Tjibi tje Jerusalema
1 Tizhilani yeno na yeno mu dzizila dze Jerusalema!
Lingani kumupoteleka ngono muzwibonegwe.
Shakani ku matengeselo awe mubone,
ha kuna nthu wamunowowana,
iye unothama tjakatambunuka
iye unoshaka lebeswa,
kuti ndizo ndinzwiibhatigwe.
2 Nenguba beti, “Na Yahwe banotjila,”
koga betuna manyepkhwa.
3 Imwi Yahwe apa mesho enyu aatolinga lebeswa kene?
Makabaphobola,
koga abazohwa zogwadza,
makabapeleledza,
koga bakalamba kutjemegwa.
Bakathama njiso dzabo dzikasima kupinda bgwe,
bakalamba kushandukila matjinyo.
4 Ipapo ndakati, “Ibaba ate bali betjimwe, zwilengwe
abana mikumbulo,
ngoti abatoziba zila ya Yahwe,
nlayo we Ndzimu wabo.
5 Ndowoyenda ku bahwola,
ndowonolebeleka nabo.
Nge malebeswa banoziba zila ya Yahwe,
nlayo we Ndzimu wabo.”
Koga bose naibo bakavuna jokwi,
bakathubula mitjili.
6 Ndizo shumba inodwa mu ishaka inowobabulaya,
phele inodwa mu tjilambanyika inowobalobesa.
Ngwe inowobalalila mu mizi yabo mikulu,
mmwe ne mmwe unobhudila kuzhe
unowopalulanyiwa kabe zwitibhutibhu,
ngoti bupanduki gwabo gunjinji,
bakathama zwithu zwinjinji zwisina kugalikamoyo.
7 “Ndingamuzwiibhatigwa tjini wali?
Bana benyu bakandifupatila,
bakatuna ne midzimu isi midzimu.
Ndakati ndibapa zwinojiwa bakaguta,
bakathama bupombgwe
bakakubungana mu ng'umba dze fukula.
8 Banonga mbizi ndume dzakakola dzishashala,
imwe ne imwe ililila hadzi ye imwe.
9 Apa andingabalobele zwithu izwezwi kene?” Kojalo Yahwe.
Apa andingazwibgwilizile,
mu zwitjaba zwinonga izwezwi kene?
10 Palamani minda yayo mukolomole,
koga musi ikolomole yose,
pululani thabi dzayo,
ngoti adzitedzili dza Yahwe.
11 Ngoti be ng'umba ya Iziraela ne ng'umba ya Juda
bakandishayila bugalimoyo kwakapelela dumbu
kojalo Yahwe.
12 Bakaleba manyepkhwa ngekwa Yahwe beti,
“Abangathame tjimwe!
Akuna tjakabipa tjinowotiwila,
atingafe tabona thumo kene bhamba.
13 Balebesambeli banowobe phepo yoga,
dama alitowobe mu bali.
Ikoku kowobashingikalila!”
14 Ndizo Yahwe Ndzimu Masimbawose bakati,
“Ngoti bathu bakaleba matama iyawa,
bona, ndothama matama angu mu nlomo uwo kube moto,
bathu ibaba kube hwuni, moto unowobaja.
15 Bonani, ndozhisa mu muli
itjaba tjikule kubhayana nawe ng'umba ye Iziraela,
kojalo Yahwe.
Itjaba tjakasima,
itjaba tja ntolo tjose,
itjaba tje lulimi gwamusingazibe,
kene gwamungahwa tjabanoleba.
16 Wobhodo dze misebe yatjo inonga ikumbu tjakaashama,
bose koga babhayani bakasima.
17 Banowoja zwe minda dzenyu ne zojiwa zwenyu,
banowoja bakololo ne bakololokadzi benyu,
banowoja mbudzi ne pkhwizi dzenyu ne ng'ombe dzenyu,
banowoja zhambi dzenyu ne phaya dzenyu,
mizi yenyu ye matizhilo yamunogalabgwe muili,
inowokolomogwa nge thumo.”
18 “Koga ne mu mazhuba iyawo, kojalo Yahwe, anditomupeleledza. 19 Ngono ha bathu bebhuzwa beti, ‘Ini Yahwe Ndzimu wedu bathama zwithu zwakajali mu tili?’ Ngono unowoti kubali, ‘Koga sekwa makandifupatila mukashingila midzimu ipoga mu shango yenyu, ndizo namwibo mowoshingila bataya mu shango isi yenyu.’ ”
20 Zibisa woku mu ng'umba ya Jakubo,
ukulebe mu Juda:
21 “Ihwani woku imwi zwilengwe imwi bathu basina mikumbulo,
bana mesho koga musingabone,
bana zebe koga musingahwe.
22 Apa amutonditja kene? Kojalo Yahwe.
Apa motetema mbeli kwangu kene?
Ndakathama nsetje kube n'gathu we gungwa,
tjidzibilidzi tjatjose tjagusingake gukatjuluka,
kene mapundu e vula angapitukana agungatubule,
zwingabomba koga azwingagutjuluke.
