UJeremiya 44
1 Ilizwi elafika kuJeremiya ngawo wonke amaJuda ayehlala elizweni leGibhithe ahlala eMigidoli leThahaphanesi leNofi lelizweni lePatrosi, lisithi:
This is the message that came to Jeremiah regarding all the people of Judah living in Egypt—in Migdol, Tahpanhes, and Memphis—and in Upper Egypt.
2 Itsho njalo iNkosi yamabandla, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli: Lina likubonile konke okubi engakwehlisela phezu kweJerusalema laphezu kwayo yonke imizi yakoJuda. Khangelani-ke, lamuhla ilunxiwa, njalo kakho ohlala phakathi kwayo,
This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You saw the complete disaster that I brought down on Jerusalem and all the towns of Judah. You can see how today they're ruined and abandoned
3 ngenxa yobubi babo ababenzileyo, ukungithukuthelisa, ngokuyatshisa impepha, ngokukhonza abanye onkulunkulu abangabaziyo, bona, lina, laboyihlo.
because of the evil they did. They made me angry by burning incense and serving other gods that they hadn't ever known, and you and your forefathers hadn't known either.
4 Kanti ngathuma kini inceku zami zonke abaprofethi, ngivuke ngovivi ngathuma, ngisithi: Ake lingayenzi linto enengekayo engiyizondayo.
I sent you all my servants the prophets time and again to warn you: “Don't do these offensive things that I hate.”
5 Kodwa kabalalelanga kababekanga indlebe yabo, ukuthi baphenduke ebubini babo, ukuze bangatshiseli abanye onkulunkulu impepha.
But you refused to listen or to pay attention. You didn't stop their wickedness or burning incense in worship of other gods.
6 Ngakho kwathululwa intukuthelo yami lolaka lwami, kwavutha emizini yakoJuda lezitaladeni zeJerusalema; zaze zaba lunxiwa lencithakalo, njengalamuhla.
That's why my furious anger poured out and set fire to the towns of Judah and burned in the streets of Jerusalem, making them the abandoned ruins they still are today.
7 Ngakho-ke, itsho njalo iNkosi, uNkulunkulu wamabandla, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli: Libenzelani ububi obukhulu kangaka limelene lemiphefumulo yenu, ukuthi liziqumele indoda lomfazi, umntwana losane, basuke phakathi kwakoJuda, ukuze lingazitshiyeli insali,
So this is what the Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Why are you hurting yourselves so badly by removing from Judah every man, woman, child, infant, so you don't have anyone left?
8 ngokungithukuthelisa ngemisebenzi yezandla zenu, ngokutshisela abanye onkulunkulu impepha elizweni leGibhithe, lapho eseliyehlala khona njengabezizwe, ukuze liziqume, lokuze libe yisiqalekiso lehlazo phakathi kwazo zonke izizwe zomhlaba?
Why are you making me angry by what you do, burning incense to other gods in Egypt where you have come to live? Because if this you will be destroyed, and will you will become a curse word, an expression of condemnation among all the nations on earth.
9 Selakhohlwa yini izinto ezimbi zaboyihlo, lezinto ezimbi zamakhosi akoJuda, lezinto ezimbi zabomkabo, lezinto zenu ezimbi, lezinto ezimbi zabomkenu, abazenza elizweni lakoJuda lezitaladeni zeJerusalema?
Have you forgotten the evil of your forefathers and the evil of the kings of Judah and the evil of their wives, as well as your own evil and the evil your wives, all practiced in the country of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?
10 Kabadabukanga kuze kube lamuhla, kabesabanga, kabahambanga ngomlayo wami langezimiso zami engazibeka phambi kwenu laphambi kwaboyihlo.
Even up to now you haven't shown any remorse or reverence. You haven't followed my rules and regulations I gave you and your forefathers.
11 Ngakho itsho njalo iNkosi yamabandla, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli: Khangelani, ngimisa ubuso bami bumelene lani ngokubi ukuze ngiqume uJuda wonke.
So this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: I am determined to bring disaster and to wipe out everyone from Judah.
