Matjinyo e Bajuda ne kulobgwa shamu kwabo
1 “Tjibi tje Juda tjakakwagwa nge pena ye butale, nge theswi ye dayimani tjakakobolegwa mu tjileiti tje mimoyo yabo ne mu nyanga dze zwibeso zwabo zwe zwibhayilo, 2 ha bana babo ibo bekumbula zwibeso zwabo zwe zwibhayilo ne midzimu yabo ye Ashera mu miti mitala na pezhugwi kwe matombo malefulefu 3 ne mu matuthu e shango yakazhuka. Fumwa iyo ne thundu iyo ndowothama kuti zwitapiwe ili iwo mbhayilo we tjibi tjitjo mu ntuthu wose uwo. 4 Ngono unowolashikigwa nge thaka iyo yandakakupa, ndowokuthama kuti ushingile zwita zwizo mu shango yausinga zibe ngoti mu kugwadzamoyo kwangu moto wakabangalala unowopisa nge kusingapele.”
Galabgwe muna Yahwe
5 Yahwe bakati,
“Una bhiso nthu unogalabgwe bathu,
unothama nthu simba lile,
we moyo unofupatila Yahwe.
6 Unonga denjana limu tjilambanyika,
atowobona tjimwe tjibuya tjinozha.
Unowogala mu magalo akakwakwalala
magalo asina bathu e shango ye mwenyu.
7 “Kwakakombolegwa nthu unogalabgwe muna Yahwe,
wakazwisesekedza muna Yahwe.
8 Unonga nti wakadzwagwa pa vula,
we midzi inotendebukila ku nkuku,
autotja ha pisa kuzha,
ngoti mazhani awo anogala ali matala,
autodziyidzika nge gole lisina vula,
ngoti autokuba.”
9 Moyo unotjebela kupinda zwithu zose,
kakale wakabola kwakabangalala,
ndiani ungauhwisisa wali?
10 “Imi Yahwe ndoshakisisa tjipa moyo,
ndikalika nkumbulo,
kuti ndizo ndipe nthu mmwe ne mmwe kuyendidzana ne mija iye
kuyendidzana ne mitjelo ye zwiyito zwizwe.”
11 Se hwali tjakabubatila mabumbulu atjisakabigila,
ne nthu wakajalobo unowana fumwa nge kusakatambunuka.
Koti mazhuba awe abe pakati ikampalalila,
ngono ku bhelelo lile unowobe tjilengwe.
12 Tjigalo tje gudzo tjakabigwa pezhugwi kudwa mu kutangisa,
pathu pe bugalo gwedu gwakayengemala.
13 Imwi Yahwe, kugalabgwe kwe Iziraela,
bose banomufupatila banowobhatisiwa shoni,
ibabo banomutizha banowokwagwa pasi,
ngoti bakalasha Yahwe tshime le vula inotjila.
Jeremiya unokumbila Ndzimu
14 Mundipodze imwi Yahwe ngono ndowopola,
munditjidze ngono ndowotjila,
ngoti ndimwi bandinokudza.
15 Bona, bakandidwa bakati,
“Lingayi dama la Yahwe? Ngalizhe!”
16 Andizotizha kube nlisi wenyu,
andizoyemula zhuba le kupungayila, woku mokuziba,
zwakabhuda mu nlomo wangu zwimbeli kwenyu.
17 Musibe kupalusa moyo kundili,
mu mabgwatilo angu mu zhuba le mbatsha.
18 Ngababhakhwe nge shoni ibabo banondidziyidza,
koga imi musithame kuti ndibhakhwe nge shoni,
ngaba temeke mafupa,
koga imi ngandisitemeke mafupa,
zhisani pezhugwi kwabo zhuba le bubi,
mubakolomole nge golomolo lakawatshika kabili!
Zhuba le Sabata lilondolodziwe
19 Yahwe bakandidwa bakati, “Yenda unoma pa nkoba we bathu be itjaba nkoba unongina kakale ubhuda na bomambo be Juda, unoma kakale ku mimwe mikoba yose ye Jerusalema, 20 ulebe uti, ‘Ihwani dama la Yahwe imwi bomambo be Juda ne Juda yose ne bagali bose be Jerusalema banongina ne mikoba iyeyi. 21 Yahwe bakati, “Bhulutanani woku ngekwe matjilo enyu, musisenge ntolo nge zhuba le Sabata kene kuli kuwozhisa ku mikoba ye Jerusalema. 22 Musisenge ntolo kudwa mu ng'umba dzenyu mu zhuba le Sabata kene kuli kushinga nshingo upi kene upi koga yengemadzani zhuba le Sabata sekwa ndakadwa bobatategulu benyu. 23 Koga ibo bakasiteedze kene kuli kuhwa nge zebe dzabo, koga bakahwomeledza mitshibha yabo kuti ndizo basihwe kene kuamutjila ndaulo.
