1 The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests that were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin: 2 To whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign. 3 It came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah, unto the carrying away of Jerusalem captive in the fifth month.
4 Then the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. 6 Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child.
7 ¶ But the LORD said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. 8 Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD. 9 Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. 10 See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.
11 ¶ Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, Jeremiah, what seest thou? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree. 12 Then said the LORD unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it. 13 And the word of the LORD came unto me the second time, saying, What seest thou? And I said, I see a seething pot; and the face thereof is toward the north. 14 Then the LORD said unto me, Out of the north an evil shall break forth upon all the inhabitants of the land. 15 For, lo, I will call all the families of the kingdoms of the north, saith the LORD; and they shall come, and they shall set every one his throne at the entering of the gates of Jerusalem, and against all the walls thereof round about, and against all the cities of Judah. 16 And I will utter my judgments against them touching all their wickedness, who have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, and worshipped the works of their own hands.
17 ¶ Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them. 18 For, behold, I have made thee this day a defenced city, and an iron pillar, and brasen walls against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, against the princes thereof, against the priests thereof, and against the people of the land. 19 And they shall fight against thee; but they shall not prevail against thee; for I am with thee, saith the LORD, to deliver thee.
1 Matama a Jeremiya nkololo wa Hilikiya, wakabe ali mmwe we bapirisiti bakabe bali mu Anatoti mu shango ye Bhenjamini. 2 Dama la Yahwe lakazha kunli mu gole le bugumi lina matatu (13) ekubusa kwa Josiya nkololo wa Amoni wakabe ali mambo we Juda. 3 Lakazha kakale mu misi ya Jehoyakimu nkololo wa Josiya wakabe ali mambo we Juda, kuyenda kunoti ku bupelo gwe gole le bugumi lina ling'ompela la Zedekiya nkololo wa Josiya wakabe ali mambo we Juda, kudzina kunoti mu kutapiwa kwe Jerusalema mu mwedzi we bushanu.
Kudang'wa kwa Jeremiya
4 Dama la Yahwe lakazha kundili liti,
5 “Ndakati ndisathu akubumba mu tjibumbilo ndakakuziba,
wakati usathu ukazwagwa ndakakushalula,
ndakakubiga nlebesambeli ku zwitjaba.”
6 Ipapo ndikabe nditi, “Awu, She Yahwe! Bonani, anditoziba lebeleka ngoti nditji ntjetjana.” 7 Koga Yahwe bakati kundili, “Usiti, ‘Nditji ntjetjana,’ wakafanila kuyenda kuna bose bandinokutuma kubali, tjimwe ne tjimwe tjandinokulaya wakafanila kutjileba. 8 Usibatje ngoti ndinawe kukusunungula,” kojalo Yahwe.
9 Ipapo Yahwe bakatambunudza luboko gwabo bakabhata nlomo wangu ngono Yahwe bakati kundili,
“Bona ndalonga matama angu mu nlomo uwo.
10 Bona, mu zhuba ileli ndakubiga kuti ube ne simba mu zwitjaba ne pezhugwi kwe mibuso kuti
utshindunule kakale uvunile pasi,
ukolomole kakale upitule,
ubake kakale udzwale.”
11 Kakale dama la Yahwe lakazha kundili liti, “Jeremiya unobonani?” Adabila nditi, “Ndobona lukombo gwe nti we alimondi.” 12 Ipapo Yahwe bakati kundili, “Wabona zubuyanana, ngoti ndakalingilila kubona dama langu lishingikadziwa.”
13 Dama la Yahwe lakazha kundili gwe bubili liti, “Unobonani?” Adabila nditi, “Ndobona hali inobila yakaleleka kudwa ku bunandzwa.” 14 Ipapo Yahwe bakati kundili, “Kudwa ku bunandzwa bubi gowowila bagali bose be shango. 15 Ngoti bona, ndodana njudzi dzose dze mibuso ye bunandzwa,” kojalo Yahwe. “Ipapo dzowozha ngono mmwe ne mmwe unowobiga tjigalo tjitje tje bushe ku manginilo e nkoba we Jerusalema, banowobhayana ne makuma wose ayo akapoteleka ne mizi yose ye Juda. 16 Ndowodusa sumikiliso dzangu nge kwabo ngekwe bubi gwabo gose gwe kundifupatila, bakapisila motsha midzimu ipoga bakanamata mishingo ye maboko abo. 17 Koga iwe, uzwilulwamise! Milika ubabudze tjimwe ne tjimwe tjandinokudwa. Basikupaluse moyo, kuti ndizo ndisikupaluse moyo mbeli kwabo. 18 Ngono imi, bona, ndokuthama mu zhuba la nasi nzi we dizhilo, phanda ye butale, guma le phangula kubhayana ne shango yose ne kubhayana na bomambo be Juda ne makulukota ayo ne bapirisiti bayo nenge bathu be shango. 19 Banowogwa nawe koga abangakukunde ngoti ndinawe kakale ndowokugwila,” koleba Yahwe.