UJeremiya 9
1 Kungathi ngabe ikhanda lami lingamanzi, lamehlo ami umthombo wezinyembezi, ukuze ngikhalele ababuleweyo bendodakazi yabantu bami emini lebusuku!
If only my head was a stream of waters and my eyes fountains of weeping, so that I might go on weeping day and night for the dead of the daughter of my people!
2 Kungathi ngabe ngilendawo yokulala yezihambi enkangala, ukuze ngitshiye abantu bami, ngisuke kubo! Ngoba bonke bayizifebe, ixuku labakhohlisayo.
If only I had in the waste land a night's resting-place for travellers, so that I might go away, far from my people! for they are all untrue, a band of false men.
3 Njalo bagobisa ulimi lwabo njengedandili labo besenzela amanga; kodwa kabaliqineli iqiniso elizweni; ngoba baqhubeka kusukela kokubi kusiya kokubi, mina-ke kabangazi, itsho iNkosi.
Their tongues are bent like a bow to send out false words: they have become strong in the land, but not for good faith: they go on from evil to evil, and they have no knowledge of me, says the Lord.
4 Qaphelani, ngulowo lalowo umakhelwane wakhe, lingathembi lawuphi umfowenu, ngoba wonke umfowenu uzakhohlisa lokukhohlisa, laye wonke umakhelwane uzahamba ngokuhleba.
Let everyone keep watch on his neighbour, and put no faith in any brother: for every brother will certainly be tricking his brother, and every neighbour will go about saying evil.
5 Njalo bazakhohlisa, ngulowo lalowo umakhelwane wakhe, bengakhulumi iqiniso; balufundisile ulimi lwabo ukukhuluma amanga, bezidinisa ngokwenza okubi.
Everyone will make sport of his neighbour with deceit, not saying what is true: their tongues have been trained to say false words; they are twisted, hating to come back.
6 Indawo yakho yokuhlala iphakathi kwenkohliso; ngenkohliso bayala ukungazi, itsho iNkosi.
There is wrong on wrong, deceit on deceit; they have given up the knowledge of me, says the Lord.
7 Ngakho itsho njalo iNkosi yamabandla: Khangela, ngizabancibilikisa, ngibahlole; ngoba ngizakwenza njani ngenxa yendodakazi yabantu bami?
So the Lord of armies has said, See, I will make them soft in the fire and put them to the test; this I will do because of their evil-doing.
8 Ulimi lwabo lungumtshoko wokubulala, lukhuluma inkohliso; ngulowo lalowo ukhuluma ukuthula ngomlomo wakhe kumakhelwane wakhe, kodwa ngaphakathi kwakhe uyamcathamela.
His tongue is an arrow causing death; the words of his mouth are deceit: he says words of peace to his neighbour, but in his heart he is waiting secretly for him.
9 Kangiyikubajezisa yini ngenxa yalezizinto? itsho iNkosi; umphefumulo wami kawuyikuphindisela yini esizweni esinjengalesi?
Am I not to send punishment for these things? says the Lord: will not my soul take payment from such a nation as this?
10 Ngizaphakamisa ukukhala lesililo phezu kwezintaba, laphezu kwezindawo zokuhlala zenkangala ingoma yokulila, ngoba kutshisiwe, okokuthi kungekho odlulayo; njalo bangezwa ilizwi lezifuyo; kusukela enyonini zamazulu kusiya enyamazaneni kubalekile, kuhambile.
Give yourselves to weeping, crying out in sorrow for the mountains; and for the fields of the waste land send up a song of grief, because they are burned up, so that no one goes through; there is no sound of cattle; the bird of the heavens and the beast are in flight and are gone.
11 Ngizayenza iJerusalema ibe zinqumbi, umlindi wemigobho; lemizi yakoJuda ngizayenza ibe lunxiwa, ingabi lamhlali.
And I will make Jerusalem a mass of broken stones, the living-place of jackals; and I will make the towns of Judah a waste, with no man living there.
12 Ngubani umuntu ohlakaniphileyo ongaqedisisa lokhu? Njalo ngubani umlomo weNkosi okhulume kuye, ukuze akubike? Kungani ilizwe libhubhile litshiswe njengenkangala, kuze kungabikho odlulayo?
Who is the wise man able to see this? who is he to whom the word of the Lord has come, so that he may make it clear? why is the land given to destruction and burned up like a waste place, so that no one goes through?
