< Yeremia 50 >

1 Hili ni neno alilolisema Yahwe juu ya Babeli, nchi ya Wakalidayo, kwa mkono wa Yeremia nabii,
This is the word that the LORD spoke through Jeremiah the prophet concerning Babylon and the land of the Chaldeans:
2 “Wajulishe mataifa ili wasikie. Toa ishara ili wasikie. Usiiache. Sema, 'Babeli imetwaliwa. Beli ameaibika. Merodaki amefadhaika. Sanamu zake zimeaibishwa; vinyago vyake vimefadhaika
“Announce and declare to the nations; lift up a banner and proclaim it; hold nothing back when you say, ‘Babylon is captured; Bel is put to shame; Marduk is shattered, her images are disgraced, her idols are broken in pieces.’
3 Taifa kutoka kaskazini litainuka kinyume chake, ili kuifanya nchi yake ukiwa. Hakuna hata mmoja, awe mtu au mnyama, atakayeishi ndani yake. Wataondoka.
For a nation from the north will come against her; it will make her land a desolation. No one will live in it; both man and beast will flee.”
4 Katika siku hizo na wakati huo - hili ni tamko ya Yahwe - watu wa Israeli na watu wa Yuda watakusanyika ili kwenda kwa kulia na kumtafuta Yahwe Mungu wao.
“In those days and at that time, declares the LORD, the children of Israel and the children of Judah will come together, weeping as they come, and will seek the LORD their God.
5 Watauliza njia ya kwenda Sayuni nao watakwenda huko, wakisema, tutakwenda wenyewe ili kuungana na Yahwe katika agano la milele lisilosahaulikal
They will ask the way to Zion and turn their faces toward it. They will come and join themselves to the LORD in an everlasting covenant that will never be forgotten.
6 Watu wangu wamekuwa kondoo waliopotea. Wachungaji wao wamewapoteza milimani; wamewageuza kutoka mlima hata mlima. Walikwenda, wakasahau mahali walipokuwa wanaishi.
My people are lost sheep; their shepherds have led them astray, causing them to roam the mountains. They have wandered from mountain to hill; they have forgotten their resting place.
7 Kila awaendeaye anawararua. Washitaki wao walisema, 'Hatuna hatia, kwa sababu walimtenda dhambi Yahwe, nyumbani kwao halisi - Yahwe, tumaini la mababu zao.'
All who found them devoured them, and their enemies said, ‘We are not guilty, for they have sinned against the LORD, their true pasture, the LORD, the hope of their fathers.’
8 Tokeni kati ya Babeli; tokeni katika nchi ya Wakalidayo; iweni kama wafanyavyo mabeberu mbele ya kundi lote.
Flee from the midst of Babylon; depart from the land of the Chaldeans; be like the he-goats that lead the flock.
9 Maana tazama, ninaelekea kupeleka na kuinua kinyume cha Babeli kundi la mataifa makubwa kutoka kaskazini. Yatajipanga yenyewe kinyume chake. Kutoka hapo Babeli utatekwa. Mishale yao ni kama shujaa mzoefu asiyerudi mikono tupu.
For behold, I stir up and bring against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the land of the north. They will line up against her; from the north she will be captured. Their arrows will be like skilled warriors who do not return empty-handed.
10 Ukaldayo itakuwa mateka. Wate waitekao wataridhika - asema Yahwe.
Chaldea will be plundered; all who plunder her will have their fill,”
11 Mnafurahi, mnasherehekea kuteka urithi wangu; mnarukaruka kama ndama anayekanyaga katika malisho yake; mnalia kama farasi mwenye nguvu.
“Because you rejoice, because you sing in triumph— you who plunder My inheritance— because you frolic like a heifer treading grain and neigh like stallions,
12 Hivyo mama yenu ataaibika sana; aliyewazaa atafadhaika. Tazama, atakuwa wa mwisho katika mataifa, nyika, nchi kame, na jangwa.
your mother will be greatly ashamed; she who bore you will be disgraced. Behold, she will be the least of the nations, a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.