12 Ngithathe insali yakoJuda, abamise ubuso babo ukungena elizweni leGibhithe ukuhlala khona njengabezizwe; njalo bonke bazaphela bawe elizweni leGibhithe; baqedwe ngenkemba langendlala; kusukela komncinyane kuze kube komkhulu bafe ngenkemba langendlala; babe yisifungo, babe ngokwesabisayo, babe yisiqalekiso, babe lihlazo.
I'm going to destroy you who are left who decided to go to Egypt to live there. You will die there, killed by the sword or by famine. Whoever you are, from the least to the most important, you're going to die by sword or by famine; and you will become a curse word, something horrible, an insult, an expression of condemnation.
13 Ngoba ngizajezisa labo abahlezi elizweni leGibhithe, njengoba ngajezisa iJerusalema, ngenkemba, ngendlala, langomatshayabhuqe wesifo;
I'm going to punish you who live in Egypt like I punished Jerusalem, by war and famine and disease.
14 ukuze insali yakoJuda efikileyo ukuhlala khona njengowezizwe elizweni leGibhithe ingabi lophunyukayo losilayo, ukubuyela elizweni lakoJuda, umphefumulo wayo ofisa ukubuyela kulo ukuhlala khona; ngoba kabayikubuyela, ngaphandle kwabaphunyukileyo.
Nobody who is left from Judah who has gone to live in Egypt will escape or survive to return to the country of Judah. You long to go back and live there, but nobody will return except a few stragglers.
15 Khona wonke amadoda ayesazi ukuthi omkabo batshisela abanye onkulunkulu impepha, labo bonke abesifazana ababemi khona, ixuku elikhulu, labo bonke abantu ababehlala elizweni leGibhithe, ePatrosi, bamphendula uJeremiya, besithi:
All the men who knew that their wives were burning incense to other gods, and all the women who were there, a great crowd of people, those living in Egypt and Upper Egypt all told Jeremiah,
16 Lelilizwi olikhulume kithi ebizweni leNkosi, kasiyikukulalela.
“Even though you say this message is from the Lord, we're not going to listen to you”
17 Kodwa sizakwenza lokwenza loba yiyiphi into ephume emlonyeni wethu, ukutshisela indlovukazi yamazulu impepha, siyithululele iminikelo yokunathwayo, njengoba besisenza, thina, labobaba, amakhosi ethu, leziphathamandla zethu, emizini yakoJuda lezitaladeni zeJerusalema; khona sasutha isinkwa, sasiphilile, kasibonanga okubi.
In fact we're going to do everything we said we would. We'll burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and offer drink offerings to worship her as we did before, just like our fathers, our kings, and our officials who did the same things in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. Back then we had plenty of food and we were well off and nothing bad happened to us.
18 Kodwa kusukela lapho sayekela ukutshisela indlovukazi yamazulu impepha lokuyithululela iminikelo yokunathwayo, siswele konke, siqedwe ngenkemba layindlala.
But ever since we stopped burning incense to the Queen of Heaven and pouring out drink offerings to worship her, we've lost everything and have been dying as a result of war and famine.
19 Futhi lapho sitshisela indlovukazi yamazulu impepha, siyithululela iminikelo yokunathwayo, siyayenzela amakhekhe ngokwesifanekiso sayo, siyithululela iminikelo yokuthululwa, ngaphandle kwamadoda enu yini?
“On top of that,” the women added, “when we burned incense to the Queen of Heaven and poured out drink offerings to worship her, did we do this without our husbands knowing about it, that we baked cakes stamped with her image and poured out drink offerings to worship her?”
20 UJeremiya wasekhuluma kubo bonke abantu, emadodaneni, lakwabesifazana, lakubo bonke abantu ababemphendule ngalelolizwi, esithi:
Jeremiah replied to all the people, both men and women, who were responding to him,
21 Impepha elayitshisa emizini yakoJuda lezitaladeni zeJerusalema, lina, laboyihlo, amakhosi enu, leziphathamandla zenu, labantu belizwe, iNkosi kayiyikukukhumbula yini, kuvele enhliziyweni yayo?
“About that incense you burned to other gods in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, as well as your fathers, your kings, your officials, and the ordinary people—don't you think the Lord wouldn't remember and think about it?
