UJeremiya 7
1 Ilizwi elafika kuJeremiya livela eNkosini lisithi:
The word which came to Jeremiah from Jehovah, 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 Jehovah, and proclaim these words, and say: —Hear the word of Jehovah, all ye of Judah, Who enter in at these gates to worship Jehovah!
3 Itsho njalo INkosi yamabandla, uNkulunkulu wakoIsrayeli: Lungisani indlela zenu lezenzo zenu, khona ngizalenza ukuthi lihlale kulindawo.
Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: Amend your ways and your doings, And I will suffer you to dwell in this place!
4 Lingathembi lina emazwini amanga okuthi: La alithempeli leNkosi, ithempeli leNkosi, ithempeli leNkosi.
Trust ye not in lying words, when they say, “The temple of Jehovah, the temple of Jehovah, The temple of Jehovah are these.”
5 Ngoba uba lilungisisa lokulungisa izindlela zenu lezenzo zenu; uba lisenza lokwenza isahlulelo phakathi komuntu lomakhelwane wakhe;
Yet if ye will thoroughly amend your ways and your doings, And dispense justice between man and man,
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 go 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 cause you to dwell in this place, In the land which I gave to your fathers, For ever and ever.
8 Khangelani, lina lithembela emazwini amanga angasizi lutho.
Behold, ye trust in lying words without profit.
9 Lizakweba, libulale, lifebe, lifunge amanga, litshisele uBhali impepha, lilandele abanye onkulunkulu elingabaziyo yini?
Ye steal, and murder, and commit adultery, And swear falsely, and burn incense to Baal, And go after strange gods, which ye know not,
10 Beselisiza lime phambi kwami kulindlu, ebizwa ngebizo lami, lithi: Sikhululwe ukuze senze zonke lezizinengiso.
And then come and stand before me in this house, Which is called by my name, And say, “We are delivered!” Whilst ye practise all these abominations.
11 Indlu le, ebizwa ngebizo lami, isibe lubhalu lwabaphangi emehlweni enu yini? Khangelani, mina sengibonile, itsho iNkosi.
Is this house, which is called by my name, Become a den for robbers in your eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it, saith Jehovah.
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, which was in Shiloh, Where I caused my name to dwell at the first, And see what I have done to it On account 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 because ye have done all these works, saith Jehovah, And I have spoken to you, rising early and speaking, But ye hearkened not, And I have called to you, But ye answered not,
14 ngakho ngizakwenza kulindlu, ebizwa ngebizo lami, elithemba kiyo, lakundawo engayinika lina laboyihlo, njengalokho engakwenza eShilo.
Therefore will I do to the house which is called by my name, In which ye place your confidence, And to the place which 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.
I will cast you out from my presence, As I have cast out all your brethren, The whole race of Ephraim.
16 Ngakho wena ungabakhulekeli lababantu, ungabaphakamiseli ukukhala loba umkhuleko, ungalabheli kimi, ngoba kangiyikukuzwa.
And as for thee, pray not for this people, Nor lift up a cry or a prayer for them, Nor make intercession to me for them; For I will not hear thee.
17 Kawukuboni yini abakwenza emizini yakoJuda lezitaladeni zeJerusalema?
Seest thou not what they do In the cities of Judah, and 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 sons gather the wood, And the fathers kindle the fire, And the women knead dough, To make cakes for the queen of heaven, And to pour out libations to strange gods, That they may vex me.
19 Bathukuthelisa mina yini? itsho iNkosi. Kabazenzeni yini kuze kusanganiseke ubuso babo?
But do they vex me, saith Jehovah? Do they not rather vex themselves, to the confusion 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 saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold my anger and my fury shall be poured out on this place, Upon man and upon beast; Upon the trees of the field, And upon the fruit of the ground; It shall burn and not be quenched.
21 Itsho njalo INkosi yamabandla, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli: Fakani iminikelo yenu yokutshiswa kanye lemihlatshelo yenu, lidle inyama.
Thus saith Jehovah of hosts, the God of Israel: Add your burnt-offerings to your sacrifices, And eat ye the flesh.
22 Ngoba kangikhulumanga kuboyihlo, njalo kangibalayanga ngosuku engabakhupha ngalo elizweni leGibhithe, mayelana lendaba zeminikelo yokutshiswa kumbe imihlatshelo.
For I spake not to your fathers, nor commanded them Concerning burnt-offerings and sacrifices, At the time when I brought them out of the land of Egypt;
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 command gave I to them: “Hearken,” said I, “to my voice, And I will be your God, And ye shall be my people. And walk ye in all the ways which I command you, That it may go well with you.”
24 Kodwa kabalalelanga, kabathobanga indlebe yabo; kodwa bahamba ngamacebo, ngenkani yenhliziyo yabo embi, bahlehlela nyovane, hatshi-ke phambili.
But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, But walked in the devices and obstinacy of their evil heart, Turning their backs and not their faces toward me.
25 Kusukela osukwini oyihlo abaphuma ngalo elizweni leGibhithe kuze kube yilolusuku, ngithume kini zonke inceku zami, abaprofethi, insuku ngensuku ngivuka ngovivi, ngithuma.
From the day when your fathers came forth from the land of Egypt, Even to this day, I have also sent to you all my servants, the prophets, Daily rising early and sending.
26 Kanti kabangilalelanga, njalo kababekanga indlebe yabo, kodwa benza intamo yabo yaba lukhuni; benza kubi kulaboyise.
But they have not hearkened to me, Nor have they inclined their ear; But they have hardened their neck, And acted more wickedly than their fathers.
27 Ngakho uzakhuluma wonke lamazwi kibo, kodwa kabayikukulalela; futhi uzababiza, kodwa kabayikukuphendula.
And when thou shalt speak all these things to them, They will not hearken to thee; And when thou shalt call to them, They will make thee no answer.
28 Ngakho uzakuthi kibo: Lesi yisizwe esingalaleli ilizwi leNkosi, uNkulunkulu waso, lesingemukeli ukulaywa; iqiniso liphelile, liqunyiwe emlonyeni waso.
Therefore shalt thou say to them, This is the nation that hearkeneth not to the voice of Jehovah their God, And taketh no correction; Truth hath failed, and is cut off from their mouth.
29 Gela inwele zakho, wena Jerusalema, uzilahle, uphakamise isililo emadundulwini; ngoba iNkosi isalile yasidela isizukulwana solaka lwayo.
Cut off thy locks, O Jerusalem, and cast them away! Set up a lamentation upon the high place! For Jehovah hath rejected and forsaken the children Against which his wrath hath been kindled.
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 evil in my sight, saith Jehovah, They have set 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.
They have built the high places of Tophet, Which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, To burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, Which I commanded not, Which even came not 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, the days come, saith Jehovah, That it shall no more be called Tophet, Or the valley of the son of Hinnom, But the Valley of Slaughter; For they shall bury in Tophet till there be no room left.
33 Lezidumbu zalababantu zizakuba yikudla kwenyoni zamazulu, lezezinyamazana zomhlaba, kungekho ozazethusa.
And the dead bodies of this people shall be for meat To the birds of the air and to the beasts of the earth; And none shall scare 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 mirth and the voice of gladness, The voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride; For the land shall be desolate.
