represent [SIM] Zedekiah, the king of Judah, and his officials, and all the [other] people who remain in Jerusalem, and those who have gone to Egypt. I will do to them like people do to rotten figs.

9 Ngizabenza bazondakale njalo babe yisinengiso kuyo yonke imibuso yasemhlabeni, insolo lesiga, into yokuhlekwa lokuthukwa, loba kungaphi engibaxotshela khona.

I will [get rid of them], with the result that people in every nation on the earth will be horrified, and will hate them because they are evil people. Wherever I scatter them, people will make fun of them, and say that they are disgraced, and ridicule them, and curse them.

10 Ngizathumela inkemba, indlala lomkhuhlane baze babhujiswe baphele elizweni engabanika lona kanye labokhokho babo.’”

And I will cause them to experience wars and famines and diseases, until they have disappeared from this land which I gave to them and to their ancestors.’”