Yeremia 29

1 Haya ni maneno katika waraka ambao Yeremia nabii alituma kutoka Yerusalemu kwa wazee waliosalia miongoni mwa mateka na makuhuni, manabii, na watu wote ambao Nebukadreza aliwapeleka utumwani kutoka Yerusalemu hadi Babeli.

Jeremiah the prophet wrote this letter and sent it from Jerusalem to the elders who were left among the exiles, to the priests, the prophets, and everyone else who had been exiled from Jerusalem to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar.

2 Hii ilikuwa baada ya Yekonia mfalme, mama yake mfalme, na watumishi wakuu, viongozi wa Yuda na Yerusalemu, na wahunzi walikuwa wamepelekwa mbali na Yerusalemu.

This was after King Jehoiachin, the queen mother, the court officials, the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen, and the metals-workers had been exiled from Jerusalem.

3 Aliutuma waraka huu kwa mkono wa Elasa mwana wa Shafani, Gemaria, mwana wa Hilkia, ambaye Sedekia, mfalme wa Yuda, alikuwa amemtuma kwa Nebukadreza mfalme wa Babeli

Elasah, son of Shaphan, and Gemariah, son of Hilkiah, took the letter with them when Zedekiah king of Judah sent them to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. In the letter Jeremiah wrote:

4 Waraka ulisema, Yahwe wa majeshi, Mungu wa Israeli, anasema hivi kwa mateka ambao niliwasababisha kuwa mateka kutoka Yerusalemu hadi Babeli,

This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all the exiles who were taken from Jerusalem to Babylon:

5 'Jengeni nyumba na muishi ndani yake. Pandeni bustani na mle matunda yake.

Build yourselves houses there to live in. Plant gardens and grow food to eat.

6 Chukueni wake na mzae wana na mabinti. Kisha Kisha chukueni wake kwa ajili ya wana wenu, na wapatieni waume binti zenu. Wazae wana na mabinti na waongezeke ili msiwe wachache sana.

Get married and have children. Arrange for your children to get married so they can have children too. Increase in number, don't decrease.

7 Itafuteni amani ya mji ambako nimewafanya kuwa watumwa, na mkauombee kwangu kwa niaba yake kwa kuwa kutakuwa na amani kwenu kama mji uko katika amani.'

Help make the city where I've exiled you more prosperous. Pray to the Lord for it, since as it prospers, so will you.

8 Kwa maana Yahwe wa majeshi, Mungu wa Israeli, anasema hivi, 'Msiwaache manabii ambao wako katikati yenu na wabashiri wenu kuwadanganya, na msizisikilize ndoto ambazo ninyi wenyewe mnaota.

This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Don't be fooled by your prophets and fortune-tellers, and don't listen to any dreams they interpret for you.

9 Kwa maana wanatabiri uongo kwenu katika jina langu. Mimi sikuwatuma—hili ni tangazo la Yahwe.'

They are prophesying lies to you in my name; I have not sent them, declares the Lord.

10 Kwa maana Yahwe anasema hivi, 'Babeli atakapokuwa amewatawala kwa muda wa mika sabini, nitawasaidia ninyi na kulitimiza neno langu jema kwa ajili yenu ili kuwarudisha ninyi katika sehemu hii.

This is what the Lord says: When the seventy years exile in Babylon are over, I will see to you and keep my promise to bring you back to Jerusalem.

11 Kwa maana mimi mwenyewe naijua mipangao niliyonayo kwa ajili yenu—hili ni tangazo la Yahwe—mipango kwa ajili ya amani na siyo kwa ajili ya mabaya, ili kuwapa ninyi tumaini na siku zenu za mwisho.

I know what I intend to do for you, declares the Lord. I plan good things for you and not bad. I'm going to give you a future and a hope.

12 Kisha mtaniita, na kwenda na kuniomba mimi, na nitawasikiliza.

Then you will call for my help, you will come and pray to me, and I will answer you.

13 Kwa maana mtanitafuta na kunipata, kwa kuwa mtanitafuta kwa moyo wenu wote.

You will look for me and you will find me when you're completely committed to looking for me.

14 Kisha nitapatikana kwenu—hili ni tangazo la Yahwe—na nitawarudisha watu wenu waliofungwa; nitawakusanya kutoka mataifa yote na sehehemu zote ambako nimewatawanya—hili ni tangazo la Yahwe—kwa maana nitawarudisha kutoka sehemu ambako niliwasababisha kuwa mateka.

I will let you find me, declares the Lord. I will end your captivity, gathering you from all the nations and places where I scattered you, declares the Lord. I will bring you back home to the place from where I sent you into exile.

15 Tangu mliposema kwamba Yahwe ameinua manabii kwa ajili yetu katika Babeli,

But if you argue, “The Lord has provided prophets for us in Babylon,”

16 Yahwe anasema hivi kwa mfalme aliyeketi katika kiti cha enzi cha Daudi na watu wote wakaao katika mji huo, ndugu zenu ambao hawakwenda pamoja nanyi utumwani—

this is what the Lord says about the king who sits on David's throne and everyone who's left in Jerusalem, your fellow citizens who weren't taken with you into exile.

17 Yahwe wa majeshi anasema hivi, ''Ona, niko karibu kutuma upanga, njaa, na ugonjwa juu yao. Kwa maana nitawafanya kuwa kama tini mbovu ambazo ni mbaya sana hazifai kuliwa.

This is what the Lord Almighty says: I'm going send war and famine and disease against them. I'll make them like rotten figs, so bad that they can't be eaten.

