Jeremia 4
1 “Haiwa Israeri, kana muchida kudzoka, dzokai kwandiri,” ndizvo zvinotaura Jehovha. “Kana mukabvisa pamberi pangu zvifananidzo zvenyu zvinonyangadza uye mukasarasikazve,
Yahweh says, “You Israeli [people], come back to me! If you get rid of those detestable idols and do not turn away from me [again],
2 kana mukapika muchokwadi, nokururama uye nenzira yakarurama muchiti: ‘Zvirokwazvo naJehovha mupenyu,’ ipapo ndudzi dzicharopafadzwa naye uye dzichazvirumbidza maari.”
and if you declare, ‘Just as surely as Yahweh lives, what he says is true,’ and if you [start to] always say what is true and act justly/fairly and righteously, then the [people in the other] nations [of the world] will request that I bless them [as I have blessed you], and they will [all come and] honor/praise me.”
3 Izvi ndizvo zvinotaura Jehovha kuvanhu veJudha neJerusarema: “Zviundirei gombo murege kudyara pakati peminzwa.
This is what Yahweh says to the people of Jerusalem and [the other cities in] Judah: “[Prepare yourselves to receive my messages] like farmers plow up hard ground [in order that they can plant seed in it]. Just as farmers do not [waste good seed by] sowing seeds among thorny plants, [I do not want to waste my time telling you messages that you are not ready to receive].
4 Zvidzingisirei kuna Jehovha, dzingisai mwoyo yenyu, imi varume veJudha nemi vanhu veJerusarema, kuti kutsamwa kwangu kurege kukubudirai kukapisa somoto, nokuda kwezvakaipa zvamakaita, iko kupisa kusina angakudzima.
Purify your inner beings and your minds for me. If you do not do that, my being angry with you [MTY] because of [all] the sins that you have committed will be like a fire that will be impossible to extinguish.”
5 “Zivisai munyika yaJudha uye muparidze muJerusarema muchiti: ‘Ridzai hwamanda munyika yose!’ Danidzirai nesimba muchiti: ‘Unganai pamwe chete! Ngatitizirei kumaguta akakomberedzwa!’
“Declare this [DOU] to [all the people in] Jerusalem and [the rest of] Judea; blow the trumpets everywhere in the land [to warn the people]. Tell them that they should flee to the cities that have high walls around them.
6 Simudzai mureza wokuenda kuZioni! Tizai muvande musinganonoki! Nokuti ndiri kuuyisa njodzi inobva kumusoro, iko kuparadza kwakaipisisa.”
Shout to the people of Jerusalem, ‘Run away [now]! Do not delay, because I am about to cause you to experience a terrible disaster [DOU] that will come from the north.
7 Shumba yabuda mudenhere rayo; muparadzi wendudzi abuda. Asiya nzvimbo yake kuti aparadze nyika yenyu. Maguta enyu achava matongo pasina achagaramo.
[An army] that has destroyed [many] nations will attack you [like] [MET] a lion that comes out of its den [to attack other animals]. [The soldiers of that army] have taken down their tents and they are ready to march toward your land. They will destroy your cities and leave them without any people still living in them.’
8 Naizvozvo pfekai masaga, chemai muungudze, nokuti kutsamwa kwaJehovha kunotyisa hakuna kubva kwatiri.
So, put on sackcloth/rough clothes and weep and beat your chests [to show that you are very sorry for what you have done], because Yahweh is still very angry with us.
9 “Pazuva iro,” ndizvo zvinotaura Jehovha, “mambo namachinda vachaora mwoyo, vaprista vachatyiswa, uye vaprofita vachavhundutswa.”
Yahweh said that at the time [he punishes you], the King of Judah and [all his] officials will be very afraid. The priests and the prophets will be terrified.
10 Ipapo ndakati, “Haiwa, Ishe Jehovha, makanyengera kwazvo vanhu ava neJerusarema muchiti, ‘Muchava norugare,’ nyamba munondo uri pahuro dzedu.”
