Lukwalo kuna bakatapiwa
1 Awa matama e lukwalo gwa Jeremiya nlebesambeli gwaakatumilila sholotjena dzakatapiwa ne bapirisiti ne balebesambeli ne bathu bose bakabe batapiwa ndi Nebukadineza mu Jerusalema ebayisa ku Bhabhiloni. 2 Ikoku kwakabe kuli shule kwa Mambo Jekoniya na mme ba mambo ne ngomwa ne makulukota e Juda ne Jerusalema ne babezhi ne bathuli be butale basinotapiwa mu Jerusalema. 3 Lukwalo gwakayisiwa nge luboko ndi Eliyasa nkololo wa Shafani na Gemariya nkololo wa Hilikiya ibo Zedekiya mambo we Juda baakabe abatumila ku Bhabhiloni kuna Mambo Nebukadineza guti, 4 “Yahwe Masimbawose Ndzimu we Iziraela bakati ku batapiwa bose babakatapa mu Jerusalema bebatapila ku Bhabhiloni, 5 ‘Bakani ng'umba mugale mu dzili, limani minda muje zwavung'wa muili. 6 Lobolani mube ne bakololo ne bakololokadzi, lobolelani bakololo benyu, lobodzani bakololokadzi benyu kuti ndizo bazwale bakololo ne bakololokadzi, wandani ikoko musitapudzike. 7 Shakani kunyalala mu nzi nkulu wandakamutapila ku uli, muutembezelele kuna Yahwe ngoti aubhudilila namwi mowobhudilila.’ 8 Ngoti Yahwe Masimbawose Ndzimu we Iziraela bakati, ‘Musiletje balebesambeli benyu ne bakandili bapakati kwenyu bakamutjebela. Musidume mawoloto amunobakulumbidza kuti babe nawo. 9 Banomulebelambeli manyepkhwa nge zina langu, andizobatuma,’ kojalo Yahwe.
10 “Ngoti Yahwe bakati, ‘Kowoti makole ali makumi ali kutenda (70) asinopinda e Bhabhiloni, ndowomukumba ngono amushingikadzila kugalabgwe kwangu amubgwiliza mu bugalo igogu. 11 Ngoti ndoziba ndongoloso yandinayo nge kwenyu, ndongoloso yekumuthama kuti mubhudilile kusi kumuthamila tjakabipa, ndongoloso ye kumugadzabgwe ne kube ne bumangwana,’ kojalo Yahwe. 12 ‘Ipapo mowondidana mukazha mukawonditembezela ngono ndowomuteedza. 13 Mowondishaka ngono mowondibona, amundishaka nge mimoyo yenyu yose, 14 ndowobong'wa ndimwi,’ koleba Yahwe. ‘Ndowoshandula kutapiwa kwenyu, ndowomukubunganya kudwa mu zwitjaba zose ne magalo wose andakamutatila kuali,’ koleba Yahwe. ‘Ndowomubgwiliza mu bugalo gwandakamudusa ndimuyisa mu kutapiwa.’
15 “Amuti, ‘Yahwe bakatimusila balebesambeli mu Bhabhiloni,’ 16 koga etji nditjo tjinolebgwa ndi Yahwe ngekwe mambo ugele mu tjigalo tje bumambo tja Dafite ne ngekwe bathu bose bakasala mu nzi iwoyo nkulu, hama dzenyu dzisakayenda namwi mu kutapiwa, 17 ee Yahwe Masimbawose bakati, ‘Bonani, ndobatumilila thumo ne bhamba ne bugwele, ndowobathama kuti bange phaya dzakabola dzisingake dzikajiwa. 18 Ndowobatatamila nge thumo ne bhamba ne bugwele ngono ndowobathama tjithu tjinopalusa ku mibuso yose ye shango, kuti babe bhiso, ne kudziyidzika ne madado ne kulengudzika pakati kwe zwitjaba zwandinobatatila ku zwili. 19 Ngoti abazohwa matama angu,’ koleba Yahwe, ‘matama andakatumila ndipaphulula nge balebesambeli balanda bangu, koga bakasiteedze,’ koleba Yahwe.
20 “Ndizo ke, ihwani dama la Yahwe, imwi batapiwa bandakadusa mu Jerusalema ndibayisa ku Bhabhiloni. 21 Tjinolebgwa ndi Yahwe Masimbawose Ndzimu we Iziraela ngekwa Ahabu nkololo wa Kolaya na Zedekiya nkololo wa Maseya ibo bakalebesambeli manyepkhwa ku muli nge zina langu ndiyetji, ‘Bonani, ndowobalonga mu luboko gwa Nebukadineza mambo we Bhabhiloni ngono unobabulaya mbeli kwenyu. 22 Ngoti nge kwabo batapiwa bose be Juda baku Bhabhiloni banowoshingisa bhiso ileli beti, “Yahwe ngabathame sekwa bakathama na Zedekiya na Ahabu ibo mambo we Bhabhiloni babakapisila mu moto.” 23 Ngoti bakathama mabhatisa shoni mu Iziraela, bakathama bupongwe ne bakadzi be babakidzani babo, kakale bakaleba nge zina langu matama e manyepkhwa andisakabadwa. Ndimi ndinoziba kakale ndimi ntendeki nge kwako,’ kojalo Yahwe.”
