Bareka
1 Dama lakazha kuna Jeremiya lidwa kuna Yahwe mu misi ya Jehoyakimu nkololo wa Josiya mambo we Juda liti, 2 “Yenda ku nsha we Bareka ngono uswike ulebeleke nabo ngono ubazhise ku ng'umba ya Yahwe, ku mmwe we mimwe misha uswike ubapa nkumbi we zhambi kuti bang'we.” 3 Ndizo ndakatola Jaazaniya nkololo wa Jeremiya, nkololo wa Habaziniya ne hama dzidze ne bakololo babe bose ne nsha wose we Bareka. 4 Ndakabazhisa ku ng'umba ya Yahwe ku nsha we bakololo ba Hanani nkololo wa Igidaliya nlume we Ndzimu. Nsha wakabe uli pejo ne ng'umba ye makulukota yakabe ili pezhugwi kwe ya Maaseya nkololo wa Shalumu ntjengeti we nkoba. 5 Ipapo abiga mapepe alizhele nkumbi we zhambi ne kopi mbeli kwe balume be nsha we Barekabi abadwa ndikati, “Ing'wani nkumbi we zhambi.”
6 Koga bakashandula beti, “Atitong'wa nkumbi we zhambi ngoti batategulu bedu Jonadabu nkololo bakati laya beti, ‘Musitongofa mang'wa nkumbi we zhambi imwi ne bakololo benyu. 7 Kakale musitongobaka ng'umba kene kuli kudzwala mbewu kene kulima mizhambi, musitongothuwa tjimwe tje zwithu izwezwi koga makafanila gala mu mishasha. Ndizo mowotjila lubaka gulefu mu shango yamuli bataya muili.’ 8 Takateedza hwi la Jonadabi nkololo wa Rekabi tate bedu mu tjimwe ne tjimwe tjabakatidwa, kuti tising'we nkumbi we zhambi mu misi yedu, iswi ne bakadzi bedu ne bakololo bedu kene bakololokadzi bedu, 9 ne kuti tisibake ng'umba kugala mudzili. Atina minda dze mizhambi kene minda kene mbewu, 10 koga togala mu mishasha kakale takateedza tikathama kose kwatakadwiwa ndi Jonadabi tate bedu. 11 Koga kwakati Nebukadineza mambo we Bhabhiloni wonginilila shango takati, ‘Buyani, ngatiyendeni ku Jerusalema titja babhayani be Bakhaladiya ne babhayani be Basiriya.’ Ndizo tiligele mu Jerusalema.”
12 Ipapo dama la Yahwe likazha kuna Jeremiya liti, 13 “Yahwe Masimbawose, Ndzimu we Iziraela bakati, ‘Yenda unodwa balume be Juda ne bagali be Jerusalema uti, “Apa amutoshaka kutjemegwa ne kuhwa matama angu kene?” Kojalo Yahwe. 14 Nlayo wa Jonadabi nkololo wa Rekabi waakapa bakololo babe kuti basing'we nkumbi we zhambi wakalondolodziwa, na nasi kose abatong'wa, ngoti bakateedza ndaulo ya tate babo. Ndakalebeleka namwi ndisisithila koga amuzonditeedza. 15 Ndakamutumila balanda bose bangu balebesambeli, ndibatumila ndakalonga meya mu nyama nditi, “Mmwe ne mmwe wenyu ngaashandukile zila iye mbimbi ngono alulwamise zwiyito zwizwe, musitobele midzimu ipoga kuishingila, ngono ndizo mowogala mu shango yandakapa bobatategulu benyu.” Koga amuzobhulutana kene kuli kunditeedza. 16 Zwizekugwana zwa Jonadabi nkololo wa Rekabi zwakashingikadza ndaulo ya zwakapiwa ndi bobatategulu bazo, koga bathu ibaba abazonditeedza.’
17 “Ndizoke Yahwe Ndzimu Masimbawose, Ndzimu we Iziraela bakati, ‘Bonani, ndozhisila Juda ne bagali bose be Jerusalema bubi gose gwandakaleba ndigulingisanya nabo, ngoti ndakalebeleka nabo abazoteedza, ndakabadana ngono abazodabila.’ ”
18 Koga ku nsha we Bareka Jeremiya kabe eti, “Yahwe Masimbawose, Ndzimu we Iziraela bakati, ‘Ngoti makalondolodza ndaulo ya Jonadabi tate benyu mukatobela ndayo dzidze dzose mukathama tjimwe ne tjimwe tjaakamudwa, 19 ndizoke Yahwe Masimbawose, Ndzimu we Iziraela bakati, “Jonadabi nkololo wa Rekabi aatowofa ashaya nthu we lutshinga gugwe unowondishingila.” ’ ”
Learn a Lesson from the Rechabites
1 When Jehoiakim was king of Judah, the Lord told me, 2 “Go to the Rechabite clan and invite them to meet you in one of the side rooms of the temple. When they arrive, offer them a drink of wine.”
3 So I went to Jaazaniah, the leader of the clan, and I invited him and all the men of his clan. 4 I brought them into the temple courtyard and took them upstairs to a room belonging to the prophets who were followers of Hanan son of Igdaliah. It was next to a room belonging to some of the officials, and that room was over the one belonging to Maaseiah, a priest who was one of the high officials in the temple.
5 I set out some large bowls full of wine together with some cups, and then I said to the Rechabites, “Have some wine!”
6 But they answered:
No! The ancestor of our clan, Jonadab son of Rechab, made a rule that we must obey. He said, “Don't ever drink wine 7 or build houses or plant crops and vineyards. Instead, you must always live in tents and move from place to place. If you obey this command, you will live a long time.”
8-10 Our clan has always obeyed Jonadab's command. To this very day, we and our wives and sons and daughters don't drink wine or build houses or plant vineyards or crops. And we have lived in tents, 11 except now we have to live inside Jerusalem because Nebuchadnezzar has taken over the countryside with his army from Babylonia and Syria.
12-13 Then the Lord told me to say to the people of Judah and Jerusalem:
I, the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel, want you to learn a lesson 14 from the Rechabite clan. Their ancestor Jonadab told his descendants never to drink wine, and to this very day they have obeyed him. But I have spoken to you over and over, and you haven't obeyed me! 15 You refused to listen to my prophets, who kept telling you, “Stop doing evil and worshiping other gods! Start obeying the Lord, and he will let you live in this land he gave your ancestors.”
16 The Rechabites have obeyed the command of their ancestor Jonadab, but you have not obeyed me, 17 your God. I am the Lord All-Powerful, and I warned you about the terrible things that would happen to you if you did not listen to me. But you have ignored me, so now disaster will strike you. I, the Lord, have spoken.
The Lord Makes a Promise to the Rechabites
18 Then the Lord told me to say to the Rechabite clan:
“I am the Lord All-Powerful, the God of Israel. You have obeyed your ancestor Jonadab, 19 so I promise that your clan will be my servants and will never die out.”