< Yeremia 4 >

1 “Kama utarudi, Israeli- asema BWANA - ikawa kwangu kwamba umerudi. Kama utaondoa hayo mambo yachukizayo mbele yangu na ukaacha kunikimbia mimi tena,
If you will come back, O Israel, says the Lord, you will come back to me: and if you will put away your disgusting ways, you will not be sent away from before me.
2 na ukaapa hivi, 'kama BWANA aishivyo katika kweli, na haki, na katika hukumu.' mataifa yataniomba baraka, na yatanisifu mimi.
And you will take your oath, By the living Lord, in good faith and wisdom and righteousness; and the nations will make use of you as a blessing, and in you will they take a pride.
3 Kwa kuwa BWANA asema hivi kwa kila mmoja katika Yuda na Yerusalemu; 'Limeni shamba zenu na msipande katika miiba.
For this is what the Lord says to the men of Judah and to Jerusalem: Get your unworked land ploughed up, do not put in your seeds among thorns.
4 Mtahiriwe kwa BWANA na kuondoa govi za mioyo yenu, ninyi wanaume wa Yuda na wakazi wa Yerusalemu, vinginevyo hasira yangu itawaka kama moto na kuteketeteza, na hakutakuwa na mtu wa kuizima. Hii itatokea kwa sababu ya uovu wa matendo yenu.
Undergo a circumcision of the heart, you men of Judah and people of Jerusalem: or my wrath may come out like fire, burning so that no one is able to put it out, because of the evil of your doings.
5 Waambie Yuda na Yerusalemu isikie. Waambie, “pigeni baragumu katika nchi.” Tangazeni, “Kusanyeni pamoja. Twendeni kwenye miji ya Maboma.”
Say openly in Judah, give it out in Jerusalem, and say, Let the horn be sounded in the land: crying out in a loud voice, Come together, and let us go into the walled towns.
6 Inueni ishara za bendera na zielekezeni Sayuni, na kimbilieni usalama! Msibaki, kwa kuwa ninaleta majanga kutokea kaskazini na anguko kubwa.
Put up a flag for a sign to Zion: go in flight so that you may be safe, waiting no longer: for I will send evil from the north, and a great destruction.
7 Simba anakuja kutokea kwenye kichaka chake na yeye atakayeyaharaibu mataifa ameanza kuja. Anaondoka kwenye eneo lake ili aache hofu katika nchi yenu, kuibadili miji yenu kuwa uharibifu, ambapo hakuna hata mmoja atakayeishi. Kwa sababu hii vaeni magunia, lieni na kuomboleza.
A lion has gone up from his secret place in the woods, and one who makes waste the nations is on his way; he has gone out from his place, to make your land unpeopled, so that your towns will be made waste, with no man living in them.
8 Kwa kuwa nguvu ya hasira ya BWANA haijaondoka kwetu.
For this put on haircloth, with weeping and loud crying: for the burning wrath of the Lord is not turned back from us.
9 Ndipo itakapotokea katika siku hiyo - asema BWANA - mioyo ya mfalme na wakuu itakufa. Makuhani watasitaajabu na manabii watashangaa.'”
And it will come about in that day, says the Lord, that the heart of the king will be dead in him, and the hearts of the rulers; and the priests will be overcome with fear, and the prophets with wonder.
10 Kwa hiyo nikasema, “Ahaa! BWANA. Kwa hakika umewadanganya watu hawa na Yerusalemu kwa kuwaambia, 'Kutakuwa na amani kwenu.'Wakati upanga unawaangukia dhidi ya maisha yao.”
Then said I, Ah, Lord God! your words were not true when you said to this people and to Jerusalem, You will have peace; when the sword has come even to the soul.
11 Wakati huo itasemwa juu ya mji huu na Yerusalemu kuwa, “Upepo uwakao kutoka katika nyanda za jangwani utachukua njia yake kuelekea kwa binti ya watu wangu. Hautapepetwa wala kuwatakasa.
At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, A burning wind from the open hilltops in the waste land is blowing on the daughter of my people, not for separating or cleaning the grain;
12 Upepo ulio na nguvu sana utakaokuja kwa amri yangu, na sasa nitapitisha hukumu dhidi yao.
A full wind will come for me: and now I will give my decision against them.
13 Tazama anavamia kama wingu, na magari yake ni kama dhoruba. Farasi wake wana mbio kuliko tai. Ole wetu kwa kuwa tutaharibiwa!
See, he will come up like the clouds, and his war-carriages like the storm-wind: his horses are quicker than eagles. Sorrow is ours, for destruction has come on us.
14 Itakaseni mioyo yenu kutoka uovu wenu, Yerusalemu, ili kwamba muokolewe. Mawazo yako mabaya yatafikiri juu ya kutenda dhambi mpaka lini?
O Jerusalem, make your heart clean from evil, so that you may have salvation. How long are evil purposes to have a resting-place in you?
