< UJeremiya 20 >

1 Kwathi uPashuri umpristi, indodana kaImeri, umpristi, owayengumbonisi oyinduna endlini yeNkosi, wamuzwa uJeremiya eprofetha lezizinto,
Pashhur, the son of Immer, was a priest who supervised the temple guards. He heard those things that I had prophesied.
2 uPashuri wasemtshaya uJeremiya umprofethi, wamfaka esitokisini esisesangweni lakoBhenjamini elingaphezulu, elalingasendlini yeNkosi.
[So he arrested me]. Then he [commanded guards to] whip me and fasten my feet in (stocks/a wooden frame) at the Benjamin Gate of Yahweh’s temple.
3 Kwasekusithi ngosuku olulandelayo, uPashuri wamkhupha uJeremiya esitokisini. UJeremiya wasesithi kuye: INkosi kayibizanga ibizo lakho ngokuthi uPashuri, kodwa uMagori-Misabibi.
The next day, when Pashhur released me, I said to him, “Pashhur, Yahweh is giving you a new name. From now on, your name will be ‘Surrounded by Terror’,
4 Ngoba itsho njalo iNkosi: Khangela, ngizakwenza ube yinto eyesabekayo kuwe uqobo, lakubo bonke abangane bakho; njalo bazakuwa ngenkemba yezitha zabo, lamehlo enu azakubona. Njalo ngizanikela wonke uJuda esandleni senkosi yeBhabhiloni, ezabathumba ibase eBhabhiloni, ibatshaye ngenkemba.
because Yahweh says this [to you]: ‘I will cause you and your friends to be terrified. You will watch them being killed by your enemies’ swords. I will enable the [army of the] king of Babylon to capture the people of Judah. Those soldiers will take some of the people to Babylon, and they will kill others with their swords.
5 Futhi ngizanikela yonke inotho yalumuzi, lawo wonke umsebenzi wawo, lakho konke okuligugu kwawo, lazo zonke iziphala zamakhosi akoJuda, ngikunikele esandleni sezitha zabo, ezizakuphanga, zikuthathe, zikulethe eBhabhiloni.
And I will enable their soldiers to take away [other things in] Jerusalem. They will take to Babylon all the very valuable things that belonged to your kings.
6 Lawe Pashuri, lani lonke bahlali bendlu yakho, lizakuya ekuthunjweni; njalo uzakuya eBhabhiloni, ufele khona, ungcwatshelwe khona, wena labangane bakho bonke, oprofethe kibo amanga.
And [as for] you, Pashhur, they will take you and all your family to Babylon. You and your family and all your friends who have prophesied things that are lies will die there and be buried there.’”
7 Nkosi, wangiyenga, ngayengeka; ulamandla kulami, unqobile; ngaba yinhlekisa lonke usuku, bonke bayangiklolodela.
[One day I said this to Yahweh]: “Yahweh, [when you chose me to be a prophet, ] deceived me, and I allowed you to deceive me. You insisted that I [become a prophet] and you are stronger than I am. And now everyone [HYP] ridicules me. They make fun of me all the day.
8 Ngoba loba nini ngikhuluma, ngiyakhala, ngimemeze udlakela lencithakalo; ngoba ilizwi leNkosi selibe lihlazo lenhlekisa kimi usuku lonke.
When I tell [people your messages], I shout saying, ‘[Yahweh is going to cause you to experience] violence and destruction!’ So because I tell them those messages from you, they insult me and scoff at me all day long.
9 Ngasengisithi: Kangiyikuyikhumbula, kangisayikukhuluma ngebizo layo; kodwa enhliziyweni yami kunjengomlilo ovuthayo ovalelwe emathanjeni ami; sengikhathele yikugodla, ngingeke ngenelise.
But if I would say, ‘I will never mention Yahweh or say anything about him, [MTY]’ [it would be as though] your message would burn in my inner being like [SIM] a fire; it would be like a fire in my bones. Sometimes I try to remain silent and not proclaim your messages, but I am not able to do that.
10 Ngoba ngizwile ukuhleba kwabanengi, ukwesaba inhlangothi zonke, besithi: Bikani, lathi sizakubika! Bonke abalokuthula lami balindele ukukhubeka kwami, besithi: Mhlawumbe angakhohliseka, khona sizamehlula, siphindisele impindiselo yethu kuye.
I hear many people whispering [about me], saying ‘[He is the man who proclaims that there will be things that cause us to] be terrified everywhere. We must tell [the authorities what he is saying]! We must denounce him!’ [Even] my best friends are waiting for me to say something that is wrong. [They are saying], ‘Perhaps we can cause him to say something wrong, and if he does, we will be able to discredit him.’
11 Kodwa iNkosi ilami njengeqhawe elesabekayo; ngakho-ke abangizingelayo bazakhubeka, kabayikunqoba; bazayangeka kakhulu, ngoba bengayikuphumelela; ihlazo labo elilaphakade kaliyikukhohlakala.
But [you], Yahweh, are helping me like [SIM] a strong warrior, so [it is as though] you will cause those who persecute me to stumble, and they will not defeat me. They will be completely disgraced because of being unable to defeat me; and other people will never forget that they were disgraced.
12 Kodwa, Nkosi yamabandla, ohlolayo olungileyo, obona izinso lenhliziyo, ngibone impindiselo yakho kibo, ngoba kuwe ngambulile udaba lwami.
Commander of the armies of angels, you examine [all] those who are righteous; you know [all that is in] their inner beings and what they think. Allow me to see you getting revenge on those [who want to harm me], because I trust that you will do for me what is right.”
13 Hlabelelani eNkosini, dumisani iNkosi; ngoba yophule umphefumulo woswelayo esandleni sabenzi bobubi.
Sing to Yahweh! Praise Yahweh! He rescues [poor and] needy people, from those [SYN] who are wicked.
14 Kaluqalekiswe usuku engazalwa ngalo; usuku umama angizala ngalo kalungabusiswa.
But I hope/desire that the day that I was born will be cursed. I do not want [anyone to] celebrate that day.
15 Kaqalekiswe umuntu owaletha izindaba kubaba, esithi: Uzalelwe umntwana wesilisa; emenza athokoze kakhulu.
And [as for] that man who brought to my father the news, and caused him to be very happy, by saying “[You wife] has given birth to a son for you”, I hope/desire that he [also] will be cursed.
16 Njalo lowomuntu kabe njengemizi iNkosi eyayigenqulayo, ingazisoli; njalo kezwe ukukhala ekuseni, lokuhlaba umkhosi ngesikhathi semini enkulu.
Allow him to be destroyed like the cities that Yahweh destroyed [long ago], without acting mercifully [toward them]. Cause that man to hear the people wailing in the morning, and [to hear the enemy soldiers shout their] battle cries at noon.
17 Ngoba ingangibulalanga kwasesiswini; kumbe umama waba lingcwaba lami, lesisu sakhe sakhulelwa kokuphela.
[I want that to happen to him] because he did not kill me before I was born. I wish that I had died in my mother’s womb, and that my mother’s body would have been [like] [MET] my grave.
18 Ngaphumelani esiswini ukuthi ngibone uhlupho losizi, ukuthi insuku zami ziphele ehlazweni?
I have continually experienced much trouble and sorrow, and I am disgraced now when I am about to die; why was it necessary [RHQ] for me to me born?

< UJeremiya 20 >