UJeremiya 44
1 Ilizwi elafika kuJeremiya ngawo wonke amaJuda ayehlala elizweni leGibhithe ahlala eMigidoli leThahaphanesi leNofi lelizweni lePatrosi, lisithi:
The word which came to Jeremiah concerning all the Jews that dwelt in the land of Egypt, that dwelt at Migdol, and at Tahpanhes, and at Noph, and in the land 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 saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: Ye have seen all the evil which I have brought upon Jerusalem, and upon all the cities of Judah; and behold, this day they are a desolation, and no man dwelleth 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 strange gods, whom they knew not, neither they, ye, nor your fathers;
4 Kanti ngathuma kini inceku zami zonke abaprofethi, ngivuke ngovivi ngathuma, ngisithi: Ake lingayenzi linto enengekayo engiyizondayo.
and I sent to you all my servants, the prophets, rising early and sending them, saying: O do not this abominable thing, which I hate!
5 Kodwa kabalalelanga kababekanga indlebe yabo, ukuthi baphenduke ebubini babo, ukuze bangatshiseli abanye onkulunkulu impepha.
But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear to turn from their wickedness, to burn no incense to strange gods.
6 Ngakho kwathululwa intukuthelo yami lolaka lwami, kwavutha emizini yakoJuda lezitaladeni zeJerusalema; zaze zaba lunxiwa lencithakalo, njengalamuhla.
Therefore hath my fury been poured forth, and mine anger, and hath burned in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are become a desolation and a waste 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,
And now thus saith Jehovah, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: Wherefore do ye commit this great evil against your own souls, that ye may cut off from you man and woman, child and suckling, out of Judah, so as to leave yourselves no remnant?
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 do ye provoke me to wrath with the works of your hands, burning incense to strange gods in the land of Egypt, whither ye are gone to dwell, so that ye may cut yourselves off, and that ye may 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 ye 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 have not been humbled even to this day, neither have they feared, nor walked in my law, nor in my statutes, which 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 saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I set my face against you for evil, even 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; in the land of Egypt shall they fall; by the sword and by famine shall they be consumed, from the least to the greatest; by the sword and by famine shall they die; and they shall become 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 famine, and by 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.
And none shall escape or remain of the remnant of Judah which are gone into the land of Egypt, to sojourn there, and to return into the land of Judah, to which they have a desire to return, to dwell there; for none shall return but a few fugitives that 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 who knew that their wives had burned incense to strange gods, and all the women that stood by, a great multitude, even all the people that dwelt in the land of Egypt, and in Pathros, answered Jeremiah, saying:
16 Lelilizwi olikhulume kithi ebizweni leNkosi, kasiyikukulalela.
“As for the word which thou hast spoken to us in the name of Jehovah, we will not hearken to thee,
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 whatever hath gone forth from our mouth, that will we do, 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 we had plenty of bread, and were prosperous, and saw no calamity.
18 Kodwa kusukela lapho sayekela ukutshisela indlovukazi yamazulu impepha lokuyithululela iminikelo yokunathwayo, siswele konke, siqedwe ngenkemba layindlala.
But from the time we left off to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink-offerings to her, we have been in want of all things, and have been consumed by the sword and by 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 [[said the women]] burned incense to the queen of heaven, and poured out drink-offerings to her, did we without the knowledge of our men make cakes to worship her, and pour out drink-offerings to her?”
20 UJeremiya wasekhuluma kubo bonke abantu, emadodaneni, lakwabesifazana, lakubo bonke abantu ababemphendule ngalelolizwi, esithi:
Then spake Jeremiah to all the people, to the men, and to the women, and to all the people who 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 which ye burned in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, ye and your fathers, your kings and your princes, and the people of the land, did not Jehovah remember it, 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.
And Jehovah could no longer bear the evil of your doings, and the abominations which ye committed; therefore is your land a desolation, and an astonishment, and a curse, without an inhabitant 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 ye have burned incense, and because ye have sinned against Jehovah, and have not obeyed the voice of Jehovah, nor walked in his law, nor in his statutes, nor in his ordinances, therefore is this evil come upon you, at this day.”
24 UJeremiya wasesithi kubo bonke abantu lakwabesifazana bonke: Zwanini ilizwi leNkosi, wonke uJuda oselizweni leGibhithe.
And Jeremiah said to all the people and to all the women, Hear the word of Jehovah, 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 saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: Ye and your wives speak with your mouths, and fulfill with your hands; ye say, “We will keep our vows, which we have vowed, to burn incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink-offerings to her”; ye will surely accomplish your vows; ye will 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 ye the word of Jehovah, all ye of Judah, that dwell in the land of Egypt! Behold, I swear by my great name, saith Jehovah, that my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, “As the Lord Jehovah liveth!”
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 who are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by 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.
And they that escape the sword shall return out of the land of Egypt into the land of Judah, few in number; 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, saith Jehovah, that I will punish you in this place, that ye 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 saith Jehovah: Behold, I will give Pharaoh Hophra, the king of Egypt, into the hand of his enemies, and into the hand of them that seek his life, as I gave Zedekiah, the king of Judah, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, his enemy, that sought his life.”
