Zekaria 11
1 Fungua milango yako, ee Lebanoni, ili moto uteketeze mierezi yako!
[You people of] [APO] Lebanon [should] open your gates, [because you will not be able to stop] fire from burning your cedar [trees]!
2 Piga yowe, ee mti wa msunobari, kwa kuwa mwerezi umeanguka; miti ya fahari imeharibiwa! Piga yowe, enyi mialoni ya Bashani, msitu mnene umefyekwa!
Your cypress/pine [trees] [APO] should [also] wail because the cedar [trees] have been cut down. Those glorious/great trees have been destroyed. The oak trees in the Bashan [region] should also wail, because the other trees in the forest have been cut down.
3 Sikiliza yowe la wachungaji; malisho yao manono yameangamizwa! Sikia ngurumo za simba; kichaka kilichostawi sana cha Yordani kimeharibiwa!
And listen to the shepherds crying because the fertile pastures have been ruined. Listen to the lions roar; they roar because the delightful forest [where they live] near the Jordan [River] has been ruined.
4 Hili ndilo asemalo Bwana Mungu wangu: “Lilishe kundi lililokusudiwa kuchinjwa.
This is what Yahweh my God said [to me]: “[I want you to] become a shepherd for a flock [of sheep that are about] to be slaughtered.
5 Wanunuzi wake huwachinja na kuondoka pasipo kuadhibiwa. Wale wanaowauza husema, ‘Bwana asifiwe, mimi ni tajiri!’ Wachungaji wao wenyewe hawawahurumii.
The people who are going to buy the sheep will kill the sheep, and they will not be punished. Those who are selling the sheep say, ‘[I] praise Yahweh, [because] I will become rich!’ Even the shepherds do not feel sorry for the sheep.
6 Kwa kuwa sitawahurumia tena watu wa nchi,” asema Bwana. “Nitawakabidhi kila mtu mkononi mwa jirani yake na mfalme wake. Wataitenda jeuri nchi, nami sitawaokoa kutoka mikononi mwao.”
And similarly, I no longer feel sorry for the people of this country. I am going to allow many of them [HYP] to be captured by other people or by their king. Those who capture them will ruin this country, and I will not rescue any [of the people].”
7 Kwa hiyo nikalilisha kundi lililotiwa alama kwa kuchinjwa, hasa kundi lililoonewa sana. Kisha nikachukua fimbo mbili, moja nikaiita Fadhili na nyingine Umoja, nami nikalilisha kundi.
So I became the shepherd of a flock [of sheep that were about] to be slaughtered [for their meat to be sold] to the dealers. [I took good care of the sheep, even the ones that were the weakest sheep. Then] I took two [shepherds’] /walking sticks). I named the one [staff] ‘Kindness’ and the other [staff] ‘Union’. And I took good care of the sheep.
8 Katika mwezi mmoja nikawaondoa wachungaji watatu. Kundi la kondoo likanichukia, nami nikachoshwa nao,
But the three shepherds [who had been working with me] detested me, and I became impatient with them. Within one month I (dismissed/got rid of) those shepherds.
9 nikasema, “Sitakuwa mchungaji wenu. Waache wanaokufa wafe na wanaoangamia waangamie. Wale waliobakia kila mmoja na ale nyama ya mwenzake.”
So I said [to the dealers], “I will no [longer] be the shepherd. I will allow the ones that are dying to die. I will allow the ones that are getting lost to get lost. And I will not prevent those that remain from destroying each other.”
10 Kisha nikachukua fimbo yangu inayoitwa Fadhili nikaivunja, kutangua Agano nililofanya na mataifa yote.
Then I took the staff that I had named ‘Kindness’ and I broke it. [That showed that Yahweh] was annulling/canceling the agreement that he had made with all the people-groups.
11 Likatanguka siku hiyo, kwa hiyo wale waliodhurika katika kundi, waliokuwa wakiniangalia wakajua kuwa hilo lilikuwa neno la Bwana.
So that agreement was ended immediately. And the men who bought and sold sheep who were watching me knew [by seeing what I was doing] that I was giving them a message from Yahweh.
12 Nikawaambia, “Mkiona kuwa ni vyema, nipeni ujira wangu, la sivyo, basi msinipe.” Kwa hiyo wakanilipa vipande thelathini vya fedha.
I told them, “If you think it is what you should do, pay me [for taking care of the sheep]. If you do not think that is what you should do, do not pay me.” So they paid me [only] 30 pieces of silver.
13 Naye Bwana akaniambia, “Mtupie mfinyanzi,” hiyo bei nzuri waliyonithaminia! Kwa hiyo nikachukua hivyo vipande thelathini vya fedha na kumtupia huyo mfinyanzi katika nyumba ya Bwana.
Then Yahweh said to me, “[That is a ridiculously small amount of money that they have paid you]! [So] throw it to the man who makes clay pots!” So I took the silver to the temple of Yahweh, and I threw it in the chest where the offerings/money is kept.
14 Kisha nikaivunja fimbo yangu ya pili iitwayo Umoja, kuvunja undugu kati ya Yuda na Israeli!
Then I broke my second staff, [the one that I named] ‘Union’. That [indicated that] Judah and Israel would no longer be united.
15 Kisha Bwana akaniambia, “Vitwae tena vifaa vya mchungaji mpumbavu.
Then Yahweh said to me, “Take again the things that a foolish shepherd uses,
16 Kwa maana ninakwenda kumwinua mchungaji juu ya nchi ambaye hatamjali aliyepotea, wala kuwatafuta wale wachanga au kuwaponya waliojeruhiwa, wala kuwalisha wenye afya, lakini atakula nyama ya kondoo wanono na kuzirarua kwato zao.
because I am going to appoint a new king for the people, [one who will not take care of my people. He will be like a foolish shepherd]: [MET] He will not take care of those who are dying, those who are very young, those who have been injured, or those who do not have enough food. Instead, he will [treat them very cruelly, like a shepherd who would] [MET] kill and eat the best sheep and tear off their hoofs.
17 “Ole wa mchungaji asiyefaa, anayeliacha kundi! Upanga na uupige mkono wake na jicho lake la kuume! Mkono wake na unyauke kabisa, jicho lake la kuume lipofuke kabisa!”
But terrible things will happen to that foolish/useless king who abandons the people [MET] over whom he rules. [His enemies] will strike his arm and his right eye with their swords. [The result will be that] he will have no strength in his arm, and his right eye will become completely blind.”
