Lutabi gwe ndulamo
1 “Yee mme wee mapalala imwi balisi banokolomola kakale mupaladza pkhwizi dze fulo langu!” 2 Ndizo Yahwe Ndzimu we Iziraela bakati ngekwe balisi bakalisa bathu bangu, “Makapaladza pkhwizi ne mbudzi dzangu, makadzitatila kutjena, amuzodzitjengeta. Bonani ndowolingisana namwi ngekwe mishingo yenyu yakabipa kojalo Yahwe. 3 Ipapo ndowokubunganya malimbelimbe e pkhwizi ne mbudzi dzangu mu shango dzose dzandakaatatila ko ngono ndowoazhisa ku danga lawo anowobe manjinji akawanda. 4 Ndowoabigila balisi kuatjengeta, aatjawotja kakale kene kuli kutemeka mafupa kene kukabe ne limwe lingatjamila kakale,” kojalo Yahwe.
5 “Bonani, misi yaswika,” kojalo Yahwe, “inowoti amusila Dafite lutabi gwakalulwama, mambo unowobusa nge butjenjedu, kathama tjakatambunuka ne ndulamo mu shango. 6 Mu mazhuba awe Juda unowotjidziwa, Iziraela ikagala nge kwakabakililika. Ileli ndilo zina laanowodang'wa ndilo, ‘Yahwe i ndulamo yedu.’
7 “Ndizo, bonani, misi yaswika” kojalo Yahwe, “kunowoti bathu bakasishwe beti, ‘Nge malebeswa se Yahwe betjila, ibo bakadusa bathu be Iziraela mu shango ye Egipiti,’ 8 koga banowoti, ‘Nge malebeswa se Yahwe betjila ibo bakadusa bakatungamila zwizekugwana zwe ng'umba ye Iziraela kudwa mu shango ye bunandzwa ne kudwa mu shango dzose dzabakabe babatatila ko.’ Ipapo banowogala mu shango yabo.”
Balebesambeli be manyepkhwa
9 Ngekwe balebesambeli,
Moyo wangu unogwadza,
mafupa angu anotetema,
ndonga nthu wakalaladza,
ndonga nthu wakakuligwa nge nkumbi we zhambi,
ngekwa Yahwe,
ne ngekwe matama abo akayengemala.
10 Ngoti shango izhele phombgwe
ngekwe bhiso shango inolila,
mafulilo mu tjilambanyika akabuna.
Balebesambeli banolabukila zwithu zwakabipa koga,
bunyambi gwabo gumuna zwisakatambunuka.
11 “Nlebesambeli ne mpirisiti abana Ndzimu,
ne mu Ng'umba yangu ndakawana bubi gwabo,”
Koleba Yahwe.12 Ndizo ke zila yabo inowobe inosodzoloka,
banowotatigwa ku zhalima,
ngono banowa.
Ndowozhisa mbatsha mu bali,
mu gole lekulobgwa shamu kwabo,
Koleba Yahwe.13 Mu balebesambeli be Samariya,
ndakabona butjapa,
bakabe be belebeselambeli beshingisa Bhaale,
bakapambusa bathu bangu Iziraela.
14 Mu balebesambeli be Jerusalema,
ndakabona tjithu tjakabangalala,
banothama bupombgwe banotjila manyepkhwa,
banosimisa maboko e banothama mbipo,
kuti ndizo kushete washandukila bubi gugwe,
bose botjinga Sodoma kundili,
ne bagali bayo bonga Gomora.
15 Ndizo Yahwe Masimbawose ngekwe balebesambeli bakati,
“Bonani, ndowobajisa zojiwa zwinobaba
abapa vula ina nti unobulaya kuti baing'we,
ngoti kudwa mu balebesambeli be Jerusalema,
kushaya Ndzimu kwaandama ne shango yose.”
16 Yahwe Masimbawose bakati, “Musiteedze matama e balebesambeli banomulebeselambeli, bemuzhadza nge kugalabgwe kusi kwe tjimwe, banoleba mbono dze mikumbulo yabo kusi inodwa mu milomo ya Yahwe. 17 Banogala beti kuna ibabo banolengudza dama la Yahwe, ‘Mowobe ne kunyalala.’ Ngono kuna ibabo banotobela bukomba gwe mimoyo yabo banoti kubali, ‘Akuna mbatsha dzinowomuwila.’ ”
18 Ndiyani pakati kwabo wakatongoma pakati kwe goko la Yahwe kubona kene kuhwa dama la Yahwe?
Wakatongoteedza kahwa hwi lawo?
19 Bonani dutu la Yahwe!
Bushongola gunothuta,
tjampupudze tjakabangalala,
tjowonginilila misholo ye babiibi.
