Yeremia 7
1 Hili ndilo neno lililomjia Yeremia kutoka kwa Bwana:
The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying,
2 “Simama kwenye lango la nyumba ya Bwana, na huko upige mbiu ya ujumbe huu: “‘Sikieni neno la Bwana, enyi watu wote wa Yuda mliokuja kupitia malango haya ili kumwabudu Bwana.
Take your place in the doorway of the Lord's house, and give out this word there, and say, Give ear to the word of the Lord, all you of Judah who come inside these doors to give worship to the Lord.
3 Hili ndilo asemalo Bwana Mwenye Nguvu Zote, Mungu wa Israeli: Tengenezeni njia zenu na matendo yenu, nami nitawaacha mkae mahali hapa.
The Lord of armies, the God of Israel, says, Let your ways and your doings be changed for the better and I will let you go on living in this place.
4 Msitumainie maneno ya udanganyifu na kusema, “Hili ni Hekalu la Bwana, Hekalu la Bwana, Hekalu la Bwana!”
Put no faith in false words, saying, The Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord, are these.
5 Kama kweli mkibadili njia zenu na matendo yenu, mkatendeana haki kila mmoja na mwenzake,
For if your ways and your doings are truly changed for the better; if you truly give right decisions between a man and his neighbour;
6 kama msipomwonea mgeni, yatima wala mjane, na kumwaga damu isiyo na hatia mahali hapa, nanyi kama msipofuata miungu mingine kwa madhara yenu wenyewe,
If you are not cruel to the man from a strange country, and to the child without a father, and to the widow, and do not put the upright to death in this place, or go after other gods, causing damage to yourselves:
7 ndipo nitawaacha mkae mahali hapa, katika nchi niliyowapa baba zenu milele na milele.
Then I will let you go on living in this place, in the land which I gave to your fathers in the past and for ever.
8 Lakini tazama, mnatumainia maneno ya udanganyifu yasiyo na maana.
See, you put your faith in false words which are of no profit.
9 “‘Je, mtaiba na kuua, mtazini na kuapa kwa uongo, na kufukiza uvumba kwa Baali, na kufuata miungu mingine ambayo hamkuijua,
Will you take the goods of others, put men to death, and be untrue to your wives, and take false oaths, and have perfumes burned to the Baal, and go after other gods which are strange to you;
10 kisha mje na kusimama mbele yangu katika nyumba hii inayoitwa kwa Jina langu, mkisema, “Tuko salama.” Salama kwa kufanya mambo haya yote ya kuchukiza?
And come and take your place before me in this house, which is named by my name, and say, We have been made safe; so that you may do all these disgusting things?
11 Je, nyumba hii, iitwayo kwa Jina langu, imekuwa pango la wanyangʼanyi kwenu? Lakini nimekuwa nikiona yanayotendeka! asema Bwana.
Has this house, which is named by my name, become a hole of thieves to you? Truly I, even I, have seen it, says the Lord.
12 “‘Nendeni sasa mahali pangu palipokuwa huko Shilo, mahali ambapo nilipafanya pa kwanza kuwa makao ya Jina langu, nanyi mwone lile nililopafanyia kwa ajili ya uovu wa watu wangu Israeli.
But go now to my place which was in Shiloh, where I put my name at first, and see what I did to it because of the evil-doing of my people Israel.
13 Mlipokuwa mnafanya yote haya, asema Bwana, nilisema nanyi tena na tena, lakini hamkusikiliza; niliwaita, lakini hamkujibu.
And now, because you have done all these works, says the Lord, and I sent my word to you, getting up early and sending, but you did not give ear; and my voice came to you, but you gave no answer:
14 Kwa hiyo, nililolifanyia Shilo, nitalifanya sasa kwa nyumba hii iitwayo kwa Jina langu, Hekalu mnalolitumainia, mahali nilipowapa ninyi na baba zenu.
For this reason I will do to the house which is named by my name, and in which you have put your faith, and to the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh.
15 Nitawafukuza mbele yangu, kama nilivyowafanyia ndugu zenu, watu wa Efraimu.’
And I will send you away from before my face, as I have sent away all your brothers, even all the seed of Ephraim.
16 “Kwa hiyo usiombe kwa ajili ya watu hawa, wala usinililie, na usifanye maombi kwa ajili yao; usinisihi, kwa sababu sitakusikiliza.
And as for you (Jeremiah), make no prayers for this people, send up no cry or prayer for them, make no request for them to me: for I will not give ear.
17 Je, huyaoni hayo wanayoyatenda katika miji ya Yuda na katika barabara za Yerusalemu?
Do you not see what they are doing in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?
18 Watoto wanakusanya kuni, baba zao wanawasha moto, na wanawake wanakanda unga na kuoka mikate kwa ajili ya Malkia wa Mbinguni. Wanamimina sadaka za vinywaji kwa miungu mingine ili kunikasirisha.
The children go for wood, the fathers get the fire burning, the women are working the paste to make cakes for the queen of heaven, and drink offerings are drained out to other gods, moving me to wrath.
19 Lakini je, mimi ndiye wanayenikasirisha? asema Bwana. Je, hawajiumizi wenyewe na kujiaibisha?
Are they moving me to wrath? says the Lord; are they not moving themselves to their shame?