15 Kwa kuwa kuna sauti iletayo habari kutoka Dani, na janga lijalo linasikika kutoka vilele vya milima ya Efraimu.
For a voice is sounding from Dan, giving out evil from the hills of Ephraim:
16 Yafanyeni mataifa kulifikiria hili: Tazama, na uwatangazie Yerusalemu kuwa wale watekaji wanakuja kutoka katika nchi ya mbali ili kupiga kelel za vita juu ya miji ya Yuda.
Make this come to the minds of the nations, make a statement openly against Jerusalem, that attackers are coming from a far country and their voices will be loud against the towns of Judah.
17 Watakuwa kama walinzi wa shamba liliolimwa dhidi yake pande zote, kwa kuwa amekuwa mpinzani wangu - asema BWANA -
Like keepers of a field they are against her on every side; because she has been fighting against me, says the Lord.
18 tabia na matendo yako yamesababisha haya yatokee kwako. Hii itakuwa adhabu yako. Jinsi itakavyokuwa vibaya kwako! itakupiga moyo wako.
Your ways and your doings have made these things come on you; this is your sin; truly it is bitter, going deep into your heart.
19 Moyo wangu! Moyo wangu! Niko katika maumivu ya moyo. Moyo wangu umefadhaika ndani yangu. Siwezi kunyamaza kwa kuwa nasikia sauti za pembe, sauti za vita.
My soul, my soul! I am pained to my inmost heart; my heart is troubled in me; I am not able to be quiet, because the sound of the horn, the note of war, has come to my ears.
20 Anguko baada ya anguko limetangazwa, kwa nchi yote imeharibika mara. Wanaharibu masikani yangu na hema yangu ghafula.
News is given of destruction on destruction; all the land is made waste: suddenly my tents, straight away my curtains, are made waste.
21 Vita hivi vitaendelea mpaka lini? Ni mpaka lini nitasikiliza sauti za pembe?
How long will I go on seeing the flag and hearing the sound of the war-horn?
22 Kwa kuwa upumbavu wa watu wangu - hawanijui mimi. Ni watu wajinga wasio na ufahamu. Wanaufahamu wa mambo maovu, tena hawajui kutenda mema.
For my people are foolish, they have no knowledge of me; they are evil-minded children, without sense, all of them: they are wise in evil-doing, but have no knowledge of doing good.
23 Niliiona nchi, na kuiona! ilikuwa ukiwa na utupu. Kwa kuwa hapakuwa na taa za mbinguni.
Looking at the earth, I saw that it was waste and without form; and to the heavens, that they had no light.
24 Nilitazama katka miliima. Tazama, ilikuwa inatetemeka, na vilima vyote vilikuwa vinatikisika.
Looking at the mountains, I saw them shaking, and all the hills were moved about.
25 Nilitazama. Tazama, hapakuwa na mtu, na ndege wote wa angani walikuwa wamekimbia.
Looking, I saw that there was no man, and all the birds of heaven had gone in flight.
26 Nikaangalia. Tazama, mashamba yalikuwa jangwa na miji imeangushwa mbele za BWANA, mbele ya hasira yake.”
Looking, I saw that the fertile field was a waste, and all its towns were broken down before the Lord and before his burning wrath.
27 Hiki ndicho BWANA asemacho, “Nchi yote itakuwa uharibifu, lakini sitawaharibu wote kabisa.
For this is what the Lord has said: All the land will become a waste; I will make destruction complete.
28 Kwa sababu hii nchi itaomboleza, na mbingu juu zitatiwa giza. Kwa kuwa nimesema haya na kuyakusudia; sitarudi nyuma; Sitaacha kuyatekeleza.
The earth will be weeping for this, and the heavens on high will be black: because I have said it, and I will not go back from it; it is my purpose, and it will not be changed.
29 Kila mji utakimbia kutoka katka kelele za wapandafarasi na wenye pinde; Watakimbilia msituni, Kila mji utapanda hadi mahali pa miamba. Miji itatelekezwa, kwa kuwa hakutakuwa na mtu wa kuishi katika miji hiyo.
All the land is in flight because of the noise of the horsemen and the bowmen; they have taken cover in the woodland and up on the rocks: every town has been given up, not a man is living in them.
30 Sasa umeharibiwa, utafanya nini? Japokuwa unavaa mavazi mekundu, unajipamba na mapambo ya dhahabu, na kuyafanya macho yako yaonekane makubwa na kupakwa wanja, wale wanaume waliokutamani sasa wanakukataa. Badala yake wanajaribu kukuua.
And you, when you are made waste, what will you do? Though you are clothed in red, though you make yourself beautiful with ornaments of gold, though you make your eyes wide with paint, it is for nothing that you make yourself fair; your lovers have no more desire for you, they have designs on your life.
31 Kwa hiyo nasikia sauti ya maumivu, yenye utungu kama ya mwanamke azaaye mtoto wake wa kwanza, sauti ya binti wa Sayuni. Atwetaye kupata pumzi. Ananyosha mikono yake na kusema, 'Ole wangu mimi! ninazimia kwa sababu ya wauaji hawa.'”
A voice has come to my ears like the voice of a woman in birth-pains, the pain of one giving birth to her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, fighting for breath, stretching out her hands, saying, Now sorrow is mine! for my strength is gone from me before the takers of life.

< Yeremia 4 >