Mbumbi we hali
1 Dama lakazha kuna Jeremiya lidwa kuna Yahwe liti, 2 “Milika, yenda ku ng'umba ye mbumbi we hali, ikoko ndowothama kuti uhwe matama angu.” 3 Ndizo ndakadelukila ku ng'umba ye mbumbi we hali,Mbumbi we hali ndikaswika ndiwana ebumbila pa gumbgwana lile linobumba. 4 Ngono abona hali yaakabe ebumba ipkhwanyikila mu maboko awe ngono kaibumba kakale ikabe hali ipoga, eibumba kudzina ebona yanlulwamila.
5 Ipapo dama la Yahwe lakazha kundili liti, 6 “Iwe ng'umba ye Iziraela apa andingamuthame sekwa mbumbi we hali athama kene? Kojalo Yahwe. Bonani koga se ntapkhwi umu maboko e mbumbi namwibo makajalo mu maboko angu imwi ng'umba ye Iziraela. 7 Ha ndingati ne tjimwe tjibaka ha leba ngekwe itjaba kene mbuso kuti ndowoutshindunula aupkhwanya aukolomola, 8 ngono ha itjaba itjetjo tjandaleba nge kwatjo tjingashandukila bubi gwatjo, ndowoshandula nkumbulo we bubi gwandabe nditi ndoguthamila itjo. 9 Ha ndingati ne tjimwe tjibaka ha leba ngekwe itjaba kene mbuso kuti ndowoubaka kakale aulima, 10 ngono ha ungathama bubi mu mesho angu usingahwe hwi langu, ipapo ndowoshandula nkumbulo wangu wekuthama bubuya gwandabe ndakazwimisila kuguthamila iwo. 11 Ndizo ngwenu idwa balume be Juda ne bagali be Jerusalema uti, ‘Yahwe bakati, “Bonani ndolulwamisa bubi gwakamulingisana, ndomubumbila nkumbulo we kumuloba shamu. Shandukani, mmwe ne mmwe wenyu mu mipanga iye mibiibi ngono mululwamise zila dzenyu ne zwiyito zwenyu.” ’
12 “Koga banoti, ‘Akutobhatsha! Towotobela ndongoloso dzedu kakale mmwe ne mmwe unowothama kuyendidzana ne bukomba gwe bubi gwe moyo uwe.’
13 “Ndizo Yahwe bakati,
‘Bhuzwani mu zwitjaba
kuti ndiani wakatongohwa ngekwa ikoko?
Mwanadi Iziraela,
wathama tjithu tjakabipa kwazo.
14 Apa kapuku ye Lebanoni
inganyawukila pakakungulukila kuna mabgwe kene?
Apa vula dzinotothola kudwa ku matombo akule dzosoma kuwunga kene?
15 Koga bathu bangu bakandikangang'wa,
banopisila midzimu ye manyepkhwa motsha,
kwakayita kuti bakuthiwe mu zila dzabo,
ne mu zila dzabo hwulukugwe.
Yakabathama kuti batjekeledze,
mu zila dzisakabakwa.
16 Shango yabo inowothukudziwa,
ikabe tjithu tjinoshinyatiwa nge kusingapele.
Mmwe ne mmwe unopinda nayo unowokaabala,
kazunguza nsholo uwe.
17 Se phepo ye bhezhuba ndowobapaladza,
mbeli kwe tjita.
Ndowobalakidza itiko tjangu kusi buso gwangu,
mu zhuba le mbatsha dzabo.’ ”
18 Ipapo banowoti, “ ‘Izhani, ngati lukileni Jeremiya gwanga, ngoti zwidiyo zwe nlayo azwingalashiwe ne bapirisiti kene goko le batjenjedu kene dama le balebesambeli. Ndizo buyani ngati n'nginilileni nge ndimi dzedu tisibhulutane ndodwa ne tjimwe tjaanoleba.’ ”
19 Munditeedze imwi Yahwe,
ihwani tjinolebgwa ne banyanyayidzi bangu.
20 Apa bubuya gwakafanila lipiwa nge bubi kene?
Koga banditshila gomba.
Kumbulani kuti ndakatongoma mbeli kwenyu,
alebeleka mu bumo gwabo,
shandusani bushongola gwenyu mubali.
21 Ndizo tjidzani bana babo mu bhamba,
mubalonge mu simba le thumo,
bakadzi babo ngabashete mbeleko kakale babe tjilikadzi.
Balume babo babulawe nge bugwele.
Bazhuzha babo babulawe nge thumo mu ngwa.
22 Tjililo ngatjihwike tjidwa mu ng'umba dzabo,
tjinyolotjo amuzhisa banginilili ku bali,
ngoti bakatsha gomba kundibhatshila
bakasumbika zwibhatshili kubhatshila makumbo angu.
23 Koga imwi moziba imwi Yahwe,
mikumbulo yabo yose ye kundibulaya.
Musibazwiibhatigwe matjinyo abo,
kene kuli kubukusha tjibi tjabo pa mesho enyu.
Ngabakandalale mbeli kwenyu,
mubathame saikoku nge tjibaka tje kugwadzamoyo kwenyu.
Jeremiah Goes to the Pottery Shop
1 The Lord told me, 2 “Jeremiah, go to the pottery shop, and when you get there, I will tell you what to say to the people.”
3 I went there and saw the potter making clay pots on his pottery wheel. 4 And whenever the clay would not take the shape he wanted, he would change his mind and form it into some other shape.
5 Then the Lord told me to say:
6 People of Israel, I, the Lord, have power over you, just as a potter has power over clay. 7 If I threaten to uproot and shatter an evil nation, 8 and that nation turns from its evil, I will change my mind.
9 If I promise to make a nation strong, 10 but its people start disobeying me and doing evil, then I will change my mind and not help them at all.
11 So listen to me, people of Judah and Jerusalem! I have decided to strike you with disaster, and I won't change my mind unless you stop sinning and start living right.
12 But I know you won't listen. You might as well answer, “We don't care what you say. We have made plans to sin, and we are going to be stubborn and do as we please!”
13 So I, the Lord, command you to ask the nations, and find out if they have ever heard of such a horrible sin as what you have done.
14 The snow
on Lebanon's mountains
never melts away,
and the streams there
never run dry.
15 But you, my people,
have turned from me
to burn incense
to worthless idols.
You have left the ancient road
to follow an unknown path
where you stumble over idols.
16 Your land will be ruined,
and every passerby
will look at it with horror
and make insulting remarks.
17 When your enemies attack,
I will scatter you like dust
blown by an eastern wind.
Then, on that day of disaster,
I will turn my back on you.
The Plot against Jeremiah
18 Some of the people said, “Let's get rid of Jeremiah! We will always have priests to teach us God's laws, as well as wise people to give us advice, and prophets to speak the Lord's messages. So, instead of listening to Jeremiah any longer, let's accuse him of a crime.”
Jeremiah Prays about His Enemies
19 Please, Lord, answer my prayer.
Make my enemies stop
accusing me of evil.
20 I tried to help them,
but they are paying me back
by digging a pit to trap me.
I even begged you
not to punish them.
21 But now I am asking you
to let their children starve
or be killed in war.
Let women lose
their husbands and sons
to disease and violence.
22 These people have dug pits
and set traps for me, Lord.
Make them scream in fear
when you send enemy troops
to attack their homes.
23 You know they plan to kill me.
So get angry and punish them!
Don't ever forgive
their terrible crimes.