UJeremiya 4
1 “Nxa uphenduka, wena Israyeli, buyela kimi,” kutsho uThixo. “Ungasusa phambi kwami izithombe zakho ezenyanyekayo ungabe usaphambuka futhi,
If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the Lord, return to me: if thou wilt take away thy stumblingblocks out of my sight, thou shalt not be moved.
2 njalo nxa uzafunga ngobuqotho, ngokulunga langokuqonda, uthi, ‘Ngeqiniso elinjengoba uThixo ekhona,’ ngakho izizwe uzazibusisa ziziqhenye ngaye.”
And thou shalt swear: As the Lord liveth, in truth, and in judgement, and in justice: and the Gentiles shall bless him, and shall praise him.
3 Ebantwini bakoJuda labeJerusalema uThixo uthi: “Qhathani ingqatho yenu, lingahlanyeli phakathi kwameva.
For thus saith the Lord to the men of Juda and Jerusalem: Break up anew your fallow ground, and sow not upon thorns:
4 Zisokeleni kuThixo, lisoke inhliziyo zenu, lina bantu bakoJuda lani bantu baseJerusalema, hlezi ulaka lwami luvuke luvuthe njengomlilo ngenxa yobubi elibenzileyo, lutshise kungekho muntu ongalucitsha.”
Be circumcised to the Lord, and take away the foreskins of your hearts, ye men of Juda, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my indignation come forth like fire, and burn, and there be none that can quench it: because of the wickedness of your thoughts.
5 “Bikani koJuda limemezele laseJerusalema lithi: ‘Tshayani icilongo elizweni lonke!’ Klabalalani lithi, ‘Buthanani ndawonye! Kasibalekeleni emadolobheni avikelweyo!’
Declare ye in Juda, and make it heard in Jerusalem: speak, and sound with the trumpet in the land: cry aloud, and say: Assemble yourselves, and let us go into strong cities.
6 Phakamisani uphawu lokuya eZiyoni! Balekelani ekusileni ngokuphangisa! Ngoba ngiletha umonakalo ovela enyakatho, lencithakalo embi kakhulu.”
Set up the standard in Sion. Strengthen yourselves, stay not: for I bring evil from the north, and great destruction.
7 Isilwane sesiphumile esikhundleni saso, umchithi wezizwe usephumile. Usesukile endaweni yakhe ukuba achithe ilizwe lenu. Amadolobho enu azakuba ngamanxiwa engelamuntu ohlala kuwo.
The lion is come up out of his den, and the robber of nations hath roused himself: he is come forth out of his place, to make thy land desolate: thy cities shall be laid waste, remaining without an inhabitant.
8 Ngakho gqokani amasaka, khalani lilile, ngoba ulaka lukaThixo olwesabekayo kalususwanga kithi.
For this gird yourselves with haircloth, lament and howl: for the fierce anger of the Lord is not turned away from us.
9 UThixo uthi, “Ngalolosuku inkosi lezikhulu bazaphelelwa lithemba, abaphristi bazathuthumela, abaphrofethi bazakwesaba.”
And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord: That the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes: and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall be amazed.
10 Lapho-ke mina ngathi, “Awu, Thixo Wobukhosi, ubakhohlisile sibili abantu laba kanye leJerusalema ngokuthi, ‘Lizakuba lokuthula,’ inkemba yona isemiphinjeni yethu!”
And I said: Alas, alas, alas, O Lord God, hast thou then deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying: You shall have peace: and behold the sword reacheth even to the soul?
11 Ngalesosikhathi abantu laba leJerusalema kuzathiwa kubo, “Umoya otshisayo ovela enkangala emiqolweni elugwadule uvunguza usiya ebantwini bami, kodwa kungayisikwela kumbe ukuhlungula,
At that time it shall be said to this people, and to Jerusalem: A burning wind is in the ways that are in the desert of the way of the daughter of my people, not to fan, nor to cleanse.
12 umoya olamandla kakhulu uvela kimi. Khathesi-ke sengimemezela ukwahlulela kwami kubo.”
A full wind from these places shall come to me: and now I will speak my judgments with them.
13 Khangela! Uyeza njengamayezi, izinqola zakhe zempi zibuya njengesivunguzane, amabhiza akhe alesiqubu esedlula esengqungqulu. Maye! Sesiphelile!
Behold he shall come up as a cloud, and his chariots as a tempest: his horses are swifter than eagles: woe unto us, for we are laid waste.
14 We Jerusalema, geza ububi obusenhliziyweni yakho usindiswe. Koze kube nini ugcine imicabango emibi na?
Wash thy heart from wickedness, O Jerusalem, that thou mayst be saved: how long shall hurtful thoughts abide in thee?
15 Ilizwi elivela koDani liyamemeza, libika umonakalo ovela emaqaqeni ako-Efrayimi
For a voice of one declaring from Dan, and giving notice of the idol from mount Ephraim.
16 Izizwe zitshele lokhu, ukubike laseJerusalema, “Ibutho elivimbezelayo liyeza livela elizweni elikhatshana, limemezela umkhosi wempi emadolobheni akoJuda.
