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:
The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, when Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, and his entire army, and all the kingdoms of the earth that were under the authority of his hand, and all the people were making war against Jerusalem and against all of its cities, saying:
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.
“Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Go, and speak to Zedekiah, the king of Judah. And you shall say to him: Thus says the Lord: Behold, I will deliver this city into the hands of the king of Babylon, and he will burn it with fire.
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 will not escape from his hand. Instead, you will be overtaken and captured, and you will be delivered into his hand. And your eyes will see the eyes of the king of Babylon, and his mouth will speak with your mouth, and you will enter into Babylon.
4 Kodwa zwana ilizwi leNkosi, Zedekhiya, nkosi yakoJuda: Itsho njalo iNkosi ngawe: Kawuyikufa ngenkemba.
Even so, listen to the word of the Lord, Zedekiah, king of Judah: Thus says the Lord to 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.
Instead, you will die in peace. And, in accord with the burnings of your fathers, the former kings who were before you, so will they burn you. And they will mourn you, saying: ‘Alas, lord!’ For I have spoken the word, says the Lord.”
6 UJeremiya umprofethi wasewakhuluma wonke lamazwi kuZedekhiya inkosi yakoJuda eJerusalema,
And Jeremiah, the prophet, spoke all these words to Zedekiah, the king of Judah, in Jerusalem.
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.
And the army of the king of Babylon fought against Jerusalem and against all the cities of Judah that remained, against Lachish and against Azekah. For only these remained out of the cities of Judah that were fortified cities.
8 Ilizwi elafika kuJeremiya livela eNkosini, emva kokuthi inkosi uZedekhiya esenzile isivumelwano labo bonke abantu ababeseJerusalema ukumemezela inkululeko kubo,
The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, after king Zedekiah had struck a pact with all the people in Jerusalem, proclaiming
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 one should release his man servant, and each one his woman servant, as a free Hebrew man and a free Hebrew woman, and that they should never be rulers over them, that is, over the Jews, their own brothers.
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.
Then all the leaders and all the people who entered into the pact, heard that each one should release his man servant, and each one his woman servant, to be free, and that they should no longer rule over them. Therefore, they listened, and they released them.
11 Kodwa emva kwalokho baphenduka, bazibuyisa izigqili lezigqilikazi ababeziyekele zihambe zikhululekile, bazehlisela phansi zaba yizigqili lezigqilikazi.
But later on, they turned back. And they took back again their man servants and their woman servants, whom they had released to be free. And they subjugated them as male and female servants.
12 Ngakho ilizwi leNkosi lafika kuJeremiya livela eNkosini, lisithi:
And 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:
“Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I struck a pact with your fathers in the day when I led them away from the land of Egypt, from the house of servitude, 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.
‘When seven years have been completed, let each one release his brother, a Hebrew, who had been sold to him. And so he will serve you for six years, and then you shall release him to be free from you.’ But your fathers did not listen to me, nor did they 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.
And today you converted, and you did what is right in my eyes, so that you proclaimed liberty, each one to his friend. And you entered into a pact in my sight, in the house in which and over which my name is invoked.
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 turned back, and you have stained my name. For you have led back again, each one his man servant, and each one his woman servant, whom you had released so that they would be free and under their own authority. And you have subjugated them, so that they would be your servants and handmaids.”
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.
Because of this, thus says the Lord: “You have not heeded me, though you proclaimed liberty, each one to his brother and each one to his friend. Behold, I am proclaiming a liberty for you, says the Lord, to the sword, to pestilence, and to famine. And I will cause you to be removed 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 I will give over the men who have betrayed my covenant, and who have not observed the words of the covenant, to which they assented in my sight when they cut the calf into two parts and passed between its parts:
19 iziphathamandla zakoJuda, leziphathamandla zeJerusalema, abathenwa, labapristi, labo bonke abantu belizwe, abadabula phakathi kweziqa zethole.
the leaders of Judah, and the leaders of Jerusalem, the eunuchs and the priests, and all the people of the land, who have passed between the parts of the calf.
20 Yebo, ngizabanikela esandleni sezitha zabo lesandleni salabo abadinga impilo yabo; lezidumbu zabo zizakuba yikudla kwenyoni zamazulu lenyamazana zomhlaba.
And I will give them into the hands of their enemies and into the hands of those who are seeking their life. And their dead bodies will be food for the birds of the air and for 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 Zedekiah, the king of Judah, and his leaders, I will give over to the hands of their enemies, and to the hands of those who are seeking their lives, and to the hands of the armies of the king of Babylon, which 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 will command, says the Lord, and I will lead them back to this city, and they will fight against it, and seize it, and set it on fire. And I will make the cities of Judah into a desolation, for there shall be no inhabitant.”
