UJeremiya 27
1 Ekuqaleni kokubusa kukaZedekhiya indodana kaJosiya inkosi yakoJuda, ilizwi leli lafika kuJeremiya livela kuThixo lisithi:
Soon after Zedekiah became the King of Judah, Yahweh gave a message to me.
2 UThixo wathi kimi, “Yenza ijogwe ngemichilo langemigoqo uligaxe entanyeni yakho.
This is what he said to me: “Make a (yoke/set of wooden bars to fasten around the neck of an ox), but fasten it around your own neck with leather straps.
3 Ubusuthumela ilizwi enkosini yase-Edomi, leyaseMowabi, leyase-Amoni, eyeThire kanye leyaseSidoni ngezithunywa ezize eJerusalema kuZedekhiya inkosi yakoJuda.
[Then] send messages to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon, by telling those messages to the ambassadors from those countries who have come to Jerusalem to [talk to] King Zedekiah.
4 Zinike ilizwi eliya emakhosini azo uthi, ‘UThixo uSomandla, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli uthi: Tshelani amakhosi enu lokhu ukuthi:
Tell them to give this message to their kings: This is what the Commander of the armies of angels, the God whom the Israeli [people worship, ]:
5 Ngamandla ami amakhulu langengalo yami eyeluliweyo ngenza umhlaba labantu bawo kanye lezinyamazana ezikuwo, njalo ngiwunika loba ngubani ngokuthanda kwami.
‘With my very great power [MTY, DOU] I created the earth and the people and the animals that are on the earth. And I can give my power to anyone whom I want to.
6 Khathesi wonke amazwe enu ngizawanikela encekwini yami uNebhukhadineza inkosi yaseBhabhiloni, ngizakwenza lezinyamazana zeganga zibe ngaphansi kwakhe.
And now I am going to enable King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, who does what I want him to do, to control your countries. I am going to enable him to rule everything, even the wild animals.
7 Izizwe zonke zizamsebenzela yena lamadodana akhe kanye labazukulu bakhe kuze kufike isikhathi selizwe lakhe lapho azanqotshwa khona yizizwe ezinengi lamakhosi amakhulu.
[The people of] all the nations will work for him, and [later] for his son, and [later] for his grandson, until the time for them [to rule] is finished. Then [the armies of] many great kings from many nations will conquer Babylon.’
8 Kodwa, loba yisiphi isizwe loba umbuso ongasebenzeli uNebhukhadineza inkosi yaseBhabhiloni loba ukhothamisele intamo yawo ejogeni lakhe, ngizasijezisa lesosizwe ngenkemba, ngendlala langesifo, ngize ngiwuchithe ngesandla sakhe, kutsho uThixo.
But now I tell you that you must [do what the king of Babylon wants you to do] [MET], [like an ox that has] a yoke on its neck [must do what its master wants it to do]. I will punish any nation that refuses to do that. I will cause those people to experience war and famine and diseases, until [the armies of] Babylon have conquered that nation.
9 Ngakho lingabalaleli abaphrofethi benu, izanuse zenu, abachazi bamaphupho, izangoma zenu loba izinyanga zenu ezithi kini, kaliyikuyisebenzela inkosi yaseBhabhiloni.’
So, do not pay attention to your [false] prophets and fortune-tellers and people who predict what will happen by working magic or by talking with spirits of dead people. Those people say that the king of Babylon will not conquer your country.
10 Baphrofetha amanga kini azasebenza ukulisusa nje kuphela emazweni enu; ngizalixotsha njalo lizabhubha.
Those people are [all] liars. [If you believe what they say, ] it will result in your being exiled from your land. I will cause you to be taken from your land, and you will die far away.
11 Kodwa isizwe esizabeka intamo yaso ngaphansi kwejogwe lenkosi yaseBhabhiloni siyisebenzele, lesosizwe ngizasiyekela siselizweni laso ukuba sililime njalo sihlale kulo, kutsho uThixo.”
But the people of any country who do what the King of Babylon wants them to do will remain in their own country and be able to plant their crops [MTY] [as they always have done. That will surely happen because I], Yahweh, have said it.”
12 UZedekhiya inkosi yakoJuda ngamnika ilizwi elinjalo; Ngathi, “Beka intamo yakho ngaphansi kwejogwe lenkosi yaseBhabhiloni; isebenzele yona kanye labantu bayo, uzaphila.
