1 Matama a Jeremiya nkololo wa Hilikiya, wakabe ali mmwe we bapirisiti bakabe bali mu Anatoti mu shango ye Bhenjamini. 2 Dama la Yahwe lakazha kunli mu gole le bugumi lina matatu (13) ekubusa kwa Josiya nkololo wa Amoni wakabe ali mambo we Juda. 3 Lakazha kakale mu misi ya Jehoyakimu nkololo wa Josiya wakabe ali mambo we Juda, kuyenda kunoti ku bupelo gwe gole le bugumi lina ling'ompela la Zedekiya nkololo wa Josiya wakabe ali mambo we Juda, kudzina kunoti mu kutapiwa kwe Jerusalema mu mwedzi we bushanu.
Kudang'wa kwa Jeremiya
4 Dama la Yahwe lakazha kundili liti,
5 “Ndakati ndisathu akubumba mu tjibumbilo ndakakuziba,
wakati usathu ukazwagwa ndakakushalula,
ndakakubiga nlebesambeli ku zwitjaba.”
6 Ipapo ndikabe nditi, “Awu, She Yahwe! Bonani, anditoziba lebeleka ngoti nditji ntjetjana.” 7 Koga Yahwe bakati kundili, “Usiti, ‘Nditji ntjetjana,’ wakafanila kuyenda kuna bose bandinokutuma kubali, tjimwe ne tjimwe tjandinokulaya wakafanila kutjileba. 8 Usibatje ngoti ndinawe kukusunungula,” kojalo Yahwe.
9 Ipapo Yahwe bakatambunudza luboko gwabo bakabhata nlomo wangu ngono Yahwe bakati kundili,
“Bona ndalonga matama angu mu nlomo uwo.
10 Bona, mu zhuba ileli ndakubiga kuti ube ne simba mu zwitjaba ne pezhugwi kwe mibuso kuti
utshindunule kakale uvunile pasi,
ukolomole kakale upitule,
ubake kakale udzwale.”
11 Kakale dama la Yahwe lakazha kundili liti, “Jeremiya unobonani?” Adabila nditi, “Ndobona lukombo gwe nti we alimondi.” 12 Ipapo Yahwe bakati kundili, “Wabona zubuyanana, ngoti ndakalingilila kubona dama langu lishingikadziwa.”
13 Dama la Yahwe lakazha kundili gwe bubili liti, “Unobonani?” Adabila nditi, “Ndobona hali inobila yakaleleka kudwa ku bunandzwa.” 14 Ipapo Yahwe bakati kundili, “Kudwa ku bunandzwa bubi gowowila bagali bose be shango. 15 Ngoti bona, ndodana njudzi dzose dze mibuso ye bunandzwa,” kojalo Yahwe. “Ipapo dzowozha ngono mmwe ne mmwe unowobiga tjigalo tjitje tje bushe ku manginilo e nkoba we Jerusalema, banowobhayana ne makuma wose ayo akapoteleka ne mizi yose ye Juda. 16 Ndowodusa sumikiliso dzangu nge kwabo ngekwe bubi gwabo gose gwe kundifupatila, bakapisila motsha midzimu ipoga bakanamata mishingo ye maboko abo. 17 Koga iwe, uzwilulwamise! Milika ubabudze tjimwe ne tjimwe tjandinokudwa. Basikupaluse moyo, kuti ndizo ndisikupaluse moyo mbeli kwabo. 18 Ngono imi, bona, ndokuthama mu zhuba la nasi nzi we dizhilo, phanda ye butale, guma le phangula kubhayana ne shango yose ne kubhayana na bomambo be Juda ne makulukota ayo ne bapirisiti bayo nenge bathu be shango. 19 Banowogwa nawe koga abangakukunde ngoti ndinawe kakale ndowokugwila,” koleba Yahwe.
1 This book is the account of what was said by Jeremiah son of Hilkiah, one of the priests of the town of Anathoth in the territory of Benjamin. 2 The Lord spoke to Jeremiah in the thirteenth year that Josiah son of Amon was king of Judah, 3 and he spoke to him again when Josiah's son Jehoiakim was king. After that, the Lord spoke to him many times, until the eleventh year of the reign of Zedekiah son of Josiah. In the fifth month of that year the people of Jerusalem were taken into exile.
The Call of Jeremiah
4 The Lord said to me, 5 “I chose you before I gave you life, and before you were born I selected you to be a prophet to the nations.”
6 I answered, “Sovereign Lord, I don't know how to speak; I am too young.”
7 But the Lord said to me, “Do not say that you are too young, but go to the people I send you to, and tell them everything I command you to say. 8 Do not be afraid of them, for I will be with you to protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!”
9 Then the Lord reached out, touched my lips, and said to me, “Listen, I am giving you the words you must speak. 10 Today I give you authority over nations and kingdoms to uproot and to pull down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”
Two Visions
11 The Lord asked me, “Jeremiah, what do you see?”
I answered, “A branch of an almond tree.”
12 “You are right,” the Lord said, “and I am watching to see that my words come true.”
13 Then the Lord spoke to me again. “What else do you see?” he asked.
I answered, “I see a pot boiling in the north, and it is about to tip over this way.”
14 He said to me, “Destruction will boil over from the north on all who live in this land, 15 because I am calling all the nations in the north to come. Their kings will set up their thrones at the gates of Jerusalem and around its walls and also around the other cities of Judah. 16 I will punish my people because they have sinned; they have abandoned me, have offered sacrifices to other gods, and have made idols and worshiped them. 17 Get ready, Jeremiah; go and tell them everything I command you to say. Do not be afraid of them now, or I will make you even more afraid when you are with them. 18-19 Listen, Jeremiah! Everyone in this land—the kings of Judah, the officials, the priests, and the people—will be against you. But today I am giving you the strength to resist them; you will be like a fortified city, an iron pillar, and a bronze wall. They will not defeat you, for I will be with you to protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken.”