20 “‘Kwa hiyo hivi ndivyo asemavyo Bwana Mwenyezi: Hasira yangu na ghadhabu yangu itamwagwa mahali hapa, juu ya mwanadamu na mnyama, juu ya miti ya shambani na juu ya matunda ya ardhini, nayo itaungua pasipo kuzimwa.
So this is what the Lord God has said: See, my wrath and my passion will be let loose on this place, on man and beast, and on the trees of the field, and on the produce of the earth; it will be burning and will not be put out.
21 “‘Hivi ndivyo asemavyo Bwana Mwenye Nguvu Zote, Mungu wa Israeli: Endeleeni, ongezeni sadaka zenu za kuteketezwa juu ya dhabihu zenu nyingine, mle nyama hiyo wenyewe!
These are the words of the Lord of armies, the God of Israel: Put your burned offerings with your offerings of beasts, and take flesh for your food.
22 Kwa kuwa nilipowaleta baba zenu kutoka Misri na kusema nao, sikuwapa amri kuhusu sadaka za kuteketezwa na dhabihu tu,
For I said nothing to your fathers, and gave them no orders, on the day when I took them out of Egypt, about burned offerings or offerings of beasts:
23 lakini niliwapa amri hii nikisema: Nitiini mimi, nami nitakuwa Mungu wenu nanyi mtakuwa watu wangu. Enendeni katika njia zote ninazowaamuru ili mpate kufanikiwa.
But this was the order I gave them, saying, Give ear to my voice, and I will be your God, and you will be my people: go in all the way ordered by me, so that all may be well for you.
24 Lakini hawakusikiliza wala kujali. Badala yake, walifuata ukaidi wa mioyo yao miovu. Walirudi nyuma badala ya kusonga mbele.
But they took no note and did not give ear, but were guided by the thoughts and the pride of their evil hearts, going back and not forward.
25 Tangu wakati ule baba zenu walipotoka Misri hadi sasa, siku baada ya siku, tena na tena nimewatumia watumishi wangu manabii.
From the day when your fathers came out of Egypt till this day, I have sent my servants the prophets to you, getting up early every day and sending them:
26 Lakini hawakunisikiliza wala hawakujali. Walikuwa na shingo ngumu na kufanya maovu kuliko baba zao.’
But still they took no note and would not give ear, but they made their necks stiff, doing worse than their fathers.
27 “Utakapowaambia haya yote, hawatakusikiliza; utakapowaita, hawatajibu.
And you are to say all these words to them, but they will not give ear to you: you will send out your voice to them, but they will give no answer.
28 Kwa hiyo waambie, ‘Hili ni taifa ambalo halimtii Bwana, Mungu wao, wala kukubali maonyo. Kweli imekufa, imetoweka midomoni mwao.
And you are to say to them, This is the nation which has not given ear to the voice of their God, or taken his teaching to heart: good faith is dead and is cut off from their mouths.
29 Nyoeni nywele zenu na kuzitupa, ombolezeni katika miinuko iliyo kame, kwa kuwa Bwana amekikataa na kukiacha kizazi hiki kilichomkasirisha.
Let your hair be cut off, O Jerusalem, and let it go, and let a song of grief go up on the open hilltops; for the Lord is turned away from the generation of his wrath and has given them up.
30 “‘Watu wa Yuda wamefanya maovu machoni pangu, asema Bwana. Wameziweka sanamu zao za machukizo ndani ya nyumba iitwayo kwa Jina langu, na wameitia unajisi.
For the children of Judah have done what is evil in my eyes, says the Lord: they have put their disgusting images in the house which is named by my name, making it unclean.
31 Wamejenga mahali pa juu pa kuabudia sanamu pa Tofethi kwenye Bonde la Ben-Hinomu ili kuwateketeza wana wao na binti zao kwenye moto, kitu ambacho sikuamuru, wala hakikuingia akilini mwangu.
And they have put up the high place of Topheth in the valley of the son of Hinnom, burning their sons and their daughters there in the fire; a thing which was not ordered by me and never came into my mind.
32 Kwa hiyo mjihadhari, siku zinakuja, asema Bwana, wakati watu watakapokuwa hawapaiti Tofethi au Bonde la Ben-Hinomu, lakini watapaita Bonde la Machinjo, kwa sababu watawazika wafu huko Tofethi mpaka pasiwe tena nafasi.
For this cause, the days are coming, says the Lord, when it will no longer be named Topheth, or, The valley of the son of Hinnom, but, The valley of Death: for they will put the dead into the earth in Topheth till there is no more room.
33 Ndipo mizoga ya watu hawa itakuwa chakula cha ndege wa angani na wanyama wa nchi, wala hapatakuwepo na yeyote wa kuwafukuza.
And the bodies of this people will be food for the birds of heaven and for the beasts of the earth; and there will be no one to send them away.
34 Nitazikomesha sauti za shangwe na furaha, na sauti za bwana arusi na bibi arusi katikati ya miji ya Yuda na barabara za Yerusalemu, kwa sababu nchi itakuwa ukiwa.
And in the towns of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, I will put an end to the laughing voices, the voice of joy and the voice of the newly-married man and the voice of the bride: for the land will become a waste.
