< Yeremia 7 >
1 Hili ndilo neno la BWANA lililomjia Yermia,
The word that came to Jeremiah from YHWH, saying,
2 Simama katika lango la nyumba ya BWANA na utangaze ujumbe huu! Sikiilizeni neno la BWANA, ninyi nyote watu wa Yuda, ninyi mnaoingia katika malango haya kumwabudu BWANA.
"Stand in the gate of YHWH's house, and proclaim there this word, and say, 'Hear the word of YHWH, all you of Judah, who enter in at these gates to worship YHWH.
3 BWANA wsa majeshi, Mungu wa Israeli, anasema hivi: Tengenezeni njia zenu na kufanya mema, nami nitawaacha muishi hapa.
Thus says YHWH of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place.
4 Msitumainie maneno ya uongo mkisema, “Hekalu la BWANA!, Hekalu la BWANA! Hekalu la BWANA!”
Do not trust in lying words, saying, "YHWH's temple, YHWH's temple, YHWH's temple, are these."
5 Bali kama mtazitengeneza njia zenu na kufanya mema, kama mtatoa hukumu ya haki kati ya mtu na jirani yake
For if you thoroughly amend your ways and your doings; if you thoroughly execute justice between a man and his neighbor;
6 -kama hamtanyonya anayekaa katika nchi, yatima, mjane, na kama hamtamwaga damu ya mtu asiye na hatia mahali hapa, na kama hataenda kwa miungu mingine kwa ajili ya maumivu yenu
if you do not oppress the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your own hurt:
7 -ndipo nitakapowaacha mkae mahali hapa, katika nchi ambayo niliwapia mababu zenu toka zamani na hata milele.
then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, from of old even forevermore.
8 Tazama! Mnatumainia maneno ya uongo ambayo hayawasaidii.
Look, you trust in lying words, that can't profit.
9 Je, mnaiba. mnaua, manafanya uzinzi? na mnaapa kwa uongo na kufukiza uvumba kwa Baali na kwenda kwa miungu mingine ambao hamkuwajua?
Will you steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods that you have not known,
10 Je, mnakuja na kusimama mbele yangu katika nyumba hii ambapo jina langu linatangazwa na kusema, “Tumeokoka.” hivyo mnaweza kufanya machukizo yote haya?
and come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, "We are delivered"; that you may do all these abominations?
11 Je, hii ndiyo nyumba inayobeba jina langu, pango la wanyang'anyi mbele ya macho yenu? Lakini tazama, Nimeiona - BWANA asema.'
Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Look, I, even I, have seen it, says YHWH.
12 Kwa hiyo uende mahali pangu kule Shiloh, Kule ambako mwanzoni niliruhusu jina langu kukaa, na tazama kile nilichofanya pale kwa sababu ya maovu ya watu wangu Israeli.
But go now to my place which was in Shiloh, where I caused my name to dwell at the first, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people Israel.
13 Kwa hiyo sasa, kwa sababu ya matendo yako haya yote - asema BWANA - Nilikuambia mara kadhaa, lakini hukusikiliza. Nilikuita, lakini hukuitika.
Now, because you have done all these works, says YHWH, and I spoke to you, rising up early and speaking, but you did not hear; and I called you, but you did not answer:
14 Kwa hiyo kile nilichofanya Shilo, ndicho ambacho pia nitakachofanya kwa nyumba yangu hii inayoitwa kwa jina langu, nyumba amabyo ninyi mmeitumainia, mahali hapa ambapo niliwapa ninyi na mababu zenu.
therefore I will do to the house which is called by my name, in which you trust, and to the place which I gave to you and to your fathers, as I did to Shiloh.
15 Kwa kuwa nitawafukuza mtoke kwangu kama vile nilivyowafukuza ndugu zenu wote, uzao wote wa Efraimu.'
I will cast you out of my sight, as I have cast out all your brothers, all the descendants of Ephraim.
16 Na wewe, Yeremia, usiwaombee watu hawa, na usiinue maombolezo ya kilio au kuomba sala kwa niaba yao, na usinishi, kwa kuwa sitakusikiliza.
Therefore do not pray for this people, neither lift up a cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession to me; for I will not hear you.
17 Kwani huoni kile wanachofanya katika miji ya Yuda na katika mitaa ya Yerusalemu?
Do you not see what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?
18 Watoto wanakusanya kuni na baba zao huwasha moto! Wanawake hukanda unga ili kuoka mikate kwa ajili ya malikia wa mbinguni na kumimina sadaka ya vinywaji kwa miungu mingine ili kunikasirisha mimi.
The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead the dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings to other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.
19 Ni kweli wananikasirisha mimi? - asema BWANA - Je, si wao wanaojikasirisha, ili kwamba aibu iwe juu yao?
Do they provoke me to anger?" says YHWH. "Do they not provoke themselves, to the confusion of their own faces?"