Say ye to the nations: Behold it is heard in Jerusalem, that guards are coming from a far country, and give out their voice against the cities of Juda.
17 Balihanqile njengabantu abalinda insimu, ngoba langihlamukela,” kutsho uThixo.
They are set round about her, as keepers of fields: because she hath provoked me to wrath, saith the Lord.
18 “Ukuziphatha kwakho lezenzo zakho kwehlisele lokhu phezu kwakho. Lesi yisijeziso sakho. Sibuhlungu kakhulu! Sihlaba enhliziyweni!”
They ways, and thy devices have brought these things upon thee: this is thy wickedness, because it is bitter, because it hath touched thy heart.
19 Maye, ngobuhlungu, ubuhlungu engibuzwayo. Ngiyazitshila ngenxa yobuhlungu. Maye, ngokufuthelwa kwenhliziyo yami! Inhliziyo yami iyatshaya ngaphakathi kwami, angingeke ngithule, ngoba ukukhala kwecilongo sengikuzwile, umkhosi wempi sengiwuzwile.
My bowels, my bowels are in pain, the senses of my heart are troubled within me, I will not hold my peace, for my soul hath heard the sound of the trumpet, the cry of battle.
20 Incithakalo ilandela incithakalo, ilizwe lonke selingamanxiwa. Ngesikhatshana nje amathente ami adiliziwe, lamakhetheni ami ngomzuzwana nje.
Destruction upon destruction is called for, and all the earth is laid waste: my tents are destroyed on a sudden, and my pavilions in a moment.
21 Koze kube nini ngibona uphawu lwempi ngisizwa lokukhala kwecilongo na?
How long shall I see men fleeing away, how long shall I hear the sound of the trumpet?
22 “Abantu bami bayiziwula, kabangazi. Bangabantwana abangelangqondo, kabalakho ukuqedisisa. Bahlakaniphele ukwenza okubi, kabakwazi ukwenza okulungileyo.”
For my foolish people have not known me: they are foolish and senseless children: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.
23 Ngakhangela umhlaba, wawungelasimo njalo ungelalutho; lasemazulwini, ukukhanya kwawo kwakungasekho.
I beheld the earth, and lo it was void, and nothing: and the heavens, and there was no light in them.
24 Ngakhangela ezintabeni, zazinyikinyeka, lamaqaqa wonke ayezunguzeka.
I looked upon the mountains, and behold they trembled: and all the hills were troubled.
25 Ngakhangela, kwakungelabantu, izinyoni zonke zasezisukile emkhathini.
I beheld, and lo there was no man: and all the birds of the air were gone.
26 Ngakhangela, ilizwe elithelayo laseliyinkangala, amadolobho alo wonke ayesengamanxiwa phambi kukaThixo, phambi kolaka lwakhe olwesabekayo.
I looked, and behold Carmel was a wilderness: and all its cities were destroyed at the presence of the Lord, and at the presence of the wrath of his indignation.
27 UThixo uthi: “Ilizwe lonke lizachitheka lanxa ngingayikulitshabalalisa ngokupheleleyo.
For thus saith the Lord: All the land shall be desolate, but yet I will not utterly destroy.
28 Ngakho umhlaba uzalila iphezulu libe mnyama, ngoba sengikhulumile njalo angiyikuyekethisa, sengenze isinqumo angiyikubuyela emuva.”
The earth shall mourn, and the heavens shall lament from above: because I have spoken, I have purposed, and I have not repented, neither am I turned away from it.
29 Ekuzwakaleni komsindo wabagadi bamabhiza labemitshoko amadolobho wonke ayabaleka. Abanye bangena ezixukwini, abanye bakhwele emadwaleni. Amadolobho wonke atshiyiwe, akulamuntu ohlala kuwo.
At the voice of the horsemen, and the archers, all the city is fled away; they have entered into thickets and have climbed up the rocks: all the cities are forsaken, and there dwelleth not a man in them.
30 Wenzani na, wena ohlutshwe kakhulu? Kungani ugqoka okubomvu gebhu ufaka lezigqoko zegolide na? Kungani ucomba amehlo akho ngomphendulo na? Uzicecisela ize. Izithandwa zakho ziyakweyisa, zifuna ukukubulala.
But when thou art spoiled what wilt thou do? though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, and paintest thy eyes with stibic stone, thou shalt dress thyself out in vain: thy lovers have despised thee, they will seek thy life.
31 Ngizwa ukukhala okunjengokowesifazane ohelelwayo, ukububula okufana lozuza umntwana wakhe wakuqala, ukukhala kweNdodakazi yaseZiyoni ikhefuzela, yelule izandla zayo isithi, “Maye mina! Amandla ami asephela, ukuphila kwami sekunikelwe kubabulali.”
For I have heard the voice as of a woman in travail, anguishes as of a woman in labor of a child. The voice of the daughter of Sion, dying away, spreading her hands: Woe is me, for my soul hath fainted because of them that are slain.
