1 The word which came unto Jeremiah from the LORD, when king Zedekiah sent unto him Pashur the son of Melchiah, and Zephaniah the son of Maaseiah the priest, saying, 2 Enquire, I pray thee, of the LORD for us; for Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon maketh war against us; if so be that the LORD will deal with us according to all his wondrous works, that he may go up from us.
3 ¶ Then said Jeremiah unto them, Thus shall ye say to Zedekiah: 4 Thus saith the LORD God of Israel; Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith ye fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans, which besiege you without the walls, and I will assemble them into the midst of this city. 5 And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath. 6 And I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast: they shall die of a great pestilence. 7 And afterward, saith the LORD, I will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the people, and such as are left in this city from the pestilence, from the sword, and from the famine, into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those that seek their life: and he shall smite them with the edge of the sword; he shall not spare them, neither have pity, nor have mercy.
8 ¶ And unto this people thou shalt say, Thus saith the LORD; Behold, I set before you the way of life, and the way of death. 9 He that abideth in this city shall die by the sword, and by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth out, and falleth to the Chaldeans that besiege you, he shall live, and his life shall be unto him for a prey. 10 For I have set my face against this city for evil, and not for good, saith the LORD: it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.
11 ¶ And touching the house of the king of Judah, say , Hear ye the word of the LORD; 12 O house of David, thus saith the LORD; Execute judgment in the morning, and deliver him that is spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor, lest my fury go out like fire, and burn that none can quench it , because of the evil of your doings. 13 Behold, I am against thee, O inhabitant of the valley, and rock of the plain, saith the LORD; which say, Who shall come down against us? or who shall enter into our habitations? 14 But I will punish you according to the fruit of your doings, saith the LORD: and I will kindle a fire in the forest thereof, and it shall devour all things round about it.
Ndzimu unolamba kukumbila kwa Zedekiya
1 Dama lakazha kuna Jeremiya lidwa kuna Yahwe, tjibaka tja Mambo Zedekiya tjabakatumila Pashihuri nkololo wa Malikhiya na Zefaniya we mpirisiti nkololo wa Maasiya kunli liti, 2 “Tibhuzwile Yahwe, ngoti Nebukadineza mambo we Bhabhiloni unogwa naswi, pamwe swiyo Yahwe banowotithamila mishingo yabo yose inotjenamisa bakathama kuti atiletjedze.”
3 Ipapo Jeremiya kati kubali, 4 “Idwani Zedekiya muti, ‘Yahwe Ndzimu we Iziraela bakati, “Bonani, ndowoshandusa mathumo e ngwa amu maboko enyu amunoshingisa kugwa na mambo we Bhabhiloni ne kugwa kwe Bakhaladiya bakamukomba kuzhe kwe makuma, ngono ndowobakubunganyila pakati kwe nzi iwoyu nkulu. 5 Imi nge kwangu ndowogwa namwi nge luboko gwakatambunuka gwakasima mu kugwadzamoyo kunothuta ndina bushongola gwakabangalala. 6 Ndowobulaya bagali be nzi iwoyu, bathu kose ne zwithuwo zowobulawa nge bugwele bukulu kwazo. 7 Kudwa ipapo, koleba Yahwe, Zedekiya mambo we Juda ne makulukota awe ne bathu be nzi iwoyu nkulu banowobe basiya bugwele ne thumo ne bhamba, ndowobalonga mu maboko a Nebukadineza mambo we Bhabhiloni, mu maboko a ibabo bagala beshaka butjilo gwabo. Unowobaloba nge mpitsho we thumo, aatowobe ne ngoni mu bali kene kubasiya kene kubahwilazogwadza.” ’
8 “Ngono ku bathu ibaba ubadwe uti, ‘Yahwe bakati, “Bonani, ndobiga zila ye butjilo ne zila ye lufu mbeli kwenyu. 9 Iye unogala mu nzi iwoyu nkulu unowofa nge thumo nenge bhamba ne bugwele koga iye unobhuda kazwipa ku Bakhaladiya bakamukomba unowotjila kawana butjilo gugwe guli igo mbhailo we ngwa. 10 Ngoti ndakalingisana ne kubhayana ne nzi nkulu iwoyu we mbipo usi we bubuya, kojalo Yahwe. Unowolongwa mu maboko a mambo we Bhabhiloni ngono akawupisa nge moto.” ’
11 “Kakale udwe be ng'umba ya mambo we Juda uti, ‘Ihwa dama la Yahwe, 12 Iwe ng'umba ya Dafite! Yahwe bakati,
“ ‘Sumikilisani nge ndulamo mu mangwanana,
munsunungule mu luboko gwe ntshambilidzi,
iye wakatolegwa,
kuyita kuti bushongola gwangu gusithute se moto,
kungadwa kusheta ungagudzima,
ngekwe mishingo yenyu mibiibi.’
13 Bona ndobhayana nawe, iwe n'gali we nkuku,
iwe shongwe yakawala, koleba Yahwe,
iwe unoti, ‘Ndiyani ungazha katinginilila,
kene ungangina mu magalo edu wali?’
14 Ndowokuloba shamu kuyendidzana nge mitjelo ye mishingo iyo, koleba Yahwe.
Ndowobhatidza moto mu ishaka tjitje,
ngono unowoja tjimwe ne tjimwe tjakampoteleka.”