UJeremiya 5
1 “Yehla ukhwele ngemigwaqo yaseJerusalema, ukhangele emaceleni wonke, ucabange, uhlolisise wonke amagceke ayo. Nxa ungathola umuntu oyedwa nje oqhuba ngobuqotho efuna iqiniso, ngizalithethelela idolobho leli.
Go about through the streets of Jerusalem, and see, and consider, and seek in the broad places thereof, if you can fins a man that executeth judgement, and seeketh faith: and I will be merciful unto it.
2 Lanxa nje besithi, ‘Ngeqiniso elinjengoba uThixo ekhona,’ bajinge befunga amanga.”
And though they say: The Lord liveth; this also they will swear falsely.
3 Awu Thixo, amehlo akho kawadingi qiniso na? Wabatshaya, kodwa kabezwanga buhlungu, wabahlifiza, kodwa bala ukuqondiswa. Benza ubuso babo baba lukhuni kulamatshe, bala ukuphenduka.
O Lord, thy eyes are upon truth: thou hast struck them, and they have not grieved: thou hast bruised them, and they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than the rock, and they have refused to return.
4 Ngacabanga ngathi, “Laba ngabayanga nje, bayizithutha, ngoba indlela kaThixo kabayazi, lemilayo kaNkulunkulu wabo.
But I said: Perhaps these are poor and foolish, that know not the way of the Lord, the judgement of their God.
5 Ngakho-ke ngizakuya kubakhokheli ngikhulume labo, ngeqiniso indlela kaThixo bayayazi, lemilayo kaNkulunkulu wabo.” Kodwa nganhliziyonye labo balephula ijogwe baqamula lezibopho.
I will go therefore to the great men, and I will speak to them: for they known the way of the Lord, the judgement of their God: and behold these have together broken the yoke more, and have burst the bonds.
6 Ngakho isilwane esivela ehlathini sizabahlasela, lempisi evela enkangala ibadlwengule, ingwe izabacathamela eduze lamadolobho abo ukudabudabula loba ngubani ophumayo, ngoba iziphambeko zabo zinkulu, lokuhlehlela kwabo emuva kunengi.
Wherefore a lion out of the wood hath slain them, a wolf in the evening, hath spoiled them, a leopard watcheth for their cities: every one that shall go out thence shall be taken, because their transgressions are multiplied, their rebellions are strengthened.
7 “Ngingalithethelela ngenxa yani na? Abantwana benu bangidelile, bafunga ngabonkulunkulu abangasibonkulunkulu, ngabanika konke abakuswelayo, kodwa bona bafeba baminyana ezindlini zezifebe.
How can I be merciful to thee? thy children have forsaken me, and swear by them that are not gods: I fed them to the full, and they committed adultery, and rioted in the harlot’s house.
8 Bangamabhiza amaduna asuthayo, agcwele inkanuko, omunye lomunye ekhalela umfazi wenye indoda.
They are become as amorous horses and stallions, every one neighed after his neighbor’s wife.
9 Ngingabajezisi kulokhu na?” kutsho uThixo. “Ngingaphindiseli esizweni esinjengalesi na?
Shall I not visit for these things, sayeth the Lord? and shall not my soul take revenge on such a nation?
10 Ngenani lidabule phakathi kwezivini zaso lizidlwengule, kodwa lingazitshabalalisi ngokupheleleyo. Phundlani ingatsha zalo, ngoba abantu laba kabasibo bakaThixo.
Scale down the walls thereof, and throw them down, but do not utterly destroy: take away the branches thereof, because they are not the Lord’s.
11 Indlu ka-Israyeli lendlu kaJuda kazithembekanga impela kimi,” kutsho uThixo.
For the house of Israel, and the house of Juda have greatly transgressed against me, saith the Lord.
12 Baqambe amanga ngoThixo bathi, “Kasoze enze lutho! Akulabubi obuzasehlela, kasiyikubona impi loba indlala.
They have denied the Lord, and said, It is not he: and the evil shall not come upon us: we shall not see the sword and famine.
13 Abaphrofethi bangumoya nje, lelizwi kalikho kubo, ngakho abakutshoyo kakwenziwe kubo.”
The prophets have spoken in the wind, and there was no word of God in them: these things therefore shall befall them.
14 Ngakho-ke uThixo uNkulunkulu uSomandla uthi: “Njengoba abantu sebekhulume amazwi la, ngizakwenza amazwi ami emlonyeni wakho abe ngumlilo labantu laba babe zinkuni oziqothulayo.”
Thus saith the Lord the God of hosts: Because you have spoken this word, behold I will make my words in thy mouth as fire, and this people as wood, and it shall devour them.
15 UThixo uthi, “Wena ndlu ka-Israyeli, ngizaletha isizwe esivela khatshana ukuba sikuhlasele, isizwe esidala esiqinileyo, isizwe ulimi lwaso ongalwaziyo, lenkulumo yaso ongayizwayo.
