Bamediya banopkhwanya Bhabhiloni
1 Yahwe bakati,
“Bonani, ndowodzonga meya ye nkolomodzi
kubhayana ne Bhabhiloni ne bagali bayo.
2 Ndowotumila bawulusi ku Bhabhiloni
ngono banowowulusa Khaladiya,
banowosiya shango yayo isina tjimwe,
abebhayana nayo kudwa mbizho dzose
mu zhuba le mbatsha.
3 Mposi ngaasipete dati lile,
ngaasime akaambala zwiambalo zwizwe zwe ngwa.
Musibe ne hanya ngekwe bazhuzha babo,
mulobese ngwa yayo tjoselele.
4 Banowokandalala bakafa mu shango ye Bakhaladiya,
bakakubala kwazo mu dzizila dzayo.
5 Ngoti Iziraela ne Juda adzizofupatigwa,
nge Ndzimu wadzo, Yahwe Masimbawose,
koga shango ye Bakhaladiya izhele nlandu,
mbeli kwe Nyengemali we Iziraela.
6 “Tizhani mu Bhabhiloni!
Nthu mmwe ne mmwe ngaatjidze butjilo gugwe!
Musidwe mulobesiwa ngekwe tjibi tjayo.
Tjibaka tje kubgwilizila kwa Yahwe,
banon'lipa nge kwakan'fanila.
7 Bhabhiloni yakabe ili bhepe le golide mu tjiyazha tja Yahwe,
ithama kuti shango yose ilaladze.
Shango yakang'wa nkumbi wayo we zhambi,
ndizo ngwenu batjishangana misholo.
8 Tjinyolotjo Bhabhiloni inowowa ikakolomoka.
Muililileni!
Tolani nyonje muzhodze zogwadza zwayo,
pamwe swiyo ingapola.
9 “Takabe tititolapa Bhabhiloni,
ngono aizolapika.
Muifupatile, ngatiyendeni mmwe ne mmwe ku shango iye,
ngoti sumikiliso yayo yaswika kudzimu,
inoswika ne ku makole dumbu.
10 “Yahwe batigwila,
izhani ngati kulebeni mu Ziyoni,
nshingo wa Yahwe Ndzimu wedu.
11 “Kuswani misebe,
Tolani zwivikisi!
Yahwe badzonga bomambo be Mediya,
ngoti balongolosa kukolomola Bhabhiloni.
Yahwe banowobgwilizila,
bebgwilizila ngekwe Ng'umba yabo.
12 Milidzani tjilakidzo makatjilingisanya ne makuma e Bhabhiloni!
Simisani balingi,
misani zubuyanana balindi,
lulwamisani balalili!
Yahwe banowoshinga ndongoloso yabo,
tjabaleba ngekwe bagali be Bhabhiloni!
13 Imwi munogala hwunde ne vula,
imwi makafuma thundu,
bhelelo lenyu laswika,
tjibaka tjenyu kuti mubulawe.
14 Yahwe Masimbawose bakatuna nge kwabo beti,
‘Nge malebeswa ndowomuzhadza nge bathu banji se phashu,
ngono banowomilidza nsindo we kumukunda.’
15 “Ndibo bakathama shango nge simba labo,
bakagadzika lubumbo nge butjenjedu gwabo,
nenge hwisiso yabo bakatalabudza zhuzhugwi.
16 Abedusa hwi labo vula inodidima ku zhuzhugwi,
banothama kuti makole amilidze kudwa phelelo dze shango.
Banotumila lupenyo ne vula,
bakadusa phepo mu matula abo.
17 “Nthu mmwe ne mmwe tjilengwe aasina luzibo,
nthuli we golide mmwe ne mmwe unobhatisiwa shoni nge midzimu iye yakabezhiwa,
ngoti zwifano zwizwe manyepkhwa,
kakale akuna meya mu zwili.
18 Azwina nshingo, mishingo ye madado,
mu tjibaka tje kulobgwa shamu kwabo zowoloba.
19 Iye waali gobe la Jakubo aazojalo,
ngoti ndiye wakabumba zwithu zose,
Iziraela ludzi gwe thaka iye,
Yahwe Masimbawose ndilo zina labo.
