UJeremiya 7
1 Ilizwi elafika kuJeremiya livela eNkosini lisithi:
The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,
2 Mana esangweni lendlu yeNkosi umemezele khona lelilizwi uthi: Zwanini ilizwi leNkosi, lina bonke bakoJuda, abangena kulamasango ukuzakhonza iNkosi.
Place thyself in the gate of the house of the Lord, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the Lord, all ye of Judah, that enter in by these gates to bow down before the Lord.
3 Itsho njalo INkosi yamabandla, uNkulunkulu wakoIsrayeli: Lungisani indlela zenu lezenzo zenu, khona ngizalenza ukuthi lihlale kulindawo.
Thus hath said the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your deeds, and I will permit you to dwell in this place.
4 Lingathembi lina emazwini amanga okuthi: La alithempeli leNkosi, ithempeli leNkosi, ithempeli leNkosi.
[But] do not rely on the words of falsehood, saying, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, [as] they [say].
5 Ngoba uba lilungisisa lokulungisa izindlela zenu lezenzo zenu; uba lisenza lokwenza isahlulelo phakathi komuntu lomakhelwane wakhe;
For if ye thoroughly amend your ways and your deeds; if ye thoroughly execute justice between a man and his neighbor;
6 lingacindezeli owezizweni, intandane, lomfelokazi, lingachithi igazi elingelacala kulindawo; futhi lingalandeli abanye onkulunkulu ukuze kube kubi kini;
If ye oppress not the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood in this place, and walk not after other gods to your own hurt:
7 khona ngizalenza ukuthi lihlale kulindawo, elizweni engalinika oyihlo, kusukela endulo kuze kube nininini.
Then will I permit you to dwell in this place, in the land that I have given to your fathers, from eternity to eternity.
8 Khangelani, lina lithembela emazwini amanga angasizi lutho.
Behold, ye rely on the words of falsehood, that cannot profit.
9 Lizakweba, libulale, lifebe, lifunge amanga, litshisele uBhali impepha, lilandele abanye onkulunkulu elingabaziyo yini?
How? will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Ba'al, and walk after other gods of which ye have no knowledge;
10 Beselisiza lime phambi kwami kulindlu, ebizwa ngebizo lami, lithi: Sikhululwe ukuze senze zonke lezizinengiso.
And [then] come and stand before my presence in this house, which is called by my name, and say, “We are delivered;” in order to do all these abominations?
11 Indlu le, ebizwa ngebizo lami, isibe lubhalu lwabaphangi emehlweni enu yini? Khangelani, mina sengibonile, itsho iNkosi.
Is then this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? [But] I also, behold, I have seen it, saith the Lord.
12 Ngoba yanini khathesi endaweni yami eseShilo, lapho engamisa khona ibizo lami kuqala, libone engikwenzileyo kiyo ngenxa yobubi babantu bami uIsrayeli.
For go ye now unto my place which was in Shiloh, where I caused my name to dwell at the first, and see what I did unto it because of the wickedness of my people Israel.
13 Khathesi-ke, ngoba lenzile yonke le imisebenzi, itsho iNkosi, njalo ngikhulumile lani, ngivuka ngovivi ngikhuluma, kodwa kalizwanga, ngalibiza, kodwa kaliphendulanga;
And now, whereas ye have done all these acts, saith the Lord, and I spoke unto you, causing [the prophets] to rise up early and speaking, while ye would not hear; and I called you, but ye would not answer:
14 ngakho ngizakwenza kulindlu, ebizwa ngebizo lami, elithemba kiyo, lakundawo engayinika lina laboyihlo, njengalokho engakwenza eShilo.
Therefore will I do unto this house, which is called by my name, whereon ye rely, and unto the place which I have given to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh.
15 Njalo ngizalixotsha lisuke ebusweni bami, njengalokho ngaxotsha bonke abafowenu, inzalo yonke kaEfrayimi.
And I will cast you out of my presence, as I have cast out all your brethren, all the seed of Ephraim.
16 Ngakho wena ungabakhulekeli lababantu, ungabaphakamiseli ukukhala loba umkhuleko, ungalabheli kimi, ngoba kangiyikukuzwa.
But thou—pray not thou in behalf of this people, nor lift up in their behalf entreaty or prayer, nor make intercession to me; for I will not hear thee.
17 Kawukuboni yini abakwenza emizini yakoJuda lezitaladeni zeJerusalema?
Dost thou not see what they are doing in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?
18 Abantwana batheza inkuni, laboyise baphembe umlilo, labesifazana baxove inhlama, ukuze benzele indlovukazi yamazulu amaqebelengwana, bathululele abanye onkulunkulu iminikelo yokunathwayo, ukuze bangithukuthelise.
The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead dough, to make cakes for the queen of heaven, and they pour out drink-offerings unto other gods, in order to provoke me to anger.
19 Bathukuthelisa mina yini? itsho iNkosi. Kabazenzeni yini kuze kusanganiseke ubuso babo?
Do they provoke me to anger? saith the Lord, [and] not themselves, to the shame of their own faces?