24 “ ‘ “Koga ha munganditeedza, kojalo Yahwe, mukasizhise mitolo ku mikoba ye nzi nkulu mu zhuba le Sabata koga muyengemadza zhuba le Sabata musinga shinge mu lili, 25 ipapo banowongina nge mikoba ye nzi iwoyu nkulu bomambo banogala mu tjigalo tje bumambo tja Dafite bakatatha koloyi dze mbizi ne mbizi, ibo ne hadzasha dzabo ne balume be Juta ne bagali bose be Jerusalema. Nzi nkulu iwoyu unowogagwa nge kusinga pele. 26 Bathu banowozha bedwa ku mizi mikulu ye Juda ne mamwe magalo akapoteleka Jerusalema kudwa ku shango ye Bhenjamini ne kudwa ku shango yakakungulukila ne kudwa ku shango ye matombo ne kudwa ku Negebu bezhisa zwibhayilo zwinopisiwa ne zwibhayilo zwinojiwa ne zwipo zwe mathunde ne motsha, bezhisa tjibhayilo tje mboko ku ng'umba ya Yahwe. 27 Koga amusinganditeedze musingayengemadze zhuba le Sabata ipapo moto wakabangalala unowobhata mikoba yawo, ukaja ng'umba dza bomambo be Jerusalema ngono autodzimika.” ’ ”
The Sin and Punishment of Judah
1 The Lord says, “People of Judah, your sin is written with an iron pen; it is engraved on your hearts with a diamond point and carved on the corners of your altars. 2 Your people worship at the altars and the symbols that have been set up for the goddess Asherah by every green tree and on the hilltops 3 and on the mountains in the open country. I will have your enemies take away your wealth and your treasures because of all the sins you have committed throughout your land. 4 You will have to give up the land I gave you, and I will make you serve your enemies in a land you know nothing about, because my anger is like a fire, and it will burn forever.”
Various Sayings
5 The Lord says,
“I will condemn those
who turn away from me
and put their trust in human beings,
in the strength of mortals.
6 He is like a bush in the desert,
which grows in the dry wasteland,
on salty ground where nothing else grows.
Nothing good ever happens to him.
7 “But I will bless the person
who puts his trust in me.
8 He is like a tree growing near a stream
and sending out roots to the water.
It is not afraid when hot weather comes,
because its leaves stay green;
it has no worries when there is no rain;
it keeps on bearing fruit.
9 “Who can understand the human heart?
There is nothing else so deceitful;
it is too sick to be healed.
10 I, the Lord, search the minds
and test the hearts of people.
I treat each of them according to the way they live,
according to what they do.”
11 The person who gets money dishonestly
is like a bird that hatches eggs it didn't lay.
In the prime of life he will lose his riches,
and in the end he is nothing but a fool.
12 Our Temple is like a glorious throne,
standing on a high mountain from the beginning.
13 Lord, you are Israel's hope;
all who abandon you will be put to shame.
They will disappear like names written in the dust,
because they have abandoned you, the Lord,
the spring of fresh water.
Jeremiah Asks the Lord for Help
14 Lord, heal me and I will be completely well; rescue me and I will be perfectly safe. You are the one I praise!
15 The people say to me, “Where are those threats the Lord made against us? Let him carry them out now!”
16 But, Lord, I never urged you to bring disaster on them; I did not wish a time of trouble for them. Lord, you know this; you know what I have said. 17 Do not be a terror to me; you are my place of safety when trouble comes. 18 Bring disgrace on those who persecute me, but spare me, Lord. Fill them with terror, but do not terrify me. Bring disaster on them and break them to pieces.
On Observing the Sabbath
19 The Lord said to me, “Jeremiah, go and announce my message at the People's Gate, through which the kings of Judah enter and leave the city; then go to all the other gates of Jerusalem. 20 Tell the kings and all the people of Judah and everyone who lives in Jerusalem and enters these gates, to listen to what I say. 21 Tell them that if they love their lives, they must not carry any load on the Sabbath; they must not carry anything in through the gates of Jerusalem 22 or carry anything out of their houses on the Sabbath. They must not work on the Sabbath; they must observe it as a sacred day, as I commanded their ancestors. 23 Their ancestors did not listen to me or pay any attention. Instead, they became stubborn; they would not obey me or learn from me.
24 “Tell these people that they must obey all my commands. They must not carry any load in through the gates of this city on the Sabbath. They must observe the Sabbath as a sacred day and must not do any work at all. 25 Then their kings and princes will enter the gates of Jerusalem and have the same royal power that David had. Together with the people of Judah and of Jerusalem, they will ride in chariots and on horses, and the city of Jerusalem will always be filled with people. 26 People will come from the towns of Judah and from the villages around Jerusalem; they will come from the territory of Benjamin, from the foothills, from the mountains, and from southern Judah. They will bring to my Temple burnt offerings and sacrifices, grain offerings and incense, as well as thank offerings. 27 But they must obey me and observe the Sabbath as a sacred day. They must not carry any load through the gates of Jerusalem on that day, for if they do, I will set the gates of Jerusalem on fire. Fire will burn down the palaces of Jerusalem, and no one will be able to put it out.”