The Lord Promises To Give the Land Back to His People
1-2 I was still being held prisoner in the courtyard of the palace guards when the Lord told me:
I am the Lord, and I created the whole world. 3 Ask me, and I will tell you things that you don't know and can't find out.
4-5 Many of the houses in Jerusalem and some of the buildings at the royal palace have been torn down to be used in repairing the walls to keep out the Babylonian attackers. Now there are empty spaces where the buildings once stood. But I am furious, and these spaces will be filled with the bodies of the people I kill. The people of Jerusalem will cry out to me for help, but they are evil, and I will ignore their prayers.
6 Then someday, I will heal this place and my people as well, and let them enjoy unending peace. 7 I will give this land to Israel and Judah once again, and I will make them as strong as they were before. 8 They sinned and rebelled against me, but I will forgive them and take away their guilt. 9 When that happens, all nations on earth will see the good things I have done for Jerusalem, and how I have given it complete peace. The nations will celebrate and praise and honor me, but they will also tremble with fear because of the powerful things I have done.
10 Jeremiah, you say that this land is a desert without people or animals, and for now, you are right. The towns of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem are deserted, and people and animals are nowhere to be seen. But someday you will hear 11 happy voices and the sounds of parties and wedding celebrations. And when people come to my temple to offer sacrifices to thank me, you will hear them say:
“We praise you,
Lord All-Powerful!
You are good to us,
and your love never fails.”
The land will once again be productive. 12-13 Now it is empty, without people or animals. But when that time comes, shepherds will take care of their flocks in pastures near every town in the hill country, in the foothills to the west, in the Southern Desert, in the land of the Benjamin tribe, and around Jerusalem and the towns of Judah.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
The Lord's Wonderful Promise
14 The Lord said:
I made a wonderful promise to Israel and Judah, and the days are coming when I will keep it.
15 I promise that the time will come
when I will appoint a king
from the family of David,
a king who will be honest
and rule with justice.
16 In those days,
Judah will be safe;
Jerusalem will have peace
and will be named,
“The Lord Gives Justice.”
17 The king of Israel will be one of David's descendants, 18 and there will always be priests from the Levi tribe serving at my altar and offering sacrifices to please me and to give thanks.
19 Then the Lord told me:
20 I, the Lord, have an agreement with day and night, so they always come at the right time. You can't break the agreement I made with them, 21 and you can't break the agreements I have made with David's family and with the priests from the Levi tribe who serve at my altar. A descendant of David will always rule as king of Israel, 22 and there will be more descendants of David and of the priests from the Levi tribe than stars in the sky or grains of sand on the beach.
23 The Lord also said:
24 You've heard foreigners insult my people by saying, “The Lord chose Israel and Judah, but now he has rejected them, and they are no longer a nation.”
25 Jeremiah, I will never break my agreement with the day and the night or let the sky and the earth stop obeying my commands. 26 In the same way, I will never reject the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob or break my promise that they will always have a descendant of David as their king. I will be kind to my people Israel, and they will be successful again.
Kugadziwabgwe kwe kubgwilizigwa mu tjimo
1 Dama la Yahwe lakazha kuna Jeremiya gwe bubili tjibaka tjaakabe akazhaliligwa mu nsha we balindi liti, 2 “Yahwe bakathama shango, Yahwe bakasika shango bakaidzikamisa, Yahwe ndilo zina labo ngono bakati, 3 ‘Undidane ngono ndowokudabila, ndowokubudza zwithu zwikulu zwakasumbikala zwa usingazibe. 4 Ngoti Yahwe Ndzimu we Iziraela bakati ngekwe ng'umba dze nzi nkulu iwoyu ne ng'umba dza bomambo we Juda dzakaligwa kuti ndizo dzibe mavikilo mu dziduduma dze mavu ne thumo, 5 Bakhaladiya baswika kuwogwa ne kudzizhadza ne zwitumbu zwe bathu ibo bandinowobe ndabulaya mu kugwadzamoyo kwangu ne mu bushongola gwangu, ngoti ndakasumbikila nzi nkulu iwoyu tjiso tjangu ngekwe bubi gwabo. 6 Bonani, ndowouzhisila mamuko ne bhodzo, ndowobapodza abazumbunulila bunji gwe kubhudilila ne mbakililiko. 7 Ndobgwiliza mu tjimo fumwa ye Juda ne fumwa ye Iziraela ngono ndowodzimusa dzikanga sekwa dzakabe dzili iko kutanga. 8 Ndowobatjenapadza mu tjibi tjabo tjose tjabakandithamila, ngono ndowozwiibhatigwa tjibi tjabo ne bupanduki gwabo kundili. 9 Nzi nkulu iwoyu unowondizhisila ntutshi ne kushatha ne gudzo ne kutetiwa mbeli kwe zwitjaba zose mu shango zwinohwa zwithu zwibuya zwandino ithamila ngono banowotja bakatetema ngekwe zwithu zose zwibuya ne kubhudilila kwandinoupa.’
