UJeremiya 3
1 Kuthiwa: Uba indoda ilahla umkayo, asuke kuyo, abe ngowenye indoda, izabuyela kuye futhi yini? Lelolizwe belingayikungcoliswa kakhulu yini? Kanti wena ufebile lezithandwa ezinengi; kodwa buyela kimi, itsho iNkosi.
They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but you have played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, says the LORD.
2 Phakamisela amehlo akho emadundulwini, ubone; kungaphi lapho ongalalwanga khona? Ezindleleni wabahlalela, njengomArabhiya enkangala; njalo ulingcolisile ilizwe ngobufebe bakho langenkohlakalo yakho.
Lift up your eyes unto the high places, and see where you have not been lien with. In the ways have you sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and you have polluted the land with your whoredoms and with your wickedness.
3 Ngakho izihlambo zigodliwe; njalo lalingekho izulu langemuva; njalo waba lebunzi lewule, wala ukuba lenhloni.
Therefore the showers have been withheld, and there has been no latter rain; and you had a whore's forehead, you refused to be ashamed.
4 Kawuyikuthi kusukela khathesi ukhale yini kimi uthi: Baba, ungumeluleki wobutsha bami?
Will you not from this time cry unto me, My father, you are the guide of my youth?
5 Yena uzalugcina yini ulaka lwakhe phakade? Uzalulondoloza kuze kube sekucineni yini? Khangela, ukhulumile, wenza izinto ezimbi, uphumelele.
Will he reserve his anger for ever? will he keep it to the end? Behold, you have spoken and done evil things as you could.
6 INkosi yasisithi kimi ensukwini zikaJosiya inkosi: Ubonile yini lokho uIsrayeli ohlehlele nyovane akwenzileyo? Yena waya kuyo yonke intaba ephakemeyo, langaphansi kwaso sonke isihlahla esiluhlaza, waphingela khona.
The LORD said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Have you seen that which backsliding Israel has done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there has played the harlot.
7 Ngasengisithi esezenzile zonke lezizinto: Buyela kimi; kodwa kabuyelanga. Lodadewabo ongathembekanga uJuda wakubona lokho.
And I said after she had done all these things, Turn you unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it.
8 Ngasengibona, lapho ngenxa yazo zonke imbangela uIsrayeli ohlehlela nyovane aphinga ngazo, ngamxotsha ngamnika incwadi yesehlukaniso, ukuthi udadewabo ongathembekanga, uJuda, kesabanga, kodwa laye wayafeba.
And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.
9 Kwasekusithi ngenxa yendumela yokufeba kwakhe wangcolisa ilizwe, waphinga lamatshe lezihlahla.
And it came to pass through the levity of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks.
10 Kube kanti kukho konke lokhu udadewabo ongathembekanga, uJuda, kabuyelanga kimi ngenhliziyo yakhe yonke, kodwa ngenkohliso, itsho iNkosi.
And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah has not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, says the LORD.
11 INkosi yasisithi kimi: UIsrayeli ohlehlela nyovane uzilungisise kuloJuda okhohlisayo.
And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel has justified herself more than treacherous Judah.
12 Hamba uyememezela lamazwi ngasenyakatho uthi: Phenduka, Israyeli ohlehlela nyovane, itsho iNkosi. Kangiyikwenza ulaka lwami lwehlele phezu kwakho, ngoba ngilesihawu, itsho iNkosi, njalo kangiyikugcina ulaka lwami kuze kube phakade.
Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, you backsliding Israel, says the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, says the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever.
13 Yazi kuphela isiphambeko sakho ukuthi uphambekile umelene leNkosi uNkulunkulu wakho, wahlakaza izindlela zakho kwabezizweni ngaphansi kwaso sonke isihlahla esiluhlaza, njalo kawulalelanga ilizwi lami, itsho iNkosi.
Only acknowledge your iniquity, that you have transgressed against the LORD your God, and have scattered your ways to the strangers under every green tree, and all of you have not obeyed my voice, says the LORD.
