Yeremia 26
1 Mwanzoni mwa utawala wake Yehoyakimu mwana wa Yosia, neno likaja kutoka kwa Yeremia, likisema,
Soon after Jehoiakim became the king of Judah, Yahweh gave [me] this message:
2 “Yahwe anasema hivi: Simama katika uwanja wa nyumba yangu na sema kuhusu miji yote ya Yuda ambao huja kuabudu katika nyumba yangu. Tangaza maneno yote niliyokuamuru kuyasema kwao. Usipunguze neno lolote!
“This is what [I], Yahweh, am telling you: Stand in the courtyard [in front] of my temple, and speak to all [the people from] the various towns in Judah who come there to worship me. Tell them everything that I tell you; do not omit anything.
3 Labda watasikiliza, kwamba kila mtu ataziacha njia zake mbaya, ili nighairi majanga ninayokusudia kuyaleta juu yao kwa sababu ya uovu wa matendo yao.
[If you do tell them everything], perhaps they will pay attention, and each one of them will turn away from his evil behavior. Then I will change my mind, and not cause them to experience the disaster that I was planning to cause them to experience because of the evil things that they have done.
4 Kwa hiyo lazima useme kwao, 'Yahwe anasema hivi: Kama hamtanisikiliza ili mtembee katika sheria yangu ambayo nimeiweka mbele yenu—
Say to them, ‘This is what Yahweh says: I sent to you the prophets who serve me, to tell you what you should do. I sent them to you many times, but you have not paid attention to what they said. If you will not pay attention to what I say and do not obey the message that I have given to you, and if you do not pay attention to what the prophets say,
5 kama hamsikilizi maneno ya watumishi wangu manabii ambao naendelea kuwatuma kwenu—lakini hamjasikiliza! —
6 kisha nitaifanya nyumba hii kuwa kama Shilo; nitaifanya nyumba hii kuwa laana katika macho ya mataifa yote juu ya dunia.
I will destroy this temple like I destroyed Shiloh, [the place where the Sacred Tent was put]. And I will cause Jerusalem to be a place whose name [people in] every nation on the earth will say when they curse someone.’”
7 Makuhani, manabii, na watu wote wakamsikia Yeremia akitangaza maneno haya katika nyumba ya Yahwe.
[When I did what Yahweh told me to do, ] the priests, the [false] prophets, and many [other] people listened to me as I told them that message outside the temple.
8 Kwa hiyo ikatokea kwamba Yeremia alipomaliza kutangaza aliyokuwa Yahwe alimwwamuru kuyasema kwa watu wote, makuhani, manabii, na watu wote wakamsimamisha na kusema, “Hakika utakufa!
But as soon as I finished telling them everything that Yahweh had commanded me to say, they all seized me and said, “You must be executed!
9 Kwa nini umetabiri katika jina la Yahwe na kusema kwamba nyumba hii itakuwa kama Shilo na mji huu utakuwa ukiwa, pasipo wakaaji?” Kwa maana watu wote wameunda kundi dhidi ya nyumba ya Yeremia.
Why [RHQ] are you prophesying that this temple will be [destroyed] like Shiloh [was destroyed]? Why are you saying that this city will be destroyed, and that no one will live here [any more]? (OR, You should not be prophesying) [RHQ]” All the people surrounded me [as I stood] in [front of] the temple.
10 Kisha wakuu wa Yuda wakasikia maneno haya na wakapanda kutoka nyumba ya mfalme kwenda kwenye nyumba ya Yahwe. Wakakaa katika njia ya lango katika Lango Jipya la nyumba ya Yahwe.
When the officials of Judah heard about all this [that was happening], they rushed from the palace and sat down at the gate of the temple named The New Gate, [to judge my case].
11 Makuhani na manabii wakasema kwa wakuu wa Yuda na kwa watu wote. Wakasema, “Ni haki kwa mtu huyu kufa, kwa maana ametabiri juu ya mji huu, kama mlivyosikia kwa masikio yenu!”
The priests and the [false] told the officials and the other people [who were there], “This man should be executed, because he has prophesied that this city [will be destroyed], and you yourselves [MTY] have heard him say that!”
12 Kwa hiyo Yeremia akasema kwa wakuu wote na watu wote, “Yeremia amenituma kutabiri juu ya nyumb hii na mji wake, kusema maneno yote ambayo mmeyasikia.
Then I replied to the officials and the other people, saying, “Yahweh sent me to prophesy all the things that you heard me say about [what will happen to] this temple and this city.
13 Kwa hiyo sasa, imarisheni njia zenu na matendo yenu, na sikilizeni sauti ya Yahwe Mungu wenu kwamba ataghairi kuhusu janga ambalo ametangaza dhidi yenu.
But if you change your behavior and stop sinning, and [start to] obey Yahweh our God, he will change his mind, and not cause you to experience the disasters that he said that he would send.