13 Kwa sababu ya hasira ya Yahwe, Babeli haitakaliwa, lakini itakuwa ukiwa mtupu. Kila apitaye kando ataogopa kwa sababu ya Babeli na atatoa sauti kwa sababu ya majeraha yake.
Because of the wrath of the LORD, she will not be inhabited; she will become completely desolate. All who pass through Babylon will be horrified and will hiss at all her wounds.
14 Jipangeni wenyewe kumzunguka Babeli kinyume chake. Kila apindaye upinde na ampige. Msizuie mshale wenu wowote, maana amemtenda dhambi Yahwe.
Line up in formation around Babylon, all you who draw the bow! Shoot at her! Spare no arrows! For she has sinned against the LORD.
15 Pigeni kelele za ushindi kinyume chake ninyi nyote mmzungukao. Amesalimu mamlaka yake; minara yake imeanguka. Kuta zake zimebomolewa, maana hiki ni kisasi cha Yahwe. Jilipizeni kisasi juu yake! Mtendeeni kama alivyoyatenda mataifa mengine.
Raise a war cry against her on every side! She has thrown up her hands in surrender; her towers have fallen; her walls are torn down. Since this is the vengeance of the LORD, take out your vengeance upon her; as she has done, do the same to her.
16 Waaribuni wote mkulima apandaye mbegu naye atumiaye mundu wakati wa mavuno katika Babeli. Haya kila mtu na arudi kwa watu wake kutoka upanga wa mtesaji; na wakimbilie katika nchi yao wenyewe.
Cut off the sower from Babylon, and the one who wields the sickle at harvest time. In the face of the oppressor’s sword, each will turn to his own people, each will flee to his own land.
17 Israeli ni kondoo aliyetawanywa na kupelekwa na simba mbali. Kwanza mfalme wa Ashuru alimrarua; kisha baadaye, Nebukadneza mfalme wa Babeli akavunja mifupa yake.
Israel is a scattered flock, chased away by lions. The first to devour him was the king of Assyria; the last to crush his bones was Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.”
18 Kwa hiyo Yahwe wa majeshi, Mungu wa Israeli, asema hivi: Tazama, nitamwadhibu mfalme wa Babeli na nchi yake, kama nilivyomwadhibu mfalme wa Ashuru.
Therefore this is what the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: “I will punish the king of Babylon and his land as I punished the king of Assyria.
19 Nitamrudisha Israeli katika nchi yake; atajilisha katika Karmeli na Bashani. Kisha atajishibisha katika nchi ya kilima ya Efraimu na Gileadi.
I will return Israel to his pasture, and he will graze on Carmel and Bashan; his soul will be satisfied on the hills of Ephraim and Gilead.
20 Siku hizo na wakati huo, asema Yahwe, uovu utatafutwa katika Israeli, lakini hautaonekana. Nitauliza kuhusu dhambi za Yuda, lakini hazitaonekana, maana nitawasamehe mabaki niliowaacha.”
In those days and at that time, declares the LORD, a search will be made for Israel’s guilt, but there will be none, and for Judah’s sins, but they will not be found; for I will forgive the remnant I preserve.
21 Inuka dhidi ya nchi ya Merathaimu, kinyume chake nao waishio Pekodi. Wapigeni kwa makali ya upanga na mwatenge kwa ajili ya maangamizo - asema Yahwe - fanyeni kila ninachowaamru.
Go up against the land of Merathaim, and against the residents of Pekod. Kill them and devote them to destruction. Do all that I have commanded you,”
22 Sauti ya vita na maangamizi ya kustaajabisha yamo katika nchi.
“The noise of battle is in the land— the noise of great destruction.
23 Jinsi gani nyundo ya mataifa yote imekatiliwa mbali na kuharibiwa. Jinsi Babeli amekuwa kitu cha kushangaza kati ya mataifa.
How the hammer of the whole earth lies broken and shattered! What a horror Babylon has become among the nations!
