Jeremiah Wears an Ox Yoke
1 Soon after Josiah's son Zedekiah became king of Judah, the Lord told me 2 to make myself a yoke out of leather straps and wooden crossbars and to put it on my neck. 3 Then the Lord told me to send a message to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon, Tyre, and Sidon through their ambassadors who had come to Jerusalem to see King Zedekiah. 4 The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, told me to command them to tell their kings that the Lord had said: 5 “By my great power and strength I created the world, human beings, and all the animals that live on the earth; and I give it to anyone I choose. 6 I am the one who has placed all these nations under the power of my servant, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia, and I have made even the wild animals serve him. 7 All nations will serve him, and they will serve his son and his grandson until the time comes for his own nation to fall. Then his nation will serve powerful nations and great kings.
8 “But if any nation or kingdom will not submit to his rule, then I will punish that nation by war, starvation, and disease until I have let Nebuchadnezzar destroy it completely. 9 Do not listen to your prophets or to those who claim they can predict the future, either by dreams or by calling up the spirits of the dead or by magic. They all tell you not to submit to the king of Babylonia. 10 They are deceiving you and will cause you to be taken far away from your country. I will drive you out, and you will be destroyed. 11 But if any nation submits to the king of Babylonia and serves him, then I will let it stay on in its own land, to farm it and live there. I, the Lord, have spoken.”
12 I said the same thing to King Zedekiah of Judah, “Submit to the king of Babylonia. Serve him and his people, and you will live. 13 Why should you and your people die in war or of starvation or disease? That is what the Lord has said will happen to any nation that does not submit to the king of Babylonia. 14 Do not listen to the prophets who tell you not to surrender to him. They are deceiving you. 15 The Lord himself has said that he did not send them and that they are lying to you in his name. And so he will drive you out, and you will be killed, you and the prophets who are telling you these lies.”
16 Then I told the priests and the people that the Lord had said: “Do not listen to the prophets who say that the Temple treasures will soon be brought back from Babylonia. They are lying to you. 17 Don't listen to them! Submit to the king of Babylonia and you will live! Why should this city become a pile of ruins? 18 If they are really prophets and if they have my message, let them ask me, the Lord Almighty, not to allow the treasures that remain in the Temple and in the royal palace to be taken to Babylonia.”
( 19-20 When King Nebuchadnezzar took away to Babylonia the king of Judah, Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim, and the leading men of Judah and Jerusalem, he left the columns, the bronze tank, the carts, and some of the other Temple treasures.)
21 “Listen to what I, the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, say about the treasures that are left in the Temple and in the royal palace in Jerusalem: 22 They will be taken to Babylonia and will remain there until I turn my attention to them. Then I will bring them back and restore them to this place. I, the Lord, have spoken.”
Juda inoshingila Nebukadineza
1 Mu kutangisa kwe kubusa kwa Zedekiya nkololo wa Josiya mambo we Juda, dama ileli likazha kuna Jeremiya lidwa kuna Yahwe liti, 2 Yahwe bakati kundili, “Zwithamile misungo ne majokwi ngono uatilike mu ntshibha uwo. 3 Utumile dama kuna mambo we Edomu ne kuna mambo we Moabu ne kuna mambo we Baamoni ne kuna mambo we Tire ne kuna mambo we Sidoni nge batumwa bakazha ku Jerusalema kuna Zedekiya mambo we Juda. 4 Ngono ubalaile kuna botetshi babo uti, ‘Yahwe Masimbawose Ndzimu we Iziraela bakati: Idwani botetshi benyu muti: 5 “Ndimi nge simba langu gulu nenge luboko gwangu kwakatambunuka ndakathama shango ne bathu bayo ne phuka dzimu ili, ndoipa mmwe ne mmwe wandinoshaka. 6 Ngwenu ndalonga shango idzedzi dzose mu luboko gwe nlanda wangu Nebukadineza mambo we Bhabhiloni, naikobo ndampa ne phuka dze shango kuti dzin'shingile. 7 Zwitjaba zose zowon'shingila kose ne bakololo babe ne bana be bakololo babe kuswikila tjibaka tje shango iye na itjobo tjaswika, ipapo zwitjaba zwinjinji nabo mambo bakulu banowon'thama nlanda wabo.
