Yeremia 27
1 Katika mwanzo wa utawala wa Sedekia mwana wa Yosia, mfalme wa Yuda, neno hil lilimjia Yeremia kutoka kwa Yahwe. (Ingawa nakala nyingi za Kiebrania zinasema “Yehoyakimu, matoleo mengi ya kisasa yanasema “Sedekia”, kwa sababu tukio katika sura hii lilitokea katika kipindi cha utawala wake).
Soon after Zedekiah became the King of Judah, Yahweh gave a message to me.
2 Hiki ndicho Yahwe alisema kwangu, “Tengeneza vifungo na nira kwa ajili yako mwenyewe. Ziweke shingoni mwako.
This is what he said to me: “Make a (yoke/set of wooden bars to fasten around the neck of an ox), but fasten it around your own neck with leather straps.
3 Kisha akawatuma kwenda kw mfalme wa Edomu, mfalme wa Moabu, mfalme wa watu wa amoni, mfalme wa Tiro, na kwa mfalme wa Sidoni. Watume kwa mkono wa wajumbe hao wa wafalme ambao walikuja Yerusalemu kwa Sedekia mfalme wa Yuda.
[Then] send messages to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon, by telling those messages to the ambassadors from those countries who have come to Jerusalem to [talk to] King Zedekiah.
4 Toa amri kwao kwa ajili ya mabwana zao na sema, ' Yahwe wa majeshi, Mungu wa Israeli, anasema hivi: Hivyo ndivyo utakavyosema kwa mabwana zenu,
Tell them to give this message to their kings: This is what the Commander of the armies of angels, the God whom the Israeli [people worship, ]:
5 Mimi mwenyewe niliiumba dunia kwa nguvu zangu kuu na mkono wangu ulioinuka. Pia niliwaumba watu na wanyama juu ya dunia, na nikawatoa kwa yeyote aliyesahihi katika macho yangu.
‘With my very great power [MTY, DOU] I created the earth and the people and the animals that are on the earth. And I can give my power to anyone whom I want to.
6 Kwa hiyo sasa, Mimi mwenyewe naziweka nchi hizi zote kwenye mkono wa Nebukadreza, mfalme wa Babeli, mtumishi wangu. Pia, ninavikabidhi kwake viumbe hai vyote katika mashamba ili vimtumikie.
And now I am going to enable King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, who does what I want him to do, to control your countries. I am going to enable him to rule everything, even the wild animals.
7 Kwa maana mataifa yote watamtumikia yeye, wanaye, na wajukuu zake hadi muda wa nchi yake ufike. Kisha mataifa mengi na wafalme wengi watamtiisha.
[The people of] all the nations will work for him, and [later] for his son, and [later] for his grandson, until the time for them [to rule] is finished. Then [the armies of] many great kings from many nations will conquer Babylon.’
8 Kwa hiyo taifa na ufalme ambo haumtumikii Nebukadreza, mfalme wa Babeli, na ule usioweka shingo yake chini ya nira ya Nebukadreza mfalme wa Babeli—nitaliadhibu taifa hilo kwa upanga, njaa, na pigo—hili ni tangazo la Yahwe—hadi nitakapokuwa nimewateketeza kwa mkono wake.
But now I tell you that you must [do what the king of Babylon wants you to do] [MET], [like an ox that has] a yoke on its neck [must do what its master wants it to do]. I will punish any nation that refuses to do that. I will cause those people to experience war and famine and diseases, until [the armies of] Babylon have conquered that nation.
9 Kwa hiyo msiwasikilize manabii wenu, wabashiri wenu, waonaji wenu, ndoto zenu, watambuzi wenu, ambao wamekuw wakisema kwenu na kusema, ' Msimtumikie mfalme wa Babeli.'
So, do not pay attention to your [false] prophets and fortune-tellers and people who predict what will happen by working magic or by talking with spirits of dead people. Those people say that the king of Babylon will not conquer your country.
10 Kwa maana wanatabiri uongo kwenu ili kuwapeleka mbali na nchi zenu, kwa maana nitawapeleka mbali, na mtakufa.
Those people are [all] liars. [If you believe what they say, ] it will result in your being exiled from your land. I will cause you to be taken from your land, and you will die far away.
11 Lakini taifa ambalo wataweka shingo zao chini ya nira ya mfalme wa Babeli na kumtumikia, nitawaruhusu kupumzika katika nchi yao—hili ni tangazo la Yahwe—na watailima na kufanya nyumba zao humo.””
But the people of any country who do what the King of Babylon wants them to do will remain in their own country and be able to plant their crops [MTY] [as they always have done. That will surely happen because I], Yahweh, have said it.”
