Ndzimu unolamba kukumbila kwa Zedekiya
1 Dama lakazha kuna Jeremiya lidwa kuna Yahwe, tjibaka tja Mambo Zedekiya tjabakatumila Pashihuri nkololo wa Malikhiya na Zefaniya we mpirisiti nkololo wa Maasiya kunli liti, 2 “Tibhuzwile Yahwe, ngoti Nebukadineza mambo we Bhabhiloni unogwa naswi, pamwe swiyo Yahwe banowotithamila mishingo yabo yose inotjenamisa bakathama kuti atiletjedze.”
3 Ipapo Jeremiya kati kubali, 4 “Idwani Zedekiya muti, ‘Yahwe Ndzimu we Iziraela bakati, “Bonani, ndowoshandusa mathumo e ngwa amu maboko enyu amunoshingisa kugwa na mambo we Bhabhiloni ne kugwa kwe Bakhaladiya bakamukomba kuzhe kwe makuma, ngono ndowobakubunganyila pakati kwe nzi iwoyu nkulu. 5 Imi nge kwangu ndowogwa namwi nge luboko gwakatambunuka gwakasima mu kugwadzamoyo kunothuta ndina bushongola gwakabangalala. 6 Ndowobulaya bagali be nzi iwoyu, bathu kose ne zwithuwo zowobulawa nge bugwele bukulu kwazo. 7 Kudwa ipapo, koleba Yahwe, Zedekiya mambo we Juda ne makulukota awe ne bathu be nzi iwoyu nkulu banowobe basiya bugwele ne thumo ne bhamba, ndowobalonga mu maboko a Nebukadineza mambo we Bhabhiloni, mu maboko a ibabo bagala beshaka butjilo gwabo. Unowobaloba nge mpitsho we thumo, aatowobe ne ngoni mu bali kene kubasiya kene kubahwilazogwadza.” ’
8 “Ngono ku bathu ibaba ubadwe uti, ‘Yahwe bakati, “Bonani, ndobiga zila ye butjilo ne zila ye lufu mbeli kwenyu. 9 Iye unogala mu nzi iwoyu nkulu unowofa nge thumo nenge bhamba ne bugwele koga iye unobhuda kazwipa ku Bakhaladiya bakamukomba unowotjila kawana butjilo gugwe guli igo mbhailo we ngwa. 10 Ngoti ndakalingisana ne kubhayana ne nzi nkulu iwoyu we mbipo usi we bubuya, kojalo Yahwe. Unowolongwa mu maboko a mambo we Bhabhiloni ngono akawupisa nge moto.” ’
11 “Kakale udwe be ng'umba ya mambo we Juda uti, ‘Ihwa dama la Yahwe, 12 Iwe ng'umba ya Dafite! Yahwe bakati,
“ ‘Sumikilisani nge ndulamo mu mangwanana,
munsunungule mu luboko gwe ntshambilidzi,
iye wakatolegwa,
kuyita kuti bushongola gwangu gusithute se moto,
kungadwa kusheta ungagudzima,
ngekwe mishingo yenyu mibiibi.’
13 Bona ndobhayana nawe, iwe n'gali we nkuku,
iwe shongwe yakawala, koleba Yahwe,
iwe unoti, ‘Ndiyani ungazha katinginilila,
kene ungangina mu magalo edu wali?’
14 Ndowokuloba shamu kuyendidzana nge mitjelo ye mishingo iyo, koleba Yahwe.
Ndowobhatidza moto mu ishaka tjitje,
ngono unowoja tjimwe ne tjimwe tjakampoteleka.”
The Lord Will Fight against Jerusalem
1 King Zedekiah of Judah sent for Pashhur son of Malchiah and for a priest named Zephaniah son of Maaseiah. Then he told them, “Talk with Jeremiah for me.”
So they came to me and said, 2 “King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia has attacked Judah. Please ask the Lord to work miracles for our people, as he has done in the past, so that Nebuchadnezzar will leave us alone.”
3-7 I told them that the Lord God of Israel had told me to say to King Zedekiah:
The Babylonians have surrounded Jerusalem and want to kill you and your people. You are asking me to save you, but you have made me furious. So I will stretch out my mighty arm and fight against you myself. Your army is using spears and swords to fight the Babylonians, but I will make your own weapons turn and attack you. I will send a horrible disease to kill many of the people and animals in Jerusalem, and there will be nothing left to eat. Finally, I will let King Nebuchadnezzar and his army fight their way to the center of Jerusalem and capture everyone who is left alive, including you and your officials. But Nebuchadnezzar won't be kind or show any mercy—he will have you killed! I, the Lord, have spoken.
8 Then I told them that the Lord had said:
People of Jerusalem, I, the Lord, give you the choice of life or death. 9 The Babylonian army has surrounded Jerusalem, so if you want to live, you must go out and surrender to them. But if you want to die because of hunger, disease, or war, then stay here in the city. 10 I have decided not to rescue Jerusalem. Instead, I am going to let the king of Babylonia burn it to the ground. I, the Lord, have spoken.
The Lord Warns the King of Judah
* 11 Pay attention, you that belong
to the royal family.
12 Each new day, make sure
that justice is done,
and rescue those
who are being robbed.
Or else my anger will flame up
like a fire that never goes out.
13 Jerusalem,
from your mountaintop
you look out over the valleys
and think you are safe.
But I, the Lord, am angry,
14 and I will punish you
as you deserve.
I'll set your palace on fire,
and everything around you
will go up in smoke.