UJeremiya 3
1 “Indoda ingehlukana lomkayo ayitshiye endele kwenye indoda, kufanele imbuyise futhi na? Kambe ilizwe lingeke langcoliswa kakhulukazi na? Kodwa wena usuphile njengesifebe esilezithandwa ezinengi, kambe khathesi ungabuyela kimi na?” kutsho uThixo.
If a man divorces his wife and she goes and marries someone else, could he ever go back to her? Wouldn't the country be made totally unclean by this? But you have done worse by prostituting yourselves with many lovers, and now you want to come back to me? declares the Lord.
2 “Khangela emiqolweni elugwadule ubone. Kungaphi lapho ongazange udlwangululwe khona? Emigwaqweni wahlala ulindele izithandwa, wahlala njengomhambuma enkangala. Ulingcolisile ilizwe ngobufebe bakho langobubi bakho.
Look up at the bare hilltops. Is there anywhere that you haven't had sex? You sat at the roadside like someone from the desert waiting for your lovers to pass by. You have made the land unclean with your prostitution and evil.
3 Ngalokho imikhizo imisiwe, lezulu lentwasa kalinanga. Ikanti wena uziphethe okwesifebe, awulanhloni.
That's why no showers have been sent, and no spring rains have fallen. But you just stare back shamelessly like a prostitute; you refuse to accept you've done anything wrong.
4 Kawungibizanga khathesi nje wathi, ‘Baba, mngane wami kusukela ebutsheni bami,
Didn't you just tell me, “My father, you've been such a close friend to me since I was little.
5 uzahlala uzondile kokuphela na? Ulaka lwakho luzaqhubeka kokuphela na?’ Le yindlela okhuluma ngayo, kodwa wenza konke okubi ongakwenza.”
You won't be angry with me for a long time, will you? You won't go on being like that forever?” This is what you've said, but you keep on sinning as much as you can.
6 Ekubuseni kwenkosi uJosiya, uThixo wathi kimi, “Ukubonile yini okwenziwe ngu-Israyeli ongathembekanga? Usekhwele phezu kwamaqaqa wonke aphakemeyo langaphansi kwezihlahla zonke eziluhlaza wafebela khona.
During the reign of King Josiah, the Lord told me, Have you seen what unfaithful Israel has done? She has prostituted herself on every high hill and under every green tree.
7 Ngacabanga ukuthi emva kokuba esenze konke lokhu uzaphinda eze kimi, kodwa kabuyanga, lodadewabo ongathembekanga uJuda wakubona lokho.
I hoped that after she'd done all this she'd come back to me. But she didn't come back, and her unfaithful sister Judah saw what happened.
8 U-Israyeli ongathembekanga ngamnika incwadi yakhe yesehlukaniso ngamxotsha ngenxa yobufebe bakhe bonke. Kodwa ngabona ukuthi udadewabo ongathembekanga, uJuda, kesabanga, laye wasuka wayafeba.
She saw that because of everything unfaithful Israel had done on committing adultery, I sent her away, giving her a certificate of divorce. But her unfaithful sister Judah wasn't afraid and prostituted herself too.
9 Ngenxa yokuthi ububi buka-Israyeli babungatsho lutho kuye, wangcolisa ilizwe wakhonza amatshe lezihlahla.
Israel didn't care about the immorality, as she made herself and the land unclean, committing adultery by worshiping stones and trees.
10 Kukho konke lokhu, udadewabo ongathembekanga uJuda kabuyelanga kimi ngenhliziyo yakhe yonke, kodwa ngokuzenzisa nje kuphela,” kutsho uThixo.
Despite all this, her unfaithful sister Judah didn't come back to me in sincerity. She only pretended to do so, declares the Lord.
11 UThixo wathi kimi, “U-Israyeli ongathembekanga ungcono kuloJuda ongelaqiniso.
The Lord told me, Unfaithful Israel showed that she wasn't as guilty as unfaithful Judah.
12 Hamba, uyememezela ilizwi leli ngasenyakatho: ‘Phenduka Israyeli ongathembekanga,’ kutsho uThixo, ‘Kangisayikukuhwaqela futhi, ngoba ngilesihawu,’ kutsho uThixo. ‘Kangiyikuthukuthela kokuphela.
Now go and announce this message to the north: Come back, unfaithful Israel, declares the Lord. I won't be angry with you anymore, because I am merciful, declares the Lord. I won't be angry forever.
13 Vuma icala lakho nje kuphela, wahlamukela uThixo uNkulunkulu wakho, uzihlakazelele kubonkulunkulu bezizweni ngaphansi kwezihlahla zonke eziluhlaza, njalo kawaze wangilalela,’” kutsho uThixo.
