Matjinyo e Bajuda ne kulobgwa shamu kwabo
1 “Tjibi tje Juda tjakakwagwa nge pena ye butale, nge theswi ye dayimani tjakakobolegwa mu tjileiti tje mimoyo yabo ne mu nyanga dze zwibeso zwabo zwe zwibhayilo, 2 ha bana babo ibo bekumbula zwibeso zwabo zwe zwibhayilo ne midzimu yabo ye Ashera mu miti mitala na pezhugwi kwe matombo malefulefu 3 ne mu matuthu e shango yakazhuka. Fumwa iyo ne thundu iyo ndowothama kuti zwitapiwe ili iwo mbhayilo we tjibi tjitjo mu ntuthu wose uwo. 4 Ngono unowolashikigwa nge thaka iyo yandakakupa, ndowokuthama kuti ushingile zwita zwizo mu shango yausinga zibe ngoti mu kugwadzamoyo kwangu moto wakabangalala unowopisa nge kusingapele.”
Galabgwe muna Yahwe
5 Yahwe bakati,
“Una bhiso nthu unogalabgwe bathu,
unothama nthu simba lile,
we moyo unofupatila Yahwe.
6 Unonga denjana limu tjilambanyika,
atowobona tjimwe tjibuya tjinozha.
Unowogala mu magalo akakwakwalala
magalo asina bathu e shango ye mwenyu.
7 “Kwakakombolegwa nthu unogalabgwe muna Yahwe,
wakazwisesekedza muna Yahwe.
8 Unonga nti wakadzwagwa pa vula,
we midzi inotendebukila ku nkuku,
autotja ha pisa kuzha,
ngoti mazhani awo anogala ali matala,
autodziyidzika nge gole lisina vula,
ngoti autokuba.”
9 Moyo unotjebela kupinda zwithu zose,
kakale wakabola kwakabangalala,
ndiani ungauhwisisa wali?
10 “Imi Yahwe ndoshakisisa tjipa moyo,
ndikalika nkumbulo,
kuti ndizo ndipe nthu mmwe ne mmwe kuyendidzana ne mija iye
kuyendidzana ne mitjelo ye zwiyito zwizwe.”
11 Se hwali tjakabubatila mabumbulu atjisakabigila,
ne nthu wakajalobo unowana fumwa nge kusakatambunuka.
Koti mazhuba awe abe pakati ikampalalila,
ngono ku bhelelo lile unowobe tjilengwe.
12 Tjigalo tje gudzo tjakabigwa pezhugwi kudwa mu kutangisa,
pathu pe bugalo gwedu gwakayengemala.
13 Imwi Yahwe, kugalabgwe kwe Iziraela,
bose banomufupatila banowobhatisiwa shoni,
ibabo banomutizha banowokwagwa pasi,
ngoti bakalasha Yahwe tshime le vula inotjila.
Jeremiya unokumbila Ndzimu
14 Mundipodze imwi Yahwe ngono ndowopola,
munditjidze ngono ndowotjila,
ngoti ndimwi bandinokudza.
15 Bona, bakandidwa bakati,
“Lingayi dama la Yahwe? Ngalizhe!”
16 Andizotizha kube nlisi wenyu,
andizoyemula zhuba le kupungayila, woku mokuziba,
zwakabhuda mu nlomo wangu zwimbeli kwenyu.
17 Musibe kupalusa moyo kundili,
mu mabgwatilo angu mu zhuba le mbatsha.
18 Ngababhakhwe nge shoni ibabo banondidziyidza,
koga imi musithame kuti ndibhakhwe nge shoni,
ngaba temeke mafupa,
koga imi ngandisitemeke mafupa,
zhisani pezhugwi kwabo zhuba le bubi,
mubakolomole nge golomolo lakawatshika kabili!
Zhuba le Sabata lilondolodziwe
19 Yahwe bakandidwa bakati, “Yenda unoma pa nkoba we bathu be itjaba nkoba unongina kakale ubhuda na bomambo be Juda, unoma kakale ku mimwe mikoba yose ye Jerusalema, 20 ulebe uti, ‘Ihwani dama la Yahwe imwi bomambo be Juda ne Juda yose ne bagali bose be Jerusalema banongina ne mikoba iyeyi. 21 Yahwe bakati, “Bhulutanani woku ngekwe matjilo enyu, musisenge ntolo nge zhuba le Sabata kene kuli kuwozhisa ku mikoba ye Jerusalema. 22 Musisenge ntolo kudwa mu ng'umba dzenyu mu zhuba le Sabata kene kuli kushinga nshingo upi kene upi koga yengemadzani zhuba le Sabata sekwa ndakadwa bobatategulu benyu. 23 Koga ibo bakasiteedze kene kuli kuhwa nge zebe dzabo, koga bakahwomeledza mitshibha yabo kuti ndizo basihwe kene kuamutjila ndaulo.