Then I replied, “Yahweh [my] God, you completely deceived the people by telling them that there would be peace in Jerusalem, but now [our enemies] [PRS] are ready to slaughter us with their swords!”
11 Panguva iyoyo vanhu ava neJerusarema vachaudzwa kuti, “Mhepo inopisa inobva kunzvimbo dzakakwirira dzisina miti mugwenga inovhuvhuta yakananga vanhu vangu, asi isingapepeti kana kunatsa;
When that happens, [Yahweh] will say to the people of Jerusalem, [“A huge army will come to attack you]. They will not [be like a gentle breeze that] separates wheat from chaff. [They will be like] a very hot wind [that blows in] from the desert [MET].
12 mhepo ine simba kwazvo kudarika iyoyo ichabva kwandiri. Zvino ndiwo wava mutongo wangu pamusoro pavo.”
[They will be like] [MET] a strong blast that I will send. Now I am declaring that I will punish/destroy you.”
13 Tarirai! Ari kuuya samakore, ngoro dzake dzinouya sechamupupuri, mabhiza ake anomhanya kupfuura makondo, Tine nhamo! Taparara!
[Our enemies] are about to rush down on us; their chariots are like [SIM] whirlwinds. Their horses are faster than eagles. It will be terrible for us!
14 Haiwa Jerusarema, shamba zvakaipa zviri mumwoyo mako ugoponeswa. Ucharamba uchingoviga pfungwa dzako dzakaipa kusvikira riini?
[You people of] Jerusalem [APO], purify your hearts/inner beings, in order that Yahweh will rescue you. How long will you continue to think about [doing] evil things?
15 Inzwi rinodanidzira richibva kuDhani, richizivisa nezvenjodzi inobva kuzvikomo zveEfuremu.
From Dan [city in the far north] to the hills of Ephraim [a few miles/kilometers north of Jerusalem] messengers are proclaiming that disasters are coming.
16 “Zivisai izvi kumarudzi, zviparidzei kuJerusarema muchiti: ‘Hondo ichakukombai iri kuuya ichibva kunyika iri kure, ichidanidzira zvehondo yokurwisa maguta eJudha.
Tell this to the [people in other] nations [but also] announce it in Jerusalem: [Yahweh says], “An army is coming to Jerusalem from far away; they will shout [a battle-cry] against the cities in Judah.
17 Vanorikomba savanhu vakarinda munda, nokuti rakandimukira,’” ndizvo zvinotaura Jehovha.
They will set up tents around Jerusalem like people set up temporary shelters [SIM] around a field [at harvest time]. That will happen because the people of Judah have rebelled against me.
18 “Tsika dzako namabasa ako ndizvo zvauyisa izvi pamusoro pako. Ichi ndicho chirango chako. Haiwa, zvinovava sei! Haiwa, zvinobaya sei mwoyo!”
You will be punished very severely; it will [be as though a sword] has stabbed your inner beings. But you are causing those things to happen to you because of the evil things that you have done.”
19 Maiwe, kurwadziwa kwangu, kurwadziwa kwangu! Ndiri kubidirika nokurwadziwa. Haiwa, kurwadza kwomwoyo wangu! Hana yangu inorova mukati mangu, handinganyarari. Nokuti ndanzwa kurira kwehwamanda; ndanzwa mheremhere yehondo.
I am extremely anguished/sad; the pain in my inner being is very severe. My heart beats wildly. But I cannot remain silent because I have heard [our enemies] blowing their trumpets to announce that the battle [against Judah will start immediately].
20 Njodzi inotevera njodzi; nyika yose yava dongo. Munguva shoma shoma, matende angu aparadzwa, musha wangu nenguva diki diki.
Disasters will occur one after another until the whole land is ruined. Suddenly [all] our tents will be destroyed; [even] the curtains [inside the tents] will be ripped apart.