24 Nimetega mtego dhidi yako. Umenaswa, Babeli, nawe haukutambua! Ulionekana na kukamatwa, tangu uliponidhihaki, Yahwe.
I laid a snare for you, O Babylon, and you were caught before you knew it. You were found and captured because you challenged the LORD.
25 Yahwe amefungua ghala lake la silaha na anachukua silaha kwa ajili ya kutekekeleza hasira yake. Kuna kazi kwa ajili ya Yahwe wa majeshi katika nchi ya Wakaldayo.
The LORD has opened His armory and brought out His weapons of wrath, for this is the work of the Lord GOD of Hosts in the land of the Chaldeans.
26 Mshambulie kutokea mbali. Fungua maghala yake ya chakula na kumrundika kama marundo ya nafaka. Mtenge mbali na maangamizi. Usimbakizie masalia.
Come against her from the farthest border. Break open her granaries; pile her up like mounds of grain. Devote her to destruction; leave her no survivors.
27 Ua madume wake wote wa ng'ombe. Washushe sehemu ya machinjio. Ole wao, maana siku yao imefika - wakati wa kuadhibiwa kwao.
Kill all her young bulls; let them go down to the slaughter. Woe to them, for their day has come— the time of their punishment.
28 Kuna sauti ya wale wanaokimbia, walionusurika, katika nchi ya Babeli. Hawa watatoa taarifa ya kisasi cha Yahwe Mungu wetu kwa Sayuni, kisasi kwa hekalu lake.”
Listen to the fugitives and refugees from the land of Babylon, declaring in Zion the vengeance of the LORD our God, the vengeance for His temple.
29 Ita wapiga pinde dhidi ya Babeli - wale wote wapindao pinde zao. Piga kambi kinyume chake, na msimwache yeyote kutoroka. Mlipeni kwa kile alichofanya. Mfanyieni kwa kipimo alichotumia. Maana amemdharau Yahwe, Mtakatifu wa Israeli.
Summon the archers against Babylon, all who string the bow. Encamp all around her; let no one escape. Repay her according to her deeds; do to her as she has done. For she has defied the LORD, the Holy One of Israel.
30 Hivyo vijana wake wataanguka katika viwanja vya mji, na wapiganaji wake wote wataangamizwa siku hiyo - hili ni tamko la Yahwe.”
Therefore, her young men will fall in the streets, and all her warriors will be silenced in that day,”
31 Tazama, mimi ni kunyume chako, mwenye majivuno - hili ni tamko la Bwana Yahwe wa majeshi - maana siku yako imefika, mwenye kiburi, wakati nitakapokuadhibu.
“Behold, I am against you, O arrogant one,” declares the Lord GOD of Hosts, “for your day has come, the time when I will punish you.
32 Hivyo wenye kiburi watajikwaa na kuanguka. Hakuna atakaye wainua. Nitawasha moto katika miji yao; utateketeza kila kitu kati yake.
The arrogant one will stumble and fall with no one to pick him up. And I will kindle a fire in his cities to consume all those around him.”
33 Yahwe wa majeshi asema hivi: watu wa Israeli wamenyanyaswa, pamoja na watu wa Yuda. Wate waliowateka bado wanawashikilia; wanakataa kuwaacha waondoke.
This is what the LORD of Hosts says: “The sons of Israel are oppressed, and the sons of Judah as well. All their captors hold them fast, refusing to release them.
34 Yeye awaokoaye ni mwenye nguvu. Yahwe wa majeshi ni jina lake. Kwa hakika atalitetea shitaka lao, ili kuleta pumziko katika nchi, na kuwapiga wakaao Babeli.
Their Redeemer is strong; the LORD of Hosts is His name. He will fervently plead their case so that He may bring rest to the earth, but turmoil to those who live in Babylon.
35 Upanga u juu ya Wakalidayo - asema Yahwe - na juu ya wakaao Babeli, viongozi wake, na wenye hekima wake.
A sword is against the Chaldeans, declares the LORD, against those who live in Babylon, and against her officials and wise men.
