1 I wish that my eyes
were fountains of tears,
so I could cry day and night
for my people
who were killed.
2 I wish I could go into the desert
and find a hiding place
from all who are treacherous
and unfaithful to God.
The Lord Answers Jeremiah
3 The Lord replied:
Lies come from the mouths
of my people,
like arrows from a bow.
With each dishonest deed
their power increases,
and not one of them will admit
that I am God.
4 Jeremiah, all your friends
and relatives
tell lies about you,
so don't trust them.
5 They wear themselves out,
always looking for a new way
to cheat their friends.
6 Everyone takes advantage
of everyone else,
and no one will admit
that I am God.
7 And so I will purify
the hearts of my people
just as gold is purified
in a furnace.
I have no other choice.
8 They say they want peace,
but this lie is deadly,
like an arrow that strikes
when you least expect it.
9 Give me one good reason
not to punish them
as they deserve.
I, the Lord All-Powerful,
have spoken.
Jeremiah Weeps for His People
10 I weep for the pastureland
in the hill country.
It's so barren and scorched
that no one travels there.
No cattle can be found there,
and birds and wild animals
have all disappeared.
11 I heard the Lord reply,
“When I am finished,
Jerusalem and the towns of Judah
will be piles of ruins
where only jackals live.”
Why the Land Was Destroyed
12 I said to the Lord, “None of us can understand why the land has become like an uncrossable desert. Won't you explain why?”
13 The Lord said:
I destroyed the land because the people disobeyed me and rejected my laws and teachings. 14 They were stubborn and worshiped Baal, just as their ancestors did. 15 So I, the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel, promise them poison to eat and drink. 16 I'll scatter them in foreign countries that they and their ancestors have never even heard of. Finally, I will send enemy soldiers to kill every last one of them.
The Women Who Are Paid To Weep
17 The Lord All-Powerful said,
“Make arrangements now
for the women who are paid
to weep at funerals,
especially the women
who can cry the loudest.”
18 The people answered,
“Let them come quickly
and cry for us,
until our own eyes
are flooded with tears.
19 Now those of us on Zion cry,
‘We are ruined!
We can't stand the shame.
Our homes have been destroyed,
and we must leave our land.’
20 “We ask you women
to pay attention
to what the Lord says.
We will teach you a funeral song
that you can teach
your daughters and friends:
21 ‘We were in our fortress,
but death sneaked in
through our windows.
It even struck down
children at play
and our strongest young men.’
22 “The Lord has told us
the ground will be covered
with dead bodies,
like ungathered stalks of grain
or manure in a field.”
What the Lord Likes Best
23 The Lord says:
Don't brag about your wisdom
or strength or wealth.
24 If you feel you must brag,
then have enough sense
to brag about worshiping me,
the Lord.
What I like best
is showing kindness,
justice, and mercy
to everyone on earth.
25-26 Someday I will punish the nations of Egypt, Edom, Ammon, and Moab, and the tribes of the desert. The men of these nations are circumcised, but they don't worship me. And it's the same with you people of Judah. Your bodies are circumcised, but your hearts are unchanged.
1 Ungati nsholo wangu ungabe uli vula,
ne mesho angu ali nsenya we mishodzi!
Ndabe ndowolila siku ne sikati,
ngekwe kubulawa kwe nkololokadzi we bathu bangu!
2 Ungati mu tjilambanyika ndingabe ndina ng'umba ye bezi,
kuti ndisiye bathu bangu,
ndiyende kule nabo,
ngoti bose ba phombgwe,
i goko le bathu be batjebeli.
3 Banolulwamisa malimi abo se matati
kuleba manyepkhwa
abatokunda nge lebeswa mu shango,
ngoti banodwa pa bubi benoti ku gumwe,
abatondiziba, koleba Yahwe.
4 Ibeni nge njele nge bazwalani benyu,
musigalebgwe hama dzenyu,
ngoti hama imwe ne imwe i bhitipiti,
ne nzwalani mmwe ne mmwe ntjebeli.
5 Nzwalani unotjebela nzwalani uwe,
akuna unoleba lebeswa,
bakadiya ndimi dzabo kuleba manyepkhwa,
banozwinyadza ngotjinya.
6 Bugalo gugo gupakati kwe bupitipiti,
mu bupitipiti gwenyu molamba kundiziba, koleba Yahwe.
