Baiziraela banotjuluka Tjidumano tje Ndzimu
1 Dama lakazha kuna Jeremiya lidwa kuna Yahwe liti, 2 “Ihwa matama e Tjidumano itjetji ngono uabudze bathu be Juda ne bagali be Jerusalema. 3 Ubabudze kuti Yahwe Ndzimu we Iziraela bakati, ‘Una bhiso nthu mmwe ne mmwe usingalondolodze matama e Tjidumano itjetji, 4 tjandakadwa bobatategulu benyu kuti batjilondolodze pandakabadusa mu shango ye Egipiti ndibadusa mu butale gunopisa kwakabangalala nditi, “Munditete kakale muthame tjimwe ne tjimwe tjandinomudwa ndizo mowobe bathu bangu ngono imi ndowobe Ndzimu wenyu, 5 kuti ndizo ndishingikadze kutuna kwandakatuna kuna bobatategulu benyu kuti ndowobapa shango inowunga nkaka ne butji gwe nyutji, shango yamuili nasi.” ’ ”
Ipapo adabila nditi, “Ngakujalo, Yahwe.”
6 Yahwe bakandidwa bakati, “Zibisa matama iyawa wose mu mizi mikulu ye Juda ne mu dzizila dze Jerusalema uti, ‘Bhulutanani matama e Tjidumano ngono muashingikadze. 7 Ngoti ndakalaya bobatategulu benyu kwazo zhuba landabadusa mu shango ye Egipiti, ndikabakowomesedza kwazo nanga na nasi dumbu nditi, “Bhulutanani hwi langu! 8 Nenguba kwakajalo abazondihwa kene kuli kube ne njele nge kwako koga mmwe ne mmwe wabo wakatobela mimoyo yabo mibiibi yakakukutala. Ndizo ndakabazhisila pezhugwi kwabo matama wose e Tjidumano itjetji, iwo andakabadwa kuti baalondolodze, koga bakasithame sa ikoku.” ’ ”
9 Kakale Yahwe bakati kundili, “Kuna bupitipiti pakati kwe bathu be Juda ne bagali be Jerusalema gwabanosunga. 10 Bakabgwilila ku matjinyo a bobatategulu babo, ibo bakalamba kuhwa matama angu, bakatobela midzimu kuti baishingile, ng'umba ye Iziraela ne ng'umba ye Juda yakatjuluka tjidumano tjangu tjandakathama na bobatategulu babo. 11 Ndizo wali Yahwe bakati, ‘Bonani, ndozhisa bubi pezhugwi kwabo gwabasingake bakasiya, nenguba bangalila kundili andingabateedze. 12 Ipapo mizi mikulu ye Juda ne bagali be Jerusalema banowoyenda, belilila midzimu yabanopisila motsha, koga aingabatjidze mu tjibaka tje mang'oni abo. 13 Ngoti midzimu yenyu yabe minji se mizi yenyu mikulu iwe Juda, zwibeso zwinopisigwa Baale motsha zwabe zwinji se dzizila dze Jerusalema.’
14 “Ndizo ke usitembezelele bathu ibaba, kene kuli milidzila tjililo ke ntembezelo mu bumo gwabo, ngoti andingateedze abe danilila kundili mu tjibaka tje mang'oni abo.
15 “Ndinge kutini ha tjido tjangu tjithama njalakang'wa dze bupitipiti mu Ng'umba yangu kene? Apa mafuta ne nyama yakayengemala ingakupambusa kulashika kuko mukuli kene? Apa ungapululudza kene? 16 Yahwe bakakudana beti, ‘Ntoba ntala, wakanaka una mitjelo yakanaka, koga nge nsindo nkulu unowolonga moto muuli thabi dzawo dzowovunika. 17 Ndzimu masimbawose ibo bakakugadzika baleba bubiibi nge kuko, ngekwe bubi gwakathamwa nge ng'umba ye Iziraela ne ng'umba ye Juda nge kundigwadzisa moyo ngopisila Bhaale motsha.’ ”
18 Yahwe bakandizibisa ngono ndotjiziba,
bakanditjenjedza mishingo yabo yakabipa.