22 Kwaze kwathi iNkosi yayingaselakukuthwala, ngenxa yobubi bezenzo zenu, ngenxa yezinengiso elazenzayo; ngakho ilizwe lenu laba yincithakalo lokwesabisayo lesiqalekiso, ukuze kungahlali muntu, njengalamuhla.
The Lord couldn't take it anymore—the evil things you did and your disgusting acts—so your country was turned into an uninhabited wasteland, a place of horror and a curse word to others, as it still is today.
23 Ngenxa yokuthi litshisile impepha, lokuthi lonile eNkosini, kalilalelanga ilizwi leNkosi, kalihambanga ngomlayo wayo langezimiso zayo langezifakazelo zayo; ngenxa yalokho okubi lokhu kwenzakele kini, njengalamuhla.
As you can see today, the disaster you've experienced happened because you burned incense to other gods and sinned against the Lord, refusing to listen to the Lord or to follow his instructions, his rules, and his regulations.”
24 UJeremiya wasesithi kubo bonke abantu lakwabesifazana bonke: Zwanini ilizwi leNkosi, wonke uJuda oselizweni leGibhithe.
Then Jeremiah told everyone, including all the women, “Listen to the Lord's message, all you people from Judah living here in Egypt.
25 Itsho njalo iNkosi yamabandla, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli, ithi: Lina labomkenu, likhulumile ngomlomo wenu, lakugcwalisa ngezandla zenu, lisithi: Sizakwenza lokwenza izithembiso zethu esizithembisayo zokutshisela indlovukazi yamazulu impepha, lokuyithululela iminikelo yokunathwayo. Lizaqinisa lokuqinisa izithembiso zenu, lenze sibili izithembiso zenu!
This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: You and your wives, you've said what you're going to do, and you've done what you said! You said, ‘We're going to keep our promise to burn incense to the Queen of Heaven and to pour out drink offerings to worship her.’ So go ahead! Do what you've said! Keep your promises!
26 Ngakho zwanini ilizwi leNkosi, lonke Juda elihlala elizweni leGibhithe: Khangelani, mina ngifungile ngebizo lami elikhulu, itsho iNkosi: Ibizo lami kalisayikubizwa ngumlomo waloba ngubani wakoJuda, elizweni lonke leGibhithe, esithi: Kuphila kweNkosi uJehova.
But even so, listen to what the Lord says, all you people from Judah living here in Egypt: I guarantee by all that I am, says the Lord, that none of you living in the Egypt will ever use my name or swear, ‘As the Lord God lives.’
27 Khangela, ngizabalindela ngokubi, kungeyisikho ngokuhle; lawo wonke amadoda akoJuda aselizweni leGibhithe azaqedwa ngenkemba layindlala, aze aphele.
I will take care of them in the bad sense, and not in the good sense. All the people from Judah who are in Egypt will die by sword or famine, until they are wiped out.
28 Lalabo abaphepha enkembeni bazabuyela elizweni lakoJuda bevela elizweni leGibhithe, balutshwana ngenani; layo yonke insali yakoJuda eze elizweni leGibhithe ukuhlala khona njengowezizwe, izakwazi ukuthi ilizwi elizakuma ngelikabani, elami kumbe elayo.
Those who manage to avoid being killed by the sword will go back to Judah from Egypt. But there will only be a few of them, and then all who were left from Judah and went to live in Egypt will know who's telling the truth—me or them!
29 Lalokhu kuzakuba yisibonakaliso kini, kutsho iNkosi, ukuthi ngizalijezisa kulindawo, ukuze lazi ukuthi amazwi ami azakuma lokuma emelana lani ngokubi.
This is your sign to prove that I'm going to punish you here, declares the Lord, so that you'll know for certain that my threats against you will really happen.
30 Itsho njalo iNkosi: Khangelani, ngizanikela uFaro Hofira inkosi yeGibhithe esandleni sezitha zakhe, lesandleni salabo abadinga impilo yakhe, njengoba nganikela uZedekhiya inkosi yakoJuda esandleni sikaNebhukadirezari inkosi yeBhabhiloni, isitha sakhe, esadinga impilo yakhe.
This is what the Lord says: Look! I'm going to hand over Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt to his enemies who are trying to kill him, in the same way that I handed over Zedekiah king of Judah to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, his enemy who was trying to kill him.”