Just admit you did wrong, that you rebelled against the Lord your God. You spread yourself around, committing adultery by worshiping foreign gods under every green tree, refusing to do what I told you, declares the Lord.
14 “Phendukani, bantu abangathembekanga,” kutsho uThixo, “ngoba ngingumyeni wenu. Ngizalikhetha, oyedwa edolobheni lababili emulini ngililethe eZiyoni.
Come back, unfaithful children, declares the Lord, because I am married to you. I will take you, one from a town and two from a family, and bring you to Zion.
15 Lapho-ke ngizalinika abelusi abathandwa yimi, abazalikhokhela ngokwazi langokuqedisisa.
I will give you shepherds who are like me who will feed you wisely and with understanding.
16 Ngalezonsuku, ubunengi benu sebande kakhulu elizweni,” kutsho uThixo, “abantu kabasayikuthi, ‘Ibhokisi lesivumelwano sikaThixo.’ Kaliyikufika emicabangweni yabo kumbe likhunjulwe; kaliyikudingakala, njalo akuyikwenziwa elinye futhi.
At that time as you increase in number in the country, declares the Lord, no one will be talking about the Ark of the Lord's Agreement anymore. People won't need to think about it or remember it or wonder what happened to it; and certainly won't need to make a new one.
17 Ngalesosikhathi iJerusalema bazalibiza ngokuthi yisiHlalo Sobukhosi sikaThixo, njalo izizwe zonke zizabuthana eJerusalema ukuba zihloniphe ibizo likaThixo. Kabasayikulandela inkani yezinhliziyo zabo ezimbi.
When that time comes Jerusalem will be called the Throne of the Lord, and all the nations will come together in Jerusalem to honor the Lord. They won't be stubborn or wicked anymore.
18 Ngalezonsuku indlu kaJuda izahlangana leka-Israyeli, njalo ndawonye, zivela elizweni elisenyakatho, zizakuza elizweni engalinika okhokho benu ukuba libe yilifa labo.
At that time the people of Judah will join with the people of Israel, and they will return from the land of the north to the country I gave to your forefathers to own.
19 Mina ngokwami ngathi, ‘Kade ngingathaba kakhulu ukuliphatha njengamadodana, ngilinike ilizwe elifunekayo, ilifa elihle kakhulu ezizweni zonke.’ Bengicabanga ukuthi lizangibiza ngokuthi ‘Baba’ njalo lingaphambuki ekungilandeleni.
I said to myself, I really want you to be my children, and to give you the best country, the most beautiful place of any nation. I hoped you would call me “Father,” and never give up following me.
20 Kodwa njengowesifazane ongathembekanga kumkakhe, ubungathembekanga kimi wena ndlu ka-Israyeli,” kutsho uThixo.
But just like a wife might betray her husband, you have betrayed me, people of Israel, declares the Lord.
21 Ilizwi liyezwakala emiqolweni elugwadule, ukukhala lokuncenga kwabantu bako-Israyeli, ngoba izindlela zabo bazonile bakhohlwa loThixo uNkulunkulu wabo.
Voices are crying on bare hilltops—the Israelites weeping and pleading for mercy, because they have gone astray and forgotten the Lord their God.
22 “Phendukani, bantu abangathembekanga, ngizalelapha ukungathembeki kwenu.” “Yebo, sizakuza kuwe, ngoba unguThixo uNkulunkulu wethu.
Come back, unfaithful children, and I will heal your unfaithfulness. “We're here! Yes, we're coming back to you, because you are the Lord our God.”
23 Impela umsindo wokukhonza izithombe emaqaqeni lasezintabeni uyinkohliso, ngempela kuThixo uNkulunkulu wethu kulensindiso ka-Israyeli.
There's no doubt that pagan worship from the hills is pure lies; the idolatry that comes from the mountains is just noise. Israel's salvation is in the Lord our God alone.
24 Kusukela ebutsheni bethu onkulunkulu abalihlazo badlile izithelo zamandla abobaba, imihlambi yezimvu zabo leyezinkomo zabo, amadodana abo lamadodakazi abo.
All our lives pagan idolatry has destroyed what our fathers worked so hard for: their flocks and herds, their sons and daughters.
25 Kasilaleni phansi silenhloni, siphathwe lihlazo lethu. Ngoba sonile kuThixo uNkulunkulu wethu, thina sonke kanye labokhokho bethu; kusukela ebutsheni bethu kuze kube lamhla, kasimlalelanga uThixo uNkulunkulu wethu.”
We should lie down in shame, and have our disgrace bury us. We have sinned against the Lord our God, us and our fathers. From when we were young right up to now we have not obeyed what the Lord our God told us to do.