[After I gave that message to those ambassadors, ] I gave the same message to King Zedekiah of Judah. [I said to him, ] “If you want to remain alive, do what the King of Babylon and his officials want you to do [MET].
13 Kungani wena labantu bakho lizabulawa ngenkemba, indlala lesifo uThixo ayesongele ngakho isizwe esingayikusebenzela inkosi yaseBhabhiloni na?
[It would be foolish for you not to do that, because the result would be that] you and your people would die by [your enemies’] swords or by famine or diseases, which Yahweh will cause any nation to experience that refuses to allow the King of Babylon to rule them.
14 Lingawalaleli amazwi abaphrofethi abathi kini, ‘Kaliyikuyisebenzela inkosi yaseBhabhiloni,’ ngoba baphrofetha amanga kini.
Do not pay attention to those prophets who say to you, ‘The King of Babylon will not conquer your country.’ They are liars.
15 ‘Angibathumanga,’ kutsho uThixo. ‘Baphrofetha amanga ngebizo lami. Ngakho ngizalixotsha, libhubhe lina kanye labaphrofethi abaphrofetha kini.’”
[This is what] Yahweh says: ‘I have not appointed those prophets. They are saying that I [MTY] gave them messages, but they are lying. So, [if you believe them, ] I will expel you from this land. And you and all those prophets will die [in Babylon]!’”
16 Ngasengisithi kubaphristi lakubo bonke abantu laba, “UThixo uthi: Lingabalaleli abaphrofethi abathi, ‘Masinyane nje izitsha zasendlini kaThixo zizabuyiswa zivela eBhabhiloni.’ Baphrofetha amanga kini.
Then I spoke to the priests and the other people, and I said, “This is what Yahweh says: ‘Do not believe your prophets who tell you that all the gold items [that were taken] from my temple [by soldiers from Babylon] will soon be returned from Babylon, because what they are prophesying is a lie.
17 Lingabalaleli. Isebenzeleni inkosi yaseBhabhiloni, lizaphila. Kungani idolobho leli kumele libe lunxiwa na?
Do not pay attention to what they say. Surrender to the king of Babylon. If you do that, you will remain alive. [If you do not do that] [RHQ], this entire city will be destroyed.
18 Nxa bengabaphrofethi njalo belelizwi likaThixo, kabamncenge uThixo uSomandla ukuba izitsha eziseleyo endlini kaThixo lasesigodlweni senkosi yakoJuda kanye laseJerusalema zingasiwa eBhabhiloni.
If they are really prophets who speak messages from me, tell them to plead to me, the Commander of the armies of angels, that [the soldiers from Babylon] will not be allowed to take away to Babylon the valuable items that [still] remain in the temple and in the king’s palace and in [the other palaces in] Jerusalem.
19 Ngoba lokhu yikho okutshiwo nguThixo uSomandla mayelana lensika, loLwandle, lokokumisa okuphakamisekayo kanye lezinye izitsha eziseleyo kulelidolobho,
[I say this] because the [huge] pillars [that are in front of the temple] and the large water tank and the [ten water] carts and all the other items that are used [for offering sacrifices are still in this city].
20 uNebhukhadineza inkosi yaseBhabhiloni engahambanga layo ekuthatheni kwakhe uJehoyakhini indodana kaJehoyakhimi inkosi yakoJuda emsusa eJerusalema emusa ekuthunjweni eBhabhiloni, kanye lezikhulu zonke zakoJuda lezeJerusalema,
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon left those things here when he exiled Jehoiachin, the king of Judah, to Babylon, along with all the [other] leaders of Jerusalem and [the leaders of other places in] Judah.
21 yebo, lokhu yikho okutshiwo nguThixo uSomandla, uNkulunkulu ka-Israyeli, mayelana lezinto eziseleyo endlini kaThixo lasesigodlweni senkosi yakoJuda kanye laseJerusalema ukuthi:
[I], the Commander of the armies of angels, the God whom the Israeli [people worship], say this about all those valuable things that are still outside the temple and in the palace of the king of Judah and in [other places in]:
22 ‘Zizasiwa eBhabhiloni lapho ezizakuba khona kuze kufike usuku engizazilanda ngalo,’ kutsho uThixo. ‘Lapho-ke ngizazibuyisela emuva kule indawo.’”
They will [all] be carried away to Babylon. And they will stay there until I say that they should be brought back to Jerusalem. Then they will be bought back here. [That is what I, ] Yahweh, say.’”