24 “ ‘ “Koga ha munganditeedza, kojalo Yahwe, mukasizhise mitolo ku mikoba ye nzi nkulu mu zhuba le Sabata koga muyengemadza zhuba le Sabata musinga shinge mu lili, 25 ipapo banowongina nge mikoba ye nzi iwoyu nkulu bomambo banogala mu tjigalo tje bumambo tja Dafite bakatatha koloyi dze mbizi ne mbizi, ibo ne hadzasha dzabo ne balume be Juta ne bagali bose be Jerusalema. Nzi nkulu iwoyu unowogagwa nge kusinga pele. 26 Bathu banowozha bedwa ku mizi mikulu ye Juda ne mamwe magalo akapoteleka Jerusalema kudwa ku shango ye Bhenjamini ne kudwa ku shango yakakungulukila ne kudwa ku shango ye matombo ne kudwa ku Negebu bezhisa zwibhayilo zwinopisiwa ne zwibhayilo zwinojiwa ne zwipo zwe mathunde ne motsha, bezhisa tjibhayilo tje mboko ku ng'umba ya Yahwe. 27 Koga amusinganditeedze musingayengemadze zhuba le Sabata ipapo moto wakabangalala unowobhata mikoba yawo, ukaja ng'umba dza bomambo be Jerusalema ngono autodzimika.” ’ ”
The Lord Will Punish Judah
The Lord said:
1 People of Judah,
your sins cannot be erased.
They are written on your hearts
like words chiseled in stone
or carved on the corners
of your altars.
* 2 One generation after another
has set up pagan altars
and worshiped the goddess Asherah
everywhere in your country—
on hills and mountains,
and under large trees.
3 So I'll take everything you own,
including your altars,
and give it all
to your enemies.
4 You will lose the land
that I gave you,
and I will make you slaves
in a foreign country,
because you have made my anger
blaze up like a fire
that won't stop burning.
Trust the Lord
5 I, the Lord, have put a curse
on those who turn from me
and trust in human strength.
6 They will dry up like a bush
in salty desert soil,
where nothing can grow.
7 But I will bless those
who trust me, the Lord.
8 They will be like trees
growing beside a stream—
trees with roots that reach
down to the water,
and with leaves
that are always green.
They bear fruit every year
and are never worried
by a lack of rain.
9 You people of Judah
are so deceitful
that you even fool yourselves,
and you can't change.
10 But I know your deeds
and your thoughts,
and I will make sure
you get what you deserve.
11 You cheated others,
but everything you gained
will fly away, like birds
hatched from stolen eggs.
Then you will discover
what fools you are.
Jeremiah Prays to the Lord
12 Our Lord, your temple
is a glorious throne
that has stood on a mountain
from the beginning.
13 You are a spring of water
giving Israel life and hope.
But if the people reject
what you have told me,
they will be swept away
like words written in dust.
14 You, Lord, are the one I praise.
So heal me and rescue me!
Then I will be completely well
and perfectly safe.
15 The people of Judah say to me,
“Jeremiah, you claimed to tell us
what the Lord has said.
So why hasn't it come true?”
16 Our Lord, you chose me
to care for your people,
and that's what I have done.
You know everything I have said,
and I have never once
asked you to punish them.
17 I trust you for protection
in times of trouble,
so don't frighten me.
18 Keep me from failure
and disgrace,
but make my enemies fail
and be disgraced.
Send destruction to make
their worst fears come true.
Resting on the Sabbath
19-20 The Lord said:
Jeremiah, stand at each city gate in Jerusalem, including the one the king uses, and speak to him and everyone else. Tell them I have said:
I am the Lord, so pay attention. 21-24 If you value your lives, don't do any work on the Sabbath. Don't carry anything through the city gates or through the door of your house, or anywhere else. Keep the Sabbath day sacred!
I gave this command to your ancestors, but they were stubborn and refused to obey or to be corrected. But if you obey, 25 then Judah and Jerusalem will always be ruled by kings from David's family. The king and his officials will ride through these gates on horses or in chariots, and the people of Judah and Jerusalem will be with them. There will always be people living in Jerusalem, 26 and others will come here from the nearby villages, from the towns of Judah and Benjamin, from the hill country and the foothills to the west, and from the Southern Desert. They will bring sacrifices to please me and to give me thanks, as well as offerings of grain and incense.
27 But if you keep on carrying things through the city gates on the Sabbath and keep treating it as any other day, I will set fire to these gates and burn down the whole city, including the fortresses.