20 Kugwadzamoyo kwa Yahwe akutowotebama,
kudzina bawidza tjabakazwimisila mu moyo wabo.
Mu mazhuba anozha,
mowokuhwisisa zubuyanana.
21 Andizotuma balebesambeli ibaba,
koga banotjimbidza kuyisa ndayidzo,
andizolebeleka nabo,
koga bakalebesambeli.
22 Koga abangabe bedwa pama mu goko langu,
bangabe bakaleba matama angu ku bathu bangu,
ipapo bangabe bakashandukila zila dzabo mbi,
ne mu mishingo yabo yakabipa.
23 “Apa ndi Ndzimu upejo koga?” Kojalo Yahwe. “Apa andite ndili Ndzimu ukule kene? 24 Apa nthu ungabgwata mu magalo akasumbikala kuti ndizo ndisimbone kene?” Kojalo Yahwe. “Apa andite ndili pamwe ne pamwe mu zhuzhugwi ne shango kene?” Kojalo Yahwe. 25 “Ndakahwa tjakalebgwa ne balebesambeli bakabe belebesambeli manyepkhwa nge zina langu beti, ‘Ndakawolota, ndakawolota!’ 26 Kowotola tjibaka tjingapani ikoku kwakadwilila mu mimoyo ye balebesambeli ibaba be manyepkhwa, banolebesambeli hwumana kwe mimoyo yabo kene? 27 Banokumbula kuti mawoloto abanobudzana anowothama kuti bathu bangu bakangang'we zina langu, koga bobatategulu babo sekwa bakakangang'wa zina langu nge kuthigamila Bhaale. 28 Nlebesambeli una mawoloto ngaalebe mawoloto awe koga iye una dama langu ngaalebe dama langu nge lebeswa. Apa bunye guna gobe leni mu mathunde kene?” Kojalo Yahwe. 29 “Apa dama langu alitonga moto kene? Apa alitonga hamuli inopkhwanya shongwe ikabe zwitibhutibhu kene?” Kojalo Yahwe. 30 “Ndizo ke, bonani, ndobhayana ne balebesambeli banokwiba dama langu mmwe mu mmwe,” koleba Yahwe. 31 “Bonani, ndobhayana ne balebesambeli banoshingisa matama abo beti ‘Kojalo Yahwe.’ 32 Bonani, ndobhayana na ibabo banolebesambeli mawoloto e manyepkhwa.” Kojalo Yahwe. “Ibabo banobadwa kakale bebatungamilila ntome nge manyepkhwa abo nenge butjapa gwabo ngono ipapo imi ndisakabatuma kene kuli kubadwa tjimwe, ndizo abatobhatsha bathu ibaba nge tjimwe ndodwa,” kojalo Yahwe.
Ntolo wa Yahwe
33 “Ha mmwe we bathu ibaba kene nlebesambeli kene mpirisiti ungakubhuzwa eti, ‘Ntolo wa Yahwe ini?’ Ubadwe uti, ‘Ndimwi ntolo, koga ndowomutula ndimulasha,’ kojalo Yahwe. 34 Ngono ha nlebesambeli kene mpirisiti kene mmwe koga angati, ‘Ntolo wa Yahwe,’ ndowoloba shamu nthu iwoyo ne nsha uwe. 35 Mulebesane mmwe ne mmwe ne mbakidzani naye ne mmwe ne mmwe ku hama iye muti, ‘Yahwe badabila betini’ kene ‘Yahwe balebeleka betini?’
36 “Koga musitongo tjashingisa dama linoti, ‘Ntolo wa Yahwe’ ngoti dama ileli lowobe ntolo mu mmwe ne mmwe. Naikobo mungabe mulelekesa matama e Ndzimu unotjila matama a Yahwe Masimbawose, matama e Ndzimu wedu. 37 Bhuzwa nlebesambeli uti, ‘Yahwe badabila betini’ kene ‘Yahwe balebeleka betini?’ 38 Koga amuti, ‘Ntolo wa Yahwe,’ kojalo Yahwe, ngoti mowobe maleba matama iyawa, ‘Ntolo wa Yahwe,’ andimutuma nditi, ‘Musilebe muti, “Ntolo wa Yahwe,” ’ 39 ndizo ke, bonani ndowomumilidzila pezhugwi se ntolo amulashila ku tjena mukadwa mbeli kwangu, imwi ne nzi nkulu wandakamupa imwi na bobatategulu benyu. 40 Ngono ndowomuzhisila kulengudzika kusingapele, kubhatisiwa shoni kusowokanganika.”