14 Mimi mwenyewe—niangalieni! —niko mikononi mwenu. Nitendeeni yaliyo mema na sahihi katika macho yenu.
As for me, I am not able to free myself from your grasp. [So you can] do to me whatever you want to do.
15 Lakini kwa hakika lazima mjue kwamba kama mtaniua mimi, basi mnaiweka damu isiyo na hatia juu yenu wenyewe na juu ya mji huu na wakaaji wake, kwa maana Yahwe amenituma kweli kwenu ili nitangaze maneno yote kwa ajili ya masikio yenu.”
[But you need to] know that if you kill me, you will be killing a man [SYN] who (is innocent/has not done anything wrong). And you and everyone else in this city will be guilty, because the truth is that it was Yahweh who sent me to speak every word that you have heard me say.”
16 Kisha wakuu na watu wote wakasema kwa makuhani na manabii, “Si vyema kwa mtu huyu kufa, kwa maana ametangaza mambo haya kwetu katika jina la Yahwe Mungu wetu.”
Then the officials and the other people said to the priests and the [false] prophets, “This man does not deserve to be executed, because he has spoken to us the message [MTY] that Yahweh gave him!”
17 Kisha watu kutoka wazee wa nchi wakasimama na kusema kwa kusanyiko lote la watu.
Then some of the elders stood up and spoke to all the people who were gathered [there].
18 Wakasema, “Mikaya Mmorashi alikuwa akitabiri katika siku za Hezekia mfalme wa Yuda. Alinena kwa watu wote wa Yuda na kusema, 'Yahwe wa majeshi anasema hivi: Sayuni utalimwa kama shamba, Yerusalemu utakuwa lundo la magofu, na mlima wa hekalu utakuwa kilima kilichoota vichaka.' Hezekia mfalme wa Yuda na Yunda wote walimuua?
They said, “([Remember/Think about) what] Micah, [the prophet] from Moresheth [town], prophesied during the years that Hezekiah was the King of Judah. He told the people of Judah this: ‘This is what the Commander of the armies of angels says: [Some day] Zion [Hill] will be plowed like fields [are plowed]; Jerusalem will become a heap of ruins. There will be a large clump/group of trees on top of the hill where the temple is now.’
19 Hakumwogopa Yahwe na kuutaka radhi uso wa Yahwe ili kwamba Yahwe angeghairi kuhusu janga ambalo alilitangaza kwao? Kwa hiyo tutafanya maovu makubwa zaidi juu ya maisha yetu sisi wenyewe?”
But did [RHQ] King Hezekiah or anyone else in Judah kill Micah [for saying that]? No! Instead, Hezekiah revered Yahweh, and pleaded that he would (act mercifully toward/not destroy) them. So, Yahweh changed his mind about causing them to experience the terrible disaster that he said he would send. And now [if we kill Jeremiah], we are going to cause ourselves to experience a terrible disaster!”
20 Wakati huo huo palikuwa na mtu mwingine ambaye alitabiri katika jina la Yahwe—Uria mwan wa Shemaya kutoka Kiriath Yearimu—pia alitabiri juu ya mji na nchi hii, akikubaliana na maneno yote ya Yeremia.
[At that time, ] the son of Shemaiah from Kiriath-Jearim [city] was also prophesying/proclaiming messages [MTY] from Yahweh. He was predicting that the city and the rest of the land would experience the same disasters that I was predicting.
21 Lakini Mfalme Yohoyakimu na wanajeshi wake wote na watumishi wake wote waliposikia maneno yake, kisha mfalme alijaribu kumuua, lakini Uria alisikia na kuogopa, kwa hiyo alikimbia na akaenda Misiri
When King Jehoiakim and his army officers and officials heard what Uriah was saying, the king sent someone to kill Uriah. But Uriah heard about it, and became [very] afraid, and he (escaped/ran away) to Egypt.
22 Kisha mfalme Yehoyakimu alituma watu kwenda Misiri—Elnathani mwana wa Achbori na watu kwenda Misiri kumfuata Uria.
Then King Jehoiakim sent Elnathan the son of Acbor along with several other men to Egypt.
23 Wakamtoa Uria nje kutoka Misiri na kumleta kwa Mfalme Yehoyakimu. Kisha Yehoyakimu akamuua kwa upanga na kumpeleka nje kwenye makaburi ya watu wa kawaida.
They captured Uriah and took him [back to Jerusalem] to King Jehoiakim. The king then [had a soldier] kill Uriah with a sword. Then they buried his corpse in a place where poor people are buried.
24 Lakini mkno wa Ahikamu mwana wa Shapni alikuwa pamoja na Yeremia, hivyo hakutiwa mikonono mwa watu ili auawe.
However, Ahikam the son of Shaphan defended me, and persuaded the officials not to allow [MTY] the mob to murder me.
