UJeremiya 16
1 Ilizwi leNkosi laselifika kimi lisithi:
Then the word of Yahweh came to me, saying,
2 Ungazithatheli umfazi, njalo ungabi lamadodana kumbe amadodakazi kulindawo.
“Do not take a wife for yourself, and do not have sons or daughters for yourself in this place.
3 Ngoba itsho njalo iNkosi mayelana lamadodana lamayelana lamadodakazi azalelwe kulindawo, lamayelana labonina abawazalayo lamayelana laboyise abawazalele kulelilizwe:
For Yahweh says this to the sons and daughters who are born in this place, to the mothers who bear them, and to the fathers who caused them to be born in this land,
4 Bazakufa izimfa zemikhuhlane; kabayikulilelwa, futhi kabayikungcwatshwa; bazakuba ngumquba phezu kobuso bomhlaba; njalo bazaqedwa yinkemba layindlala; lezidumbu zabo zizakuba yikudla kwezinyoni zamazulu lokwenyamazana zomhlaba.
'They will die diseased deaths. They will not be mourned or buried. They will be like dung on the ground. For they will come to an end by sword and famine, and their corpses will be food for the birds of the skies and the beasts of the earth.'
5 Ngoba itsho njalo iNkosi: Ungangeni endlini yesililo, ungayikulila, ungabakhaleli; ngoba ngikususile ukuthula kwami kulababantu, itsho iNkosi, uthandolomusa lezihawu.
For the word of Yahweh came to me, saying, 'Do not enter a house where there is mourning. Do not go to mourn or to show sympathy for them, for I have taken away my peace from this people—this is Yahweh's declaration—and my steadfast love and mercy.
6 Njalo abakhulu labancinyane bazakufa kulelilizwe; kabayikungcwatshwa, kabayikubalilela, kabayikuzisika, kabayikuziphuca ngenxa yabo.
Both the great and the small will die in this land. They will not be buried, and no one will mourn for them or cut themselves or shave their heads for them.
7 Futhi kabayikubahlephulela isinkwa esililweni, ukubaduduza ngenxa yofileyo; futhi kakho ozabanathisa inkezo yezinduduzo ngenxa kayise langenxa kanina.
No one must share any food in mourning to comfort them because of the deaths, and none must give a comforting cup to his father or his mother in order to comfort them.
8 Njalo ungangeni endlini yedili, ukuhlala labo, ukudla lokunatha.
You must not go to a banquet house to sit with them in order to eat or drink.'
9 Ngoba itsho njalo iNkosi yamabandla, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli: Khangelani, ngizakwenza ukuthi kuphele kule indawo, emehlweni enu, lensukwini zenu, ilizwi lentokozo, lelizwi lenjabulo, ilizwi lomyeni, lelizwi likamakoti.
For Yahweh of hosts, God of Israel, says this, 'See, before your eyes, in your days and in this place, I am about to put an end to the sound of joy and the sound of gladness, the sound of the groom and the sound of the bride.'
10 Njalo kuzakuthi lapho utshela lababantu wonke lamazwi, babesebesithi kuwe: INkosi ikhulumelani konke lokhu okubi okukhulu imelene lathi, njalo buyini ububi bethu, njalo yisiphi isono sethu esisonileyo simelene leNkosi uNkulunkulu wethu?
Then it will happen that you will report all these words to this people, and they will say to you, 'Why has Yahweh decreed all this great disaster against us? What is our iniquity and sin that we sinned against Yahweh our God?'
11 Khona uzakuthi kubo: Ngenxa yokuthi oyihlo bangidelile, itsho iNkosi, balandela abanye onkulunkulu, babasebenzela, babakhonza, bangidela mina, kabagcinanga umlayo wami;
So say to them, 'Because your ancestors abandoned me—this is Yahweh's declaration—and they went after other gods and worshiped and bowed down to them. They abandoned me and have not kept my law.
12 lina-ke lenze okubi kulaboyihlo; ngoba khangelani, lilandela, ngulowo lalowo ubulukhuni benhliziyo yakhe embi, ukuthi bangangilaleli.
But you yourselves have brought about more wickedness than your ancestors, for see, each person is walking by the stubbornness of his wicked heart; there is no one who listens to me.
13 Ngakho ngizaliphosela ngaphandle kwalelilizwe, liye elizweni elingalaziyo, lina laboyihlo; lapho-ke lizasebenzela abanye onkulunkulu emini lebusuku, ngoba kangiyikulinika umusa.
So I will throw you from this land to a land that you have not known, neither you nor your ancestors, and you will worship other gods there by day and night, for I will not give any favor to you.'
14 Ngakho, khangela, insuku ziyeza, itsho iNkosi, lapho kungasayikuthiwa: Kuphila kweNkosi, eyakhuphula abantwana bakoIsrayeli elizweni leGibhithe;
Therefore, behold, the days are coming—this is Yahweh's declaration—when it will no longer be said, 'As Yahweh lives, the one who brought up the people of Israel from the land of Egypt.'
15 kodwa: Kuphila kweNkosi, eyakhuphula abantwana bakoIsrayeli elizweni lenyakatho lakuwo wonke amazwe eyayibaxotshele kiwo; ngoba ngizababuyisa futhi elizweni lakibo engalinika oyise.
but, 'As Yahweh lives, the one who brought up the people of Israel from the land of the north and from the lands where he had scattered them.' For I will bring them back to the land that I gave to their ancestors.
16 Khangela, ngizathumela kubagoli benhlanzi abanengi, itsho iNkosi, babesebebagola; lemva kwalokho ngizathumela kubazingeli abanengi, babazingele bebasusa kuyo yonke intaba, lakulo lonke uqaqa, lasezingoxweni zamadwala.
Behold! I will send for many fishermen—this is Yahweh's declaration—so they will fish the people out. After this I will send for many hunters so they will hunt for them among all the mountains and hills, and in rock crevices.
17 Ngoba amehlo ami aphezu kwazo zonke izindlela zabo; kazifihlakalanga ebusweni bami, lobubi babo kabucatshanga phambi kwamehlo ami.
For my eye is on all their ways; they cannot be hidden from before me. Their iniquity cannot be concealed from before my eyes.
18 Kuqala-ke ngizaphindisela isiphambeko sabo lesono sabo ngokuphindiweyo, ngoba bengcolise ilizwe lami, bagcwalisa ilifa lami ngezidumbu zamanyala abo lezinengiso zabo.
I will first pay back double for their iniquity and sin for their polluting of my land with their disgusting idol figures, and for their filling my inheritance with their disgusting idols.”
19 Nkosi, wena mandla ami, lenqaba yami, lesiphephelo sami ngosuku lwembandezelo, abezizwe bazafika kuwe bevela emikhawulweni yomhlaba, bathi: Isibili obaba badlile ilifa lamanga, okuyize, lokungekho inzuzo kukho.
Yahweh, you are my stronghold and my refuge, my place of safety in the day of distress. The nations will go to you from the ends of the earth and say, “Surely our ancestors inherited deceit. They are empty; there is no profit in them.
20 Umuntu angazenzela onkulunkulu yini, kanti kabayisibo onkulunkulu?
Do people make gods for themselves? But they are not gods.”
21 Ngakho, khangela, ngizabenza bazi okwalesisikhathi, ngizabenza bazi isandla sami lobuqhawe bami; bazakwazi-ke ukuthi ibizo lami linguJehova.
Therefore see! I will cause them to know in this time, I will cause them to know my hand and my power, so they will know that Yahweh is my name.
