Mwandabula we jila
1 Yahwe bakandidwa bakati, “Yenda unotenga mwandabula we jila, ngono usunge thunji dzidzo ndiwo, usitongo udubika mu vula.” 2 Ndizo ndikanotenga mwandabula koga dama la Yahwe sekwa lakabe laleba ngono asunga thunji dzangu nawo. 3 Dama la Yahwe lakazha kundili gwe bubili liti, 4 “Tola mwandabula wawatenga, iwo wawakasunga thunji dzidzo ndiwo ngono milika, yenda ku Yufuratesi unowusumbika ikoku mu phaswa dze shongwe.” 5 Ndizo ayenda anousumbika ku Yufuratesi Yahwe koga sekwa bakandidwa.
6 Shule kwe mazhuba manjinji Yahwe bakandidwa beti, “Milika, yenda ku Yufuratesi unotola mwandabula wandakakudwa kuti unowusumbika ko.” 7 Ipapo ndakayenda ku Yufuratesi atsha ngono atola mwandabula pathu pandakabe ndausumbika. Ngono bonani, mwandabula wakabe washakala usitjina nshingo.
8 Ipapo dama la Yahwe likazha kundili liti, 9 “Yahwe bakati, ‘Nge zila inofanana na iyeyi ndowokolomola mazwikudzo e Juda ne mazwikudzo e Jerusalema. 10 Bathu ibaba babiibi, banolamba kuhwa matama angu, banotobela bukomba gwe mimoyo yabo, betobela midzimu ipoga kakale beishingila, basala benga mwandabula iwoyu, basina ndodwa ne nshingo! 11 Koga se mwandabula usungigwa mu thunji dze nthu ndosungila ng'umba ye Iziraela ne ng'umba yose ye Juda kundili,’ koleba Yahwe, ‘kuti babe bathu bangu ne zina ne dendo ne gudzo, koga abangandihwilile.’
Makukhwa e nkumbi we zhambi
12 “Lebeleka nabo ubadwe dama eli uti, ‘Yahwe Ndzimu we Iziraela bakati, “Hali imwe ne imwe inowozhadziwa ne nkumbi we zhambi.” ’ Ngono ibo banowoti kukuli, ‘Apa atitoziba kuti hali imwe ne imwe inowozhadziwa ne nkumbi we zhambi kene?’ 13 Ipapo ubadwe uti, ‘Yahwe bakati, “Bonani, ndowogutsha bagali bose be shango iyeyi ngolaladza ibo bomambo banogala mu tjigalo tja Dafite tje bumambo ne bapirisiti ne balebesambeli ne bagali bose be Jerusalema. 14 Ngono ndowobakwiya mmwe mu mmwe, botate ne bakololo ngofanana, kojalo Yahwe. Anditowoletjedza mahwilongoni kene ngoni kene mahwilozogwadza kundidziba kuti ndisibalobese.” ’ ”
Busungwa
15 Ihwani ngono muzhule zebe,
musizwikudze,
ngoti Yahwe balebeleka.
16 Ipani Yahwe Ndzimu wenyu dendo,
basathu bakazhisa zhalima,
makumbo enyu asathu kasodzoloka,
mu matuthu kubhata,
muti mutjashaka tjedza,
bebe tjishandula tjibe lima.
17 Koga amusingawoteedza,
meya yangu inowomulilila mu ikohwa
ngekwe mazwikudzo enyu,
mesho angu anowolila kwazo katebula mishodzi,
ngoti Yahwe be ngubi batapiwa.
18 Leba kuna mambo na mmeyabe uti,
“Delukani mu zwigalo zwenyu zwe bumambo,
ngoti zwiala zwenyu zwakanaka,
zowowa mu misholo yenyu.”
19 Mizi mikulu ye Negebu inowozhaligwa,
ngono akuna unowoizhula.
Juda yose inowotapiwa,
ikatolegwa yose ku butapiwa.
20 “Milidza mesho awo ubone,
ibabo banodwa ku bunandzwa.
Ingayi ngubi yawakabe wapiwa,
ngubi iyo yakanaka kene?
21 Unowotini ha bebiga botetshi mukuli,
ibabo iwe bawakadiya kuti babe bakwinya babo?
