UJeremiya 7
1 Ilizwi elafika kuJeremiya livela eNkosini lisithi:
The word that has been to Jeremiah from YHWH, saying,
2 Mana esangweni lendlu yeNkosi umemezele khona lelilizwi uthi: Zwanini ilizwi leNkosi, lina bonke bakoJuda, abangena kulamasango ukuzakhonza iNkosi.
“Stand in the gate of the house of YHWH, and you have proclaimed this word there, and have said, Hear a word of YHWH, all you of Judah, who are coming in at these gates, to bow before YHWH.”
3 Itsho njalo INkosi yamabandla, uNkulunkulu wakoIsrayeli: Lungisani indlela zenu lezenzo zenu, khona ngizalenza ukuthi lihlale kulindawo.
Thus said YHWH of Hosts, God of Israel: “Amend your ways, and your doings, And I cause you to dwell in this place.
4 Lingathembi lina emazwini amanga okuthi: La alithempeli leNkosi, ithempeli leNkosi, ithempeli leNkosi.
Do not trust for yourselves To the words of falsehood, saying, The temple of YHWH! The temple of YHWH! These [are] the temple of YHWH!
5 Ngoba uba lilungisisa lokulungisa izindlela zenu lezenzo zenu; uba lisenza lokwenza isahlulelo phakathi komuntu lomakhelwane wakhe;
For if you thoroughly amend your ways and your doings, If you thoroughly do judgment Between a man and his neighbor,
6 lingacindezeli owezizweni, intandane, lomfelokazi, lingachithi igazi elingelacala kulindawo; futhi lingalandeli abanye onkulunkulu ukuze kube kubi kini;
You do not oppress sojourner, fatherless, and widow, And innocent blood is not shed in this place, And [you] do not walk after other gods, for evil to yourselves,
7 khona ngizalenza ukuthi lihlale kulindawo, elizweni engalinika oyihlo, kusukela endulo kuze kube nininini.
Then I have caused you to dwell in this place, In the land that I gave to your fathers, From age even to age.
8 Khangelani, lina lithembela emazwini amanga angasizi lutho.
Behold, you are trusting for yourselves On the words of falsehood, so as not to profit.
9 Lizakweba, libulale, lifebe, lifunge amanga, litshisele uBhali impepha, lilandele abanye onkulunkulu elingabaziyo yini?
Stealing, murdering, and committing adultery, And swearing to falsehood, and giving incense to Ba‘al, And going after other gods whom you did not know.
10 Beselisiza lime phambi kwami kulindlu, ebizwa ngebizo lami, lithi: Sikhululwe ukuze senze zonke lezizinengiso.
And you have come in and stood before Me, In this house on which My Name is called, And have said, We have been 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.
Has this house, On which My Name is called, Been a den of burglars in your eyes? Even I, behold, have seen,” A declaration of YHWH.
12 Ngoba yanini khathesi endaweni yami eseShilo, lapho engamisa khona ibizo lami kuqala, libone engikwenzileyo kiyo ngenxa yobubi babantu bami uIsrayeli.
“But go now to My place that [is] in Shiloh, Where I caused My Name to dwell at first, And see that which I have done to it, For the wickedess 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, because of your doing all these works,” A declaration of YHWH, “And I speak to you, rising early and speaking, And you have not listened, And I call you, and you have not answered,
14 ngakho ngizakwenza kulindlu, ebizwa ngebizo lami, elithemba kiyo, lakundawo engayinika lina laboyihlo, njengalokho engakwenza eShilo.
I also have done to the house on which My Name is called, In which you are trusting, And to the place that I gave 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 have cast you from before My face, As I have cast out all your brothers, The whole seed of Ephraim.
16 Ngakho wena ungabakhulekeli lababantu, ungabaphakamiseli ukukhala loba umkhuleko, ungalabheli kimi, ngoba kangiyikukuzwa.
And you do not pray for this people, Nor lift up crying and prayer for them, Nor intercede with Me, for I do not hear you.
17 Kawukuboni yini abakwenza emizini yakoJuda lezitaladeni zeJerusalema?
Are you not seeing what they are doing In cities of Judah, and in 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 sons are gathering wood, And the fathers are causing the fire to burn, And the women are kneading dough, To make cakes to the queen of the heavens, And to pour out drink-offerings to other gods, So as to provoke Me to anger.
