Yeremia 11
1 Hili ndilo neno lililomjia Yeremia kutoka kwa Bwana:
This is [another] message that Yahweh told me:
2 “Sikia maneno ya agano hili, nawe uwaambie watu wa Yuda na wale waishio Yerusalemu.
“Listen to the agreement that I made with [the ancestors of] the people of Jerusalem and [the other cities in] Judah. Then remind them of [that agreement].
3 Waambie kwamba hili ndilo asemalo Bwana, Mungu wa Israeli: ‘Amelaaniwa mtu ambaye hatayatii maneno ya agano hili,
Then tell them that [I], Yahweh, the God whom the Israeli [people worship], said that I will curse everyone who does not obey what was written in that agreement that I made with them.
4 maneno niliyowaamuru baba zenu nilipowatoa katika nchi ya Misri, kutoka tanuru la kuyeyushia vyuma.’ Nilisema, ‘Nitiini mimi na mfanye kila kitu ninachowaamuru, nanyi mtakuwa watu wangu, nami nitakuwa Mungu wenu.
It is the same agreement that I made with their ancestors when I brought them out of Egypt. [What happened to them in Egypt was terrible; it was as though they were] living in a hot furnace [MET]. When I brought them out of Egypt, I told them to obey me, and to do everything that I had commanded them to do. [I also told them] that if they obeyed me, they would be my people and I would be their God.
5 Kisha nitatimiza kiapo nilichowaapia baba zenu, kuwapa nchi itiririkayo maziwa na asali,’ nchi ambayo mnaimiliki leo.” Nikajibu, “Amen, Bwana.”
[Now tell these people that if they obey me], I will do what I promised to do for their ancestors. I will enable them to continue living in this very fertile [IDM] land in which they now live.” I replied, “Yahweh, I hope that what you said will happen.”
6 Bwana akaniambia, “Tangaza maneno haya yote katika miji ya Yuda na katika barabara za Yerusalemu: ‘Sikilizeni maneno ya agano hili na kuyafuata.
Then Yahweh said to me, “Go into the streets of Jerusalem and to the [other] cities in Judah. Proclaim my message to the people. Tell them to listen to the agreement [that I made with their ancestors], and to obey it.
7 Tangu wakati ule niliwapandisha baba zenu kutoka Misri mpaka leo, niliwaonya tena na tena, nikisema “Nitiini mimi.”
When I brought their ancestors out of Egypt, I solemnly pleaded with them many times to obey me, and I am still pleading with them now.
8 Lakini hawakusikiliza wala kujali. Badala yake, walifuata ukaidi wa mioyo yao miovu. Hivyo nikaleta juu yao laana zote za agano nililokuwa nimewaamuru wao kulifuata, lakini wao hawakulishika.’”
But they did not obey me or [even] pay any attention to me. Everyone continued to be stubborn and to do the evil things that they wanted to do. I commanded them to do what was written in the agreement, but they refused. So I punished them in all the ways that I promised that I would.”
9 Kisha Bwana akaniambia, “Kuna shauri baya linaloendelea miongoni mwa watu wa Yuda na wale wanaoishi Yerusalemu.
Then Yahweh said to me, “The people of Jerusalem and [the other cities in] Judah are rebelling against me.
10 Wamerudia dhambi za baba zao, waliokataa kusikiliza maneno yangu. Wameifuata miungu mingine kuitumikia. Nyumba zote mbili za Israeli na Yuda zimelivunja agano nililofanya na baba zao.
Their ancestors refused to do what I told them to do, and [now] these people have returned to committing the sins that their ancestors committed. They are worshiping other gods. The people of Israel disobeyed the agreement that I made with their ancestors, and [now] the people of Judah have done the same thing.
11 Kwa hivyo, hili ndilo asemalo Bwana: ‘Nitaleta juu yao maafa ambayo hawawezi kuyakimbia. Hata kama wakinililia, sitawasikiliza.
So now I, Yahweh, am warning them that I will cause them to experience disasters, and they will not escape them. And when they cry out for me [to help them], I will not pay attention.
12 Miji ya Yuda na watu wa Yerusalemu watakwenda kuililia miungu ambayo wameifukizia uvumba, lakini haitawasaidia kamwe wakati maafa yatakapowapiga.
When that happens, the people in Jerusalem and [other] cities in Judah will [offer sacrifices and] burn incense to their gods and ask for their help, but those gods will not be able to save them when those disasters come to them.
