UJeremiya 27
1 Ekuqaleni kokubusa kukaJehoyakhimi indodana kaJosiya, inkosi yakoJuda, kwafika lelilizwi kuJeremiya livela eNkosini, lisithi:
At the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah son of Josiah king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD.
2 Itsho njalo iNkosi kimi: Zenzele imichilo lamajogwe, ukugaxe entanyeni yakho,
This is what the LORD said to me: “Make for yourself a yoke out of leather straps and put it on your neck.
3 ukuthumele enkosini yeEdoma lenkosini yakoMowabi lenkosini yabantwana bakoAmoni lenkosini yeTire lenkosini yeSidoni, ngesandla sezithunywa ezifika eJerusalema kuZedekhiya inkosi yakoJuda;
Send word to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon through the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah.
4 uzilaye ukuthi zithi emakhosini azo: Itsho njalo Nkosi yamabandla, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli: Lizakutsho njalo emakhosini enu:
Give them a message from the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, to relay to their masters:
5 Mina ngenze umhlaba, umuntu, lenyamazana, okuphezu kobuso bomhlaba, ngamandla ami amakhulu langengalo yami eyeluliweyo, ngiwunike lowo okuqondileyo emehlweni ami.
By My great power and outstretched arm, I made the earth and the men and beasts on the face of it, and I give it to whom I please.
6 Khathesi mina sengiwanikele wonke lamazwe esandleni sikaNebhukadinezari inkosi yeBhabhiloni inceku yami; njalo ngimnikile lenyamazana zeganga ukuthi zimsebenzele.
So now I have placed all these lands under the authority of My servant Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. I have even made the beasts of the field subject to him.
7 Lezizwe zonke zizasebenzela yena, lendodana yakhe, lendodana yendodana yakhe, kuze kufike isikhathi selakhe ilizwe uqobo; khona izizwe ezinengi lamakhosi amakhulu bezamkhonzisa.
All nations will serve him and his son and grandson, until the time of his own land comes; then many nations and great kings will enslave him.
8 Kuzakuthi-ke isizwe lombuso okungayikumsebenzela yena, uNebhukadinezari inkosi yeBhabhiloni, lokungayikubeka intamo yakho ngaphansi kwejogwe lenkosi yeBhabhiloni, lesosizwe ngizasijezisa, itsho iNkosi, ngenkemba langendlala langomatshayabhuqe wesifo, ngize ngikuqede ngesandla sakhe.
As for the nation or kingdom that does not serve Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and does not place its neck under his yoke, I will punish that nation by sword and famine and plague, declares the LORD, until I have destroyed it by his hand.
9 Lina-ke lingabalaleli abaprofethi benu labavumisi benu labaphuphi benu labachasisi bemibono benu labalumbi benu abakhuluma kini besithi: Kaliyikuyisebenzela inkosi yeBhabhiloni.
But as for you, do not listen to your prophets, your diviners, your interpreters of dreams, your mediums, or your sorcerers who declare, ‘You will not serve the king of Babylon.’
10 Ngoba baprofetha amanga kini, ukuze balisuse liye khatshana lelizwe lakini, lokuze ngilixotshe liphume, libhubhe.
For they prophesy to you a lie that will serve to remove you from your land; I will banish you and you will perish.
11 Kodwa isizwe esizangenisa intamo yaso ngaphansi kwejogwe lenkosi yeBhabhiloni, siyisebenzele, ngizasiyekela elizweni laso, itsho iNkosi, ukuthi silisebenze, sihlale kulo.
But the nation that will put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him, I will leave in its own land, to cultivate it and reside in it, declares the LORD.”
12 Ngakhuluma lakuZedekhiya inkosi yakoJuda njengokwalawomazwi wonke ngathi: Ngenisani intamo zenu ngaphansi kwejogwe lenkosi yeBhabhiloni, lisebenzele yona labantu bayo, liphile.
And to Zedekiah king of Judah I spoke the same message: “Put your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon; serve him and his people, and live!
13 Lizafelani, wena labantu bakho, ngenkemba, ngendlala, langomatshayabhuqe wesifo, njengokutsho kweNkosi mayelana lesizwe esingayikuyisebenzela inkosi yeBhabhiloni?
Why should you and your people die by sword and famine and plague, as the LORD has decreed against any nation that does not serve the king of Babylon?
14 Ngakho lingawalaleli amazwi abaprofethi abakhuluma kini besithi: Kaliyikuyisebenzela inkosi yeBhabhiloni; ngoba baprofetha amanga kini.
Do not listen to the words of the prophets who say, ‘You must not serve the king of Babylon,’ for they are prophesying to you a lie.
15 Ngoba kangibathumanga, itsho iNkosi, kodwa baprofetha amanga ngebizo lami, ukuze ngilixotshe, libhubhe, lina labaprofethi abaprofetha kini.
For I have not sent them, declares the LORD, and yet they are prophesying falsely in My name; therefore I will banish you, and you will perish—you and the prophets who prophesy to you.”
16 Ngasengikhuluma kubapristi lakulababantu bonke, ngisithi: Itsho njalo INkosi: Lingawalaleli amazwi abaprofethi benu abaprofetha kini besithi: Khangelani, izitsha zendlu yeNkosi zizabuyiswa khathesi masinyane zivela eBhabhiloni; ngoba baprofetha amanga kini.
Then I said to the priests and to all this people, “This is what the LORD says: Do not listen to the words of your prophets who prophesy to you, saying, ‘Look, very soon now the articles from the house of the LORD will be brought back from Babylon.’ They are prophesying to you a lie.
17 Lingabalaleli; sebenzelani inkosi yeBhabhiloni, liphile. Kungani umuzi lo ube lunxiwa?
Do not listen to them. Serve the king of Babylon and live! Why should this city become a ruin?
18 Kodwa uba bengabaprofethi, njalo uba ilizwi leNkosi likubo, khathesi kabayincenge iNkosi yamabandla, ukuthi izitsha eziseleyo endlini yeNkosi lendlini yenkosi yakoJuda leJerusalema zingayi eBhabhiloni.
If they are indeed prophets and the word of the LORD is with them, let them now plead with the LORD of Hosts that the articles remaining in the house of the LORD, in the palace of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem, not be taken to Babylon.
19 Ngoba itsho njalo iNkosi yamabandla mayelana lezinsika, langolwandle, langezisekelo, langensali yezitsha ezisele kulumuzi,
For this is what the LORD of Hosts says about the pillars, the sea, the bases, and the rest of the articles that remain in this city,
20 uNebhukadinezari inkosi yeBhabhiloni angazithathanga, ekuthumbeni kwakhe uJekoniya indodana kaJehoyakhimi inkosi yakoJuda eJerusalema emusa eBhabhiloni, lazo zonke izikhulu zakoJuda leJerusalema;
which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon did not take when he carried Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim king of Judah into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon, along with all the nobles of Judah and Jerusalem.
21 yebo, itsho njalo iNkosi yamabandla uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli mayelana lezitsha eziseleyo endlini kaJehova lendlini yenkosi yakoJuda leJerusalema:
Yes, this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says about the articles that remain in the house of the LORD, in the palace of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem:
22 Zizasiwa eBhabhiloni, zibe khona kuze kube lusuku engizakuzihambela ngalo, itsho iNkosi; khona ngizazenyusa, ngizibuyisele kulindawo.
‘They will be carried to Babylon and will remain there until the day I attend to them again,’ declares the LORD. ‘Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place.’”