19 Bathukuthelisa mina yini? itsho iNkosi. Kabazenzeni yini kuze kusanganiseke ubuso babo?
Are they provoking Me to anger?” A declaration of YHWH, “Is it not themselves, For 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 said Lord YHWH: “Behold, My anger and My fury is poured out on this place, On man, and beast, and on tree of the field, And on fruit of the ground, And it has burned, and it is not quenched.”
21 Itsho njalo INkosi yamabandla, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli: Fakani iminikelo yenu yokutshiswa kanye lemihlatshelo yenu, lidle inyama.
Thus said YHWH of Hosts, God of Israel: “Add your burnt-offerings to your sacrifices and eat flesh.
22 Ngoba kangikhulumanga kuboyihlo, njalo kangibalayanga ngosuku engabakhupha ngalo elizweni leGibhithe, mayelana lendaba zeminikelo yokutshiswa kumbe imihlatshelo.
For I did not speak with your fathers, Nor did I command them in the day of My bringing them out of the land of Egypt, Concerning the matters of burnt-offering and 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 I commanded them, saying, Listen to My voice, And I have been to you for God, And you are to Me for a people, And have walked in all the way that I command you, So that it is well for you.
24 Kodwa kabalalelanga, kabathobanga indlebe yabo; kodwa bahamba ngamacebo, ngenkani yenhliziyo yabo embi, bahlehlela nyovane, hatshi-ke phambili.
And they have not listened, nor inclined their ear, And they walk in the counsels, [And] in the stubbornness, of their evil hearts, And are 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.
Even from the day when your fathers Went out of the land of Egypt until this day, I send all My servants the prophets to you, Daily rising early and sending,
26 Kanti kabangilalelanga, njalo kababekanga indlebe yabo, kodwa benza intamo yabo yaba lukhuni; benza kubi kulaboyise.
And they have not listened to Me, Nor inclined their ear—and they harden their neck, They have done evil above their fathers.
27 Ngakho uzakhuluma wonke lamazwi kibo, kodwa kabayikukulalela; futhi uzababiza, kodwa kabayikukuphendula.
And you have spoken all these words to them, And they do not listen to you, And you have called to them, And they do not answer you.
28 Ngakho uzakuthi kibo: Lesi yisizwe esingalaleli ilizwi leNkosi, uNkulunkulu waso, lesingemukeli ukulaywa; iqiniso liphelile, liqunyiwe emlonyeni waso.
And you have said to them: This [is] the nation that has not listened, To the voice of its God YHWH, Nor have they accepted instruction, Steadfastness has perished, Indeed, it has been cut off from their mouth.
29 Gela inwele zakho, wena Jerusalema, uzilahle, uphakamise isililo emadundulwini; ngoba iNkosi isalile yasidela isizukulwana solaka lwayo.
Cut off your crown, and cast [it] away, And lift up lamentation on high places, For YHWH has rejected, And He leaves 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 sons of Judah Have done evil in My eyes,” A declaration of YHWH, “They have set their abominations in the house On which My Name is called—to defile it,
31 Bakhile-ke indawo eziphakemeyo zeTofethi, ezisesihotsheni sendodana kaHinomu, ukuze batshise amadodana abo lamadodakazi abo ngomlilo; engingabalayanga khona, lokungavelanga enhliziyweni yami.
And have built the high places of Tophet, That [are] in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, To burn their sons and their daughters with fire, Which I did not command, Nor did it come up on My heart.
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,” A declaration of YHWH, “And it is no longer said, The Tophet, And, Valley of the Son of Hinnom, But, Valley of the Slaughter, And they have buried in Tophet—without place.
33 Lezidumbu zalababantu zizakuba yikudla kwenyoni zamazulu, lezezinyamazana zomhlaba, kungekho ozazethusa.
And the carcass of this people has been for food To a bird of the heavens, and to a beast of the earth, And there is none troubling.
34 Khona ngizakwenza kuphele emizini yakoJuda lezitaladeni zeJerusalema ilizwi lenjabulo, lelizwi lentokozo, ilizwi lomyeni, lelizwi likamakoti, ngoba ilizwe lizakuba lunxiwa.
And I have caused to cease from cities of Judah, And from streets of Jerusalem, The voice of joy, and the voice of gladness, Voice of bridegroom, and voice of bride, For the land becomes a desolation!”