Lukwalo gunoyenda kuna Shemaya
24 Shemaya we Nehelamu iye un'dwe uti, 25 “Yahwe Masimbawose Ndzimu we Iziraela bakati, unotumila hwalo nge zina lilo ku bathu bose mu Jerusalema ne kuna Zefaniya nkololo wa Maasiya we mpirisiti ne ku bamwe bapirisiti uti, 26 ‘Yahwe bakubiga mpirisiti mu bumo gwa Jehoyada we mpirisiti, kuti ndizo ube ntungamili mu Ng'umba ya Yahwe kuti utungamile nlume mmwe ne mmwe unopenga unozwithama nlebesambeli kuti unkwebele mu bhangwana ne mu ketani dze ntshibha. 27 Ini ngono usatjemela Jeremiya we Anatoti wakalebesambeli kukuli? 28 Wakatumila ndayidzo iyeyi kutili ku Bhabhiloni eti, “Kutapiwa kwenyu kowotola tjibaka tjilefu, bakani ng'umba mu gale mu dzili, limani muje zojiwa zwenyu zwamavuna.” ’ ”
29 Zafaniya we mpirisiti kabala lukwalo mu zebe dza Jeremiya we nlebesambeli. 30 Ipapo dama la Yahwe likazha kuna Jeremiya liti, 31 “Tumila batapiwa bose matama anoti, ‘Yahwe bakati ngekwa Shemaya we Nehelamu, “Ngoti Shemaya wakamulebeselambeli ndisantuma, kamuthama kuti mugalabgwe manyepkhwa,” ndizo Yahwe bakati, “Bonani ndowoloba shamu Shemaya we Nehelamu ne zwizekugwana zwizwe zose, akutobe ne ng'ompela wabo unowosala pakati kwe bathu ibaba kakale aatowobona zwithu zwibuya zwandinowothamila bathu bangu, kojalo Yahwe, ngoti wakaandamisa bupanduki kubhayana nami.” ’ ” 32
Jeremiah's Letter to the Jews in Babylonia
1 I wrote a letter to the priests, the prophets, the leaders of the people, and to all the others whom Nebuchadnezzar had taken away as prisoners from Jerusalem to Babylonia. 2 I wrote it after King Jehoiachin, his mother, the palace officials, the leaders of Judah and of Jerusalem, the engravers, and the skilled workers had been taken into exile. 3 I gave the letter to Elasah son of Shaphan and to Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom King Zedekiah of Judah was sending to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia. It said:
4 “The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those people whom he allowed Nebuchadnezzar to take away as prisoners from Jerusalem to Babylonia: 5 ‘Build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat what you grow in them. 6 Marry and have children. Then let your children get married, so that they also may have children. You must increase in numbers and not decrease. 7 Work for the good of the cities where I have made you go as prisoners. Pray to me on their behalf, because if they are prosperous, you will be prosperous too. 8 I, the Lord, the God of Israel, warn you not to let yourselves be deceived by the prophets who live among you or by any others who claim they can predict the future. Do not pay any attention to their dreams. 9 They are telling you lies in my name. I did not send them. I, the Lord Almighty, have spoken.’
10 “The Lord says, ‘When Babylonia's seventy years are over, I will show my concern for you and keep my promise to bring you back home. 11 I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for. 12 Then you will call to me. You will come and pray to me, and I will answer you. 13 You will seek me, and you will find me because you will seek me with all your heart. 14 Yes, I say, you will find me, and I will restore you to your land. I will gather you from every country and from every place to which I have scattered you, and I will bring you back to the land from which I had sent you away into exile. I, the Lord, have spoken.’
15 “You say that the Lord has given you prophets in Babylonia. 16 Listen to what the Lord says about the king who rules the kingdom that David ruled and about the people of this city, that is, your relatives who were not taken away as prisoners with you. 17 The Lord Almighty says, ‘I am bringing war, starvation, and disease on them, and I will make them like figs that are too rotten to be eaten. 18 I will pursue them with war, starvation, and disease, and all the nations of the world will be horrified at what they see. Everywhere I scatter them, people will be shocked and terrified at what has happened to them. People will make fun of them and use their name as a curse. 19 This will happen to them because they did not obey the message that I kept on sending to them through my servants the prophets. They refused to listen. 20 All of you whom I sent into exile in Babylonia, listen to what I, the Lord, say.’
21 “The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, has spoken about Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are telling you lies in his name. He has said that he will hand them over to the power of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylonia, who will put them to death before your eyes. 22 When the people who were taken away as prisoners from Jerusalem to Babylonia want to bring a curse on someone, they will say, ‘May the Lord treat you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylonia roasted alive!’ 23 This will be their fate because they are guilty of terrible sins—they have committed adultery and have told lies in the Lord's name. This was against the Lord's will; he knows what they have done, and he is a witness against them. The Lord has spoken.”
The Letter of Shemaiah
24-25 The Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, gave me a message for Shemaiah of Nehelam, who had sent a letter in his own name to all the people of Jerusalem and to the priest Zephaniah son of Maaseiah and to all the other priests. In this letter Shemaiah wrote to Zephaniah:
26 “The Lord made you a priest in place of Jehoiada, and you are now the chief officer in the Temple. It is your duty to see that every crazy person who pretends to be a prophet is placed in chains with an iron collar around the neck. 27 Why haven't you done this to Jeremiah of Anathoth, who has been speaking as a prophet to the people? 28 He must be stopped because he told the people in Babylonia that they would be prisoners there a long time and should build houses, settle down, plant gardens, and eat what they grow.”
29 Zephaniah read the letter to me, 30 and then the Lord told me 31-32 to send to all the prisoners in Babylon this message about Shemaiah: “I, the Lord, will punish Shemaiah and all of his descendants. I did not send him, but he spoke to you as if he were a prophet, and he made you believe lies. He will have no descendants among you. He will not live to see the good things that I am going to do for my people, because he told them to rebel against me. I, the Lord, have spoken.”