The Lord's Punishment of Jerusalem
1 The Lord in his anger has covered Zion with darkness.
Its heavenly splendor he has turned into ruins.
On the day of his anger he abandoned even his Temple.
2 The Lord destroyed without mercy every village in Judah
And tore down the forts that defended the land.
He brought disgrace on the kingdom and its rulers.
3 In his fury he shattered the strength of Israel;
He refused to help us when the enemy came.
He raged against us like fire, destroying everything.
4 He aimed his arrows at us like an enemy;
He killed all those who were our joy and delight.
Here in Jerusalem we felt his burning anger.
5 Like an enemy, the Lord has destroyed Israel;
He has left her forts and palaces in ruins.
He has brought on the people of Judah unending sorrow.
6 He smashed to pieces the Temple where we worshiped him;
He has put an end to holy days and Sabbaths.
King and priest alike have felt the force of his anger.
7 The Lord rejected his altar and deserted his holy Temple;
He allowed the enemy to tear down its walls.
They shouted in victory where once we had worshiped in joy.
8 The Lord was determined that the walls of Zion should fall;
He measured them off to make sure of total destruction.
The towers and walls now lie in ruins together.
9 The gates lie buried in rubble, their bars smashed to pieces.
The king and the noblemen now are in exile.
The Law is no longer taught, and the prophets have no visions from the Lord.
10 Jerusalem's old men sit on the ground in silence,
With dust on their heads and sackcloth on their bodies.
Young women bow their heads to the ground.
11 My eyes are worn out with weeping; my soul is in anguish.
I am exhausted with grief at the destruction of my people.
Children and babies are fainting in the streets of the city.
12 Hungry and thirsty, they cry to their mothers;
They fall in the streets as though they were wounded,
And slowly die in their mothers' arms.
13 O Jerusalem, beloved Jerusalem, what can I say?
How can I comfort you? No one has ever suffered like this.
Your disaster is boundless as the ocean; there is no possible hope.
14 Your prophets had nothing to tell you but lies;
Their preaching deceived you by never exposing your sin.
They made you think you did not need to repent.
15 People passing by the city look at you in scorn.
They shake their heads and laugh at Jerusalem's ruins:
“Is this that lovely city? Is this the pride of the world?”
16 All your enemies mock you and glare at you with hate.
They curl their lips and sneer, “We have destroyed it!
This is the day we have waited for!”
17 The Lord has finally done what he threatened to do:
He has destroyed us without mercy, as he warned us long ago.
He gave our enemies victory, gave them joy at our downfall.
18 O Jerusalem, let your very walls cry out to the Lord!
Let your tears flow like rivers night and day;
Wear yourself out with weeping and grief!
19 All through the night get up again and again to cry out to the Lord;
Pour out your heart and beg him for mercy on your children—
Children starving to death on every street corner!
20 Look, O Lord! Why are you punishing us like this?
Women are eating the bodies of the children they loved!
Priests and prophets are being killed in the Temple itself!
21 Young and old alike lie dead in the streets,
Young men and women, killed by enemy swords.
You slaughtered them without mercy on the day of your anger.
22 You invited my enemies to hold a carnival of terror all around me,
And no one could escape on that day of your anger.
They murdered my children, whom I had raised and loved.
Kulobgwa shamu kwe Jerusalema
1 She bafukidza nkololokadzi we Ziyoni
nge gole le kugwadzamoyo kwabo kungapani kene!
Kudwa kudzimu bakalashila pasi tjedza tje Iziraela mu shango,
abazokumbula tjigalo tje makumbo abo
mu zhuba le kugwadzamoyo kwabo.
2 She bakakolomola basina ngoni
magalo wose a Jakubo,
mu bushongola gwabo bapkhwanyila pasi
matizhilo e nkololokadzi we Juda,
baligila pasi mu mavu mibuso yayo
ne makulukota ayo kunobhatisa shoni.
3 Mu kugwadzamoyo kukulu balobesa
babhayani bakasima be Iziraela.
Bakabgwiliza shule luboko gwabo
gwe luji mukuswika kwe zwita zwabo,
bakathuta se bhuba le moto kuna Jakubo
kupisa tjimwe ne tjimwe tjakaupoteleka.
4 Bakalulwamisa dati labo se tjita
luboko gwabo gwe luji gwakazwilulwamisila kuposa.
Se tjita bakabulaya mmwe ne mmwe
ne bazhuzha bakasima dumbu,
bakatebulila bushongola gwabo gunonga moto
mu nshasha we nkololokadzi we Ziyoni.
5 She botjinga tjita,
bakolomola Iziraela.
Bakolomola ng'umba dzayo dzose dze bumambo,
matizhilo ayo asala ali matongo,
Bawatsha buyendasi
ne tjililo zwe nkololokadzi we Juda.
6 Bakolomola nshasha wabo se nnda we mizhambi,
bugalo gwe bushanganilo gwe mizano yakabigwa
gwakasala guli dongo.
