UJeremiya 29

1 La-ke ngamazwi encwadi ayithumelayo uJeremiya umprofethi ivela eJerusalema isiya kunsali yabadala babathunjiweyo lakubapristi lakubaprofethi lebantwini bonke ayebathumbile uNebhukadinezari besuka eJerusalema wabasa eBhabhiloni

And these [are] the words of the letter that Jeremiah the prophet sent from Jerusalem to the remnant of [the] elderly of the expulsion, and to the priests, and to the prophets, and to all the people—whom Nebuchadnezzar removed from Jerusalem to Babylon,

2 (emva kokuphuma kukaJekoniya inkosi, lendlovukazi, labathenwa, iziphathamandla zakoJuda lezeJerusalema, lababazi, labakhandi, besuka eJerusalema),

after the going forth of Jeconiah the king, and the mistress, and the officers, heads of Judah and Jerusalem, and the craftsman, and the smith, from Jerusalem—

3 ngesandla sikaElasa indodana kaShafani, loGemariya indodana kaHilikhiya, uZedekhiya inkosi yakoJuda eyabathuma eBhabhiloni kuNebhukadinezari inkosi yeBhabhiloni, isithi:

by the hand of Eleasah son of Shaphan, and Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to Babylon, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, saying,

4 Itsho njalo iNkosi yamabandla, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli, kibo bonke abathunjiweyo engabenza bathunjwa besuswa eJerusalema basiwa eBhabhiloni:

“Thus said YHWH of Hosts, God of Israel, to all the expulsion that I removed from Jerusalem to Babylon:

5 Yakhani izindlu, lihlale kizo, lihlanyele izivande, lidle izithelo zazo;

Build houses and abide; and plant gardens and eat their fruit;

6 lithathe abafazi, lizale amadodana lamadodakazi, lithathele amadodana enu abafazi, lendise amadodakazi enu emadodeni, ukuze azale amadodana lamadodakazi, lande khona, linganciphi.

take wives and beget sons and daughters; and take wives for your sons, and give your daughters to husbands, and they bear sons and daughters; and multiply there, and you are not few;

7 Lidinge ukuthula komuzi lapho engilithumbele khona, liwukhulekele eNkosini; ngoba ekuthuleni kwawo lizakuba lokuthula.

and seek the peace of the city to where I have removed you, and pray to YHWH for it, for in its peace you have peace.

8 Ngoba itsho njalo iNkosi yamabandla, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli: Akuthi abaprofethi benu labavumisi benu abaphakathi kwenu bangalikhohlisi; lingawalaleli amaphupho enu eliwenza aphutshwe;

For thus said YHWH of Hosts, God of Israel: Do not let your prophets who [are] in your midst, and your diviners, lift you up, nor listen to their dreams, that you are causing [them] to dream;

9 ngoba baprofetha amanga kini ngebizo lami; kangibathumanga, itsho iNkosi.

for they are prophesying with falsehood to you in My Name; I have not sent them, a declaration of YHWH.

10 Ngoba itsho njalo iNkosi: Qiniso, lapho iminyaka engamatshumi ayisikhombisa isigcwalisekile eBhabhiloni, ngizalihambela, ngiqinise ilizwi lami elihle kini, ukuthi ngilibuyise kulindawo.

For thus said YHWH: Surely at the fullness of Babylon—seventy years—I inspect you, and have established My good word toward you, to bring you back to this place.

11 Ngoba mina ngiyazi imicabango engiyicabanga ngani, itsho iNkosi, imicabango yokuthula, kayisiyo eyokubi, ukuthi ngilinike isiphetho lokulindelweyo.

For I have known the thoughts that I am thinking toward you—a declaration of YHWH; thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give posterity and hope to you.

12 Khona lizangibiza liyekhuleka kimi, ngilizwe.

And you have called Me, and have gone, and have prayed to Me, and I have listened to you,

13 Njalo lizangidinga, lingithole, lapho lingidingisisa ngenhliziyo yenu yonke.

and you have sought Me, and have found, for you seek Me with all your heart;

14 Njalo ngizatholwa yini, itsho iNkosi, ngibuyise ukuthunjwa kwenu, ngiliqoqe kuzo zonke izizwe lakuzo zonke indawo lapho engilixotshele khona, itsho iNkosi, ngilibuyise endaweni engalithumba livela khona.

and I have been found by you—a declaration of YHWH; and I have turned back [to] your captivity, and have gathered you out of all the nations, and out of all the places to where I have driven you—a declaration of YHWH—and I have brought you back to the place from where I removed you.

15 Ngoba litshilo: INkosi isivusele abaprofethi eBhabhiloni.

Because you have said, YHWH has raised up prophets to us in Babylon,

16 Ngoba utsho njalo uJehova ngenkosi ehlezi esihlalweni sobukhosi sikaDavida langabo bonke abantu abahlala kulumuzi, abafowenu abangaphumelanga ekuthunjweni kanye lani:

surely thus said YHWH concerning the king who is sitting on the throne of David, and concerning all the people that are dwelling in this city, your brothers who did not go forth with you in the expulsion—

17 Itsho njalo iNkosi yamabandla: Khangelani, ngizathumela phakathi kwabo inkemba, indlala, lomatshayabhuqe wesifo, ngibenze babe njengemikhiwa eyenyanyekayo, engadlekiyo ngenxa yobubi.

thus said YHWH of Hosts: Behold, I am sending the sword, the famine, and the pestilence among them, and I have given them up as figs that [are] vile, that are not eaten because of badness.