21 Ndicharamba ndichiona mureza wehondo kusvikira riniko, uye ndichanzwa kurira kwehwamanda kusvikira riniko?
How long will this battle continue? How long will I continue to see the enemy battle flags and hear the sound of their trumpets being blown?
22 “Vanhu vangu mapenzi; havandizivi ini. Vana vasina pfungwa; havanzwisisi. Vakangwarira kuita zvakaipa; havazivi kuita zvakanaka.”
[Yahweh says], “My people are [very] foolish! They do not have a relationship with me. They are [like] [MET] stupid children who do not understand [anything]. They very cleverly do what is wrong, but they do not know how to do what is good.”
23 Ndakatarira nyika, yakanga isina kugadzirwa, isina chinhu; uye nokumatenga, chiedza chawo chakanga chisisipo.
[God gave me a vision in which] I saw that the earth was barren and without form. I looked at the sky, and there was no light there.
24 Ndakatarira pamakomo, tarirai, aidengenyeka; zvikomo zvose zvaizeya.
I looked at the mountains and hills, and they shook and moved from side to side.
25 Ndakatarira, ipapo pakanga pasina vanhu; shiri dzose dzedenga dzakanga dzabhururuka dzikaenda kure.
I looked and saw that there were no [more] people, and all the birds had flown away.
26 Ndakatarira, ndokuona nyika yaibereka zvibereko yava gwenga; maguta ayo ose ava matongo pamberi paJehovha, pamberi pehasha dzake dzinotyisa.
I looked and saw that the fields that previously were fertile had become a desert. The cities were all ruined; they had all been destroyed by Yahweh because he was extremely angry.
27 Zvanzi naJehovha: “Nyika yose ichaparadzwa, kunyange hangu ndisingazoiparadzi zvachose.
This is what Yahweh is saying: “The entire land [of Judah] will be ruined, but I will not destroy it completely.
28 Naizvozvo nyika ichachema uye matenga kumusoro achava rima nokuti ndini ndazvitaura uye handingaregi kuzviita, ndini ndazvisarudza uye handingadzokeri shure.”
I will do to my people what I said that I would do, and I will not change my mind. So [when that happens, it will be as though] the earth will mourn and the sky will become very dark.”
29 Paanonzwa kutinhira kwavatasvi vamabhiza nokwavawemburi vouta, maguta ose anotiza. Vamwe vanopinda mumatenhere; vamwe vanokwira pakati pamatombo. Maguta ose asara asina munhu; hapana anogaramo.
[When the people hear] the sound of the [enemy] army marching, [they will be terrified as] they flee from their cities. Some of them will find places to hide in the bushes, and others will run toward the mountains/hills [to escape being killed by their enemies]. All the cities [in Judah] will be abandoned; not one person will remain in them.
30 Uchaiteiko, iwe wokuparadzwa? Wapfekereiko nguo tsvuku, uye unoshongereiko zvishongo zvegoridhe? Wazorereiko meso ako pendi? Unongozvishongedzera pasina. Zvikomba zvako zvinokushora; zvinotsvaka kukuuraya.
So you who will surely be destroyed, [why are you doing the things that you are doing now]? Why are you wearing beautiful clothes and jewelry? Why are you putting paint around your eyes? Doing those things will not help you, because the people [in other countries that you think] love you [actually] despise you, and they will try to kill you.
31 Ndiri kunzwa kuchema sekwomukadzi anorwadziwa pakusununguka, kugomera sekwomukadzi opona dangwe rake, kuchema kwoMwanasikana weZioni ari kufemedzeka, achitambanudza maoko ake achiti, “Maiwe! Ndoziya; upenyu hwangu hwaiswa kuvaurayi.”
[It is as though] I already hear [the people in Jerusalem] crying very loudly, like [SIM] a woman cries when she is giving birth to her first child; she gasps for breath and pleads for someone to help her. [It is as though Jerusalem] is crying, “Something terrible is happening to me! They are about to murder me!”