13 Mnayo miungu mingi kama miji mliyo nayo, ee Yuda, nazo madhabahu mlizozijenga za kufukizia uvumba huyo mungu wa aibu Baali ni nyingi kama barabara za Yerusalemu.’
There are more gods in Judah than there are towns in Judah, and the people of Jerusalem have erected as many altars to burn incense [to those gods] as there are streets in Jerusalem.
14 “Wewe usiwaombee watu hawa wala kufanya maombezi yoyote au kunisihi kwa ajili yao, kwa sababu sitawasikiliza watakaponiita wakati wa taabu yao.
Jeremiah, do not pray for these people, and do not plead with me to rescue them. If you plead with me, I will not pay attention; and if they cry out to me for help when they are in distress, I will not listen to them.”
15 “Mpenzi wangu anafanya nini hekaluni mwangu, anapofanya mashauri yake maovu na wengi? Je, nyama iliyowekwa wakfu yaweza kuondolea mbali adhabu yako? Unapojiingiza katika ubaya wako, ndipo unashangilia.”
Then Yahweh said, “The people [of Judah] whom I love certainly no longer have [RHQ] a right to come to my temple, because they continually do many evil things. [They think that] continually making sacrifices of meat to me certainly will [RHQ] protect them from disasters, with the result that they will be able to rejoice.
16 Bwana alikuita mti wa mzeituni uliostawi ulio na matunda mazuri kwa sura. Lakini kwa ngurumo ya mawimbi makuu atautia moto, nayo matawi yake yatavunjika.
I previously said that they were like an olive tree full of green leaves with a lot of good olives on it, but [now I will send their enemies to attack] them furiously; [it is as though] I will break off their branches, and [their city] will be destroyed by fire.
17 Bwana Mwenye Nguvu Zote, aliyekupanda, ametamka maafa kwa ajili yako, kwa sababu nyumba ya Israeli na nyumba ya Yuda mmefanya maovu na kunikasirisha kwa kumfukizia Baali uvumba.
[It is as though] the people of Judah and Israel were a beautiful olive tree that I, the Commander of the armies of angels, planted, but [now], by burning incense to [their god] Baal, they have caused me to become [very] angry. So [now] I have decided to destroy them.”
18 Kwa sababu Bwana alinifunulia hila zao mbaya, nilizifahamu, kwa kuwa wakati ule alinionyesha yale waliyokuwa wanayafanya.
Yahweh revealed to me that [my enemies] were planning to kill me.
19 Nilikuwa kama mwana-kondoo mpole aliyeongozwa machinjoni; mimi sikutambua kwamba walikuwa wamefanya shauri baya dhidi yangu, wakisema, “Sisi na tuuangamize mti na matunda yake; nasi tumkatilie mbali kutoka nchi ya walio hai, ili jina lake lisikumbukwe tena.”
[Before he did that], I was like a lamb that was being led away to be slaughtered; I did not know what they were planning to do. I did not know that they were saying, “Let’s get rid of this tree and its fruit,” so [I did not know] that they intended to kill me, in order that no one would remember me [MTY].
20 Lakini, Ee Bwana Mwenye Nguvu Zote, wewe uhukumuye kwa haki, nawe uchunguzaye moyo na akili, wacha nione ukiwalipiza wao kisasi, kwa maana kwako nimeweka shauri langu.
[Then I prayed], “Commander of the armies of angels, you judge people justly/fairly, and you examine everything that we are thinking [DOU]. Allow me to watch you getting revenge on the people [who want to kill me], because I trust that you will do for me what is right.”
21 “Kwa hiyo hili ndilo Bwana asemalo kuhusu watu wa Anathothi wale wanaotafuta uhai wako wakisema, ‘Usitoe unabii kwa jina la Bwana, la sivyo utakufa kwa mikono yetu’:
It was the men of [my own town], Anathoth, who wanted to kill me, and they told me that they would kill me if I did not stop prophesying what Yahweh told me to say.
22 kwa hiyo hili ndilo Bwana Mwenye Nguvu Zote asemalo: ‘Nitawaadhibu. Vijana wao waume watakufa kwa upanga, wana wao na binti zao kwa njaa.
So the Commander of the armies of angels said [about them], “I will punish them. Their young men will be killed in wars, and their children will die because they have no food.
23 Hawatasaziwa hata mabaki kwao, kwa sababu nitaleta maafa kwa watu wa Anathothi katika mwaka wa adhabu yao.’”
I have set a time when I will bring disasters to the people of Anathoth, and when that happens, none of them will remain alive.”