20 “U hamuli yangu ne tjibhayano tjangu tje ngwa,
ndoshingisa iwe kupkhwanya zwitjaba kube zwitibhutibhu,
ndoshingisa iwe kokolomola mibuso,
21 ndoshingisa iwe kupkhwanya koloyi dze ngwa ne batathi badzo kube zwitibhutibhu,
22 ndoshingisa iwe kupkhwanya bakadzi ne balume,
ndoshingisa iwe kupkhwanya bathuntana ne batjetjana,
ndoshingisa iwe kupkhwanya bazhuzha ne baanadi,
23 ndoshingisa iwe kupkhwanya balisi ne ngubi dzabo,
ndoshingisa iwe kupkhwanya balauli ne balauli be babhayani.
24 “Mbeli kuko, ndowobgwilizila Bhabhiloni ne bagali bose be Khaladiya bubi gose gwabathamila Ziyoni,” kojalo Yahwe.
25 “Bona ndobhayana nawe, iwe dombo le nkolomodzi,
iwe unokolomola shango yose,
kojalo Yahwe.Ndowotambunudza luboko gwangu kubhayana nawe,
akukunguludzila pasi kudwa kuthweswi,
akuthama dombo lakatshwa.
26 Akuna bgwe linowotogwa mukuli kube bgwe linotambunudza,
kene bgwe le nteyo,
ngoti unowobe wathukudzigwa tjatjose,
koleba Yahwe.27 Milidzani tjilakidzo mu shango!
Lidzani lunyanga pakati kwe zwitjaba!
Lulwamisani zwitjaba kubhayana nayo,
danani mibuso iyeyi kubhayana nayo,
Ararati ne Minni ne Ashikenazi.
Bigani balauli be ngwa kubhayana nayo,
lulwamisani mbizi njinji se phashu.
28 Lulwamisani zwitjaba kugwa nayo,
bomambo be Mediya,
ne balauli babo ne makulukota abo wose,
ne shango dzose dzabanobusa.
29 Shango inotetema ili mu zogwadza,
ngoti ndongoloso ya Yahwe kubhayana ne Bhabhiloni imile yakajalo,
kuthama kuti shango ye Bhabhiloni ithukudzike ibe isina bagali.
30 Babhayani be Bhabhiloni bamisa kugwa,
bagele mu matizhilo abo,
simba labo lapela,
botjinga bakadzi,
magalo ayo apisiwa nge moto,
matendele e butale avung'wa.
31 Nlabuki mmwe unolabuka kunoshangamidza mmwe,
ne ntumwa mmwe unonoshangamidza mmwe,
kunobudza mambo we Bhabhiloni,
kuti nzi nkulu watogwa mbizho dzose,
32 ne panotjulukwa gwizi kwazhaligwa,
ne mashanga e madziba apisiwa,
ne babhayani bapaluka moyo.
33 Ngoti Yahwe Masimbawose Ndzimu we Iziraela bakati,
Nkololokadzi we Bhabhiloni unonga lutombo,
nge tjibaka tjainokanyangiwa,
koga nge tjibaka tjifutshwanana,
tjibaka tje kuvuna kukwe tjowon'swikila.
34 “Nebukadineza mambo we Bhabhiloni watija
watizwiyilidza,
watithama tikabe jegwa lisina tjimwe.
Se bhophona watimidza,
wazhadza ntumbu uwe naswi,
katidusa mu bugalo gwedu gwakanaka
ngono katitata.
35 Atshene mbatsha dzatakathamigwa dziwile Bhabhiloni,”
kojalo bagali be Ziyoni.
“Atshene lopa ledu litebukile ibabo bagali be Khaladiya,”
kojalo Jerusalema.
36 Ndizo Yahwe bakati,
“Bonani, ndowoteedza ndebo yenyu ha bgwilizila nge kwenyu.
Ndowowomeledza gungwa lile,
athama kuti nsenya uwe upkhwe,
37 Bhabhiloni inowobe duluthulu le dongo,
bugalo gwe phungubgwe,
tjithu tjinopalusa moyo ne tje madado,
kusina ndodwa ne n'gali.
38 “Banowobomba bose se shumba tukununu,
banowobunga se shumbana.
39 Koga banowoti kuyemula kwabo kwakula, ndowolulwamisa nzano,
athama kuti balaladze,
kuti ndizo bamimile ne tjiseko,
ipapo baizelele tjatjose basingotjamuka,”
kojalo Yahwe.40 “Ndowobadelusa se pkhwizana dzinonobhayiwa,
se nyundo ne mbudzi ndume.
41 “Bhabhiloni yakundiwa seni,
gudzo le shango yose latogwa!
Bhabhiloni yabe tjithu
tjinopalusa moyo ku zwitjaba!