18 Kisha nitawafuata kwa upanga, njaa, na tauni na kuwafanya kuwa kitu cha kushangaza kwa falme zote juu ya dunia—kitu cha kuogofya, kitu cha kulaaniwa na kuzomewa, na kitu cha aibu miongoni mwa mataifa yote ambako nilimtawanya.

I will chase them down with war and famine and disease. I will make all the kingdoms of the earth horrified by them. They will become a curse word, totally ruined, people to be mocked and criticized among all the nations where I scatter them.

19 Hii ni kwa sababu hawakulisikiliza neno langu—hili ni tangazo la Yahwe—ambalo nililituma kwao kupitia watumishi wangu manabii. Niliwatuma tena na tena, lakini hamkusikiliza—hili ni tangazo la Yahwe. '

I'm going to do this because they haven't obeyed to my words, declares the Lord, which I sent to them time and again through my servants the prophets. You exiles haven't obeyed me either, declares the Lord.

20 Kwa hiyo ninyi wenyewe sikilizeni neno la Yahwe, ninyi mateka wote ambao amewatuma kutoka Yerusalemu hadi Babeli,

So listen to the word of the Lord, all you exiles I sent from Jerusalem to Babylon.

21 'Yahwe wa majeshi, Mungu wa Israeli, anasema hivi kuhusu Ahabu mwana wa Kolaya na Sedekia mwana wa Maaseya, watabirio uongo kwenu katika jina langu: Ona, niko karibu kuwaweka katika mkono wa Nebukadreza mfalme wa Babeli. Atawaua mbele ya macho yenu.

This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying lies to you in my name. I'm going to hand them over to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and he will kill them right before your eyes.

22 Kisha laana itatamkwa na wafungwa wote wa Yuda katika Babeli kuhusu watu hawa. Laana itasema: Yahwe awafanye kuwa kama Sedekia na Ahabu, ambao mfalme wa Babeli aliwaoka kwenye moto.

Because of what happens to them, all the exiles of Judah in Babylon will curse others like this: “May the Lord treat you like Zedekiah and Ahab, burned alive by the king of Babylon!”

23 Hili litatokea kwa sababu ya mambo ya aibu waliyofanya katika Israeli walipofanya uzinzi na wake za majarani zao na kutangaza maneno ya uongo katika jina langu, mambo ambayo sikuwaamuru wayaseme. Kwa maana mimi ndiye nijuaye; mimi ni shahidi—hili ni tangazo la Yahwe.”'

They did outrageous things in Israel—they committed adultery with their neighbor's wives and told lies in my name. I didn't tell them to say anything. I am the one who knows what they did, and I can witness to it, declares the Lord.

24 Kuhusu Shemaya Mnehelami, sema hivi:

Tell Shemaiah the Nehelamite

25 'Yahwe wa majeshi, Mungu wa Israeli, anasema hivi: Kwa sababu ulituma barua kwa jina lako kwa watu wote katika Yerusalemu, kwa Sefania mwana wa Maaseya kuhani, na kwa makuhani wote, na ulisema,

that this is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: On your own authority you sent out letters to all the people of Jerusalem, to the priest Zephaniah, son of Maaseiah, and to all the priests, saying,

26 “Yahwe aliwafanya ninyi kuwa makuhani badala ya Yehoyada kuhani, ili muwe wasimamizi wa nyumba ya Yahwe. Ninyi ni viongozi wa watu wote wajitiao wazimu na kujifanya wenyewe manabii. Mtawaweka katika mkatale na minyororo.

“Zephaniah, the Lord has chosen you as priest to replace Jehoiada, to be in charge of the Lord's Temple. In that capacity you are required to put in the stocks and neck irons any crazy person who claims to be a prophet.

27 Kwa hiyo sasa, kwa nini hamkumkemea Yeremia wa Anathothi, ambaye hujifanya mwenyewe nabii juu yenu?

So why haven't you not punished Jeremiah of Anathoth, who claims to be a prophet among you?

28 Kwa maana ametutumia sisi katika Babeli, 'Itakuwa muda mrefu. Jengeni nyumba na muishi ndani yake, na pandeni busitani na mule matunda yake.””

You should have done this because he has sent a letter to us here in Babylon, stating, ‘The exile will last a long time. So build yourselves houses there to live in. Plant gardens and grow food to eat.’”

29 Sefania kuhani akaisoma barua hii mbele ya Yeremia nabii.

However, Zephaniah the priest read this letter to Jeremiah the prophet.

30 Kisha neno la Yahwe likaja kwa Yeremia, likisema,

Then the Lord told Jeremiah:

31 “tuma neno kwa mateka wote na sema, 'Yahwe anasema hivi kuhusu Shemaya Mnehelami: Kwa sababu Shemaya amewatabiria ninyi wakati mimi sikumtuma, na amewaongoza kuamini uongo,

Send this message to all the exiles: This is what the Lord says about Shemaiah the Nehelamite. Since Shemaiah has prophesied to you, even though I didn't send him, and has convinced you to believe in a lie,

32 kwa hiyo Yahwe anasema hivi: Angalia, niko karibu kumwadhibu Shemaya Mnehelami na uzao wake. Hapatakuwa na mtu wa kukaa miongoni mwa watu hawa kwa ajili yake. Hataona mema nitakayofanya kwa ajili ya watu wangu—hili ni tangazo la Yahwe—kwa maana ametangaza uasi dhidi ya Yahwe.””

this is what the Lord says: I'm going to punish Shemaiah the Nehelamite and his descendants. He won't have any family left among this people, and he won't experience the good things that I'm going to do for my people, declares the Lord, for he has promoted rebellion against the Lord.