Yahwe bazhisa bhelelo ku Ziyoni
ngekwe mizano yayo yakabigwa na bo Sabata bayo,
ngono mukugwadzika kwabo kukulu
bafupatila mambo ne mpirisiti.
7 She bakafupatila tjibeso tjinopisigwa zwibhayilo tjabo,
bakalamba bugalo gwabo gwakayengemala.
Bakalonga mu maboko e tjita
makuma e ng'umba dzayo dza bomambo,
nsindo ukahwika mu Ng'umba ya Yahwe
se zhuba le nzano wakabigwa.
8 Yahwe bakazwimisila kusiya ali matongo
makuma e nkololokadzi we Ziyoni,
bakaitjwaya nge nsungo
abazodziba luboko gwabo mukukolomola,
bakathama makuma anotathila
ne makuma kuti zwibe mu tjililo,
zolilidzana!
9 Mikoba yayo ilele pasi,
bakapkhwanya bakavuna makwasayile ayo.
Mambo wayo ne makulukota ayo
apakati kwe zwitjaba,
akuna nlayo,
balebesambeli bayo abatowana
mbono inodwa kuna Yahwe.
10 Sholo tjena dze nkololokadzi we Ziyoni
dzigele pasi dzakati hwuu,
dzakazwilonga hwuluba mu misholo yadzo
dzakaambala jila le saka,
baanadi be Jerusalema
bakatshinatila misholo yabo pasi.
11 Mesho angu ashakadziwa ngolila,
ndakadzipikana mukati kwangu,
Moyo wangu unolashigwa pasi ngekwe
golomodzo le bathu basingake bakazwiyita tjimwe,
bana ne ngawana banotimbama
ku mabala e matengeselo e nzi nkulu.
12 Banolilila bomayi beti,
“Tjiwunga ne nkumbi we zhambi zwingayi?”
Betimbama se nlume wakakubala
mu dzizila dze nzi nkulu,
se matjilo abo etebugwa mu maboko a bommeyabo.
13 Ndingaleba nditini nge kuko wali?
Ndingakufanidzanya ngeni wali
iwe nkololokadzi we Jerusalema?
Ndingati unofanana neni wali
kuti ndikunyaladze kene iwe mwanadi,
nkololokadzi we Ziyoni?
Ngoti kolomogwa kuko kukulu se gungwa,
apa ndiani ungakubgwiliza mu tjimo tjekutanga wali?
14 Balebesambeli babo bakabonelambeli nge kuko
mbono dze manyepkhwa ne butjebeli,
abazodusila jinyo lilo patjena,
kubgwiliza kubhudilila kuko.
Koga matama abakakubudza
manyepkhwa kakale anolasha.
15 Bose banopinda ne zila banokulobela phande
bekulinga ngokaabala kakale bezunguzila misholo yabo
nkolololokadzi we Jerusalema:
“Apa ndiwo nzi nkulu wakabe udang'wa,
bubuya gwakapelela,
ne kushatha kwe shango yose kene?”
16 Zwita zwizo zose zokugongobola,
zokulinga zwilobanya meno azo
zwiti, “Tankolomola!
Ileli ndilo zhuba latagala takalindila
taliwana, talibona!”
17 Yahwe bakathama tjabakabe balongolosa kutjithama,
bashingikadza dama labo labakaleba kale ntolo.
Bakupitulila kutjena basina ngoni,
bakathama kuti zwita zwishathe mukukolomoka kuko,
bakakudza simba le zwita zwizo.
18 Lilila kuna She
iwe nkololokadzi we Ziyoni.
Mishodzi yenyu ngaiwunge se gwizi siku ne sikati,
usinyaluluke, usiyite kuti mishodzi iyo ime.
19 Milika, longa guwo busiku
ha balindi be busiku betangisa,
tebulila zwipa moyo uwo se vula mbeli kwa She!
Milidzila maboko awo ku bali,
ngekwe matjilo e bana babo,
ibo bakanengetela nge zhala,
pakati kwe zila imwe ne imwe.
20 Lingani imwi Yahwe mubone!
Apa ndiani wamakatongo bhata saikoku kene?
Apa bakadzi baje bana babo kene?
Ibo bana babanotjengeta kene?
Apa bapirisiti ne balebesambeli babulawe
mu bugalo gwakayengemala gwa She kene?
21 Mu hwuluba ye dzizila
kulele bahwola ne batjetjana,
baanadi bangu ne bazhuzha bangu
bakabulawa nge thumo,
mu zhuba le kugwadzamoyo kwenyu
makababulaya, mubabhaya musina ngoni.
22 “Se ungati makabadanila zhuba le nzano wakabigwa
kutja kwangu ku mu mbizho dzose
kakale mu zhuba le kugwadzamoyo kwa Yahwe
akuna ungasiya kene katjila,
ibabo bandakabe ndida kakale ndakabalela,
tjita tjangu tjabalobesa.”