13 INkosi yasisithi: Ngoba bedelile umlayo wami engawubeka phambi kwabo, njalo bengalilalelanga ilizwi lami, bengahambanga ngalo;
And the Lord said, Because they have given up my law which I put before them, giving no attention to my voice and not being guided by it;
14 kodwa balandela inkani yenhliziyo yabo, belandela oBhali, oyise ababafundisa khona.
But they have been walking in the pride of their hearts, going after the Baals, as their fathers gave them teaching.
15 Ngalokho itsho njalo iNkosi yamabandla, uNkulunkulu kaIsrayeli: Khangela, ngizabondla lababantu ngomhlonyane, ngibanathise amanzi enyongo.
So the Lord of armies, the God of Israel, has said, I will give them, even this people, bitter plants for food and bitter water for drink.
16 Njalo ngizabahlakaza phakathi kwezizwe abangazanga bazazi bona laboyise, ngithume inkemba emva kwabo, ngize ngibaqede.
And I will send them wandering among the nations, among people strange to them and to their fathers: and I will send the sword after them till I have put an end to them.
17 Itsho njalo INkosi yamabandla: Qaphelani, libize abesifazana abalilayo ukuthi beze; lithumele kwabesifazana abahlakaniphileyo, ukuthi beze.
This is what the Lord of armies has said: Take thought and send for the weeping women, so that they may come; and send for the wise women, so that they may come:
18 Kabaphangise, basiphakamisele isililo, ukuze amehlo ethu ehlise inyembezi, lenkophe zethu zimpompoze amanzi.
Let them quickly make cries of sorrow for us, so that drops may be flowing from our eyes till they are streaming with water.
19 Ngoba ilizwi lokulila liyezwakala liphuma eZiyoni lisithi: Yeka ukuchitheka kwethu! Silenhloni kakhulu, ngoba silitshiyile ilizwe, ngoba babhidlizile izindawo zethu zokuhlala.
For a sound of weeping goes up from Zion, a cry, How has destruction come on us? we are overcome with shame because we have gone away from our land; he has sent us out from our house.
20 Kanti zwanini ilizwi leNkosi, lina besifazana, lendlebe zenu zilemukele ilizwi lomlomo wayo; lifundise amadodakazi enu ukuqhinqa isililo, kube ngulowo lalowo umakhelwane wakhe ingoma yokulila.
But even now, give ear to the word of the Lord, O you women; let your ears be open to the word of his mouth, training your daughters to give cries of sorrow, everyone teaching her neighbour a song of grief.
21 Ngoba ukufa kwenyukele emawindini ethu, kwangena ezigodlweni zethu, ukuquma abantwana ezitaladeni, amajaha emidangeni.
For death has come up into our windows, forcing its way into our great houses; cutting off the children in the streets and the young men in the wide places.
22 Khuluma uthi: Itsho njalo iNkosi: Ngitsho isidumbu somuntu sizakuwa njengamalongwe ebusweni bensimu, lanjengomzila wamabele asikiweyo emva komvuni, njalo kungabi lobuthayo.
The bodies of men will be falling like waste on the open fields, and like grain dropped by the grain-cutter, and no one will take them up.
23 Itsho njalo iNkosi: Ohlakaniphileyo kangazincomi ngenhlakanipho yakhe, leqhawe lingazincomi ngobuqhawe balo, isinothi singazincomi ngenotho yaso;
This is the word of the Lord: Let not the wise man take pride in his wisdom, or the strong man in his strength, or the man of wealth in his wealth:
24 kodwa ozincomayo kazincome ngalokhu, ukuthi uyaqedisisa uyangazi mina, ukuthi ngiyiNkosi esebenzisa uthandolomusa, isahlulelo, lokulunga emhlabeni; ngoba kulezizinto ngiyathokoza, itsho iNkosi.
But if any man has pride, let it be in this, that he has the wisdom to have knowledge of me, that I am the Lord, working mercy, giving true decisions, and doing righteousness in the earth: for in these things I have delight, says the Lord.
25 Khangela, insuku ziyeza, itsho iNkosi, lapho ngizajezisa bonke abasokileyo ekungasokini:
See, the day is coming, says the Lord, when I will send punishment on all those who have circumcision in the flesh;
26 IGibhithe, loJuda, loEdoma, labantwana bakoAmoni, loMowabi, labo bonke abaphoselwe engonsini, abahlala enkangala; ngoba zonke izizwe kazisokwanga, layo yonke indlu kaIsrayeli kayisokwanga enhliziyweni.
On Egypt and on Judah and on Edom and on the children of Ammon and on Moab and on all who have the ends of their hair cut, who are living in the waste land: for all these nations and all the people of Israel are without circumcision in their hearts.