42 Gungwa gwamilidza gukafukidza Bhabhiloni,
wafukidziwa nge mapundu e vula.
43 Mizi mikulu yayo yathukudzika,
yawomelela yabe shango ye tjilambanyika,
shango isina ndodwa ne unogala muili,
isina ndodwa ne nthu unoyenda muili.
44 Ndowoloba shamu Bheli mu Bhabhiloni,
adusa mu nlomo wayo tjayakamidza.
Zwitjaba azwitjowokubunganila ku ili,
guma le Bhabhiloni lawa.
45 “Bhudani muili imwi bathu bangu!
Mmwe ne mmwe ngaatjidze butjilo gugwe,
tizhani kugwadzamoyo kukulu kwa Yahwe!
46 Mimoyo yenyu ngaisitimbame, musitje,
ngekwe makwayi amunohwa mu shango,
ili makwayi gole ileli,
ne mamwe gole linozha,
nenge kuti kuna mbatsha mu shango,
kene babusi bemukilana.
47 “Ndizo ke bonani, mazhuba aswika,
pandinowoloba shamu zwifano zwe Bhabhiloni,
shango iye yose inowobhakhwa nge shoni,
ne babulawa banowokandalala pakati kwayo.
48 Ipapo zhuzhugwi ne shango ne tjimwe ne tjimwe tjimuzwili
zowomimilila Bhabhiloni nge kushatha,
ngoti kudwa ku bunandzwa,
bakolomoli banowozha bakabhayana nayo,”
kojalo Yahwe.49 “Bhabhiloni yakafanila kuwa ngekwe Baiziraela bayakabulaya,
bakabulawa mu shango yose naibo bakawa ngekwe Bhabhiloni.
50 Imwi mapudzumuka mu thumo,
tizhani sinonokeni!
Kumbulani Yahwe muli ku shango ikulekule,
kumbulani Jerusalema,”
51 “Talengudziwa,
ngoti tatukiwa,
ngono shoni dzakatiambala,
ngoti bataya bangina,
mu bugalo gwakayengemala gwe Ng'umba ya Yahwe.”
52 “Koga mazhuba aswika, kojalo Yahwe,
pandinowoloba shamu zwifano zwayo,
ne mu shango yayo yose,
bakakubala banowogomela.
53 Nenguba Bhabhiloni iswika ku makole,
nenguba ikudza matizhilo ayo,
ndowotumila bakolomoli kubhayana nayo,
koleba Yahwe.54 Nsindo we tjililo unodwa mu Bhabhiloni,
nsindo we golomodzo gulugulu,
unodwa mu shango ye Bakhaladiya!
55 Ngoti Yahwe banokolomola Bhabhiloni,
banowonyaladza zhoba ye guwo layo.
Mapundu e vula dzabo anosuma se vula njinji,
nsindo we mahwi abo wakamilidzikila pezhugwi,
56 ngoti nkolomodzi wazha ku ili,
unobhayana ne Bhabhiloni,
babhayani bayo batogwa,
matati abo avung'wa abe zwitibhutibhu,
ngoti Yahwe ba Ndzimu unobgwilizila,
banowobgwilizila nge buzhalo.
57 Ndowothama makulukota ayo ne balume bayo bakatjenjela kuti balaladze,
balauli ne makombgwa ne babhayani naibobo,
banowoizelela tjatjose bakasitjamuke,
kojalo Mambo ibo zina labo linoyi Yahwe Masimbawose.
58 Yahwe Masimbawose bakati,
‘Guma bhabi le Bhabhiloni,
lowopkhwanyiwa mavu alo akalizalizanyiwa pasi,
mikoba yayo milefulefu,
inowopisiwa nge moto.
Bathu banozwinyadzila suli,
zwitjaba zoshingila masimba ndilashe koga.’ ”
Jeremiya unoyisa ndayidzo ku Bhabhiloni
59 Dama la Jeremiya nlebesambeli laakadwa Seraya nkololo wa Neriya, nkololo wa Mahiseya tjibaka tjaakayenda na Zedekiya mambo we Juda ku Bhabhiloni, mu gole le bunna le mbuso uwe. Seraya wakabe ali ntungamili we bukotokelo. 60 Jeremiya wakakwala mu lukwalo mbatsha dzose dzakafanila kuwila Bhabhiloni, matama wose iyawa akakwagwa ngekwe Bhabhiloni. 61 Ngono Jeremiya wakadwa Seraya kati, “Auswika ku Bhabhiloni, ubone kuti unobala matama iyawa wose, 62 uti, ‘Imwi Yahwe, makati mowolobesa pathu ipapa, kuti ndizo kushaye nthu kene phuka inowogala ipapa, kowobe kwakathukudzika tjatjose.’ 63 Ha wapedza bala lukwalo igogu, usungile bgwe mu guli ube uguposela ku Yufuratesi. 64 Ipapo uti, ‘Saikoku Bhabhiloni inong'wila ikasitjabhude ngoti mbatsha dzoiwila ne bathu bayo banowabo.’ ”
Matama a Jeremiya anopelela ipapa.
