< UJeremiya 19 >

1 Itsho njalo iNkosi: Hamba uyethenga isiphiso sombumbi esebumba; uthathe ebadaleni babantu lebadaleni babapristi.
This is another message that Yahweh gave [to me]: “Go and buy a clay jar from a man who makes them. Then take with you some of the elders of the people and leaders of the priests.
2 Ubusuphuma uye esihotsheni sendodana kaHinomu esisekungeneni kwesango lodengezi, umemezele khona amazwi engizakutshela wona.
Go out [of the city] past the Gate of Broken Pots, to the place [overlooking the dump for broken pottery in] the Ben-Hinnom Valley. Then give them a message.
3 Uthi: Zwanini ilizwi leNkosi, lina makhosi akoJuda lani bakhileyo beJerusalema: Itsho njalo iNkosi yamabandla, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli: Khangelani, ngizaletha okubi phezu kwalindawo, okuzakuthi loba ngubani okuzwayo, indlebe zakhe zizakhenceza.
Say to them, ‘[This message is for] you kings of Judah and [other] people of Jerusalem. Listen to what Yahweh is saying! The Commander of the armies of angels says that he will cause there to be a terrible disaster in [Jerusalem]. Those who hear about it will be stunned/shocked [IDM].
4 Ngenxa yokuthi bangidelile, bayenza lindawo yaba ngeyabezizwe, batshisela kiyo impepha kwabanye onkulunkulu, abangabazanga bona laboyise lamakhosi akoJuda; futhi bayigcwalisa lindawo ngegazi labangelacala.
[That will happen] because [you Israeli] people have stopped worshiping me, and have caused this place to be a place where [you worship] foreign gods. You burn sacrifices to gods that neither you nor your ancestors nor [even] the kings of Judah ever heard about. And you have filled this place with the blood of innocent people [whom you have killed].
5 Futhi bakha izindawo eziphakemeyo zikaBhali, ukutshisa amadodana abo ngomlilo abe ngumnikelo wokutshiswa kuBhali, engingakulayanga, engingakukhulumanga, okungavelanga enhliziyweni yami.
You have built shrines to honor [your god] Baal, and at those shrines you have [killed] your own children and offered them to be sacrifices to Baal. I never commanded you to do that, I never spoke about doing that, I never even thought about anyone doing that.
6 Ngakho khangela, insuku ziyeza, itsho iNkosi, lapho lindawo ingasayikubizwa ngokuthi yiTofethi, loba isiHotsha sendodana kaHinomu, kodwa isiHotsha sokuBulawa.
So, beware, [because I, ] Yahweh, say that there will be a time when this garbage dump will no longer be called Topheth or Ben-Hinnom Valley; it will be called Slaughter Valley.
7 Njalo ngizachitha icebo lakoJuda leJerusalema kulindawo, ngenze ukuthi bawe ngenkemba phambi kwezitha zabo, langesandla sabazingela impilo zabo; nginike izidumbu zabo zibe yikudla kwenyoni zezulu lokwenyamazana zomhlaba.
In this place I will ruin the plans of [you people who live in] Jerusalem and in [other places in] Judah. I will allow your enemies who want to kill you to kill [many of] you with their swords. [Then] I will allow your corpses to remain on the ground to be food for vultures and wild animals.
8 Ngenze lumuzi ube lunxiwa, lokokuncifelwa; wonke owedlula kuwo uzamangala kakhulu ancife ngenxa yazo zonke inhlupheko zawo.
I will [completely destroy] Jerusalem and cause it to become a heap of ruins that people will despise. All the people who pass by will be appalled, and they will be shocked when they see that the city has been destroyed.
9 Njalo ngizabenza badle inyama yamadodana abo lenyama yamadodakazi abo; njalo bazakudla ngulowo inyama kamakhelwane wakhe ekuvinjezelweni lekucindezelweni, ezizabacindezela ngakho izitha zabo labadinga impilo yabo.
I will enable your enemies who want to kill you to surround the city for a long time. [Then the food will be all gone, and you people will be extremely hungry, with the result that] you people in the city will eat the flesh of your own children and your neighbors’ children.’
10 Khona uzaphahlaza isiphiso emehlweni amadoda ahamba lawe;
[Jeremiah, after you tell that to them], while the people who are with you are watching, smash the jar [that you brought].
11 ubususithi kiwo: Itsho njalo iNkosi yamabandla: Ngokunjalo ngizabaphahlaza lababantu lalumuzi, njengomuntu ephahlaza imbiza yombumbi, engebuye ilungiswe futhi; njalo bazabangcwaba eThofethi, ngoba kungasoze kube lendawo yokungcwaba.
Then say to them, ‘This is what the Commander of the armies of angels says: “Just like this jar has been smashed and cannot be repaired, I will smash this city of Jerusalem and other places in Judah. You will bury some of your corpses here in this dump, until there is no more space to bury any more corpses.
12 Ngizakwenza njalo kulindawo, itsho iNkosi, lakwabakhileyo bayo, ukuthi ngenze lumuzi ube njengeThofethi.
That is what I will do to this city and to you people who live here. I will cause this city to be desecrated, like [King Josiah caused Topheth to be] a place that was unfit for people to worship me there.
13 Njalo izindlu zeJerusalema lezindlu zamakhosi akoJuda zizangcoliswa njengendawo yeThofethi, ngenxa yazo zonke izindlu abatshisela phezu kwempahla zazo impepha kulo lonke ibutho lamazulu, bathululela abanye onkulunkulu iminikelo yokunathwayo.
The houses in Jerusalem and the palaces of the kings of Judah will be desecrated like this place will be. All the houses where you burned incense on the rooftops to honor the stars [that you worshiped], and where you poured out wine [to be an offering] to your gods, will become (desecrated/unacceptable places for people to worship me).”’”
14 Khona wabuya uJeremiya evela eTofethi, lapho iNkosi eyayimthume khona ukuprofetha, wasesima egumeni lendlu yeNkosi, wathi ebantwini bonke:
Then I returned from the garbage dump where Yahweh had sent me to tell them that message. Then I stood in the courtyard of Yahweh’s temple and said this to all the people [who were there]:
15 Itsho njalo iNkosi yamabandla, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli: Khangelani, ngizakwehlisela kulumuzi lakuyo yonke imizana yawo konke okubi engikutshiloyo ngawo, ngoba benze lukhuni intamo yabo, ukuze bangezwa amazwi ami.
“This is what the Commander of the armies of angels says: ‘I will cause there to be a disaster in this city and in the villages around it like I promised, because you people have stubbornly [IDM] refused to pay attention to what I said to you.’”

< UJeremiya 19 >