23 Koga bathu ibaba bana bukomba ne moyo we bupanduki,
bakapambuka bakazwiyendila ntome.
24 Mu mimoyo yabo abatozwidwa beti,
‘Ngatitjeni Yahwe Ndzimu wedu,
ibo banotipa vula ye zhizha ne ye nsewulo nge tjibaka tjayo,
ibo banogadzabgwe misi ye kuvuna.’
25 Matjinyo enyu akapambusa zwithu izwezwi,
zwibi zwenyu zwakadzibila ndulamo.
26 Ngoti bathu babiibi banowanika pakati kwe bathu bangu,
banolalila bathu sa ibabo banobhatshila nyuni.
27 Se mazongondo azhele nyuni,
ng'umba dzabo dzizhele butjebeli,
ndizo batjibe ne masimba batjifuma,
28 bakatjikola banokwidzima.
Banozwikudza ne mishingo yabo yakabipa isina tjilizanyo,
banosumikilisa kusakatambunuka,
ndebo dze siyang'wa kuyita kuti dzisibhudilile,
abatolebelekela fanilo dze banosheta.
29 Apa andizofanila kubalobela zwithu izwezwi kene?
Kojalo Yahwe,
apa andizofanila kuzwibgwilizila
mu zwitjaba zwakajali kene?”
30 Tjithu tjinotjenamisa kakale tjakabipa
tjashingikala mu shango,
31 balebesambeli banolebeselambeli manyepkhwa,
bapirisiti banoshinga nge simba labo
ngono bathu bangu banoda kwakajalo,
koga mowothama tjini ha bhelelo latjiswika kene?
Is Anyone Honest and Faithful?
The Lord said to me:
1 “Search Jerusalem
for honest people
who try to be faithful.
If you can find even one,
I'll forgive the whole city.
2 Everyone breaks promises
made in my name.”
3 I answered, “I know
that you look for truth.
You punished your people
for their lies,
but in spite of the pain,
they became more stubborn
and refused to turn back
to you.”
4 Then I thought to myself,
“These common people
act like fools,
and they have never learned
what the Lord their God
demands of them.
5 So I'll go and talk to the leaders.
They know what God demands.”
But even they had decided
not to obey the Lord.
6 The people have rebelled
and rejected the Lord
too many times.
So enemies will attack
like lions from the forest
or wolves from the desert.
Those enemies will watch
the towns of Judah,
and like leopards
they will tear to pieces
whoever goes outside.
Enemies Will Punish Judah
The Lord said:
7 People of Judah,
how can I forgive you?
I gave you everything,
but you abandoned me
and worshiped idols.
You men go to prostitutes
and are unfaithful
to your wives.
8 You are no better than animals,
and you always want sex
with someone else's wife.
9 Why shouldn't I punish
the people of Judah?
10 I will tell their enemies,
“Go through my vineyard.
Don't destroy the vines,
but cut off the branches,
because they are the people
who don't belong to me.”
11 In every way, Judah and Israel
have been unfaithful to me.
* 12 Their prophets lie and say,
“The Lord won't punish us.
We will have peace
and plenty of food.”
13 They tell these lies in my name,
so now they will be killed in war
or starve to death.
14 I am the Lord God All-Powerful.
Jeremiah, I will tell you
exactly what to say.
Your words will be a fire;
Israel and Judah
will be the fuel.
15 People of Israel,
I have made my decision.
An army from a distant country
will attack you.
I've chosen an ancient nation,
and you won't understand
their language.
16 All of them are warriors,
and their arrows bring death.
17 This nation will eat your crops
and livestock;
they will leave no fruit
on your vines or fig trees.
And although you feel safe
behind thick walls,
your towns will be destroyed
and your children killed.
Israel Refused To Worship the Lord
18 The Lord said:
Jeremiah, the enemy army won't kill everyone in Judah. 19 And the people who survive will ask, “Why did the Lord our God do such terrible things to us?” Then tell them:
I am the Lord,
but you abandoned me
and worshiped other gods
in your own land.
Now you will be slaves
in a foreign country.
20 Tell these things to each other,
you people of Judah,
you descendants of Jacob.
21 You fools! Why don't you listen
when I speak?
Why can't you understand
22 that you should worship me
with fear and trembling?
I'm the one who made the shore
to hold back the ocean.
Waves may crash on the beach,
but they can come no farther.
23 You stubborn people have rebelled
and turned your backs on me.
24 You refuse to say,
“Let's worship the Lord!
He's the one who sends rain
in spring and autumn
and gives us a good harvest.”
25 That's why I cannot bless you!
* 26 A hunter traps birds
and puts them in a cage,
but some of you trap humans
and make them your slaves.
27 You are evil, and you lie and cheat
to make yourselves rich.
You are powerful
28 and prosperous,
but you refuse to help the poor
get the justice they deserve.
29 You need to be punished,
and so I will take revenge.
30 Look at the terrible things
going on in this country.
I am shocked!
31 Prophets give their messages
in the name of a false god,
my priests don't want
to serve me,
and you—my own people—
like it this way!
But on the day of disaster,
where will you turn for help?