19 Koga ndakabe ndinga pkhwizana yakawila zwilopa,
yakatungamiligwa kunobhayiwa.
Ndakabe ndisingazibe kuti bakandibigila bhuzhu beti,
“Ngatitemeni nti ne mitjelo yawo,
ngati n'duseni mu shango ye batjili,
kuti ndizo zina lile lisatjakumbulukigwe.”
20 Koga imwi Yahwe Masimbawose imwi munosumikilisa nge ndulamo,
imwi munolika nkumbulo ne njalakang'wa,
nge kwenyu ndamubikila ndebo yangu.
21 Ndizo wali Yahwe bakati ngekwe bathu be Anatoti, ibo banoshaka butjilo gugo beti, “Usilebesembeli nge zina la Yahwe ngoti ungadwa ufila mu maboko edu.” 22 Ndizoke Yahwe Masimbawose bakati, “Bona ndowobaloba shamu bazhuzha banowobulawa nge thumo, bakololo babo ne bakololokadzi babo banowobulawa nge bhamba, 23 akuna wabo unowosala. Ngoti ndowozhisa bubi mu bathu be Anatoti mu gole le kulobgwa shamu kwabo.”
Judah Has Broken the Lord's Agreement
1-3 The Lord God told me to say to the people of Judah and Jerusalem:
I, the Lord, am warning you that I will put a curse on anyone who doesn't keep the agreement I made with Israel. So pay attention to what it says. 4 My commands haven't changed since I brought your ancestors out of Egypt, a nation that seemed like a blazing furnace where iron ore is melted. I told your ancestors that if they obeyed my commands, I would be their God, and they would be my people. 5 Then I did what I had promised and gave them this wonderful land, where you now live.
“Yes, Lord,” I replied, “that's true.”
6 Then the Lord told me to say to everyone on the streets of Jerusalem and in the towns of Judah:
Pay attention to the commands in my agreement with you. 7 Ever since I brought your ancestors out of Egypt, I have been telling your people to obey me. But you and your ancestors 8 have always been stubborn. You have refused to listen, and instead you have done whatever your sinful hearts have desired.
You have not kept the agreement we made, so I will make you suffer every curse that goes with it.
9 The Lord said to me:
Jeremiah, the people of Judah and Jerusalem are plotting against me. 10 They have sinned in the same way their ancestors did, by turning from me and worshiping other gods. The northern kingdom of Israel broke the agreement I made with your ancestors, and now the southern kingdom of Judah has done the same.
11 Here is what I've decided to do. I will bring suffering on the people of Judah and Jerusalem, and no one will escape. They will beg me to help, but I won't listen to their prayers. 12-13 Then they will offer sacrifices to their other gods and ask them for help. After all, the people of Judah have more gods than towns, and more shameful altars for Baal than there are streets in Jerusalem. But those gods won't be able to rescue the people of Judah from disaster.
14 Jeremiah, don't pray for these people or beg me to rescue them. If you do, I won't listen, and I certainly won't listen if they pray!
15 Then the Lord told me to say to the people of Judah:
You are my chosen people,
but you have no right
to be here in my temple,
doing such evil things.
The sacrifices you offer me
won't protect you from disaster,
so stop celebrating.
16 Once you were like an olive tree
covered with fruit.
But soon I will send a noisy mob
to break off your branches
and set you on fire.
17 I am the Lord All-Powerful. You people of Judah were like a tree that I had planted, but you have made me angry by offering sacrifices to Baal, just as the northern kingdom did. And now I'm going to pull you up by the roots.
The Plot To Kill Jeremiah
* 18 Some people plotted to kill me.
And like a lamb
being led to the butcher,
I knew nothing
about their plans.
19 But then the Lord told me
that they had planned
to chop me down like a tree—
fruit and all—
so that no one would ever
remember me again.
20 I prayed, “Lord All-Powerful,
you always do what is right,
and you know every thought.
So I trust you to help me
and to take revenge.”
21 Then the Lord said:
Jeremiah, some men from Anathoth say they will kill you, if you keep on speaking for me. 22 But I will punish them. Their young men will die in battle, and their children will starve to death. 23 And when I am finished, no one from their families will be left alive.