< UJeremiya 43 >

1 Kwasekusithi lapho uJeremiya eseqedile ukukhuluma kubo bonke abantu wonke amazwi eNkosi uNkulunkulu wabo, iNkosi uNkulunkulu wabo eyayimthume ngawo kibo, ngitsho wonke lamazwi;
[So] I finished telling to the people that message from Yahweh our God.
2 wasekhuluma uAzariya indodana kaHoshaya, loJohanani indodana kaKareya, labo bonke abantu abazikhukhumezayo, besithi kuJeremiya: Uqamba amanga. INkosi uNkulunkulu wethu kayikuthumanga ukuze uthi: Lingayi eGibhithe ukuze lihlale njengabezizwe khona;
But then Johanan and Azariah and some other insolent/arrogant men said to me, “You are lying! Yahweh our God has not told [us] that we should not go to Egypt!
3 kodwa uBharukhi indodana kaNeriya uyakukhuthaza emelene lathi, ukuze asinikele esandleni samaKhaladiya, ukuze asibulale, asithumbele eBhabhiloni.
[We think that] Baruch has urged/persuaded you to say this, in order that [if we stay here], the soldiers from Babylonia will seize us and kill us or take us to Babylonia.”
4 Ngakho uJohanani indodana kaKareya, lazo zonke induna zamabutho, labo bonke abantu, kabalilalelanga ilizwi leNkosi, ukuze bahlale elizweni lakoJuda.
So Johanan and the other leaders of the [Israeli] soldiers and [many of] [HYP] the other people [who were there] refused to obey Yahweh’s command to stay in Judah.
5 Kodwa uJohanani indodana kaKareya lazo zonke induna zamabutho bathatha yonke insali yakoJuda eyayibuyele ivela kuzo zonke izizwe lapho ababexotshelwe khona, ukuhlala elizweni lakoJuda;
Johanan and all the [other] leaders gathered together all the people who had returned from the other countries to which they had been scattered.
6 amadoda, labafazi, labantwana, lamadodakazi enkosi, laye wonke umuntu uNebuzaradani induna yabalindi ayebatshiye kuGedaliya indodana kaAhikhamu indodana kaShafani, loJeremiya umprofethi, loBharukhi indodana kaNeriya.
[They included] men, women, children, the king’s daughters, and all those whom Nebuzaradan had left with Gedaliah, and they also took Baruch and me.
7 Basebengena elizweni leGibhithe, ngoba kabalilalelanga ilizwi leNkosi; basebefika eThahaphanesi.
They refused to obey Yahweh, and they took us all [to Egypt], as far as Tahpenes [city].
8 Laselifika ilizwi leNkosi kuJeremiya eThahaphanesi lisithi:
[While we were] at Tahpenes, Yahweh gave me another message. He said,
9 Thatha esandleni sakho amatshe amakhulu, uwafihle ebumbeni ewondweni, esekungeneni kwendlu kaFaro eThahaphanesi, emehlweni amadoda angamaJuda,
“While the people of Judah are watching you, take some large rocks and bury them under the brick pavement at the entrance to the king’s palace there at Tahpenes.
10 uthi kiwo: Itsho njalo iNkosi yamabandla, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli: Khangelani, ngizathuma ngilande uNebhukadirezari inkosi yeBhabhiloni inceku yami, ngifake isihlalo sakhe sobukhosi phezu kwalamatshe engiwafihlileyo, endlale ithente lakhe lesikhosini phezu kwawo.
Then say to the people of Judah, ‘This is what the Commander of the armies of angels, the God whom [you] Israelis [say you belong to], says: “I will summon Nebuchadnezzar the King of Babylon, who does my work, to come [with his army] to Egypt. I will set up his throne over these stones that I told Jeremiah to bury. And Nebuchadnezzar will set up his tent there [to show that he has become] the King [of Egypt].
11 Eze atshaye ilizwe leGibhithe; labo abokufa ekufeni, lalabo abokuthunjwa ekuthunjweni, lalabo abenkemba enkembeni.
When his [army] comes, they will attack Egypt. Then those will die who [I have determined] must die, those who [I have determined] must be captured will be captured, and those who [I have determined] must be killed by swords will be killed by swords.
12 Ngiphembe umlilo ezindlini zabonkulunkulu beGibhithe, abatshise, abathumbe, azithandele ngelizwe leGibhithe njengomelusi ezithandela ngesigqoko sakhe, aphume khona ngokuthula.
Nebuchadnezzar’s [soldiers] will burn down the temples of the gods of Egypt. [But before they burn the temples], they will take away their idols [as souvenirs]. His [troops] will clean Egypt like a shepherd cleans lice from his cloak. They will tear down the sacred pillars that are in the temple of their sun god. And then Nebuchadnezzar’s [troops] will leave there, without having been harmed.”’”
13 Njalo uzakwephula insika zeBetshemeshi eziyizithombe eziselizweni leGibhithe, atshise ngomlilo izindlu zabonkulunkulu beGibhithe.

< UJeremiya 43 >