7 Ndizo wali, koleba Yahwe Masimbawose bakati,
“Bonani, ndowobakuyunga ha balika,
ngoti ini kakale tjandingathama ngekwe bathu bangu?
8 Malimi abo misebe yakabangalala,
anoleba butjebeli,
Mmwe ne mmwe unoleba mbakiso nge mmwe naye,
koga mu moyo uwe enlukila gwanga.
9 Apa ndisibalobele shamu ikoku kene?”
Kojalo Yahwe.
“Apa ndisibgwilizile ikoku,
mu itjaba tjinonga itjetji kene?”
10 “Ndowolilila matombo abe mu buyendasi nge kwawo,
ndimba lumbo gwe tjililo ngekwe mafulilo e tjilambanyika,
ngoti akathukudziwa kuti kushete waapalama,
ne kulila kwe ng'ombe akutjahwika.
Nyuni dze zhuzhugwi
ne phuka dzakatizha dzakayenda.
11 Ndowothama Jerusalema duluthulu le matongo,
bugalo gwe phungubgwe,
ndowothama mizi mikulu ye Juda kuti ithukudzike,
kushaye bagali muili.”
12 Nthu wakatjenjela unohwisisa izwezwi ndiani? Ndiyani wakati nlomo wa Yahwe ukalebeleka naye, kuzibisa kuti ndinge kutini shango yakalashika kakale yakatjinyika se tjilambanyika kwainopelela kusina ungaipalama kene? 13 Yahwe bakati, “Ndi ngekuti bakalasha nlayo wangu wandakabiga mbeli kwabo, bakasindihwilile kene kutobela nlayo wangu. 14 Koga bakatobela bukomba gwe mimoyo yabo, bakatobela bo Bhaale sa bobatategulu babo bakabadiya. 15 Ndizo wali, koleba Yahwe Masimbawose Ndzimu we Iziraela beti, Bonani, ndowojisa bathu ibaba zojiwa zwinobaba abapa vula ina nti unobulaya kuti baing'we. 16 Ndowobapaladza nge zwitjaba zwisakati zwilipo zwikazibgwa ndi bobatategulu babo, ndowobatatamila nge thumo kudzina ndabalobesa.”
17 Yahwe Masimbawose bakati,
“Yelani njele, danani bakadzi be tjililo kuti bazhe,
tumilani nyambi dze bakadzi kuti dzizhe,
18 tjinyolotjo ngabazhe bashobe lumbo gwe tjililo nge kwedu,
kuti ndizo mesho edu awunge mishodzi,
ne hwope dzedu dzibe misenya ye vula.
19 Ngoti nsindo we tjililo unohwika mu Ziyoni uti,
‘Takakolomogwa seni!
Tobhakhwa ne shoni hwulu seni,
ngoti takasiya shango yedu,
ngoti bakaliga magalo edu.’ ”
20 Imwi bakadzi, hwililani dama la Yahwe,
zebe dzenyu ngadziamutjile dama le nlomo uwe,
diyani bakololokadzi benyu koshoba lumbo gwe tjililo,
diyanani lumbo gwe tjililo.
21 Ngoti lufu gwangina ne mafesitere edu,
gwangina mu ng'umba dzedu dze bumambo,
kubulaya bana mu dzizila,
ne bazhuzha mu mashanganilo.
22 Lebeleka uti, “Yahwe bakati,
‘Zwitumbu zwe bathu zowoandama pasi,
se ndobe yakaandama mu shango,
se mashanga shule kwe nvuni avuna,
akuna ungazwikubunganya.’ ”
23 Yahwe bakati,
“Ntjenjedu ngaasizwikudze nge butjenjedu gugwe,
kene nlume wakasima kazwikudza ngosima kukwe,
kene nlume wakafuma kazwikudza nge fumwa iye,
24 koga unozwikudza ngaazwikudze na yetji,
kuti unondihwisisa kakale undiziba,
kuti ndimi Yahwe, imi ndinothama mahwilongoni,
ne kutambunuka ne ndulamo mu shango,
ngoti ikoku ndokushathila,” koleba Yahwe.
25 “Bonani misi yaswika koleba Yahwe, kunowoti aloba shamu bose ibabo bakathumbigwa ne basakathumbigwa, 26 bo Egipiti ne Juda ne Edomu ne Amoni ne Moabu na bose banogala mu tjilambanyika ku magalo akule banothubula theswi dze mavudzi. Ngoti zwitjaba zose izwezo ne Baiziraela bose bana mimoyo isakathumba.”