1 The word which came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, 2 Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will cause thee to hear my words. 3 Then I went down to the potter’s house, and, behold, he wrought a work on the wheels. 4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it . 5 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 6 O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel. 7 At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; 8 If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. 9 And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it; 10 If it do evil in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.
11 ¶ Now therefore go to, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I frame evil against you, and devise a device against you: return ye now every one from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good. 12 And they said, There is no hope: but we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart. 13 Therefore thus saith the LORD; Ask ye now among the heathen, who hath heard such things: the virgin of Israel hath done a very horrible thing. 14 Will a man leave the snow of Lebanon which cometh from the rock of the field? or shall the cold flowing waters that come from another place be forsaken? 15 Because my people hath forgotten me, they have burned incense to vanity, and they have caused them to stumble in their ways from the ancient paths, to walk in paths, in a way not cast up; 16 To make their land desolate, and a perpetual hissing; every one that passeth thereby shall be astonished, and wag his head. 17 I will scatter them as with an east wind before the enemy; I will shew them the back, and not the face, in the day of their calamity.
18 ¶ Then said they, Come, and let us devise devices against Jeremiah; for the law shall not perish from the priest, nor counsel from the wise, nor the word from the prophet. Come, and let us smite him with the tongue, and let us not give heed to any of his words. 19 Give heed to me, O LORD, and hearken to the voice of them that contend with me. 20 Shall evil be recompensed for good? for they have digged a pit for my soul. Remember that I stood before thee to speak good for them, and to turn away thy wrath from them. 21 Therefore deliver up their children to the famine, and pour out their blood by the force of the sword; and let their wives be bereaved of their children, and be widows; and let their men be put to death; let their young men be slain by the sword in battle. 22 Let a cry be heard from their houses, when thou shalt bring a troop suddenly upon them: for they have digged a pit to take me, and hid snares for my feet. 23 Yet, LORD, thou knowest all their counsel against me to slay me: forgive not their iniquity, neither blot out their sin from thy sight, but let them be overthrown before thee; deal thus with them in the time of thine anger.
Mbumbi we hali
1 Dama lakazha kuna Jeremiya lidwa kuna Yahwe liti, 2 “Milika, yenda ku ng'umba ye mbumbi we hali, ikoko ndowothama kuti uhwe matama angu.” 3 Ndizo ndakadelukila ku ng'umba ye mbumbi we hali,Mbumbi we hali ndikaswika ndiwana ebumbila pa gumbgwana lile linobumba. 4 Ngono abona hali yaakabe ebumba ipkhwanyikila mu maboko awe ngono kaibumba kakale ikabe hali ipoga, eibumba kudzina ebona yanlulwamila.
5 Ipapo dama la Yahwe lakazha kundili liti, 6 “Iwe ng'umba ye Iziraela apa andingamuthame sekwa mbumbi we hali athama kene? Kojalo Yahwe. Bonani koga se ntapkhwi umu maboko e mbumbi namwibo makajalo mu maboko angu imwi ng'umba ye Iziraela. 7 Ha ndingati ne tjimwe tjibaka ha leba ngekwe itjaba kene mbuso kuti ndowoutshindunula aupkhwanya aukolomola, 8 ngono ha itjaba itjetjo tjandaleba nge kwatjo tjingashandukila bubi gwatjo, ndowoshandula nkumbulo we bubi gwandabe nditi ndoguthamila itjo. 9 Ha ndingati ne tjimwe tjibaka ha leba ngekwe itjaba kene mbuso kuti ndowoubaka kakale aulima, 10 ngono ha ungathama bubi mu mesho angu usingahwe hwi langu, ipapo ndowoshandula nkumbulo wangu wekuthama bubuya gwandabe ndakazwimisila kuguthamila iwo. 11 Ndizo ngwenu idwa balume be Juda ne bagali be Jerusalema uti, ‘Yahwe bakati, “Bonani ndolulwamisa bubi gwakamulingisana, ndomubumbila nkumbulo we kumuloba shamu. Shandukani, mmwe ne mmwe wenyu mu mipanga iye mibiibi ngono mululwamise zila dzenyu ne zwiyito zwenyu.” ’
12 “Koga banoti, ‘Akutobhatsha! Towotobela ndongoloso dzedu kakale mmwe ne mmwe unowothama kuyendidzana ne bukomba gwe bubi gwe moyo uwe.’
13 “Ndizo Yahwe bakati,
‘Bhuzwani mu zwitjaba
kuti ndiani wakatongohwa ngekwa ikoko?
Mwanadi Iziraela,
wathama tjithu tjakabipa kwazo.
14 Apa kapuku ye Lebanoni
inganyawukila pakakungulukila kuna mabgwe kene?
Apa vula dzinotothola kudwa ku matombo akule dzosoma kuwunga kene?
15 Koga bathu bangu bakandikangang'wa,
banopisila midzimu ye manyepkhwa motsha,
kwakayita kuti bakuthiwe mu zila dzabo,
ne mu zila dzabo hwulukugwe.
Yakabathama kuti batjekeledze,
mu zila dzisakabakwa.
16 Shango yabo inowothukudziwa,
ikabe tjithu tjinoshinyatiwa nge kusingapele.
Mmwe ne mmwe unopinda nayo unowokaabala,
kazunguza nsholo uwe.
17 Se phepo ye bhezhuba ndowobapaladza,
mbeli kwe tjita.
Ndowobalakidza itiko tjangu kusi buso gwangu,
mu zhuba le mbatsha dzabo.’ ”
18 Ipapo banowoti, “ ‘Izhani, ngati lukileni Jeremiya gwanga, ngoti zwidiyo zwe nlayo azwingalashiwe ne bapirisiti kene goko le batjenjedu kene dama le balebesambeli. Ndizo buyani ngati n'nginilileni nge ndimi dzedu tisibhulutane ndodwa ne tjimwe tjaanoleba.’ ”
19 Munditeedze imwi Yahwe,
ihwani tjinolebgwa ne banyanyayidzi bangu.
20 Apa bubuya gwakafanila lipiwa nge bubi kene?
Koga banditshila gomba.
Kumbulani kuti ndakatongoma mbeli kwenyu,
alebeleka mu bumo gwabo,
shandusani bushongola gwenyu mubali.
21 Ndizo tjidzani bana babo mu bhamba,
mubalonge mu simba le thumo,
bakadzi babo ngabashete mbeleko kakale babe tjilikadzi.
Balume babo babulawe nge bugwele.
Bazhuzha babo babulawe nge thumo mu ngwa.
22 Tjililo ngatjihwike tjidwa mu ng'umba dzabo,
tjinyolotjo amuzhisa banginilili ku bali,
ngoti bakatsha gomba kundibhatshila
bakasumbika zwibhatshili kubhatshila makumbo angu.
23 Koga imwi moziba imwi Yahwe,
mikumbulo yabo yose ye kundibulaya.
Musibazwiibhatigwe matjinyo abo,
kene kuli kubukusha tjibi tjabo pa mesho enyu.
Ngabakandalale mbeli kwenyu,
mubathame saikoku nge tjibaka tje kugwadzamoyo kwenyu.