UJeremiya 34
1 Ilizwi elafika kuJeremiya livela eNkosini, lapho uNebhukadinezari inkosi yeBhabhiloni, lebutho lakhe lonke, lemibuso yonke yomhlaba yokubusa kwesandla sakhe, lazo zonke izizwe, babesilwa bemelene leJerusalema bemelene layo yonke imizi yayo, lisithi:
This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, all his army, all the earthly kingdoms under his control, and all the other nations were fighting against Jerusalem and all its surrounding cities.
2 Itsho njalo iNkosi, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli: Hamba ukhulume kuZedekhiya inkosi yakoJuda uthi kuye: Itsho njalo iNkosi: Khangela, nginikela lumuzi esandleni senkosi yeBhabhiloni, ukuthi iwutshise ngomlilo.
The LORD, the God of Israel, told Jeremiah to go and speak to Zedekiah king of Judah and tell him that this is what the LORD says: “Behold, I am about to deliver this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it down.
3 Lawe kawuyikuphunyuka esandleni sayo, kodwa uzabanjwa isibili, unikelwe esandleni sayo; lamehlo akho azabona amehlo enkosi yeBhabhiloni, lomlomo wayo uzakhuluma lomlomo wakho; njalo uzakuya eBhabhiloni.
And you yourself will not escape his grasp, but will surely be captured and delivered into his hand. You will see the king of Babylon eye to eye and speak with him face to face; and you will go to Babylon.
4 Kodwa zwana ilizwi leNkosi, Zedekhiya, nkosi yakoJuda: Itsho njalo iNkosi ngawe: Kawuyikufa ngenkemba.
Yet hear the word of the LORD, O Zedekiah king of Judah. This is what the LORD says concerning you: You will not die by the sword;
5 Uzakufa ngokuthula, lanjengokubaselwa kwaboyihlo, amakhosi endulo, ayephambi kwakho, ngokunjalo bazakubasela, bakulilele, besithi: Maye inkosi! Ngoba mina ngilikhulumile lelolizwi, itsho iNkosi.
you will die in peace. As spices were burned for your fathers, the former kings who preceded you, so people will burn spices for you and lament, ‘Alas, O master!’ For I Myself have spoken this word, declares the LORD.”
6 UJeremiya umprofethi wasewakhuluma wonke lamazwi kuZedekhiya inkosi yakoJuda eJerusalema,
In Jerusalem, then, Jeremiah the prophet relayed all these words to Zedekiah king of Judah
7 lapho ibutho lenkosi yeBhabhiloni lisilwa limelene leJerusalema limelene layo yonke imizi yakoJuda eyayisele, limelene leLakishi limelene leAzeka; ngoba yiyo imizi ebiyelweyo eyayisisele phakathi kwemizi yakoJuda.
as the army of the king of Babylon was fighting against Jerusalem and the remaining cities of Judah—against Lachish and Azekah. For these were the only fortified cities remaining in Judah.
8 Ilizwi elafika kuJeremiya livela eNkosini, emva kokuthi inkosi uZedekhiya esenzile isivumelwano labo bonke abantu ababeseJerusalema ukumemezela inkululeko kubo,
After King Zedekiah had made a covenant with all the people in Jerusalem to proclaim liberty, the word came to Jeremiah from the LORD
9 ukuthi ngulowo lalowo ayekele isigqili sakhe sihambe sikhululekile, langulowo lalowo isigqilikazi sakhe, umHebheru kumbe umHebherukazi, ukuze kungabi khona umuntu owenza umJuda engumfowabo abe yisigqili.
that each man should free his Hebrew slaves, both male and female, and no one should hold his fellow Jew in bondage.
10 Kwasekulalela zonke iziphathamandla labo bonke abantu ababengene lesosivumelwano sokuthi ngulowo lalowo ayekele isigqili sakhe langulowo lalowo isigqilikazi sakhe sihambe sikhululekile, bangaphindi bazenze zibe yizigqili; basebelalela, baziyekela zahamba.
So all the officials and all the people who entered into this covenant agreed that they would free their menservants and maidservants and no longer hold them in bondage. They obeyed and released them,
11 Kodwa emva kwalokho baphenduka, bazibuyisa izigqili lezigqilikazi ababeziyekele zihambe zikhululekile, bazehlisela phansi zaba yizigqili lezigqilikazi.
but later they changed their minds and took back the menservants and maidservants they had freed, and they forced them to become slaves again.