Further Judgment on Babylonia
1 The Lord says, “I am bringing a destructive wind against Babylonia and its people. 2 I will send foreigners to destroy Babylonia like a wind that blows straw away. When that day of destruction comes, they will attack from every side and leave the land bare. 3 Don't give its soldiers time to shoot their arrows or to put on their armor. Do not spare the young men! Destroy the whole army! 4 They will be wounded and die in the streets of their cities. 5 I, the Lord God Almighty, have not abandoned Israel and Judah, even though they have sinned against me, the Holy One of Israel. 6 Run away from Babylonia! Run for your lives! Do not be killed because of Babylonia's sin. I am now taking my revenge and punishing it as it deserves. 7 Babylonia was like a gold cup in my hand, making the whole world drunk. The nations drank its wine and went out of their minds. 8 Babylonia has suddenly fallen and is destroyed! Mourn over it! Get medicine for its wounds, and maybe it can be healed. 9 Foreigners living there said, ‘We tried to help Babylonia, but it was too late. Let's leave now and go back home. God has punished Babylonia with all his might and has destroyed it completely.’”
10 The Lord says, “My people shout, ‘The Lord has shown that we are in the right. Let's go and tell the people in Jerusalem what the Lord our God has done.’”
11 The Lord has stirred up the kings of Media, because he intends to destroy Babylonia. That is how he will take revenge for the destruction of his Temple.
The attacking officers command, “Sharpen your arrows! Get your shields ready! 12 Give the signal to attack Babylon's walls. Strengthen the guard! Post the sentries! Place troops in ambush!”
The Lord has done what he said he would do to the people of Babylonia. 13 That country has many rivers and rich treasures, but its time is up, and its thread of life is cut. 14 The Lord Almighty has sworn by his own life that he will bring many men to attack Babylonia like a swarm of locusts, and they will shout with victory.
A Hymn of Praise to God
15 The Lord made the earth by his power;
by his wisdom he created the world
and stretched out the heavens.
16 At his command the waters above the sky roar;
he brings clouds from the ends of the earth.
He makes lightning flash in the rain
and sends the wind from his storeroom.
17 At the sight of this, people feel stupid and senseless;
those who make idols are disillusioned
because the gods they make are false and lifeless.
18 They are worthless and should be despised;
they will be destroyed when the Lord comes to deal with them.
19 The God of Jacob is not like them;
he is the one who made everything,
and he has chosen Israel to be his very own people.
The Lord Almighty is his name.
The Lord's Hammer
20 The Lord says,
“Babylonia, you are my hammer, my weapon of war.
I used you to crush nations and kingdoms,
21 to shatter horses and riders,
to shatter chariots and their drivers,
22 to kill men and women,
to slay old and young,
to kill boys and girls,
23 to slaughter shepherds and their flocks,
to slaughter farmers and their plow horses,
to crush rulers and high officials.”
Babylonia's Punishment
24 The Lord says, “You will see me repay Babylonia and its people for all the evil they did to Jerusalem. 25 Babylonia, you are like a mountain that destroys the whole world, but I, the Lord, am your enemy. I will take hold of you, level you to the ground, and leave you in ashes. 26 None of the stones from your ruins will ever be used again for building. You will be like a desert forever. I, the Lord, have spoken.
27 “Give the signal to attack! Blow the trumpet so that the nations can hear! Prepare the nations for war against Babylonia! Tell the kingdoms of Ararat, Minni, and Ashkenaz to attack. Appoint an officer to lead the attack. Bring up the horses like a swarm of locusts. 28 Prepare the nations for war against Babylonia. Send for the kings of Media, their leaders and officials, and the armies of all the countries they control. 29 The earth trembles and shakes because the Lord is carrying out his plan to make Babylonia a desert, where no one lives. 30 The Babylonian soldiers have stopped fighting and remain in their forts. They have lost their courage and have become helpless. The city gates are broken down, and the houses are on fire. 31 Messenger after messenger runs to tell the king of Babylonia that his city has been broken into from every side. 32 The enemy have captured the river crossing and have set the fortresses on fire. The Babylonian soldiers have panicked. 33 Soon the enemy will cut them down and trample them like grain on a threshing place. I, the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, have spoken.”