Behold I will bring upon you a nation from afar, O house of Israel, saith the Lord: a strong nation, an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou shalt not know, nor understand what they say.
16 Imixhaka yaso ifana lengcwaba elivulekileyo, bonke bangamabutho alamandla.
Their quiver is as an open sepulchre, they are all valiant.
17 Bazatshwabadela amabele enu lokudla kwenu, batshwabadele amadodana enu kanye lamadodakazi enu, bazatshwabadela izimvu zenu kanye lenkomo zenu, bazatshwabadela amavini enu kanye lemikhiwa yenu. Amadolobho avikelweyo eliwathembileyo bazawachitha ngenkemba.
And they shall eat up thy corn, and thy bread: they shall devour thy sons, and thy daughters: they shall eat up thy flocks, and thy herds: they shall eat thy vineyards, and thy figs: and with the sword they shall destroy thy strong cities, wherein thou trustest.
18 Ikanti langalezozinsuku,” kutsho uThixo, “angiyikuliqeda du.
Nevertheless in those days, saith the Lord, I will not bring you to utter destruction.
19 Lapho abantu bebuza besithi, ‘Kungani uThixo uNkulunkulu wethu enze konke lokhu kithi?’ Batshele uthi, ‘Njengoba lingilahlile lakhonza onkulunkulu bezizweni elizweni lenu, ngokunjalo khathesi lizasebenzela abezizweni elizweni elingayisilo lenu.’
And if you shall say: why hath the Lord our God done all these things to us? thou shalt say to them: As you have forsaken me, and served a strange god in your own land, so shall you serve strangers in a land that is not your own.
20 Memezela lokhu endlini kaJakhobe njalo ukubike lakoJuda uthi:
Declare ye this to the house of Jacob, and publish it in Juda, saying:
21 Zwanini lokhu, lina zithutha zabantu abangelangqondo, abalamehlo kodwa kababoni, abalezindlebe kodwa kabezwa:
Hear, O foolish people, and without understanding: who have eyes, and see not: and ears, and hear not.
22 Akumelanga lingesabe na?” kutsho uThixo. “Kaliyikuthuthumela phambi kwami na? Ngenza itshebetshebe laba ngumngcele wolwandle umkhawulo wanini lanini olungeke luweqe. Amagagasi angavinqoza, kodwa awangeke edlule, angahlokoma, kodwa awangeke aweqe.
Will not you then fear me, saith the Lord: and will you not repent at my presence? I have set the sand a bound for the sea, an everlasting ordinance, which it shall not pass over: and the waves thereof shall toss themselves, and shall not prevail: they shall swell, and shall not pass over it.
23 Kodwa abantu laba balezinhliziyo ezilukhuni ezihlamukayo, baphambukile, balahleka.
But the heart of this people is become hard of belief and provoking, they are revolted and gone away.
24 Kabatsho ezinhliziyweni zabo ukuthi, ‘Kasimesabeni uThixo uNkulunkulu wethu, onisa izulu ngesikhathi salo ekwindla lentwasa, osithembisa amaviki amiselwe ukuvuna.’
And they have not said in their heart: let us fear the Lord our God, who giveth us the early and the latter rain in due season: who preserveth for us the fullness of the yearly harvest.
25 Ukona kwenu kukuvimbele lokhu, izono zenu zilemuka okuhle.
Your iniquities have turned these things away, and your sins have withholden good things from you.
26 Phakathi kwabantu bami kulabantu ababi abacathama njengabantu abathiya izinyoni, lanjengalabo abathiya imijibila yokubamba abantu.
For among my people are found wicked men, that lie in wait as fowlers, setting snares and traps to catch men.
27 Njengezitsha ezigcwele izinyoni, izindlu zabo zigcwele inkohliso; sebenothile njalo sebelamandla
As a net is full of birds, so their houses are full of deceit: therefore are they become great and enriched.
28 sebezimukile njalo babancwaba. Izenzo zabo ezimbi kazilamkhawulo, kabakudingi ukulunga. Izintandane kabazikhulumeli ukuba zinqobe, amalungelo abayanga kabawavikeli.
They are grown gross and fat: and have most wickedly transgressed my words. They have not judged the cause of the widow, they have not managed the cause of the fatherless, they have not judged the judgement of the poor.
29 Akumelanga ngibajezisele lokhu na?” kutsho uThixo. “Akumelanga ngiphindisele esizweni esinjengalesi na?
Shall I not visit for these things, saith the Lord? or shall not my soul take revenge on such a nation?
30 Into eyesabekayo leyethusayo isiyenzakele kulelilizwe:
Astonishing and wonderful things have been done in the land.
31 Abaphrofethi baphrofitha amanga, abaphristi babusa ngamandla abo, labantu bami bakuthanda kunjalo. Kodwa lizakwenzani ekucineni?”
The prophets prophesied falsehood, and the priests clapped their hands: and my people loved such things: what then shall be done in the end thereof?