8 “ ‘ “Koga ha itjaba kene mbuso ungasishingile Nebukadineza mambo we Bhabhiloni kene kuli kulonga ntshibha wawo mu jokwi la mambo we Bhabhiloni, ndowoloba shamu itjaba itjetjo nge thumo nenge bhamba nenge bugwele, kojalo Yahwe, kuswikila ndatjikolomola tjose nge luboko gugwe. 9 Ndizo musiteedze balebesambeli benyu ne bakandili benyu ne bawoloti benyu ne hwosana dzenyu ne mashabi enyu banomudwa beti, Musishingile mambo we Bhabhiloni. 10 Ngoti manyepkhwa itjetjo tjabanolebela mbeli kumuli, kunoyita kuti bamuyise kulekule ne shango yenyu kuti bamutate ngono mukaloba. 11 Koga itjaba tjinowolonga ntshibha watjo mu jokwi la mambo we Bhabhiloni kakale kan'shingila, ndowoletja itjaba itjetjo tjikasala mu shango yatjo kuti tjiilime kakale tjigale muili.” ’ ”
12 Ndakapa ndayidzo iyeyi zwayo Zedekiya mambo we Juda nditi, “Longani mitshibha yenyu mu jokwe la mambo we Bhabhiloni kakale mu nshigile kose ne bathu babe ngono mutjile. 13 Ini iwe ne bathu babo mungafa nge thumo nenge bhamba nenge bugwele Yahwe sekwa bakaleba ngekwe itjaba tjisingawoshingila mambo we Bhabhiloni kene? 14 Musiteedze matama e balebesambeli banoti kumuli, ‘Musishingile mambo we Bhabhiloni,’ ngoti manyepkhwa abanomulebeselambeli. 15 Andizobatuma kojalo Yahwe koga banolebesambeli manyepkhwa nge zina langu, kunoyita kuti ndibatatile kutjena ngono bakaloba, iwe ne balebesambeli banomulebeselambeli.”
16 Ipapo ndakalebeleka ne bapirisiti ne bathu bose nditi, “Yahwe bakati: Musitongoteedza matama e balebesambeli banomulebeselambeli beti, ‘Bonani, zwija zwe Ng'umba ya Yahwe zwabe pejo ne bgwiliziwa kudwa mu Bhabhiloni,’ ngoti manyepkhwa abanolebesambeli ku muli. 17 Musibateedze, shingilani mambo we Bhabhiloni ndizo mutjile. Ini nzi nkulu iwoyu ungabe dongo kene? 18 Ha bali balebesambeli, ha kuna dama la Yahwe mu bali ngabakumbile muna Yahwe Masimbawose kuti zwitjaba zwakasala mu Ng'umba ya Yahwe ne mu ng'umba ya mambo we Juda ne mu Jerusalema zwisiyende ku Bhabhiloni. 19 Ngoti Yahwe Masimbawose bakati ngekwe phanda ne gungwa ne zwigadziko zwe makumbgwana ne zwija zose zwakasala mu nzi iwoyu nkulu, 20 zwakabe zwisatogwa ndi Nebukadineza mambo we Bhabhiloni paakatapa Jekoniya nkololo wa Jehoyakimu mambo we Juda ne makulukota e Juda ne Jerusalema kudwa mu Jerusalema ebayisa ku Bhabhiloni, 21 ee Yahwe Masimbawose Ndzimu we Iziraela bakati ngekwe zwija zwakasala mu Ng'umba ya Yahwe ne mu ng'umba ye mambo we Juda ne mu Jerusalema: 22 Zowotolegwa ku Bhabhiloni ngono zowogalako kudzina zhuba landinowobe ne hanya nge kwazo, kojalo Yahwe. Ipapo ndowozwibgwiliza azwibiga mu tjimo mu bugalo igogu.”