12 Ngakho ilizwi leNkosi lafika kuJeremiya livela eNkosini, lisithi:
Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying,
13 Itsho njalo iNkosi, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli: Mina ngenza isivumelwano laboyihlo mhla ngibakhupha elizweni leGibhithe, endlini yobugqili, ngisithi:
“This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: I made a covenant with your forefathers when I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery, saying:
14 Ekupheleni kweminyaka eyisikhombisa lizayekela ahambe, ngulowo lalowo umfowabo umHebheru owayethengiswe kuwe, esekusebenzele iminyaka eyisithupha, umyekele ahambe ekhululekile esuka kuwe. Kodwa oyihlo kabangilalelanga, kababekanga indlebe yabo.
Every seventh year, each of you must free his Hebrew brother who has sold himself to you. He may serve you six years, but then you must let him go free. But your fathers did not listen or incline their ear.
15 Lina seliphendukile lamuhla, lenza okulungileyo emehlweni ami, limemezela inkululeko, ngulowo lalowo kumakhelwane wakhe, lenza isivumelwano phambi kwami endlini ebizwa ngebizo lami.
Recently you repented and did what pleased Me; each of you proclaimed freedom for his neighbor. You made a covenant before Me in the house that bears My Name.
16 Kodwa liphendukile, langcolisa ibizo lami, libuyisa, ngulowo lalowo isigqili sakhe langulowo lalowo isigqilikazi sakhe, ebeliziyekele zahamba zikhululekile njengokufisa kwazo, lazehlisela phansi, zaba yizigqili lezigqilikazi zenu.
But now you have changed your minds and profaned My name. Each of you has taken back the menservants and maidservants whom you had set at liberty to go wherever they wanted, and you have again forced them to be your slaves.
17 Ngakho itsho njalo iNkosi: Lina kalingilalelanga, ukumemezela inkululeko, kube ngulowo lalowo kumfowabo langulowo lalowo kumakhelwane wakhe; khangelani, ngizamemezela kini, itsho iNkosi, inkululeko enkembeni, kumatshayabhuqe wesifo, lendlaleni; ngilinikele libe yisesabiso kuyo yonke imibuso yomhlaba.
Therefore this is what the LORD says: You have not obeyed Me; you have not proclaimed freedom, each man for his brother and for his neighbor. So now I proclaim freedom for you, declares the LORD—freedom to fall by sword, by plague, and by famine! I will make you a horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.
18 Nginikele amadoda aseqileyo isivumelwano sami, angaqinisanga amazwi esivumelwano asenza phambi kwami, lapho adabula ithole kabili, adlula phakathi kweziqa zalo;
And those who have transgressed My covenant and have not fulfilled the terms of the covenant they made before Me, I will treat like the calf they cut in two in order to pass between its pieces.
19 iziphathamandla zakoJuda, leziphathamandla zeJerusalema, abathenwa, labapristi, labo bonke abantu belizwe, abadabula phakathi kweziqa zethole.
The officials of Judah and Jerusalem, the court officials, the priests, and all the people of the land who passed between the pieces of the calf,
20 Yebo, ngizabanikela esandleni sezitha zabo lesandleni salabo abadinga impilo yabo; lezidumbu zabo zizakuba yikudla kwenyoni zamazulu lenyamazana zomhlaba.
I will deliver into the hands of their enemies who seek their lives. Their corpses will become food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth.
21 LoZedekhiya inkosi yakoJuda leziphathamandla zakhe ngizabanikela esandleni sezitha zabo, lesandleni salabo abadinga impilo yabo, lesandleni sebutho lenkosi yeBhabhiloni, abenyuke basuka kini.
And I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah and his officials into the hands of their enemies who seek their lives, to the army of the king of Babylon that had withdrawn from you.
22 Khangelani, ngizalaya, itsho iNkosi, ngibabuyise kulumuzi; njalo bazakulwa bemelene lawo, bawuthumbe, bawutshise ngomlilo; lemizi yakoJuda ngizayenza ibe lunxiwa olungelamhlali.
Behold, I am going to give the command, declares the LORD, and I will bring them back to this city. They will fight against it, capture it, and burn it down. And I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.”