36 Upanga unakuja juu ya waganga, ili wajione kuwa wajinga. Upanga utakuwa juu ya askari wake, hivyo watajaa hofu.
A sword is against her false prophets, and they will become fools. A sword is against her warriors, and they will be filled with terror.
37 Upanga utakuwa juu ya farasi wake, vibandawazi vyao na na watu wote waliomo Babeli, hivyo watakuwa kama wanawake. Upanga utakuwa juu ya ghala zake, nazo zitatekwa.
A sword is against her horses and chariots and against all the foreigners in her midst, and they will become like women. A sword is against her treasuries, and they will be plundered.
38 Ukame unakuja juu ya maji yake, hivyo yatakauka. Maana ni nchi ya miungu wasiofaa, na wanafanya kama watu waliofanywa punguani kwa miungu yao isiyosaidia.
A drought is upon her waters, and they will be dried up. For it is a land of graven images, and the people go mad over idols.
39 Hivyo wanyama wa jangwani wakaishi na mbwea wataishi huko, na watoto wa mbuni wataishi ndani yake. Kwa muda wote, hatakaliwa tena. Kutoka kizazi hata kizazi, hatakaliwa tena na watu.
So the desert creatures and hyenas will live there and ostriches will dwell there. It will never again be inhabited or lived in from generation to generation.
40 Kama vile Mungu alivyoziangamiza Sodoma na Gomora na majirani zake - asema Yahwe - hakuna atakayeishi huko; hakuna mtu atakayekaa ndani yake.”
As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah along with their neighbors,” declares the LORD, “no one will dwell there; no man will abide there.
41 “Tazama, watu wanakuja kutoka kaskazini, maana taifa kubwa na wafalme wengi wamemtikisa kutokea mbali.
Behold, an army is coming from the north; a great nation and many kings are stirred up from the ends of the earth.
42 Watachukua pinde na mishale. Ni wakatili na hawana huruma. Sauti yao ni kama mngurumo wa bahari, na wamepanda farasi katika mpangilio kama watu wapiganao, dhidi yako, bindi Babeli.
They grasp the bow and spear; they are cruel and merciless. Their voice roars like the sea, and they ride upon horses, lined up like men in formation against you, O Daughter of Babylon.
43 Mfalme wa Babeli amesikia habari yao na mikono yake imelegea kwa huzuni. Mashaka yamemshika kama mwanamke katika utungu.
The king of Babylon has heard the report, and his hands hang limp. Anguish has gripped him, pain like that of a woman in labor.
44 Tazama! Anakwenda juu kama simba atokaye katika miinuko ya Yordani kuelekea katika eneo la malisho ya uvumilivu. Maana kwa haraka nitawafanya wakimbie kutoka humo, nami nitamweka mtu aliyechaguliwa kwa uangalizi wake. Maana ni nani aliye kama mimi, na ni nani atakayeniagiza? Mchungaji gani awezaye kunizuia?
Behold, one will come up like a lion from the thickets of the Jordan to the watered pasture. For in an instant I will chase Babylon from her land. Who is the chosen one I will appoint for this? For who is like Me, and who can challenge Me? What shepherd can stand against Me?”
45 Sikilizeni mipango ambayo Yahwe ameamua juu ya Babeli, mipango aliyonayo dhidi ya nchi ya Wakaldayo. Kwa hakika wataondolewa, hata kundi dogo zaidi. Eneo lao la malisho litageuzwa kuwa sehemu zenye magofu.
Therefore hear the plans that the LORD has drawn up against Babylon and the strategies He has devised against the land of the Chaldeans: Surely the little ones of the flock will be dragged away; certainly their pasture will be made desolate because of them.
46 Kwa sauti ya kuangushwa kwa Babeli nchi inatikisika, na sauti ya mateso yao inasikiwa kati ya mataifa.”
At the sound of Babylon’s capture the earth will quake; a cry will be heard among the nations.

< Yeremia 50 >