14 Phendukani, bantwana abahlehlela nyovane, itsho iNkosi, ngoba mina ngiliganile; njalo ngizalithatha, abe munye emzini, lababili kulo usendo, ngililethe eZiyoni.
Turn, O backsliding children, says the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:
15 Njalo ngizalinika abelusi njengokwenhliziyo yami, abazalelusa ngolwazi lokuqedisisa.
And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.
16 Kuzakuthi-ke lapho selandile laba banengi elizweni, ngalezonsuku, itsho iNkosi, kabasayikuthi: Umtshokotsho wesivumelwano seNkosi; njalo kawuyikufika enhliziyweni, njalo kabayikuwukhumbula, futhi kabayikuwuhambela, kungabuyi kwenziwe futhi.
And it shall come to pass, when all of you be multiplied and increased in the land, in those days, says the LORD, they shall say no more, The ark of the covenant of the LORD: neither shall it come to mind: neither shall they remember it; neither shall they visit it; neither shall that be done any more.
17 Ngalesosikhathi bazabiza iJerusalema ngokuthi yisihlalo sobukhosi seNkosi; lezizwe zonke zizabuthaniswa kuyo, ngebizo leNkosi, eJerusalema; futhi kazisayikulandela inkani yenhliziyo yazo embi.
At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the LORD; and all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the name of the LORD, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil heart.
18 Ngalezonsuku indlu yakoJuda izakuya kuyo indlu yakoIsrayeli, ziphume kanyekanye elizweni lenyakatho, zize elizweni engalinika oyihlo libe yilifa labo.
In those days the house of Judah shall walk with the house of Israel, and they shall come together out of the land of the north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers.
19 Kodwa mina ngathi: Ngizakubeka njani phakathi kwabantwana, ngikunike ilizwe eliloyisekayo, ilifa elihle kakhulu lezizwe. Ngasengisithi: Uzangibiza ngokuthi: Baba; njalo ungaphambuki ekungilandeleni.
But I said, How shall I put you among the children, and give you a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations? and I said, You shall call me, My father; and shall not turn away from me.
20 Isibili, njengomfazi ungathembekanga kumkakhe, ngokunjalo kalithembekanga kimi, lina ndlu kaIsrayeli, itsho iNkosi.
Surely as a wife treacherously departs from her husband, so have all of you dealt treacherously with me, O house of Israel, says the LORD.
21 Ilizwi lezwakala emadundulwini, ukukhala lokuncenga kwabantwana bakoIsrayeli, ngoba bephambule indlela yabo, bayikhohlwa iNkosi uNkulunkulu wabo.
A voice was heard upon the high places, weeping and supplications of the children of Israel: for they have perverted their way, and they have forgotten the LORD their God.
22 Phendukani, lina bantwana abahlehlela nyovane; ngizakwelapha ukuhlehlela nyovane kwenu. Khangela, thina siyeza kuwe, ngoba uyiNkosi uNkulunkulu wethu.
Return, all of you backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings. Behold, we come unto you; for you are the LORD our God.
23 Isibili kuyize ukuthembela kusindiso oluvela emaqaqeni, lebunengini bezintaba. Isibili luseNkosini uNkulunkulu wethu usindiso lukaIsrayeli.
Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel.
24 Ngoba ihlazo liwuqedile umtshikatshika wabobaba kusukela ebutsheni bethu, izimvu zabo lenkomo zabo, amadodana abo lamadodakazi abo.
For shame has devoured the labour of our fathers from our youth; their flocks and their herds, their sons and their daughters.
25 Silala phansi ehlazweni lethu, lenhloni zethu zisimbozile; ngoba sonile eNkosini uNkulunkulu wethu, thina labobaba, kusukela ebutsheni bethu kuze kube lamuhla, njalo kasilalelanga ilizwi leNkosi uNkulunkulu wethu.
We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covers us: for we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.
