UJeremiya 44
1 Ilizwi elafika kuJeremiya ngawo wonke amaJuda ayehlala elizweni leGibhithe ahlala eMigidoli leThahaphanesi leNofi lelizweni lePatrosi, lisithi:
The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews which dwell in the land of Egypt, which dwell at Migdol, and at Tahpanhes, and at Noph, and in the country of Pathros, saying,
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,
Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; You have seen all the evil that I have brought on Jerusalem, and on all the cities of Judah; and, behold, this day they are a desolation, and no man dwells therein,
3 ngenxa yobubi babo ababenzileyo, ukungithukuthelisa, ngokuyatshisa impepha, ngokukhonza abanye onkulunkulu abangabaziyo, bona, lina, laboyihlo.
Because of their wickedness which they have committed to provoke me to anger, in that they went to burn incense, and to serve other gods, whom they knew not, neither they, you, nor your fathers.
4 Kanti ngathuma kini inceku zami zonke abaprofethi, ngivuke ngovivi ngathuma, ngisithi: Ake lingayenzi linto enengekayo engiyizondayo.
However, I sent to you all my servants the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying, Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate.
5 Kodwa kabalalelanga kababekanga indlebe yabo, ukuthi baphenduke ebubini babo, ukuze bangatshiseli abanye onkulunkulu impepha.
But they listened not, nor inclined their ear to turn from their wickedness, to burn no incense to other gods.
6 Ngakho kwathululwa intukuthelo yami lolaka lwami, kwavutha emizini yakoJuda lezitaladeni zeJerusalema; zaze zaba lunxiwa lencithakalo, njengalamuhla.
Why my fury and my anger was poured forth, and was kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are wasted and desolate, as at this day.
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,
Therefore now thus says the LORD, the God of hosts, the God of Israel; Why commit you this great evil against your souls, to cut off from you man and woman, child and suckling, out of Judah, to leave you none to remain;
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?
In that you provoke me to wrath with the works of your hands, burning incense to other gods in the land of Egypt, where you be gone to dwell, that you might cut yourselves off, and that you might be a curse and a reproach among all the nations of the 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 wickedness of your fathers, and the wickedness of the kings of Judah, and the wickedness of their wives, and your own wickedness, and the wickedness of your wives, which they have committed in the land of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem?
10 Kabadabukanga kuze kube lamuhla, kabesabanga, kabahambanga ngomlayo wami langezimiso zami engazibeka phambi kwenu laphambi kwaboyihlo.
They are not humbled even to this day, neither have they feared, nor walked in my law, nor in my statutes, that I set before you and before your fathers.
11 Ngakho itsho njalo iNkosi yamabandla, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli: Khangelani, ngimisa ubuso bami bumelene lani ngokubi ukuze ngiqume uJuda wonke.
Therefore thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will set my face against you for evil, and to cut off all 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.
And I will take the remnant of Judah, that have set their faces to go into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, and they shall all be consumed, and fall in the land of Egypt; they shall even be consumed by the sword and by the famine: they shall die, from the least even to the greatest, by the sword and by the famine: and they shall be an execration, and an astonishment, and a curse, and a reproach.
13 Ngoba ngizajezisa labo abahlezi elizweni leGibhithe, njengoba ngajezisa iJerusalema, ngenkemba, ngendlala, langomatshayabhuqe wesifo;
For I will punish them that dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence:
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.
So that none of the remnant of Judah, which are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall escape or remain, that they should return into the land of Judah, to the which they have a desire to return to dwell there: for none shall return but such as shall escape.
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:
Then all the men which knew that their wives had burned incense to other gods, and all the women that stood by, a great multitude, even all the people that dwelled in the land of Egypt, in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying,
16 Lelilizwi olikhulume kithi ebizweni leNkosi, kasiyikukulalela.
As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we will not 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.
But we will certainly do whatever thing goes forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings to her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for then had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil.
18 Kodwa kusukela lapho sayekela ukutshisela indlovukazi yamazulu impepha lokuyithululela iminikelo yokunathwayo, siswele konke, siqedwe ngenkemba layindlala.
But since we left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings to her, we have wanted all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by the famine.
19 Futhi lapho sitshisela indlovukazi yamazulu impepha, siyithululela iminikelo yokunathwayo, siyayenzela amakhekhe ngokwesifanekiso sayo, siyithululela iminikelo yokuthululwa, ngaphandle kwamadoda enu yini?
And when we burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink offerings to her, did we make her cakes to worship her, and pour out drink offerings to her, without our men?
20 UJeremiya wasekhuluma kubo bonke abantu, emadodaneni, lakwabesifazana, lakubo bonke abantu ababemphendule ngalelolizwi, esithi:
Then Jeremiah said to all the people, to the men, and to the women, and to all the people which had given him that answer, saying,
21 Impepha elayitshisa emizini yakoJuda lezitaladeni zeJerusalema, lina, laboyihlo, amakhosi enu, leziphathamandla zenu, labantu belizwe, iNkosi kayiyikukukhumbula yini, kuvele enhliziyweni yayo?
The incense that you burned in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, you, and your fathers, your kings, and your princes, and the people of the land, did not the LORD remember them, and came it not into his mind?
22 Kwaze kwathi iNkosi yayingaselakukuthwala, ngenxa yobubi bezenzo zenu, ngenxa yezinengiso elazenzayo; ngakho ilizwe lenu laba yincithakalo lokwesabisayo lesiqalekiso, ukuze kungahlali muntu, njengalamuhla.
So that the LORD could no longer bear, because of the evil of your doings, and because of the abominations which you have committed; therefore is your land a desolation, and an astonishment, and a curse, without an inhabitant, as at this day.
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.
Because you have burned incense, and because you have sinned against the LORD, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, nor walked in his law, nor in his statutes, nor in his testimonies; therefore this evil is happened to you, as at this day.
24 UJeremiya wasesithi kubo bonke abantu lakwabesifazana bonke: Zwanini ilizwi leNkosi, wonke uJuda oselizweni leGibhithe.
Moreover Jeremiah said to all the people, and to all the women, Hear the word of the LORD, all Judah that are in the land of 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!
Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, saying; You and your wives have both spoken with your mouths, and fulfilled with your hand, saying, We will surely perform our vows that we have vowed, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings to her: you will surely accomplish your vows, and surely perform your vows.
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.
Therefore hear you the word of the LORD, all Judah that dwell in the land of Egypt; Behold, I have sworn by my great name, says the LORD, that my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, The Lord GOD lives.
27 Khangela, ngizabalindela ngokubi, kungeyisikho ngokuhle; lawo wonke amadoda akoJuda aselizweni leGibhithe azaqedwa ngenkemba layindlala, aze aphele.
Behold, I will watch over them for evil, and not for good: and all the men of Judah that are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by the famine, until there be an end of them.
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.
Yet a small number that escape the sword shall return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Judah, and all the remnant of Judah, that are gone into the land of Egypt to sojourn there, shall know whose words shall stand, mine, or theirs.
29 Lalokhu kuzakuba yisibonakaliso kini, kutsho iNkosi, ukuthi ngizalijezisa kulindawo, ukuze lazi ukuthi amazwi ami azakuma lokuma emelana lani ngokubi.
And this shall be a sign to you, says the LORD, that I will punish you in this place, that you may know that my words shall surely stand against you for evil:
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.
Thus says the LORD; Behold, I will give pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of them that seek his life; as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, his enemy, and that sought his life.