18 Ngixotshane labo ngenkemba, ngendlala, langomatshayabhuqe wesifo, ngibanikele ukuba yisesabiso kuyo yonke imibuso yomhlaba, babe yisiqalekiso, lento eyesabekayo, lokuncifelwayo, lehlazo, phakathi kwazo zonke izizwe lapho engibaxotshele khona;

And I have pursued after them with sword, with famine, and with pestilence, and have given them for a trembling to all kingdoms of the earth, for a curse and for an astonishment, and for a hissing, and for a reproach among all the nations to where I have driven them,

19 ngenxa yokuthi bengawalalelanga amazwi ami, itsho iNkosi, engawathumela kibo ngenceku zami abaprofethi, ngivuka ngovivi ngibathuma, kodwa kalilalelanga, itsho iNkosi.

because that they have not listened to My words—a declaration of YHWH—that I sent to them by My servants the prophets, rising early and sending, and you did not listen—a declaration of YHWH.

20 Lina-ke zwanini ilizwi leNkosi, lina lonke bathunjiweyo, engabathuma besuka eJerusalema besiya eBhabhiloni:

And you, hear a word of YHWH, all you of the captivity that I have sent from Jerusalem to Babylon—

21 Itsho njalo iNkosi yamabandla uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli, mayelana loAhabi indodana kaKolaya, lamayelana loZedekhiya indodana kaMahaseya, abaprofetha amanga kini ngebizo lami: Khangelani, ngizabanikela esandleni sikaNebhukadirezari inkosi yeBhabhiloni, ozababulala phambi kwamehlo enu.

thus said YHWH of Hosts, God of Israel, concerning Ahab son of Kolaiah, and concerning Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying falsehood to you in My Name: Behold, I am giving them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he has struck them before your eyes,

22 Njalo kuzathathwa kubo isiqalekiso yibo bonke abathunjiweyo koJuda abaseBhabhiloni kuthiwe: Kungathi iNkosi ikumise njengoZedekhiya lanjengoAhabi, inkosi yeBhabhiloni eyamosa ngomlilo;

and because of them a reviling has been taken by all the expulsion of Judah that [are] in Babylon, saying, YHWH sets you as Zedekiah, and as Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted with fire;

23 ngenxa yokuthi benze ubuthutha koIsrayeli, bafeba labafazi babomakhelwane babo, baqamba amazwi angamanga ngebizo lami, engingabalayanga wona; njalo yimi engaziyo, engingumfakazi, itsho iNkosi.

because that they have done folly in Israel, and commit adultery with the wives of their neighbors, and falsely speak a word in My Name that I have not commanded them, and I [am] He who knows and a witness—a declaration of YHWH.

24 Uzakhuluma kuShemaya umNehelami usithi:

And you speak to Shemaiah the Nehelamite, saying,

25 Itsho njalo iNkosi yamabandla, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli, isithi: Ngenxa yokuthi wena uthumele izincwadi ngebizo lakho kubo bonke abantu abaseJerusalema, lakuZefaniya indodana kaMahaseya umpristi, lakubo bonke abapristi, usithi:

Thus said YHWH of Hosts, God of Israel, saying, Because that you have sent letters in your name to all the people who [are] in Jerusalem, and to Zephaniah son of Maaseiah the priest, and to all the priests, saying,

26 INkosi isikwenze ube ngumpristi esikhundleni sikaJehoyada umpristi, ukuthi libe ngababonisi bendlu yeNkosi phezu kwakhe wonke umuntu ohlanyayo ozitshaya umprofethi, ukuthi limfake esitokisini elezankosi entanyeni.

YHWH has made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, for there being inspectors of the house of YHWH over every man [who] is mad and making himself a prophet, and you have put him in the stocks and in the pillory.

27 Khathesi-ke, kungani ungamkhuzanga uJeremiya umAnathothi ozitshaya umprofethi kini?

And now, why have you not pushed against Jeremiah of Anathoth, who is making himself a prophet to you?

28 Ngoba ngenxa yalokhu usethumele kithi eBhabhiloni esithi: Kuzakuba kude; yakhani izindlu, lihlale kizo, lihlanyele izivande, lidle izithelo zazo.

Because that he has sent to us [in] Babylon, saying, It [is] long, build houses and abide; and plant gardens and eat their fruit.”

29 UZefaniya umpristi waseyifunda lincwadi endlebeni zikaJeremiya umprofethi.

And Zephaniah the priest reads this letter in the ears of Jeremiah the prophet.

30 Laselifika ilizwi leNkosi kuJeremiya lisithi:

And there is a word of YHWH to Jeremiah, saying,

31 Thumela kubo bonke abathunjiweyo usithi: Itsho njalo iNkosi ngoShemaya umNehelami: Ngenxa yokuthi uShemaya eprofethe kini, mina-ke ngingamthumanga, walenza ukuthi lithembe amanga,

“Send to all the expulsion, saying, Thus said YHWH concerning Shemaiah the Nehelamite: Because that Shemaiah prophesied to you, and I have not sent him, and he causes you to trust on falsehood,

32 ngakho itsho iNkosi: Khangela, ngizajezisa uShemaya umNehelami kanye lenzalo yakhe; kayikuba lamuntu ozahlala phakathi kwalababantu, angaboni okuhle engizakwenzela abantu bami, itsho iNkosi, ngoba ukhulume ukuhlamuka emelene leNkosi.

therefore, thus said YHWH: Behold, I am seeing after Shemaiah the Nehelamite, and after his seed, he has none dwelling in the midst of this people, nor does he look on the good that I am doing to My people,” a declaration of YHWH, “for he has spoken apostasy against YHWH.”