Apa zogwadza ha zwingakuwile,
se nkadzi umu zwibhayo zwe kutshibama kene?
22 Ngono auzwibhuzwa uti,
‘Ini ikoku kundishingikalila kene?’
Ndi ngekwe bukulu gwe jinyo lilo,
kwayita kuti thako dzidzo dzipaluke,
mbili uwo ulengudzike.
23 Apa Nkhushi ungazwishandula mbala we ganda lile,
kene ngwe mabala ayo kene?
Namwibo ha mungathame tjibuya,
imwi matjiwolobela thama tjakabipa.
24 “Ndowomupaladza se bunye,
gututudziwa nge phepo inodwa mu tjilambanyika.
25 Ndiyo thaka iyo,
gobe landakulizanyila,” koleba Yahwe,
“ngoti wakandikangang'wa
ukagalabgwe midzimu isi ye malebeswa.
26 Ndowokuambula thako iyo ndizwimba buso gugo,
kuti ndizo ubhakhwe nge shoni.
27 Ndakabona zwithu zwizo zwinoshimisa mu minda
bupongwe gugo gunobhatisa shoni,
Yee mme wee wapalala iwe Jerusalema!
Kowotola tjibaka tjingapani kuti utjenapadziwe kene?”
The Linen Shorts
1 The Lord told me to go and buy myself some linen shorts and to put them on; but he told me not to put them in water. 2 So I bought them and put them on. 3 Then the Lord spoke to me again and said, 4 “Go to the Euphrates River and hide the shorts in a hole in the rocks.” 5 So I went and hid them near the Euphrates.
6 Some time later the Lord told me to go back to the Euphrates and get the shorts. 7 So I went back, and when I found the place where I had hidden them, I saw that they were ruined and were no longer any good.
8 Then the Lord spoke to me again. He said, 9 “This is how I will destroy the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. 10 These evil people have refused to obey me. They have been as stubborn and wicked as ever, and have worshiped and served other gods. So then, they will become like these shorts that are no longer any good. 11 Just as shorts fit tightly around the waist, so I intended all the people of Israel and Judah to hold tightly to me. I did this so that they would be my people and would bring praise and honor to my name; but they would not obey me.”
The Wine Jar
12 The Lord God said to me, “Jeremiah, tell the people of Israel that every wine jar should be filled with wine. They will answer that they know every wine jar should be filled with wine. 13 Then tell them that I, the Lord, am going to fill the people in this land with wine until they are drunk: the kings, who are David's descendants, the priests, the prophets, and all the people of Jerusalem. 14 Then I will smash them like jars against one another, old and young alike. No pity, compassion, or mercy will stop me from killing them.”
Jeremiah Warns against Pride
15 People of Israel, the Lord has spoken!
Be humble and listen to him.
16 Honor the Lord, your God,
before he brings darkness,
and you stumble on the mountains;
before he turns into deep darkness
the light you hoped for.
17 If you will not listen,
I will cry in secret because of your pride;
I will cry bitterly, and my tears will flow
because the Lord's people have been taken away as captives.
18 The Lord said to me, “Tell the king and his mother to come down from their thrones, because their beautiful crowns have fallen from their heads. 19 The towns of southern Judah are under siege; no one can get through to them. All the people of Judah have been taken away into exile.”
20 Jerusalem, look! Your enemies are coming down from the north! Where are the people entrusted to your care, your people you were so proud of? 21 What will you say when people you thought were your friends conquer you and rule over you? You will be in pain like a woman giving birth. 22 If you ask why all this has happened to you—why your clothes have been torn off and you have been raped—it is because your sin is so terrible. 23 Can people change the color of their skin, or a leopard remove its spots? If they could, then you that do nothing but evil could learn to do what is right. 24 The Lord will scatter you like straw that is blown away by the desert wind. 25 He has said that this will be your fate. This is what he has decided to do with you, because you have forgotten him and have trusted in false gods. 26 The Lord himself will strip off your clothes and expose you to shame. 27 He has seen you do the things he hates. He has seen you go after pagan gods on the hills and in the fields, like a man lusting after his neighbor's wife or like a stallion after a mare. People of Jerusalem, you are doomed! When will you ever be pure?