20 Kwa hiyo BWANA, Mungu asema hivi, 'Tazama, hasira na ghahdabu yangu zitamwagwa juu ya mahali hapa, kwa watu wote na wanyama, juu ya miti katika mashamba na mazao ya ardhi, Itawaka nayo haitazimishwa.
Therefore thus says YHWH: "Look, my anger and my wrath shall be poured out on this place, on man, and on animal, and on the trees of the field, and on the fruit of the ground; and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched."
21 BWANA wa majeshi, Mungu wa Israeli asema hivi, Jiongezeeni sadaka za kuteketezwa katika dhabihu zenu na nyama zake.
Thus says YHWH of hosts, the God of Israel: "Add your burnt offerings to your sacrifices, and eat meat.
22 Kwani wakati nilipowatoa mababu zenu kutoka nchi ya Misri, Sikuhitaji chochote kutoka kwao. Sikuwapa amri juu ya maswala ya sadaka za kuteketezwa na dhabihu.
For I did not speak to your fathers, nor command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices:
23 Niliwapa amri hii tu, “Sikilizeni sauti yangu, nami nitakuwa Mungu wenu nanyi mtakuwa watu wangu. Kwa hiyo muishi katika njia ambazo ninawaamuru, ili mambo yenu yawe mazuri.”
but this thing I commanded them, saying, 'Listen to my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people; and walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.'
24 Lakini hawkunisikiliza wala kuzingatia. Walishi kwa kufuata mipango yao ya uasi ya mioyo ya maovu, kwa hiyo walirudi nyuma badala ya kuendelea mbele.
But they did not listen nor turn their ear, but walked in their own counsels and in the stubbornness of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.
25 Tangu siku ambayo mababu zenu walitoka katika nchi ya Misri mpaka leo, Nimetuma watumishi wangu, manabii wangu, kwenu. Niliendelea kuwatuma.
Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt to this day, I have sent to you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them:
26 Lakini hawakuwasikiliza. Hawakuzingatia. Badala yake walishupaza shingo zao. Walikuwa waovu zaidi ya mababu zao.
yet they did not listen to me, nor inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff: they did worse than their fathers."
27 Kwa hiyo yatangaze maneno haya yote kwao, japo hawatakusikiliza. Yatangaze mambo haya kwao, lakini hawatakujibu.
"You shall speak all these words to them; but they will not listen to you: you shall also call to them; but they will not answer you.
28 Waambie kuwa hili ni taifa ambalo haliisikilizi sauti ya BWANA, Mungu wake na lisilopokea mafundisho. Ukweli uneharibiwa na kukatwa kutoka kwenye vinywa vyao.
You shall tell them, 'This is the nation that has not listened to the voice of YHWH their God, nor received instruction: truth is perished, and is cut off from their mouth.
29 Zikate nywele zako na kujinyoa, na kuzitupa. Imba wimbo wa maombolezo katika maeneo yaliyo wazi. Kwa kuwa BWANA amekikataa na kukitupa kizazi hiki cha hasira yake.
Cut off your hair, and throw it away, and take up a lamentation on the bare heights; for YHWH has rejected and forsaken the generation of his wrath.'"
30 Kwa kuwa wana wa Yuda wamefanya maovu mbele ya macho yangu - asema BWANA - wameweka machukizo yao katika nyumba ambayo jina langu hunenwa, ili kulinajisi.
"For the people of Judah have done that which is evil in my sight," says YHWH: "they have set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to defile it.
31 Kisha wamejenga mahali palipoinuka pa Tofethi ambapo pako kwenye bonde la Ben Hinomu. Walifanya hivi ili kuwachoma wana na binti zao kwenye moto - kitu ambacho mimi sikuamuru, wala kuweka jambo hilo katika akili zangu.
They have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the Valley of Ben Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I did not command, nor did it come into my mind.
32 Kwa hiyo, tazama siku zinakuja - asema BWANA - ambapo hapataitwa tena Tofethi au bonde la Ben Hinomu. Litakuwa bonde la machinjio; watazika maiti hapo Tofethi mpaka eneo lote lienee.
Therefore look, the days come," says YHWH, "that it shall no more be called Topheth, nor The Valley of Ben Hinnom, but The Valley of Slaughter: for they shall bury in Topheth, until there is no place to bury.
33 Mizoga ya watu hawa itakuwa chakula cha ndege wa angani na wanyama wa duniani, na hakutakuwa na mtu wa kuwafukuza.
The dead bodies of this people shall be food for the birds of the sky, and for the animals of the earth; and none shall frighten them away.
34 Nitazikomesha katika miji ya Yuda na mitaa ya Yerusalaemu sauti za kuiniuliwa na vicheko, Sauti ya bwana arusi na ya bibi arusi; kwa kuwa nchi hiyo itakuwa ukiwa.”
Then will I cause to cease from the cities of Judah, and from the streets of Jerusalem, the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride; for the land shall become a waste."