Hope for the Future
1 How terrible will be the Lord's judgment on those rulers who destroy and scatter his people! 2 This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says about the rulers who were supposed to take care of his people: “You have not taken care of my people; you have scattered them and driven them away. Now I am going to punish you for the evil you have done. 3 I will gather the rest of my people from the countries where I have scattered them, and I will bring them back to their homeland. They will have many children and increase in number. 4 I will appoint rulers to take care of them. My people will no longer be afraid or terrified, and I will not punish them again. I, the Lord, have spoken.”
5 The Lord says, “The time is coming when I will choose as king a righteous descendant of David. That king will rule wisely and do what is right and just throughout the land. 6 When he is king, the people of Judah will be safe, and the people of Israel will live in peace. He will be called ‘The Lord Our Salvation.’
7 “The time is coming,” says the Lord, “when people will no longer swear by me as the living God who brought the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt. 8 Instead, they will swear by me as the living God who brought the people of Israel out of a northern land and out of all the other countries where I had scattered them. Then they will live in their own land.”
Jeremiah's Message about the Prophets
9 My heart is crushed,
and I am trembling.
Because of the Lord,
because of his holy words,
I am like a man who is drunk,
someone who has had too much wine.
10 The land is full of people unfaithful to the Lord;
they live wicked lives and misuse their power.
Because of the Lord's curse the land mourns
and the pastures are dry.
11 The Lord says,
“The prophets and the priests are godless;
I have caught them doing evil in the Temple itself.
12 The paths they follow will be slippery and dark;
I will make them stumble and fall.
I am going to bring disaster on them;
the time of their punishment is coming.
I, the Lord, have spoken.
13 I have seen the sin of Samaria's prophets:
they have spoken in the name of Baal
and have led my people astray.
14 But I have seen the prophets in Jerusalem do even worse:
they commit adultery and tell lies;
they help people to do wrong,
so that no one stops doing what is evil.
To me they are all as bad
as the people of Sodom and Gomorrah.
15 “So then, this is what I, the Lord Almighty, say about the prophets of Jerusalem:
I will give them bitter plants to eat
and poison to drink,
because they have spread ungodliness throughout the land.”
16 The Lord Almighty said to the people of Jerusalem, “Do not listen to what the prophets say; they are filling you with false hopes. They tell you what they have imagined and not what I have said. 17 To the people who refuse to listen to what I have said, they keep saying that all will go well with them. And they tell everyone who is stubborn that disaster will never touch them.”
18 I said, “None of these prophets has ever known the Lord's secret thoughts. None of them has ever heard or understood his message, or ever listened or paid attention to what he said. 19 His anger is a storm, a furious wind that will rage over the heads of the wicked, 20 and it will not end until he has done everything he intends to do. In days to come his people will understand this clearly.”
21 The Lord said, “I did not send these prophets, but even so they went. I did not give them any message, but still they spoke in my name. 22 If they had known my secret thoughts, then they could have proclaimed my message to my people and could have made them give up the evil lives they live and the wicked things they do.
23 “I am a God who is everywhere and not in one place only. 24 No one can hide where I cannot see them. Do you not know that I am everywhere in heaven and on earth? 25 I know what those prophets have said who speak lies in my name and claim that I have given them my messages in their dreams. 26 How much longer will those prophets mislead my people with the lies they have invented? 27 They think that the dreams they tell will make my people forget me, just as their ancestors forgot me and turned to Baal. 28 The prophet who has had a dream should say it is only a dream, but the prophet who has heard my message should proclaim that message faithfully. What good is straw compared with wheat? 29 My message is like a fire and like a hammer that breaks rocks in pieces. 30 I am against those prophets who take each other's words and proclaim them as my message. 31 I am also against those prophets who speak their own words and claim they came from me. 32 Listen to what I, the Lord, say! I am against the prophets who tell their dreams that are full of lies. They tell these dreams and lead my people astray with their lies and their boasting. I did not send them or order them to go, and they are of no help at all to the people. I, the Lord, have spoken.”
The Lord's Burden
33 The Lord said to me, “Jeremiah, when one of my people or a prophet or a priest asks you, ‘What is the Lord's message?’ you are to say, ‘You are a burden to the Lord, and he is going to get rid of you.’ 34 If any of my people or a prophet or a priest even uses the words ‘the Lord's burden,’ I will punish them and their families. 35 Instead, each one of them should ask their friends and their relatives, ‘What answer has the Lord given? What has the Lord said?’ 36 So they must no longer use the words ‘the Lord's burden,’ because if any of them do, I will make my message a real burden to them. The people have perverted the words of their God, the living God, the Lord Almighty. 37 Jeremiah, ask the prophets, ‘What answer did the Lord give you? What did the Lord say?’ 38 And if they disobey my command and use the words ‘the Lord's burden,’ then tell them that 39 I will certainly pick them up and throw them far away from me, both them and the city that I gave to them and their ancestors. 40 I will bring on them everlasting shame and disgrace that will never be forgotten.”