20 Ngakho itsho njalo iNkosi uJehova: Khangela, intukuthelo yami lolaka lwami kuzathululelwa kulindawo, phezu komuntu, laphezu kwenyamazana, laphezu kwezihlahla zasendle, laphezu kwesithelo somhlabathi; njalo kuzakutsha, kungacitshwa.
Therefore thus hath said the Lord Eternal, Behold my anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place, over man, and over beast, and over the trees of the field, and over the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and it shall not be quenched.
21 Itsho njalo INkosi yamabandla, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli: Fakani iminikelo yenu yokutshiswa kanye lemihlatshelo yenu, lidle inyama.
Thus hath said the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Add your burnt-offerings unto your peace-sacrifices, and eat the flesh thereof.
22 Ngoba kangikhulumanga kuboyihlo, njalo kangibalayanga ngosuku engabakhupha ngalo elizweni leGibhithe, mayelana lendaba zeminikelo yokutshiswa kumbe imihlatshelo.
For I spoke not with your fathers, and I commanded them not on the day of my bringing them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt-offering or sacrifice;
23 Kodwa ngabalaya le into ngisithi: Lalelani ilizwi lami, njalo ngizakuba nguNkulunkulu wenu, lina-ke libe ngabantu bami; njalo hambani ngayo yonke indlela engililaya yona, ukuze kulilungele.
But this thing did I command them, saying, Hearken to my voice, and I will be unto you for a God, and ye shall be unto me for a people; and walk ye altogether on the way which I may command you, in order that it may be well unto you.
24 Kodwa kabalalelanga, kabathobanga indlebe yabo; kodwa bahamba ngamacebo, ngenkani yenhliziyo yabo embi, bahlehlela nyovane, hatshi-ke phambili.
Yet they hearkened not, and inclined not their ear; but they walked in the counsels, in the stubbornness of their evil heart; and they went backward, and not forward:
25 Kusukela osukwini oyihlo abaphuma ngalo elizweni leGibhithe kuze kube yilolusuku, ngithume kini zonke inceku zami, abaprofethi, insuku ngensuku ngivuka ngovivi, ngithuma.
Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt until this day; and I sent unto you all my servants the prophets, sending them daily in the morning early;
26 Kanti kabangilalelanga, njalo kababekanga indlebe yabo, kodwa benza intamo yabo yaba lukhuni; benza kubi kulaboyise.
Yet they hearkened not unto me, and inclined not their ear; but they hardened their neck; they did worse than their fathers.
27 Ngakho uzakhuluma wonke lamazwi kibo, kodwa kabayikukulalela; futhi uzababiza, kodwa kabayikukuphendula.
And if thou speak unto them all these words, and they will not hearken to thee; and if thou call unto them, and they will not answer thee:
28 Ngakho uzakuthi kibo: Lesi yisizwe esingalaleli ilizwi leNkosi, uNkulunkulu waso, lesingemukeli ukulaywa; iqiniso liphelile, liqunyiwe emlonyeni waso.
Then shalt thou say unto them, This is the nation that hearken not to the voice of the Lord their God, and accept not correction; lost is the truth, and is obliterated from their mouth.
29 Gela inwele zakho, wena Jerusalema, uzilahle, uphakamise isililo emadundulwini; ngoba iNkosi isalile yasidela isizukulwana solaka lwayo.
Cut off thy flowing hair, and cast it away, and take up on mountain-tops a lamentation; for rejected hath the Lord and forsaken the generation of his wrath.
30 Ngoba abantwana bakoJuda benzile ububi emehlweni ami, itsho iNkosi; babekile izinengiso zabo endlini ebizwa ngebizo lami, ukuze bayingcolise.
For the children of Judah have done what is evil in my eyes, saith the Lord: they have set up their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to pollute it.
31 Bakhile-ke indawo eziphakemeyo zeTofethi, ezisesihotsheni sendodana kaHinomu, ukuze batshise amadodana abo lamadodakazi abo ngomlilo; engingabalayanga khona, lokungavelanga enhliziyweni yami.
And they have built the high-places of Thophet, which is in the valley of Ben-hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I had not commanded, and which never came into my mind.
32 Ngakho khangela, insuku ziyeza, itsho iNkosi, lapho engasayikubizwa ngokuthi yiTofethi, loba isihotsha sendodana kaHinomu, kodwa isihotsha sokubulala; ngoba bazangcwaba eTofethi, kuze kungabi landawo.
Therefore, behold days are coming, saith the Lord, that it shall not be called any more Thophet, or The valley of Ben-hinnom, but The valley of slaughter: and they shall bury in Thophet, for want of room.
33 Lezidumbu zalababantu zizakuba yikudla kwenyoni zamazulu, lezezinyamazana zomhlaba, kungekho ozazethusa.
And the carcasses of this people shall become food unto the fowls of the heavens, and unto the beasts of the earth, with none to chase them away.
34 Khona ngizakwenza kuphele emizini yakoJuda lezitaladeni zeJerusalema ilizwi lenjabulo, lelizwi lentokozo, ilizwi lomyeni, lelizwi likamakoti, ngoba ilizwe lizakuba lunxiwa.
And I will cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of gladness, and the voice of joy, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride; for a desert shall the land become.