12 Kwa hiyo nilisema kwa Sedekia mfalme wa Yuda na kumpa ujumbe huu, “Ziwekeni shingo zenu chini ya nira ya mfalme wa Babeli na mtumikieni yeye na watu wake, na mtaishi.
[After I gave that message to those ambassadors, ] I gave the same message to King Zedekiah of Judah. [I said to him, ] “If you want to remain alive, do what the King of Babylon and his officials want you to do [MET].
13 Kwa nini mfe—wewe na watu wako—kwa upanga, njaa, na pigo, kama vile nilivyotangaza kuhusu taifa ambalo watapuuza kumtumikia mfalme wa Babeli?
[It would be foolish for you not to do that, because the result would be that] you and your people would die by [your enemies’] swords or by famine or diseases, which Yahweh will cause any nation to experience that refuses to allow the King of Babylon to rule them.
14 Msisikilize maneno ya manabii wanaozungumza kwenu na kusema, 'Msimtumikie mfalme wa Babeli', kwa maana wanatabiri uongo kwenu.
Do not pay attention to those prophets who say to you, ‘The King of Babylon will not conquer your country.’ They are liars.
15 'Kwa maana mimi sikuwatuma—hili ni tangazo la Yahwe—kwa maana wanatabiri uongo katika jina langu ili kwamba niwafukeze inje na muangamie, ninyi nyote na manabii wanaotabiri kwenu.”'
[This is what] Yahweh says: ‘I have not appointed those prophets. They are saying that I [MTY] gave them messages, but they are lying. So, [if you believe them, ] I will expel you from this land. And you and all those prophets will die [in Babylon]!’”
16 Nilitangaza hili kwa makuhani na watu wote na kusema, “Yahwe anasema hivi: Msisikilize maneno ya manabii wanaotabiri kwenu na kusema, 'Angalia! Vyombo vya nyumba ya Yahwe vinarudishwa kutoka Babeli sasa hivi!' Wanatabiri uongo kwenu.
Then I spoke to the priests and the other people, and I said, “This is what Yahweh says: ‘Do not believe your prophets who tell you that all the gold items [that were taken] from my temple [by soldiers from Babylon] will soon be returned from Babylon, because what they are prophesying is a lie.
17 Msiwasikilize. Mtamtumikia mfalme wa Babeli na mtaishi. Kwa nini mji huu uangamizwe?
Do not pay attention to what they say. Surrender to the king of Babylon. If you do that, you will remain alive. [If you do not do that] [RHQ], this entire city will be destroyed.
18 Kama ni manabii, na kama neno la Mungu limekuja kwao kweli, basi wamwombe Yahwe wa majeshi asivipeleke Babeli vyombo vilivyosalia katika nyumba, nyumba ya mfalme wa Yuda, na Yerusalemu.
If they are really prophets who speak messages from me, tell them to plead to me, the Commander of the armies of angels, that [the soldiers from Babylon] will not be allowed to take away to Babylon the valuable items that [still] remain in the temple and in the king’s palace and in [the other palaces in] Jerusalem.
19 Yahwe wa majeshi anasema hivi kuhusu zile nguzo, bahari, na kitako, na vyombo vyote vilivyosalia katika mji huu—
[I say this] because the [huge] pillars [that are in front of the temple] and the large water tank and the [ten water] carts and all the other items that are used [for offering sacrifices are still in this city].
20 vyombo ambavyo Nebukadreza mfalme wa Babeli hakuvichukua wakati alipomchukua Yekonia mwana wa Yehoyakimu, mfalme wa Yuda, katika utumwa kutoka Yerusalemu kwenda Babeli pamoja na wakuu wote wa Yuda na Yerusalemu.
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon left those things here when he exiled Jehoiachin, the king of Judah, to Babylon, along with all the [other] leaders of Jerusalem and [the leaders of other places in] Judah.
21 Yahwe wa majeshsi, Mungu wa Israeli, anasema hivi kuhusu vyombo vilivyosalia katika nyumba ya Yahwe, nyumba ya mfalme wa Yuda, na Yerusalemu,
[I], the Commander of the armies of angels, the God whom the Israeli [people worship], say this about all those valuable things that are still outside the temple and in the palace of the king of Judah and in [other places in]:
22 'Vitaletwa Babeli, na vitabaki huko hadi siku niyovipangia kutimia—hili ni tangazo la Yahwe—kisha nitavileta na kuvirudisha kataika sehemu hii.”
They will [all] be carried away to Babylon. And they will stay there until I say that they should be brought back to Jerusalem. Then they will be bought back here. [That is what I, ] Yahweh, say.’”