34 The king of Babylonia cut Jerusalem up
and ate it.
He emptied the city like a jar;
like a monster he swallowed it.
He took what he wanted
and threw the rest away.
35 Let the people of Zion say,
“May Babylonia be held responsible
for the violence done to us!”
Let the people of Jerusalem say,
“May Babylonia be held responsible
for what we have suffered!”
The Lord Will Help Israel
36 And so the Lord said to the people of Jerusalem, “I will take up your cause and will make your enemies pay for what they did to you. I will dry up the source of Babylonia's water and make its rivers go dry. 37 That country will become a pile of ruins where wild animals live. It will be a horrible sight; no one will live there, and all who see it will be terrified. 38 The Babylonians all roar like lions and growl like lion cubs. 39 Are they greedy? I will prepare them a feast and make them drunk and happy. They will go to sleep and never wake up. 40 I will take them to be slaughtered, like lambs, goats, and rams. I, the Lord, have spoken.”
Babylon's Fate
41 The Lord says about Babylon: “The city that the whole world praised has been captured! What a horrifying sight Babylon has become to the nations! 42 The sea has rolled over Babylon and covered it with roaring waves. 43 The towns have become a horrifying sight and are like a waterless desert, where no one lives or even travels. 44 I will punish Bel, the god of Babylonia, and make him give up his stolen goods; the nations will not worship him any more.
“Babylon's walls have fallen. 45 People of Israel, run away from there! Run for your life from my fierce anger. 46 Do not lose courage or be afraid because of the rumors you hear. Every year a different rumor spreads—rumors of violence in the land and of one king fighting another. 47 And so the time is coming when I will deal with Babylonia's idols. The whole country will be put to shame, and all its people will be killed. 48 Everything on earth and in the sky will shout for joy when Babylonia falls to the people who come from the north to destroy it. 49 Babylonia caused the death of people all over the world, and now Babylonia will fall because it caused the death of so many Israelites. I, the Lord, have spoken.”
God's Message to the Israelites in Babylonia
50 The Lord says to his people in Babylonia: “You have escaped death! Now go! Don't wait! Though you are far from home, think about me, your Lord, and remember Jerusalem. 51 You say, ‘We've been disgraced and made ashamed; we feel completely helpless because foreigners have taken over the holy places in the Temple.’ 52 So then, I say that the time is coming when I will deal with Babylon's idols, and the wounded will groan throughout the country. 53 Even if Babylon could climb to the sky and build a strong fortress there, I would still send people to destroy it. I, the Lord, have spoken.”
Further Destruction on Babylon
54 The Lord says,
“Listen to the sound of crying in Babylon,
of mourning for the destruction in the land.
55 I am destroying Babylon
and putting it to silence.
The armies rush in like roaring waves
and attack with noisy shouts.
56 They have come to destroy Babylon;
its soldiers are captured,
and their bows are broken.
I am a God who punishes evil,
and I will treat Babylon as it deserves.
57 I will make its rulers drunk—
men of wisdom, leaders, and soldiers.
They will go to sleep and never wake up.
I, the king, have spoken;
I am the Lord Almighty.
58 The walls of mighty Babylon will be thrown to the ground,
and its towering gates burned down.
The work of the nations is all for nothing;
their efforts go up in flames.
I, the Lord Almighty, have spoken.”
Jeremiah's Message Is Sent to Babylonia
59 King Zedekiah's personal attendant was Seraiah, the son of Neriah and grandson of Mahseiah. In the fourth year that Zedekiah was king of Judah, Seraiah was going to Babylonia with him, and I gave him some instructions. 60 I wrote in a book an account of all the destruction that would come on Babylonia, as well as all these other things about Babylonia. 61 I told Seraiah, “When you get to Babylon, be sure to read aloud to the people everything that is written here. 62 Then pray, ‘Lord, you have said that you would destroy this place, so that there would be no living creatures in it, neither people nor animals, and it would be like a desert forever.’ 63 Seraiah, when you finish reading this book to the people, then tie it to a rock and throw it into the Euphrates River 64 and say, ‘This is what will happen to Babylonia—it will sink and never rise again because of the destruction that the Lord is going to bring on it.’”
The words of Jeremiah end here.