10 “Yahwe bakati, ‘Mu bugalo igogu gwamunoti, tjilambanyika koga tjakathukudzika tjisina nthu kene phuka.’ Mu mizi mikulu ye Juda ne mu dzizila dze Jerusalema dzowofulukwa dzisala dzisina nthu kene bagali kene phuka kowohwika kakale 11 misindo ye kushatha ne mpululu, mahwi e nlongo ne nloboli ne mahwi a ibabo banozhisa zwipo zwe mboko ku Ng'umba ya Yahwe beti,
“ ‘Tendani Yahwe Masimbawose
ngoti Yahwe bakalulwama,
ngoti ludo gwabo gusingazunguzike gugele tjatjose!’
12 “Yahwe Masimbawose bakati, ‘Mu pathu ipapa pakathukudzika kusina nthu kene phuka mu muzi yose yawo kowobe ne bagali be balisi kakale kubuthisa mbudzi ne pkhwizi dzabo. 13 Mu mizi ye matombo, mu mizi yakakungulukila ne mu mizi ye Negebu, mu shango ya Bhenjamini ne mu mizi yakapoteleka Jerusalema ne mizi ye Juda mbudzi ne pkhwizi dzowopinda kakale hwonde ne unodzibala. Kojalo Yahwe.
14 “ ‘Bonani mazhuba aswika,’ ” koleba Yahwe, “ ‘andinowoshingikadza kugadzabgwe kwandagadzabgwe ng'umba ye Iziraela ne ng'umba ye Juda. 15 Mu mazhuba iyawo ne mu tjibaka itjetjo ndowothama kuti Lutabi gwakalulwama guthinilile Dafite, ngono unowothama tjakatambunuka nenge ndulamo mu shango. 16 Mu mazhuba iyawo Juda unowotjidziwa ne Jerusalema inowogala yakabakililika. Ngono zina ileli ndilo lainowodang'wa ndilo kuyi, “Yahwe ndibo ndulamo yedu.” ’ ”
17 Ngoti Yahwe banolebeleka bakati, “Dafite aangafe asheta nthu unogala mu tjigalo tjitje tje bumambo mu ng'umba ye Iziraela, 18 kene nanga bapirisiti be Balevi abangashete nthu unowoma mbeli kwangu kudusa zwipo zwinopisiwa ne kupisa zwipo zwe mathunde ne kugala bedusa zwibhayilo.”
19 Dama la Yahwe lakazha kuna Jeremiya liti, 20 “Yahwe banolebeleka bakati, ‘Amunga tjuluka tjidumano tjangu tjandakathama ne zhuba nenge tjidumano tjangu tjandakathama ne busiku kuti ndizo masikati ne busiku zwisingobepo mu zwibaka zwazo, 21 ipapo tjidumano tjangu na Dafite nlanda wangu ne tjidumano tjangu ne Balevi be bapirisiti banoshinga bali mbeli kwangu tjingatjulukwabo ngono Dafite aatowobe ne nkololo ungabusa ali mu tjigalo tjitje. 22 Ndowothama zwizekugwana zwa Dafite nlanda wangu ne Balevi banoshinga mbeli kwangu kuti babe banji se nyenyedzi dze zhuzhugwi ne nsetje we gungwa usina tjilizanyo.’ ”
23 Dama la Yahwe lakazha kuna Jeremiya liti, 24 “Apa auna njele kuti bathu ibaba bakati, ‘Yahwe bafupatila misha mibili yabakabe bashalula kene?’ Ndizo banolingila pasi bathu bangu abatjabatola se itjaba. 25 Yahwe banolebeleka bakati, ‘Ndakathama tjidumano tjangu ne busiku ne masikati ndakabiga milayo ye kudzimu ne shango, 26 ipapo ndowofupatila zwizekugwana zwa Jakubo na Dafite nlanda wangu ngono anditowoshalula mmwe we zwizekugwana zwizwe kubusa zwizekugwana zwa Abhurahama na Isaki na Jakubo. Ngoti ndowobgwiliza fumwa yabo ndikabe ne ngoni mu bali.’ ”